TRELLIS

Now that ladder I posted yesterday is a trellis!  Each upright is just over 6" and it is 53" wide. We even planted the two wisteria even though it was so hot out I almost melted!  

After lunch, I finished the last few batts that make up half of the fleece I washed.  I'm going to spin these in their natural color and perhaps dye them after they are skeins and the other half of the fleece I will be dyeing before spinning.

 

ALL ABOUT HOME

We bought some new hibiscus plants since the freeze a few years ago killed the bushes we enjoyed previously.

Some new pots, a bit of mulch

 and what a beautiful welcoming area now!  

I cut and stripped some bamboo canes 

to use in the vegetable garden as stakes.  

I needed some higher trellises for the peas!

I needed to come in the house and cool off a bit so I enjoyed a few hours cutting, piecing and stitching!  This is a repeat of one I did recently as a kit.  There was some of their fabric left and I supplemented it with some of my own! 

 This is a disappearing four-patch.

I painted the trellis arch by the bird bath--it just needs to be covered by the jasmine-which is vry short 

and not taking off like I thought it would!

And finally, this is a recent addition to the front yard--

yup, it says it all.

 

Emerging Colors

The Muscadine grapevine is waking up beautifully--it is filling in its trellis nicely.  The bamboo frame has survived , I only needed to replace the jute twine which I wove between the uprights. 

 Now if only we can keep the racoons away from it when the grapes ripen!!!

I like the way my shadow was a triangle, too!

My Caladium are emerging and opening up to their own uniqueness--the light, 

the dark,

the Christmas-y and

and the late-to-the-party! 

 I don't remember for sure what color this one is!

Today I plan on doing some gardening (with a glove on), a bit of work at the lathe (with another kind of glove on) and quilting at the frame (without a glove!).

What's on your agenda for this day?

 

Work and Rest

 I took one of the quilts off the design wall so I could get it on the frame,

 using a simple meander for this one--roads for all of the vehicles and such--the back is flannel in license plates!

 I needed room to put up blocks for a new quilt!  I am going to offset these blocks so that
I will get a zig zag secondary design between the vertical rows!
I am using a  combination of charm blocks and fat quarters to make these blocks!

 Bill and I finished the end of the porch border garden.

 Isn't the frog very cute sitting with the caladium?!
 The soil doesn't hold water so many of the plants we've found do better when they sit in pots.
I like the look.

However, the cactus and the bromeliads do fine in the soil!

These were the last two areas we needed mulch for finishing the front of the house!

Today is our last 'virtual' church service--

I will be attending in person next week!

What a gift.

Garter, Gardens and Gato

I am doing a little bit of dishcloth with garter and lace.

And as long as the temperatures dropped from the 90's to the 80's, 

I am going to spend some time planting a new bit of flower garden under a tree.

I hope I can hold up under the humidity! 

If so, I will have pictures to share later!

(We have three planting seasons here in NE Florida-

September, January and March/April)

"What?!  I fit just fine in your fabric bowl!",

says Nyki sublimely.

Slow Saturday

 I was able to both catch up on chores around the house and to play today.
I made several swatches noting all my information and then ripping the out to make the block
I needed for a MKAL (machine knit along) I am taking part in on the KnitItNow site.
A blanket for charity is the goal-all in different stitches each in a 7 x 9" blocks
and seamed together eventually.

 This is Tuck Stitch

The rectangles are  not blocked yet but I made 3 today.

(six really but the other three swatches were ripped out for these!)

It was a good lesson for me and easily entertaining.

  I also set a new embroidery to work for a pillow -- my plan for a pillow a month fell behind
so I am catching up;  this one is for April, of course.
The one for May is going to be a wreath of flowers with a butterfly.

And the rest of the time was spent gardening.

Speaking of gardening-look at the cool label my daughter crafted from a discarded window blind slat!
This is pleasing on every level and now I need to up my game and make them for my yard!

Gardening!

If you are wondering what I am doing today,

it is gardening!

My daughter is here and we bought some color!

It will go in the new strip of garden plot beyond the pool screen.

So much potential....

Big Dreams, Small Spaces is a great series on Netfllix--

I am inspired!

One of Those Days, Weeks a Month

I have perfected the moisturizer I make.  It is a mixture of Green Tea, coconut oil, cocoa butter, safflower and beeswax.  Sometimes it separates and that bugs me.  This time-it is a perfect texture and I scented it with lemongrass essential oil so it is a delight to the nose, too!  I use this head to toe and it is a balm to my poor body.  

In minutes and snatches, I pulled some turquoise and lime green fabric for this month's RSC2016.

When I find a minute , I sew for a bit.  I set up his train set in the studio so he is enticed to play so I can make use of the 20 minutes. 

I did make the 9th block today so I have this month's quota finished! 

I also put the additional border on the tumbler quilt.  It looks done to me now! 

I ended up buying a completely different fabric for the border of the clamshell quilt and it looks like it is meant to be now.  It is very rich. 

Today, Bill and I pulled out the tons of African Iris' out of this plant area on the pool patio.

We planted some begonias and impatiens so that there would be color and a better scale.

The irises had done too well and it looked like a jungle instead of a flower bed! 

We scaled back the other area, also, and it makes the whole area more open.  I do like less when it comes to all of my space.  I do hate clutter.  Maybe its because life gets cluttered and I can't do anything about that but I can make my living area more simple!!!!

Nyki has the right idea;  just take a nap and think about it tomorrow....

G is for Garden (my Dad's!)

 I am behind on this week's entry but travel will do that to you.....We will take a belated tour of some of the highlights from  my Dad's yard.  July is a great time to visit Central NY!
This is a new Hydrangea bush.

 I forgot what these are called.....Mom, help me out when you read this to Dad!

 Mums.

 Two kinds of fluffy blooms here...

 A hollyhock of the most beautiful , deep, almost black, purplish red bloom!

It looks like velvet!

(I am going to post date this to keep it in line with future posts!  Here is the link to the main blog for more entries and links!)

Mondays Set the Pace

 I got the new yarn on the needles and managed a few rows!  It is a very satisfying knit this entrelac!  I am using slightly larger needles, 8's, because this yarn is worsted not dk weight.  I cast on the same number of stitches, 100, and it still takes an hour to go across a row-this is not a quick project but sure is a good knit!

 Dad is puttering in his gardening space.  This area doesn't get any rain-it has an extended eave that blocks rainfall so he has worked out a solution for now and then to pass the plants on to me to babysit until they are down her again!  It is a very welcoming sight now!

Mom and I whipped off two more quilts.  I need to get some more frame quilting time in the schedule!

Do It Yourself

 I had a puni party!  Each pyramid (21 punis) does a bobbin worth of cotton singles. 

And I spun up one bobbin today!  

Bill is harvesting his watermelons!  This beauty weighs in at 22 pounds!