It's Been a Very Productive Week at the Cottage!

Throw Pillows to match 'The King'

Two, yes TWO projects completed. :-)
Alright, so they were small projects, but finished just the same.


The first milestone came with the completion of the two little throw pillows that go with the "King"!

Aren't they cute! The big Shams that go with this are still in the works. Although the tops are pieced, they are awaiting some quilting and final construction. Soon...they will be ready soon.. (And, yes I know that one pillow is nearly falling off the table in the photo. It just didn't want to sit up straight!...Besides I never professed to be a good photographer!!!)

The second project was the completion  of a bag/purse that my middle daughter and I started for her around three years ago when she was visiting.

Unfortunately, the color just isn't showing up well in the photo. This is a beautiful green, cream and yellow batik.
OK, so you are right...Three Years????  Yes, that's a long time. Other life things kept getting the way especially procrastination!  When my daughter was visiting, she asked if we could make her a new purse. Being me, of course I said something like ..."sure, that should be fun". Uh huh....She went through my fabrics and picked out this piece. (One of my favorites, I might add...oh well...it was going to a good purpose....) Then, she proceeds to say she wanted this feature, and that feature, and to sort of look like an old worn out bag I  had...You get the picture. We did NOT have a pattern in hand, nor did we EVER find one she wanted to use. SO we set our little selves down and more or less designed this bag with features from all the ones she had or had seen that she liked. All done while her boys napped. WHEW! We did manage to get all the pieces cut out and some of the sewing started during her visit.  With it being left to me to complete. I really thought it would just be a quick sew up and be done, but having to THINK the construction through without a pattern took a lot of brain power that I really lack these days. I would drag it out from time to time and work on it or at least look at it a long long time.  Other life things kept getting in the way, and before long, time had just slipped by. I was determined to get it done for her birthday last year....didn't happen! I made sure it happened this year! Although, it will still arrive late for her birthday, it is In The Mail!
Here are some more views of the bag.

Back View

This is the back view.
There is a long zipper pocket all the way across the back.
Great for large travel documents, etc.

Front View Under The Flap

Here we are looking under the front flap, which secures down with a small magnetic snap that is barely visible; but if you squint hard enough it shows up in the photo.

The sipper pocket on the front is 'gusseted' on the sides for expansion when holding bulky items such as car keys. There is also about an inch of space above the zipper closure which can be useful for unusually shaped or taller items.

The bag does have an extra long shoulder strap so it can be worn comfortably over the shoulder across the body, or can be shortened enough to just carry. My daughter had originally requested that the shoulder strap be made wider to about two inches, but we could not find a slid bar that would accommodate that width.

Peaking inside at zip divider

The inside is full of pockets and compartments. There is a large zip divider pocket inside. I sort of wish we would have chosen to stabilize this pocket, but then we didn't want bulk in the interior. With four children, she needs all the extra space we could get without making the purse a huge tote bag.   One feature that helps get inside the bag with ease is the top zipper extending about two inches down the sides of the purse. This is almost evident in the photo on the left side....just look closely. The top zip goes all the way down to where the tabs that hold the strap in place are attached. About even with the little zipper on the front pocket if you look at the previous photo.

Another look inside at side pockets

There are three side pockets across from the zip divider that are ideal for holding cell phone, pens, and note pad. The color is a little more accurate in the inside pocket photo above, too.

Well, now you know how I spend all my time....One project, right after another.

Sorry, no "Garden Variety Inspiration" shots today. It's just too hot to go out there and look for something unique to photograph. Besides it is nearly all dried up from all the heat

King and Red Barn Progress

Where does the time go? It seems that June and July have just flown by. Not sure what took up all the time.  Most days are spent in my little sewing room working on some project or another. Problem is, there just isn't enough to show for the time.  Any way a little progress has been made on the big "King" project....the two little throw pillows are finally completed. The Shams are well under construction, with the tops completed; but not quilted yet.

Didn't realize that the one was almost falling off the table until after the photo was taken. The pillow forms haven't had time to 'seat' themselves. Thought about sitting on the pillows for awhile before taking the pictures, but didn't want to waste any more time!
These are quilted, but it doesn't show up in the photo.  Hopefully, by the end of next week the shams will be completed. It is seriously time for this entire project to be completed.

Also, worked on the Red Barn Quilt squares some. The Black and Red Rooster blocks are pieced and ready for the applique stitching to be done.

 

I followed the color layout in the pattern, then realized....Chickens don't have BLACK legs! Oh, well, makes for a more interesting conversation piece. 

The fence and lamb sections are next. Then it will just be a matter of setting the pieces with the sashing units.  Still looking for the perfect backing fabric.

It's been a tough summer on the garden with temps in the upper 90's and over 100° for weeks.

But, here is your garden variety inspiration photo for this session:

 Concentrating on interesting shapes this time. Yes, this really is a mature cucumber. It is an heirloom variety called a Lemon Cucumber. Lemon only in shape and color; it tastes just like any other plain old cucumber.

  

Here is a close-up...not exactly round, but close. Lots of variation in color and highlights, and texture.

So it may not inspire you to do a lemon yellow quilt, but who knows...some day that idea might resurface. Then  you can say, "Oh, dang! She got me after all!" LOL :-) 

Tomorrow is a "Big City Civilization" run for my machine to get it's annual servicing. That means a fun  lunch out with a sewing buddy and stops at all the quilt and craft shops in the area!

Have a fun rest of July!

Happy Father's Day - Crochet News - More Garden Pics

Good Morning...and what a Beautiful day!

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!
We have been blessed to have our youngest daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons visiting. The little boys keep us hopping! Hopefully, there will be some good pictures to post in the next blog.

Hey! Do any of you CROCHET?  I get regular emails from a great free crochet source called All Free Crochet and they are having a Book Give-Away! The book is Austentatious Crochet (click on the book name for the full book review.) Click here for the sign up link if you are interested. It is ONLY available until June 27, 2012 so hurry on over and sign up! 

Crocheting is my 'other' addiction after quilting!

Our daughter that is visiting brought her quilt top for me to quilt. She just wants Stitch-in-the-Ditch. Right...just...that thing has lots and lots of "ditches". LOL  She wanted it backed with one of the fabrics she had used in the top, but didn't think there was enough to do it. So she brought all the scraps she had left of two of the other fabrics. Let's just say I can get really really creative when its necessary! (I did NOT want to MAKE a keyboard border for the back and SHE did NOT want one if we could avoid it....and WE DID!)  There was enough of the main fabric after some creative piecing for the back AND the binding. Since it is a floral print, I don't think any of the seams will be all that noticeable once it is quilted. Besides, it is NOT to be entered in a show; it is for her and husband and boys to cuddle up under on their couch. It's going to look just fine.  Here is a diagram of what we did to make this happen.

The center seam doesn't show up very well under the writing, but it's there. I will post a photo of the finished quilt......eventually. :-)

The garden is still growing and producing like .....well.... everyone always hopes it would. LOL
I have an over abundance of zucchini this year. Usually we only get a couple zuc's before the plants die or the critters eat them up for us. We are also getting a lot of early cucumbers. Here is a pic of what I picked on Friday afternoon. I picked an additional 7 zucchini and 4 cucumbers this morning!

Needless to say I ordered a Food Processor to arrive on Tuesday to help with all of this. For the last few years, I have just sliced and diced and shredded by hand. I refuse to continue with that insanity! Those zuc's are huge, but that's the way they are  growing this year. The skins are still very tender and they don't even have mature seeds yet...same with the cucumbers. Planning to try something new to us this year...Sweet Zucchini Relish. My frig is full of zuc's and cuk's. I already have SIX 2 cup bags of shredded zucchini in the freezer and have given away several. Good thing we like the stuff!

Hope you all have a SEW productive week and I'll chat with you soon!
Quilty Hugs,
Kathy

Barn Blocks 3 & 4 and More Garden Inspiration

For those of you reading this or following my blog, this Little Red Barn Quilt is one of the cutest quilts I think I have ever attempted.  Although, it is being done as a "Quilt-Along"  in conjunction with the Quilt With Us Barn Blog Quilt Along of Connecting Threads, I have jumped ahead and finished blocks three and four. With company coming in starting Monday and being here on and off for the next two weeks, it was either get ahead or lag way behind. Hey, it's me...gonna' jump ahead of the plan!  Besides, I want to devote my undivided attention to the grandsons when they arrive with no worries about "should be sewing"!
Anyway, without further delay presenting Block 3:

This one is called "Lucky's Barn"...guess Lucky is the horse...could be the chicken.... There is a little horse shoe 'button' from the accessory packet that goes over the barn door when completed. Lucky and the chicken are part of the accessory packet also.

Barn 4 is celebrating the 4th of July:

The blocks are the same size, just don't look it because of the photo shoot.
This completes the Barns blocks. Well, sort of completes them....I am waiting until all the pieces are constructed to do the applique stitching, but construction is complete.

The next step for this quilt is the darling little chickens! I won't be able to start on them until my company leaves. So it will be close to 3 weeks before pictures get posted. Hope you can hold on that long. LOL

And, since I have your undivided attention...how about a couple of garden shots from today???
I thought I could include the garden goodies and a color inspiration thought at the same time. What do you think of Monochromatic themes? Today's thought is green on green....look at the color variations, shadows and light highlights and try to come up with ways to incorporate these into a quilt project. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas or comments, too.
Ok, first up is the big bowl of Green Beans I picked this morning...cleaned, blanched and now have a one gallon bag of whole green beans in the freezer!  I do them this way to throw in the crock pot with the pot roasts. Yum!

Probably NOT colors of green I would put together in a quilt...but who knows.... sometimes it just takes the strange idea to work.

And after picking the beans, I decided to check on the grapes....yes they are still green too. Just hoping we can get some of them before the opossums and racoons discover them. Those stinkers can wipe the vines clean overnight...and have.

Two different kinds of grapes and a slight variation in color. More ideas to play with...
Let me know what you think. I'll let you know if we get to enjoy the grapes in a few weeks!

Well, that's all I have today. Hang in there and sew something fantastic.

Bits of Inspiration

The last post was supposed to have included this little bit of beautiful color inspiration, but I got so carried away with the GARDEN update; I decided to do this as a separate post.

After wandering around in the garden taking photos of the squash this morning, I decided to get a couple of flower photos. Mainly, because I still had the camera in my hand when our postal carrier brought the mail, and the little yellow lily's were just bugging me to take their pictures! Yes, they can do that!!! :-)

 

 I set this photo as X-Large to better get a close up of the center, although it is throwing it a little out of focus. However, look at the shadow thrown by the Anther (little pollen holders). Adding another color into our quilts, is like letting the block 'cast a shadow'. Adding a subtle change that can become dramatic to the overall results.

More shadows from the grasses. Double image with two flowers. Great natural color ideas!

These Snapdragons are an exquisite shade of pink! 

Take a close look at the contrast between the pink flower petal and the green of the leaf in the right center of the picture.

Green on Green....STUNNING

This is one of my favorite Hosta  plants. I love the variegated leaf colors.

And one last photo...uh...maybe two...:-)

This reminds me of a scrappy quilt; does it you?

Less "scrappy", fewer colors, more contrast showing.

Still pretty. 

The only purpose to this blog, was to share some pretty flower photos and maybe some color inspiration. I hope you enjoyed the little tour around my yard. :-)

Have a great weekend! I'll be back next week with the next Barn Block (#3).  See you then!

 

Barn Block Update and Garden News

First, I hope everyone has a SAFE and FUN holiday weekend and please keep in mind those that paid the ultimate price in service to our country this Memorial Day.
And to those that are currently serving...THANK YOU!

It is so hot and humid outside today, it seemed like a good time to sit down INSIDE and do a little blog update. Last blog showed the start of the Little Red Barn quilt. Although, I do have all the patterns, this is a quilt-along with the "Barn Blog Quilt Along" on the Quilt With Us group from Connecting Threads. So,  I am trying to pace myself and not get way ahead. Don't you just love having THAT kind of an excuse for what would otherwise appear to be procrastination? LOL  (There are still way too many projects in the works in my little sewing room.)
Well, block number 2  entitled "The Country Spool" is constructed.

The applique stitching is not done yet, and will wait until all blocks are completed. That way there will be less thread changes. And there is a little "spool button" that goes atop the weather-vane when completed.

These are the cutest little barns!

In other news around Beachwood Cottage....the garden is growing beatuifully this year. One of our daughters gave us a gift packet of heirloom seeds for Christmas last year and it has been a lot of fun experiencing and experimenting with some new-to-us seeds. One of which is a Zucchini officially called "Cocozella Di Napoli Squash", an Italian Heirloom zucchini. We grow or at least appempt to grow zucchini's every year and it is always a 'crap shoot' subject to weather and garden critters as to whether or not we get a squash or not. This year we planted the seeds in a different bed (we do all raised beds in the garden) and they are loving it. Might also have something to do with the 'natural turkey fertilizer' that Gary added LAST year too. ;-) Anyway, the plants are huge and BEAUTIFUL!

 There are some Butternut Squash plants growing in front of the Zucchini's and Cantaloupe and Watermelon (out of view) also .  This is a very large bed that can handle a lot of plants.

This morning (5/26/12) I picked these two beauties! They both measure approximately 11" long. The the place mat that they are  laying on measures 12.25" high and 16.5" long, so that should give you a better idea of actual size. It's looking like a lot of Zucchini Bread to me!!! Yum.  As hot as it is right now, I will probably just go ahead and shred the zucchini's, measure out the 2 cups needed for the bread and freeze it for later use. I just don't like turning on the oven when it's over 90° outside!

In other garden news, we have already enjoyed a few tomatoes and cucumbers. The onions are looking really good this year, too. The Sugar Snap Peas are just about done for the season. We only did two short rows this year, but have seven bags in the freezer (enough for 2 people per bag) and have had the for dinner twice. The green beans are looking good and should be ready to pick in about a week. Of course we keep lettuces and spinach going year round. Other garden items include an heirloom carrot (from that same gift pack), beets, turnips, corn, okra, and butternut squash, and 3 different types of pepper plants. WHEW! Yes it is a big garden. Grapes, Blackberries and Hazel Nut bushes abound on the outer sides also. Retired people don't have anything else to do, do they?????
 Just in case you are curious.....here is an over all view of the garden:

 And a view 'through the garden gate':

 

It's no wonder I don't get THAT much SEWING done in the summer!!!! 

And, by the way...yes it is a very big garden and usually produces prolifically.We eat fresh out of the garden until we are sick of it (believe me, that really does happen); then I freeze and can what we will use for the year. Anything that is left is given away to friends, neighbors, and anyone that just stops and wants something. 

Project on Points

It's been way too long since I have blogged! It has become very apparent that my life needs some sort of different organization in order to get even the basics done. Everyday involves some sort of activity related to my sewing/crafting room. Even days that it is not possible to physically be in this room working, my mind is working on some part of a project. But it is becoming more and more difficult to actually get 'it' done. Not sure ...need to think on this problem and come up with a workable solution. I think I just have so many BIG projects in the works at once, it is just taking too long to keep them caught up.
HOWEVER....last week I did manage to FINISH a project. A not so big project, but a VERY intense one. Well, intense for me!  :-) One of my favorite online groups "Quilt With Us" sponsored by Connecting Threads had a quilt along entitled "Perfect Points Quilt Along" using the Perfect Points Sampler Pattern. (This group, the pattern and lesson instructions are still up and available (free) at the time of this posting if you are interested.)  Instead of just choosing a random colorway and doing the little quilt as a practice project, I decided to go with a character theme and turn it into a wall hanging that went along with our lake house decor. With that in mind, off I went in search for just the perfect fabrics....or as close as I could come. Keep in mind, we are on a very remote part of Bull Shoals Lake  on the Missouri side in the heart of the Ozarks. Uh huh....bears, lions, tigers, oh my...well, bears at least, and racoons, squirrel, deer, fish....you get the picture. I found some really cute fabric with bears, squirrel, deer and racoons. Then added some fish fabric and fish lure fabric and some bee hives and bees...Anyway, I think it came out really cute! It was pointed out to me that I did not include blue birds...oops...state bird. There are 'flying geese' blocks included, so those can represent the real geese we have on the lake, or the blue birds for those that insist! It was also pointed out that I  neglected to include frogs, lizards, snakes, opossums, ticks, chiggers, crickets, spiders....ok, and the list just went on and on....People! It's only a SMALL wall hanging, NOT a double sided king quilt. Give me a break, there was only so much room, and I stuck with the original pattern, so only so much room for creativity. Ok, all kidding aside, this was a fantastic project to help perfect...attempt to perfect my points.

Here is the picture of the finished piece:

I tried to upload this a and XLarge image, but it was looking out of focus. One thing that doesn't show up very well is the center of the blue block at the left bottom and the borders of the bear paw and friendship star block is blackberry print fabric. (We have lots of wild blackberries here as well as domestic ones in our garden.)
It is free motion quilted in little loopy-loops...sort of looks like the bees flying around. And as an experiment, I used silk thread. It quilted in great. I really like the silk thread, but it is rather expensive and I probably won't do that again. Just keep the silk on hand for applique work if that.

And if that isn't enough....my current quilt along project with the Quilt With Us family is the Barn Blog Quilt Along and we are doing "The Little Red Barns" pattern. I have block one constructed, but the applique work is not finished yet. Plans are to wait and do all of the applique stitching when all of the blocks are completed. This is SO much fun and I love the little barns!!! We just started on the 2nd barn yesterday. I have it all cut out, but not together yet.

Here is Barn 1 minus the applique stitching:

The color is a little off in the photo and you can't tell that the corn is a yellow with white polka dot fabric, but overall it's pretty good.
Ok, time to go fix my dinner. Until next post....you all have a sew fantastic time!