A July Recap

July has been a less than productive month for me, at least as far as quilting and blogging go.  We relocated to the cooler mountain air at the end of June, and my daughter and granddaughter soon joined us.  At first, there was a ton of spring cleaning to do, both in the cabin and in my perennial garden.  Most of you know that I am an early riser and in the wee hours of the morning is when I get most of my quilting done, as well as read and comment on the blogs I like to peruse.  It seems my granddaughter is also an early riser; so instead of sewing, I spent my mornings reading books, playing games and watching her discover chasing grasshoppers in the field.  Needless to say, I feel July was idyllic, even if my projects are way behind! 

During nap time, my daughter and I did manage to piece the center of Izzy's I Spy quilt.

I love the hexagon shape that my daughter decided on for setting them!  Such a fresh take on the quilt.  A solid border is the next thing to go on.

Now that I have settled back into my normal rhythm of life, I have made a little progress on those WIPs.

I have started piecing the sunshine blocks for my Pennies from Heaven quilt.
You may notice that it is smaller than the original.  I know myself and the only way this one will ever make it to the finish line is if I make a scaled down version.  Besides, it will be perfect on the wall in the cabin.

Now, the rest of this post is non-quilt related, but I like to share a few pictures of our adventures for those who like to see what we have been up to.

Learning to play in the creek...

and Daddy teaching us to play mini golf.
My daughter also helped me identify and catalog a few more wildflowers,

including this Giant Lousewort growing at around 10,000 ft. elevation.

This week I am madly appliqueing the vine on my It's a Grand Old Flag.  It was supposed to be done this month.  If I work real hard, I should have the cotton applique done by the end of the week and will be back with pictures.  I need to get it done so I can get back to working on Snowbound in the month of August.   Many of my quilting friends are expecting to see it when I return to TOWQS in fall.

Hopefully, I will also find some time to catch up on a few blogs so I can see what everyone else has been up to this month.  Can you believe it is almost August!!!

Countdown to Christmas

by Sweetwater for Moda.

Holiday Happenings,

 designed by Monique Dillard, published in the BHG publication,

'Quilts and More.'

This is my Labor Day weekend project.

I plan to teach it as an introduction to quilt piecing class this fall. My schedule will not permit a full beginning class until 2012.  I have opted to make it a square instead of the long runner seen in the photo.

Advent calendars were always one of my kids' favorites.

It felt good on Friday to hit the trails again.  Only 31 days until we leave for the 13,000 ft mountains of Peru.  I was surprised how winded I got after being away for less than 2 weeks.  We will head to Ouray this next week to get even higher in hopes of building up some excess red blood cells.  I'll need all I can get!

While hiking, I found yet another member of the Gentian family that I will add to my Wildflower page.  I captured a picture of the Fringed Gentian in full bloom.

It is now my second favorite wildflower after the Fairy Slipper Orchid!

The texture of this little mushroom enticed me to play with my macro lens.

And some early fall color...

I am using the new blogger interface.  Uploading photos seems to take forever, but the rest of it is user friendly and a lot cleaner looking from a graphic design standpoint.  Haven't figured out how to access my pages though...may have to switch back in order to add to my wildflower pages.

Hope everyone is having a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend!

Changing Gears

I realized that I have an appointment with a machine quilter at the end of September, so I figured I had better change gears and get back to some hand applique.

Here is the last block for Autumn Houses by Bunnyhill.

The shapes are all pressed and glued down and now I just have a few hours of hand sewing to do.  Most of the other blocks are done.  Still have to finish the willow tree in the top row, a maple leaf in another block and some embroidery.  Then I can piece them together and add the borders.

Needless to say, finishing this one has become my top priority.

Hiked the Highline trail on Thursday and was treated to an afternoon thunderstorm; but before the rain and hail started, I was able to capture pics of 5 new wildflowers for identification.

Amazingly, 3 of them were variations of the Gentian family.

All of the pictures were cataloged on my wildflower pages, but I had to share this one of the Fringed Gentian.

These were only about 6" tall. 

We head home to Arizona on Monday.  The kids and their significant others are coming with us on a diving vacation.  I have all the blocks for my 1880 sampler set up for automatic postings and hope it works correctly.  See you all in a few weeks.

Back in the saddle again...

My break from my sewing room gave me a boost of enthusiasm and I managed to get 4 more blocks for my 1880 sampler made and the patterns written. 

I need to get ahead because the next 3 months will be very busy. 

Using the leaders and enders method, I am also getting closer to finishing Pinwheels for Caroline.

Here are some of the best results from my photography lessons with my cousin.

I also used Picassa to soften the edges of the photos. 

Low Blue Mist Penstemon 

Scarlet Paintbrush

Western Paintbrush

Method to my Madness

I always ponder why I have so many projects going all at once. 

I think I have come up with an explanation,

or maybe I'm just rationalizing the situation.

When I work on more than one project at a time, I can use what Bonnie Hunter refers to as the 'leaders and enders' technique. 

The first thing I do is cut a dozen fabric squares that I will pair together to make multiple half-square triangles out of.  Then I cut the fabrics for an 1880 Sampler block.  Now it is time to sew.  As I piece each section of the sampler block, I chain feed in the fabrics for my HST's. That way I conserve thread and keep my machine from 'eating' my tiny fabric pieces.
The result...

3 new blocks for my sampler. 

My goal this week is to make one more and then assemble the next row.  I have enjoyed following the progress of several others who are piecing the sampler through the flicker site (the link can be found on my side bar.)  A brown and pink color scheme seems to have become popular and quite stunning, I may add.  Many are using the Julie Hendrickson Miniatures collection.  One of my favorites!

The second benefit from this 'leaders and enders' technique is that Pinwheels for Caroline is growing.

I think I have finally figured out how to make the ocean waves blocks with a modicum of precision.  I have already told myself that this quilt is utilitarian and therefore, I am overlooking a thread off here and there.  Nothing too obvious!! That would be sacrilege for me.

But, as we all know, once it is quilted and washed, no one will see my transgressions.

We are back in Colorado and after I plucked all the weeds that had claimed my vegetable and flower gardens in the last 3 weeks, we headed to the Continental Divide.  At last, the snow has receded and one of my favorite hikes above the Wolf Creek Ski Resort is now accessible.

And that means...

wildflower pictures.

I have added all the new ones to my Wildflowers of Colorado page, but I just had to share my favorite picture of the day.

You might ask what I do with my photography...

OK, my attempts at photography.

My husband makes rustic wood frames, we stain them and then a local framer finishes them up.  These are pictures I took last year enlarged to 8" x 10".

They make great wall decor for the cabin. 

 

A few hours of 'leaders and enders,' and believe it or not, I make progress on all of the first 5 projects on my priority list.  Of course, you could argue that if I put that much time into just one project, I might finish it.  But what fun is that?

Have you tried this technique?

Pinwheels for Caroline...

...by Lori Smith.

I needed a break from my R&W quilt, so working on my Caroline's Pinwheels seemed like the perfect answer.  I make one 3" R&W block each day before I allow myself to start playing with the fabrics for this one.  Her instructions suggest using 4 hues...blue, red, green and gold, besides the neutrals--brown and black...which I found dull. So, I spruced it up a little with some pink and cheddar. I am finding the most important element in fabric choices is value, especially in the ocean waves border.  I am having difficulty with the ocean waves blocks.  I have never made them before and with each one I make I learn more about which areas are critical to points matching.  Hopefully, I will have it figured out in the next few attempts. Have any words of wisdom?

It is a melancholy Monday for me.  Both Serena and Venus lost today, so the women's game now holds very little interest for me.  Still have my favorite male players in the mix though.  Sad for American tennis, but Mardy Fish is the last one standing in singles.  We can always count on the Bryan brothers to make a good run for us though! 

Wimbledon takes the first Sunday of the tournament off, so we hiked a new trail on the east side of the San Juan Mountains.  I was very proud that I climbed to an elevation of about 12,600 ft.  If you are wondering, I am training so I can hike Macchu Picchu in the fall.

I have added a page at the top below my header if you want to see more of the wildflowers I photograph.  I have also identified them.  Here is the highlight pic of the hike:

White Globeflower...found in marshy areas near streams and creeks. 

The boggy slope of Kitty Creek was covered in them.  Some almost had a peachy hue to them.

First time I had seen this one.

Also liked the vibrant Parry Primrose...also an alpine stream dweller.

I am flying back to AZ on Wed. 

I am anxious get some retail therapy at TOWQS.

New wools arrived as well as some new fabric lines. 

Hope I can show some restraint!

A new coiffure is badly needed as well.

We'll be headed to Napa to celebrate my mother's 80th.

It will be sort of a family reunion. 

I'll take my opportunity now to wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July!