Live in the Sunshine

 

August is a serious time for ice cream.

It's time to start school no matter 

what form it takes.

Even my daughter who teaches first grade 
 has made quite a few adjustments. 

For me, it's time to share an August mini!!

The fields behind my house looked like the colors

of my quilt, golds and greens.

Wish it had been a field of sunflowers!

"Live in the Sunshine"

47" x 47"

(despite the skies still being smokey and hazy)

You might remember from earlier this summer
that I started appliqueing these sunflower blocks. 

 Susie Wright of 

Fixer of Old Quilts on Instagram had

drafted a pattern of an antique sunflower block

inspired by a 1862 quilt from the collection

of Cathy Erickson of quiltingcat2.

I decided to place the blocks all facing

the same directions, just like sunflowers

moving and following the sun during the day.

The border is designed with sets of golden flying geese

circling the field.

Again I tried to figure it out mathematically,

but luckily it worked out better in real life

than on paper!

All four corners actually, came out the same!

I kept the machine quilting simple

with echo quilting around the sunflowers,

straight lines in the skinny borders,

and leaves in the outer border.

I added the flange binding with the

dark gold and green to frame the whole design.

 

I found two older pieces in my stash for the backing,
 ancient yardage from South Seas designed by Theresa Kogut 

and a very old piece by Sandy Gervais.

Summer isn't really over yet.
There's still plenty of time to play

and even enjoy a little ice cream.

Until Next Time-

Kyle

No Blue Skies this Week

The weather can have a definite affect

on your desire to sew or not to sew.

It's been very hot and dry here in Colorado,

no rain for well over a month,

and now there are fires near by.

I know many of you in Australia and

other parts of the states

understand how the air can change so dramatically.

No blue skies this week and 

I really haven't gotten much sewing done this week. 

Adding a few bindings was the best I could do,

but I did get one quilt finished.

"Patriotic Logs"

36" x 36"

This pattern was in the 2020 Quilt Calendar

by that Patchwork Place designed by

Carol Hopkins.

This antique quilt was the inspiration.

It was made by Amanda Beitler, (1920"s)

a worker at the Collegeville Flag Factory in Pennsylvania, using

scraps of flag bunting.

This quilt was made with two slightly different blocks.

Some blocks began with red logs and

the others began with white logs.

It was a great little quilt

to use lots of different red and white strips.

Digging deep into the red and white bins

many old fabrics were pulled and sewn.

(Notice the 2000 date)

Finishing this log cabin quilt seemed

appropriate as four major fires burn through

acres and acres of Colorado forest 

where lodge pole pines, which have been decimated

by a pine bark beetle, are dry and brittle.

Our gratitude goes out to those fire crews

who are managing these terrible fires.

Hopefully, the skies will clear soon

and some much needed rain will fall.

It might help to bring back my sewing mojo!

Until Next Time-

Kyle

It's All About Sharing

When I look back on last week

I realize it was all about people sharing 

their time and talent with me.

****

I finished putting together a pillow

made with the wool circles

and stitching ideas and instruction that Sue Spargo

shared for 90 days on Instagram.

"Uplifted"

18" square

Thank you Sue, for sharing your embroidery talent

with so many during an unprecedented quarantine.

.

  

A Kaffe Fasset backing

This project kept many of us uplifted as we 

played with color, threads and stitched.

****

One of my favorite circles

was this beehive.

Maybe because  of our own beehive in the backyard.

Our 50,000 little bee friends have been very busy 

this summer.  Flying from flower to flower, pollinating

and bringing back nectar and pollen to the hive.

That nectar becomes honey.

Thank you to our bees

for sharing with us your delicious honey.

*****

I have been working on a 

free wool Christmas sampler pattern

designed by Kathi Campbell of

Heart to Hand.

These 4" finished blocks are so cute

and Kathi has incorporated lots of different

embroidery stitches into the designs.

Check out Kathi's website, Heart to Hand, if

you're interested.  The pattern will be available until

August 9th.   

Thank you Kathi, for sharing your talent

with us.

****

Running Man came in from his workshop the other day

with a little something that he had made for me.

 

A walnut french rolling pin. 

Of course, I had to make a pie crust to 

see how smooth it rolled.

Tomato Pie made with the tomatoes

fresh from the garden.

Thank you Running Man for the lovely

new rolling pin and making it just for me!

****

Earlier in the spring,

Susie Wright of 

Fixer of Old Quilts on Instagram 

drafted a pattern of an antique sunflower block

inspired by a 1862 quilt from the collection

of  Cathy Erickson of quiltingcat2.

If you DM Susie she will email you the pattern.

I have my 4 blocks finished. 

 Now it will require some thinking and planning

to make them into my August small quilt.

A big thank you to both 

Susie and Cathy for sharing this block 

with those of us who love to applique.

****

It's amazing when you stop and think about

how you feel 

when someone takes the the time and effort

to share something with you.

It can be as simple as a smile

or a thank you.

Thank you to all of you 

who take the time to share a moment with me

on this blog. 

 I always appreciate you stopping by.

Until Next Time-

Kyle