Summer meanderings.

I haven't posted much because I don't really have much to show or much to comment on.  But. here goes.

 I sure haven't done much quilty-wise this summer.  I can't seem to get the momentum going.

I have my son's Christmas quilt on the frames (see picture on the right) and am about 2/3rds of the way through with the hand quilting.  I'm doing 'big stitch' so it is going a little faster than it might.

I've been doing a lot of genealogy.  I spend hours on the computer, sitting at my kitchen table.  It's amazing how the time flies.  I hope I'm not getting hunched shoulders because I find myself bending over the computer without being aware of it.

I started a bears paw quilt in an effort to use up some of my brown fabric stack.  I finished the sixth block this morning.  This isn't going to get done anytime soon as this rate.

I've missed my monthly quilt group, "Bound Together" for about 3 months in a row.  I finally went at the end of July.  One of the ladies was getting rid of  all kinds of stuff.  I wasn't interested in anything until she held up this piece of fabric.  It isn't my usual colors but there was something about it that I just couldn't pass up.  This is a picture of the fabric with the sun shining through.  I just put it up at my back door to get a picture.

And this is a picture of the the truer colors.  You can't believe how soft this fabric is.  I think it is drapery/upholstery fabric that has been washed.  It's just wonderful.

Years ago my grandmother worked in the drapery department of ZCMI.  She would give my mother colorful bright remnants and that is what my summer clothes were made out of.  I remember a particularly bright orange print that she made into capris for me.  It was the 70's so you can imagine the color combinations.

I'm not sure what I will do with this but I'd love to just frame it with wide borders of cloth and do whole cloth quilting.  

So soft. . . . . . . 

I can tell the autumn is just around the corner.  The 'Jack in the Pulpit' are changing color.

The pumpkins are getting big and changing color also.

The cloud dynamics are changing too.  We've had a very hot dry summer and this week alone we've had two deluges (is that a word?) in two days.  Everything is healthy and green again.

I made homemade hot dog buns for a family dinner last night.  They turned out great.  I cooked Brats in the oven.  It was really slick but the flavor sure doesn't compare to the ones cooked on the grill. 

I started a new applique project.  It from a block I saw on Pinterest.  Again, I'm moving like molasses and not get anything done very fast.  

Here is the block.  Isn't it the cutest thing your ever saw?  Those little birds are tiny so I have to be at my best (in the morning when my eyes aren't tired) to do a quality job with the applique.  The original block is small.  I made mine about 20" so I can use it for the center of the quilt.  I'm not sure what is going to surround it but I don't need to make that decision yet.  

One thing I do enjoy about summer is the fresh basil.  I have a tomato, mozzarella, and basil sandwich at least twice a week - yum!

If you are still with me, you are a true friend.  

I hope when the heat backs off I'll have more energy and more interesting things to say.

Robin