a pretty patchwork bag with the cutest buttons. and a little scrappy which i love.
and inside i found a beautiful card. a handmade teatowel. and Kerry's own book of recipes and projects. the result of many gatherings with quilt friends which she has now shared with me.
thanks Kerry for putting together a nice Christmas package. and thank you Stephanie and Linda for hosting a fun swap.
making Starscape on pg. 110 of Hop To It! by Edyta Sitar for Laundry Basket Quilts.
a few nights ago i went to a free screening with a friend who happens to love Julia Child and cookbooks. so a happy night out. Meryl Streep playing Julia Child was very good and very funny. if you don't go next month you should queue it in your flix list. my fav cookbook has been Clean Food. and the author has been a busy bee in preparation for a new publish of her first cookbook. this one will be available everywhere. i plan to give one away.
i slightly hate to do the peaky thing but i really love what i made so since i know that you all love to be teased.... this will have to satisfy your curiosity. is anyone surprised that i put Sweet Red and Sweet Green together?
August is my month in the quilting bee. if you don't know what that is. all you have to know is that i had to make 11 piles of fabric and put them in 11 envelopes. include instructions on my theme and vision. and send them on their way. and wait patiently as they magically and individually find their way back to my mailbox. apologies. "some" of my readers sometimes have no idea what i am talking about. not you guys. i'm referring to those adorable and supportive family readers. who never comment. but still know what you've been up to.
i also had to make a 12th pile. for me. i get to play too.
these are my blocks for Barbara at Crazy Lady Crafts.
Michelle made this block using this large template after seeing Terry working on this quilt. go click on Michelle and Terry. lots of good stuff besides applecore templates. so. once i saw the fabrics that Barbara sent i wanted to try this too. so i ordered the large template. but turned out it was too big to make a 12-1/2 in block. then i found a medium template pattern. this Applecore pattern is also called Axehead or Double Hatchet. Michelle also linked to a pattern which includes the large template pattern. but if making a quilt i would recommend buying the acrylic template. there's not much budge-room when piecing these shapes. accurate cutting and lots of tiny pins. i should tell you that the medium template pattern actually made a 13-1/2 in. block. but i was able to tilt a bit and cut a very nice 12-1/2 in. block.
now is there time to talk about the little block. of course there is. i knew i was going to make tiny-nine-patches to go with the swap-nine-patches that Barbara will be using to finish her quilt. i only had enough red to make four squares and i had not used any of the white and i only had a little strip of a green left after chopping up two greens that were sent and and then it was a bit boring so i added the yellow. why did i chop up two greens and then have to add some. well. you can't cut out an axehead shape and then change your mind and make it smaller. it won't let you.
so far i have only cut out my pieces.
the fabric with the flowers and flags will be the backing for this small quilt.here is my block for Jessica at J.M.B. - each of the four sections were made separately. it was supposed to fan out a bit more and not be so even but i kept cutting my pieces of equal size. black sashing makes this design more striking. but i did not want to cut it down. instructions memorized until i got home. that's right i did not buy that book either. this time browsing at JoAnn's. but you'll be proud of me. or not. for next month's block i found inspiration on a new-to-me-blog and purchased a new notion. 
the way it is is the way i was making it. but before i sewed the center seam together i realized that it could also come together like this.
we all knew the weather was going to be rough. but we had gotten used to the constant changes. Jessica came home from settling in at the beach to work one more day. my BIL rode his motorcycle home when he saw the darkening sky only to get soaked when he had to go around the block when he could not get into driveway the way he had come. my plan was to go to beach the next day. it had rained Friday morning but i had decided to go to park and take pics. it had rained so much in June and i was worried about the condition of the roses. well worried that there may not be any rose petals left to take a pic of. so raindrops have been included.
i live in the city and even though i heard about it on t.v. Saturday morning i traveled through Hartford and then did the zig-zag through Wethersfield trying to get to post office before i jumped on the highway on my way to the beach. of course i knew but forgot the last road i use to cross town was where the badly damaged house was. that road was blocked. but i saw enormous tree roots that had been lifted out of the ground. and almost every house was busy making piles of broken branches that lined the sidewalks one after the other. the local paper posted a video and photos. and Flickr.
and while i was finishing up a birthday present for my niece.
OMG. my friend Melanie had already mailed me a beachy present. here's a peek at what i got.
i'm going to squeeze one more day at the beach tomorrow. although it's probably going to rain.
