What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

It had been rainy but we seem to be back into a dry spell with no rain in the foreseeable future. Very cool overnights. Day times it's been changeable- I think that's the word to describe the weather- one minute dark and cloudy and the next a little sunshine. There have been two frost warnings so far with one night recording 0.6 C so the season is easing in. A pretty sign of such is the fall Aster like flowers are in bloom. What a pretty shade of lavender.

Well, there is no doubt fall is coming and it's set in a little early here. Single digits overnight for the last week but everyone is saying how welcome this is. I don't think there's ever been such gladness to have summer over. 

Meanwhile, Tony calls this little guy below my trained squirrel or my very smart squirrel that has trained me. He appears on the back deck most days and, of course, I give him a handful of sunflower seeds. When he first appeared here, he was skinny and ragged looking. Now he appears to be ...

The Japanese Anemones did not put on their usual wonderful show this year. Later to bloom, they were affected by the July drought. I regret not watering more, a lesson learned for another season. They are a very hardy perennial and, hopefully, this won't affect future growth.

I did get outside for a little veranda stitching before the heat wave returned 

Hello Makers,

What if I told you you can easily pick a style, mood, and theme for every and any sewing project you could ever want to make, that not only fits your personality but is on trend, fashionable and up to date! Well, it’s time to celebrate and get our fabric dance on because our wishes have been granted! AGF Studio has created “The Cur8tor”! A specially compiled selection of 4 mini collections designed to cater to every fabric enthusiast’s unique style. Every season we will be dropping new mini collections consisting of 8 eye-catching prints that ...

Halfway through the year now and past the halfway point of June. I wonder where are all those hours we were promised for retirement...when time on your hands would hang heavy- an expression first recorded in 1760, btw.-I was curious enough to look up that expression. But no, though my days begin early there is still not enough hours to get everything done. I struggle not to have the feeling I'm getting behind. Behind what exactly is a bit of a mystery. But there is always something that needs doing and mostly, I'm thankful to be ...

 I promised a few photos of my weekend away to downtown Ottawa which according to Google maps is a 41 minute drive from here. It was exciting to be in a city but I had mixed emotions about what I saw there. A lot more folks suffering around the streets and we were warned about not walking at night in an area that had always been an interesting/wonderful place to stroll and explore. But on the upside the Chateau is still so beautiful- I love it there. This is the view from our window looking towards Parliament Hill.

 And ...

The time has come!!!!

Say hello to beach days and fancy refreshing drinks while lounging in your backyard!  Tangerine Fabrics by AGF Studio is here and it’s sending us a cool retro Summer, filled with charming florals and playful designs. This collection reminds me of my days living in South Florida and my weekend getaways to Key West. Popping on my me made Summer dresses and my sunnies and riding on mopeds all day weaving in out of the endearing streets of this island's rich history. I am so excited to start sewing up some of the ...

 The Phoebes are building a nest on the old speaker at the back of the house again this year...two in a row. I can watch them from my chair in the TV room window. The two of them spent ages flying back and forth from a nearby tree to the site thoroughly checking it out before giving it an okay it seems.

Working together which is nice to watch. They are beautiful birds ...

Pouring down rain lately made for a couple of  drab mornings. One of those mornings, I used my thrifted umbrella, the one that is kind of useless as it doesn't really keep the rain off just sort of but I love the shape and colour. I bought it years ago and it remains my most unusual and probably most impractical thrift buy. 

Spring is trumping winter-at last- as I write this. I saw our first robin on Sunday last. And the little chipmunk has emerged from the underground winter den, the one I imagine lined with my sunflower seeds. 

Just after the snowstorm this guy below appeared acting like this, a sure sign of spring. The flock of females that were with him had wandered off but he hung about showing off, just because he can, I guess. I'm curious about the mechanics of this- being able to lift all these feathers and change certain body bits to different and bright ...

 March, someone said, is the triumph of hope over experience...not unlike second marriages as somebody else said. So here we are cruising along through the month and I'm going to ignore the major snow and ice storm warning we have on the horizon. Perhaps it will not materialize; they've gotten these predictions wrong before. However, just to be on the safe side, I've filled both tubs in case we lose the power. 

The way down through the big woods path has opened up and I've been taking Ned there adding a further loop to our ...

We had a fresh 2 cm of snow overnight Monday. In the morning it was -2 with a windchill of -11C but it didn't feel as cold as that when I went about my chores of filling the bird feeders and putting out the garbage. This morning it is the exact same wind chill so we'll see how that "feels" when I go out in a little bit. Our annual spring problem is the snow off the roof fills in our front walkway and we never get direct sunlight in this area to help speed up the melting ...

The ground is starting to get that in between seasons look...grimy snowbanks and patches of old grass showing through here and there. Freezing temps overnight still and it was -14C here yesterday morning for a windy walk with Ned. They keep promising warm ups that don't happen. I gave my Geranium a deep trim-all my plants are getting a little "leggy" as they reach for the precious light. You can glimpse our snow free gravel driveway here so the sun is working it's magic even if the air is cold. Yah!

 Sorrento is a free pattern from Robert Kaufman. 

This one popped up in my Pinterest feed, and I liked it enough to download it and read through the directions. It is fat-quarter friendly. Find the pattern here.

The trails are providing all the workout I need these days. With melting and overnight freezing (-15 windchill -glad I wasn't out there), they are slushy, bumpy and narrow in places. Like walking a tightrope which is good for my balance. But I've had to take a ski pole along as I really don't want to turn an ankle. On the up side, the slightly warmer daytime temps mean less clothing is needed which is enjoyable. And surprise, surprise, the song birds are singing. Last Saturday, early morning, when I was gathering wood at the back basement ...

I've just made myself a nice decaf coffee with frothed milk made from sweetened almond milk. I think of this as a tiny treat- this time after picking up a load of sticks to use as fire starters while walking Ned. Toting the bag and with Ned on the leash made the going a little rougher especially as our trails are still not flattened. A good little workout though. The cute appliqued bear placemats were found at the thrift store, still in their original ( I thought) box, which was quite crushed, but they were completely unharmed. Finding such makes ...

 I'll speak of weather and get it out of the way as it were. We got advance warning of a winter storm so I was able to fill the feeders, get in my bit of firewood to start the fire and have an extra long walk in the evening thinking I wouldn't get out the next morning.

I haven’t posted a free pattern in a long time…..I have mostly been using patterns I have, or doing BOM’s. Anyway, I saw this one recently, and I really like it. 

It’s called Agatha’s Garden. The pattern is on the Andover website. You can go directly to it here. It really looks more complicated than it is. It would be quite easy to cut and sew, and it’s fairly big at 74” x 74”. I think it would be a great way to use a fat quarter collection that has an equal number of ...