What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

February is usually cold and bleak, but not this year.  I had the windows open yesterday to air out the house, it is that warm!  Above average temperatures and abundant rain have woken up all the bulbs.  Another hyacinth is coming out in bloom, again way too early!  This one appears to be mostly white with pink edges, but it isn’t fully in bloom yet.

The problem is that they are all coming up, and I can’t bring them all inside like I did the pink hyacinth last month.  I’ll just need to keep an eye out ...

Last summer, when we went to Florida to visit friends, they took us to the Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens in Port Orange.  Knowing that we enjoy walking in nature, this was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.  While I work on secret sewing projects, and it is bitterly cold outside, I thought it would be nice to take a look at this garden delight.

It was warm on this day last summer, but there was plenty of shade along the gravel trails through the park.

A small Japanese garden with a jinriki, a man made object, as a means ...

It’s my blogging anniversary!  Five years ago I decided to begin writing my own blog, and I am still here, with more to say, LOL!!  From the beginning, I wanted my blog to be a bit different.  I wanted to do posts on all the things I am interested in, not just a single subject, after all, we are multi-faceted beings with lots of interests.  Everyone knows that quilters are often great cooks, stampers like to garden, readers like to sew, and many do other crafts as well.  I also wanted it to be more than just a diary ...

There is still activity in the garden, even in the deep winter.  We don’t have the epic snowstorms like the northeast area of the country, but we do have our share of cold.  One of the joys of living in western North Carolina is the almost perfect four seasons, about three months of each.  Not too cold in winter, not too hot in summer, with long spring and fall color.  January has seen its share of cold days this year. Because of the cold, a varied and colorful bird population has been at the feeder daily.  This little purple ...

Hello Again!

A lot has happened over these past 3 years. I have continued to work in my field — first in Baltimore until August of 2017, then in DC. I love my work, and as challenging as my clients could be, the hardest part was always the commute. 3 1/2 hours a day can really wear on a person! And it didn’t help that Google Maps thought I’d want monthly updates comparing the miles I traveled to trips to the moon.

But this Fall — miracle of miracles — I found a local job in my field. My commute ...

It was a fairly productive day yesterday. While I was stitching away on the latest of the Sundress blocks, I started building up a head of steam and courage to stitch the row of bullion stitches at the bottom of the dress. Feeling somewhat invincible, I watched the video posted on the Crabapple Hill Studio website, which is very helpful. And then...

It was a fairly productive day yesterday. While I was stitching away on the latest of the Sundress blocks, I started building up a head of steam and courage to stitch the row of bullion stitches at the bottom of the dress. Feeling somewhat invincible, I watched the video posted on the Crabapple Hill Studio website, which is very helpful. And then...

My amaryllis bulbs have been resting in a cool spot on the three season porch we call a Carolina room on the back of the house.  I thought it would be good to repot them for this growing season.  So about a week ago, I took them to the garage and found a larger pot for the red one.  This is the one that has bloomed every year for five years, but didn’t bloom last year.  It put up a couple of large leaves, and I did put it out in the sun for the summer.  So, I’ll ...

Almost all of the left over fabric from the Christmas tree skirt has been cut up and sewed into 4-patches – I’m not sure what I will design from this still but it will be a table runner probably or maybe small wall hanging of some sort – Melanie might quickly make up a couple […]

Fall Harvest is coming along really well – one side of the binding is done – considering we were gone half the day yesterday that was better than I expected – I turned on the tv and sat and watched some shows that I am still trying to catch up on since we got home […]

It was an uncharacteristically quiet day here at the Three Cats Ranch yesterday. By "quiet," I mean that I caught up on my housework...which meant I wasn't jumping for joy, and thus, no screams of delight. Oh well. Every day can't be a sewing party. Nevertheless, I did some sewing in the morning.

My first priority was to finish the 6th of eight rows for the Shop Hop quilt. I've been trying to finish one row per month, and I'm fairly well on track. October's row slipped a little into November. That means November ...

It was an uncharacteristically quiet day here at the Three Cats Ranch yesterday. By "quiet," I mean that I caught up on my housework...which meant I wasn't jumping for joy, and thus, no screams of delight. Oh well. Every day can't be a sewing party. Nevertheless, I did some sewing in the morning.

My first priority was to finish the 6th of eight rows for the Shop Hop quilt. I've been trying to finish one row per month, and I'm fairly well on track. October's row slipped a little into November. That means November ...

If you're a Monty Python fan, you might recognize that title. And if you're not, I'll explain in a minute. First...see that big tree there just off to the right a little?

If you're a Monty Python fan, you might recognize that title. And if you're not, I'll explain in a minute. First...see that big tree there just off to the right a little?

It was a dark and stormy night, but we had a brief rain respite yesterday morning. It was nice for the paddleboard witches on the Willamette River in downtown Portland.

It was a dark and stormy night, but we had a brief rain respite yesterday morning. It was nice for the paddleboard witches on the Willamette River in downtown Portland.

I told you all I might try to do the Daisy Chain quilt by hand piecing instead of EPP – but it will take a lot of work tracing the templates to fabric and then cutting and piecing – so I think I might try freezer paper first – this would make the templates for […]

In the garden, there is much to do this time of year.  There is ongoing clean up with falling leaves, and some plants need to be dug and stored.   The flower beds will get a covering of mulch, making sure to keep the rhizomes of the irises clear. If you compost plant materials, this is a great time to add to your bins.  October is also the ideal time for planting bulbs for color next spring.  If you plant by the moon cycles, this weekend (19th-21st) is the most favorable for planting above ground crops, which I assume would include ...

It's something of a miracle that our road paving project started yesterday. Mike told me that half the road is paved now. Presumably it will be finished up today. I'll be able to see it for myself in a few hours because I really need to go out and do a little grocery shopping today..."little" being the operative word there because it's also a CSA pick-up day. One learns not to plan one's menu until one has seen what is in one's CSA share. And one is the wiser for it too. And when ...

It's something of a miracle that our road paving project started yesterday. Mike told me that half the road is paved now. Presumably it will be finished up today. I'll be able to see it for myself in a few hours because I really need to go out and do a little grocery shopping today..."little" being the operative word there because it's also a CSA pick-up day. One learns not to plan one's menu until one has seen what is in one's CSA share. And one is the wiser for it too. And when ...