Garden Picnic Quilt

What to make with a pack of fruit and vegetable printed fabrics? My original intention was to make a mason jar quilt with these vibrant prints but a quilter can always change their mind, right?

This is a disappearing 9-patch pattern. I love the way this pattern allows the fabrics to show themselves off. The large 9-patch I started with had the print fruit/veggie fabrics in the corners, black in the center and the light green for the other four squares. 

This quilt has a green cotton backing and a black binding and will be sure to be a welcome quilt and picnic blanket for those sunny summer picnic days!

Also a great size for cool evenings, star gazing or camping!

Beautiful quilting by Heather of Purple Quilt Girl in Dalemead, AB.

This quilt may be purchased here: Garden Picnic Quilt

Stop and Smell the Roses!

Here's what's blooming in my yard this week! Wish there was a way to share the lovely scents with you too!

Morden Centennial Rose

Hardy Single White Rose (unknown variety)

Hardy double pink rose (unknown variety)

Hardy Yellow Rose (unknown variety)

Rosa Rugosa "Hansa"

Hope you enjoyed the rose tour of my yard!

--Ann

Springtime! Let the Growing Begin!

When the sun starts to shine a little brighter and the grass turns green and the leaves start to pop open on the trees, I like to be outside in the yard and garden.

Lilac buds

There's something about spring and garden planting that makes me think about hope and new life and promises kept. Something about planting a seed and knowing that by itself, it's just a small, dry piece of nothing. When it's planted and the sun shines on it and the rain waters it, it swells and grows into exactly what it was meant to be - a pumpkin, a pea plant, a carrot.

Garden greens peeking through

 Sometimes it looks like there is nothing there, but then a bit of green pops up, a flower blooms and then it's gone again for the rest of the season like this yellow lady's slipper.

Yellow Lady's Slipper

Others look small and delicate, like the lily of the valley, but they are persistent and will slowly spread over a large area if not contained.

Lily of the Valley

And then there's the so-called weeds, like the dandelion, that are their own little rays of sunshine and if we can put aside our preconceived notions about them, we can open our eyes up to see the beauty even in the unwanted.

Dandelion

As I look around my yard, in my garden and in the nature that surrounds us, I see the hand of the unseen creator and am thankful for the gifts of spring and hope and new life.

Happy Spring!

--Ann

Spring Blossoms

I love taking photos of the plants that are blooming in my yard - when I focus in on the beauty of a flower, I can forget that the rest of my yard is looking rather messy as it's been too wet to do much gardening at all! So enjoy!

Lily of the Valley

Wild Crab Apple Blossoms

Lady's Slippers

--Ann

WIP Wednesday - August 8

Not much done these past few weeks on the sewing/quilting parts of my life, but the garden is alive and well and here's a couple pictures of what's been on my to-do list that's been getting done!

Peas

Beans

Happy Gardening!
--Ann

Linking up with
Quiltsy WIP http://teamquiltsy.blogspot.ca/2012/08/wip-wednesday-22.html

Picks from the Garden and a Pink Baby Quilt

Yesterday, I picked a few beets and made some lovely looking beet pickles. I don't think I've made them before, so I hope they taste alright! I do love how the golden beets look up next to the red beets! Very jewel toned colours!

Freshly picked beets!

Pickled beets ready for the pantry

 Just a peek at the 9-patch baby quilt top that is ready for quilting. The borders were not going to have 4-patches in the corners - I just cut the borders without thinking and cut 2 sides too short. So this is Plan B!

That's all for today!
--Ann