Gone Gardening

 

The weather has been good since the rains last week and I'm taking advantage of the cooler temps!  I'll be in the garden!  I will return for Flower Friday.  If you have any images to share, please email me at allentownquilter@gmail.com!

Have a safe and happy day!

Tuesday's This and That: August 13, 2024

 

Good morning and welcome to another edition of  Tuesday's This and That!

Today I'm sharing free quilt pattern sites.  I like looking at quilt patterns because it gives me inspiration on projects.    The photos Hope you enjoy these too!

PS:  Photos are from quilts in my collection, not examples from the website!

Spruce crafts has a lot of free patterns that you can peruse here!

Penny patch has a free quilt along pattern listed here!

Ten Sisters Shop has a few listed here.

Have a safe and happy day!

Lucky update

 

Greetings and Happy Monday!

Last week I received an email from a reader who asked how Lucky is doing.  So here's an update on little Lucky!

Some people think he is a fierce and wild dog.  Whenever we stop to talk to anyone while we are walking, he wants to jump all over them and mouth their hands (not bite, just mouth).  Most of my neighbors have learned our technique:  put your hands behind your back and tell him to sit.  Once he sits (and calms down), he can be petted.

But Lucky is really a scaredy dog.  He's afraid of thunder like most dogs but he's also afraid of the garbage cans, piles of leaves, etc. we encounter on our walks.  At my mother's, he's afraid of her toy basket and carefully tries to pick a toy without toppling the basket.  At our home, he's afraid of wash baskets.  He was really upset when his favorite toy partially landed on this basket!

Jeepers!

During the storms and high winds last week, this statue fell just as he was passing.  Neither dog nor statue was damaged.  It didn't hit him but it sure scared the heck out of him!

The boy's favorite toy--the ball!  He will even play on his own with the ball while I garden or do work at my mother's.

The ball can get lost in the garden.  So I try to remember to bring it in the house or leave it on the patio table.  Lucky can persistently request his ball when it's on the table.

Last week we frequently walked in the rain.  It can be challenging to entertain him when he hasn't had enough exercise.  I was ordering some things for my mom on Amazon last week and an ad popped up for a 24 inch Lambchop dog toy that was on sale.  Of course I ordered it!  It's pretty big and I wasn't sure if he would be afraid of it.  Nope, he loved it!

It's very comfortable too and perfect for wrestling!

And Lucky likes to drag it onto the couch.  Play with it and then drop it over the side of the couch (like it is escaping) and run and get it again.

Dog toy from Amazon:  $14.99.  Smile from Mr. Lucky when he plays with it:  priceless!

Have a safe and happy day!

Flower Friday: August 9, 2024

 

Happy Flower Friday!

Alice shared a visitor from her garden!

She said it's not Puxatawny Phil but it sure likes to munch in her yard!

We have an unusual squirrel in our neighborhood.  We thought she was pregnant at first but it's been 2 months (long after the gestation period).  One neighbor speculated that maybe the squirrel has a tumor.  Another thinks it is just eating too much.  Whatever the reason, the neighborhood has been enjoying her.

It's been raining most of the week and we are all grateful.  Already in July, the leaves were turning and falling off the trees. 😕

The world has greened up again!

In the background is "The Swan" hydrangea and in the foreground are coleus which I always include in my garden.

I'm sorry I don't have more photos this week but I don't like taking my phone out when it's raining.  

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!

Mail Call!

 

Happy Wednesday!

I received a wonderful surprise on Monday when I got home.  TWO packages!  The one was a surprise from Sue.  She knows how much I love Sunbonnet Sue and sent me a quilted doll quilt.  It's so sweet.  I am sure that some lucky little girl received a sunbonnet quilt and because there was one block left, her doll received one too!

And another surprise from Sue!  This needle-minder in the shape of a sunbonnet.  The details are wonderful on this piece:

My favorite part?  The lace.  She looks like she has lacey anklets on!

Thank you Sue!

I also received my first mail order of fabric from Marshall's.

soccer fabric!

Community fabric by Citrus and Mint fabrics.  I've had this fabric before and loved it.  I like the diversity in the fabric for my juvenile quilts.

I don't really care for the color purple.  But I find I need it often.  Since the stash is getting low on it, I bought a stack of purples.

And some Riley Blake fabrics in a small scale.  I love these and hope to make a double dip quilt (see here) with the green version of this fabric.  You can see the scale of the fabric on the top green version:

Well that's it for now.  Flower Friday is coming up and if you have any photos to share, please email me at allentownquilter@gmail.com

Have a safe and happy day!

Tuesday's This and That: August 6, 2024

 

Good morning!  How are you today?

Last week I wrote a post about kitchen stitching.  Sue sent me the ultimate kitchen stitching quilt.  I have known lots of folks that collected food related fabric but Sue's quilt is captivating!  Sue said she got the inspiration from another quilter who made a quilt for her vegetarian daughter.  Sue made a similar one to this for the "bed races" in her town (this town sounds like an awful lot of fun).  She made a quilt like this with a black background for the local pizza parlor and put pizza print on the back.  What a great idea!

Close-up:

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Jstor has a lovely article about quilts which you can read here.

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Stay cool and have a safe and happy day!

 

Happy Monday!

It's been hectic the last few weeks.  I'm looking after my brother and my mother and it feels like I'm always on the go.  Lucky still needs to be walked (but smaller walks because of the heat) and things are piling up here at home.

We all go through times like this.  

So Friday and Saturday I did something that made me feel better.  I went fabric shopping, cyber style (no time to go to the fabric store).

I'm doing a simple checkerboard quilt for a 7 year old boy who plays soccer.  I've been surprised at how difficult it's been to find soccer fabric.  I think it reflects how popular the sport is these days.  On Friday, Marshall's Dry Goods was having a sale of Riley Blake fabrics and I was thrilled to find soccer fabric....and some other fabrics that I couldn't resist.

 

And apparently that wasn't enough to ease my anxiety.  On Saturday I received an email from Connecting Threads about new fabrics.  I just went through the ad and then...I saw indigo batiks.  I'm not even that crazy about batik fabrics but I've always wanted to make an indigo quilt.  Plus I tend to love Connecting Threads fabric because it is so soft.

I bought a fat quarter bundle and was surprised it was only $54!  Sold!

So now in the evenings when I am winding down, I'm looking at patterns for my new acquisitions.  It's my therapy right now.

My packages will begin to arrive this week and it will be like Christmas in August.

Deck the halls with piles of fabric!

Do you indulge in fabric therapy?  Will you want to see the fabric when it arrives?  I bet you will!

Have a safe and happy day!