So Close Yet So Far Away

Summer Baskets

Some of you may remember this quilt from last year. I really like all the colors and right now it feels like a summer quilt! I pulled it out to finish the corners and get it quilted.
Do you do that? Spend a bunch of time getting something done and then put it away?....I wanted a little distance from this one before I quilted it. Still trying to decide.

Remember this one? I really want this one done too. I don't have that much left to do here either. I think I will make these 2 quilts a priority this summer.

I can't quite give up my gardens yet. How could you not want to see these in August?

Or these? I get lots of inspiration and color combinations from my garden. I am torn between wanting to quilt and wanting to garden and both take a lot of time and patience.
How do you balance all the things you have in your life with quilting? I am thinking of taking one day a week and not doing anything else and devoting it to quilting. It just might work!

Kelly

Diary Block Tuesday #27

Diary Block #27

This past week was my grandson, Elliot's birthday. His big brother, Griffin designed last week's block and brothers being brothers he wanted to make one too. What better reason than it's your birthday? So I gave him a piece of fabric and some Sharpies and he went to town.

Right now he is in a "daddy" phase. It's all about dad.

So he included daddy in his block, complete with birthday hat!

The Sharpies ran a bit so I outlined a couple of things to make them stand out.

Happy Birthday Elliot! You are such a sweet little boy, I mean big boy now!

I just realized today I am half way through my Diary Quilt. It has gone much faster than I ever thought!

Kelly

Keeping It Real

Longwood Garden Light Show

My date for the evening

Okay I will warn you now these pictures are a little hard to see but I just wanted to try and share this wonderful experience. Above, my husband Bob hiking through the woods to see the light....Longwood Gardens has an art exhibit called,  Light: Installations by Bruce Munro. It is thousands of lights spread through out their fabulous gardens.

These are a grouping of lights spread out across the field in front of a small pond.

Here they are at night. They are like a light bulb on a stick with fiber optics inside. They change colors as you watch them. Lousy picture but I think you get the idea....

Wouldn't you love this in your back yard...........it was so peaceful and so lovely!

This was another part of the installation...lily pads made out of CDs. They did not light up.

Here they are in the woods,not quite dark yet but stunning! Again imagine thousands of these all around you!

They also have tree houses that have become a permanent part of their gardens. They are so fun!

How can you not love seeing this!

Inside the conservatory, they had lights that felt like rain drops.

Another installation in the conservatory. It also changed colors.

These pictures are not that great and do not even begin to capture the wonder of this very cool exhibit. If you are ever any where near you must make plans to come and see this. The gardens alone draw people from all around the world. This is a little like icing on the cake!

For more information or to get tickets go to Longwood Gardens the pictures there are spectacular,(way better than mine). It is located in Kennet Square Pennsylvania, phone number is 610-388-1000. Tickets are $18, $15 for seniors, students $8 and kids under 4 free. You will love it....I am not paid to say this, just a happy volunteer!

Kelly

For Rachael

One of the best things about blogging are the friends you make all over the world! I met Rachael through her blog Blue Mountain Daisy. I really enjoy her blog and she asked if anyone wanted to make her a house block for a quilt she wants to make. I of course said yes!

I have a tendency to make things in colors appropriate to the current season. So my block feels summery to me in blues, greens and yellows. I hope it cheers Rachael as she sews this in the winter, she lives in Australia! I am anxious to see all the blocks she gets and how she puts this together. Stop by her blog and find out in the coming months. For some reason my links are not working so you will have to google her blog!

Kelly

Wordless Wednesday

And the name of this beauty is Mrs. Cholmondeley....thank you Lynne!

Kelly

Diary Quilt Tuesday #25

Isn't this a great block? My grandson, Griffin who is 7 made this for me for Mother's Day. It his is own original drawing that is transfered onto cotton fabric. I am so happy to have this in my Diary Quilt!

I love the detail, like the different colored finger nails! I have put a minimal amount of quiting in so it does not detract from his artwork. Kids have a great eye.I really like the painterly feeling of it!

This is one of my favorites. It is a clematis called Mrs___?__ I am not sure of the rest of the name. Does anyone else know? The color is pretty.

It gives you such a feeling of cool and clean. Maybe another block in the making?

Kelly

Rainy Days and Mondays Never Get Me Down.

I love rainy days. I am very productive and it makes me not want to leave the house. As a gardner I am always tuned in to what the weather is all the time. It is no fun dragging hoses around to water all your just planted flowers and vergetables.
This is what I am planting in the 2 big pots on my front porch this year. Lime Light coleus, I think the other coleus is called Big King?, a maiden hair fern and some impatients.

I love this color combination in the shady part of my garden, hosta and a perennial forget me not.

This is my "chickweed" garden. As you can see it is a very invasive weed! I have about 2/3 of it weeded and got some of my tomatoes in yesterday.

Inspired by my trip to New Mexico I decided I wanted to paint my front door a nice blue. As I went along I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. You know it's bad if you are trying to talk yourself into it.....
My husband was at work and when he came home he just stared at it and said "why did you paint the door handicap blue?" From that point on that was what I saw everytime i looked at it.

So I finally found one we both could live with. A little bright yet a little subdued.
Not one bit of sewing got done this weekend but if it rains all week as they say it will I may just have something to show soon.

kelly

12 x 12

As some of you may remember a few friends and I are doing a 12 x 12 challenge each month. This is mine for April. We have not had a chance to meet and show each other yet because everyone was sick or afraid of getting sick!

These are the blocks that I have started to make a quilt for my brother in law, David. My 12 x 12 was made from the scraps of this quilt. It is a fun way to work and I think it is an easy way to be creative.

This is how I hang my little quilts. Take about a 3 or 4 inch square. Fold it in half, wrong sides together and press well. Put it on the corner of the quilt with your raw edges matching. Sew it on using an 1/8" seam allowance. You are looking to just keep it in one place without using pins. Repeat on the other side and then apply your binding as usual. You can use a chop sitck or small dowel to hang it.

Kelly

Diary Quilt Tuesday

Today my block is celebrating my daughter, Caitlin's gradution on Saturday.She graduated from Rosemont College with her master's in Professional Counseling.




We are so proud of her! She is a single mom with a full time job and worked hard to make this dream come true!



The day was nice but warm. Maddy was a very good girl for her mom on the big day.
This is her doing her best "Jackie O" impression.

Congratulations Cait!
Love Mom

***For some reason the pictures are out of order....I think you can figure out what goes with what!**

Kelly

Winner of Sew embellished!

Drumroll please!

The winner of the the book Sew embellished! by Cheryl Lynch is Janet from Quiltsalott!

Congratulations Janet!

Kelly

Keeping It Real

Happy Mother's Day to all my favorite moms!
Kelly

Miscellaneous Thursday

Yesterday my guild, Calico Cutters celebrated 25 years! We also held our annual auction and luncheon. Members were invited to a postcard swap. This is mine....I did kind of cheat. I made this block for my friend Terry and oriented it the wrong way and had to make another. So I recycled it into a postcard.

These are the postcards that the members made. Aren't they wonderful? I think everyone enjoyed this challenge.

Once again Christine was the auctioneer and she did a wonderful job.

The ladies on the auction committee do such a good job setting up, they make the tables very pretty and we all have a good time.

Our Quiltini group made a basket for the auction and it brought in $145!!

The hunt for a wedding venue has begun, stay tuned!

I almost forgot about this!!!!!
Hi,
The Beaver Valley Piecemakers is a 100 member guild north of Pittsburgh, PA Our 18th Annual Quilt Show is Oct 12th, 13th, and 14th. Our judge is a National Quilt Association judge. Here is the link to all the show's information. http://www.bvpiecemakers.com/page04.html


Kelly