Memorial Day

We had a lovely holiday supper yesterday.  The flowers were bloomin' and helped color our table.

The iris, spiderwort and wind flowers.

Julie helped with the cooking, and this...

turned into this, to saute for the italian sausage sandwichs.

And how about these cupcakes that Angel and Danielle made...

So pretty!

Poetry and Quilts

Last Tuesday was our yearly spring Poetry Luncheon at The Center.  Amid all these chilly and stormy days we have been having, that Tuesday was a beautiful day.  It always works out that way, it seems.  Lucky us.  The beautiful posters of Ruth McGinnis, our retired poetry teacher, adorned The Great Hall.  They are from her 100th birthday party in April. 

We had our quilting projects on display from our Quilting Class for everyone to see.

We've done many fun things in Denise's class.

It was a yummy lunch and then on to the Chapel Garden for the poetry reading.  Haiku is one of my favorite forms of poetry, so I will give you a sample below.  A haiku is a poetic form that conveys a feeling through imagery, rather than through abstract ideas or opinions.  It is three lines of five, seven, five syllables.  It is a way of letting God know that we are paying attention.

                                                           The winter trees wait
                                                    Clouds move aside for the sun
                                                             A blossom's debut

There's spring in the air

A surprise of warm breezes

now sweep through my hair

This is Dawn and Diana.  Diana is my cousin and Dawn is her daughter and I thought they would enjoy the afternoon here.

                                                            Mystical morning
                                                       Curtain of fog hangs over
                                                           a whisper of trees

After the poetry reading, tea was served...along with chocolate-covered strawberries!

The warm wooly sheep grazed

among fluffy white seed heads

while the field napped

*

Flying north, the bird

finds dampness and mud

pecks without a word

*

Amid the night sky

through silhouetted branches

playful starlight winks

Pink is for May

Here is my pink block for the Rainbow Challenge hosted by so scrappy .  Click and go to see the other quilt pieces for the month of May.

My "months of the year" quilt is building.  Just like turning the calendar page though, it kind of makes me feel how fast the months are going as I add another month's square to the others.

Henri

I have so much to catch up on; poetry luncheon, collage class, quilting, anniversary.  But had to show you Henri - he had a fun day in Julie's big yard. 

Running and running! 

This day...

Happy Anniversary to Us.

forty-eight years

Pretties!

There was a fairy princess playing here the other day and she left all her pretties spilling out of her trunk.

She'll be back...oh what fun she had!

String Quilt Blocks

Maybe you know, I am addicted to making "string blocks"!  A friend asked me how to do them and I told her that I guessed it would be easier to show her.  So here goes, Rita! 

Decide on what size square you want and, as seen below (I should have put that picture first), I made a template out of a mail order catalog (good recycling!).  My squares are going to be 7 inches, so I made my template 7-1/2 inches square, allowing for 1/4 inch seams.  Then, as seen above, I made a template for the center "string" of the block out of lightweight cardstock.  This template is 3 inches wide and goes from one corner of the square across to the opposite corner. 

 Here is my 7-1/2 inch cut catalog page. 

Using that middle 3 inch strip template, I cut straight 3 inch strips for the middle of each block, longer than the template and laid them on the paper square. 

Then I cut strips of all the different matching fabrics that I planned to use.  I chose not to cut straight strips for these because I thing the "wonky" sized strips make it more interesting.

I cut different width strips too.  Some skinny and some wider, but not as wide as the middle 3 inch strip.

To begin sewing, pin your middle strip down.  Lay one of your secondary strips on top of the middle strip, matching edges, right sides together and sew through the three layers making that seam.

(I just have this pinned to show you.)  Then open flat and iron it down.  Leave all the edges hang over the paper template until the square is completed.

Then do the same on the opposite side, right sides together and sew... 

Open flat and iron down.  (oops, I see I used a strip too short on this one, but you get the idea.)

Continue side to side until the square is completely covered.

Then, turn over and with a rotary cutter, trim off the extra fabric, cutting it to the size of the paper template.

Here is how your finished square will look.  On the back, cut the paper between seams and gently tear it off.  I don't have any trouble with this, if you hold the fabric at the seam where you are beginning to tear and just pull gently to get a start.  If a little of the paper is left on, no one will know when you put the batting/backing on and finish you quilt.  Don't agonize over little specks of paper.

When you get your squares done and sew them together, this is the pattern it creates.  The wonky cut strips don't match when all the square are put together, but again just adds interest.

Each square you make is one-fourth of the big block that creates this...

Voila!

I hope this is clear.  If it is and you like it as much as I do, you will not be able to stop!

While you were sleeping...

Henri was sleeping with his Bunny and so I thought it was a good chance to go out and take a walk around my garden.  Henri loves to go out in the yard, but he loves to put his ball through the fence and then dig it back through. 

This was a good time to have a leisurely stroll while Henri was sleeping...

EEEEK!

I had just planted some baby Tiger Lily that Sue gave me and then wanted to take a walk around to see what was blooming.  Well, I had quite a surprise, so keep reading!  The Spiderwort gets fuller and bushier each year, but i love their beautiful little blossoms.  It's one of my favorites.

The Windflower gives my garden a little flair of Amsterdam.

My one Peony bush gives me lots of blooms.

Proud and tall!

...and then there's the Buttercup!

As I walked to the back of my yard, a Redwing was watching me.

I was looking at the Wild Phlox, certainly wild and pretty.

"Why are you scolding me?  I'm just looking at flowers."

I had forgotten that I planted a Columbine!  A beauty!

The Redwing was still watching me as I cleaned out the birdbath, pulled a few weeds and whisked out a few paper scraps that had blown in, along with what I thought was a round little piece of packing material or styrofoam...I tried to brush it from the rocks where it laid and eight long black legs came up from beneath around it to claim it!  EEEEK..."Sorry!"  It belonged to Mama Spider!

And the Redwing laughed!  "I told you so!"