The heat index is headed to over 100 today so I’m taking myself to the sewing room where I have a project that uses a jelly roll, a charm pack and one strip of background for each block. It’s one of our old patterns – gotta make a few more blocks before I post it.
The online store will open on July 24, next Friday. I think it will be self explanatory but when we get closer, I’ll have Kayla write us a tutorial. I can’t believe how many of you are excited about this new venture because we have drug our feet about this for years. Enter KAYLA!
Connie and I will be remaking a lot of the patterns in new fabrics – keeping us busy for months! Not only that, I dropped some stuff off at Junkin Gal this morning and see that the quilts I dropped off last week have already sold! Yikes!!!
Wile at Junkin Gal I took the time to look around and even made a purchase – this old picture of a young woman sewing – it’s a Wallace Nutting photograph. I love it!
I am so impressed by the number of Dirty Dozen pictures I’m getting – wow! Doesn’t it feel just great to finish these?
I think I got out of order here so some of these might be repeat posts.
And then there’s our sweetheart, Angel!
And I think this is pretty exciting – meet Pamela’s new dog, Porter, who is a retired seeing eye dog. Her last name is Williams – PORTER WILLIAMS! Isn’t that so perfect? I’d love to meet this guy in person but maybe after COVID.
When Ivy was here the other day, she was quite interested in Tammy on the chair.
When we open the online store, the blog will also become an Amazon affiliate so as could have happened with the poster in the last blog, if you shopped at Amazon and purchased that poster, we would be paid a small amount. The blog does cost money to produce so we’re always looking for ways to let it pay for itself.
I hate to keep boring you with my plant pictures but I have taken several pictures and I am going to pick one to be made into a poster that I will hang next winter as an encouraging look at summer in Iowa while it’s -10 outside. That’s why I hate fall – I know what’s coming next.
I think this one is my favorite – to be enlarged to poster size! My plants have never looked so good!
This tangled mess is a combination of three vines that have gone viral!
And we need rain! This is Tim’s cornfield across the road with the irrigation going.
And yes, the trees in the background are another farm place – several of you asked.
That’s it for me today. Stay cool, Everybody!
You always find the most exquisite items on your junk in outings . I love that picture.
And I would gladly send you my rain from Lakewood Wisconsin if I could. Another half inch this morning.
The birds here have never looked so plentiful however. I saw a baby Baltimore Oriole on my deck one day. Have never seen one in my 75 years. A fledgling I think is the proper name – all fluffy with striking orange on its body.
Your plants look wonderful – I always say that my job is to keep mine alive in the winter so they can thrive and enjoy a vacation from me during the summer. The finishes are great – I will be sending a couple of photos of my #5. Congrats on the blog and store update! Exciting news, and hopefully the store will save time – way less mail to pack?? So exciting!
Who made the baseball quilt? If the quilter sees this, please respond. I’m planning on making this quilt for a new great-nephew and would appreciate some pointers.
Thanks,
Emily
Emily P – she left a comment after the first time I posted it – I’ll see if I can find it
I found the tutorial for the baseball quilt on Pinterest on sliceofpiquilts.com ( June 25, 2018 blog post). She posted some great directions. I used single fold bias tape for the red “stitching” instead of the bias cut fabric used in the tutorial and it was simple to do.
Thank you, Connie! I appreciate the tips! I’m inspired!!
Well, Mary, what do you know it is going to let me post. That picture will make a nice poster! Your plants are looking nice and your hostas are coming along good. My hostas were doing super and then the stinking deer ate quite a bit, they even pulled one with roots and all. I have been admiring all the DD finishes, very nice. Yes, stay cool.
I had deer and rabbits eating on my hostas last summer, got a spray off Amazon that did the trick, Only drawback is I have to spray them after each rain, but saved them and they are beautiful this year, two feet high and three feet around.
Oh, Mary, I am so with you about fall. I love the beautiful colors and the cooler weather, but I hate the shorter, darker days and knowing the cold weather is coming.
I was to have had a day off yesterday and intended to sew all day, but instead I ended up with over 5 hours of clients and consults, so my machine is still in its case. I started Halloween Figs Sampler on Tuesday as a BOM at my local quilt shop. It was soooooo nice to be sewing with my pals again!!! We were socially distanced and masked up, but happy to be together, creating again!!!
Hi Mary, I would vote for a remake of your 3 Dog March pattern 😀 Your yard is beautiful!! Keep cool!
Those dd’s are wonderful….all of them, just wonderful.
It was 82 degrees when I got up this morning, that is a bit toasty for this neck of the woods.
Stay cool, calm and quiet.
Love your yard! It’s hot here too in NW Iowa. We would like some rain. I hang out in my ‘cave’ and sew or make cards.
My favorite picture is the one with the hostas. They draw your eye then the fence posts draw it up to the flower bed then up to the tree and the expanse of lawn and finally centered at the top a peak into a field of what I believe is corn. Photos, quilts, art we all respond to it differently.
Glad Kayla is helping you. Jo went live with her store yesterday with 2 patterns. I bought one, should have gotten both, anyway, it was an easy process. I hope this puts the headaches behind you.
I am never tired of flower and garden pictures!
I like the hosta picture the best, not as busy as the other one. That Halloween quilt is so cute! Halloween will be here before we know it, then we roll into another winter. I’m predicting lots of snow for west Michigan, because the big lake is so warm this year. There’s no lack of heat today, and I flew out to the clothesline when I saw a few drops of rain, but that’s all we got so far. Good luck with the online venture, I hope it goes smoothly for everyone.
When you are inside and look out on your garden it’s a real feast for the eyes. Love your mix of rocks and plants. I need more rocks to keep the weeds down. My hostas are doing to well and so far the deer are leaving them alone. The plants on the deck look the best but then I water them every day. It’s 96f now, to hot for man or plant.
I really enjoy your yard pictures. Don’t know how you keep up with it all! The DD projects are so great. Love to see what others have been doing. Angel is such a sweetie! We’ve been in the low 90s with forecast of 100 by Tuesday. The last few days the wind has been awful—18-20 mph yesterday. It just sucks all the moisture out of everything! I just keep moving the sprinklers. Excited to see the online store!
Thank you, Mary, for another mini quilt show and garden show. I love seeing them while I am safe at home. I think I closed about 10 ads today! The picture you bought is so neat. I like the girl sewing, the bench with books, and the rug😃. Would the man holding the bright pretty quilt share the pattern? All the DD’s are so neat and different. Question: if possible, will you let us know if the blog patterns are in any of your books? I have many of them. If not, I can look. 90 degrees here at 7 PM.
Diane and Squeak – at this point, none of our regular patterns have been on the blog -and it’s doubtful they ever will be. I think this is going to be on you to look up – I simply do not have the time. If you don’t have the time to do it, you could end up with a repeat pattern, I guess.
Hot day here but last Thursday we finally got some rain so I am not looking at a brown lawn anymore. Doing all we can to keep the gardens and flowers watered. I think what I enjoy the most from the DD is the variety of projects everyone works on. It’s not like we see the same pattern in different colors but all types of projects that are so interesting to see. Everyone is keeping busy and how lucky we are to have a place we can admire their creations. Thanks Mary for doing this for all of us to see safe in our homes.
Kathy in western NY – it is MY pleasure!!
I have a Wallace Nutting photograph too. Its a water scene that has been oil colored. They are getting to be quite collectable. Once I found a site devoted only to his photography. Yours is wonderful, especially for a quilter.
Also love all of the finishes. I am working on mine a bit each day to make the deadline. I am nearly ready to quilt it. It is a wall quilt so maybe…..
I love seeing your photos. They seem like I have gone to Iowa, and I have never been to your state.
Stay cool and quiet.
Sue in Oregon – your comment – “I love seeing your photos – they seem like I have gone to Iowa and I have never been to your state”. Such a compliment! It is so appreciated because I’m no professional photographer!
I’m still working on my DD. I hope to have it finished by the end of this week. We plan to be in Iowa the last week of July to see our grandson (he’ll be two months old on the 27). My son and his wife live in the Davenport area. It’s been hot here. One day the heat index was 114. Perfect day to stay in and sew! I like your idea of a poster of your plants to enjoy in the winter. We have some Iowa hostas that are thriving in our Texas heat.
I always enjoy the pictures of your plants. That’s a great idea to put one in a poster format. Be well.
Love the photo you have of the young woman. Great little piece of History.
The finishes are lovely, and I do so enjoy seeing pictures of your beautiful yard. Having moved last September, our yard is new to us this summer, so I am collecting ideas., especially perennials. I don’t think Tammy is as enthralled with Ivy, cute picture!
I looked up info on your picture and it is “The Book Settle”. Nice find.
Your garden does look beautiful, I had planned to have a wild flower garden but between rabbits and weeds I gave up. In my mind I see the garden I wish I had. Next year.
I hope I am still going to receive your blogs.