Cactus Flowers 06-19-21

 

The cacti on the next street are seriously blooming.  I've never seen so many blossoms at once.  This area is sadly neglected and there are a number of "stalks" broken off and laying on the ground.  There are a few more buds ready to open.   I think this is an Echinopsis.

KoKo is indiferent.

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KoKo again 06-17-21

Although Froggy just underwent more surgery he has a leaking wound on his side with some stuffing coming out.  Another few stitches needed.  You can see all his scars, more noticeable because I use buttonhole thread which doesn't come in green.  KoKo has his paw protectively across his Froggy, can't let him get away!

Contentment!   KoKo loves his Froggy and his bed.  But every time I wash the bed it gets more matted.  However, the inside is still fluffy.  Now that the weather is hot he spends more time stretched out on the ceramic tiles by the front door.  

What a great friend he is to me.  

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Nice day with Book Group 06-16-21

It was a nice day, only 85F and a slight breeze.  The Book Group carpooled up to Clairemont to meet at Ann's townhouse.  It is only 30 - 40 minutes depending on traffic and depending on the driver to keep track of where she is going.  I listened to GPS instead of my instincts, so it took us a little longer.  There were four in my car and three in Carol's and one member could not go.  We missed her.  We did discuss the book  "Miss Benson's Beetle" and generally enjoyed it.  It is a very different story with funny parts and tragic parts. The hostess selects the next book and Ann has chosen Elizabeth Gilbert's "The Signature of All Things" Published in 2013 for discussion at our July meeting.  

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Quilt from Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection 06-14-21

I have such a hard time keeping track of what day it is and when I have things scheduled.  I had set up all the connections I need to make before going to SDiego for the meeting of the art quilt group.  But then I talked to a member of that group and discovered that the meeting is the 27th!  NOT the 20th.  So, I had to contact those people I had notified and change the date.  I think I have it all straight now.  I will be going down on Saturday and spending the night before the group meets on Sunday.  And then struggle with the traffic coming home.  Now that the pandemic is receding everyone is on the road again so it will be a slow Sunday grind on the I-5 North, just as it has been for years before 2020 came along. 

And in the same vein, I thought last night that it was Saturday again and failed to post a quilt from the Collection.  These are two of Ruth B. McDowell's fabulous fowl.  I like to hang the two duck quilts together although all they have in common is the duck.  Such amazing choices she makes for backgrounds - always colorful and "in motion".   And such feet! 

"Duck at the Crossroads"   Ruth B. McDowell (Minnesota)  2014  25.5"L X 20"W 

Commercial cotton fabrics, cotton batting, cotton threads.

Machine pieced, machine quilted.  

"Duck Weeding"  Ruth B. McDowell  (Minnesota) 2012  20.5"L X 18"W

Commercial cotton fabrics, cotton batting, cotton threads.

Machine pieced, machine quilted. 

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Sewing some 06-13-21

Just sewing another scrap strip background.  This one will require lots of thread color changes.  There is no deadline, but I hope it won't take me another five months to complete.  Probably appliqued birds. 

Hard to decide what color to use on the striped fabric - white?  light blue?  more beige?   I am really struggling with being indecisive since I have been a decider all my life.  I have even had to actually write down many possibilities before choosing one.  Strange, but don't know if it is old age or something else.  Guess it goes along with forgetting things.  

These are all strips cut to even out yardage for precise cuts or they are cut from the edges of quilts before binding.  So all the edges are raw and somewhat uneven.  They are fused to a backing fabric (a worn out pillowcase) and not very tightly fused.  So, I need to be accurate in catching the edges.  Of course, it will be a wall quilt and won't be handled very much.

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