". . . summer is folded away, like a rose pressed in a book."
from Stillmeadow Sampler by Gladys Taber
After a wonderful whirlwind summer, I'm finding balance in the slower pace. Gone is the happy chatter and pitter patter of little feet around here. Oh, how we miss that. We had all fallen into a comfortable routine with our two young granddaughters as they spent their days with us. Then, the oldest went back to school a couple of weeks ago, and we've just had the one three year-old keeping us entertained and on our toes since then. But our time together went by too fast. Soon she will be joining her little friends and heading off to pre-school and new adventures. I've started a book project to chronicle our summertime together; the places we went, the things we did. I plan to make gifts of them at some point in time. Memories to be cherished always.
In their absence, the house seems remarkably quiet just now. But I have these gorgeous dahlias keeping me company for the time being.
And another bunch. . . sweet gifts of appreciation from tiny loving hands and open hearts.
Ushering in a new season, we now have a change of scenery on the hall table. Beeswax candles and pinecones! The watercolor was painted by Ginger; it's a portrait of her pet hampster "Marshy" (that's short for Marshmallow). He's munching a pumpkin seed. Love that little guy!
Thank you so much for the comments about the State Flower Quilt. It feels great to have that project finished and folded away like a pressed flower too. I couldn't be happier with how it all turned out and I'm pleased so many of you have enjoyed this project in one form or another. I look forward to seeing more of your finished quilts in the future. (Don't forget to send me links to your blog posts or pictures if you can manage it.)
What's next? Well ladies, I need to literally unplug all of my machinery for a while and tackle some house projects and try and visit some festivals. Please take note: the PatternBee website will be closed from the 18th through the 30th of this month. After that, autumnal activities will be in full swing and I'll be back with bells on and a new bonus stitchery for October! Here's a sneak peek:
Until then . . . Happy Stitching!!
