turkey feathers

Just Hanging Around

 

 
I knew a lot of you would love that apron/smock (I shared here) just as much as I do, but what surprised me was all the excitement over the hanger!   I've had these for ages; found them in a thrift shop in my little town.  They're probably from the 50's or thereabouts.  There was most likely a newspaper pattern or something for them back in the day, though I've yet to run across it.  Just thought they were so cute.  I guess you did too.  That beautiful crochet keeps clothing from slipping off the ends. So not only cute, but handy!  We like that.

 
What is old -- is new again--as the saying goes...and quite true for these I think.  Have no idea where to source these flat wooden hangers these days.  (Perhaps this could be a new cottage industry for someone?) 

It's the last day of June already, can you believe it?  I need to sit down long enough to finish the Bonus Designs I started for July.   But...the girls and I are on our way out the door to pick strawberries this morning.  There might even be jam making later in the day.  Some things just can't wait.

 

My Favorite Summer Smock

 
I've blogged about this smock before, but I still get emails from people asking about it, and since I just made another one I thought it would be fun to share it again.  As far as smocks go, I really really love this pattern.  It's super easy to make and wears well.  More details about it can be found in that linked post, however, I was not able to locate the pattern on the Simplicity website.  (Check etsy or ebay sellers who sell the out-of-print patterns if you are interested in finding it.)  

 
I made this one without the contrasting fabric and elastic-gathered sleeves, and can slip it over my head without any ties or buttons down the back.  See?  Easy!  It's rather plain--a real no-nonsense working garment.  Ready for anything; gardening, cooking, housework.  Lightweight cotton fabric is perfect for summer, but does need to be pressed (just a little) after washing because it wrinkles.  So if you hate ironing you might want to choose another fabric.  Personally, I don't mind a few wrinkles.  This cute print was last year's pick from Joann's (I think). 

A fair-weather weekend is rolling in...and with my new smock and a straw hat--I 'm ready to go strawberry picking!

OKLAHOMA--Mistletoe

 

This week is going really well as we adjust and settle into a new routine with our  two little "chickadees".  Baby Ladybugs have been just one of the many discoveries my granddaughters have made in the 'wilds' of the backyard so far, which amazes me, because they are no bigger than a two-strand French knot.  I need to put on my reading glasses to even see them.  But young curious eyes miss nothing! 

So, are you ready for another quilt block?  I hope so, because here we have another one, this time for Oklahoma.  Mistletoe is common in the state, but did you know that there are about 1,300 species of mistletoe all around the world?  The good news about mistletoe is that it attracts butterflies--they feed on the nectar it produces in its flowers.  The downside is that the berries are poisonous to people and animals.  The plant often grows on other trees as a semi-parasite, and can sometimes kill a tree.  The genus name (Phoradendron serotinum) comes from the Greek word 'Phor' meaning a thief; 'dendron' means tree.  It was adopted in 1893 and is the oldest of Oklahoma's symbols.  (Click on the pattern image to get the correct size block.)  If you are missing any, my state flower quilt block list is a handy reference. 

 
 
 COLORS:  leaves--olive green #3346/3347; berries--yellow green #165 and cream/white; dots--reddish brown #433; letters--smoke gray #645.

Look Who's Here

 

Summer Sisters

 

HOWDY!

As I mentioned, things are about to get really busy around here!  Our darling granddaughters (3 and 7) will be spending the summer days with us starting today.  We are really excited to have them and they are 'over the moon' about it too.  My older girls have lots of activities planned for them so it should be a fun experience for everybody.   

 

 
I'll be back soon with another quilt block to share as soon as things settle down a bit.

June Bloom

 

I've been wandering around my yard all this week, taking inventory and making mental lists of all there is to do.  And, as always, there's a LOT.  Many plants have jumped their beds and are growing in new and unexpected places, like the "moonshine" yellow yarrow.  This is a great plant.   It's a hardy perennial that grows easily, blooms from late spring through fall requiring very little attention, is drought tolerant, and attracts butterflies--which is a big plus in my book.   The foliage is gray-green and fern-like.  Very pretty.  The flowers are excellent cut or dried and hold their brilliant color, turning slightly more golden with age.  I add them to fall flower arrangements with a few sprigs of dried lavender. 

What's growing behind it is Sunchoke (aka Jerusalem artichoke).  A friend gave us a few tubers and for lack of a better place to put them, they were planted here temporarily --but they've been here a few seasons already.  They really need a place to call their own, so this task has also been added to my garden to-do list.  This plant is native to North America and easy to grow.  It's related to the sunflower and has similar type blooms.  Besides the beautiful tall flowers, its tubers are edible and provide many health benefits.  If you like, you can read more about them here.

The smaller leafed shrub that has filled in around these is everywhere now.  It's gorgeous (at times) but just keeps spreading and popping up in unwanted places.  Time to get ruthless with it, I guess.  

 

Here's another one that takes over.  Not the chives, the 'silver mound artemisia'.  It started out so small and innocent looking.  It really needs a hillside--on the far side.  I want to plant onions here now. 

As I made my way around to the backside of the house I began to discover what nine months of rain and cold weather has left behind, and what the soft breath of warm weather has brought back  to life and how eventually, long-forgotten hanging baskets can go missing.  If it wasn't for the tall hangers on these I might never have found them.   Yikes. 

Time to get busy . . .have a great weekend! 

NORTH CAROLINA--Dogwood

 

Thank you for all the lovely comments--and Lena for remembering Miss Rumphius!   (We actually have that book around here somewhere--an inspirational read at any age.)  One thing I forgot to mention in my last post--as I sat and sighed, and contemplated the white garden, is that it is also Lily's final resting place.  Actually, I didn't make the connection between white flowers and our beloved white cat immediately, rather it was a slow and serendipitous dawning; as these things sometimes are, bringing us an unexpected blessing.  In my heart from now on, white lupine will always be Lily's flower.  

And speaking of white gardens...ready or not, here comes another gorgeous white one, this time for the state of North Carolina.  It is the second block for Dogwood, the other one represents Virginia.  The designs are slightly different, but I used the same colors because I really liked how that first block turned out.  They are listed below, but as always, feel free to "paint" your flowers any way you wish. 

My trusty research assistant (aka Miss Ginger), has gathered a few facts for me to share.  By the way, I'm loving this arrangement.  I give her a flower card and she returns it all filled out.  It's a wonderful way to learn and she's helping me at the same time.  Anyway, the dogwood (cornus florida), blossoms in early spring and into summer, so many of you are most likely already enjoying the blooms, as they grow almost everywhere including the mountains and the coast.  It was so common in North Carolina, growing throughout the state, that it was adopted on March 15, 1941 as the official flower.   

COLORS:  outside flower petals--cream #3823; pink #356; flower centers-- yellow #744; stems/leaves--green #988 & #989; letters--smoke gray #645. 

So that's it for today.  Have fun stitching until we meet again . . .

 

Dancing in White

 
I've often dreamt of planting a white garden. . . it now seems though, that Mother Nature has done it for me!  Albeit amongst the thorny weeds and wild grasses in a neglected part of the yard.  Which in my opinion, makes it all the more charming.  While our backs were turned, the field daisies and lupine were quietly emerging from their long winter's nap. Well, they certainly have my full attention now as I sit here--and sigh.  I watch them gently sway to music only they can hear.  Perhaps it is the song of summer on the wind--welcoming the butterflies and ladybugs, into a new season. 

I hope today, you find beauty in unexpected places, wherever you may be.

MONTANA--Bitter Root

 

I was looking at the weather channel over the weekend and noticing how hot some of the southern states are already.  Me thinks we are in for some serious summer heat.  Currently, we have glorious sunshine here in the pacific northwest.  A miracle in June.  Summer has found us early and we are relishing in it.  But as soon as temperatures soar above 80 degrees I'm a cooked goose!  It's true that weather can affect our state of mind and productivity.  My girls were busy little bees over the weekend.  Without any prodding, they cleaned their rooms, tidied their closets, washed sheets, removed the feather-comforters from their beds and replaced them with light summer quilts, opened all the windows to let in the fresh air, and later got out the guitar and started singing!  Perhaps it was the *organic* chocolate buttermilk cake on the premises that added to their giddy excitement, as we celebrated somebody's graduation, somebody's birthday, and somebody's anniversary.  And even if we didn't have anything to celebrate, we'd invent something just for a slice of this cake.  It's that good.  In case you are still poking around in my fridge, yes, those pickles are from our garden last summer.  Blogged here. They are going fast.  Time to plant again.  Very soon we will be picking berries for jam too.  Things are about to get very busy around here.   So time is of the essence to get this quilt project wrapped up. 

Today we have the perennial bitter root (Lewisia rediviva) for Montana.  The taproots were considered a precious food source for the early Native Americans, who also used it for trade.  Later, Lewis and Clark discovered and collected it, and wrote about its beautiful pinkish flowers in their travel journals, although some flowers are white.  The genus name was derived from Meriwether Lewis.  Most species are ground-hugging, and bloom all through the spring and summer in the mountains of western and south central Montana making it the perfect candidate to represent the state.  When the election was held to choose a flower, the evening primrose and the wild rose were also in the running.  But the bitter root received 62% of the votes and was adopted as Montana's state flower on February 27, 1895.  A variety of bitter root species can be found throughout the north and south western states.  They prefer light shade and grow naturally among loose rocky soils; if cultivating, they do best when grown in a rock garden with adequate drainage.

 

COLORS:  flower petals--pink #3687 & pale pink #963; flower centers--light pink #3688; leaves--green #906; stems--yellow green #704; roots--reddish brown #356; lettering--smoke gray #645.

    *   *    *    *    *    *    *

Almost forgot to mention . . . the new JUNE bonus transfers are up.  I love this little bird.  A reminder of the western bluebirds nesting in our backyard birdhouses this year--a happy sight.  And speaking of BLUE, the blue poppy wiggled its way into the designs too.  Enjoy!

 

ARKANSAS--Apple Blossom

 

Hello ladies...here it is, block number forty-one...and do you know what that means?  It means, we are entering the home-stretch with only NINE more blocks to go! Woot!  I'm stitching like mad now.  How about you?  Putting my pretty maids all in a row--they look amazing.   I can't wait to see them finished and assembled. So, let's begin the count down . . . are you ready for another apple blossom?  

In some places they are just starting to bloom and how glorious they are too--like fluffy pinkish white clouds.  Some pretty photos here and here and here to inspire you.  At one time Arkansas was a major apple producing state, and for this reason the apple blossom (pyrus coronarial) was chosen as the state flower, but not before the "battle of the blooms" ensued.  It was between the Arkansas Federation of Women's Clubs who favored the passion flower, and the Floral Emblem Society who supported the apple blossom.  Protesters rejected the passion flower declaring it nothing more than a common weed.  And so, the apple blossom was adopted as the official state flower of Arkansas on July 30, 1901.

COLORS:  petals--variegated pinks; center--yellow #744; leaves/stems--green #989; leaf veins--dk green #702; letters--smoke gray #645.