flowers — Page 285

Getting Ready

April 16, 2013 at 7:53 am by Claudia

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Thank you so much for all the great comments on the quilt. It is far from perfect, but I love it. One thing that finishing this quilt has accomplished is to get me excited to start another one – which I will do once I get to Hartford. This next quilt will not be queen sized, however!

I’m in the midst of making lists, running errands and getting ready to pack tomorrow for the trip to Hartford on Thursday. Between books to read, craft supplies, a sewing machine (still to be determined), my iron, all my reference books and script, clothes and food, computer, camera and lenses – yikes – you see what I’m up against. But five weeks is a long time. And I’m a nester. Fortunately, Trader Joe’s is on the way to Hartford – we’ll stop there for food and some fresh flowers. This time I’m taking the pink hobnail vase along with me. A touch of home. And fresh flowers. All this stuff will have to be carted over to the apartments when I move there at the end of the month which only makes things more complicated.

Some signs of new growth in a spring that has been a long time coming:

daylily

Day Lilies

hyacinth

My miracle hyacinths

hydrangea

Climbing Hydrangea

lilac

Lilac

poppy

Poppy

It is April 16th and it looks like it should be March 16th out there in the garden. I’ll miss the tulips blooming and perhaps the lilacs. I plan on coming home for a few days right after the first of May, so that I can mulch, plant seeds and fill my pots with flowers, none of which I can do at the moment. It’s been too darned cold. I haven’t touched the porch yet. Did I mention it’s been cold? Yesterday, in the late afternoon, it finally seemed like spring. I could smell it in the air. But now I’m under a deadline and I don’t have the time to do much more outside. Ah well. It is what it is.

Don will be back tomorrow with the final installment of his Prague series. For all of you who have suggested he start a blog: he has started a couple of blogs in the past but it’s just not his thing. He gets bored. And yes, he is a wonderful writer. I’m always trying to get him to write a novel. If you want to see and hear his writing at its best, listen to the incredible lyrics he writes for his songs. He’s a poet, my husband. That he is.

My heart is heavy for my beloved Boston. Such heartbreak, such a senseless act.

Happy Tuesday.

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Finished

April 15, 2013 at 8:30 am by Claudia

quilt-back

Done.

I finished hand stitching the binding late on Saturday, after working on it all afternoon while watching the Red Sox. I don’t hand stitch very often and I’m not very confident about my skill, so it’s slow going for me. But it’s done!

This quilt has been four years in the making. I originally pieced it in 2009 when I was working far away from home in San Diego for 6 months. After I brought it home, I did nothing with it for 3 years. It wasn’t until I got a bee in my bonnet at the end of 2012 that I started to put the quilt sandwich together, pin basted the sucker, and then started the hand quilting process while, this time, Don was away in San Diego.

I was determined to finish it before I leave town for Hartford. And I did.

I’ve been playing with it upstairs:

quilt1

Oh, you queen sized behemoth, you were very hard to maneuver in my small sewing space! This just might be a good reason to never get a king sized bed.

Before you say, “But Claudia, you have one pattern on the headboard and then all those patterns in the quilt,” remember that I like a lot of pattern. You’ve seen the rest of my house, haven’t you? I have no problem mixing patterns – maybe it’s my British heritage. I like all those cozy British cottage living rooms with an abundance of pattern. I promise not to go crazy with the pattern love.

quilt3

quilt2

You look pretty at the end of the bed.

quilt4

quilt5

quilt6

I love you.

Pretty in the bedroom, isn’t it? Well, it’s only there temporarily because it’s traveling with me to Hartford! Yep. Why, you ask? Two reasons. One: Don, though he loves and appreciates it, won’t love it like I do and I don’t want to leave for Hartford and not be able to see it for 6 weeks. Two: Duvets, duvets. Remember my post about them? I don’t like duvets. This trip I am staying at the hotel for 2 weeks, then I’m moving to the company apartments for the rest of my stay. Both places have duvets on the beds. Do. Not. Like. So this time, instead of throwing the too heavy duvet off the bed and then shivering because a sheet isn’t quite enough, I will have the quilt. See? Doesn’t that make sense?

And I can look at my pretty quilt. And it will make my temporary lodgings more home-like.

Don and I were going to try to take a photo of it outside, but it’s too gosh darned windy and cold and gray out today. Spring? Are you there? Will you please come for a few days before I have to leave on Thursday?

firstdaffodil

Some comfort: our first daffodil has opened up. It’s right on the edge of the woods. Such a beauty!

Quilt details: Design inspired by the Snowball Quilt in Kaffe Fassett’s book, Museum Quilts. Many, many of the fabrics are Kaffe Fassett designs, along with some from my stash, border fabric is by Jinny Beyers.

Happy Monday.

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Forsythia Friday

April 12, 2013 at 9:20 am by Claudia

Clearly, Don’s a hit. He’s a charmer, my guy, and he’s a good writer. Part 2 is coming, but he had to go into the city yesterday and didn’t get back until late, leaving no time to compose his post. But take heart: Part 2 will most likely be on Sunday, as A Favorite Thing is always scheduled on Saturday. I’m so glad you’re enjoying his take on Prague and filming in Prague. Wait until he reads your comments! This all might go to his head. There will be no living with him.

Don is the type of guy that everyone loves. Including this girl:

isitdad

Waiting for Dad to get up. Is it him? Oh, please let it be him! Sounds like the old Vicki Carr song – do you remember it? “Let it please be him, oh dear God, it must be him, it must be him…” A little over the top, Vicki; you might want to think about therapy. Nevertheless, I remember it vividly.

The last couple of days here have been rainy and gray. Today? More rain. April showers are alive and well here in the Northeast. But I won’t complain – at least it’s not snow. I clipped a few branches off of the forsythia bushes that are in our woods and brought them inside to force a cheery yellow bloom.

forsythia1

forsythia2

We need some flowers around here.

I’m leaving in less than a week and have to start making lists of what I need to pack. Thank goodness we can get there by car and I don’t have to worry about packing and shipping boxes. I get excited about the work, but sad about leaving my family. There’s always a push-pull nature to our kind of work, which often involves going out of town for extended periods of time. This summer will be especially tricky. I get back at the end of May. In June, Don leaves for 5 weeks in Williamstown, MA. He returns at the end of July and will be home for one day when I take off for Hartford again for 6 weeks. I’m glad we’re both getting some work and I’m certainly glad that someone will always be here with Scout, but it ain’t easy.

binding

I sewed all the binding on yesterday. Bulky queen sized quilt in my little sewing space = a pain in the tush. It took some intricate maneuvering and more than a few curse words. But I did it! Now I’m hand sewing the binding to the back of the quilt.

Then it’s done! Ta da!

Happy Friday.

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Getting Ready

Finished

Forsythia Friday

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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