Crazy Patch Pastels Quilt

QUILTED with a Daisy Meander (freehand) 

There's something about this quilting pattern I love. Simple yet sophisticated! 

Ribbons & Bows & Batman Quilt

A modern play on a memory quilt of sorts~ 

QUILTED with Ribbons & Bows Meander (freehand)

Subtle Patriotic Quilt

Quilted in Stars & Loops Meander (freehand)

Is anybody else panicking about hitting mid-July?? In the midst of a quilting session yesterday, I was struck   **as in panicked**   that we'd hit the middle of July, and I've yet to begin planning for Morgan's senior year!! 

Okay, that's a slight exaggeration. We've been talking about what she'll work on next year since the middle of last year, so I've done some mental preparation & I have most of the books, etc., we'll be needing as well. 

No, I'm talking about the physical act of sitting with each subject, each book, and devising a plan of attack. Sure she can DO most of the work on her own at this point, but she needs direction; there needs to be a basic plan of how each book/curriculum works. So that's what I'm supposed to be working on. For some of them I need to plot out those plans in some typed or written form. Things are omitted & extra things are added. Others require study guides to be worked up. But I think there's a book or two that she can just work in order without too much prep work from me. 

I wrote this to my best friend this morning: 

Summers are never the relaxing span of freedom in time & space that we hope for. I think something is ingrained in our brains that equates summer with blissful leisure that's left over from our childhoods. Only problem being that once we hit adulthood, that flies right out the window!!!

Perhaps I can just choose to see my summer as half full instead!? 

Happy Hump Day :)

Garden Meander Quilt

A simple Meander stitch done freehand on this Garden Quilt:

Brown Rails Quilt

QUILTED with Swirls & Curls Meander (freehand)

... a quick shot of the backing turned up against the top:

Hand-Dyed Twister Quilt

If you haven't played with the Twister Tools yet, you really should. It can be a "wrap your head around it" experience to begin with, but once you've gotten the idea, it's a cinch & it produces a lovely effect.

This top was QUILTED with Bubble Meander (freehand)

I didn't meet the maker of this top, but I'd love to know if the border was pieced using scraps left over from forming the twisters? Stitch & Craft in Manheim, PA sells this larger Twister Tool if you want to try it out!

Braid in a Day Quilt in Gray, Green, and Blue

Have I mentioned how popular this particular quilt pattern has been this Spring? Perhaps it's due partially to the class Stitch & Craft had on this technique?

The top was QUILTED with a Butterfly Meander (freehand)

Have the "dog days" of summer hit your neck of the woods? We've had some decent summer weather, but I've managed to make it out to the pool only a couple times & I've been in the water just once. The days I've had a little time to run out there have been cloudly/rainy, and on the hot days I seem to be working like crazy or running errands.

In other news, my beastly dog, Smokey, has been put on "rest" for 6 MONTHS. The vet suspects a partially torn ACL... whoever heard of such a thing in a dog?? Leave it to mine... leave it to my dog who loves to take our daily walks (some of you may remember over the years my descriptions of how "over eager" he's been to walk me... err I mean, walk WITH me), who loves to jump enthusiastically into the pool, doing so over & over for 30 or more minutes at a time, who loves to follow me up & down & up & down the stairs as I run hither & yon doing mountains of laundry & cleaning up this old house... to curb his activity seems so mean, but then watching him hobble knowing he hurts isn't fun either. Sigh... 6 months is a long time