First- a HUGE thank you to everyone who bought tickets for the quilt raffle. Natalie did the draw on Sunday night, and we raised over $2800 for her rescue kitties. We are both blown away! Thank you all so much!

Now to other business

For the last several day, the weather has been perfect! It’s just what summer should be, warm, sunny, a light breeze… but NO humidity. Just happy and cheery and comfortable.

As such, every minute I can spend outside, has been spent outside. It’s been great, but it means I haven’t spent much time with needles in hand.

Since finishing the first sock last week, this is all I’ve accomplished on the second sock!

I really gotta get moving!

I told you there was a new project in the works. Though it’s only just August… the big C creeps up quicker than you think, and I need to get a move on presents.

First up is a quilt for my brother. An avid outdoorsman, I’d bought a collection of flannel fat quarters in the “Outdoor Adventures” line.

My plan was to make him a rag quilt (hence the flannel), but as time wore on, I decided I wanted something more traditional.  So the other week, I picked up some plain  navy flannel for the background, and the other day, I got cutting.

Cutting is quite hard on my lower back, so usually I cut one day, and sew another… but I couldn’t resist whipping up just one block…

One perfect flannel paw! Lots more to come!

So the other day, you saw a picture of my makeshift bird bath….here’s the full story.

I’ve been wanting a bird bath for AGES! My father has a big, beautiful concrete one that belonged to my grandfather, and I’ve always admired it. He’s not willing to give it up though – the sparrows daily bathing ritual greatly entertain his dogs.

I’ve kept half an eye open for a used one, cheap, to no avail. But this summer’s searing temps really pushed me to do something for our poor feathered friends. I looked at all the hardware/home improvement stores, and all the bird baths in my price range had terrible reviews (tip over, leak, etc.) The ones with good reviews were all well out of my budget. (I love the birds, but I don’t $150 love them…)

So I started looking online for DIY options. That’s where I came up with the idea to use Great Grandma’s china.

That was really only a temporary solution, because I saw some really cool ones made with terracotta pots. I didn’t have any big enough, but I didn’t think it would be too hard to get them.

A trip to Michael’s and Canadian Tire and I had what I needed: Two large pots, a large saucer, spray paint, craft paint, clear coat and some construction adhesive. Of course, by the time I was done shopping… I wasn’t far off from that $150 bird bath…

Anyway, with supplies in hand, it was time to get down to business.

First: prep work:

As you know, my yard is full sun, but there’s a small spot in the swale behind the yard that in shade under a pile of cedars. I set up shop there and started on the fancy work…

It was spread across several days (as weather allowed)

And three sunflowers were painted across the bottom pot (with a little help from my assistant, of course).

Then a few more days…

And the top pot was covered in a variety of butterflies. (With more feline assistance…)

One last sunflower was added to the saucer, which will serve as the removable water basin.

The two pots were glued together with construction adhesive, and the whole thing was given a couple good coats of clear-coat.

I let it dry overnight.

The next morning, I set it in the garden (which I really need to weed!)

And filled it up. That top saucer is not fixed and lifts out easy, so it’s easy to refill and keep clean.

Now…. lets hope I can get some pics of our little neighbourhood birdies enjoying it!

We are really starting to reap the rewards in the garden

I’ve never had much luck with peppers, but these sweet banana peppers have done really well. There’s still more coming too. And I get a handful of yellow beans almost every day. Not bad considering it was only a half pack of seeds.

The raspberries are taking a rest (I’ll get another crop in about a month or so), and now the blackberries are starting to ripen. I have to be quick though – the robins have REALLY developed a taste for them this year, and frequently get to them before I do.

The tomatoes still have to ripen, but I will have a really good crop when they do.

And did you know that oregano blooms?

Well, it totally does! (And the bees quite like it!)

Elsewhere

My first sunflower has bloomed, with the promise of many more to come!

Blue Girl rose hasn’t been looking that great this year, but she’s finally pushing out blooms.

She really doesn’t like the searing heat, so this year has been hard on her.

Back in late May, I started some marigolds from seed, and they are finally blooming. I’ll collect more seeds from the this year, but I think I’ll start them inside so I get flowers sooner.

I mentioned that the gardens are getting a revamp come fall, and this is one of the plants that will be moved. The Speedwell is so pretty when she blooms, but she needs a spot with more sun to really shine.

The Crocosmia is blooming too – it always has such a tropical vibe.

And last, an intrepid little thistle found a crack in the pavement and has thrived enough to bloom. A metaphor for this year, if ever there was one!

I’m starting to think this boy might need some censor bars…

Or at least somewhere more private….

…. that’s better!

All my little Leader/Ender four patches are adding up. And while that seems like a good little stock of them there, it’s still not quite enough for the size of quilt I’m going to make.

That’s ok – there’s no rush to finish this one, and I’ve got LOTS of 2.5 in squares to used up. So while I’m work on my other projects, I’m still slowly making four patches.

Here’s where all my quilts are at

• Blockhead quilt – Waiting for next block!
• Bramble patch – I haven’t found any fabrics I like to go with this, so I’m planning a revamp. Stay tuned
• L&E – As above.

And yes… my in progress list looks a little short. As I’ve been finishing projects, I haven’t been starting new ones. But don’t worry… something new is brewing!

I had planned to show you my birdbath project today, but it involves a lot of painting, which I’ve been doing outdoors, as weather has allowed.

And it hasn’t allowed as much as I would have liked, so you’ll have to wait a little bit longer for the great reveal!

Instead, enjoy some more antics from the patrons at Squirrelington’s Fine Dining…

The look on this one’s face just cracks me up every time I see this picture!

Same with this one! She’s a regular visitor (we call her Little Mama, because it’s obvious she has/had babies)

She works hard to feed her family, and sometimes, it really shows…

This guy is another regular. We call him Double Stuff because he ALWAYS takes TWO peanuts when he visits

But here, he’s more content to pretend he’s a gargoyle.

Here he is with this extra booty.

And the squirrels aren’t the only one’s who stop by for a nutty snack

Squirrelington’s welcomes patrons of all colours and species!

As mentioned yesterday, I carved out some time to do some sewing on the weekend, and l am happy to say I was able get the top of the Bumbleberry Sampler together.

Nothing fancy – just some thin white sashing. You may recall that Mom did some beautiful geese in her outside border. Sadly, I did not. As pretty as it is, I didn’t have enough fabric leftover from the blocks. But even if I did, I probably still wouldn’t have made the geese. I was ready for this one to be done.

Instead, I opted for a pretty, but plain, ditsy floral border from the stash.

The blocks are 12 inchers, so just 20 of them add up to a nice sized quilt – about 66 x 80 inches). I’ve got a nice chunk of pink for the back, and this black floral (which is in some of the blocks) for the binding.

But don’t expect to see an FO post on this one anytime soon. I’m not doing to quilting. It’s going into Mom’s queue, so she can do some fancy footwork on it.  Not only does it take more time than the loops and meanders that I do, she’s already got a couple quilts to finish before this one.

It will be worth the wait!

It’s a long weekend here in Canada, and I’m happy to say we finally got a day of decent rain (with maybe more today!) That, and some other  (minor) issues, messed up my outdoor plans for the weekend, but I did manage to do some sewing (more on that tomorrow) AND finish up the first of the commissioned man-sock. (And we really needed that rain!)

If you’re wondering about the title, Bleeding Heart is what I named the yarn colour. Not after the flower, but because the colour reminds me of anatomical diagrams of the human heart. Kinda gross, I know, but that’s what I tend to think of when I see red and purple together.

It’s not my favourite combo, but it’s what the recipient wanted and I don’t mind it once it’s knit up. They blend a little, which eases their impact. And the colours definitely make knitting an endless man-sock more fun! Now onto the second!

The last of the Berry Sampler blocks has been completed, and I’m ready to put them together into a completed top! This isn’t their final layout. I just wanted to get a look at them all together.

They will have a thin white sashing, no cornerstones, and I’ve got a pretty purple print for the border. Hopefully I can get this one together soon.

For extra credit… here’s Miss Winnie enjoying Mom’s version

That bed is in their spare room, and it’s an ideal bird-watching spot for Miss Win.