Green Grows the City...

Green Grows the City is one of my favorite books, by one of my favorite authors, Beverly Nichols.    If you aren't familiar with his works--and you garden--I highly recommend him.  He is the only garden writer that I absolutely adore.  

Today I finished mulching the garden.  Sounds simple enough.  The front yard I had done a week or two ago (took 13 bags--or 26 cubic feet); today I finished up doing the back yard (20 bags or 40 cubic feet).  Afterwards, I have to be very very kind to my body but if I pace it right, I do okay with out a sore back :)

I'm not the only gardening nut in my neighborhood, these are photos that I took on a walk the other day.  We have our challenges in the city, so sometimes I just need to remind myself that there is loveliness everywhere.

Throw in the Towel Thursday...

Yesterday, I realized that I have a collection of vintage towels.  I certainly didn't mean to have this kind of collection; it just happened that when I found a charming vintage towel, I bought it.  I mean think about it, towels are usually really inexpensive and they are fun accessories in the kitchen.

So I decided to feature a different towel each week.  This is the one that I put out after Easter, mostly because the garden has been invaded by a lot of bunnies lately.  Do you have any fun vintage towels?

PS--If you are wondering why I increased the security on this blog, I was getting spammed a lot and just had to tighten things up!

Big quilt, little quilt

Well these two are off my list.  You may remember that a few weeks ago I finished a wee miniature quilt:

I made it from scraps of this top that was in my UFO basket:

The most fun was embellishing it using odds and ends that I throw in my "odds and ends bin" :D

This is what I do with earrings when one is lost or broken:

Plus I used a little embroidery as well, like on this bird:

I have a lot of aqua left and hope to make a twin or throw to go with this lot.  We'll see, meanwhile, I am working on another finish.......Have a great day!

On the road again...

You may not realize this, but I have a little business doing speaking engagements about quilt history to guilds and organizations.  I always take January to March off because of weather challenges.  Today I'm kicking off a new season and speaking at Drexel University.   

I'm thrilled that Beth from Backstitch Quilt Repair returned my crazy quilt on Friday after doing major conservation work on this quilt for me.  I love the embroidery on this piece but really REALLY wanted the Civil War commemorative ribbons preserved.   

Beth's work is exceptional; I actually have to feel the quilt to find all the places that she stabilized the piece.  She uses a barely visible fabric and her stitches are hard to even find!  Thank you Beth!

Today I am presenting my "Quilts and History: Why You Should Care" program.    I'm excited I'll be able to include this piece.  I've been doing this lecture for many years after a museum asked me to write a talk on quilt history for an audience of non-quilting men.  It should be a lot of fun at the University plus I'm going to be seeing my my son and his girlfriend for dinner as well!  

Tomorrow I will post a photo of another finish that I completed last night.  Ya'all have a great day!

A finish

Finally another finish I can post.  I completed the embroidered blocks last year.  I think it took about 7 months to embroider the blocks.  Now it's finally completed and another UFO is off my list!  Special thanks to my friend Julie who let's us use her deck to photograph quilts :)

Prayers for all those in need...

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it"

                                             ---Helen Keller

Updates...

Spring has sprung in Pennsylvania and I've been working in the garden.  It's warm--actually more like summer with highs in the 80s--but it is supposed to be cool at the end of the week.  We do need rain at this point.

I want to send an apology out to the interwebs.  My yahoo email account is messed up.  I just found out last week that my comments were going to my spam mailbox and who knows what else.  For months I wasn't even checking my spam box, just deleting it and I am ever so regretting it!  If you comment, I'm trying to check the spam box.  I don't really know what to do to prevent this.  I can't really change my email as it is on my business card right now.  

Anyway, I hope your days are as warm and lovely as ours!  

Why Boys are Great.....

'Nuff Said :D