WOW: Lavender Blues

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

I've been gardening this last week and will continue on with that today. I just feel that it's too nice to be inside sewing whilst the gentle sun is shining and the warm wind is blowing. Mostly, this time of year I'm just confused, seasonally speaking. This year my plants are confused too. In my mind I'm hardwired to think it's autumn with all the cosy visions that inspires. In reality, in my part of the world, it's actually spring.. which keeps taking me by surprise. My plants are all in a tizz too. It's been very warm and then very cool with bursts of rain. All the plants are confused and growing, then not growing and then shedding - all out of 'season'. 

This is the second time this year my lavender has gone crazy. I had to cut it down again because it was becoming straggly. Although I had already cut it down once this year. I collect, dry and then turn my lavender into sachets for the household by stitching handfuls into cotton bags. I have so much scrap material that it's never an issue to zip 50 or so up in an afternoon. I put them everywhere I have a cupboard and it usually keeps all the pesky insects away. 

I missed my lavender routine last year and my wardrobe was attacked by moths, so I'm not making that same mistake again. I love the aroma too. Nothing beats natural, fresh dried lavender wafting through the house each time I open a door. This creature is a lizard. Actually I think it's a gecko. I found him under a pot plant and put him back soon after this pic. What a cutey. I usually avoid outdoor critters but for some reason the mini lizards don't bother me.

Today I'm planting some herbs. I can never get enough fresh sprigs of herbs in just about everything. Even tea. And a fresh planting today means I'll be enjoying a whole new bounty right after Christmas. After that I'll be heading indoors for my usual pre-Christmas quilting binge as I have some quiet days ahead at home..

What's Your WOW? 

An InLinkz Link-up

Hearts Desire

Today I've been catching up on some long overdue housework. As a quilter I must confess that my housework sometimes falls behind my creative pursuits. As I was sorting out a storage cupboard I found this beauty and had to revisit it. I've been quilting for so long now that I have a large 'back catalog' of quilts that haven't been seen by very many people. Yes I'm biased but I do think that this quilt is just too pretty not to show off! I love every little detail of Hearts Desire. And what's odd is that, if I had to recreate it today, I wouldn't change a thing.
I look at these details and wonder how I had the patience to domestic machine quilt every last inch. Phew! Nowadays, I'm happy just to complete a 'quilt top' and move on.

 Interestingly, I still love the fabrics I selected. This was my first 'serious' applique pattern that I felt was a step up from easy or fun applique patterns. In fact I think this was the last hand drawn pattern I accomplished before I went digital. Check out those hearts!
In this quilt design I can see my love for flowers, baskets, birds and leaves - the shapes and lines I favor have now become hallmarks of my style and patterns. I'm also really happy to see the 4x petal heart appear throughout the design - years before I started out on my Love Entwined journey.

Obviously that precious coverlet had burrowed into my imagination years before I even realized!

Hearts Desire is an applique design full of old world charm and plenty of time to sit back and enjoy the splendor of a blooming garden. Finished size: 84 x 84 inches

There aren't any Hearts Desire quilts in the Open Gallery yet but I do hope that this will change as I know they're out there! Perhaps you have one yourself? I think I'll go and add my own to get the ball rolling.

Like it? Make it! 

Hearts Desire

Digital Pattern Download

$39.95 USD

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Here are all my posts connected to Hearts Desire, if you go ahead and make it yourself, feel free to add your own blog post specific URLs to the linky archive below for other quilter's to enjoy:

An InLinkz Link-up

Love Entwined by Tiny Por

Tiny Por of the Netherlands has created this breathtaking blue masterpiece by hand, including the exquisite quilting! The shades of blue are expertly balanced with the hues and prints drawing the eye to the wonderful centre. Every last detail is a beauty and I'm in love with every last inch of Tiny's creation. 

I have a real soft spot for blue and white quilts, they have an old world charm about them that I find irresistible. Perhaps it's the association with Delft ware, but I always think blue and white shines and looks good in any decore or era. Yes, I'm swooning! 

What a striking centre star, 

and what a great idea to section the inner ring surrounding circles in groups of prints

I love everything about this vase! 

 The stems embroidery provides just enough contrast in perfect red

Tiny hand quilted this beautiful quilt, look at all those stitches!

------------------------------------------- LE Quilt Gallery------------------------------------------- 

Thanks to Tiny Por  for sharing her finished quilt pics with us all to take inspiration from. If you'd like to see more finished Love Entwined quilts, visit the LE Gallery. It's a place for all quilters who make LE to show off their creations in a central online gallery. It's new and I hope you'll join us by adding your own quilt there. 

Submitting your quilt pics is easily done via an upload screen directly on my website. Click here now if you'd like to submit your own quilt.

Queen's Garden by Cate Winkler

Queen's Garden by Cate Winkler 

of Wagga Australia 

This beautifully toned Queen's Garden is a perfect example of blending gentle tones with contrasting elements to create a visually balanced beauty. Yes, the greens are perfect but I really love the use of blues too. It's just perfect. 

'Queen's Garden' 

Read more about this quilt by clicking here now

--------------------------- Open Quilt Gallery--------------------------- 

Thanks to Cate Winkler for sharing her finished quilt with us all to take inspiration from. If you'd like to see more finished quilts made from any of my patterns, visit my Open Gallery. It's a place for all quilters who make any of my quilts to show off their creations in a central online gallery. It's new and I hope you'll join us by adding your own quilt there. Submitting your quilt pics is easily done via an upload screen directly on my website. Click here now if you'd like to submit your own quilt.

WOW: That Birthday Buzz

WOW = WIPs On Wednesday

Hip hip hooray! These roses are counting the years of my life, that's why there's so many of them! It's a whole armful but I'm not complaining, it's good to be alive! I celebrated my birthday over the weekend and whilst I was still feeling a bit drab from my head cold, I had a really beautiful day at home with my family. Every year I always say that I don't want to celebrate my birthday because I think I'm too old for all this fuss. Actually I think birthdays are best for children, once you're an adult they feel a bit silly to me. But every year my family just ignores me and carries on celebrating it regardless. This year I put my foot down and demanded that if anyone was planning to buy flowers, they had to be potted plants because I'm over bouquets. I've had too many bouquets lately to celebrate my design finishes and I find that I'm always worried about them dying. Well, they ignored that demand of mine.. but given that roses were involved, I'll forgive them 😸

This is my most useful gift of the year: it's a pot of thyme. I love herbs and thyme is something I use so much of. I have grown it myself, but its always been stringy and knotty whilst this pot is lush and springy, it's the nicest thyme I've seen.

Those of you who follow my Instagram will have seen that we bought a cake this year. Really, this is something I want to stop doing. The problem is, I'm completely out of practice. I just don't do any baking and haven't done for about 20 years and although I'm always planning on getting back into baking lovely family occasion cakes... well, I simply haven't. I've been quilting instead. Obviously this has to end or we'll never enjoy real cake again.

I've been all around town over the past 5 years looking for honest to goodness quality cakes. And I can tell you that every single time it's been a let down. I don't know what happened to proper cake bakeries, but the cakes on offer these days just aren't authentic enough. This cake was horrible. It contained layers of custard that was the cheap and nasty flour and sugar kind rather than the egg kind and the taste was, well, awful. Then whole of the outside of the cake covered in a kind of sickly, sugary mock cream. Just awful. We only took a few bites of the slices and the rest went into the bin. It was such a waste of money and a disappointment too.

On a happier note, when I was clearing out my cup and saucer cabinet last month, I re-discovered this autumn rose design that I've been carting around me with for over 30 years. I've always loved it. It's so romantic and the brown and yellow tones seemed so fitting because I was born in autumn so it made sense to have some golden roses to use during the fall season each year. Well, for as long as I can remember, my DDs have never liked this tea set, I recall that they have previously used the words 'ugly' to describe it. 

Well, what a turn around this year was! Suddenly they both set upon it and declared they they had never seen this autumn rose set and what's more, they think it's beautiful and love it very much. Really, I don't know what to think! I'm just glad that my cupboard spring cleaning has proved useful - I have my cups and saucer sets on rotation and there'll be more gems like these making a reappearance after many years of neglect. 

Today I'm going fabric shopping with my DD because I'm in a pickle over what fabrics I want for my new BOM design. I thought I knew, but nothing feels right. You know how I am about fabric selection - it's going to be a long day!

What's Your WOW? 

An InLinkz Link-up

Queen's Garden by Jean Brewer

Queen's Garden by Jean Brewer 

of the Gower Coast, South Wales UK

Oh bountiful blues, how beautifully this quilt settles in with the surrounding colours and prints. I do love a blue quilt and this one's extra special. I love that Jean has managed to balance the green against the blue by using a lighter, almost minty green alongside the  yellows, corals and pinks. It's fabulous. 

'Queen's Garden' 

Read more about this quilt by clicking here now

--------------------------- Open Quilt Gallery--------------------------- 

Thanks to Jean Brewer for sharing her finished quilt with us all to take inspiration from. If you'd like to see more finished quilts made from any of my patterns, visit my Open Gallery. It's a place for all quilters who make any of my quilts to show off their creations in a central online gallery. It's new and I hope you'll join us by adding your own quilt there. Submitting your quilt pics is easily done via an upload screen directly on my website. Click here now if you'd like to submit your own quilt.

Queen's Garden by Mary Kathleen Oliver

Queen's Garden by Mary Kathleen Oliver 

of Santa Maria, California USA 

What a beautiful quilt! The balance between red and yellow is perfectly enhanced by the neutral beiges which subtly introduce hints of green that shimmer throughout. Doesn't it shine? It's a WOW from me and I'm delighted to see how Mary Kathleen has adapted the pattern to suit her. And the quilting is gorgeous too.

'Queen's Garden' 

Read more about this quilt by clicking here now

--------------------------- Open Quilt Gallery--------------------------- 

Thanks to Mary Kathleen Oliver for sharing her finished quilt with us all to take inspiration from. If you'd like to see more finished quilts made from any of my patterns, visit my Open Gallery. It's a place for all quilters who make any of my quilts to show off their creations in a central online gallery. It's new and I hope you'll join us by adding your own quilt there. Submitting your quilt pics is easily done via an upload screen directly on my website. Click here now if you'd like to submit your own quilt.