Name That Plant

You know how I much I garden and plant and discover new plants in my flower gardens.

Of course I don't know the names of many of the plants as they are new to me since moving in here.

Each year I seem to discover something new and wonder what is the name of that plant.

At last I found an app you can get for your Ipad Iphone and giving it a try this morning I can say it worked great.  Actually there were 2 apps and I experimented with the 2 found this one to be more accurate
its called Like That Garden  -  you can take a picture of the plant or flower and upload to the app and within seconds it will locate the plant or plants similar to your photo.

How neat is that!!!!!

There is another app that I downloaded that works OK - Plantifer - this works some of the time but doesn't seem to be as quick or as accurate as Like That Garden

Had to check it out, so I'm out in my backyard snapping pictures of flowers I knew and those I didn't just to see how good it was.

So far its pretty darn accurate

End of Commercial


Now back to quilting -  after the retreat, as you know, I have been pretty darn busy finishing customer quilts.

So far I have gotten all caught up with those that were waiting and coming in as fast as I was finishing others.

These are the last 2 I had sitting waiting in line.

How special is this made by Sandra Vincent  - one of my guild sisters

So pleased she brought this to me to quilt for her

Vicki has gotten a lot of mileage out of these fabrics - this is the 3rd quilt using those same fabrics

Its been a wild and crazy past month but at last I'm now working on the present quilts instead of those sitting in line and waiting for me.  Its a first come first done policy unless there is a Rush - which I did have a couple of those that had to be pushed to the front of the line.  No matter everyone got theirs finished within a timely manner and all seemed please with the results and the time it took to complete.

Most often I will receive a top to quilt and have it done within a day or 2, so its not normal for me to have so many come it all once.  Not complaining, bring them on.  But the day of  in and out in 1 day doesn't happen when you have a so many coming in all at the same time.

Now I'm going to be wondering when is someone bringing me a quilt top?????   Not to worry they will come.

More May Quilting

I kinda forgot about writing my blog for past few days as I have been getting caught up on a few customer quilts.

Here are 3 I finished since being home from my mini vacation.

Back is as pretty as the front

Hope everyone is enjoying the long holiday weekend.   But I have to laugh because long weekends or even weekends aren't much different than the rest of the weeks for me.

The only difference is I don't have Gus on most weekends.

Still I'm having a pretty nice holiday weekend.  Went to dinner Friday night with 2 of my girlfriends, worked on the flower quilt and also went to lunch with 2 other friends yesterday afternoon.

Hmmm who can I go eat with today -  just kidding, the plan was to work in the yard but the weather is not going to cooperate so its going to be a hit and miss yard work with more of the same inside sewing/quilting and whooo hooo a little looping and crocheting.

Remember this is what it should look like some day hehehehehehe

No idle hands here.  

Exploring With Brother Bill and SIL Donna

I just got back from a mini vacation at Bill and Donna's and had the best time.

Its always great to stay with them. Donna was teaching me "Looping" - the advantage of having a talented relative I get one on one instructions.  Its such fun learning new crafts from an expert. www.donnakallnerfiberart.com/looping/


No I did not take a picture of my practice piece for many reasons - but this is what looping should look like

Knowing me I get excited about many things but mostly seeing old quilts -  Donna had this one on my bed and I was thrilled to see it.

This beautiful quilt was made by Donna's grandmother Bessie Cooper - Mitchell IN - It was hand sewn and hand stitched during the 40's depression - we wondered how she managed to afford the material or maybe it was given to her.

Donna said she did not remember seeing this quilt when she was a child, but her mother told her it was only brought out and used for "good".   Her mother gave her the quilt when her parents moved from IN to FL and now Donna keeps the tradition bringing it out only for "good".  Which made me feel very special as this is the first time I had seen the quilt.

The 3 of us took a road trip sight seeing - that is after buying a scoop of ice cream at the small general store in White Lake.

Ginger bread houses  teeny tiny little house

All the many years of visiting with them, this is the first time we did the sight seeing, and it was so enjoyable.  They live in a very beautiful part of Wisconsin.

Before loading up the car to return home I managed to spend some money without even leaving their house.  LOL not the first time -

Brother Bill made this beautiful table and I just had to bring it home with me - he also made me another thread tree but I have not even put the pegs back into it.

Its just beautiful, love it so much

He makes amazing furniture - I was very fortunate he had this one in his studio.  I think it was waiting for me to take it home.

In addition he is makes fishing nets that are almost too pretty to use - in fact I have one hanging on my living room wall along with Wayne's fishing hat

http://www.wolfmoonnetsusa.com/


Needless to say I had a great time with them and came home with treasures including more hand dyed wool yarns.

Quilting Before Shopping

Completed a customer quilt yesterday morning.

Business first then play time

  I used a pantograph Paisley on this one

After finishing,   headed off to buy potting flowers and a few perennials for this year with daughter Stacy,  and that is where the fun begins.

A list was made before leaving the house, but did I even look at it. NO - sidetracked by all the beautiful plants and flowers 

After much oohing and aaahing manage to get what I had written down and then a few extras. Always always over buy hehehehehehe.

First off you cant just buy one of anything and you cant just stick to a list - its impossible 

Worked from early afternoon to late afternoon and only have the marigolds left to plant - sometime today, or maybe I should wait until tomorrow and Gus can help me.  Now that would be fun

Now I cant wait for everything to take root and start spreading and flowering - its going to be beautiful around here again this year.

For a while, early spring I was getting really really stressed with all the work that is needed to be done.  Deep breathing, and a management plan in place, I think I will be able handle the balancing act of quilting, babysitting and yard work, not to mention my travel plans for this summer.

However, the housework, now that's another issue - but thankfully I'm getting help with that too.

Besides, I have said this before, House Work Is Over Rated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mowing In The Rain

Time is limited, after Gus left I started mowing the lawn, its only about hay field deep LOL


Before I could finish ( and I'm still not done) it started to sprinkle, just kept on mowing until finally I was too wet and cold to continue.  Still have the way way back yard and the side lot by the burn pile to go but that will have to wait.

The apple blossoms are in full bloom right now and dropping while I'm mowing..  Its like mowing in a snow storm of flowers.

One of my favorite views

Maybe tomorrow I can finish mowing and spend some time to do a little more weeding - that is after my mini shop hop to Lodi - a couple of us are going to the quilt shop there -  Margie has never been so its off we go early morning and then back home to yard work and do some more customer quilting.

It seems the time is just getting away from me.  So much to do and so little time to do it.

I don't seem to be as energetic this year as I have been in the past.  Might it be because the years are starting to pile up faster faster and faster.  eeek Don't even want to think about it.

Sunday is Mothers day and Stacy has already given me my present, going to breakfast with Toby Sarah and Gus - that should be fun.  Looking forward to spending a little time with Mom and Dad I get to spend lots of time with Gus.

He even helped me again today in the gardens.  Although I have got to get him toughened up a bit - he is a little bit afraid of bugs.  I'm going to have to work on that and remind him he is a big boy and so much bigger than the bugs.

Floating Stars

A few years back I taught a class at "Twin Turtle Quilts" quilt shop in Clinton WI, using my original pattern Floating Stars.

At last one of the students finished her quilt top and brought it to me to quilt.

Normally she quilts her own on her domestic, but after reconsideration she opted to have a professional long arm quilter do the work.

My first intention was to do an edge to edge - but once I stitched the first row, I really didn't like it. In fact I hated it and if I don't like it how will a customer feel about it.

Spending one entire day (yes it took that long) I ripped out the first row of stitching,  pressed out the unwanted stitching holes,  reloaded the quilt - and studied it for long time.  Once I cancelled any thought of edge to edge I then had to decide what do I want to see on this top.

She didn't request anything special and we never discussed what she did want, said she would leave it up to me.

End results more detailing than planned and because it was my decision not hers I'm not going to charge anything extra for the extra work.

Sometimes a quilt just asks for more than the what is needed to put it together, and this one did speak to me.