Monday, October 1, 2012

I'm sewing again.......

The scraps that were left from cutting the batik colorwash kits have been in a pile in my studio teasing me as I walked by them each day.  With all of the cutting in the past week for QOV, church pillowcases and I Spy kits, I hadn't turned on the machine for anything except shortening some jeans.  I sewed strips together into blocks that will be trimmed to 7.5".  This is layout 1.
Here is layout 2.  I only have enough scraps from the pile to make one more block but I have more fabric......
My original intention was tablerunners to stitch some of that wonderful thread onto.
I have enough blocks for 3 tablerunners.  Two would be 14" x 28" and one would be 14" x 21".
Or I could use this layout for the tablerunners.  This is the fun part for me, make a pile of patchwork, put it up on the design wall and let it tell me what it wants to become.
This is what I was doing in the morning.  It was a beautiful day for working outside.  I cut my hydrangea blooms and hung them upside down in the garage to dry.  My garage is knotty pine panelled, the whole 2.5 car garage including the ceiling, and it is heated.  The people who built it came from a farm to retire in town.
Today is the last free brush pick up for the season.  I trimmed 3 bushes and picked up tree branches.  I cut down the last few volunteer trees too.
Last week I cleared this end of the back flower bed and planted 14 hostas that I had in pots all summer.  It doesn't look like much now but I hope to show a comparison photo next summer.  This end of the flower bed is under a redbud tree so the plants should get enough shade to survive.  I watered it twice yesterday to make sure the roots can spread.  It sounds like we may get a hard frost next Sunday morning.

16 comments:

hetty said...

I love your blocks! Isn't it fun playing with the layouts? We are supposed to get a really cold night too on the weekend. I will have to bring my tropicals inside for the winter. Your garden is going to look great next year!

HollyM said...

I love to cut hydrangeas and always use them on my Christmas tree. I really need to get out and do some garden clean up.
It looks fun to put all those left over strips together and it might be a nice background for some of that thread.

Mary said...

The first layout reminds me of a basket weave. I like the second one too. We finally got more of the rain we were looking for, but no flooding so we were happy.

Annie said...

Love your blocks...I wonder which one you'll choose.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

you have been busy. The table runners will be beautiful.

Bunny said...

I just finished a "Bamboo Shade" table runner for a friend who had given up on it. The piecing was easy, but the layout was quite a challenge for ME since I like to see the layout on my design wall before I stitch - and I knew the layout would be continuously changing during construction due to pieces of all sizes. It was good mental exercise for ME! Bunny

Needled Mom said...

Those will make wonderful table runners. It is such a great use of scraps.

Anonymous said...

You are one busy lady ! As always not letting anything get in your way on a sunny Autumn day. Your Hydrangea's look extra pretty against your pine wall.

It is as much fun to see all your layouts as you had designing them... Well maybe as much fun.

J~MT

Dolly said...

Nice blocks.......I like the stripes all running the same way, for some reason !

Thank you once again for sharing your gardening with us.....I look forward to your updates and your photos.

Cathi said...

Beautiful blocks - it is going to be fun to see what they tell you they want to become. :-)
A hard frost already?

suemac said...

I really like layout one. It is even feeling a little like fall in Texas. The temps went down to the 60's last night.

Vicky F said...

hi Wanda,
Yay, you got to play, both with sewing and in the garden.
I like the basketweave layout, but they all have such energy!
Vicky F

Pat said...

Not sure which ones I like best. They both look great. OMG, I hope we are not getting a hard frost. I am not ready for that and I hate to pull out the zinnias. The trees are losing their leaves fast and I can now see the house that is next door. I can't see it in the summer as the leaves hide it. Next door is not like town, next door is about 2 acres away. Enjoy the garden while you can.

Taos Sunflower said...

Every time you sew strips together, I am envious of how nice they look. Try as hard as I may to be careful, mine always seem to warp and sway (even with pinning, trying not to stretch, and alternating sewing strips in opposite directions). What am I doing wrong? PS You're a real go getter when it comes to the yard work. I need some of your energy.

Sheila said...

I love your string batik blocks!
It's fun to see you create art with scraps :)

Char said...

Once you dry your Hydrangeas do you spray them with something? I find my to be fragile after drying.