The X and + quilt top is pressed and posing for a photo. I'm thinking that maybe the binding should be the white with black print that I used for the background in all of the blocks. That is a ways off though because it won't get quilted right away. I have a couple wallhangings that need to be quilted first.
I normally have a big zinnia garden but most of the seeds I planted didn't grow. I'm letting this little flower bed fill back in with grass so it is not a big loss, just a little skimpy looking this year.
Even though the beetles are here this year they haven't destroyed the Rose of Sharon bushes like they usually do.
This one is a little bluer lavender but the camera wants to make it pinker.
The pop-up-shop is open to the public today at noon EST. Only subscribers to the newsletter list have access before then with their password.
I sewed the 6 cross seams so now this X and + is a quilt top, another finish for July. I will press it and photograph it this morning.
My pop-up-shop opens today at noon EST for all of the subscribers to my newsletter. If you have signed up before you don't need to sign up again.
I showed a video yesterday with information about the shop website and how to navigate it. In case you missed it yesterday here is the link again today. The photos all enlarge in the shop so you can see products up close and the video shows how.
During the course of the day yesterday I got the 4 vertical seams sewn that web the rows together on my X and + quilt top. Since seams aren't pressed in opposite directions at intersections it took awhile to sew each long seam.
On my walk around the yard I was taking photos of some of the Rose of Sharon blossoms but what I noticed when I got to the computer was the clear blue sky.
I check my tomatoes every day and there are some large ones on the Rutgers plant but none have turned color yet.
My 4th of July plants continue to give me plenty of ripened golf ball size tomatoes and the Early Girl has had a few red ones too.
Hedy mentioned in her comment yesterday that the bottom row looked dark and I thought it was because the light source isn't as bright at the bottom of the design wall. I decided however to change the end block with the center block and it brightens the center and distributes the green a little better. Then I decided to do the same thing with the top row because that one seemed a little dark. The end block was a lot lighter than the rest and it looks better in the center too. Now it is going to get sewn together.
The Purple Coneflowers (which I call pink!) are starting to bloom all through the back garden. In the top right corner are the buds of the orange Tiger Lilies. I'm surprised they haven't bloomed yet since so many other perennials bloomed early this year.
The Balloon Flowers are all blooming now. The front garden is so weedy and overrun by 2 ground covers so it is nice to have a mass of color in there. The Rudbeckia is getting ready to bloom too.
I have decided this is the final layout for the X and + blocks. I moved the first one in the second row and exchanged it with the second one in the 5th row if you are going to compare it to yesterday's photo. I thought there was too much dark clumped together before and think the balance is better now. I have alternated blocks with darker Xs with blocks with lighter Xs hoping the diagonal grid is stronger that way. I hung a strip of the background fabric along the right side edge, contemplating whether it should have a border.
In the colorful outside the Rose of Sharon bushes are just starting to bloom. I haven't noticed many Japanese beetles yet but they usually are thick when the bushes are in full bloom.
Here is another color. I also have another shade of lavender but they aren't in bloom yet.
I finally turned the iron on and pressed the last block and a pile of items laying on the ironing board. I can already see 2 blocks I want to exchange with each other. Seeing the photo really helps to refine a layout. This is the same size as the first X and + quilt I made.
I pulled out lots of the invasive tall bellflowers at the beginning of the growing season but there are still lots of them left to bloom.
The small lilies in one of the flower beds in the backyard are blooming now. They get more sun in the west than the ones in the front east bed.
I had these blocks up on a single design wall in the basement where the lighting isn't great and I am ready to move them over to a double wall. I got the last block sewn but haven't pressed it yet. I mowed the grass instead of turning on the iron.
This milkweed plant had fallen over and I was just about to grab it and pull it out when I noticed a Monarch caterpillar munching away on the end of a leaf. I have about 12-15 milkweed plants here and there in the front garden and didn't see any activity on the others.
I was late planting my Canna but it is growing pretty fast. We have had 2 beautiful low humidity days after that streak of tropical humidity. Today is supposed to be warmer but still low humidity.
I also planted 2 Elephant Ears. I think they will be 2 different kinds but I'll have to wait to be sure.
Four more blocks are finished. I'm using some of the same fabrics in several blocks. I could have made every block entirely different fabrics because I have that many different Kaffe fabrics but I don't think it would add anything to the end look. I have one more block to make to have 35 which would make a quilt 50" x 70".
My poor Annabelle Hydrangeas got beaten down by the rain over a week ago and the stems are fragile so I don't think I could attempt to tie them up at this point. The ones at the front of the house are worse than this.
The Coneflowers started to bloom earlier this week. I'll have to get out there and take more photos.
My granddaughter and I were out and about yesterday and had lunch at Smash Burger. I first learned about that place in NC in 2012. Shortly afterwards there was one in a town about 25 miles from me. Their french fries are really good.
It is so much fun choosing which fabrics will go together in the X and + blocks. The plus on the bottom block is a rare older Kaffe print of which I only had a quarter yard. I had to remind myself: use the good stuff....don't leave it for the estate sale.
I decided to buy a couple new Hostas. This is the spot where I planted the Delphinium and the Shaggy Orange Coneflower last year and neither came up this year. I decided it needed a mostly white Hosta here.
This lime green one is called Stained Glass and has a darker green edge. I didn't have anything quite like it. I planted it where the perennial carnation didn't come up this year. It is a nice contrast with the darker greens. I planted them about 4 days ago and was happy that we got an inch of rain between 2 storms yesterday.
It was still very hot and tropical humidity yesterday so it was a good day to sew. I had parts made and got some more of the X and + blocks assembled. Some have all four X pieces alike and some have 2 and 2 and some have 4 different. I was cutting most of them from my scraps instead of yardage.
I really like the new red and purple print in the one on the right.
I did go out and water my tomato plants by the driveway and picked one more tomato that was starting to turn color.
The 4 tomato plants in the raised bed are getting so tall. There are lots of new tomatoes on the top half of the plants. The one in the pot had one ready to bring in to the windowsill and one to leave for a little while longer on the plant.
I thought I had finally dug out all of the Sneezeweed but I found it in 2 places in the back yard. It gets about 4 feet tall.
Here is the other batch of it just outside my dining room picture window.
8 of the 20 well wishers for my Blogiversary yesterday were no reply commenters so I will thank all of you here. I am so thankful to have so many readers and I appreciate the time you take to leave me a comment.
11 years ago today I started my blog and this is the 4226th post. I still love writing my posts and taking the photos for them.
I got 2 more blocks sewn and pressed for the X and + quilt. I have several more started too.
The Columbines bloomed quite awhile ago so I was really surprised to see 2 new blooms yesterday.
The Balloon flowers are starting to bloom. They are a much deeper blue but in full sunlight this is the color the camera picks up. There is one white bloom also over to the right
They are really a pretty flower but as the blooms die the plant looks pretty messy. I guess that means I should be out there deadheading at that point.
Happy Independence Day to US residents!!
I chose the + fabrics for 3 more blocks. I intended for the 2 fabrics in the top left to be at opposite corners but I ended up tearing out parts 3 times on that block and decided not to change it again. One of my readers sent me a link to the source of the quilt I had seen on the internet with the all light triangles. It is by Christine Barnes.com. I couldn't find a source when I first found it which is a common problem on Pinterest.
White Eagle you are a no reply because you don't have your email enabled. You asked where to get the pattern and I drafted this one myself. This is a 10" block so all of the parts are based on 2", 4" and 6" finished pieces: 2" finished triangles, 2" finished squares, and if you are using the folded corner method, the diagonal is a 4" finished square with 2" finished squares as the sew and fold corners. The crossbar of the + is 2" x 6" finished (which means you have to add seam allowances to all of those measurements). You can also do a search for X and + quilt and you will find links to several tutorials for different size blocks.
The invasive tall bell type flower is in full bloom. I have seen a few white ones this year where they have always been lavender in the past.
The first Blackberry Lily has bloomed and the Lemon Lily behind it has buds too. In the background are more of the bell flowers and Coneflowers just starting to bloom. I also see some more volunteer trees I need to cut.
I am slowly choosing fabrics for the + part of the X and + blocks and cutting them. I have lots of the X parts sewn waiting for a good match of prints.
I finally got a couple bigger tomatoes. Most so far have been about golf ball size. I picked the one on the right a week ago and it is just now ready to eat. There were 3 about the same size as the one on the left on my Ultrasonic tomato plant but only this one was starting to turn color. I beat the squirrels to it.
I sewed piles of pieces for the X part of the blocks. I now have to cut the + pieces and make blocks. I am cutting these pieces with GO! dies on my Studio die cutter with the adapter.
I had my last physical therapy session for my shoulder yesterday. I now have a full range of motion and no pain. This is the first time I have ever gone to PT. Now I just have to continue doing the exercises to keep the shoulder strong and hopefully never injure it again.
I started on a new project over a week ago but I wanted it to be something new for my art quilters to see before I put it on the blog. On Pinterest I saw some x and + blocks with all the same light background. When I made my first quilt of this pattern I used both dark and light backgrounds. This method makes a grid pattern on top of a background.
Here is the first one I made and I finished it in 2015. It looks more scrappy with both dark and light background triangles and my eye wants to stop and look at every individual block. In the new version I have started my eye goes to the overall grid rather than to each block.
You can see I'm using all Kaffe Fassett collective prints for the dark and medium fabrics and a very nice black on white script fabric for the light triangles.
I finished the binding on the X and + quilt while I watched TV last night. I LOVE this quilt! I was explaining to my art quilting group that each block is a project in itself for this quilt. You don't plan the whole quilt; you plan each block and when you have enough of them made you lay them out in a pleasing arrangement.
I have a piece of a Kaffe Fassett green print inserted across the backing of a Jane Sassaman print.
Two of the art quilters brought their finished trip around the world quilt tops.
This is the center of the one above.
The rail of my quilting machine is in the way to see the whole quilt from this angle but this photo showed the African fabrics the best.
Here is the full view. I thought the students from my 2 classes might like to see some alternate fabric choices. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing or making this quilt pattern.
