Saturday, May 23, 2020

Two Finishes

It’s been a good week all around. The vegetable garden is all planted, and Bruce even got the drip irrigation lines set up for our front walkway flower pots. I have some pictures of the pots later in this post. We also spent an hour yesterday morning digging out the overgrown side yard on the west side of the house. The grass and weeds love it there in the flower beds! We have a ways to go to get the beds in shape, but we’re pacing ourselves. We’ll get there, but I’m sure not enjoying it like I used to ten years ago. Every spot on my body aches!

I finished up the quilting and binding on my second double-sided wall hanging for Harambe Humanitarian, the non-profit organization on whose Board I sit. Let me show you that finish first. This wall hanging has the International Sisters blocks on one side and an African mandala print on the other side.


The fabrics are all African prints except the plain white and the complexion fabrics. It measures approximately 28” x 48”.  The picture below shows both wall hangings completed so far. Two down, six more to go over the course of this year. They will be sold for Harambe fundraising purposes, and these two are already spoken for.


The hanging sleeve is on top so that it can be hung either way. Both of these use the same mandala print on the back, although I have a couple panels that will be different in future wall hangings. 


Harambe Humanitarian is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. We are working with the Maasai tribes of Kenya to provide menstrual supplies for girls and young women in order to keep them in school. We also provide menstrual and health education for girls, plus income opportunities for women. Also, we’re in the process of setting up a library for the community in the Tenkes area of the Mau Forest .

This month we’re doing an online fundraiser (the pandemic has put a crimp in our revenue stream) to purchase more menstrual supplies and educational materials. I would love for you to check it out. You can visit Harambe Humanitarian on Facebook or our website.  The fundraising site is here at SafePad Kenya (scroll down to the May 15 post with the picture of the four girls in white). Asante sana! (“Thank you very much” in Swahili). 

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Although I didn’t get this dark green “Creature” quilt finished this week, it is a finished flimsy that’s been basted and is waiting for its turn to be quilted in the next week. Also basted, but not shown, is the garlic knot Rainbow Scrap project.


However, I did finish this blue and pink quilt, polishing off lots of leftover fabrics. 


I haven’t given this one a name; it’s a donation quilt going to Quilts for Kids. It measures 40x50”. I used the leftover blocks on the back, which helped stretch my chunks and pieces to fit.


Our friend Terri came over last Monday and brought lunch from one of our favorite delis. The three of us spent a lovely couple of hours out on the patio talking and laughing. We maintained our 6’ distancing, of course. Terri brought four cute quilts she’d made for Quilts for Kids as well as some kennel quilts for the Best Friends animal rescue. I’ll add those to my collection to deliver hopefully sometime this summer. Thank you, Terri! xo

I’ve had a hankering to start a new quilt lately. I’m holding off until I get a few more of my UFO’s finished up, but I couldn’t help doing a fun fabric pull. I’ve got a couple ideas floating around in my head (along with all the other detritus that floats around in there), and these bright pieces are chunks  and fat quarters that seem to play well together. This could be a fun June project, so stay tuned.


We interrupt this blog post for a message from Her Royal Highness ....


Um, never mind. All Darla really wanted was some attention from her loyal subjects.

Oh, and I mentioned some pictures of the front flower pots. I’ve taken lots of pictures of the flowers and garden over the last week. For now, I’ll just show the flower pots and save the rest for a separate blog post in a few days.


The pots were planted a couple weeks ago? It’ll  be interesting to get pictures of them in July or August when the flowers grow and fill in. But they still offer a lot of refreshing, fun color even now.

The pot below is the new one we bought when we were in Arizona in February.


Here’s a different view. I still have annuals to add to the walkway bed around the rose tree. All in good time! It’s been raining like crazy here for a day or two, so that won’t happen until next week.


Have a wonderful week, and stay safe!

Linking to Scrappy Saturday for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

22 comments:

  1. Looking forward to see the completed Creature quilt and what comes of that fabric pull for starting in June. Love both SEW much!!

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  2. Look at your beautiful pots full of flowers! You have a lovely front entry way! It also looks like you have a good space for basting quilts. That would be so helpful! Your fabric pull for a new project is very enticing, too - enjoy!

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  3. Hi,
    Love the fabrics you pulled out. So pretty and colorful, it will make a beautiful quilt. All your post are beautiful...have a great day!

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  4. such bright and beautiful colors on your blog today

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  5. Darla - you look darling testing out that beautiful quilt. Beautiful pots of flowers.....My beds are not up to snuff this year. Love those beautiful bright fabrics.... I wonder what they will become?

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  6. The little African quilts look wonderful, do hope they bring in such much needed funds for your cause.
    And I love the pink and blue donation quilt, such a good way to use some focus fabric, surrounding it with different fabrics, must keep that idea in mind for my own donation quilts.
    Dont your flower pots look pretty!

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  7. Love those spots of color on the front walk! Very welcoming.

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  8. Those front yard pots are gorgeous. As is Darla who looks like she may have gained some pandemic pounds. or maybe its the diva swell. In any case, don’t give her a Tula can opener.

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  9. Darla is so photogenic! Cute finishes. Take another TWO off the list!

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  10. Hi Cathy! How welcoming your home looks to your visitors! I am certain your friends and family enjoy the walk or stroll to your front door, just taking their time enjoying the view and scents. The two International Sisters wall hangings have turned out just beautifully. I can see why they have already been spoken for! Glad to hear you and Bruce are doing well and staying safe. ~smile~ Roseanne

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  11. I love your International Sisters quilts! And your plant pots are very welcoming, and pretty ;)

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  12. So much to admire in this post. The wall hangings, the donation quilts, those colorful pots (both the containers and the flowers) and I can't wait to see what your fabric pull becomes. We are headed for a week of mid-80's and humidity, so I'm not sure when I'll get things planted. It's hard to believe we had snow flurries just two weeks ago!
    Pat

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  13. I love your wall hangings, finished blue and pink quilt and the green monster flimsy but I’m absolutely drooling over your fabulous plant pots. Never seen anything like them. Gorgeous!

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  14. I love those flower pots! What a welcoming to your home!
    I am loving your wall hangings, and cannot wait until June to see what becomes of those really pretty chunks of fabrics.

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  15. Thanks for sharing your lovely pots! I haven’t ventured to the nursery or big box store to look for plantings. Maybe this coming week. No masks are being worn in our community, so I am reluctant to shop! I’ll be keeping an eye on your June project! Wishing you both good health, take care!

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  16. Bright pots, bright flowers, bright quilts, bright outlook! I should have put my sunglasses on to read this post. Glad to read this happy update, Cathy :)

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  17. You have made progress on many projects and you deserve to reward yourself by starting a new quilt! The grass loves to invade the flower beds and the vegetable patch but of course the bald spots under the trees are still bald.

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  18. The Harambe Humanitarian wallhangings are wonderful - the mandalas on the back side are just gorgeous! I hope the recipients cherish them! Your June fabric pull is so bright and cheerful. I think you were inspired by your pots and flowers!

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  19. Those are gorgeous planting pots! Give my love to Darla, with some hugs and scritches!

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  20. Great quilt finishes, and I love those pots!

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  21. Power to the sisters!!! And power to you for being a tireless warrior for their (our) causes. I donated to them over FB :-) That Mandala fabric is gorgeous - I would wear it :-)
    Your home is so inviting. I would return again and again just to be greeted by those lovely flowers. Can hardly wait for June and your Fun June Project. June is PINK (RSC). Finally!!!

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  22. How in the world did I get so far behind in reading your blog?? It's not that I'm doing much else that's overly time-consuming! Oh well, better late than never (or so they say). Anyway....I do love those wonderful African quilts and that they're made using fabrics from the region. And I'm looking forward to seeing what you will create with those lovely colorful fabrics (your Royal supervisor will keep an eye on the process I'm sure).

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