Graduation!

Well, it’s not an exciting graduation, like a grandkid graduating from high school or anything, but I did make it through all my physical therapy sessions and “graduated” from that. I got a hug from both physical therapist Mark and his wife Laura, and I brought them some homemade raspberry jam as a thank you.  I’ll be continuing the home version of my exercises as well as adding some simple exercises to strengthen my core, promote balance and doing some light upper body weight training. I have everything I need except some small weights and a timer, which will arrive tomorrow. I’m excited!

It was another busy week, with a big summer HOA BBQ here at the condos on Wednesday evening. I was on the team to help pull that off, and between set-up, food prep and cleaning up (plus I did the signage and helped transport our most elderly attendees), it was hectic. But what a fun time, even though I may or may not have had three cookies! 

On Friday I made up for eating cookies when my friend Joan, who is moving back to Massachusetts, gifted me her outdoor raised planter. In her courtyard I shoveled out the soil and wheelbarrowed it to our place. Then I went back and we loaded the planter into my SUV. I set the planter up at home and re-shoveled the soil back in. All of that was done before 10am to avoid the heat (although I did work up a sweat and was a filthy mess). But it was fun, and it was great to feel strong and able-bodied again! Here’s the planter. I do plan to visit some garden centers or big box stores to see what’s on clearance. I just want some color (and more soil) in there for the next three months!

I’ve been terrible at sharing garden pictures this year. I planted only a few pots and this vertical garden before my mid-May knee replacement, and just had Bruce watering them while I was unable to work in the yard. 

I never got pictures of the lilies blooming, and the recent record-breaking heat absolutely fried my hydrangeas. I didn’t plant any new shrubs or perennials this year because we’ve been asked to conserve water (and, again, the knee surgery). Mostly these days I’ve been babying my Japanese maple, giving it extra water and iron treatments. Poor thing. The top of the leaf canopy froze and defoliated after a late freeze this spring, and now the scorching heat has it gasping for water! I’m afraid it will be toast when the huge honey locust tree outside our courtyard in the common area is removed this winter - it’s heaving sidewalks and the neighbor’s driveway. The bigger tree provides protection for our Japanese maple, which is typically an understory tree. 

But let’s talk about sewing which is why, I’m sure, you’re here.

July is the month of aqua, teal, and turquoise - and all their blue-green and green-blue variations -  in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge group. 

First up are the two gameboard blocks I sewed, which will finish in a quilt at 8”.

And we can’t forget the Rolling Stone blocks. Only two of those as well. I love these blocks! 

And finally some crumb blocks (6.5”). I had a few on hand and hoped to finish additional blocks to round out a set of 15, but the scraps didn’t stretch that far. So these 7 blocks will join the others and wait until aqua month in 2027 to recruit more friends for a set.

My friend Ruby quilted two more little quilts for me to bind for Quilts for Kids, so I do have two finishes to share once again. First up is this turtle-themed Strippie. After I pulled the fabric and cut the kit, Cousin Kim sewed it up (we joke and call her my “stunt sewist” as we try to churn out lots of these Strippie quilts from my stash). Then Ruby quilts them and I bind and label them. 

The Turtles quilt isn’t all that exciting, but I’m sure there’s a kid who will love the turtles.

The colors are truest on the above photo and the backing photo, below. This little number finished at 39.5 x 45.5”.

Ruby quilted leaves on it, but we think they rather look like they could be patterned turtle shells. 

The second finish was inspired by three cute elephant fat quarters that Ruby gave me from a yard sale find. I had to design something around that amount of fabric, and came up with this. The solid pinks and yellows are pastels, although the camera distorts their intensity. I’ve tried to color-correct it as best I can.

The Pink Ellies quilt measures 40x46”. I’ve got more FQs of this print in a blue and yellow colorway, but there are 4 FQ’s of those. I’ll tackle those later this summer.

Once those little quilts were done and dusted, I could begin working on the fan blocks that were given to me with the Quilts for Kids scraps to “do something with”. See the post here where I first showed them. I call them fan blocks because someone just sewed blades together, not sewing the tops to make a point as for Dresden blades. I had to add another blade to each block to cover at least 90 degrees of a square block.  

Anyway, I found a medium brown fabric on which to appliqué them. The background squares are cut 14x14” (the largest size I could get from a width-of-fabric cut) and I appliquéd the first 3 (of 12) this week. The fans were fit over the corners of the background square, then the outside blades in each block were trimmed to fit. I’m using a blanket stitch on my machine to appliqué down the fans and the inner circle.

I’ve been excited to play with these because the colors go perfectly with the 2-yard cut of book fabric I have. I was originally thinking I’d use the fabric for a backing, but instead I’ll use it for wide borders to bring the 3x4 block setting up to something over 50x60”. That size and these colors will be better suited for an older kid quilt. 

This will be my primary project to work on in the coming week.

Today I need to do some grocery shopping, and then I’ll visit some big box stores to see what kind of flowers (or herbs?) to plant in the new planter. Perhaps next year I can rig up some drip irrigation, but for now the planter will be hand watered. 

Is anyone else watching the new Little House on the Prairie series on Netflix? I absolutely loved those books as a girl. We are really enjoying it, and I find myself thinking and daydreaming about the Ingalls family and their adventures, just as I did 60 years ago! 

Have a great week!