Where oh where is summer?

Here it is almost August and we are still waiting for those hot days. There has been lots of rain, but the heat is lacking. That means that the crops are way behind. We are not even thinking about combining the wheat yet. Let's hope, that August will be more like we are used to. The Two Cylinder club (for those not in the know, that is the club for antique John Deere tractors enthousiasts) had their annual show in Drayton. Since this was the year of the crawler or bulldozer, Laurence had to have his J.Deere 40 there. But when he drove it home the week before from the shed to the workshop something was seriously wrong. It ended up that the "head" had to be replaced.I have no clue, what it is, only that it means major bucks. It also meant a quick trip to Flint, Michigan for a new one. But as you can see, he did get it all together and made it to the show. See that little engine at the left? That is a stationary engine and it is used to make home made ice cream .Other years it is a very popular spot, but since it was cool and rainy that day, I did not see many customers. Each day there is a parade and this year the crawlers were first in line. In total there were over 20.I spend most of Saturday there and even saw our statue being sold at the small auction they have. Now it is up to Laurence to get our farm sign here.Once in place I can finish the flowerbed. Quilting was not forgotten. I finished the quilting on this workshop sample with Chinese Lanterns .I never like to start the quilting on a project, but once I'm quilting it gets better. Today I finished another small sample with one more to go. Those I hope to show next week.

One of my favorite auctions

The Amish Parochial School Auction was last Saturday and I would not miss that if at all possible. Laurence and I both went and each has his /her day figured out. I head for the tent with the pies first, so I can get my choice. They are delicious and not pricey.It is not unusal to see people walk away with 6 or more pies. They keep well in the freezer, though I did not get quite that many.At the same time Laurence got our bidding number. I took the pies back to the car and first things first.... a visit to the horses next. Where else can you see about 100 buggy horses, all lined up. This picture could have been taken a hundred years ago. But that are not the only horses. About 200 are being sold and these range from big Clydes to smaller ponies. Most of them are standing around hay wagons and I did not see many arguments. From there it was only a short walk to my next stop....the tent where the quilts are being sold. I had gone over on Friday afternoon and asked if I could see the quilts. Everybody else was still setting up, but the quilts were all ready to go. This way I could take my time looking at the ones that were of interest to me. This year there were around 120, from small baby quilts to king size ones. The one in this picture was the top of the auction and brought $1300.It was all hand appliqued and had a beautiful design. There was one for $1000, the rest were lower. I did end up with quilt 108 ( yes I sat through them all) It is a lone star in beiges, dark red and very dark blue. It is 110 by 96 inches and suits the room. Once that job was done, it was time to eat and there was no shortage of food. Sausage on a bun seemed to be the favorite. And it is the only place I know of, where there is a different line for each flavor of icecream. Laurence had watched the different auctions and had just about enough ,so after a short visit to the horse auction we went back home. I know, that next year we will be back. It is the place to meet family, friends and neighbours.

Yard work

On Monday I had a store owner come to the house to look at all my workshop samples. She might be interested for me to teach in her store. Since the the samples were all over I hunted them all up and put them on my design wall. The next step will be to take individual pictures and then update my workshop list. All of the classes are hand applique with no sewing machine involved, just the way I like it.

When we moved in December it was too late to figure out what plants we were looking at. By now I have a pretty good idea. Behind the house is a big area of the flower bed covered with a pretty ground cover, but it had taken over and had to be cut back.

That chore was completed last week, just in time.Laurence had a meeting at a resort (tough life!)near Grand Bend and the wives were invited along. Yesterday I had the whole day to myself, while the guys had their meeting. I started the day visiting the Lambton County Museum ,where they just happen to have an antique quilt show. There was a good collection of crazy quilts and signature quilts. I spend the morning there and on my way back to the resort I found a nursery. One of the first things I heard was "Perenials are 10 for $20 That was all I needed and I came back with a trunkfull of very healthy plants.

By now they are all planted ,since we can expect rain.

In front of the house is a area with shrubs and a statue, left by the former owners. The lower evergreens in the front had lots of brown spots and since we want to replace the statue with our farm sign anyway we dug the shrubs out with the help of the tractor. Next step will be to move the farm sign, but who knows when! I have not decided what I want to put in the front, but it will be either other low evergreens or some perenials.

Sashiko.....finally finished

Yesterday Blogger did not want to co-operate and I finally gave up. This morning was better. I do have problems at times to get all the pictures to show up, usually the first one, so that's why the rose is first, just in case it was a no show. With the cool and rainy weather we have had, the roses are doing very well and I think I start to like them.So far I have not run into many problems disease wise. This piece with hand appliqued circles and sashiko is finally all together. The borders were a lot of work. I did each border piece seperate, sewed the whole thing together and then finished the sashiko where the border pieces would meet. That way I could match them no too badly. I have not decided how to quilt this. I could use a big stitch, similar to sashiko or machine quilt it. Regular quilting is not possible with my painful shoulders, what is too bad, but reality . It does not help either, that I try to keep the flowerbeds looking not great, but acceptable. Behind the house are a lot of shrubs and in front of them is a real nice groundcover, that has taken over. Very slowly I'm pulling most of that out and later will replace that with some SLOW growing perenials. As I was working away I heard a noise and I found this little fellow in one of the bushes. He did not like the idea of having to share the flowerbed with anybody else. We have had company of and on for the last week. Shawn and Emily flew from Calgary to Hamilton, spend some time with Jeanette and Tony., Then we picked them up and they have been busy since with weddings and visiting friends. A few more days at a cottage and it will be time to fly back home. It was really good to see them again.

A farmer's fix

Our lawn looked a little yellow, according to Laurence and that needed a change. Since the big farm sprayer was empty and clean, he decided, that it would be easy to spray some liqued fertilizer on the lawn. Now our lawn is big, but it is not a field with as a result, that we have a tiger striped lawn. There was not enough fertilizer in the sprayer to make it work right and there was not enough pressure to spray the right width. And around the flowerbeds it is still a little yellow. He wanted to try it again, but once was enough for me. This is the workshop sample with the Chinese lantern plant. It is ready to be quilted. The size is about 19 by 26 inches. If the weather stays like this, I should finish it by next week. The weather has not been good in the last week. Most days we have showers and it has been cool. By the time you can work in the garden, another shower shows up. The roses seem to like it though and I have a wide variety of shapes and colors. I think I might to start to like them. Today is Canada Day . We missed the local parade , but might make it to the ball game later in the day. I will leave you with this week's favorite

Summer

Summer is finally here.We had a hot one today with temperatures around 30C. With the rain we had last week the crops are growing very well, but so do the weeds. I was all set to edge all the flowerbeds with the shovel, when I heard from a friend ,that there is something called a flowerdbed edger you can rent. What a life saver! We rented it for 1/2 day and with Laurence running it, we went around all the beds in no time. Next time we will wait till the soil is drier. I had to clean the mud out quite regularly. But it did the job. The pots in front of the house look good. Now I realize that the colors are not all coordinated, but during the move I lost the tags and so had no clue what color the begonia's would be. Next year better. At last count there are 25 rose bushes that have survived the winter. The first ones are blooming including this pale pink shrub rose. I really did not want to look after this many roses, but looking at all the different colored buds I might change my mind yet. At last count there are 21 orchids in the house, including these 2. Where they all came from, don't ask. Last evening was our horticulture meeting and the speaker, Gerald Swan, is an expert in growing orchids. I learned a lot. The one on the right I took home from Jenny on Sunday . It did not look good with brown leaves all over. I took it along last evening and was told what to do. Gerald even transplanted it for me in a larger pot. Now it will go in the windowsill above the sink and I just hope it will show some green growth soon. The one on the left I won!!!! The speaker brought 4 orchids for door prices and since I had the first number, I could take one of them home. It is another lady slipper with the name of "Transvaal" I saw a picture in one of the speaker's books and it has beautiful brown flowers. With all this weeding and cleaning in the garden not much applique is getting done. I'm working on 3 smaller project and should have something to show next week.

Guild challenge

Yesterday was the last meeting for our guild. There was only an evening, business meeting and at times there are not too many members attending. Since our guild show is in September the show committee decided to make the challenge due yesterday. It seemd to work. There were lots of people and 20 small quilts. It had to be about an Idiom. I did start on one, but figured out, that it was more a saying then an idiom, so it was back to the drawing board. When I found the piece of fabric with the cows I knew what I was going to make. This is my interpretation of "Wait...till the cows come home" It is fused and machine embroidered/quilted. It was a fun and fast project. There were some amazing quilts and all so very different. The quilts were collected and we will see them again, hanging at the show. The evening was a lot ot fun, with food, doorprizes and then of course the business part. I needed a few cards and today was the day to make them .I love to make these kimono's and made these 2 even a little smaller, so the cards will go into a 6 by 9 inch evelope. The third card is made with 3d flowers I had on hand. Each time I teach a workshop making flowers I keep the samples and somewhere along the line I find a use for them. I like to find something for the back that complements with the front. For the red kimono I found a black and red fabric with goldfish. The card with flowers has pansies on the back and the green kimono has a piece of silk on the back. I seem to be a magnet for "strange" fabrics. Yesterday at the guild meeting I was asked if I could use some Asian fabrics. It turned out to be a big bag full of Japanese silks, silk scarves, a ikat belt with woven fish and some heavy Chinese silks. This green on the back of the card came from one of the pieces.

New winged "friends"

A few years ago I received a folded fabric kimono from my friend Janet. I put it up on my bulletin board and there it stayed. Then a few weeks ago another friend, Tamara, remarked that she thought it was really pretty. At around that time I had to start thinking about a small quilt for the guild challenge. I took the kimono (sorry Janet) apart and found that it was not hard to make. And soon after I had it all planned. Too bad, that later I realized, that it did not fit the criteria for the challenge. I did make another one, that I can show after next week's meeting. But I did not want to forget about this one and I'm back at it. It is the saying "something old ( a piece of vintage silk for one of the kimono's),something new (fabric I just bought), something borrowed ( the pattern from Janet), something blue ( a blue kimono) The white circles will be sashiko. The smaller circles are cut from a piece of oriental fabric and the flying geese are made with vintage shibori. It is all in pieces yet, but it has been fun. We have some new winged friends around. These barn swallows showed up a few weeks ago and made themselves right away at home. First in the garage. We had some arguments and there were mad dashes close to my head, but they backed of. Now their nest is under the eaves, close to the diningroom window. They do make somewhat of a mess and don't like anybody outside on the deck, but it is fun to see the going ons in the nest. The weather has not been great. We did have rain, but it has been cold. All the crops are in the ground, but nothing is growing very fast. We do hope for more sunshine in the next few days. It is always remarkable, that the weeds do keep on growing. Tomorrow will be a weeding day!

Back home

Quilts, orchids, horses, gardening and water buffalo mozzarella pizza, that just about sums it up. I came home Tuesday morning early after an overnight flight from Calgary after a very busy week. Quilt Canada in Saskatoon was great. As usual it was very busy. I taught for 3 days in a beautiful room. It was down in the basement of the hotel, but nobody complained about not having enough light. I had fun, I hope the participants too. The Juried show was a 10 minute walk. I finished at 4 and the show closed at 5, but I did manage to get there and see the quilts. In my eyes it was a very good show and I could have spend more time there. On Friday evening I did my power point presentation, a first for me and there were no equipment failures, my biggest worry. Everything was set up and was ready to go. Since I talked about the quilts I coordinated for the Mennonite Relief Sale I mentioned the one to be sold the next day. I was asked to find out what it went for and announce it at the next day's banquet. I was very happy, when I found out, that it went for $7200, in my eyes a very good price. It was the highest of the day. The quilt went to Bruce Menary, owner of the Len's Mills Stores in our area. Of the 5 quilts I have coordinated he has bought 3. He is a very big supported of the sale!!! After the conference I flew to Calgary and visited Shawn and Emily. The after noon was spend watching Emily at a working cow horse seminar. For most of you it might sound boring, but it was interesting. I grew up riding English Style and never knew anything about Western Riding. I learned new things, sitting in the sun with the Rockies in the back ground, what can be better. Monday we went out to look at plants. Once home there was enough time to plant it all and wrap the tomato plants. More frost was expected. Then the fun was over and it was back to the airport. But first supper where the water buffalo mozzarella pizza came in . When I saw that, I could not resist. It was good, but not any better then regular mozzarella. Then it was direction home. I had a lot of luggage by then. I bet you I was the only one from the conference who came home with a large orchid. During one of my workshops I had a visit from some of the organizers Since I was teaching the orchid workshop, we started to talk about different orchids. Finally I was asked if I had room for a "SMALL" one. Of course, who can refuse. The next day she showed up, laughing, with a huge cattleya. I was not going to say not to something like that and found a way to put it in a carry on. It survived and is looking great. I seemed to have taken the good weather with me to the West. Once back home, it has cleared up and Laurence could finish the seeding, except of the white beans and that will be done today. So it is back to work for me. And when I got home I found another orchid in bloom. For this one I do not have a name,

Saskatoon.....here I come

We have had a busy week. The farm we bought last year and where we live now was badly in need of tile. Winter set in too early last fall, so it had to be done this spring. A lot of small shrubs and trees had to be moved first.A few larger trees will be used for fire wood. It was a lot of work, but it is done and as I write this Laurence is planting soyabeans in the field. This morning we finished picking up all the sticks, roots and tree branches.

I have been working on some smaller projects, one a challenge for the guild ,that has to be done by the next meeting. And this sashiko piece is coming along. The three borders will have to wait till I get home from Quilt Canada in Saskatoon.

That's why I'm doing this earlier. My suitcases are almost packed. I will be teaching Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We had plans for Laurence to come out after the conference and then visit his brother and sister in Saskachewan, but with the late spring that was not possible.

Plans are now for me to fly to Calgary next Sunday. Shawn will pick me up and I will stay at Shawn and Emily's place till late Monday evening and then fly back during the night to London, Ontario that is. I leave you with another orchid. An oncidium according to the label. It is a small one with 1 inch flowers. They are very dainty and have lasted over a month.

Frisian Quilt

Yesterday was our guild meeting and I managed to take both papercut quilt tops along. Here is the "small" one about 70 by 70 inches. Except for 2 blocks I can use for labels and one that did not meet the size requirements all the blocks have been used. One that was not centered I used for making a pillow to keep these 2 tops in. I think the members liked it . Since I did not want to stay for both meetings a friend showed them in the evening and took them home. She also will take them with her to Quilt Canada in Saskatoon next week. I will give a power point presentation there with as subject the quilts I have coordinated for the Mennonite Relief Sale over the years. Those quilts are gone and since I want to be able to show at least something I was in a hurry to get these 2 new ones done. Growing up I in Friesland I never knew what a quilt was. Last fall I learned about a quilt show at the Frisian Museum in Leeuwarden. I also found out, that there were antique quilts around.I would have loved to go, but it did not suit. I did buy the book and in it I found a Frisian quilt made around 1780. The fabrics were the old fashioned Dutch printed cottons. Lately they have been reproduced by DE Haan and Wagemakers from Amsterdam. I had bought some a few years ago, but since they were pricey I waited for a special occasion to use them And this was IT. I make up a pattern and sewed the top together. I barely had enough fabrics, but it all worked out. Here is a close-up of some of the fabrics. Some are very familiar, since they are used in Frisian costumes also. Before coming to Canada I did make my own Frisian costume and the fabric looked something like this, except I got it in the "cheap" store for a few dollars. The quality was far from these fabrics. At that time it was all I could afford. It looked fine. I took it with me to Canada, but after a few years I realized that I had never worn it, so I took it back and gave it away. Now I regret it.

Birds and blooms

Soon after we moved here in December I put my bird feeder out. But no luck. Not a single bird in sight, except the hawk flying over the place. Last week I decided to put the feeder away and after inspection I noticed that the plexi glass sides were upside down and no feed could come out. No wonder the birds did not stay around! After correcting that and a cleaning, I put the feeder back up and in no time the birds arrived. First a flock of gold finches Then my favorite showed up: the gorgeous blue Indigo Bunting. This was the fourth time I have seen one. They usually stay for a few days and then continue their travels north. One evening I saw one rose breasted grosbeak. I have only seen these birds once before. This time 2 more followed. By this time I had my camera out and took pictures through the window. I put one of the feeders closer to the window, but each time I came near, the birds flew away, so no luck there. I had also complained that there were no bulbs out here. I was wrong on that account, also. There are a bunch of red tulips blooming at the side of the house. But no daffodils, so I have to get planting in the fall. I'm gearing up for Saskatoon. My CD with the PowerPoint presentation has been sent off. So has the quilt for the teacher display. The second, smaller Relief Sale quilt has been finished. I have 2 blocks to be used for labels, and one extra that will be used for the pillowcase I want to make to transport these quilts in. I'm working on a wall hanging with alternate blocks of sashiko and appliqued silk circles. One more sashiko block and the center is ready for sewing. The border will be a lot of work. There will be sashiko block design all over.

The Sew and Sews

The first weekend in May means a visit to the Homer Watson Gallery in Doon, near Kitchener. The opening of the yearly quilt show there is the beginning of all the quilt festivities in the area. This year I could not miss it: a small group of friends were asked to show their creations. I met them all over the years at our guild meetings and most have been very supportive of the quilts made for MCC. They call themselves "The Sew and Sews" and meet twice a month. They mainly like to applique and are very good at it! This is the group (pictured: Charlotte, Emily, Brigitte, Hilary, Jeanette, and Marg in the front) which was in our place this winter to start making the difficult center blocks for the papercut quilt. If you have a look at the quilt (I showed a picture a few weeks ago) you will notice the incredible 9 blocks in the center. That is some of their work. The show was hung beautifully and the opening was very well attended. Emily is not only a very good quilter, she makes the most amazing sock puppets. Then she puts them in all kinds of situations. This is the second year she even had a calendar made with the proceeds going to charity. Have a good look at the quilt on the bed. Those are small pieces! The weather has improved and Laurence is almost finished with the corn planting. Then it will be on to the soybeans. More rain is expected. My PowerPoint presentation is ready to be sent to Saskatoon, thanks to the help of some very good friends. When we moved here late last year everything was covered with snow and now I have to wait and see what is in the flowerbeds. There is a long bed with all kinds of roses. Now I never had much to do with roses, because I find them too much work. When spring came it looked like all 25 bushes were dead. Time to dig them up, but wait... do I see some green emerging? Right now all show growth, so for this year I will clean them all up and give them a chance to prove themselves.