Summer's End

There is no denying that hummingbirds are

 one of Mother Nature's greatest gifts.

http://starsandsunshine.com/2012/04/paper-pieced-hummingbird/#comment-22698

They hold appeal to a great many atisans.

http://embroidery.freezer3.net/free-humming-bird-embroidery-designs/

As I say good-bye to my hummers

(there was still one out there this morning)

I'm impelled to share this website with you.

Bottom line, it explains that a hummingbird's migration

is a stop and go journey.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/178259591/easy-hummingbird-2-quilt-applique?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share

They travel just so far, then they need to stop, rest, and refuel.
So this is just a reminder that if you think your hummingbirds have moved on,
keep your feeders up,
so mine will have a place to recharge their energies!

Thanks!
Have a happy and relaxing Labor Day!
~karen

Wild Thing, You Make My Heart Sing

Establishing a goal and linking up to 

 ALYOF last month

worked very well for me,

so I believe I will give it another go!
(If and when the internet allows me to.)

I finally have a herd of zebras.

16, to be exact.

All sewn into rows and ready for the border.

My goal will be 

to construct the border units 

and have this quilt finished and bound

by month's end.

I don't think Lorna from Sew Fresh Quilts believes

I'll ever finish this quilt, her amazing design.

The hold up for me was the eyes and nostrils.

I was a little intimidated.

I had to wait until I woke up one morning

with this thought, 

"Today's the day I'm going to do eyes and nostrils!"

It was a while before that happened.

Breezed through the eyes..they probably could have been better.

The nostrils?  Well, I ended up making a template

so that each one was the same.

Worked out pretty good.

Although it has taken me forever to make this quilt,

it has been an enjoyable process.

*

I love wild things, large and small.  Make believe and real.

While I was out picking blueberries late yesterday afternoon,

I stood to stretch my back (our wild blueberries are close to the ground, ugh!)

And what did I see?

A beautiful Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)!

My heart was singing as I ran down from the meadow for my camera.

It has been a few years since I have observed one on my property.

Hope she finds the Swamp Milkweed I planted!

Here are some interesting facts about Monarch Butterflies:

~Caterpillars eat milkweed, which makes them poisonous to birds.

~Thousands of individuals roost in the exact same trees every year

along their migration routes.

~No other known insect undergoes an annual, two-way, long distance,

large-scale migration.

~It is still a mystery how Monarchs correctly navigate to their

overwintering grounds, since no migrants 

have made the journey before.

Monarch Butterflies like nectar-rich plants such as Joe-Pye-Weed,

Goldenrods, Asters, Boneset, Coneflower, Butterfly Bush,

as well as the invasive and aggressive Angelica, as pictured above.

By planting milkweed as a host plant on my property,

my goal is to help provide a safe, chemical free habitat.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

~karen

It's Phenomenal

On August 4th, I linked up to
Sew Bitter Sweet Designs,
committing to finish my Wish Upon a Star quilt
by the end of the month.
Well, I did it with one day to spare!

If I hadn't linked up,
I probably would still be working on it!
So, today I'm linking back up with a finish!
Just click on the button below to see
who else achieved their goal!

*
Last weekend, I was lucky enough to witness 

A Phenomenon of Nature...

...A murmuration of Least Sandpipers

in Grand Pre, NS.

These migrating wonders are feeding

on little mudshrimps.

Each bird will spend 10 to 15 days foraging on the exposed mudflats

during low tide.

A bird can double its weight over that time, building up the 

fat stores to fuel its non-stop transoceanic flight south.

As the tide comes in,

it forces the shorebirds closer and closer to the shoreline

Click on this picture for a better, clearer view!

where they rest on the ground in tight nervous flocks,

vulnerable to predators and most susceptible to human disturbance.

On another shore not too far from here, 

we obsrved ten plus times this amount... of 

Semi-palmated Plovers.

It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

I believe that next year, if we travel to Grand Pre

a week earlier, we'll see even larger numbers.

Plugging Along

The machines are humming

as I try to tick items off my list.

I'm STILL working on the same quilts I started

at the beginning of the summer.

*sigh*

But,

I did dig out this old, leader/ender flimsie.

Borrowing a page from Lesley's book,

I decided to try spray quilt adhesive

because I really detest laying quilts out on the floor

and pin basting them.

The only space available to work with the spray adhesive 

is on my front deck.

Mother Nature hasn't been kindly to us up here this summer,

so I had to wait patiently for a nice dry morning

with no/little wind off the water.

I'm pleased to say it's about 2/3 quilted.
Spray basting works like a charm.

Can't wait to show you when it's finished!

*

I was digging through my 'stuff' and came across this 

foundation pieced pattern and fabric from 2002.

I never did finish collecting the other fabrics.

The focus fabric is Michael Miller

and is a half yard cut.

The little boy I was going to make it for

is now a grown man.

So,

it's up for grabs!

It's a shame for it to sit in the bottom of a bin forever.

If you are interested,

just sign your comment with an XO,

and you'll be included in the draw.
*
This sweet thing visited me every day for three weeks.
"These birds are sociable at all seasons,
and it is rare to see just one."

At first, I thought it had been separated from its flock,
and I found it's constant thin, lisping cry
from the tops of my trees disturbing.
Then I decided it was nesting, and I felt better.
Cedar Waxwings join the American Goldfinch as late nesters
because they eat berries.
(American Goldfinch, of course, eat thistle seeds.)

"Named for the red tips on the secondary flight feathers,
which suggest beaded wax, but the fact is that the entire body
of the Cedar Waxwing seems poured from wax.
From the sweptback rakish crest to the yellow-tipped tail,
every feather on the adult seems seamlessly set in place."
(Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion)

Check out this cool video.
I'd love being able to do this!
Notice the red tips on their secondary flight feathers.

Stay sweet!

~karen

Really? A Finish?

I have so few finishes,

I'm excited to be able to share one!

This was actually a July finish,

but the weather prohibited me from taking photos out of doors.

This was a kit, but my daughter added the aqua to the mix.

Good choice!  I love going fabric shopping with her.

I straight line quilted it according to the direction of the rectangles.

Let's talk labels.  I think there are still some of you out there

that don't take the time to label your quilts.

After all the hard work, 

no matter how simple and easy the pattern is to sew,

like this one,

it still deserves a nice label.

It doesn't have to be a major work of art

to compliment your quilt back

and document your efforts.

This one is simple, basic, and took about 15 minutes to throw together,

another 15 to stitch to the back.

I also stitch in the ditch around the borders on the inside

so it lays down nicely, providing a nice, finished look.

Do you get that nice, soft velvety feel to the backing from this picture?

I backed it with corduroy...on sale, 3 metres for $9.99!

How could I resist that price?

I love it.  I'm going to use corduroy more.

I'm so glad I have Stephanie's book,

which happens to be on sale at Connecting Threads right now!

I'm glad I bought 3 metres of raspberry corduroy, too.

Yesterday, this quilt was delivered to a friend

who lost his wife to cancer one year ago this week.

It's been a tough week for him.

I hope it helps to bring him comfort and peace.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit today.

Look who else stopped by to say hello!

Life is good!

Quilty Goodness

August first was a momentous day.

Summer finally decided to make an appearance,

and I joined the other ladies of the NSQBQ,
(Nova Scotia Quilting Bloggers' Quartet),

Lesley (The Cuddle Quilter),

Linda (Scrapmaster),

and Sheila (Sheila's Quiltworld),

for a day out!

Attending the Northumberland Quilt Guild's quilt show together
in Pictou, NS has become an annual event.
Following our quilty adventure, we went out to lunch
and caught up on all of our happenings,

as well as determining our 2nd annual winter challenge.

The quilt show was very nice.

The only picture I am going to share from the quilt show

is this delightful little critter!

You all know how much I love bugs and birds!

The lighting left a lot to be desired at this venue,

so I didn't take very many photos.

If you are interested in seeing more, pop on over to Scrapmaster,

where Linda shared some beauties.

Speaking of sharing beauties,

Linda brought her latest quilt, I Love Chai, 

for us to oooh and ahhhh over.

The front.

And the very cleverly pieced back.

We had a lovely time, as always.

Plans are to meet up again in October

at the Fibre Arts Festival in Amherst, NS.

In preparation for our get together, I baked and decorated cookies, 

and had a package for everybody.

I don't think many of Linda's cookies made it home.

I'd like to send a special thank you out to Lesley

for being the taxi on Saturday. 

You're the best, Lesley!

I've seen quite a lot of foundation piecing

the last few months, and thought I'd share how I keep mine organized.

I like the quick accessibility of using a large accordian organizer.

And when closed up, it sits right up on the bookshelf

with all my notebooks.

I'm going to link up today to Sew Bitter Sweet's

A Lovely Year of Finishes.

My goal is to complete my Wish Upon a Star Quilt

by month's end.

I'm doing the blanket stitch by hand around all the letters.

My biggest challenge will be sitting still long enough

to complete all the handwork!

Thanks so much for stopping by.

I leave you with a photo of a frequent July visitor to my yard.

I hope you have a lot of quilty goodness this week.

Not a quilter?  Well, just have lots of creative fun!!

~karen

Don't Break the Chain

July 31st.

Wow!

How can that be?

We're still waiting for summer up here!

I have been piecing quilts for over 30 years,

and it still amazes me

 that there is something new to learn every day.

My latest discovery:

I already knew that the drawn line is actually my fold line,

and my stitches must just kiss the line.

But I did not know that my unit would be more square

if I pressed it open BEFORE I cut the excess.

It has made a huge difference in my blocks,

especially when I am working with small squares,

such as these star points.  They only started out at 1.5" square.

I enjoyed making my niece's "Reach for the Stars" quilt so much,

that I decided it would be fun to make another.

This has been my leader-ender project 

while I construct my zebra quilt and my houndstooth quilt.

It's almost a flimsie!

My goal has been to see how long I can chain stitch

without breaking the chain.

When working on three projects at once, 

you can go for days!

One little finish that I can show you.

This was a UFO from last fall.

I made a darling wallhanging from the bonus half square triangles,

but gave it as a gift without taking a picture of it!

I kid you not!

Although it's been chilly, wet, and usually windy,

the birds still flock to the feeding station.

My sewing machine is set up 

front row, center!

(Who needs t.v.?)

There are babies everywhere...

Here's a quick pic of two baby Purple Finches,

waiting atop a tree for someone,

anyone,

to come feed them!

Both parents assume that responsibility!

I had four breeding pair of Purple Finches this year,

and the babies are everywhere!

They are so cute.

Long (non-holiday) weekend in Canada...

and the weather looks a little better for the next few days!

Hope everyone enjoys!