Monday, May 12, 2014

A finish at last


At last the runner is finished.

I will call this one "Thinking of Irene, the Hilacha Queen" I will probably be wearing those little threads (along with the dog hair) for months to come!

Nearly every one of these fabrics has been used in some other quilt. My grand kids could probably play "I Spy" with it.... something from the very first quilt down to the most recent one ... and I wasn't even trying to fit them all in either.

Of course, it's companion on the trash bin/counter is now in need of a washing. (Ah, life in the Fukuda household!)

Now I will have to think of something else for a take-along project. My #2 Grandson needs a "big boy quilt". Even if it fits his bunk, he is closing in on his teen years and probably outgrown that alphabet quilt I made so many years ago.

The trouble is, his color choice is purple and lime green. The quilt I made for his brother was blues and greens and I didn't even ask his preference. I was able to go to my stash and make blocks using lots of scrap fabric, only buying something for the borders. BUT ... purple? Not so many pieces and most are floral prints. Of course, I can't imagine my dear Ben complaining about a quilt I have made him but still.... Then, there is the lime green. I have two bins of greens but very few fall into the lime category.

When I was at the quilt show, I looked through the cut fabrics for sale with Ben in mind but didn't even come home with one new piece. Even the + runner has only a few purple blocks and no lime green.

Another little cacti has bloomed. I thought I might miss it all together because I was away at a Scouting event, but it has lasted a few days. The white one is still in full bloom since the last post but the yellow one beside it only lasted two days.

I noticed buds on another two getting ready to open before long.




These little flowers are in a hanging pot on my gate. They are only a few inches high and come from bulbs but I have no idea what thy are.

Some are dark pink, some light , and some variegated.

They probably need to be re-potted when they are finished blooming.





A neighbor has an entire fence crawling with this rose. It only blooms once in the spring and then is finished. I grew up with roses lasting all summer and I can't imagine my father giving  that much space to something with such a limited blooming period.

I notice the roses that are doing best here are growing on tall bushes.

Another house between my home and the train station has four or five very tall bushes that even kept their flowers through the winter. Those are not climbers but they are now in full bloom. I have tried growing roses several times but have had not much luck and suspect the soil is too acid for them to do well. Miniature roses in planters do have some luck and I may give them another try one of these days.

The small flower shop near my home has a wide selection of blooming plants that would make any garden happy. If only I had a garden space with sun I might be spending more than I can afford.
Meanwhile, cacti in my roof greenhouse will keep me happy.

11 comments:

  1. Nice finish. When I first started quilting, I purchased yards and yards of a purple with silver stars and crescent moons on it. It was supposed to be a Dumbledore costume, but, I never got around to making that. It has since found it's way into several quilts. One of the few purple fabrics I own.

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  2. The plus runner is great! And you always have lovely flowers despite your limited space and limited sun access. What an interesting colour combination for an almost teenage boy to pick!! I used lime greens in my Easy Street and had to go out and buy a bunch of fat quarters for it. Fortunately that was one thing I could find at my LQS - they seldom have what I am looking for.

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  3. It is nice to have a finish - and it turned out so nice, Your cactus blooms are great - we've lived in the desert and it the blooms are always a treat. I don't have any cacti here - much to wet, even in the house it is a moist climate and they just seem to get soggy. But my pansies are blazingly beautiful in the sunshine today - flowers make me so happy.

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  4. The quilt came out beautifully and it all comes together nicely.
    I decided it was time to clean up my scrap basket, so organizing by types and then I can make them into small items, but I got tired, lol.

    Debbie

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  5. Lovely finished quilt, Julie, I think your pink blooms are " Rhodohypoxis" very special, and they do come in many shades. Cheers, Jean.

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  6. Another blog post full of cheer. Congratulations on completing the +quilt; imagine it was only just recently we sat under a blossoming camphor tree by the river at Nihonbashi, had lunch and looked at the quilting in progress.
    Your cacti make up for the roses and other flowers you might not be able to grow in your shady garden.
    I am sure purple and lime green are scarse in many quilters' stash. I don't think I have one single piece of lime green!

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  7. Lovely to see the plus quilt as a finish. Lovely binding fabric.
    I have to admit that I would not have a lot of purple and lime green in my stash either. Good luck.
    It is so good to see all the lovely flowers enjoying the sunshine!

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  8. Your + quilt is colorful and fun - what a great scrappy quilt. Congrats on the finish! I'm still astounded at your level of productivity! Lime green and purple - that's a tough color combination. Years ago I made Noelle a purple quilt and may still have some scraps - I will look for you.

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  9. The Plus quilt is lovely, and I like the rainbow binding too. Isn't it lovely to finish? Hmm, purple and lime green, a lovely combination in petunias and nicotiana but not much in my stash. Whatever you end up doing I'm sure it will be loved. Have you thought about dyeing some of the fabric you have?

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  10. Hi Julie, I really like the way the plus quilt came out. It must be fun to see all the different fabrics and remember where they came from. That red swirly fabric in the middle is a real focal point. The rainbow binding ties it all together! It is wonderful! Cheers from Marina & Daryl

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  11. Your runner is lovely! And I can't even imagine quilting something in purple and lime green. It's an interesting color choice, to say the least!

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