Plants, Projects and the Puppy

With summer waning...it's a good time to get photos of my massive planters. They are 36" tall and at least 84-inches wide. I've been trying out perennials. The big test is next spring to see what managed to winter over. 

This first planter is pretty much completely in the shade. As you can see...I got very lucky with this one! I've got three Astilbes which have pretty much finished blooming and then the two large-leafed plants are Ligularia. It is supposed to produce large golden spikes...I think they are just starting to bud! I also threw in two decorative ivy plants...can't remember the name right now...but those two plants definitely like this location.

The next two planters get a good amount of sun. I tried these chartreuse Bleeding Hearts, which are meant to be in full sunlight, in the planters last year and they wintered over! YES!!! This one has just one Bleeding Heart but I added two Columbines that are providing pretty green leaves but no blooms so far. I also put in two Day Lilies...which bloomed nicely. The little trailing orange plants were just some filler annuals.

This planter has two Bleeding Heart plants that pretty much overwhelmed everything else I put in the planter. I love this green color against my house color.

Still working on organizing my sewing room. I did fire up the fancy iron I bought at the Paducah quilt show that steams all fabrics...even synthetics. Worked great on the felt pieces for the Bucilla stocking kits I am obsessed with. For the first time I had a major piece of felt that was impossible to use...and of course it was the background piece of the stocking front. There was a huge stain on the bottom and the toe was cut off.

I called the toll-free number available in the kit and luckily they are sending me a new piece of felt. I  was not sure they would be able to help me since this is a kit that was released in 2009. (In the Workshop.) I had heard from others that Bucilla was good about responding to kit problems.

In the meantime...I started a wall hanging kit, Nordic Christmas Tree. This is the base of  the tree. 

My cross stitch projects were being ignored. This is a Swiss Santa ornament after three nights.

But mainly I have been playing with my new puppy.

Turns out she is also a bit of gardener...a digger!

We might have some future disagreements.

Good News

I read my emails this morning and heaved a great sigh of relief...the second crate has been found! We had just gotten the word on Monday that the first crate was approved to be sent to us but I don't think it has actually left Paris yet either. It is still a great mystery...though my husband works for Fed Ex...the move is being handled by an international moving service and the crates are being put on a Delta airplane to get to the U.S. That's all I know so far. If only we could put it all on a Fed Ex  plane...with a tracking number...all the way to our house.

I have seen lots of critters this summer but the sightings have been at the wrong time for me to get a photo...finally one bull moose has cooperated. His antlers are covered with velvet. He is huge!!! I did not get out of my car or linger in the area to cause him any irritation.

Fall is definitely in the air. 

Our morning temperatures are in the 40s. 

Fall is my favorite season in Alaska. 

I turned in my quilts for the state fair before I came up with an excuse not to follow through. I saw some very pretty quilts sitting on the table when I was checking in. Sounds like several of the local quilt stores have started getting new lines of fabric in...big sales starting tomorrow. I think puppy McKinley will get her first training about going to the quilt store and waiting patiently for me in the car. She is wonderful about being calm in her crate so I expect it will all go smoothly...except that I will probably spend too much on more fabric that I don't need.

Prepping for the State Fair

I officially finished the Santa ornament set from a Bucilla kit. Lots of hours spent on these babies...

I spent yesterday blocking a quilt for entry in the Alaska state fair. I have never entered any quilt show and I decided on my trip to Paducah this spring that I really needed to participate as an exhibitor...after all...the quilts in those shows have to come from someone. I know what I think could be better in every quilt I make...it will be interesting to see what the judges find.

I'm going with my design, "Kachemak Baywatch." A 94-inch square. I may also do my River Rocks lap-sized quilt but haven't blocked it yet. I used my fiberglass insulation boards that serve as my design walls. I was happy to find floor space for two of them. It worked perfectly. Saw this idea on someone's blog a few years ago. I need to sew on a sleeve for hanging today...surely they will pick it for displaying! If they don't, I will, once I get it home.

Quilting Progress...On Paper

I'm going to the latest puppy picture first. She is such a doll. Sleeping very well through the night. McKinley is now 11 weeks old. I have been a bit nervous when out walking lately...lots of bear sightings by neighbors and I see lots of new bear scat but so far the bears and I haven't crossed paths. My husband says they are heading up the mountainsides because it is time to start eating berries. That makes complete sense...just hope I continue to miss them on their meanderings on our mountainside. Kinley might look a little too tasty to them!

I have segregated Kinley to my sewing room as it is the only true space she can't ruin with potty accidents. What a good excuse to spend most of my days in the studio! I have been working on a quilt design using these patriotic fabrics. I never work in these colors but the special Quilts of Valor batik with the fireworks print grabbed my attention.

In the hours I have spent working on the design in EQ7, I could have finished sewing the top. It just took forever to get what I saw in my head into a quilt design. Being able to preview fabrics is my favorite part of using EQ!

Of course it is a huge quilt...the red and white star blocks are 14-inch blocks. I did try to go smaller...really I did! Right now it is at an 84-inch square.

Yes...no more living in Paris. I am home, in Alaska for good. I had several folks ask about Paris since I mentioned half of our household goods shipment is missing. It is still missing. Everyday I think of something else in the shipment I want right now! I had a lot of my specialty rulers in Paris sewing room.

Missing Goods from Paris

Just a few minutes of work accomplished yesterday. Arms stuffed. Making my way down Santa's torso.

We have been anxiously waiting for our household goods from Paris to show up. Turns out all of it is still in Paris and now one of the two crates is missing. I am so worried. I had my favorite quilt over in Paris. My Bernina 440!!! And even more importantly all the Bucilla Christmas stockings and ornaments I have made over the last three years. My husband is going to insist they at least deliver the one crate they have. Our goods were packed up on June 26th. So very frustrating!!!

Baby Steps

It is time to get a little work done...puppy nap time! In our "new" house, my sewing room is in the basement and has a large dog run off the basement door. It is so very convenient. Kinley spends all day in my sewing room or the dog run. At night she sleeps in a crate in our bedroom where she can see me at all times. Every power cord is unplugged and out of reach except my desk area and I just figured out I can easily get all of those power cords out her reach too! When I leave the house she goes in the crate in this photo...too big for her right now but she will grow into it. She is rarely alone but just like a toddler...I loose track of her all too quickly! I am taking advantage of all this "forced" time in my sewing room...when I really can't sew...I'm organizing. I could easily spend a month or more doing that in my sewing room!!!

Kinley is small enough that she spends a bit of time laying in my lap, napping. I have been able to get some embroidery done at those times. My fifth Santa ornament is in the final construction stage...sewing the backside pieces to the front.

I start from the top of the ornament and work my way down. 

From the backside you can see where I have added sculpting stitches. (Not very easy to see actually...which is a good thing.) It is easy to hide the stitches on the front side but I just try to make them as neat as possible on the backside.

The final step will be adding these cute little cherries to the hat.

I have been working on writing my pattern for Paris Flower Shop.

 I have also been developing the quilting design.

I keep telling myself to try and keep it simple!

 But I definitely want this to have a very "girlie" look to it.

Kinley is still napping. What should I tackle now?

New Puppy!

McKinley

Here's our adorable new puppy. 

She is a Gordon Setter, 8 weeks old. 

She looks right at home next to my design wall in the quilt studio.