Saturday, April 28, 2012

Piecing Progress & an Impulse Purchase

I have the color strip portion of the quilt top pieced, along with the large triangles that surround it.
 These are almost all the colors in the hand dyed strips I cut (and showed you) earlier in the week.  I've picked out a name: Sunshine to Blossom.  I'm pretty sure I want to add white panels on the left side and at the bottom, but I'm bouncing around a couple of other ideas too. And of course, I'm thinking about big areas to fill with quilting.
 My friend and I stopped at Trader Joe's before we left town on Friday. My purpose in going was to buy some marmalade.  As we walked through the door I saw this beautiful hydrangea for a fantastic price.
It came home with me, and I've been admiring all the beautiful colors in the petals and wondering how they may change once I get it planted outdoors.  I've wanted a bush for years, but figured there was no hope since the little bit of time I have had at home is hardly conducive to basic maintenance, let along caring for my plants. I don't know how long this one will survive, but I'll certainly enjoy every minute of it.
Of course, I almost forgot the marmalade!

The coming weeks are filled with a myriad of appointments, so I'm sure I'll treasure the time I have at home.

I'm going to join a couple of linky parties:
Sarah's Can I Get a Whoop Whoop (although just a little soft applause would be adequate)
Karen's Sew Darn Crafty

Please take a look at some of the other projects that are linked at their parties, and leave a few encouraging words on a few of their blogs. A little encouragement can bring a lot of joy!

Happy quiltmaking...and have a blessing filled Sunday.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ooh, pretty stuff there! Love that hydrangea too, would like to have one like that.

Pokey said...

I have been eyeing the same flower bushes, Dora! We had a lovely one at our other house and I miss its gorgeous blooms ~
:-}pokey

Maria Kievit said...

Here's a little answer on the Hydrangea: They are fairly hardy plants, and should become a nice bush. Yours looks to be what we in our greenhouse called blurple. The original colour of this plant was inteded to be blue, but due to not enough 'food' given when it was developing into a plant (read first summer), it turned a purpely colour. The greenhouse grower gets the little shoots early in the spring (the second year). He then waters and takes care of them faithfully till about Easter time when they are blooming (usually around that time they should be blooming...) But when you plant them as is, you will get a white Hydrangea within a couple of years. The food that the original grower should have given more of is iron. A deficiency right at that time is how you get the different colours in the plants. When you plant this plant/bush in your backyard, you should put quite a few rusty nails with it, and you will see a little more return to blue. (Hopefully!!!!) This is what my husband always told me about Hydrangeas, and since I've never tried it myself, I hope that you'll have luck with it in your backyard.

Clothesandcrafts@blogspot.ca

Anonymous said...

Lovely hydrangea. I love how nicely the cut stems and blooms can be dried naturaly and last for almost ever. I did not know about the rusty nail tid bit. I will file that info away and give it ago if I plant them. The info I heard back when I lived in Oregon and the Hydrangea can be found in almost everyones yard is something about the acid level in the soil and how depending on what level it is it will determine what color the flower will be on the bush. It will be either pink or blue. I can not remember what level refers to what color you will get.

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

My grandfather used to take a rusty nail and bury it at the base of the plant to change the colors.

Love the orange stripey center.

glen

Dora, the Quilter said...

Thanks for the nails and acidy soil advice. I really need to start saving my coffee grounds. (And, for those of you who live near a Starbucks, I understand they bag up their grounds and give them away.)

Dar said...

Beautiful flower and your quilt top is looking grand too. I've never had a hydrangea but have always admired them. Maybe I'll go check out our Trader Joe's and see if they carry them here. Thanks for sharing and for all the tips about the rusty nails.

Vicki H. said...

Very pretty quilt and I love the colors in your dyed fabrics. Nice name picked out. I love flowers but it is so cold here that hydrangeas don't make it outside. Lovely plants, wish they could grow here. I am enjoying the things that do grow.

Marcia - Crafty Sewing and Quilting said...

Beautiful flower! Great name for your quilt!

Thanks for linking up to the Minutes for Me Linky Party!

Enjoy your day!

Anonymous said...

I keep looking at Hydrangea's, too! There were some great prices at the end of the season last year, but I thought it was too late to plant outside, and wasn't sure if it would last through the winter inside, either. I'm jealous you have a TJ's!

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