Cups and Saucers Quilt Block and Walking Wednesdays



Cups and Saucers Quilt Block

Welcome to Walking Wednesdays! 

Each week I photograph the sites I see on my walks.

 

 

 This week I walked along another portion of the New Santa Fe Regional Trail. 

The 20-mile New Santa Fe Trail is part of the Colorado Front Range Trail

as well as the American Discovery Trail.  It's a rail-to-trail; the trail follows a portion of the abandoned Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad line.

 

 

I had a beautiful view of the mountains as I walked.

 

I walked in both the evening and early mornings when it wasn't so hot.  I got to see the Giant Evening Star in bloom.  The flowers open only in the evening and remain open through the night, being pollinated by night-flying moths.  The Giant Evening Star is also known as Ten-petal Blazingstar or Moonflower. 

I loved seeing this Common Milkweed along the trail.  Monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on the milkweed plant, so they are essential for the Monarch's survival. 

 I think the Prickly Poppy is beautiful, although its leaves are very prickly!

All parts of the Prickly Poppy are poisonous to humans and animals.

 

 

Isn't this Prairie Spiderwort beautiful despite its strange name?

"Wort" comes from "wyrt," an Old English word for plant.  

At the beginning of July,

this is what the Soapweed Yucca looked like.

Now, they look like this . . .

or even this.

 

One morning after walking on the Trail,

I stopped off at the nearby Wisdom Tea House, one of my favorite places.

 

 

I had a pot of Earl Gray tea and a homemade granola bar

for breakfast on their lovely patio.

 

 

At Wisdom Tea House, you choose your own tea cup. 

They happened to have a cup in my mother's china pattern, Friendly Village!

Their flowers are just gorgeous.

 

 

Where is your favorite place to walk?

 



You can read all my Walking Wednesdays posts here.  You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here.



Scrap Quilts and Events in Wedding Ring by Emilie Richards, Part III

The scrap quilt my mother for me when I was in high school

In the Quilters' Book Club this month, we're reading and discussing Wedding Ring by Emilie Richards.  Some of us are making a quilt block to represent each book we read in the book club.  I'm calling my quilt "Curl Up with a Good Book Quilt."  If you'd like to make a quilt block to represent one or more of the events in Wedding Ring, here are some suggestions to get you started.  Click the block name to take you to its pattern:

Event:
Tessa repairing the Wedding Ring Quilt that Helen made and Nancy quilted:
Double Wedding Ring Quilt Block

Gram's Old Quilt
 
Scrapbagger Quilt Block

Helen made the quilt from her best scraps.  Quilter Pepper Cory said this of scrap quilts: "Here's what a scrap quilt is not.  It's not hastily made.  It's not badly made.  It's not made from fabrics that are crummy, leftover.  It can be really a lovely thing.  And I think scrap quilts are the root and branch of quilting anyway because the whole idea is to do the best job with what you have."  

Years ago, my mother made a scrap quilt for each of her daughters, using fabrics left from the clothes she had made for us.  She has also made/is making a high school graduation quilt for each of her eleven grandchildren.  Have you ever made a scrap quilt?  

Cissy's need for love touches each of the women at the "Old Stoneburner Place" differently but deeply.  Did you feel the women's gift to her at the end was appropriate and meaningful?  Inquiring minds want to know! 

By commenting, you are entering your name in a giveaway for Clare O'Donohue's book, The Devil's Puzzle, part of her Someday Quilts Mystery Series.  Plume Books has generously offered copies of Clare's book for TWO lucky winners this month.  Remember that if you are reading via email, you must click on the title of my blog post to be able to comment and to read the comments of others.

The Quilters' Book Club selection for August is Between Heaven and Texas by Marie Bostwick.  Get the book so you can begin reading, discussing, and quilting with us!

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here.

Crosses and Losses Quilt Block and Events in Wedding Ring by Emilie Richards, Part II

Crosses and Losses Quilt Block

In the Quilters' Book Club this month, we're reading and discussing Wedding Ring by Emilie Richards.  Some of us are making a quilt block to represent each book we read in the book club.  I'm calling my quilt "Curl Up with a Good Book Quilt."  If you'd like to make a quilt block to represent one or more of the events in Wedding Ring, here are some suggestions to get you started.  Click the block name to see the pattern:

Event:
Dealing with Kayley's death:
Crosses and Losses Quilt Block
 
Memory Quilt Block

Memory Wreath Quilt Block
 
Tessa and Mack have dealt with their daughter's death in a tragic accident in two entirely different ways.  Losing a child is a blow from which many marriages can't recover.  What did each of them do that was helpful?  What was not helpful?  Could you empathize more with one's reactions to grief than the other's? 

Mack is so desperate for human contact that he almost makes a mistake that could cost him his marriage.  In this context, were you able to understand his lapse?

Tessa's desire for revenge is so strong that it almost costs her what's left of her family.  Could you imagine yourself in her position?  Could you have found a better way to make peace with Robert's part in her daughter's death?

Feel free to comment on one or more of the above questions.  By commenting, you are entering your name in a giveaway for Clare O'Donohue's book, The Devil's Puzzle, part of her Someday Quilts Mystery Series.  Plume Books has generously offered copies of Clare's book for TWO lucky winners this month.  Remember that if you are reading via email, you must click on the title of my blog post to be able to comment and to read the comments of others. 

The Quilters' Book Club selection for August is Between Heaven and Texas by Marie Bostwick.  Get the book so you can begin reading, discussing, and quilting with us next month!

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here. 

The Open Box Quilt Block and Events in Wedding Ring by Emilie Richards, Part I

The Open Box Quilt Block

In the Quilters' Book Club this month, we're reading and discussing Wedding Ring by Emilie Richards.  Some of us are making a quilt block to represent each book we read in the book club.  I'm calling my quilt "Curl Up with a Good Book Quilt."  If you'd like to make a quilt block to represent one or more of the events in Wedding Ring, here are some suggestions to get you started.  Click the name of each block to see its pattern:

Events:
Nancy and Tessa cleaning out Helen's home:
Box Quilt Block
Glory Boxes
The Open Box Quilt Block

Searching for Helen's hidden money in her yard:
Hide N Go Seek Block

Are you a saver like Helen?  What does your fabric stash look like?  (Did reading this book make you want to clean out those boxes in your attic and basement?)  Inquiring minds want to know!  By commenting, you are entering your name in a giveaway for Clare O'Donohue's book, The Devil's Puzzle, part of her Someday Quilts Mystery Series.  Plume Books has generously offered copies of Clare's book for TWO lucky winners this month.  Remember that if you are reading via email, you must click on the title of my blog post to be able to comment and to read the comments of others. 

As a heads up, the Quilters' Book Club selection for August is Between Heaven and Texas by Marie Bostwick.  Get the book so you can begin reading, discussing, and quilting with us next month!

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here. 

July Redwork Snowman Plus Christmas in July Bonus

America The Beautiful
O beautiful for spacious skies,
   For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
   Above the fruited plain!
          America!  America!
   God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
   From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
   Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
   Across the wilderness!
          America!  America!
   God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
   Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
   In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
   And mercy more than life!
          America!  America!
   May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
   And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
   That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
   Undimmed by human tears!
          America!  America!
   God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
   From sea to shining sea!

              - Katharine Lee Bates

Christmas in July bonus for my readers! 

Do you enjoy doing redwork or other needlework in addition to quilting?  Inquiring minds want to know!

Click here if you'd like to see more redwork.  You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here. 

July Redwork Birdie Stitches

I have missed having a small handwork project. Another quilter recommended Birdie Stitches Block of the Month by Little Miss Shabby available free online:
http://www.littlemissshabby.com/2010/12/birdie-stitches-supply-list/ When I saw it, I knew it was the perfect project for me. The designs are fun and whimsical. There are twelve small projects - one for each month - that are 8" square when finished. Instead of using several colors of embroidery thread, I chose to use just No. 8 perle cotton in red. All I need is a needle, scissors, a ball of perle cotton, and my monthly project. Everything fits in a little bag, and I can take it anywhere.

I printed the twelve monthly designs from the Little Miss Shabby website. Next, I ironed freezer paper to a 12" square of the Kona cotton in Snow. I taped a paper pattern to a window, then taped the cotton backed with freezer paper over the paper. I traced the design with a pencil.

I have done redwork on a single layer of fabric, and the knots show through from the back. I've tried backing the fabric with very lightweight iron-on interfacing, but the interfacing wrinkled. This time I used a double layer of the Kona cotton. I ironed the layers together and used an embroidery hoop. I didn't baste the two layers together, but it has not been a problem. I've been very pleased with the results so far.

I did make one change to the design. I added the name of the month to each block by finding a script font on my computer and enlarging it to 72.

America
My country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
   Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the Pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain-side
   Let Freedom ring.

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free -
   Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hill;
My heart with rapture thrills
   Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
   Sweet Freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake,
Let all that breathe partake,
Let rocks their silence break -
   The sound prolong.

Our fathers' God, to Thee,
Author of liberty,
   To Thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
   Great God, our King.
                 
             - Samuel Francis Smith

What is your favorite patriotic poem or song?  If you are reading via email, click on the title of the blog to be able to comment or to read the comments of others.

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here. 

Sunflowers in Quilts and in Nature

The sunflower is the Kansas state flower. 
Can you find it in my State Flower Quilt that hangs in my classroom? 
It's the third star block from the left in the next to last row of my quilt. 
 You can also find the Kansas sunflower fabric in the piano key border. 

 

Dresden Plate Quilt Block in my Eleanor Burns' Egg Money Sampler Quilt 

 

State Fair Sunflower Quilt Block in my Farmer's Daughter Sampler Quilt

 

Sunflower Quilt Block in my Irish Great-Grandpa Sampler Quilt

 

Common Sunflowers standing tall, next to the Rock House, our local ice cream shop

Prairie Sunflowers discovered on a walk in my neighborhood

I love sunflowers in quilts and in nature. They are so cheerful!  The scientific name, Helianthus annuus, means "flower of the sun." 

The sunflower was one of the few plants that was cultivated by Native American tribes on the plains.  The sunflower shells were roasted and used to make a coffee-like beverage.  The kernels were eaten whole or ground into meal to make cakes.  The crushed seeds were boiled in water, and then the sunflower oil was skimmed off the top and used like olive oil.  (Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies by Linda Kershaw)
 
The chickadees and other birds at my feeder don't worry about any of that.  They just love the seeds! 

Which sunflower is your favorite? 

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here.



Streak of Lightning Quilt Block and a New Streak of Lightning Book

 

Streak of Lightning Quilt Block

Clare O'Donohue's publicist sent an e-mail that she wanted me to pass on to the Quilters' Book Club members:

"Clare O’Donohue’s Someday Quilts Mysteries fans love to know what’s happening in the lives of quilter turned amateur sleuth Nell Fitzgerald and other residents of the small town of Archer’s Rest, New York. 

"Now, STREAK OF LIGHTNING ($2.99 /August 2013), is being released as A Penguin Special (e-book only) on sale July 30th.  STREAK is a great stand-alone mystery read that will also tide over series readers until the next Someday Quilts novel, THE DOUBLE WEDDING RING, this October."

 

STREAK OF LIGHTNING by Clare O’Donohue ($2.99 /August 2013)

“Back in Archer’s Rest, Nell Fitzgerald and boyfriend police chief Jesse DeWalt are heading out of town for a romantic New Year’s Eve weekend in New York City.  Hoping for a clean break from work, Jesse leaves his police partner Greg in charge of the precinct.  The first order of business is dealing with Joe Proctor, an abrasive bully who everyone in town seems to hate.  Joe’s latest altercation—this time with local florist Violet—ends with a chair flying through her flower shop window and him in handcuffs.

“As Nell and Jesse arrive in Grand Central station, their getaway is suddenly curtailed by a call with disturbing news. Joe was found dead in his cell at the police station, leaving Greg as the only viable suspect.  As the state police step in to investigate this possible homicide, Nell and Jesse work below the radar to learn more about Joe and find the killer.  Did a long standing grudge between Greg’s father and Joe make this the perfect opportunity for payback?   Why did Violet and Joe argue, and did she secretly get even for damage to her shop?   Or, did someone else want to settle their own score with the unpopular Joe?”  

Where is your favorite place to read?  Do you read in bed, or do you have a favorite reading chair?  Inquiring minds want to know!  By commenting, you are entering your name in a giveaway for Clare O'Donohue's book, The Devil's Puzzle, part of her Someday Quilts Mystery Series.  Plume Books has generously offered copies of Clare's book for TWO lucky winners this month. 

As a heads up, the Quilters' Book Club selection for August is Between Heaven and Texas by Marie Bostwick.  Get the book so you can begin reading, discussing, and quilting with us next month!

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here.

Whirlpool Quilt Block and Walking Wednesdays Part II

Whirlpool Quilt Block

This week for Walking Wednesdays, my friend and I continue our walk

in Salida, Colorado, along the Arkansas River.

 

 

"S" Mountain overlooking Salida

 

 

We had fun watching all of the different ways to float down the river. 

Here's a raft with oars.

 

 

 Armchair innertubes hooked together

 

 

Another raft with oars and a special chair for fishing

 

 

 

Children in life vests letting the current take them down the river

 

 

 A dog enjoying the trip down the river

 

 

Innertubers loving the challenge of the whitewater

 

 

 Kayakers practicing their moves and tricks

 

 

How long can he stay standing?

 

Lovely, old cottonwoods at Riverside Park line the river.

 Their trunks can be enormous!

 

Our favorite place to eat was the Boathouse Cantina.  We loved sitting on their covered patio overlooking the river, watching the rafters and kayakers.  The first time, we split the Duck Tostadas and the Flatiron Steak Burrito.  The next time, we split the Chorizo Green Chili Mussels and the Boater Burger.  We thought all of the food was delicious and the setting very relaxing.   

 

Read all my Walking Wednesdays posts here.

 

You might enjoy reading my previous blog post here.

Courthouse Lawn Quilt Block and Walking Wednesdays

Courthouse Lawn Quilt Block

 

 

This week Walking Wednesdays takes place in Salida, Colorado.

 

A friend and I took wonderful walks around downtown.  Looking up, we see that the upper parts of many of the old buildings have beautiful architectural details.



It's good to see that these architectural details have been restored.

Aren't the details of this roofline amazing?

 

 

 

The Arkansas River runs through Salida, so kayaks of all sorts are very popular.



We pass by a fun wooden statue on the sidewalk, and, of course, bicycles are everywhere! 

Planters and park benches line the sidewalks in front of the shops.

Salida is the county seat of Chaffee County, with a population of about 5,500 - the largest in the county.  It was founded as a railroad town in 1880 but is now a popular tourist town.  There's skiing in nearby Monarch during the winter and whitewater rafting and kayaking on the Arkansas River in the summer. 

Chaffee County has more 14,000 foot peaks than any other county in the continental United States.

 

 

 

Check out all Walking Wednesdays blog posts here. 

 

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here.