Alice's Flowers

I previously blogged about my friend Alice here when she asked for my help in creating a special hand-dye for her Wisconsin Wildflowers quilt.  I finally got to see the completed quilt and I think it's amazing. This is all hand-appliquéd and hand quilted.

If you look close (or click on the photo) you can see the purple and green stripe I dyed for the jack-in-the-pulpit block.

Ah, Summer

Since I often post photos of blizzards, I think I should give equal time to my favorite time of year.

I took these photos in my friend Jill's garden.  

Depending on which report one reads, we have received between five and ten inches of rain in the past few days.  Good for the flowers, but I have to keep emptying the water that collects in the dishes under the pots in my own "porch garden."  I'll post some photos of those plants soon.

Yes, that is an old sewing machine.  No, my friend doesn't sew very often.

♪♫Two Swans A'Swimming

♪♫ One marbled fabric, and a colorful-ul bag of beads ♪♫♪

These lovelies are from my Sparkly Chicken friend, Jacqui.  She made the swans for me for a "receiver's choice swap" that we're doing and included the lovely piece of hand-marbled fabric and the beads.  I think they're great!

And I have a mystery:  What do this,

 this,

and this have in common?  Bwahahaha!

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday

My dad sent me a digital camera he wasn't using, so I took it on our walk today.  I'm still learning how to use it -- I'm probably going to have to take the book and camera outside together and experiment.  Above are pictures of wild flowers that grow in the woods between the houses.  The last two pics were taken at great personal peril to me because after all the rain and heat of the past few days, the mosquitoes were out in full battle attack mode.  Yeeouch!  Slap! Slap!

And, of course, the obligatory gratuitous dog shots.  Above is "Pepper" the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who looks like Rosie's mini-me.  He's not the least bit intimidated by a big Berner and loves to play with her.




Left is Rosie with a Siberian/mix Rescue who is blind.  She's a little skittish, but a real sweetie and Rosie seems to know that she has to play gently with her.