Christmas Greetings - first four blocks

After working with the taupes for so long, Christmas red and green is fun! These are from more Elm Creek Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini, being done in a controlled scrappy format. Still trying to decide if I want to do the center applique as designed by Jennifer, or something else. Leaning towards something else, but I never know until the quilt is done!

Farmer's Wife Sampler Center assembled

Here it is! Started in October of 2009, I have had the blocks finished for a while (since October 2010), but hadn't assembled them into the center of the quilt. About 540 parts later (sashing, cornerstones, setting triangles and 113 blocks), it is a center. Only need to find the perfect border (not that easy to do, I am thinking), then I can complete the top and figure out the quilting. There is a Shop Hop in June, so if I don't find something before then, this will be making the rounds.
6/2/11 - decided to do the skinny border with the brown I used for sashing, and found a muted green fabric for the final border, with just 3 yards left on the bolt. Must have been meant to be, I needed three yards! I should have enough of the light fabric used for the setting triangles to make pillowcases, along with the brown for the accent color on the end.

Putting in a vegie garden

I haven't had a vegetable garden for many years, but decided that now was a good time to renew that endeavor. With the new front yard we got a 4’ by 8’ raised bed, then DH and I took a garden design class and he built 4 more raised beds. I weeded, then we placed the bed where they will stay and put down landscape fabric and gorilla hair wood for paths and weed control, and filled the beds with topsoil and compost. Last weekend I took a summer vegetable gardening class at Love Apple Farm, and now I am trying to plant plants. So far, 4 tomatoes, a dozen strawberry plants, basil, parsley, mint (in its own pot) and dill. To go, lots. What with working, I don’t have that much time to devote to the garden. At least it is light for a while after I get home! Tomorrow will be bell peppers, eggplant and summer squash. The winter squash will be later, and hopefully it will have enough time to grow to maturity. Next year I will start seeds in February!

Advent Wreath

BOM #2 This took longer to cut than to piece, mostly because my hand hurts so much right now. Weeding, mousing, driving, and especially rotary cutting, almost everything makes my hand hurt right now. For some reason, knitting doesn't hurt, so I am getting some of that done, although nothing to show yet (got sock #2 of my Box of Socks pair almost done though!)

Brackman Civil War blocks 16, 17 and 18

Number 16 was White House. This was all rotary cut with regular ruler.
Number 17 was Comfort Quilt, I might use this pattern in a bigger quilt. This was also all rotary cut with regular ruler.
Number 18 was Union Square, rotary cut where the corners used MM templates. Used another new fabric in this one, maybe more than one?