Current projects

I always have multiple quilting/sewing in progress at any given time. In the summer, I also have my flower and veggie gardening projects as well. I thought I would share with you my latest projects.

This is my tomato, basil and nasturtium bed. My sister started the tomatoes from seed, I don't really have the patience for it. I prefer the small leafed spicy globe basil, but I also grow classic Italian basil. My backyard neighbor keeps a close eye on the Italian basil. He loves it, but can't seem to get it to grow, so every summer I hand him tomatoes and basil over the fence. I love the way my lettuce looks! It's very inspiring. I see a lettuce colored quilt in my future. Batiks perhaps. I actually have a printed fabric that looks a lot like this. This is my first harvest of the season! Isn't it exciting?

I just thought this was such a pretty shot:

Now for my quilt/sewing projects. Can you see a theme in the colors of this quilt?

I didn't realize it until just now, but it looks a lot like my harvest!

The fabric is from multiple manufacturers, but the majority is the Princess Butterfly line by Gray Sky Studios for In the Beginning fabric. I love the line, but felt it needed some more contrast, since it's all rather mushy and soft, so Jennie and I ran around Tammy Tadd's store and pulled the others to go with them. I used the Sweet Emma Rose pattern out of the "Miss Rosie's Quilt Collection" book by Carrie Nelson. It went together super fast. I just started this quilt Sunday, June 15th. I really like it, though it's significantly larger than I had anticipated. I thought it would be a throw or twin but it turned out to be 88" x 100"!!! Yikes! In reality it's a little longer than a full/queen bed! I really should start reading the directions more throughly.
I quilted the main part free hand with swirly roses and butterflies and loopies. I used Golden Threads paper to trace the butterflies, since I can't draw. I did the rose thingies on my own. They are my fall back, since I'm good at them. I'll tell you, even though I sew on a Janome 6500 with the extended area between the needle and machine, it was not easy getting this thing through my machine!

The back is pieced together with the brown and pink roses and the left over boarder fabric.

I hope you like it!