Saturday, June 20, 2020

Still in the Pink

Pink is still the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month and I'm still using up some pink scraps. This week I made Wishing Rings that finish at 3.5 inches. Wishing Rings with dark and light corners will alternate in the finished quilt.  This is my second year of making them so I hope by year end I have enough of them for a nice big quilt. 
This is also year two for Double X Mosaic and Snowballs that are inspired by a vintage quilt.  These blocks finish at 4 inches and I also hope to have enough for a nice big quilt by year end. 


(These may look a little crooked. I didn't iron these because I won't know which way to iron the seams until I start sewing blocks together.)

I was showing symptoms of PSP20 awhile ago but I didn't think I had many solids I could use. I rooted around and found some solid scraps and don't you know shortly after that I tested positive for PSP20. 

I used the solids in the RSC colors that have already been called and keep a little pile near the sewing machine to sew together in between other blocks.  I had the print postage stamps already cut. And now I'm in the process of completely clearing out my 1.5 inch width of scraps bin. 

Then since my scraps keep getting smaller and smaller I started another new postage stamp block - Double Irish Chain. For this one I will use light brown backgrounds and dark browns for the center of the chain in between postage stamps in the color of the month.  I found a chart that came in handy when I was planning my blocks so I didn't have to think much.  I did use strips instead of squares for the light brown sections. 


And then another new project started is a six inch finished Buckeye Beauty block. I have a bunch of shirt scraps to use up so I'll be making these from shirt scraps and scraps in the RSC color of the month. 


I was inspired by this vintage quilt. I saved a photo in my "vintage inspiration" folder but didn't bookmark where I found it. 

Edited after original post:
Inspiration quilt is not vintage. 
A kind blog reader pointed out that the quilt can be found at one of my fav blogs Fret Not Yourself.  Thank you, kind blog reader, for letting me know Ann was my inspiration.  I searched and searched but I think I always had "vintage" as part of my search string. 


The rest of the pinks are in the flower garden so if you don't want to take a hike through some pink flowers the deer have left me then you may quietly leave now. 

This is not too spectacular. It is Silene or Catchfly. It is low growing so I have it near a path. It is called Catchfly because it has sticky stems that supposedly trap flies or other insects.  I don't look closely enough to see if that is true. 

I started a bunch of different colors of Yarrow (or Achillea) several years ago from seed.  Before our pasture turned into a wooded area I used to find white ones growing wild. I like to use these as cut flowers but have also dried them and used them when I've made dried flower wreaths.  I have several patches of these in the flower garden. 
I love that the big flower head consists of lots of little flowers. 

Look what I found before the deer found them!! This rose bush needed some weeding and had some wild Trumpet Vine and Dutchman's Pipe growing up through it and had some spent Iris clumps in front and a clump of Alliums around it so maybe the deer didn't notice I had a rose bush there. 
The Pinks are still blooming in the fairy garden as well as miniature Lilies and Scabiosa or Pincushion flower.  Hmmmm...purple, pink, red, yellow color scheme for a quilt???

Seven Sisters roses. The Deer must not like these roses or the Irish Spring soap shavings I sprinkled around the base of the trellis may have kept them away.  This bush is a bit unruly but I have it contained to a small heart shaped trellis in the fairy garden.  I've had it for a long time. I received a cutting from my husband's Aunt Essie and I think she said she had received her cutting from her mother, my husband's grandmother.   I really need to take more cuttings because this would make a beautiful rambling rose hedge.  I believe it is called Seven Sisters because it supposedly grows in clusters of seven flowers but I usually have more than that. 

Most of my Echinacea (or Coneflowers) that I started from seeds are purple but this scraggly looking one is pink.  This is the first year for this one. My husband surprised me with it as well as a white one.  The Goldfinch love my Coneflowers and I've seen them sit on the dried flower heads and pull out the seeds to eat. It's quite a site but they never stay long enough for me to get a picture. 
I started Saponaria or Soapwort from seed over 30 years ago and now it is very invasive and I'm constantly pulling it out of some of the places it gets into. But my flower gardens are more cottage style and informal so I do let patches of it grow here and there to keep down weeds.  It is called Soapwort because flowers, leaves and roots can be used to make a gentle soap or shampoo. I've actually made the soap several times. When the kids and grandkids were younger I thought it would be a fun plant for experiments. It's nice to know that if soap becomes scarce I have some in my flower garden. 
Pink Clematis



The Daylilies are starting to bloom and the first bloom is pink!  The deer and rabbits munch the daylily shoots to the ground when they first start poking up in the Spring but the Daylilies never seem to mind. Hopefully the critters will leave the buds alone. 




27 comments:

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I am always amazed at how many of you say the deer eat your flowers - I guess I am lucky that doesn't happen in my yard - I know we have plenty of deer in the woods but I don't see them often and they stay away from my flowers

Elle said...

I am constantly amazed at the volume of RSC quilts you have ongoing from scraps! Will you get to the end of the scraps? ;-)

Happy Saturday! LOVED the garden tour.

Linda said...

Love the new Buckeye Beauty block ( not heard of this one before). The vintage quilt is super, I can see why it caught your eye and your saved the idea. Ideal for an RSC project. You have an amazing amount of pink flowers in your garden, beautiful.

djquilting said...

Thanks for sharing your beautiful garden.

abelian said...

A Google image search turned up this link for the Buckeye Beauty quilt:

https://fretnotyourself.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-same-but-different.html

I love that quilt, and yours, too. Dot

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

I love all your blocks - can't choose a favorite! And you have beautiful flowers, too, Cathy!

The Joyful Quilter said...

PSP20 on top of all your other "ailments"?! Poor, Cathy! Thanks for sharing SEW many wonderful PINK blocks for the RSC.

Libby in TN said...

Beautiful garden! Day lily buds are like candy to deer around herer.

maggie fellow said...

Beautiful projects and I got lost in the links. Are the postage stamp 1 1/2 inches?

Frédérique - Quilting Patchwork Appliqué said...

I love all your pink blocks, but my favorites are Double X Mosaic, so pretty! Lovely garden around you!

Quiltdivajulie said...

Hooray for flowers not eaten by the deer (so pretty). And your blocks are all wonderful!

Jenny said...

My goodness, such a lot of lovely projects ts on the go. You are a very busy stitcher indeed! Love the flower photos too.

Laura said...

Great to walk through your garden with you! I also like a messy, ummm...cottage garden! You are the first person that I have seen, besides myself, who has soapwort growing! Your garden is definitely ahead of mine...the yarrow, coneflower and soapwort haven't bloomed yet.

Always fun to see the scrap creations that you are working on! :)

Cathy said...

Oh, I love all your flowers! My roses are waning, but the coneflowers and lilies are coming on now. There’s always something lovely to look at in a flower garden! Glad to hear you were infected with the PSP. I caught the ZBP (zipper block pandemic) from Sally, which is not as intense, piece-wise, as your virus. But I’m definitely going to have to start supplementing my solids soon. I’ve been sewing lots of kids donation quilts from my stash for a year, and some colors are getting downright thin or hole-y!

Susie H said...

So many pink blocks, so many beautiful blocks! Really love the way your shirting blocks are looking. Nice walk around your flowers too. Thank you for the tour.

MissPat said...

So much going on in your studio and your garden. My gardens are in a lull where there's not much blooming. I've sprayed the daylillies in hopes that I'll actually get to see some blooms. Some years it works and some years it doesn't. It's very dry right now with no rain in sight. I have dahlias I started in pots that I haven't been able to get in the ground. Each year the garden seem to become more of a challenge than a pleasure. Enjoy your Sunday.
Pat

QuiltGranma said...

I seem to recall that deer are attracted to certain colors of roses. But i do not remember which.

Lindah said...

Beautiful quilts and beautiful gardens. How do you manage to do both! I miss flowers. At one time, I had both, but I am so ancient now, I am lucky to have a productive veggie garden. :P I'm thinking the Buckeye Beauty would be a good leader/ender. Lovely post!

grammajudyb said...

You have some wonderful pink quilt blocks, but I especially enjoyed the “pink” garden walk! Fun!!

mangozz said...

I love the Buckeye Beauty quilt but the Jacob's Ladder design is one of my favorites. Do you have an all time favorite of all the quilts you've made?

Louise said...

Seems like pink is just the perfect color for June, in both your garden and your studio! :)

Ann said...

As usual, you have an abundance of quilt blocks on the go. I need to make something with my solids... or donate them. PSP20 sounds fun and I hadn't seen it. Will you mix blocks of different solids or will the whole quilt have the pink solids?

---"Love" said...

You know pink is one of my favorite colors, don't you? I love the name PSP 20! I just may have to give that a try for a little memory quilt! ---"Love"

Kaja said...

I love that quilt of Ann's so am looking forward to seeing your version too. Your garden looks magnificent.

Nann said...

You are definitely in the pink this month, Cathy. I'll need to investigate the PSP2020.

Sally Trude said...

I am still infected with PSP20, but I can attest that I did not develop the side effect of Green Thumb...of which apparently you have a whopping case.

gayle said...

PSP20 is spreading rapidly!
I love all your blocks, but am particularly taken with Ann's Buckeye Beauty variation. Might have to start one of those. (help me...)
Loved your garden tour! Cottage gardens are the best gardens!