HSTeria and Wednesday Wandering

I recently received a large bag of 2.5 inch unfinished HSTs and HST parts. Some were pressed but needed trimming. Some were sewn together on Thangles and other paper foundations. And some were just triangles that needed another half. 

So, with some of the dark/neutral HSTs I made some Depression Blocks. It's one of my favorites. These will finish at 8 inches and I think will go into a larger comfort quilt. 

I also made some 4 inch finished Broken Dishes blocks.  I have a box of all different sizes of Broken Dishes blocks. One of these days I will make a few quilts and empty that box. 

There were some dark/light HSTs that were two colors.  I decided to make them into columns of 40 HSTs for a finished length of 80 inches. When sewing them together like so the columns will form some diagonal light and dark stripes.  I think I need 30 columns of 40 HSTs. 

I decided to iron some blocks with HSTs too. I have several baskets and small boxes full of parts and small blocks that need ironing. If I need leader/enders I sew up bits and pieces given to me but since I know I am not going to use them right away I never get around to ironing them. I need to start ironing because the baskets and shoeboxes are getting in my way. 

Awhile ago someone gave me a gallon bag of batik 2 inch finished HSTS that needed ironing and dog ears trimmed.  I made 3 inch finished Broken Dishes blocks and some strips of 5 HSTs to add to a long term WIP.   Oh, and I did empty that bag!

And sew on...

***

A quick walk through the gardens. 

Money plant  (Lunaria, Honesty) reseeds itself everywhere. Soon I will harvest and remove the brown outside part of the seed pods to reveal silvery disks. I remember my maternal great grandmother had vases of Lunaria all over her house. I was fascinated by them. 

Lilies. I forget which kind these are. 

Asiatic Lilies

Oh so fragrant Orienpet or Tree Lilies. They grow taller each year and are a cross between an Oriental and Trumpet Lily.

Roses

Daylilies

More Roses.

More Roses being strangled by bindweed.

Daylily

Daylilies

Rose of Sharon

Milkweed. It has popped up everywhere this year!

And sow on...

***

We live in a very old and falling apart but paid for farmhouse. We don't have air conditioning and John's oxygen concentrator also puts out some heat. Since John has been sick so much the last couple of years I don't think he needs to also suffer from the heat too. I started researching portable room air conditioners and found one that would suit our needs and our house layout (it needs to vent to the outside via window) and square footage to cover. It was delivered while John was in the hospital and my son helped me get it set up. So now we do have a little heat relief (around 76 degrees) inside, thank goodness, in the living room/dining room area where John spends most of his time. Now I might have to set up my sewing machine on the dining room table. 

 

Wednesday Wandering: Coneflowers

For many years I have had only the native Purple Coneflowers in my garden. I started those from seed and over the years they have reseeded themselves here and there 

A few years ago I decided to start collecting some different varieties of Coneflowers since the deer don't seem to like them. 

I don't remember their names but I put markers near each of them so I could keep track of which ones I have. 

Last year I lost quite a few of my Purple Coneflowers in a native wildflower area to a disease called Aster Yellows that is spread by leafhoppers. 

Prairie Moon Nursery, where I buy most of my native wildflower seeds, has several different varieties of Purple Coneflower.  I purchased a package of Purple Coneflower and Pale Purple Coneflower.  The Pale Purple needs cold stratification so I will wait until January to winter sow it in a pot out on my deck. The Purple (Echnicea Purpurea) can be sown now so that's what I'm going to do - sow it outside in a prepared bed for native wildflowers.  The other Coneflower seeds from Johnny's - Paradiso Tall Mix- can also be sown now. I am going to start it out in a pot on the deck now for later transplanting to the cottage or cutting garden in the Autumn. 

Along with the Purple Coneflower I will be throwing in a couple of other Natives - Showy Tick Trefoil and Spotted Bee Balm. 

I extended one of my native wildflower areas. I had to clear out a few small trees and weeds - mostly wild black raspberries. I mentioned I now have a bad case of poison ivy on my arms and this is where I got it. 

It looks like a junky spot right now but when you are a gardener you can see into the future and know it will look spectacular in a year or two or three. 

I put down cardboard from boxes that John's G-tube formula comes in on the pathways to smother weeds.  I don't eat many canned goods but the few cans I do have or are given to me I put over small tree stumps so they don't magically regenerate. 

I put a part of an old chicken feeder (I used to raise chickens for eggs and meat) over a bigger tree stump. Sometimes I use old buckets.

When I run out of cans I use the old bags that hold the water and food that pumps into John's G-tube.  Whatever works! Make do! 

The seeds have been sown...

And sow on... 

Wednesday Wandering

I took the camera with me this morning on my Wednesday wander through my gardens.

***

We both forgot our 52nd wedding anniversary on June 7.  I barely ever know what day it is let alone the date but yesterday I had to put the date on hubby's sputum sample I needed to drop at the lab and noticed our anniversary had passed.