Summer Garden Quilt

If you've been here before you'll know that our garden is one of my great pleasures. So it's no real surprise that it sometimes influences my quilts, too.

After someone remarked "you never use green in your quilts" and realising that the view outside my windows is actually mostly green (this is Ireland after all!), I decided to look for green fabrics in my boxes. Turns out I have a few!

As so often happens, the quilt changed a few times while making it. I started with a plan for a huge quilt, sewing strips of varying widths to a length of 80 inches or so. Going from darker to lighter green and back to dark. And I didn't quite like it... So the strips got cut in half, going from dark to light, and aiming for a smaller quilt.

I debated on orientation of the dark/light: Random? Alternately light one way and the other? I decided they needed to go in one direction, dark at the top, light at the bottom. A bit like the border from my kitchen window.

Then I realised that it needed something more to break up the green a little bit. Little scraps of purple and red were added here and there to represent the fuchsia flowers and foxgloves that are plentiful in the garden, too. And that the strips needed to go horizontal rather than vertical. So this is where it is at now, shown in its natural environment:

There is more to do, and I am already thinking of how to quilt it...

Sandra

Autumn has arrived

A few photos from the garden today.

The berries are colouring, spiders are busy making their webs, and the mist shows up their work beautifully. There is a decided chill in the air...

Sandra

Snow days

As you probably know, I live in Ireland. Which means mild, wet winters and cool, wet summers.
To be more specific, I live quite high up in the south of Ireland. A bit less mild and wetter than the very west or the south coast in winter, and a bit cooler and wetter in summer. We have some snow most winters. But not really like we have had the last few days.

This time, the whole country got snow. So much snow that a red weather alert was called for the whole country. Schools closed, universities closed. Libraries closed, shops closed. Before that the shops ran out of bread and milk. Fortunately, being at risk of bad weather most winters, we always have the freezer well stocked up.
We are now four days since the bad weather started, and the red alert has become amber. It has started thawing slowly (and it snows again). The traffic is still limited to farmers, mostly on tractors.

But it is still pretty out in the garden. 

We are comfortable, warm and dry, and we have plenty of food, though milk is running a bit low.
The best thing: I have been sewing. If it continues this way, I may have a finish before the snow is forgotten! Fortunately I obtained fabric before the snow stopped postal deliveries, and it is perfect for the sashing of my log cabin quilt.

So now the top is sewn together, and I am stitching up the backing, using up some coloured leftovers from the front to make it big enough.

A silver lining indeed...

Sandra

Sewing days

I know, I know, it is not usual to see two blog posts in one week, or even in a month sometimes! But I did intend to be here more often... No sewing post today though! Just showing you why I have been staying in more and sewing so much, because when we have snow here (even a little), everything is more or less coming to a standstill! So here are a few images from my garden from a couple of days ago (not just snow either):

As you can see, the snowdrops are flowering, as are the Hellebores, some daffodils and tete-a-tetes, and the crocuses. And we have been feeding the birds, which gave me the chance to capture a few on camera.

Sandra

Signs of spring

My last post was more than a month ago! Many things have happened, but I will not dwell on them today. Let's have a look outside today, shall we? It seems that spring is on its way (yippee)! Time for a post from the garden...

Our Hellebores have self-seeded and come in several different colours, with and without those lovely speckles. I've been wondering if they would do well in a vase, I may have to try...

The large Daffodils are brilliantly cheerful, but they do catch the wind. Those that have fallen over are gratefully picked and brought indoors. We have several varieties, so many of them are still only a promise of things to come. The small Tête-á-Tête Daffodils are a lot sturdier than the large ones, and are dotted throughout the garden.

We love the small yellow flowers of the Lesser Celandines (Ficaria verna), too. They are doing well in our wet climate, and self-seed happily. The markings on their glossy leaves vary from plant to plant, and give some colour even when the flowers have gone.

The Dead Nettles (Lamium maculatum) are also starting to flower, before long we'll have a large purple patch buzzing with bumble bees. But it is still a little too cold and windy for those welcome visitors.

The Fritillarias are early this year, they are happily showing young buds between the apple trees, but in another, more sheltered, spot they are already showing their checker board markings. Almost there...

All those flowers certainly make up for gloomy grey skies, drizzly rain, and blustery wind!

Maybe it's time to sew some more!

Sandra

Winter

It seems to me that this year we are having the best autumn since moving to Ireland thirteen years ago. With the weather quite dry, the leaves are not turning to their usual brown mush as soon as they are falling off the trees. Instead they have shown a bit of colour, are staying on the trees and shrubs longer, and when they do fall, they lie crisply on the ground. We have seen a good bit of sunshine, too!
 - I prefer to forget about last week when the mist wouldn't lift at all for three full days - 

Today it seems autumn has made way to winter, with a sharp frost, clear sky and sunshine! It made me go out into the garden with my camera...

Even the grass looks good with a layer of hoarfrost!

The last flowers of Geranium "Ann Folkard" will not last much longer.

And the kale will be much tastier after this spell of frost!

Most of the leaves from the blueberry bushes are now on the ground...

...and those that remain are rimmed with ice.

Even the died and brown fern leaves are so pretty with some white details!

I have a busy day ahead, but I find it always worthwhile to take some time to enjoy the beauty that's  around us. I hope you enjoy it, too!

Have a good day, and stay warm!

Sandra

Inspiration in April

It is unseasonally cold at the moment, but the garden is an inspiration, especially when the sun comes out. Scarf and gloves are advisable though!

I love Hellebores, even when they are finished flowering; see those developing seed pods?

Our wild grass around the fruit trees has a growing population of fritillaries, they self-seed happily

This New Zealand flax hides a robin's nest!

Wasps (!) fertilise the gooseberry flowers

I even like the cheerful dandelion, though not everywhere...

Due to the cold these tulips won't open today, still a welcome sight

I have been inspired by these images for a new project, but that's for another time...

Sandra