In and around the yard....

I really like this time of year when all the flowers seem to be going to town!   Many of the perennials and summer flowers are starting to look bedraggled.....but there is plenty to look at yet!

A portion of the Mandevilla near the garage

I love vertical gardens and this is my own little version....the sweet potato vines are vining all over the place.

Anyone who knows me knows I would have a  purple butterfly bush

The hummingbirds have been prolific this year and this is one of their favorite spaces,

Hydrangea up close and full bush below,

Love the big leaf cannas and they are just starting to send up flower stalks

I call this hosta row,   This is why I spray against deer,   I hate chemicals, but I love my flowers more!

More favorites from the Caledonia Quilt Show

Here are some more of my favorites from the Caledonia Quilt Guild show. I don't have info on all of them..so please just enjoy!

Best of Show by Mary Christopher,   A gift from Xantopia plant Nursery was part of her prize.   In an interesting twist, the owner of Xantopia Nursery was the winner of the Caledonia Raffle Quilt,   Well deserved!  

Now to continue with some more quilts....

The best jelly roll quilt I've ever seen, by Joyce Blowers,   The colors graduated within the strips...she did not plan the layout.

 Leaves by Glynnis Hunt, using her own hand dyed fabrics.   Glynnis was also a popular vendor at the show.

The next two quilts were done by Valerie Connor.

By Patty Cline, owner of Chestnut Bay Quilting, also a popular vendor.

Daylilies continue to bloom

I have had a deer problem....everyone knows that ad nauseum by now.   I have sprayed and that has helped most of the plants.....except one Orange daylily that I bought last year.   It is huge and called "Primal Scream".   It lives up to its name as it is gorgeous,   It has varying colors from yellow to gold to orange to red to a reddish pink. 

I was getting buds, but then they were half gone, apparently eaten by the deer, even with spray.   So this week I started to tie netting around the blooms.   Lo and behold, this bloom today, is the third one I have had.   There are at least 6 more buds so I continue to wrap every night and unwrap in the morning,   A small price to pay for such gorgeous flowers,   

This one yielded 3 flowers as it is a new plant from a friend, this year.   Same thing..,,tied netting around them.

This is my purple Stella d'ora Lily,   I have had the yellow variety for years,   This is my second year of the purple plant,

Longwood Gardens and the Waterlilies and more Waterlilies!

This past week we took a trip south and part of it was a stop at the Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA.    I was on the hunt for a good waterlily photo that I could turn into a quilt.  138 photos later it turns out I got at least 6.   These first 3 are my top contenders; 2 and 3 are the favorites among my friends. 

But I think the next grouping is also really nice.

 

Happy 4th of July!

The day lilies arrived right on cue..... The first ones being open today!

 

Obviously I loved this one as I bought 2 plants .... even though they had different names on the tags!   That's ok as they make a nice row along the walkway!

This one is a much deeper red...almost maroon!

This is such a delicate flower... pale yellow with pale pink shading.   A small plant with few flowers!

This is not a lily but a Bears breech.  I moved this to this house 5 years ago when we moved here.   This is the first year it has flowered. Nice foliage too but I almost dig it up this year!  Glad I waited!!

Finally a view from my seat on the patio of the canna lilies growing in their huge pots.   I have these various places around the yard!!!

Happy Graduation, Sammy!

My granddaughter graduated this weekend,   My entire week has been focused on her and getting things ready for her and for her party.   I made her this signature quilt as a gift.  Friends and family signed it with well wishes and I added some drawings from the musical shows she has starred in in high school.  

The rest of these pictures signify my pride and joy in her life and successes and her future which is so bright!

Here she is all smiles!

Grandma and Grandpa are so proud!

The highlight was watching her receiver her diploma from her Dad who is a member of the Board of Education!

And today was party time!  

Show ready quilts.....ready to travel

I have two quilts going to the AQS show in Syracuse to be held the end of July.   Sometimes it seems there is as much work in getting them ready to ship as in making them,   Here they sit.....rolled....ready to go after I get some boxes.

These are the ones juried into the show......

"Save the Monarchs"

"Then...the Crocus"

My winning quilts

I am so happy and honored to have won two judged ribbons at the Genesee Valley Quilt Show this weekend.  The show itself issued a challenge to create "your corner of the universe".   Mine was judged 1st place and I was so surprised and excited,   I call it My Corner of the Sky and depicts being out in the woods looking up thru the tres to the sky!   The title is chosen because of one of my favorite songs from the show "Pippin"

My other winning quilt was in the art category called "Autumn Candles".  It depicts looking thru birch trees on an autumn day,   My award was donated by a very special Genesee Valley member who passed away awhile back..... Margaret Fahey.   It was special to me because she was the first person to invite me to a meeting of this quilt club.   She treated me like royalty, saving a special seat at her table in the very front of the room.  

Another portrait quilt

I am obsessed with having my friend Julie of Red Dog Enterprises print my photos onto fabric.   This is the latest one she did.   It started with a photo I took of my granddaughter, Sammy playing the lead role of Dolly Levi in her high school musical, Hello Dolly.   I then manipulated the photo In a watercolor program and had it printed on fabric.   I finished quilting and embellishing yesterday. 

This is the original photo of her giving her monologue speech!

This is the photo as printed and quilted in the watercolor 

I call it. "Ephraim - Let.Me.Go.!......Dolly Levi

This is a detail of the bodice as quilted and embellished with beads for buttons.

This is a detail of the skirt...embellished with beads.

New flowers everyday!

Everyday there seems to be new flowers...love this time of year!

The newest iris today. 

Two blooms on the white iris. 

The first of the big clematis blooms by the front door.  Soon it will be covered with flowers!

The peonies are doing well 

The allium are done but this makes a cool closeup...almost 3D like... Of a nearly spent bloom