Texas in scraps

Here are the majority of the 11/2 inch strips that I spent the last two days cutting out. I was really excited to get a jump start on this project. It is intended as a Christmas gift, therefore I will only show this quilt in small pieces. I tried really hard to pull out the scrap basket. I wanted to buy as little fabric as possible. Currently, I have spent about $25, mostly on Texas themed fabrics. Eventually, I will need to purchase backing. For now I am just excited that I started it. I was really rushed last Christmas and did not have enough time to make handmade gifts for all. I planned this quilt just after the Holiday season. Well, we are almost half way there.

More Sunflowers!!!!!

Here is the final sunflower trying to open. It is very tall, almost 8ft. They have been a joy to gaze at right out the living room window.

This is the same sunflower only two days ago.

I think the birds are enjoying the drying out sunflowers. I caught a wood pecker going after this one the other afternoon.

Back to NCMA

Mom and sister came to town this weekend. We went to NC Museam of Art it was just as crowded as before. We really enjoyed walking around and the building is such a lovely space. Here are a few more shot of awesome images.

Three different Art Nouveau paintings with different artist all framed similarly.

Andrew Wyeth

Earring Screen and Beaded Necklaces

I have had this screen frame for a really long time. I sprayed painted a lot of frames silver all at one time. I really like the way that this turned out. I keep up with the earrings much better this way. I have a small dish underneath that collects the studs and rings. The daffodils are my favorite flower ever. I keep fake ones... the only fake plant in my house. 

I painted these beads awhile back. I tied knots in this natural twine. This is actually a few necklaces. I quite like the statement they make all together.

The Arboretum

We visited the NC State Arboretum this lovely cool summer day! Check out the glory that is oh so close to my home.

1st Sunflower

Here is the first mammoth sunflower out of my living room window. These dyed curtains are almost the same color. I have been enjoying this view for last few days. I am amazed to see it change daily, now more seeds are being produced in their concentric rows. I hope the cool weather sticks around for a few more days. I want to dye some fabric soon.

More Sunflowers!

One of the mammoth sunflowers is trying to open up. I am super excited about how big and beautiful these flowers are going to be. We have had a very hot spring and even hotter summer. I know we have had some afternoon down pours. However, the real credit to the success of these flowers goes to the hubby who waters them twice daily. They add something lovely to the chain link fence.

This is one of the lovely crape myrtle trees in my yard. Even thought the little pink flowers are all over my path and car I still love it. So pretty! I do have to say that it seems a bit early for the blooms. I love our little home, too bad its not ours.

North Carolina Museum of Art

Hubby and I decided to take an trip to the newly renovated state art museum here in Raleigh. NCMA. It was fairly crowded, which we expected. I was so pleased that after all of the expansive construction that it under went, it remains free to the public, like most of the all the other Raleigh museums. They maintained and added to the sculpture garden/ park and the amphitheater that remember as a kid.

 My husband really wanted to go for our anniversary which is next week, however, we are working super opposite schedules. Today was prime because it is scorching hot here. The new gallery is stunning and inviting with a lovely restaurant.

 White roman shades plus white shears cover large walls of floor to ceiling tinted windows. There are lovely gardens  filled with water features and Japanese rock gardens behind all of the windows.

White domed skylights bathe the entire space. It was simply calming and peaceful even though there were many people.  They have permanent exhibitions that I also remembered, I was pleased to see Rodin castings.

The only draw back was the gift shop, the art items for sale were modern and not made by NC artist. We will be returning soon.

Summer Beginnings

I woke up and decided that I wanted to hang out with the dog. I think that she had a different idea, she got pretty muddy in the back yard, she was very proud of herself. She has taken a liking to digging holes when no one is watching. She stayed in with me in the ac while the storms passed. We had some pretty threatening thunder storms today. I worked on getting some baby  gifts completed, my two step-sisters are pregnant. I am going to see them soon at the lake. I had done the machine sewing a while ago for all three. The pieces went to the beach with us and have rode around in the back of my car for a whole week. I kept thinking I would work on them on my lunch break. I did finish all of them today. I bought a set of 24 of the plastic links and have used them now for 5 balls and have enough left over for two more. I really enjoy this project.  This is my mammoth sunflower plant. It grows noticabilly everyday. I am so happy we have a small garden going; tomatoes, jalapenos, lettuce, basil, cucumbers and yellow squash and a few flowers.

Art Nouveau Images

 I would love to know what type of wood the doors are carved out of. I have actually seen these in person in Amsterdam. The print is by Jesse M. ?, if you know please let me know. "The butterflies are all blue". Such a beautiful image.

Salvo, NC vacation

I just got back from a lovely vacation to the Outer Banks of NC. This is not my first time going. The rain kept us off the beach a couple of days so we traveled to the Hatteras Lighthouse and a few art galleries like Pea Island. We love the natural beauty of the long stretch of beaches. Here are a few photos from the trip...... Ahhhhhhhhhh.....

Went faster than I thought!

I started putting my blocks together for the mountain fence rail quilt. I got my self set up really well and utilized the diagram I made back in the beginning.

This really made the process go super quickly. I think that I would have gotten myself really confused had I not done this. The colors on the diagram are very close to the colors on the blocks. I was able to keep track because I used the actual color. I was also able to visualize what the final product would be. As I put the blocks together I kept them in chains so I could match them up later on.

I got quite a few rows together. I really like my color combinations of teal, purple, green and yellow. I have placed in a few embroidery blocks in rows. I am trying to be very conscious of where I am putting them in the quilt. I am even marking them on the diagram. I started doing rows on the left side of the quilt, then I jumped over to the right side to make sure that the embroidery pieces are throughout the whole quilt.  Below are the two sides of the quilt. The long rows are folded up on themselves. I am super happy so far.