APPLIQUE PAINTBOX-I LOVE APPLIQUE

FLOWERS ARE GROWING IN MY GARDEN!  

I finished my house block.  I embroidered hollyhocks and daisies and added a birdbath.  Thanks to the sticky fabri-solvy the embroidery did not pull and distort the fabric and it washed right off.  I had never used it before so didn't know what was going to happen.

I told you I would show you the wonderful embroidery book I use.  It is just an exquisite book with lovely color photos, clear cross referencing so you can find the flower you want to work on, and excellent instructions.  I have shown the page of instructions for the hollyhocks.

Here are some flowers from her book:

This is one of the best books I have ever owned.  It is a wonderful reference.  I plan on using a lot of the flowers when I finally make my village quilt.  Amazon has this book for sale.

Here are the four blocks I just finished:

Here is a close up of the honey bee hive which I personally think is adorable. 

Honey bees (other bees also) are endangered right down.  They are dying off at an alarming rate.  Some blame mites, others blame pesticides, some both.  Whatever the cause, the shortage of honeybees not only diminishes the beauty of our lives but harms our food production.  Here is a link if you are interested in reading more about it.  https://theconversation.com/deciphering-the-mysterious-decline-of-honey-bees-56648

Memorial Day Weekend is the beginning of summer and the start of boating season.  It is the weekend all boaters arrive at their lakes and show off their new boats.  It reminds me so much of how we used to spend summer on our houseboat.  Her name was "Jackson Island", a reference which will be familiar to all Mark Twain buffs.  That was the name of the island to which Huck and Tom Sawyer disappeared when the constraints of civilization were too much.

It reminds me also of our dog Morgan, a golden lab.  The dog and my two daughters would line up on the edge of the dock and I would throw a stick as far as I could into the water prompting them to dive and swim race to see who could get the stick first. While Morgan had a slight edge, it was pretty much a tie between the three of them.

Here is blossom relaxing on the holiday!

Memorial Day.........

While thoughtful people of conscience can disagree about the nature of war, no one can but esteem the men and women who are overseas and potentially in dangerous situations and away from their families.  It is to those people my thoughts go out to today.

Happy quilting!