Summer Garden Bounty

Day 3 pf the 31 day blogging challenge.  

I was going through my phone and came across these photos from the summer.  I love having a garden right in my backyard.  It isn't large by any means, but just right to get some great veggies.  We grow all kinds of tomatoes, including my favorite yummy yellow ones.  When I don't use them up I tend to freeze them until I can can them, or until I use them. When they thaw just a little the skin peels right off.  

My cucumber plants did very well this summer, too.  They seemed to start late, but once they did it was nonstop through the entire summer.  I made two batches of pickles, one made 9 pints and the other was 8 pints and 3 half pints.  

I use a recipe from my "Make Your Own Groceries" cookbook by Daphne Hartwig to make them.  I also use a recipe from that book for my pickled green tomatoes.  One thing I add to my cucumbers and tomatoes is a hot pepper, love the spicy kick it gives.  Oh and a bit of celery is super yummy pickled.  

Just tonight I opened a jar of pickles, so yummy!  I am happy to have my garden grown veggies available all year long in my home.  

Project Quilting Season 6 Challenge 1

Ahh it is here again!  Another season of Project Quilting hosted by Kim at Persimon Dreams.  I am not sure if you all know how much I love Project Quilting.  It is a one week challenge where we are inspired by a topic posted by Kim.  We can make any quilted item for the challenge as long at it is completed in the week and posted to her blog by 12 noon the following Sunday after it is announced.  I've made all sizes of quilts for Project Quilting, 2 have been in multiple quilt shows and one of the ones I designed has the pattern is in American Quilter!  So I really love Project Quilting!

Challenge 1 was trees.  I had to think about it for a couple days before I came up with my plan, improv whimsical trees.

I reverse appliqued the colorful tops then fused and zigzag stitched the trunks.  The white fabrics are all different white on whites.

After I made a number of trees I decided my whimsical forest needed some birds so I drew up a little curving flying geese pattern and sprinkled them through.  My mom says they remind her of kites flying.  Then came time to piece it all together.  Oh the fun of inset seams, next time I shouldn't have so many in the quilt.

I decided on some swirly free motion quilting around the trees and geese.  It gives movement to the little quilt.  

I just love the little geese.  

The back is a sketch fabric in a light blue.  I have a lot of it since it makes great backings.

It is machine bound in a fun orange that frames the little quilt nicely.  This was a fun quilt to start the year off with.  My first finish for 2015.  It had reverse applique, regular applique, and paper piecing.  Definitely a great way to start a year of quilting!

Whimsical Trees Baby Quilt
28.5" x 31.5"
Assorted cotton fabrics
Pellon 100% cotton batting
quilted with Coats and Clark machine quilting thread