Chrysanthemums and Other Flowers

 My plan recently has been to finish off as many works in progress as i can and the plan seems to be working.............this week the little chrysanthemum flowers quilt top was completed.........

 ...............it was a pleasure to sew these pretty paper pieced flowers.......you can find the paper pieces for these and many other inspiring shapes at the wonderful sew and quilt.............

 ................some of the flowers use a bit of grey fabric which looks really pretty with the pink and i was going to use grey sashing originally but the scrappy pinks and reds looked nicer in the end......i will be using a grey polka dot fabric for the backing though..........i hope to have it beautifully long arm quilted now by a clever lady.........will show you it when it is all finished of course......

 ................a close up of the chrysanthemum flower appliqued onto a white background and with a red stitched line around the edge...........below are some pictures of when i began making this quilt top and the little sign i had just acquired.............

 ................flowers are everywhere around me this week.............and my crochet is all in flowery colours too...........

 ..............these flowers from the garden are displayed in an old mustard pot that we brought home from france a couple of years ago...........

 ...............the ones below are from a huge shrub in the garden, covered with these tiny pink flowers which are in turn covered with bees :) .............

 ..............sweet summery pale pink peonies....not from the garden though, i bought these from the supermarket as we no longer have any growing in the garden....not sure what happened to the peonies here but they have somehow disappeared..............

 .................below is a little jar of pinks (or carnations or gillyflowers) which i pick for my work table....the delicious clove sweet scent reminds me of childhood and my grandma who loved them too......the fussy cut paper piece squares are ready to be added to another work in progress and the flowers just happened to match....always fun to find these serendipitous combinations......

 ..............out into the garden now to see how my cutting patch is getting along......each day new flowers open and others fade.......there are lots of tiny seedlings in there which are growing well so i hope to have even more colour there in a month or two......

 .............the orange flowers are gazanias which i planted a couple of years ago thinking they were pink ones......they grew and bloomed and now they have self seeded so i have a lot more of them......although i didn't choose orange they do add some zing to the other colours so i think i'll let them stay.......

 ..............perfect little roses that grow over an old wall by the patio......they were established when we moved in here and i love the scent, the tiny round deep pink buds and the multi layered creamy flowers when they open......

 .............the rain keeps the garden flowers happy and blooming and there has been enough sunshine too to sit outside sometimes and enjoy it all.....with a bit of sewing or crochet to do too while listening to the birdsong..........happy summer x

...........thank you for visiting me here lovely readers...it is a pleasure to see you and i so value your sweet comments which are always a joy to read.............wishing you a wonderful week ahead enjoying the summer, the flowers and some crafty times...........back soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx