Monday 13 June 2016

Flowers and Patchwork

 Two things i have been loving this week....flowers and patchwork :)....well, i love them all the time of course but at the moment i am really indulging in both..........the evening star block above was one i found in my recent sewing room tidy up............
 ..............it was left over from the ones i made for this quilt finished last year............
 .............and with a few added border pieces i assembled a little cushion...........
 .............which i quilted by hand at the kitchen table with the doors open and the sounds and scents of the garden floating in............we have had a lot of wonderfully sunny weather lately, and although it has finally rained here we had a beautiful sunny may and start of june here in my little corner of the uk...........
 ..............this is the time of year when there are new flowers to pick every day..........
 .............and the scent of roses is everywhere...........in the garden and of course in the house as i like to pick fresh posies every day and dot them around the rooms...........the magenta rose above is so sweet, just one flower can scent a room.............
 ..............i use lots of different containers including the china jugs i have collected all my life.....
 ..............i have always loved this pantry jug.....i'm not sure if it really was a pantry jug but it does seem like a vintage one so i like to imagine it on a pantry shelf of an old house long ago.....
 ...............so here is my little quilted evening star cushion and i am already very fond of this one as i do love red, white and blue things............
 ................more garden flowers.....these cosmos are from the seedlings we grew this spring in the greenhouse :)....
 ..................this is my favourite rose.....the bush grows in a wild and rambly way near the potting shed and i must remember to take my annual picture of it in full flower soon.............
 ..................i picked out some red white and blue maybelle flowers for this picture.....still making these to add to the stack and one day i will make them all into something...........
 ..................below is a picture of the wisteria we planted a few years ago which is now twining itself among some of the rambling pink rose (with a little help from mr p) and it looks so pretty with the purply blue wisteria flowers and the pale pink roses against all the soft green leaves...............
.................thank you so much for dropping in to my little bit of blogland everyone......it is always a pleasure to have your visits and i do enjoy your sweet comments and appreciate it when you take the time to leave them............wishing you all a wonderful crafty happy week.....back soon xxxxxxxxxxx

41 comments:

PamKittyMorning said...

Oh love love love all the pretty photos! So many flowers. The heat prevents too much of a lush gardens here and now with the drought..well I will just have to enjoy all the pretty flowers online! Happy sewing!

PamKittyMorning said...

Oh love love love all the pretty photos! So many flowers. The heat prevents too much of a lush gardens here and now with the drought..well I will just have to enjoy all the pretty flowers online! Happy sewing!

Jacky H said...

Hi Helen.
what lovey colours in your blog the flowers in your garden are gorgeous.
It nice to find things when you are tiding up perhaps you've forgotten about.
The star cushion is lovely. You can never have too many of them
Have a lovely week.

Jacky (in Spain at the moment)

greenrabbitdesigns said...

What a gorgeous little cushion Helen!
I love all your pretty flowers too, my cosmos isn't in bloom yet but hopefully it will be soon and I would love a wisteria!!
Beautfiul jugs and crochet too!
V x

Brenda Pruitt said...

Love, love, love all the cozy colors!
Brenda

20 North Ora said...

Helen - Your little cushion is so pretty. Your flowers are just beautiful. Does your wisteria draw bees?

Have a great week.

Judy

bj said...

You are so gifted and talented in choosing all the right colors of things....everything you touch turns out so pretty.....I am still struggling to learn how to make the centers for a granny square blanket....I am so NOT talented that when I try to do a craft, it is so pitiful. xoxo

cristina said...

Hi helen! I loooove your new star cushion!!!! and your home is a beautiful garden!!!! yeaaaaah! and I'm grateful for your kind comments on my blog... you make me always soooo happy.... thaaaanks..... kisses and a big hug from Catalonia!

Jennifer Hays said...

I really love your new cushion, Helen. The red stands out so nicely against the white and pale blue. You're so good at those crisp, neat corners in piecing too. I love your pantry jug, it's just perfect for flowers and it does look lovely next to the cushion. Another beautiful post today. Hope you're having a good week so far.

Marilyn McLeod @ Pink Paper Cottage said...

Wisteria and Roses.... that should be the name of a book! Love them blooming together like you've pictured. Just lovely. I can just imagine you sitting at a little table, hand quilting, with the doors thrown open and listening to the birds and wind whispering in the trees.... it all seems so storybook. I always love your blog posts and love seeing your newest projects. I wish I had your energy! Marilyn from Oregon (where it's pretty dry right now).

Unknown said...

Oh I love the colours, the block, the quilting and of course the flowers!

Jane said...

What lovely colours Helen.Your jug collection is so pretty and perfect for displaying your pretty flowers. Enjoy your week and I hope the sun returns soon xx

Frances said...

Well dear Helen, the quilting is lovely. You always find wonderful combinations of color and pattern in the fabrics for these quilting shapes. Really wonderful results!

I also admire the Pantry Jug and like to imagine what it might have been used for in that pantry.

Ahh, but that final photograph of how the wisteria is getting acquainted with the pretty roses in your garden is the best of all. My compliments to Mr P for his encouragement of this engagement.

May I tell you that especially after what's been going on in the greater world, and also in my own tiny micro world, during the past days, your post was a very welcome gift of what is beautiful. xo

Mickie said...

Helen,
Another beautiful post! I can almost smell the lovely scents of all the sweet blossoms. I love the pantry jug as I love all types of jugs and pitchers, especially when they are full of posies. The purple wisteria twining among the pink roses is amazing!
Thank you for sharing.
Mickie, Indiana USA

Leanne said...

Patchwork and flowers are 2 of my favourite things to Helen, your post is so pretty with all your Spring blooms and pretty patchwork stars. My garden is very boring as we are in winter now so not many flowers. I am looking foreward to Spring.

Cindy said...

i love your pretty patchwork pillow and all the flowers. Your wisteria is beautiful! We planted one this spring and it even bloomed just a little for me:)

Blondie's Journal said...

Your pictures are so enchanting, from your sewing to your flowers! I plant cosmos wherever I can squeeze them in. I love how blowzy they are! I'll remember to cut a few blossoms!

I have wisteria at our lakehouse. I so wanted the feel of an old English cottage. I think people thought I was a little crazy as it crawled up my house. It finally bloomed huge this past spring. I have pics my husband took on my most recent blog post. On to the second story of our house and now I have to train it up to the pergola slats! I've heard many negative reviews of Wisteria...it is very strong and fast growing, but I'm also the only one on out block who has an ivy covered house! ;-D

Jane

Elderberry-Rob said...

Your latest patchwork is beautiful, I love the red and white floral print. Your garden must be bursting with flowers - wisteria is so pretty. Betty

Pat's Patch said...

Your flowers are very pretty in lovely China jugs. Pantry is so evocative of old houses and childhood memories. Love your roses Helen. And your new cushion is fabulous.Happy week X

Bee Lady said...

I love your little jugs with all the pretty blues and pinks and reds. I'm going to have to google pantry jug. I've never heard of it. We had a wisteria plant at our other house and it got so big it started tearing the arbor we made for it! I love the the flowers though. They have such a wonderful scent.
I can't wait to see what you do with those crocheted flowers. I like the idea of making a few at a time.
Have a great day!
Cindy Bee

Christine B said...

A lovely, cheerful post Helen. I love your quilted cushion and I always enjoy the flowers and seeing your wonderful garden! Enjoy the week! Christine x

Magda said...

Helen, beautiful spring colors! I almost smell the flowers... your patchwork pillow could be perfect to lay on it in the garden on the grass :) fantastic work! have a nice day :)

Betty4 said...

I love your site, it's true eye candy. Do you have any pointers for someone just learning to make quilts? No matter how careful I am with cutting and piecing my block always tuns out crooked which of course throws off the entire quilt. Have a wonderful day!!!

Thimbleanna said...

Oh So Very Pretty Helen! I would love to have a wisteria, but, for some reason they scare me. Plus, I don't really have an arbor LOL. That quilt block is one of my favorite patterns and I go back to it often -- there are so many fun things that can be done with it!

Unknown said...

Love your new cushion and your flowers. Carol at Art and Sand blog this morning showed us many different ways to display flowers rather than a vase - your flower pics remind me of several more ways, I love the look of yours in the olden-type pitcher. On another subject, I was in Williamsburg, VA last weekend and sat on a bench next to two ladies chatting in an undeniable British accent. So of course I said, "Are you from England?" Yes, London, they replied. "Oh, I do love London!" And they said, "Oh, we do love Williamsburg!" They were so delightful with their beautiful British accents. I told them how much I love the royal family: the Queen, William, Kate, Harry, George, Charlotte. They said, "Yes, but in what order?" lol I regrouped: George, Charlotte, Kate, William, Harry, and the Queen! Do you agree George and Charlotte are too cute for words?!

Mary

Beca said...

Lovely post. Your photos are so inspiring. ♥
xx Beca

Karen said...

Your flowers are so pretty. Is the name of the little blue flower really maybelle? Or is that the crochet pattern? Since you grow wisteria perhaps I can grow those little blue flowers here in NC since I too can grow (well not actually me but I did plant them!) wisteria here in eastern NC. We have two wisteria and do not need a trellis as they climb our pine trees naturally. The scent is lovely and I like the drooping of the blossoms. Your patchwork is beautiful. I have started quilting in the last year but have not tried hand quilting. Do you use a hoop? All of your work is so pretty and cheerful and brightens my day! I am on instagram as kaleezim, do not have a blog but perhaps someday when I stop my nursing career. Sorry for the wordiness!

Art and Sand said...

I love your beautiful quilts and colorful containers.

Ali said...

A perfect cushion!! And lovely photos too - can I come and live with you lol xxx

Madelief said...

Dear Helen,

Ah....you already have cosmos in your garden. I wish I had some already. My seedling are only 1 cm :-) By the time I have flowers in them, it will be August of September! Lovely roses too. So delicate.

Your pillow looks very pretty. Beautiful summery colours.

Have a lovely evening!

Madelief x

Jo@awholeplotoflove said...

Very pretty, you can't beat red, white and blue x

Teresa Kasner said...

Oh how I love your sweet little bouquets.. in fact I'm going to go find the pruning shear in a minute and cut some roses for a "Helen" posie! I also adore your quilt pillow.. I bet your sofa looks amazing with all your handmade cushions on display. Have a super week, my friend! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Lorrie said...

Patchwork and flowers make lovely companions. Like you, I'm enjoying posies from my garden. It feels so luxurious to be able to head out into the garden with my clippers and add a bit of the outside to indoor rooms.

Sally of You,me and Mabel said...

Love love love the quilt and cushion, the fabric colours and patterns are beautiful. Your photos are always joyful and make me smile.

Rhona said...

Such pretty colours and patterns.....you always make such wonderful things Helen! Love all the pictures....so pretty!

Karen said...

I did a little research and found that the Maybelle was the crochet pattern and found it nicely and a subsequent squaring pattern for the little flower. Thank you for the inspiration. And now I now that your little pink flower is cosmos and can someday plant some. Now to search for that little blue flower plant and of course the open rose too. It is such a happy simple unpretentious rose and I had never considered that for the garden. So much inspiration from one little blog post. Thank you again!

Simone said...

Such floral and fabric prettiness Helen! Love the new cushion and all the flower pictures. Delightful! x

Jo said...

It is always great to use up bits like that and make something useful and beautiful. I have just cut out a scrappy quilt during this rainy week - the garden really needs me but it is so wet! Jo x

Evelyne said...

I love the red white and blue also, because i live in France and in The Netherlands . The flag is in that colour too!
But I love the quilts from Minick and Simpson because they normally used also that colours.Your cushion is wonderful! Great flowers, yes it is a nice time of the year! I pick also flowers from my garden,I like that more the buy a bouquet in the shop.

Have a lovely weekend,
Hugs, Evelyne

handmade by amalia said...

Red, blue and white is such a classy combination, and so nice for summer. The new cushion is a winner.
Amalia
xo

Zwergenwelt said...

dear Helen,
red and blue are so gorgeous, so famous! so lovely! ♥♥♥ Xo xo cornelia