Finishes are happening.

The lavender bloomed over the summer, it was the best show we have had from these bushes.

In the mail this puzzle arrived from my friend Kate.

It is a charm for a zipper pull on a bag.

Another birthday was celebrated, Lego is always on the list for gifts. No matter the age, we still get requests for Pirate and Sonic Lego. Toy story and Star wars as well. This journey with construction blocks started just before they turned 18 months and four and a half years old. It has not lost its appeal or lustre over the years and continues to go strong.

Bumble bee sleaping on a red orange haricot bean flower.

On a recent trip to another part of the city, we saw these funky construction of quirky buildings going up, it is apartment blocks, not too sure how safe one would feel in those... On a lighter note, the wedding quilt is finished almost. Just needs the label sewn to the back, the wall hanging is layered. It is being hand quilted at the moment. Both will be gifted to the happy couple on their wedding day.

Relaxing slowly.

It takes time to slow down and just be after a very busy start to the year and not getting many down time to relax. This plant is growing from the neighbors side into our garden, it is putting on a show.

The tomatoes are a treat, enjoying everyone that we are gifted by nature. The gherkins are suppose to be small, this large one was at the back. Found it last week and it was almost eight inches long, this is what happens when we get so much rain.

Made binding for two quilts.

We also became fur baby grandparents over the summer.

A wallhanging in the making, strip sets are sewn together.

Another great nephew will be arriving and a request for a baby boy quilt was requested, with anchors.

A time to relax…

We can finally relax a bit this summer over the weekends. Almost all has been spent fixing and rebuilding the fence and other diy jobs which needed to be done outdoors. Still some small projects to get done, but most of the big jobs are done, last sunday we went on a picnic at one of the small lakes about twenty minutes away.

We did not take the canoe with, we were all just too tired for that. Just the basket with our picnic and the blanket came along with us. Afterwards we went for a walk and found some adult swings? We had not been on a swing in many years, oh boy what fun it was to be flying high on a swing and be free as a kid. Amazing and just what we needed.

The wedding quilt is now a flimsy. This was it, as it was on the sheet on the carpet. The end result is this so far. It is booked to go to the longarm quilter next week.

We also have tomatoes going ripe on the vine.

Diane got her AT The Met on the wall, all framed and finished.

She also finished London, she has since started Rome. Lots of projects ready to get framed in September.

The hollyhocks gave me a new surprise, double flowers on the next lot to flower.

Enjoying a bit of summer.

Grew these flowers from seeds. It has been an odd summer, with heatwaves, humidity, lots and lots of rain. Walks and outdoor activities have been adjusted and we fit it all in, where the weather and time allows for it.

When the fence needed to be fixed, we had leftover fencing. Kitty now has her very own kitty deck.

When it gets too hot, she goes underneath it.

Diane has been stitching a lot, she started Paris

Paris got finished before I could blink, with all the rain that we got alot got done.

A sneak peak at the wedding quilt which I am working on. This one will be going to a longarm quilter, it is just too hot to hand quilt at the moment.

The creek with the stream, the forest path. It is the most dense we have ever seen the forest grow. Parts we can normally go walking in is totally blocked with vegetation.

The beavers are expanding two dams up to the north of the broadwalk.

Gifted fabrics and shop hops…

Many a times when we are gifted fabric or visit quilt shops while on shop hops, we receive goodie bags and in them they will have treasures.

These include fat quarters of fabrics as well.

What to do with them?

Most of the time they are fun novelty fabrics.

Leftover batting and muslin is used to quilt the inserts for the bags just by machine, just basic quilting.

On top of this is the vinyl and zipper placed and sewn to this insert before it is trimmed and popped into the pocket made for this.

My favourite way to use them and enjoy them, is to use them making project bags.

These three bags was made with gifted fabrics and shop hop treasures from the goodie bags.

The best part of making these bags, leftover binding scraps are used for the flanges that is sewn to the edges of the frames. Everything is used, including zippers which was not used in other projects. These project bags make great gifts and storage for projects on the go.