Auriculas

Aren't auriculas beautiful? So many different varieties and so many flowers.
I could divide this one up into half a dozen smaller plants, but it looks so lovely as it is.


A yellow variety. Can't remember the name of it! It looks a bit like a cowslip until you look at the leaves.

I planted these in an old glazed sink a couple of years ago.

Auriculas with bluebells in the background. I wanted to get this shot before the bluebells faded.

As Sweet as Honey

This is my collection of honey pots. They are actually on one long shelf in my kitchen, but I have photographed it in three sections so you can see them better.

They are a fun and inexpensive thing to collect. I like the quaintness of them, and the variations in colour and shape. They belong to the traditional concept of teatime. Most of them have a lovely bee on the lid.

Two or three of them were bought new, but most of them are second-hand. None of them are all that old, but one of the oldest is the cream one with hollyhocks on in the second picture. That's one of my favourite ones.

We went to a local antique market yesterday, a lovely sunny day, and I was lucky enough to find three at once!

So now I'll have to find a way to make them all fit on the shelf.

Thank you to everyone who commented after my last post. It's really encouraging to get so much positive feedback!

At Last

Here at last is my finished quilt. I'm glad it's finally done, and I think I'm pleased with the way it turned out. Maybe I've just been too close to it for too long! If I don't look at it for a week, then casually catch sight of it out of the corner of my eye, I'll probably like it!
For the binding I used the same fabric as the border. I had enough of it left and it seemed the obvious choice. I didn't want a strongly contrasting binding, because the borders are so busy.

All the books tell you you should make labels for your quilts. I label most of mine, but just with my initials and the year.

This isn't the first pattern by Kim Diehl that I have made.

I made this one a few years ago. The pattern for this is also in the Simple Traditions book, but it was also published in Quilting Ideas magazine in 2001, and that's where I got the pattern.
There's less quilting on this one. I've had this as a throw on a sofa since I made it, and some of the plaids are a bit sun-faded now.

Spring Sunshine

"Green is the fresh emblem of well-founded hopes. In blue the spirit can wander, but in green it can rest."
-Mary Webb

What a difference it makes to the whole garden when the grass has just been cut.

Like when you vacuum the carpet in a room.

This was the first cut of the year, which my husband did at the weekend (after he had fixed the broken mower). Maybe a bit late for the first cut, I know.

At this time of year it looks evenly green. There are a few weeds in it, but I don't really consider daisies to be weeds.

I've been thinking about putting some crocus bulbs in in the autumn, so next spring I could have a sweep of yellow and purple crocuses across the grass.

Don't be thinking it's all this neat and tidy, though!

Sorting out this area is my next job.

Tagged

I've been tagged by Marilyn at Ivy and Lace Cottage for the Thinking Blogger Award. Thank you, Marilyn, for the compliment!

Now to tag 5 other bloggers. I haven't been blogging very long and don't know many other bloggers, but there are so many out there whose work inspires me.

1. Kaffylala

2. -A Simple Girl-

3. Homespun Living

4. Quilting Daze

5. Simply Quilted

For details all about it, click here.

Happy Easter

Hope you have a great Easter!

Stitches

I have been working away on my quilting.
I enjoy the process of machine quilting, but I am slow!
I do all right as long as I've got a clear line to follow, so for me good marking is everything. I usually use a Clover white pen or a fine lead pencil. For diagonal lines I use masking tape.

I didn't put any quilting on the applique flowers and leaves, because I like the way the stippling makes them stand out.

This is the first time I have tried any feather-type designs. I thought they would be tricky to do, but they were okay! It's such fun seeing the design appear in stitches before your eyes.

That said, this quilt has seemed like a lot of work. At 65" x 74" it's not huge, but at times it has felt like it! I've been working on it on and off since the end of last summer.

I haven't finished it yet though, there's still some more to do on it before I put the binding on.