On the wall

My heart is broken over the tragedy in Uvalde.  I can't imagine the suffering in that small community where everyone was affected in some way.  Despite what the gun lobby pays the politicians to say, there are people out there that SHOULD NOT BEAR ARMS.  And, no one needs an automatic weapon, which is designed solely to kill and maim people.  The second amendment says we have the right to bear arms, but it doesn't say we have to be stupid about it.  We should be able to go about our daily lives without worry that some asshole is going to kill us while we're trying to decide between the name brand or the off brand, or while we're teaching children to think, or while we're celebrating the beginning of summer break.  This shit is not right and if you want to be part of the change, make sure not to support people and causes that say that everyone should have the right to a gun.  If you are supporting them, then you're part of the problem.

---------------------

Yeah, stuff is in a little different order today.  Some days it's important to mix things up.

We finally got the arc quilt on the wall.  None of our hangers were spaced far enough apart for this quilt, so adjustments had to be made.  It....sparkles.  That's the only word I can come up with to describe it.  I never made anything that sparkled.  But the light catches the bright fabrics, especially the yellows, and all the movement in the quilt makes it look like it sparkles.  

I wish I'd made a small quilt with just one circle in it first.  In retrospect, that would have let me know all the pitfalls in the piecing.  I think I would have done some things different, not in the fabrics, but in the assembly.  There are a lot of those little fabric wedges where the point isn't in the right place and there are places where a tiny sliver comes to a blunt end instead of a point.  Little things I didn't notice in assembly, but I could have done better if I'd practiced the quilt first.  I hope I learned something there that I can take into other quilts.  Do a little practice sample before making the larger project.  The only thing I'd change in the pattern is, I think I'd have made the center a circle instead of those two back to back arcs.  Okay, that's my critique out there.  Now, I can just sit back and enjoy it.  

I got started on the triangle quilt and it didn't take me long to realize that I couldn't quilt a spiral in it with the quality I expect in my quilts, so I moved to the next logical choice and am quilting in the ditch, along the diagonal square.  The pins are places I got out of the ditch and will go back and fix them later.  Now that I'm quilting, nose to fabric, I can see a ton of errors.  I was more interested in finishing than perfection on this one.  But, from a little polite distance, they all disappear.  Might name this one 'Stand Back!'  Just kidding.  Or maybe not.  You really do have to stand back to see the optical illusion of it.

And, some garden pics.  

I believe this daylily is called Charlene's Patio.  It's one of my Mom's seedlings that she named after her sister.  The main stand of Charlene's Patio is on the other side of the yard and hasn't bloomed yet, so we'll have to wait for it to bloom to be sure.  If this is one, it would have to be one fan I accidentally dug up and stuck in a pot and this is the first year it's bloomed.  

The echinacea was having a power day.

I love these asiatic lilies.  They're one of my favorite things in the garden because they're such an exotic color and I look forward to them every year.  This year, it's gotten too hot, too early and their blooms have suffered, and they got damaged when we sealed the fences, but I got a few really nice ones and am enjoying them!

This is an iris I bought on a whim last year.  It was more expensive than most of the plants I buy.  I thought I lost it when it froze to the ground in winter, but it's put up some mediocre growth and given me two blooms, so I'm hoping it's recovering.  What a flower, tho!!!  Rob says the first year they sleep, the second the creep and the third they leap.  This is this plants second year.  

I tossed some four o'clock seeds into the garden last year and a few came up.  They seeded and this year, there have been a few more.  They're tucked in, here and there and they jump out at me in spaces where they're the only thing blooming.  

That's it for me today.  It's Memorial Day.  Our flag is out and we plan to enjoy the day off work.  I hope you enjoy your Monday as well.  

Lane