Tuckered Out

When I woke up Friday morning, I felt achy and tired. The day went with the usual energy, but I felt as if I were swimming against the stream because I was just plain tired out. Yesterday was no different, and so I slowed down some. I slowed down unless you count mopping the floor and hoeing the garden in the mix...which I did both. Then, I really did slow down. I took a nap after lunch. This morning I feel more rested and ready to face the day...which will be slow again. If I have my way, it will be nothing but sewing.

After I finished yesterday's post, I finished up the fourth block for Calendula Patterdrip's Cottage.

And that completed this large panel that includes blocks 2, 3, and 4. 

Then I laid it out with the long strip that was block 1. Eventually, there will be another block to the right of the witch's hat, and there will be a tree that extends from the left side of the panel and across the quilt under block 1. That will complete the crows feet, and they'll be perched on the branch. 

Working with such large pieces makes this an awkward pattern to stitch, but we're getting it done. Very large safety pins help me keep the excess fabric out of the way. I might decide to move to a larger hoop, although I like the way the current one fits in my hand.

It was time to get out and hoe the garden. Take a look at the "bee garden." Mostly, it's grown up into the weeds we'd expect to see there. Of course, even the weedy ones have flowers, and the bees love it just as it is.

Yesterday, I was happy to see some of the other wildflowers are beginning to bloom. This first one is a California poppy. When I looked at this picture, I noticed there's something else blooming below it and to the right. I'll have to check again today and see what it is.

Also, this pretty red guy.

I wasn't able to get a very good picture of these little purply-pink guys. This image is cropped from one that was much larger, but blurry. There are a lot of these. I'll try to get a better picture for tomorrow's post.

There are many sunflowers blooming right now too. This is one of the giants.

It's about my height now...I would have expected it to be taller before blooming, but maybe it knows its height limits, meaning, it knows when the weight of its flower will be too much for its stalk.

This next one is called Sunrich Lemon.

The next one is called Sunburst Panache.

The corn tassels are becoming more obvious.

The cornstalks are about waist high now.

Back up closer to the house, I managed to get a rebloom on one of the gerbera daisies. I expect the squirrels will have bitten it off by the time I check this morning.

Okay, so after my nap, Smitty and I headed into the sewing room to work on the Ties & Tails quilt. Smitty has a purrticular interest in this quilt, it being to honor his brethren and all.

These blocks are pieced in the style of Pam Bono, and so there is lots of cutting before one can start to sew. I finished all the cutting, and then went to work sewing it together. I had the cat's face mostly finished when I quit for the day.

When I start working on this today, I'll be adding a bow tie at the bottom, and then continuing on with the rest of the cat. This is one of the sitting cats, and I'm having to reverse his direction from the pattern instructions. On the suggestion of my friend, Sharon, I copied the piecing diagram and flipped it horizontally in Photoshop Elements. When I'm question which side I should sew this or that, it makes it easier if I can see the diagram in reverse as well. As an example, in the image above, that triangle in the bottom right corner was on the left side in the original pattern. It's a little confusing, but good exercise for aging brains....or maybe it comes as a warning, if I can't get this all figured out. We'll all know by the end of today.

Okay, so Mike awaits his Sunday morning Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes. It's the highlight of his week. Mustn't keep the old coot waiting.