A Finished Quilt Top

This is my second post of the day. Earlier in the week, I scheduled a "reveal" post for the latest art quilt for The Endeavourers. You can see my quilt for the prompt "Opposites Attract" right here. So, I might have taken a day off, except that I have a finished quilt top, and that is worth a celebratory post. Ella's Flower Garden is a finished flimsy now. It finishes up at 74 x 74 inches. If I'd done it the way it was pictured in the book, I would have added a border to it. I decided it was big enough without a border.

When I had the top finished, I wanted to sew a back for it, which required one seam. The kitties were excellent helpers with all of this. Sadie tested out the quilt back fabric for comfort.

Smitty helped me with the cutting. Here, he was assisting while I trimmed the edge even. You can't fault his work ethic.

This is one of the backings I purchased with my birthday discount back in May. I really love this fabric. I'm using most of it on this quilt back, but I still have about half a yard left to use in another project.

Also, I cut the binding strips from this pale green that was used repetitively in the quilt top.

Earlier, I'd stitched the most recent hoopful on the Heartland Barns block.

Now I've moved to the next section, which is mostly barn.

I'll be linking up to 

It was time to check on things outside by then. I'm hoping I'll have more of the Black-Eyed Susans soon. They're trying hard to open.

All I can say is that the animals must be taking a break from dining on the flowers. The deer have left the roses alone, and the plant is blooming away.

For the first time this season, the geraniums have been allowed to fill in. Usually the squirrels bite off the flowers before they even have a chance to open.

Also, they've left alone the reblooms on the gerbera daisies. These have been here for several days!

In the vegetable garden, I've been keeping an eye on the cantaloupe. It seemed too much to hope for when I discovered actual melons the other day. I wasn't sure I could believe my eyes, but they are growing. There is no doubt these are the real deal. This one is about the size of a walnut now.

This one is about the size of a large Spanish olive. 

There are more coming too. It would be great to get a bumper crop. Okay, and just as I wrote "bumper crop," I had to go check to see what that means. I don't know about you, but I say that all the time without ever wondering what I'm talking about. Here's what my friend Wikipedia has to say about it:

In agriculture, a Bumper Crop is a crop that has yielded an unusually productive harvest. The word "bumper" in this context comes from a usage that means "something unusually large", which is where this term comes from.

But the Farmer's Almanac goes further, explaining how the term "bumper" came to be used:

 A cup or glass of wine, filled to the brim, used to be called a "bumper." Charles Dickens wrote in 1839, “This charming actress will be greeted with a bumper,” meaning a crowded house at the theater.

Okay...it's always good to know what you're talking about when prattling on. Wouldn't you agree? 

The giant sunflower has opened even bigger than before. The flower is the size of a large dinner platter.

I'm checking the cucumbers every day now. Even though I've harvested them four days in a row, I still found these in yesterday's check. 

I checked in on the tomatoes in the greenhouse too since I knew there were some turning red. It seemed time to pick these four. 

Especially when I found this little one sitting on one of the support beams. Now I know why the squirrels aren't eating the flowers. 

It was kind of a weird day, weather-wise. Our skies have been overcast. I believe we're getting some of the smoke from Eastern Oregon, but it was also clouded over. We even got a sprinkling of rain. The cloud-cover kept it from getting terribly hot, but the humidity has been higher than usual. It doesn't take long to get too hot when we're standing in the sun. Sadie decided to take shelter on the cool deck. She prefers sitting under one of the chairs...kitties prefer shade to sunscreen. Have you ever tried cleaning your furs after applying sunscreen? Enough said, I think. 

Smitty took up residence next to the open door of his catio. You never know when a squirrel might scamper by. 

There was some time to do more quilting yesterday. Smitty has discovered the screen on my machine is an excellent chin-scratching location. If you know kitties, then you know their chins are very itchy.

He was encouraged to find another spot to sit, and I went to work on the quilting. The three petals from yesterday were started in the center, and then I just waited to see what my hands would do. 

When I'd stitched three, Smitty was ready to call it a day. 

 It seemed like a good idea to me too.

Today will be much like yesterday. I'll need to spend some time in the garden, hoeing weeds, and looking for anything else that needs harvesting. Right now, it's zucchini and cucumbers. One must be diligent when dealing with both. With Ella's Flower Garden finished, I'll be quilting one of the small quilts on my domestic machine. Next up on my list is the redwork Quilt Shop piece stitched earlier this spring.

Also, today should be the reveal for August's Posy block. I look forward to the first of each month for the newest block. These have been so much fun.

I'm using the color of the month from the Rainbow Scrap Challenge to make my blocks, and I've already pulled fabric for August's aqua block. Now I just need the reveal.

Oh yes, and I almost forgot. It's August 1st (shivers at the thought of how close we are to Christmas). It's time to set a goal for August's

With the addition of Ella's Flower Garden to the pile, I now have something like 12 quilt tops that need to be sandwiched for quilting. My goal for August is to sandwich all these quilts and get them ready for the quilting year ahead. I'll be starting on this very soon.

So, there's lots to work on today, but mostly sewing. It's going to be a good Sunday.