Saturday, January 15, 2022

Summer and Hydrangeas♡


 


Hello lovely lovelies♡ How are you all?? Is this new year being kind to you?? Life has just rolled into another year.....much the same as the last year, really. War mongering, political intrigues and other such  world-shattering matters; such as gladiatorial battles in the tennis arena, where lies and subterfuge are being combatted, blow by blow, the likes of which has never been seen before. =) Sorry.......just my droll sense of humour. Us Aussies are a funny mob! Thank the Good Lord for my sense humour!! It truly keeps me sane......as does all things stitching. 

Down here at the bottom of the world me and my Pete welcomed the new year in by standing outside blanketed by inky darkness with only the spectacular theatre of the night sky as our witness. We stood awe struck with The Milky Way glistening just above our heads; The Southern Cross and The Saucepan (Orion) shining down upon us, too. Both of us silent, lost in our own thoughts.....prayers; awe struck by the beauty that is the night sky. If ever one feels a bit how's-your-mother, one only needs to step outside in the death of night, look up at God's sky and feel a sense of wonder and astonishment; a sense of majesty. Though, is it only 15 days ago the new year rolled in; really?? 

I love this time of the year in Tassie. Long summery days filled with sunshine and warmth that seem to go on forever, punctuated by cooler, rainy days for good measure. Fabulous lazy days filled with sewing, reading, gardening.......and more often than not, not much at all, really. Also, it is hydrangea time♡ The hydrangeas this year are spectacular! It looks as if my pruning regime in early spring has reaped amazing results. There are hydrangeas everywhere. So, so gorgeous. Truly, the mop heads are huge.....and some of the bushes are towering above me.  So many different blues, purples and a few pinks; all happily jostling for space. It always amazes me how hydrangea bushes can be planted next to each other but the hues are vastly different. 

My Hydrangea Cobblestones quilt top is finished. The last time you visited my sewing room all the EPP octagons and squares were sewn into a central panel and a pretty border fabric had been attached. I wanted to applique hydrangeas dancing around the border in a relaxed fashion, but this didn't quite eventuate as I didn't like the look of the flowers. Try as I might the several designs I came up with were not pleasing to my eyes. The flowers didn't look symmetrical, and though more often than not, I am perfectly content to live with assymetrical, this time the seemingly haphazard fashion in which the hydrangea flowers were placed didn't make me jump up and down with great joy. So......I decided upon a rather stylised design and I must admit I love the way the design finishes the quilt top. Not as free flowing as I would've liked but I think a good resolution. I think the border is a good fit with the EPP hydrangea cobblestones.  Actually, now I am jumping up and down with delirious joy. =) Gosh, it took an age, though. This mathematically challenged gal had difficulty working out the maths. I am afraid the very word 'maths' causes my brain to go into an apoplectic shock and shut down! When it came to the leaves I was going to embroider the veins with stranded cotton, but decided against this as I didn't want the leaves to stand out. Also, there was no embroidery anywhere else on the quilt. I machine stitched the veins and am happy with the look.




















Now for the quilting. Some hand quilting to enjoy over the next couple of months. I have a few thoughts re the quilting but haven't decided on a final pattern. For the back, because I don't want to purchase fabric, I will piece together some fabrics from my stash.


Thank you for stopping by my little place to see what goings-on have been happening down here......not that there's a lot going on. =) Me thinks relaxing, summer days will be the order of my coming week. Oh...and there is a birthday, so that is a wee bit exciting. Sending some warm sunshine your way (because I have a notion some of you are in need of a little warm sunshine to shoo those wintry chills away).....and a basket overspilling with drop-dead-gorgeous hydrangeas. Cheerio from my  paradisiacal, hydrangea place♡ Have a beautiful week, lovely lovelies♡ 

Until the next time........... 



Linking up this week to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching and Judy's Design Wall Monday and Frédérique's Patchwork and Quilts.........when of course, Sunday and Monday roll around in my little paradise, once again♡


53 comments:

  1. Despite the atrocities the power and gas company are throwing at us in the new year (the first sky-rocketing their prices, the latter informing us that they cannot deliver what they promised and what we are paying for) in this household we are held together by good humour and sheer, raw and unimaginable optimism. I sincerely expect a calmer and steadier year. I don't want to live in interesting times. I want tranquility. And what you described in your post is just that.
    Your quilt is amazing - as always! I bet it is exciting beyond measure when you see your work finished, isn't it? wishing you a lovely weekend! Hugs!

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  2. Your quilt is looking wonderful, Kim. So do all your hydrangeas. I tried to grow some once but it wasn't very successful!

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  3. Beautiful post !
    We have to joke about what's going on around the world if we want to keep sane ;)
    Lovely way to welcomed New Year ! With love and stars !
    And your quilt ? Quelle beauté !!!! Gorgeous !
    Beautiful hydrangeas and pictures !
    Have a nice weekend !
    Hug
    Anna

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  4. OWO I love to admire the night sky. It seems you had a perfect start for the New Year. Here it was rainning.
    Hydrangeas quilt top is gorgeous, I am sure you will come up a great hand quilting for it. Have a wonderful weekend, Kim.

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  5. Hydrangea heaven! what delicious photos both inside and out, such beauty. Your border is inspired how beautiful and so very clever it looks as though it just had to be that way, you are a very clever designer Kim how I would love to spend time with you amongst your hydrangea paradise. The night sky is indeed beautiful when you can see it, I'm afraid it's mostly clouds we are seeing at the moment but a lovely way to see in the New Year gazing up at the night sky. Have a great weekend. xx

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  6. Your hydrangea quilt looks so lovely draped among the hydrangea bushes :D
    Beautiful piece of work!! I especially like the photo with your doggie!!
    This morning it was 6 degrees (F) with a windchill of 2 degrees (F)--definitely way too cold--inside for us today...hugs, Julierose

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  7. So, so pretty!!! I'm jumping up and down for joy with you!!! What a great batch of hydrangea you're having, too! The perfect setting for a hydrangea quilt. Happy quilting, Kim!!!

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  8. Another outstanding creation, Kim! I opened a couple of the photos in new links just so I could see the detail of the center body, so fabulous! Another masterpiece to rival Mother Nature's show! Thank you for sending the warm vibes. Yes, we are about to get our second big snow event of the year, coming tomorrow. And Covid is wreaking havoc throughout my family, even my grandbaby girl who will be just 5 mos Monday has had it the past two weeks. She and my daughter, sil are on the mend now, but it has been stressful on them all. While I hope your summer linger, I'm here to cheer winter's end and better days ahead!

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  9. What beautiful hydrangeas! Your quilt is stunning. So glad to see your pictures now that we are expecting snow again tomorrow.

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  10. Thank you for sharing your paradisiacal, hydrangea and sunny place! We need sun and warm ;) Well done with your gorgeous quilt top, I love the border! Enjoy quilting it!
    Thank you for sharing your beauties, and linking up today!

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  11. Seeing the panoramic view of your hydrangea border clearly shows why you can cut so many beautiful bouquets. Wish I had the right conditions to grow them, but will delight in looking at yours instead. We're going down to 0 degrees F tonight (and last night the low was 2F). !2" of snow predicted for Monday. Time to stay cozy inside.
    Pat

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  12. Your hydrangea quilt is beautiful! When you need some summertime warmth next winter, you can cozily wrap yourself in this quilt and be warm! Happy quilting!

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  13. Te está quedando preciosa y el borde con las hojas me gusta mucho, pero lo que realmente me gusta son las vistas desde tu ventana y tooooodas ésas maravillosas hortensias de tu jardín. BESICOS.

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  14. Beautiful post Kim, your Hydrangeas are flourishing! Your quilt is wonderful, I think the border looks great. Have a wonderful relaxed week.

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  15. Fabulous hydrangeas and gorgeous quilt. God bless you and yours.

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    1. Thank you so much, lovely Maristella. May God bless you and yours, too.

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  16. Happy new year! Love the quilt. Oh, such colors and beautiful weather (as it's currently 4F here). It warms me up just looking. :-)

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  17. Oh your quilt turned out stunning Kim!! Such gorgeous fabrics !! I love the photo of dear Maisie sitting there for a photo Op. She is so sweet 💙
    Do you have to water your hydrangeas Kim? I am asking because ours here go quite limp in the dry & look rather sad. Do you have a water system that runs under them or do you just use the hose as I do? They are so beautiful - will you pick some & dry them I wonder? Sorry for all the questions.

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  18. Beautiful Hydrangea everywhere. Outdoors, indoors views and now a lovely quilt top. The border is a nice touch. It frames all the blooms. The butterfly background is perfect. All the lush color is a sight for weary winter eyes here in northern North America. Relax and enjoy your lazy summer days.

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  19. Oh wow those hydrangeas are gorgeous and so big like you say. Your quilt looks terrific and I just love the way you did the border around them great idea! Have fun figuring out what kind of quilting you want to do around it, and enjoy that beautiful weather. We had snowfall today and half of it melted by the end of the day, should be gone by tomorrow.

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  20. What a pretty view you have from your sewing maching. I do love the border that you eventually decided on. The maths wouldn't have bothered me, but the deciding would have. I like the idea of adding the veins to the leaves using the sewing machine. My mother used to add lime to the soil to make a couple of her blue hydrangeas turn pink. I don't do that for her so now she has several blue and lavendar plants and one yellow hydrangea. I like seeing all the different hues in your garden.

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  21. So glad to see what you have been up to in all this craziness lately and beautiful hydrangea quilt top it is!!! I love your dog too :)
    Stay safe and so happy to know you are! Kathi

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  22. Well, talk about lushness ..... those fabrics and your top fit perfectly into the landscape! Very pretty indeed and I do like your border. Seeing all your bushes in bloom gives me cheer when we have experienced a few very cold days of -31C (feels like -41C with the windchill). Our turn will come in a few more months of warmer weather and spring pushing up its treasures.

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  23. Gorgeous hydrangeas in your garden and on your quilt! Your border design frames it perfectly. You will enjoy quilting this lovely quilt filled with your favourite blooms! Cold here with a snow storm arriving tonight and continuing all day tomorrow. I anticipate getting lots of sewing done!

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  24. Your way with words never ceases to amaze me! Your quilt is gorgeous. I love that you captured your cute little dog next it to it!

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  25. Gorgeous, gorgeous hydrangeas and quilt! I love all your pictures, and your beautiful prose! I had to cut my hydrangeas back a lot this year, they were too leggy and pitiful looking after so little rain last year the horrible heat of the summer. So we will see what I come out with. I dream of visiting your beautiful flower gardens and sitting in that beautiful room of yours! When is your birthday? My daughter's is on the 21st. Hope you have a great birthday!

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  26. Cheerio from my paradisiacal, hydrangea place♡ Thank you. It's always a joy to see not only your most lovely quilts and know that you are creating but also to see the wonderful pictures of flowers. YOU can't go wrong in my eyes - quilting and flowers. :) It does seem just a bit strange that you're enjoying all that flowery beauty when it's cold and we have snow. I will say that snow can be just as beautiful with that white magic covering up the brown. Love the drifts and the designs created by the wind as it blows the snow around. May your hydrangea place be magical again this week.

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  27. Happy New Year! It is a delight to the eye to see your beautiful hydrangea quilt surrounded by the most beautiful hydrangeas in your garden. It looks like a flower park. Enjoy the summer, relax and have a wonderful stitching week!

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  28. Happy New Year and Happy Birthday, is it yours or Pete? Hello to your gorgeous pooch too.
    The hydrangea quilt is gorgeous, and your border idea turned out really well. Sometimes we just have to go with plan B or C when our first brilliant idea doesn't work out as we had hoped. Happy hand quilting, you will enjoy stitching this lovely quilt, I know.


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  29. Happy New Year! This is beautiful and how lovely to have your hydrangea top finished at the perfect time to display it with the ones in your garden. New year seems very long ago. I'm surprised to realise it's only been two weeks! I hope Spring hurries up. In the meantime, I'm very glad to share the sunshine and beautiful colours of Summer with you and Maisie :) xxx

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  30. Your hydrangeas are just gorgeous, Kim, and so is your hydrangea quilt! Your photos definitely chase some of the winter blues away. I'm zooming in close to look at your border there because I have a quilt I would like to add some applique to on the borders very similar to yours. Do you hand stitch or machine stitch your applique?

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  31. Your hydrangeas are gorgeous - both the real ones and your quilt. I envy your hydrangeas as the ones in my yard have really struggled.

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  32. I am SOOOOO jealous. Your hydrangeas both in the quilt and completely surrounding your garden are fabulous. Stunning, both of them. We woke up to cold and have winter on our hands. So seeing the pastel colors of your quilt are wonderful. And I think your final border is just perfect for it. Love how you made the fabric into octagons. I think they made it with the lovely vine and leaves.

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  33. Good idea to go stargazing while politicians and oil$gas magnates are slowly strangle each other :) I also do a lot of blue sky, sailing clouds and sea waves gazing, it works too :)
    And аs usual I'm overwhelmed with the amount of beauty in your post, Kim!
    Happy New Year and Happy birthday to you, Beautiful Soul!

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    1. If only the politicians and oil$gas magnates would strangle each other, Alina. =) It would certainly make for a better world! Yes, blue sky sailing clouds and sea waves gazing would work too. =) Thank you so much, lovely Alina, for your beautiful wishes and lovely words. Kim Xx

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  34. Hi Kim
    Your hydrangeas are wonderful, so many of them. Your quilt looks wonderful and so pretty.
    Have a great week enjoying the sunshine.
    Best wishes and happy healthy new year to you and yours.
    Kay c xx

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    1. Hello lovely Kay, we do have a lot of hydrangeas, don't we? But then, I think one can never have too many. =) A happy and healthy 2022...yes please! May you and yours have a wonderful 2022, too. Thank you for your beautiful visit and your lovely well wishes. Kim Xx

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  35. Both your quilts and your plants are stunning. Last year our hydrangea flowers got burned by extreme heat so we missed out on all that lovely.

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  36. That border looks wonderful with that quilt, and that quilt looks so nice among allthe hydrangeas. It is hard to tell the quilt apart of the actual flowers. Gorgeous! We have 2-4 inches of snow and it is still snowing.

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  37. Oh my Kim, how fitting to display by our quilt amongst your flowering hydrangeas!! The border is absolutely perfect!! What a beauty it is. Piecing together fabrics from your stash for the backing will be so nice. Happy quilting it!

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  38. Oh, thank you, dear Kim, for sharing your gorgeous hydrangea blooms and your hydrangea quilt! Here in the “frozen north” they are very welcome sights! The border you’ve created really is perfect and I know you are quite pleased. Enjoy quilting your beauty with your lovely garden in the background. Happy new year! Z

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  39. Dearest Kim,
    YOU AND YOUR HYDRANGEAS, we could write a book on this love, the love you have for those you stitcht on your wonderful quilts, and for those-amazing- you grow in your stunning garden and gather and preserve in your wonderful greenhouse and home!
    Thank you Dearie,
    Have a fabulous remainder of your week
    Much love
    Daniela at ~ My little old world ~ (Dany)

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  40. Wow Kim, your indoors matches your outdoors now. If that were to happen here, we'd be swathed in white as we had a blizzard yesterday that dumped over 40 cm of snow on us. But it was very cozy inside by the fire.
    I love your border you settled on and think the simplicity complements the busier center. Always so much beauty in your posts; thank you dear and happy stitching!

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  41. How wonderful it is that the new year starts with radiant summer weather with you! While it is bleak and cold and foggy here.
    Your hydrangeas are beautiful and stunning.
    Your hydrangea quilt top is very lovely, with the blue and lilac/purple flowers and the stylized stems and leaves, ingeniously made!!! Also goes so well with the flowers in your pretty garden.
    Have fun hand quilting and thank you for the warm rays of sunshine you send us. ♥

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    1. Loes, your part of the world does sound decidedly chilly! So, so happy to send you warm rays of sunshine to your wintry world. The hydrangeas ain't half bad, are they? =) They are glorious this year; the best they have ever been. Wherever one looks beautiful continual drifts of blues and purples. And......they will remain so for months to come. Truly, hydrangeas are the best flower for month after month flowering joy! As for my Hydrangea Cobblestones quilt, I love the way it has turned out, and as you say the garden is the perfect backdrop for a photo shoot. =) Thank you for visiting my little summery place. It is always a delight when you do so. Hope you are enjoying a lovely week. Keep warm! Kim Xx

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  42. Wish you a very happy 2022 and enjoy the wonderful summer there with you down under.

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    1. Thank you so much, lovely Loes♡ I think we all could do with a happier 2022, couldn't we? =) Hoping this new year is a fabulous one for you, lovely lady. Oh.....and I most certainly will enjoy every day of this wonderful summer, here at the bottom of the world. Kim Xx

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  43. Beautiful quilt, Kim. And the colors of the hydrangeas in your garden are amazing. I always thought their colors were dependent on the pH of the soil, but maybe not?

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  44. Kim - I am so blessed to have you as a blogging buddy - when my garden is buried under a foot of snow, I can enjoy yours! Last week, I received a seed catalog for native grasses and flowers, and I fairly fainted with desire. Our days are getting a little longer ... it is not pitch black when we rise any more!!! I love the dress form in one of your photos. If "someone's" birthday is coming up, Happy Birthday!

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  45. Happy New Year, Kim!
    I love the gorgeous "crowd" you have right outside your sewing room window.
    Your quilt looks very mathematically pleasing to me. So lovely!
    A birthday you say...wonderful. Happy upcoming Birthday, Kim!

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  46. Don't know what is lovelier - your quilt or your garden!!! In any case, I am supremely jealous :-)

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  47. Oh my - talk about a feast for the eyes! I don't know which is more spectacular - the quilt or Pete's garden of hydrangeas. The colours are absolutely spectacular. And all that struggle with math (I'm with you on hating it) resulted in a perfect border design. You can't help but have sweet dreams beneath that wonderful quilt!

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