Much Ado About Spring

There is always much ado about Spring, isn't there, and quite rightly so. It is a season that holds so much promise as each day a new floralicious pretty, unfurls. It is a season that shoos away Ol' Man Winter's icy stranglehold and gently warms the landscape, and as if by  magic sprinkling it with a delicious piquancy of both perfumes and colour. Each day rolls slowly by gently leading one to a wonderful expectation of lazy Summer days.

As you may have guessed by now, Spring is celebrated with a feverish excitement here in my humble abode. I walk most days in the garden with my trusty spaniel shadowing my steps, and when time allows it sit awhile before the pond either with needle and thread in hand slowly stitching some pretty, perhaps reading one of  those "can't put it down" kinda books, sharing morning or afternoon tea with my husband who enjoys a brief respite after tending the garden, or indeed just sitting, reflecting on most anything.

I cannot believe the season of Spring is almost over and is strolling towards Summer. Once again the garden has gifted me with the most delicious of  floral delights. It never fails to extend it's hand and present me with the most beautiful of bouquets daily. Bouquets overspilling with Daffodils, Bluebells, Pansies, Irises, Ixias, Foxgloves, Orange Blossoms, Lilacs, Clematis, Forget-Me-Nots, Granny Bonnets, Wisteria, Love-In-The-Mist.......(don't you love this name.....it evokes many thoughts of all manner of amorous goings on deep within the steamy mist. =D ), Roses....the floral parade marches on and on.

Spring is not only a season celebrated by me, all the critters seem to feverishly celebrate the song of Spring. The chubby bumble bees, the lady bugs, the dragon flies, the fish in the pond, the sweet little birdies......all are frenetically darting from flower to flower doing their Spring thing.

As the days slip into Summer let me share with you just a few (well perhaps more than a few) delights from the garden with which Spring has filled my basket.

My trusty Spaniel, she rather loves flowers too. Isn't she the sweetest pup??

Of course when Maisie is not inspecting the beauty of each flower she is off chasing the ducks in the early mornings.

There has not been much 'ado-ing' concerning my garden quilt. Very little stitching of it has been enjoyed of late so this week I decided to plant some Foxgloves......well one to be exact. My goodness this little flower took ages to manipulate each petal, each leaf.....some twenty six hours....but whose counting....I AM! I suppose I will 'plant' a few more of these pretties, though I am not looking forward to this as they are so very fiddly to fashion.

Around these parts Foxgloves are usually seen everywhere but this year they haven't appeared. I believe the powers that be have deemed them to be weeds so have eradicated them......but what do they know. If they are considered to be weeds then they can take over my garden anytime. I love to see these pretty, tubular bell-shaped blooms pop up in the garden each Spring.

Slowly, slowly do the flowers on my quilt grow.

Why, as it is Sunday afternoon me thinks I will enjoy a little slow stitching right here in my sewing room and watch the black and white roving kaleidoscope, spectacle that is outside my window. I have auditioned some pansies tickling their toes in the water, so perhaps I will begin to stitch these pretties. A little stitching, then me thinks a spot of afternoon tea on the swing seat beside the pond. Sounds like a most excellent idea if you ask me. Aah.....don't you just love lazy Sunday afternoons?? I know I do.

Later this week both my daughters are flying in and we are all off for a little holiday in Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. I am so very excited.  With one daughter living in the USofA and one daughter living in another state way up north,  it is always a joyous occasion when we are all together. It is a rare occurrence these days for us all to catch up. I will be away from my little place for a little while but will visit all your lovely places when I return to my little place.

Before I scurry away for a little stitching let me say thank you to all you lovelies for your sweet comments re my last post. Each one of you bless my days. May your week be blessed with sprinkles of beauty.♥

Until the next time...........

Linking up this week to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching,

Who Would've Thunk it!!

Yes indeedy!! Who would've thunk it......Applique with a capital 'A', is actually enjoyable. I have avoided the "A" word for most of my quilting life. Why, I don't really know. I suppose I thought all those itty bitty, pointy leaves and minuscule petals of flowers, especially those that appear frequently in those Baltimore beauties, were just too tricky to coerce into anything that half resembles a  flower, or a leaf, or a butterfly, or a bird......you get the picture. Yes, I don't know if the tips of my leaves  are the sharpest they should be and yes, I don't know if some of the curves of my flower petals are the curviest they could be but do you know what, I am having the best time coaxing teeny tiny smidgens of fabrics into blossoms. I am loving this growing pretty fabric flowers caper.

This week my magical, mixed packet of seeds have germinated into Pansies and Tulips. More flowers for my big girl quilt have begun to show their happy faces.

Pansies for your Thoughts...........

Tulips for true love...............

Mmm......looking at all these pretties showing off in a lovely frame, me thinks a framed bouquet of appliqued floralicious delight could be rather spiffy! Goodness gracious me.....my imagination will just not stop imagining! =)

Thus far, I have chosen to applique using the freezer paper method. I have found this method to be the easiest as it enables me to finger press around each shape. When I peel off the paper template I dab the  turned under fabric with my glue stick here and there and then iron the fabric shape. I find this gives each shape a crisp, defined look, fabulous for those leaves with sharp tips. After manipulating over 100 petals and leaves I am getting the hang of this finger pressing caper. I have developed a soft touch with my fingers gently easing the curves, thus avoiding sharp indents that should not be there. I find this painstakingly slow, but oddly enough I don't seem to mind at all.

I have yet to stitch the flowers to the background though there has been a little hand stitching. I have stitched individual petals to form each flower and then join these to the stem with the leaves. When I do begin to stitch the flowers to the background it will be easier to arrange and then stitch the completed flower. This is probably not the way 'those people in the know' applique, but it suits me. It would be torture to stitch each little petal, each little leaf to the fabric background separately. Also the finer embroidery details are yet to be stitched. I will do this when I 'plant' the flowers on the quilt.

Whilst my applique flowers have been slowly growing this week, as I look out my windows I see signs that Spring is about to explode onto the scene. The Daffodils, those pretties that provide a spectacle towards the end of Winter are beginning to fade. I always feel Spring has arrived when I see the buds on the pendulous branches of the weeping cherry trees explode and cascade waterfall-like down to the ground. They truly are a spectacular sight.

Though mornings are still chilly it won't be long till I can be found relaxing on the swing seat by the pond, reading a book or two, or perhaps  stitching flowers to my big girl quilt.

Appliqued Daffodils, Pansies and Tulips. Next week I think I might attempt some Water Lilies, after all, the star of  the garden is the pond my husband has created. I can see the Water Lilies spilling out of the magical packet of mixed seeds as I type. How exciting!! Who knows, perhaps when next you visit my little Spring world the real stitching will have begun. Perhaps, just perhaps my applique flowers will have begun to blossom on the quilt. But for now, I will just keep having the best fun Appliqueing with a capital "A". As always, thank you for visiting my blossomy, little Spring place.

Until the next time.........

Linking this week at Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts......well because....it is Sunday and my stitching this week has been slower than a snail's pace. =)
AND....also at Soma's Wandering Camera at Whims and Fancies