Memorial Day 2018

Guess who has a new favorite photo-op spot for quilt photography??

The perfect white railing with a burbling creek beyond!

No cows were in sight yesterday – they’ve wandered down around the bend in search of greener pastures.

This quilt, which as of yet has no name, may be winging its way to Quiltmaker shortly for appearance in an upcoming issue.  And then on to a future book after that – and it was so fun to throw it over the porch rail for a couple of shots.

Hooray for FINALLY getting this binding and label stitched down and completed.

I took the last stitches while we were still watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Jeff had fallen asleep on the floor, and I covered him with this newest finish.  Finished quilts need to be slept under - immediately!  It's good luck, don't you know?

Meanwhile, the menfolk were mowing!

The yard at Quiltville Inn is right at an acre – and most of it, including what will be the parking area is grass.  It was fun to see my cheddar mower in action!

Yes, that is a tree slide you see behind Jeff.  It will come down at some point – it belonged to the family who owned the inn before we did.  They had a couple of small children, and I smile thinking of the fun they must have had in this wonderful yard.

The hubster and the weedwhacker – trimming the wilderness back a bit!

There is an abundance of wildflowers right now – purple and white, just beautiful.  I told him to go easy on them.  I don’t plan on manicured gardens – I just want green and lush with a bit of taming.

Beautiful!

We don’t know what the remainder of that brick wall is/was.  However, it is OLD OLD OLD brick so could have been part of an old smokehouse or outdoor kitchen from when the house was first built.  I don’t know what we are going to do with it.  So for right now it stays.

The wood “octagon” you see in the lawn is hollow underneath.  You can hear it when you walk on it.  Could it have been a root cellar?  There doesn’t seem to be a way to open it.  What would a house built in the 1880s have? 

The rectangle on a rope you see is a tree swing.  Perfect for kids, not perfect for adults.  When I tried to sit on it (oh, that was a pretty picture) the bough bent enough that my hind end was nearly on the ground.  LOL.

Now this was fun!

While the guys tackled the yard, I worked at removing the old rubber tiles from the back entry, office, and bathroom at my Post Office. That yellow stuff has got to go!

The tile came up easily, and to my surprise look what I found under one of the tiles in the office! It had to be put down there when the floor was installed, there is no other explanation for it being embedded under the tile.

A 1970 quarter! A time capsule moment! It's about time new flooring happened in here. (No, it is not a valuable 1970 quarter – just a normal one.  We checked.)

I love thinking of the many things that happened within these walls over the past many decades that this Post Office was fully functioning in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia.

Someone suggested that I find a 2018 quarter and put it under the new tile when it goes in.  I think that’s a great idea.

The tile is now gone, and we are ready to install new sub-flooring before putting new tile down.

Much scrubbing also happened.

This is a metal bed frame I picked up on Facebook Marketplace a few weeks back – someone’s little girl was getting a bigger bed and didn’t want something so girly.  Well, I do!  I scrubbed up the frame out on the back porch while watching the guys do their thing.

There are some chips and wear, but that just adds to the whole shabby chic appeal.  I’d love to find a couple other metal beds to go with this one in one of the bedrooms.  I sense a theme coming on!

Evening hand stitching.

Unlike the other two hand quilting projects I have completed in the past year – both of which were samplers – this one has it’s 16 blocks all identical.

So my progress photos are going to look all the same as there is no new hoop view as I move the hoop from place to place.  There is a reason I like to go scrappy, ,and the only thing scrappy about this quilt is the triangle sashing.

I still love seeing the texture happen as each needle-load of stitches is taken.  I’m quilting with Gutermann thread, also a subsidiary of American & Efird. the same company that makes the Signature 60 wt that I machine and hand sew with.  Dragonfly thimble by TJ Lane.

Though it is Memorial Day, I will be heading down to home this afternoon. 

I need tomorrow to get ready for my trip to Mississippi on Wednesday!

Still on-going: ALL DIGITAL PATTERNS in the Quiltville Store are 25% off through the 29th using coupon code DIGITAL25 at purchase. Must use code to redeem, so don’t forget!

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Memorial Day Remembrances.

Today I will say "Happy Memorial Day!" And mean it.

While Memorial Day is a time to reflect on the service of those who died defending our liberty, it should also be celebrated for the very same reason - that liberty is alive and well.

That's something to be happy about.

Can one be in remembrance and be happy at the same time?

If not, what were they fighting for?

Have a wonderful Memorial Day, my friends.