Where Walkways are Welcome!

You'd think he was a young kid with a new Tonka toy!

Son Jeff came over to Quiltville Inn yesterday (He lives a mere hour away, so glad to have him close.) to help us with the next big project - putting in a paver pathway across the back lawn to keep feet dry and out of the wet grass.

We envisioned this from the first time we toured the property and considered purchasing it. 

Quilters unload cars in the drive to the east side of the garage, and pull their gear in provided wagons to the back porch.  It's the least amount of steps across the flattest ground as the front of the house is on a hill and there are two sets of steps to navigate.

The back porch is only 3 steps up.  

And it will be made so much better with a walkway!

Digging out a walkway leaves wheel barrows full of sod, dirt and debris.

You can barely see the plumb line here.

But I'm also excited about a spur that will come off the main walkway heading to the garage side door.

I go back and forth between the house and this garage door many times a day.  Supplies are kept in the garage, and of course the second laundry is in here as well - going across wet grass always leaves me tracking in grass clippings, leaves, mud -

Our "fill dirt" area is off the back side of the parking area behind the QPO studio next door - there is no easy way to get there by wheelbarrow, so filling up the tractor bucket and driving it over was a much more efficient way to handle things!

Over the edge it goes!

Our days have been sunny and weirdly warm.  Yesterday temps were near mid 50's and had us both in short sleeves.

The digging out should be completed today, and we can start the next step of preparing the walkway bed and adding pavers.

The wooden octagon you see was once the well when the house was built in 1884.

The stretch of walkway along where the trash receptacles are had the remains of an old brick well house, long tumbled down.  There was just one wall left when we purchased the place.  We saved the bricks and donated them to a local guy who was doing some rebuilding and needed old old bricks.  Recycling at its best!

When Jeff was digging out the sod yesterday he came across more bricks and pieces down into the dirt.

I bet those bricks had a story to tell - about  how they were locally made and the decades they were in use.

Things to love about December in the sunshine -

My two holly trees in front of the inn!

I noticed the brilliant red berries yesterday - and Christmas songs like "The Holly & The Ivy" were instantly being hummed.

Holly legends abound.

Superstition, magic and myth surround holly’s deeply Pagan roots. (The Christmas tree falls into this category too.) The Druids, Celts and Romans brought evergreens and holly into their homes during winter to provide a safe haven for faeries and other spirits. 

The Druids believed holly’s evergreen nature made it sacred as it remains green throughout winter and keeps the earth beautiful at a time when deciduous trees shed their leaves.

They believed that holly's ability to keep its shiny leaves and to bear fruit in winter was magical and assured the return of spring.

Some people used holly bark to make a syrup to cure coughs; others hung it over their beds to ensure pleasant dreams. 

Historically, American holly fruit tea was used as a heart stimulant by Native Americans.  Holly was also used for fever, digestive disorders, heart disease, and other conditions.

Holly was a popular Saturnalia gift among the Romans (the Roman celebration at the winter solstice honoring their god, Saturn) who later brought holly to England, where it was also considered sacred. 

Making wreaths of holly first originated in Ireland.

Christians later adapted the traditions and during some periods of history, it was known as the “holy” tree. 

Sorry for the overload - but I find all of this history stuff so interesting.

All I know is that my two holly trees are covered in red berries and I am captivated!

This also happened yesterday!

I finished quilting the brown/turquoise quilt and set to trimming it before adding binding.

Lola has other ideas!  (Who can argue with her? The quilt is in the sunny spot!)

Binding application -

Another one of those prints that won't ever go away?  The brown floral square to the left of the tan polka dot inner border - how many colorways did that come in?  This square was salvaged from the squares bin - I'm pretty sure that is the last of that one.  At least in brown.

Some asked on the pattern for the quilting.  It's called Arcadia by UrbanElementz.com.

Well crap.  

Rounding the 4th corner and......it was a quick fix, but this is what happens when I live on the edge playing corner roulette!

And the flip side.

The binding is on, sleeve and label attached.  Plenty of time for the hand stitching of this to commence AFTER I finish hand quilting the hexie quilt - 

You guys!  I'm so close - there are only FOUR hexies in the quilt center, and just a section of border to complete.  I'm nearly there!  And while we are talking hexies:

Brand new in the gifts section of the Quiltville Store!

If you are still looking for that perfect quilty gift for a quilty friend (or for yourself!) check out the Kaffe's Fabulous Florals Eco Pouch sets.  They are GORGEOUS.

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

This quote made me start humming my inner Rolling Stones:

⁣
"You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, well you just might find. You get what you need!" 

⁣
Have a wonderful Tuesday, everyone!