Friday, October 30, 2020

Hsts for fall

 Hi everyone! Yeah, I know, it's been a while. What can I say? Thanks for your emails checking up on me! I'm okay, really. There has been stitching happening, but not writing. I do what I can, you know? And some things are looking up. A huge problem that we were having at work looks like it's going to resolve (hurray!) and I finished an 8-week class that I was teaching, so now I have a tiny bit more time. Zoom remains exhausting, but in between classes I sometimes play videos of my grandkids singing the ABCs. It's not scholarly, but it's keeping me afloat!

Before we go any further, here is a picture of the last of the geraniums:

 

I think they know they're getting uprooted this weekend, so they've decided to put on a last show. Has anyone ever tried over-wintering these? It wouldn't hurt to try, right? I have a new garage to keep them in, after all! (No it isn't finished. Soon, they tell me, but I've heard that before.) Let me know if you have any great semi-southern gardening wisdom.

As for the sewing part of my life, there has been sewing, specifically sewing a lot of hsts:


If you remember, I had planned to make Myra's Sunnyside pattern in dark blues and yellow, but then a friend gave me a bunch of golds, and Myra also posted a picture of the quilt done in multicolors by Tula Pink. So why not change the plan a bit and do something a bit more creative? I pulled out some graph paper to make a coloring page and rooted through the scraps and came up with the beginnings of what will be a fall-colored quilt.

[On a completely unrelated note-- I'm thinking of getting a used Accuquilt just for cutting hsts. Any thoughts or wisdom?]

Amazingly, I had enough scraps in enough fall colors, and here's a small part of what I've got so far:


I'm using the golds as the lights and the fall colors as the darks. I think it's going to work out just fine, don't you?

I also have done a little fabric acquisition in the last couple of weeks. I bought this stack of fat quarters, which is really not like me, but they were so pretty!

This is Apricot and Ash by Corey Yoder. I was thinking of using them to make the Sewcialites Quilt Along, except that I don't like the layout they have. I'll need to come up with a new layout before I can start making blocks. Luckily, I have more graph paper.

I also bought this fat quarter pack:
 


Again, not like me! But they were so pretty and looked so fresh that I couldn't resist. I have no plan for these, but I like them and they make me happy. Is there a better reason to buy fabric?

Well, there's my update! Still here, still stressed, still not sick, still trying to keep a good thought. Sewing when I can. Hope you all are doing the same. Stay healthy and sane, everyone, and remember to wash those hands!
 

 Sharing at Finished or Not Friday

18 comments:

Linda Enneking said...

I have overwintered geraniums successfully by just putting them in our unheated garage and ignoring them until early spring when I trim them back and water them occasionally.
Yesterday I saw a facebook post from Fig Tree Quilts of a new pattern called Hydrangea that I thought would be pretty done with Apricot and Ash.

The Joyful Quilter said...

I'm looking forward to seeing what those HSTs grow up to be, Mari. I've been wanting to play with some fall colors, too. Maybe next week!

Preeti said...

No wonder you declined to go fabric shopping... You are already loaded up with new goodies :-) The geranium is so pretty. Just thinking about your grand babies singing to you over the internet makes me smile. So sweet. Golds will shine and the Fall darks will bring richness - perfect mix. See you soon :-)

Libby in TN said...

Florals are supposedly the new "thing" so you are right on target. Thanks for reminding me to bring in my geraniums. I've never overwintered inside but I figure it doesn't hurt to try.

piecefulwendy said...

Love the new fabric! My mom used to overwinter her geraniums; just cut them back and put them in the basement somewhere dark. Our septic guys are here (yay) and making huge messy, muddy tracks in our yard (boo). At least they are getting the work done. Hope your garage is done soon too! Happy sewing!

Sara said...

Fabric and flowers - all so pretty and cheerful.

My first school superintendent always had a row of ice cream pails with wintering geraniums in his office in front of the windows. They were all cut back. And then in spring he took them home and planted them along the front of his house. Big, red geraniums.

Sally said...

The HST dies are one of the more efficient Accuquilt dies - not as much "waste" as say the 1/4 square triangles. Aside from cutting directional fabric, they're also easy for fan-folding fabric as they are symmetrical. I like the chisel die, but need to either use solid fabrics or really pay attention to RS/WR of fabric when cutting them out.

Dixie said...

My experience with the HST dies has been unsatisfactory. Threads accumulate in the points and cause subsequent cuts to be very slightly distorted. The points have to be cleaned out with a pick frequently. I don't use any of my Accuquilt HST dies anymore and would gladly send them to you.
For cutting a large amount of HSTs, I use triangle template paper because they all come out perfect, no trimming. For smaller amounts or scraps I use Bonnie Hunters Easy Angle ruler method.

Bernie Kringel said...

Nice to see a post from you. I have also been slow at blogging. Love the colors of your project and new FQ bundles!!
Yes to over wintering the geraniums. You will like pulling them out in the spring again.
Hang in there. Lots of FaceTime with the littles will keep you cheerful. :-)

JCH said...

I bring the best of my geraniums in the house after 1st frost. Put them in the front window on a table and look after them all winter. They bud and bloom. Not like outside but nice to have color thru winter white. Then when temp warms up again-out they go. I just hate to throw away something that still has a will to live! :)

Nann said...

I have not overwintered them -- garage is too cold and the basement is too humid....Love the autumn tones in the HST project!

Louise said...

I totally understand why those fabrics had to come home with you! Who can resist such pretty fat quarter bundles? Not me. And I really like the golds as your background neutrals. So rich and seasonal :)

MissPat said...

Yes, you can keep your geraniums in the garage over the winter, providing it won't go below freezing. Otherwise, the basement is better. I keep some of mine growing on a long plant stand in a south facing window, but have also winter some in the basement. You need to cut them back in the spring (probably Feb where you live to stimulate new growth). But at that point they will also need more light. Can't help with the Accuquilt.
Pat

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Ohhh Your new plan is coming together so nicely - those golds are yummy!

QuiltGranma said...

I have overwintered geraniums into our house a number of years in the past. I had gotten some that the leaves if brushed smelled like roses! Wonderful, and the farm where I had gotten them closed, so kept them alive for many years by bringing them in. I put them in a south window and they did beautifully.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

I think we are all doing what we need to do to just stay afloat these days! Glad some issues at school are resolving themselves. I really like that Sunnyside pattern! It will be gorgeous in your colors!

Sherrill said...

My mom used to take snips of her geraniums and plant them in little pots of sand and keep them in her sunny windows over the winter and then planted them outside come spring. She did this every year and always had beautiful geraniums.

JanineMarie said...

Ah, don’t know how I missed this post with all the pretty acquisitions. I bet you just want to pet that bundle of FQs. I hope you’ve continued to find bits of time to sew and to watch more ABC videos. Those will be treasures for sure. Such heart clutchers! I hope you figured out what you wanted to do with the geraniums. My only version of overwintering is usually to cut the dried heads of the calendulas and sprinkle them around the garden for surprise blooms next year. Oh, and this year we are trying milkweed seeds that we picked up in the prairie in pots in the garage.