2011 July 31

Another hot, hot day – heat warnings in effect. At 12 noon it was already 95 degrees. I do believe out here on the ridge and in the shade we might get up to 100 for the second time this summer – we have been “lucky” and mainly stay around 95 Smile not much difference once it gets to 95 in my opinion.

I was outside for a couple hours this morning – around 8:30 and I was reading a new book that I had put on my Kindle the other day. This has been a reading summer for me. With the heat being so bad there is not much gardening to be done so I have been reading and sewing with a few bouts of housework in between.

The author I am stuck on right now is Tess Gerritsen. She is the author of “Rizzoli & Isles” which has been made into a tv series on TNT with it just having started two weeks ago I think – unless this is new to me but not new at all? I like the books (series), I have watched the show two times now and it is ok but not as good as the books – the usual way it seems to be.

I have gotten more quilting done on “Going in Circles” – almost to the half way point on the final border – sorry, that one isn’t real clear is it.

This is how much is left to do, I will keep working on it all week. I still hope to be done at the end of the week.

I have been hand piecing Joseph’s Coat as well – it is coming along nicely – slow but nice Smile What I have up there for the bottom row is finished – more to come of course but for what is up there is what I am talking about -

I have a partial round in the living room ready to work on for the second row

I think I had mentioned right after I got the background fabric that I was going to need more of it as I hadn’t ordered enough, I got on line right away and ordered more but they only had a couple yards left and sent me what they had and after several phone calls to them – them letting me know what they had and didn’t have I decided to order another shade from them of the same thing. I figure with this being a rainbow quilt a rainbow background would go with the design. But when I got the fabric it was darker than I wanted a lot darker!! I knew they had nothing else and I had already done some searches so knew I was stuck with what I had and to work with it. I decided to bleach the new background to get it closer to what I already had – I wish I would have had a before and after photo but I didn’t think of it at the time.

I don’t think you can really see in this photo but the piece on the right is my original piece – a little shade of light green — the one on the left is bleached and now has a hint of blue in it – it is lighter now that what I had wanted. I think I might try a green tea dye to see if I can get it a little closer to what I want. It doesn’t have to be exact and I’m sure I won’t be able to get it exactly – but I just want it a little closer. I’ll let you all know what I end up with!! About half of the quilt going on the diagonal – corner to corner will be the first shade that I got and the second half of the quilt will have the newer shade – I think it will work out well even if I can’t get the green tea dye to do it much darker.

Hot summer days bring the Hummingbirds out to the feeders – it took them awhile to come back but several weeks ago we finally had them back.