Quilting and Garden

I got to work on the weekly Sewcialite3 pattern that I call The General this week is a very easy one – this one is a 9.5″ block and I have plans to make a 6″ also and maybe a couple of the tiny 3.5″ blocks  – Warning photo heavy today.

So far here are the blocks done in no certain order – one can add sashing or blocks of the prints or neutrals in a variety of sizes.  I really haven’t looked at their particular lay out as I wasn’t sure if I would go with it.

I have one more Honey, Honey block ready to stitch – this week I plan to do a couple more of these blocks, one or more of the General and a Mercantile sampler block – lets see how good I do – I should add in a Jigsaw Puzzle unit or two also.  I think the knitting might be put aside until cooler weather and I’m almost done with the crochet blanket we will see.

Noriko’s Star from Saturday night – Linking to Melva Loves Scraps

The Garden – the weather was perfect yesterday to do outside work.  I got done putting the bird netting over the strawberries-the azaleas recovered from the cold weather  – couldn’t get the color right

so here are some close ups of the color  – the pink and the bees were busy at work.

There are a lot of dead branches in these bushes from the bad weather days and they will need to be cleaned up – a lot of pruning that can take place right after the blooms drop for about 3 weeks I believe or in the winter if you cut dead stuff off only

Here are the red

The white

And here is one of the cut back to the ground dead azaleas from when we lost 3 of the old bushes some years ago -3 or 4 years ago I have lost track (from a horrible winter cold spell).  I had about lost hope of any of those bushes growing back when yesterday I happen to glance over and saw the pink color – one is growing back. Surrounded by honeysuckle – I will need to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t become over come by the vines.  I was very surprised to see it.

One of the cages done that Mike is making for the two strawberry beds outside the fence – I can pick up from the front the white pvc pipe and flip it over the top and pick berries and then drop it back to the front and secure with 3 pegs .  One more cage to make.

The strawberry beds with all the netting in place so the birds won’t eat it all.  I still need to scatter slug pellets around, and tick/insect pellets so I don’t get tick bites – I put them rather thickly in here because I am kneeling or sitting on the ground all the time.  I also spray myself and check myself over when I get done.

the netting is black so it is really hard to see from the photos – I just lift up a little from the sides and reach in and pick when they are ready and adjust the clips if needed that hold them in place.

The rose bush in the corner is on the outside of the bed but it grew through so I will keep poking it back through in places to weave it in and out.  The blueberry bush as you can see are pitiful looking  these two have parts growing but if they don’t look better soon they will get ripped out – I’m getting fed up with them for not doing well – this is the 3rd or 4th year they should be better by now but the weather keeps damaging them.

and last photo I think this is the last of the various daffodils varieties that I have this one smells the best they are growing in several places.  Just noticed in the lower part of the photo I might have a Lily of the Valley poking up there – I see a little white.  I hadn’t looked at it closely so not sure