Before and After

Most of this post won't be about quilting so skip to the bottom if you don't care for gardening.

This is what happens when you go to the Home Builders and Remodelers Show--you always find something you "have" to do to your house.  I didn't want to go but with a retired husband now, we're figuring out the new "normal".

BEFORE:

Left corner

Left Center

Cherry Tree in all her glory

Messy, messy, messy.  Sixteen years of growth, some not in the right places, just messy.

AFTER:

When it warms up, I'll put two big flower pots at the base of the steps.

I plan to add 3 more Drift Roses on this corner and we're adding a large birdbath near the corner too.

I must say it looks pretty bare to me right now.  We were able to save some of the shrubs and irises to move to other parts of the property.  It kills me to dig up perfectly good plants and throw them out but that's what happened.  I had to fight my husband for everything I kept.

While all the digging and planting was going on, I made quilts.  Here is my current BEFORE:

This is My Scrapbasket Sampler by Cheri Payne, a Facebook project.  I'm still not sure I like my setting blocks or the actual layout.  There is some applique' and borders yet to be provided--we won't get those until next week.  This long skinny layout is unusual and I might change that.  Will wait to see what Cheri provides next.  And I might buy a fat quarter or two in Chicago for those setting squares.  

I'm off to International Quilt Festival Chicago tomorrow morning, where I will work in the Education office and teach four sessions of Open Studios on the show floor--String Pieced Lemoyne Stars, Hexie Stars, and Artist Trading Cards (ATCs)--Baubles and Beads.  If you're there,  check the schedule  for Open Studios and come on by--it's FREE and full of great info provided by lots of teachers.

Hexie Stars

String Pieced Lemoyne Star

ATC by Mariette found on Pinterest

I'm sorry this is not one of my ATC collection pieces--they are now packed in the suitcase.  But Google Artist Trading Cards and find many links, images, and videos on the process of making these little baby art pieces, generally 2.5" x 3.5".  This is a great project for a group of friends to do together--it doesn't take a lot of any one thing but the more beads/baubles/photo transfers/ephemera/etc. you have, the more amazing your cards will be.  The idea is to make a bunch and swap with other artists.  That's where most of mine came from and I'll show them next week when I get home.

Have a great week, and let's quilt!

Barbara