Garden Update

It has been a while since I have shared my garden with you. We have had a very strange summer this year. Much more rain than last year and a bit cooler but certainly not less humid. Step outside and you just start sweating. When I work out in the garden, even in the morning, I come in sopping wet. Some vegetables have done well this year, others not so well.

One thing that I am really happy about is being able to water my garden with a hose. I don't have to carry up watering can after watering can to water the veggies. Yippee! I smiled the whole time I watered the first time with the hose.

And it is all because of this 1500 gallon water tank Mr. P. installed. Now he doesn't have to help water either. The tank collects rain water from our house for the garden. As you can see the bell peppers are doing great this year.

I planted some asparagus last year. It is doing pretty good. Maybe next year we can eat some of it.

Here are pumpkin vines.

Squash borer bugs got to the stems before I realized the damage they were doing. I dug the worms/caterpillars out and covered up the wounds with foil.

Here is a view from the back of the garden. That is a pumpkin vine that I planted later in the summer.

Another view further down. The watermelon grew well at the beginning of the summer and then just stopped. We have beans, sweet potatoes, tomatillos, and tomatoes. I only got 5 zuchinni before those plants died.

I have one bed dedicated to the pollinators. I love fresh cut flowers.

 It has been another bad year for tomatoes. I have gotten some but they start rotting before they get ripe. The plants have been dying from the bottom and continue up the plant.

I just got some seeds in the mail the other day. I have planted some of those out in the garden. Some of the others in little starter pots.

With the few tomatoes I have gotten I have made homemade roasted tomato sauce.

The onions, garlic, green peppers and basil are all from my garden too.

Yum! Gardening is hard work. Sometimes you never know what is going to grow but for me it is fun. I love seeing all the veggies grow. If you are a gardener I hope you are having a good harvest.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

ps If you missed this post there is still time to vote for my daughter's fabric designs at the Connecting Threads contest.

What's going on!

Things are jumpin' around my place. I have been so busy that I have not had time to do much sewing at all. I have been out in the garden planting fall veggies. I have had company twice this past week. My son and his boss, who do renovations, came to gut our master bathroom. Then yesterday Mr. P. put in a new sliding glass door. During those times of renovations somehow I always seem to be involved. So that takes away from my sewing time. My opinion and clean up is needed. Last week I stopped by one of the quilting bees to say hi while I was out. Since I don't have any thing to show you today I will show you what Rosann finished.  I think this tiny quilt is a design from Primitive Gatherings.

 The flowers are done in wool and hand appliqued.

 Isn't this the sweetest quilt. The half square triangles measure at 1/2". I think that is what Rosann said. Anyway, they are teeny tiny. She is planning to mount this in a wooden tray.

 I was so glad I had my camera with me when I stopped in. Thanks Rosann for letting me share your sweet little quilt with others.
I hope this week will be a little less hectic and I can get some sewing done.
Thank you all for your votes on my daughter's fabric in the contest. If you don't know what I am talking about you can check out this post. There is still time to vote. Thanks!

With Passion,
Carrie P.

ps We have a new blogger in our midst. Go by and welcome Rina to blog land.

Please!

go by ConnectingThreads.com. My Daughter has entered the Fabric Design Contest. She has five entries. One on page 6 and four on page 7.

Here are the links to her fabric designs. Be sure to vote for all that are by Christine P.
http://www.connectingthreads.com/cfDesignContest/Entries.cfm?Category=All&startrow=91&endrow=108

http://www.connectingthreads.com/cfDesignContest/Entries.cfm?category=All&startRow=109

Thanks so much for your votes. We appreciate it.

With Passion,
Carrie P.

Quilt Alongs

Do you ever participate in Quilt Alongs? I decided to participate in this one by Sew Lux Fabric. When I saw the quilt and that is took a charm pack I decided I just wanted to do some quick and easy sewing. Chrissy is doing this quilt in installments. If you want to participate, here is the first set of instructions.

I have seen some other Quilt Alongs mentioned on some other blogs. Here are a few if you would like to check them out.
http://nancycabotsewalong.blogspot.com/

http://happyquiltingmelissa.blogspot.com/2013/07/star-surround-quilt-long-schedule.html

http://auntreensplace.blogspot.com/2013/08/my-august-sew-along-project.html

http://www.sewmamasew.com/category/sew-alongs/

http://www.jamiemueller.blogspot.com/p/brick-road-sew-along.html

http://needlethreadhappiness.blogspot.com/p/christmas-quilt-along.html

http://quiltinggallery.com/2013/08/10/a4aqal-lesson-7-unit-c2/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+QuiltingGallery+%28Quilting+Gallery%29

http://www.acraftyfox.net/star-flower-quilt-along/star-flower-quilt-along-kick-off/ 

If you know of any other ones please mention them in your comments so I and others can check them out. Thanks.

With Passion,
Carrie P.

I've Got Mail

I just love getting fun snail mail! I am sure you do. Recently I have gotten several things that I could not wait to open up. The first one was the Valdani thread from Michelle of the Raspberry Rabbits. She is having an inventory reduction sale on her site. Check it out if you like this kind of thread and wool felt. The sale is going on all month.

Stephanie of Loft Creations has an etsy site where she has great fabrics from her stash. She also shares some fabrics from her finds in antique stores. Right now she has all her fabulous patterns on sale. I got this fun circle fabric from her.

Another thing I got in the mail was from a giveaway I won a couple weeks ago. The was a dual giveaway. I won a pattern from May Chappell who designed this cute sewing kit. She used some really fun fabrics designed by Laurie Wisbrun. Laurie was giving away some fat quarters of her newest fabric, Sew Pretty. I won the fabrics and the pattern too. Thanks Ladies.

Then every week during the summer so far I have been getting the Summer of the Week blocks designed by Primitive Gatherings. I have been dying to work on these but I have been good. I have just been stowing them in this basket. I plan to work on them next year.

I also got the newest BOM from Shabby Fabrics. Isn't that squirrel in the sweater cute?

Last but certainly not least I was gifted this cute strawberry fabric from Stephanie. It is one of the newest fabrics designed by Heather Ross. It is called Briar Rose. Thanks Stephanie.

Have you gotten at fun stuff in the mail lately?

With Passion,
Carrie P.