Lynn Carson Harris

Liberated Purple Pinwheel

I have been trying something different with the liberated quilt blocks- a pinwheel. I thought that since the base block was even simpler than the exquisite block that the quilt would be easier. Not the case. The base block has only one triangle on it so that part went quickly but the laying out of the quilt was tricky. Since the triangles are all different sizes and angles I really had to be careful as to how they were arranged so that the pinwheels would all spin in the same direction.

I had to think about how much of the pinwheels would end up in the seam allowance and make sure that the point of the triangle would always stick out past the base of the triangle next to it.

I like the way the pinwheels looked before they were sewn together better than the finished look.  I am glad I was only trying this on a doll size quilt. 

Thoughtful Sunday 6

"I can think better if I think alone."

Charlotte's Web, E. B. White, 1952

Early Fall Walk

Yesterday was another beautiful day. Knowing that it will soon be cold we went for a walk near some local lakes.

We saw lots of signs of fall.
And enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

P liked that it was PINK. And she even got to go wading before we left.

Everyone has such busy schedules now that school has started. It was nice to take some time for the whole family to do something together.

Change of Seasons - Change of Light

Now that fall is here, the days are shorter but the temperature is still very warm. We have had some beautiful sunny days this week.

It is time to start the mental shift into the dark time of year. We are losing daylight each day. This is not something I noticed much when I was growing up.  In Virginia, the difference is not so great. Maybe I am just more aware of my surroundings as an adult. 

It seems that the earth is sending up a burst of color in an effort to fight back the coming dark.

We are soaking it all in. Trying to make the light and color last, at least in our minds.

We know that in the winter months things are more subtle. We will have to notice textures, and shades of brown and white. We will find the beauty in the "non colors." Yes, there will be bits of color here and there, but not like the show of color we are getting now with the fall leaves and garden harvest against a brilliant blue sky.

The Name Game

There were 30 women at the quilt retreat I recently attended. Seven of them were named Carol.

I think names and the trends of them are fascinating.
When choosing names for the boys we tried to find names that were not popular. There were six Lynns, including me, in my high school gym class. I wanted the boys to have unique names. I think we did well with their names.
When we were choosing P's name we had a new tool for name research. In addition to the usual baby name books we used the Social Security Popular Baby Names website. I searched a lot in the early decades of the 1900s. I wanted an old fashioned name for her. I have seen a higher occurrence of her name since she was born. Perhaps we didn't choose as well for her. 
The early 1900s saw a lot of babies with semi precious stones and flowers for names.
Pearl, Opal, Ruby, Garnet, Amber, Crystal
and
Daisy, Pansy, Rose, Iris, Petunia, Myrtle

A Day of Homemaking

Today is a day of homemaking. This morning I made this little home for a flickr swap.

I followed the quick and easy tutorial by mollychicken.

I think I should wrap it up before P gets up from her nap. If not, I am sure I will have to make another.

Now I am off to the kitchen to make french bread, potato soup, and chocolate chip cookies!

Fall Bouquet

P and I came home from a busy day of preschool (it was my day to help) and both took naps.

We did mark the first day of fall with a walk around the property this afternoon. P collected a fall bouquet.

I hope you all enjoyed your first full day of fall.

Thoughtful Sunday 5

"You must have a garden. Wherever you are."

Sarah, Plain and Tall, Patricia MacLachlan, 1985

A is for Apron

P has enjoyed her first week of preschool. They are starting the year with a unit on farm animals. Monday there were two baby pigs in the class. Wednesday they had chickens. Monday they will have a sheep and I will go in and demonstrate how to spin wool into yarn. They will have a cow visit after that.

Fridays, however, are letter days. Yesterday was "A" day so each child brought a show and tell item that starts with "A." P, of course, took an apron.

I, too, have been  enjoying her first week of preschool. Yesterday, I went to the beauty salon and had them fix my long neglected hair. I had let it get so long that I had enough to donate to Locks of Love.

I hope that eventually I can play in my sewing room while P is at preschool.

Pumpkin Cards

I have been working on some new embroidered greeting cards for fall. These pumpkin cards can be used for Halloween or Thanksgiving and are in the shop now. They are available on cream paper and on pumpkin colored.