I remember the first time I saw wild flags (wild iris): circa 1990, driving home to Auburn, Maine, on Route 202. That was long before cellphones with cameras. I looked for them the next year, and the next, but never found them again. Now I make a point to visit Illinois Beach State Park each year to see both blue and yellow flags in bloom.Flags differ from hybrid iris -- they like wet feet.
There's a patch of hybrid iris along the road in the park. I speculate how they got there. Did someone (illegally) dump a load of garden dirt that included the iris rhizomes? There were houses in what is now the state park, but they were moved or torn down decades ago, so it's unlikely that these are a remnant from a flower bed.
Other wildflowers in bloom now are bladder campion (maiden's tears), coreopsis (tickseed), spiderwort, and ragwort. ("Wort" refers to a plant that was used for food or medicine.)
I made a Chinese Puzzle block in aqua/teal, the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for June. (And I've just had a flash of inspiration for setting them. Hope I remember it when all 10 blocks are made.)
I'm making this 20 x 30 wall hanging for the silent auction at our guild show this fall. I hope no one mistakes the squiggly pumpkin vines for snakes . . .
The pattern is from an issue of Quilt magazine.
The designer's vines are spikier. The magazine had the pattern half-size so I had to draw the pieces free-hand.
I'm linking up with
Monday Making
Rainbow Scrap Challenge
Oh Scrap!
Design Wall Monday
Moving It Forward
P.S. This was definitely not a wildflower! A half-dozen rose petals had blown down the beach. Wonder what the story is . . .
Love your bookshelf wallhanging. Cute pumpkin wallhanging.
ReplyDeleteBusy lady! Thanks for the wild flowers. I'm not always sure which is which! Your wall ngings are very cute!
ReplyDeleteI rely on a field guide to confirm my guesses.
DeleteAnother good blog post. That pumpkin is darling. You make me want to do one like it for a silent auction in October.... decisions, decisions. You've been getting things done!
ReplyDeleteI'd be happy to share the pattern with you!
DeleteSNAKES?!! You are too funny. They are definitely vines. As for the rose on the beach... I'm thinking it was an episode of The Bachelor, and it was The Most Dramatic Rose Ceremony EVER -- there was screaming and hair pulling, the jilted bachelorette grabbed the rose from the girl he picked (because she was There For the Wrong Reasons!!) and threw it into the ocean as the cameras zoomed in for a close-up...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the confirmation about the vines. I am NOT going to redo this piece, as much fun as it was to make. Thanks, too, for The Rest of the Story about the single rose. (though it's a lake, not an ocean.)
DeleteCute gift for your library friends!! I have used that butterfly on a couple of wall hangings, but was inspired to my mine a 3-D butterfly. SEW much fun!
ReplyDeleteA group of us made a bookshelf quilt for a local library to auction off. I think the library workers all got in a bidding war over it. Perfect gift!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up with Oh Scrap!
I have never seen iris "flags" before today. Thank you for the photos and information. Your library blocks are so fun. I went back and looked at the others you've made and love the little additions you've made to sit on the shelves. Cute pumpkin block, too.
ReplyDeleteWildflowers are one of those unexpected surprises, yet welcome surprises on any walk. Congrats on the library quilt finish, it's really cute. Looks like you are moving right along on your other projects too. Happy stitching this week.
ReplyDelete