I've gotten a slew of spam comments today. I'll turn on comment moderation for a while.
Scarlet lobelia or cardinal flower. I've only found it in one patch among all of the forest preserves. It shines like a jewel in the sunlight that filters through the trees.
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In the studio: I began a batch of zipper blocks. (Here's the link to Lynn's instructions.)
I realized that some have the contrast squares starting in the upper left and some have them starting in the upper right. The combination didn't look right.
See the difference? So now I'm making more blocks and paying attention to this way (on the left) and that way (on the right). The plan is to end up with two sets of 48 blocks for two quilts at 48 x 54.
BTW, I've had to cut more 2" strips, despite having a bin of them, because each block requires two 2" x 9.5" strips and six squares = 31". Many of the strips in the bin are shorter than 31". It's not a hardship, just an observation.
You've probably heard that a high proportion of U.S. adults cannot name the three branches of government. Ben Sheehan gave a "Brief But Spectacular" segment on the PBS Newshour (watch it here) on the importance of understanding how our government works and "knowing your power," I promptly checked out his book.
When was the last time you read the Constitution? Sheehan's book is witty and informative -- a great refresher or introduction. After the text of each article and amendment he has an interpretation of the often old-fashioned language and then his opinion (where the wit comes in). I note that he wrote the book before the 2020 election. Just a few months later he'd have had a lot more constitutional interpretation to comment on.
Linking up with Design Wall Monday Sew and Tell Oh Scrap!
and a purple coneflower to keep me going on this rainy Monday.
I planted a Cardinal flower one year when I was trying out a lot of different perennials. It only lived 3 years but it was really pretty.
ReplyDeleteI caught that placement issue early on when I made my zipper quilt. I have 2 boxes of batik 2" strips. Maybe it is time for me to make another zipper quilt. My first one had a lot of conversation prints.
Finally one of the rain showers came through here. The storms love to split and half goes up to you and the other half to IN.
It is seriously frightening how many adults paid no attention in HS history and government classes and haven't read a book since mandatory reading ended. The intellect divide in this country is growing dramatically.
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoy your plant tours :-)
Your zipper blocks are fun to see! I noticed the same thing with mine in terms of the contrasting colors when you lay them out together, so have tried to orient the 4 patches the same for each block, but now you're making me think I need to look at them again. I loved the Ben Sheehan video, and will definitely read his book! (I could answer his questions about government, except had to look up the name of our state's attorney General. Sometimes names just don't stick with you!)
ReplyDeleteYou get two quilts!
ReplyDeleteLove how they are turning out.
Lynn
I've tried to start cardinal flower from seed a couple of times. Seeds need stratification and they are like dust. I've actually had tiny seedlings but they were slow growing and eventually disappeared. I guess I was not meant to have it in my wildflower garden. I thought IL required constitution test to graduate high school. I had gov class many many years ago and can still remember branches of government. I'm thinking many politicians these days are working to blur the lines somewhat. I made a handful of zip blocks zipping the wrong way but mixed in to a bigger quilt I don't think you can tell especially if a lot of the fabrics are busy. But two quilts, like heads, are better than one!
ReplyDeleteCardinal flowers are beautiful. Don't think we ever had any survive in our garden but I do remember planting them.
ReplyDeleteI had to sit and puzzle about the zipper orientation and it took me awhile to figure out what you meant. Not being a 'sane' quilter means it takes me a little longer!