Two down...

Two blocks down, eleven to go. Yep, I'm working on a new block of the month pattern for Quilt Market next spring. I know--two plus eleven is thirteen, not twelve, as in months in the year, but trust me on this.

I'm still obsessed with the 2 1/2" strips (won another five or six yards of them, which makes over 20 yards that I've won playing Left Center Right). My friends are definitely getting suspicious, but really, you can't "fix" the game. Just lucky, I guess.

There has been some on-line discussion about non-traditional family trees, so I'm posting a photo of my grandson's family tree quilt that my daughter and I designed earlier this year. It's now one of my patterns (http://www.ocaroldesigns.com ), and we named it "Whooo's Your Granddaddy?". The close-up shows Jake as the baby bird in the nest, with mom and dad nearby, and on the branches are the aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents, with their relationship and name written on the leaves. We have a very non-traditional family, so this worked well because you can add as many birds and leaves as you want.

Socks!

I like to hand-dye socks and sometimes I give them to my friends just for fun. Eight of us are going to Anna Maria Island, Florida, today and I dyed a batch aqua because that seemed beachy.

Cross Timbers Artists Guild Tour

I was forced to do some panic cleaning for the tour that took place last weekend. What a fun experience! I almost hate to start a project because my sewing room is tidy for once. If you want to look at some more photos of my quilts and other things that I set up for the tour, go here: http://ocarol.smugmug.com/Other/CTSA-Tour-2009-Carol-Morrissey/10265658_VSGT6#708459798_DmbHP

And the Roses Just Keep Blooming!

The roses are still putting on a pretty good show. Le Marne, Knockout, Penelope, Iceberg and Graham Thomas are shown here. You can see King sitting in front of the Knockout. That bush is about eight feet tall.

It seems later in the year than it really is. My schedule is all mixed up because Quilt Market and Festival were two weeks early this year. I'm accustomed to loading everything into the greenhouse before I leave for Quilt Market but I didn't have to this time.

Sunset!

It seems like the best sunsets happen this time of year. We made it home from El Fenix last night just in time for me to run outside with my camera.

Asters

Every year I intend to prune the asters during the summer so they won't be so leggy and every year I forget. By the time I think about it, the flower buds are already forming. I couldn't bear to throw away this old wicker chair that is rotten, so I put it in the flower bed, just below the little rock wall where the asters grow. I just love the way they look growing through the chair. I'm glad I didn't cut them back this year!

My Assistant

I was trying to photograph a new pattern model. My assistant, Kingston, isn't all that helpful, but he IS handsome.