Stitching, stitching, and rain

I've been working on a couple of projects this week. First, I've been adding embroidery to my wool appliqué project that I started a few years ago. It's from a Sue Spargo pattern called "Fresh Cut."

I've run out of some colors of pearl cotton, but I found out today about a needlework and gift shop in Tucson where I should be able to buy more: The West.

I'm also making good progress on the desert row-by-row quilt. I still have to add dozens of dimensional flowers, which I'll tack on either with beads or tiny buttons. The Kokopellis will also get some beadwork.

Today I was in Cactus Quilts, whose owner Nancy designed the desert rows. I snapped some closeup pictures of her row quilts that are on display:

And the monsoon set a rainfall record for July! We got eight inches this month, which is also more rain than any other month since the last record was set in 1955. Here are the monsoon clouds gathering over the mountain ridge, viewed from my backyard.

Have a colorful day

Quotes to the rescue

Those of you who know me in person know that I'm the classic worrywart. Anxiety is something I've grappled with all of my life, although for the most part I can keep it under control. But lately it's been creeping in again, which means it's time to pull out some inspirational quotes!

The first one is on a little quilt that my STITCH friend Karen made. She made each of us a different one for Christmas one year.

The next one, about obstacles and opportunities, is one I have to keep reminding myself of. I tend to always wonder what could go wrong, instead of what can go right. It's the worrier's way of trying to control the future to eliminate things to worry about!

And the Never Forget quote is a good reminder for all of us when we're feeling down.

Also good when you're feeling down or anxious is getting out with friends! I had dinner last night with the Shady Ladies (except for Beth, who is out of town) and had a great time. We talked and laughed for hours. While we were in the restaurant, everyone was getting loud text alerts about flash flood warnings and when we left Barb ran into some flooded streets and Tere got home to discover her power had been out. But we had a great time together!

The next three quotes address living life to its fullest, which will leave no room for anxiety or feeling down. I took the photo on a full moon/sunset hike with a Meetup.com group. Living life to its fullest! Getting out to hike in the dark and meet new people instead of curling up in front of the tv alone for the evening.

And just to keep it real:

Have a colorful day

Desert quilt and monsoon

I made the third row for my desert quilt, the one on top with dancing Kokopellis, then I decided that the orange background doesn't work with the other rows. I wanted it to look like a sunset, but it's too overpowering.

So I'm working on a new row that I think is better. I'll make the prickly pear cactuses out of the green fabric.

In other news, the summer monsoon season is in full swing, with up to four inches of rain falling in the past day in parts of Tucson. My backyard has some ponding ...

... and a lot of debris that I'll have to clean up.

I also woke up to no internet, horrors! I couldn't have my usual morning routine of sipping coffee while perusing my email, Instagram, Facebook, the weather and the news. Luckily, it came back in a few hours.

With the muggy monsoon weather I've been spending way more time inside, leading to things like this mountain of chocolate chip espresso cookies that I made a few days ago. Boredom breeds bad habits. But basically, I'm extremely grateful for the much needed rain and that I haven't lost power yet, which would mean no air conditioning and 100 degrees.

Check out Nina-Marie's blog to see what other fabric artists have been working on this week: /

Have a colorful day

A new desert quilt

 

My latest desert quilt is from a set of row-by-row patterns for Cactus Quilts in Tucson. Here are the first two; the third one is dancing Kokopellis, but I haven't started that yet. 

The pattern shows grey and brown birds, but I don't do grey and brown. So I made an orange and pink road runner and a purple quail family.

I still have to add stitching and some other details.

I found the perfect striped green fabric in my stash for the saguaro cactuses.

Here's another pattern that looks like fun:

Finally, this has nothing to do with quilting but my daughter-in-law just posted this photo of my son, who has a huge garden this year in Wisconsin. Go Keith!

Have a colorful day

We had a haboob!

Tucson had a haboob over the weekend! A haboob is a wind storm that creates a wall of dust several thousand feet high that roars across the desert in the Southwest, especially in Arizona.

I got a dust storm warning on my phone, advising that the dust could create zero visibility and that drivers should pull over and turn off their lights if engulfed in one. I stayed at home watching my trees being pummeled by the wind. A friend's big mesquite tree in her front yard was ripped from the ground and my power flickered a few times.

The word haboob (which spell check keeps changing to kabob), comes from the Arabic word habb, which means wind.

I took these sunset photos from my front courtyard that night, about the time the haboob was engulfing other parts of Tucson. 

Dust storms come with our summer monsoon season, when we get most of our annual rainfall. Last year the monsoon skipped us, so this year everyone here is ecstatic that we've had a few good rains. This next photo shows rain over the Tucson mountains as viewed from my house.

When the monsoon rains hit, Texas ranger plants all over the city burst into beautiful purple blooms! Here is the one by my neighbor's house.

Have a colorful day

Back in sizzling Tucson

After sweating through the record heat wave in the Northwest, I'm back home in more high temperatures. And this time it's not even a dry heat because monsoon season has brought high humidity! (The predicted highs of 104 Thursday through Saturday actually reached 108.)

Monsoon clouds were piled high above the Santa Catalina Mountains last night behind a saguaro cactus near my home. They caused lightning and a little rain, but not enough to cool things off.

The previous night, the sky sizzled at sunset across the street from my house.

I've been spending most of the days inside in the AC, although today I hiked at SIX A.M. and it was already almost 90 degrees. By the time I finished a little after 7, I was drenched in sweat. I did it because I don't want to lose my hiking muscles.

Stay cool

Nancy and Barb's gardens

There are so many prolific gardeners in the Pacific Northwest, and I was fortunate to stay with one of them for two weeks on my visit to Gig Harbor. Nancy is a Master Gardener who has also been on the Gig Harbor Garden Tour. It was a delight to be surrounded by her lush gardens morning, noon and night!

As soon as you approach her front door, you know a gardener lives there.

Her little dog, Charlie, guards us against the squirrels that raid the bird feeders in the back yard.

Peaceful sitting spots are tucked in here and there, so you can find either sun or shade for relaxing most times of the day.

Scones, fruit and coffee are enjoyed on the back patio.

She also has a lot of whimsical garden art.

One of my favorite features is the waterfall by the back patio, which creates such a relaxing sound. I'm going to have to get one for my back yard.

Her artist's eye has painted the garden with many shades of green ...

... and all other colors of the rainbow.

The hydrangeas were in bloom for my visit, and she has every shade from lavender to pale pink, hot pink, white, creamy lime and deep blue.

This next plant, an oxalis, has striking leaves that are almost black.

And she picked this lovely bouquet for my room.

We also spent a day with gardening friend Barb, who is peeking out from behind her lush blue hydrangeas. Besides giving us a tour of her gardens, she served us a delicious blueberry cobbler and fruit platter with good, strong coffee, and later an herbal iced tea with mint from her garden.

Barb is also a potter, and she built this studio in her backyard where she turns out nature inspired pottery for sale.

She tucks little surprises from her studio around her garden, like this leaf plate. She also has coordinated the artists who display work during the Gig Harbor Garden Tour.

This funny little face on a tree is by another clay artist.

Like Nancy, she has lovely sitting areas surrounded by plants.

I'm including this next shot of what appears to be lush green grass, but it's actually moss! Remember, this is in the Pacific Northwest where moss and rain reign supreme.

Here are some of the tall, tall Northwest evergreens in her yard.

I got together with these two talented gardeners for a walk through the woods while I was in Gig Harbor. That's Nancy on the left and Barb in the middle. What a treat!

Have a colorful day