Spring Arrival

     Last year I ordered about 9 different dwarf iris rhizomes. I was out of town when they arrived, so I asked my husband if he could heel them in until I had a chance plant them. They stayed there all winter as I didn't get around to moving them. Even thought they aren't in a permanent location, it hasn't stopped these jewels from blooming this spring. They range between 5" - 10" in height. These petite iris are one of the first flowers to bloom and come in many colors. They are just too cute! I don't think one can have too many of these.

     The great thing about these small wonders is they do well just about anyplace. They are perfect for the front of a border, a rock garden, an edging or in a container garden. Their only requirements are water, soil that drains well and some sunlight. After a year or two there will be plenty of rhizomes to share. Divide and transplant them after they bloom.
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      My grandmother grew a field of iris for her floral business. (I'm not kidding when I say she had a field of them either!) She was especially fond of one variety with a huge purple bloom that grew on a 40" stem. I have some of them in my garden too....but they are not my favorites. I only grow them because she shared them with me and because of my love of her. Just when these huge flowers are in their glory, a strong gust of wind and/or rain can bend the stem to the ground. Here in Kansas we have those storm events every spring, and I just can't get too excited about flowers laying in the dirt. I've never found these sweet blooms on the ground. They always look perky and upright.

      You can see each plant still has the tag so I know it's name. Each day I'm out to photograph them to record their colors. I think it will help when I transplant them. It probably won't matter though. I have found I'm a careless gardener. I just mix flowers in where ever I find a good space. Mine were purchased from Schreiner's.

 

     Wishing a Happy Mother's Day to all Mom's on Sunday!

Until later,

Alma

 

New Loose Feathers Pattern

     Barb and I are back home.....a week at the beach is never enough. We wanted to stay another week, especially when we found out it was snowing at home. All good things must end though, and after developing project themes we want to accomplish this year it was time to come home to begin the implementation phase. (Now the work really begins.)

     We didn't have the best weather our entire week. There were a couple of the worse thunderstorms I've ever experienced. One night it rained 6-8" and explosive thunder shook and rocked the house. I asked my daughter Laura, to stay up during the night to make sure we didn't need to evacuate. She declined the offer and went to bed early. Luckily the storm awoke Barb, so she got to watch sheets of water pour down. As flashes of lightening lit up the sky she checked to make sure the gulf wasn't racing up over the dunes toward the beach house. I just put a pillow over my head and tried to sleep through it all.

     I dropped the next Loose Feather pattern files off at Boelte Hall before our trip. The pattern will be delivered to our warehouse tomorrow. Agnes Platt's lovely sampler belongs to Barb. It has hung in her home for years. It's been one of my favorites because of the colors and the bee skep. This sampler seems just right for spring and summer. Agnes stitched wonderful alphabets, a wending strawberry border and a sweet bee hive under a tree. Agnes didn't have any bees swarming around her skep so Barb added plenty in her sampler pictured on the top of the pattern cover.

     The original sampler looks square, but that's because it's stitched on uneven weave linen. The reproduction sampler stitched on 30ct. Vintage Gray linen by R & R Reproductions will be a wide rectangular shape. (18 3/4” x 13 1/4”) However, if you would rather have the look of the antique piece, you can stitch over 2 linen threads horizontally and 3 threads vertically. Just remember to adjust the size of linen you purchase.

      Spring is a buzzing finally in Kansas City! When I walk outside I hear "the girls" working. Our pin oak tree is in bloom and the bees are gathering nectar. I didn't realize how much honey bees are involved in pollinating oak and maple trees. When I heard the hum of activity I looked up and found them working the bloom in the tree. Guess we will have tons of acorns! It was hard for me to be in the right place to capture a picture of  one of our gals....but below is one beginning to land. I guess oak nectar is delicious! Who knew?

 

     I love the hearing them as I walk around the yard. It was really quiet until we began keeping bees.

Until later!
Alma

At the Beach

     Barb and I are renting a beach house for a week in Gulf Shores, AL. We have made this trip every year since 2009 except for one. It's a great way for us to work and plan projects for the year. As Barb works full time and lives 45 miles from me, we don't have much time to plan and brainstorm. Last year we missed this planning time and we really felt it didn't serve us well.
 
     We bring notebooks, sewing machines, rotary tools, linen, floss, my bike....and the list goes on and on. Our one fun "requirement" is to decorate the dining table in the screened-in-porch. (The table inside is covered with fabric and books and is considered our work table.) I brought a old white linen tablecloth and faded chipped dishes. Usually, I choose plates with pink flowers on the rim. I like the center of the plate to be white so the food is the main focus, but when I found these they felt just right. Although the pattern on the dinner plates is really faded and worn it makes the plates even more dear to me.



     I bought a set of 8 small dinner plates and 2 salad plates. The salad plates don't show much wear. Aren't they sweet?



    Barb purchased this vintage crocheted tablecloth and the table runner at an estate sale. They were both white and stained. She dyed these pink to match the dishes. It took 1/2 bottle of pink and 1/2 bottle of tan Rit dye and a cup of salt to get this soft warm shade of pink. They are just beautiful!

     Barb's been working with our Nature's Basket prints. She uses Charm Packs from Moda when planning a quilt. The squares are big enough for her to visualize how the colors will work together, and they are large enough to check how the scale of the print will work in her design too.

Back to work!

Until later,

Alma

A New Book!

     Our latest project is finally coming together! This one is going to be published by the Kansas City Star Quilts and will be available at spring quilt market. Even though Bob Deck, our book designer,  isn't quite finished with our book design, I wanted to give you a sneak peak at our cover. This book is full of quilts and other projects too.



     We photographed the projects at The Vintage House in Overland Park, KS. It was a very fun day working with Aaron Leimkuehler and Edie McGinnis. We showed up at the house without really knowing how we would display the projects. A bit of spontaneity became creative fun as we looked around the house finding the perfect spot to photograph each project.We couldn't go wrong as the house was so cute. Don't quilts make every house look warm and inviting?
 

Stitches Unlimited from Lancaster, PA, gave us a call to notify us of an error in the chart Honeybee Hill. The word experience is misspelled. The correction is above. We are very sorry for the error!

Linzee from Moda's Cutting Table did a write up about Blackbird Designs on Saturday, April 13. Click on the link for her posting and then take a visit to Linzee's blog site and read about her latest trip.

Until later dear friends!

Alma

We Have A Winner!!!

 Post number #60 is our winner. Congratulations Laurie.

 Laurie in IowaMarch 13, 2013 at 2:01 PM

That's a beautiful sewing box! Love your new fabric line... those blues are calling my name.

Laurie please e-mail your address to me at alma@blackbird-designs.com. Many thanks to all of you who participated in the contest! Wish you all could have won.

It's so cold and wet here today. We are having a snow, rain and with some kind of sleet event mixed in for fun. (Sounds great doesn't it?) Mother Nature can't decide what to send us. I'm just ready for a bit of warmth like we had on Thursday. It was 80 degrees and sunny. Of course after our heat and drought last summer I should welcome all the moisture that comes our way.

I've been taking clippings of my herbs and putting them in a bit of water. Hoping they take root and I can add them to my garden. 

This rosemary is ready to be planted. I'm amazed at how quickly the roots began to grow.

My two sons have another way to welcome spring. 

Congratulations cute guys! (I'm sticking with rosemary and leaving the half-marathon to them!)

And guess what? Two of our bee hives are buzzing. The ladies out back are ready for a bit of sunshine, warmth and bloom too!

Until later,
Alma

Back From Market and New Fabric

     Barb and I are back from cross stitch market which was held in Nashville. Our new fabric line arrived while we were gone. Nothing better than getting home and opening large boxes and seeing yards of new fabric waiting to be sewn into something fun!

     As many cross stitch shop owners don't go to quilt market I'm giving you a sneak peek here on the blog. The prints are grouped in the basket above to give an idea of the color range. 

     The quilt under the plate shows a tiny bit of our large scale cross stitch print. It comes in several color ways. We love how it turned out....it's just wonderful!  The three fabrics on the plate and the small hearts showcase some of our other prints. The name of this line is "Nature's Basket."

     Cross stitch market was a lot of fun. We loved seeing the shop owners and having a chance to visit....although a very short visit, much fun nevertheless!. We always leave wishing market was a bit longer.

     One of my favorite patterns from market was Barb's Honeybee Hill. The bees buzzing and the birds singing really capture an ideal summer day. The sewing box was made by Stephanie Elmer. She has a woodworking shop and has made these boxes as gifts for friends for years. She recently was convinced to turn this passion into a business venture. These boxes come in several colors and different sizes too. Her contact information is located inside the pattern. We took 20 boxes to market to sell to shop owners....they were gone in an hour!

     Here's the deal.....I've got one box to give away. You all know how this works. Leave a message in the comment section. I will use the random number generator to find a winner. The contest will end on Friday and the winner will be announced on Saturday.
Good luck to all! Hope you win.

Until later,
Alma

Moda Friendship Quilt Along

Today begins the Moda Friendship Quilt Along!  The designers have made blocks each using their fabric lines from Moda. We all have a pattern to share with our friends.....meaning you! Go to  Moda's Cutting Table blog site and you can find the designer's link and date they are posting their patterns. (I'm sure this means free gifts too!)

Our pattern involves stars....of course. I love any pattern with a star. The block I made uses our newest fabric line "Field Notes".



The center block is saved for a signature if you should wish.

 

When you glance at the block the piecing might seem a bit hard but the instructions make this block very simple. I can envision a whole quilt of these sweet stars. It makes me think of spring. It's so dark here today I could use a bit of spring.

For the pattern click here.

 Here's our basket quilt made from "Field Notes". The pattern, Dandelion Basket will be at your local quilt shop soon. It's also been made into a fabric kit by Moda so you can have one just like this! (Again available at your local quilt shop soon.)

 I added this tiny ruffle to the quilt edge. Lots of work....but turns out so sweet.

The fabric on the back of the quilt is also from the Field Note fabric line. I love the scrapbook look of this print.

Look for a  "Field Notes" fabric contest on this site later in the week.  I'm working on the final details for cross stitch market in Nashville the first weekend in March. I'm tap dancing as fast as I can to get it all done.

Hugs to you all!

Alma