Posted on by agilejack

Summer Continues and a Quick Check In

We’ve continued to have a pretty nice summer here in the Pacific Northwest. It was so lovely and cool today. I almost needed a jacket when I walked my boys this evening.

In case you’re wondering, most people in my area don’t water their lawns in the summer. it would cost me a fortune to keep my lawn green! I’m so glad I don’t have the pressure of maintaining a manicured green lawn!

My tomatoes are coming on now and I’ve enjoyed a few salads with my favorite summer treat.

A couple of weeks ago I drove out to a friend’s place to pick some of her very plentiful blackberries.

Black berries grow wild all over the Pacific Northwest. They are really difficult to control and can overtake your property in no time if you don’t stay on top of them. And you can see the thorns on the vines. My arms were torn up and bleeding by the time I was done. But they are so delicious and so plentiful.

I ended up with over ten pounds that I picked in no time. I would have brought home more but I dropped one bucket full in the dirt.

Once I got them home I put them on cookie sheets and got them into my freezers.

I like freezing them this way rather than freezing them in the bags because they don’t freeze together in a clump. Once they’re frozen I put them into bags for storage. I have quite a few bags of frozen berries in my freezer now that will be a wonderful treat this winter.

Bender likes to help pick berries and happily takes one or two in payment for all his effort.

I haven’t been doing much sewing the last few weeks. I did manage to get into my sewing room the other night and square up the scrappy blocks I’ve been working on.

To make the squaring up go faster I took a few minutes and added some tape to the back of my ruler so I can line the ruler up with the squares in the center more easily. It worked really well.

So now all I have to do is line up that pink square with the center square and my blocks will have the correct seam allowance all the way around.

The tape is an Omnigrid product and is made for this purpose. You can probably find it in your local quilt store. It comes off really easily and doesn’t leave anything behind.

A few weeks ago one of my readers let me know that an online shop was having a sale on Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics. So I took a look and was so happy to find that the Brandon Mably fabric I wanted for the back of my Brandon Leftover quilt was actually on sale! So I bought five yards.

I’ve been hoping I would find that fabric on sale and am so happy to have it on hand now. I really had my heart set on that cheery yellow print.

As usual Pickleball has been keeping me busy. My friend and I played in a tournament a couple weeks ago and had a blast. And on top of all the fun we won a silver medal! Not bad for our first tournament.

It was so much fun and I love that we ended the day up on the podium!

We’re playing in another tournament this weekend. I’ll also be playing mixed doubles with my coach in the same tournament. That will be a challenge as we’re entered in a higher level of competition. I’m going to have to be on top of my game!

Another friend of mine asked me if I wanted to play mixed doubles in another upcoming tournament and I said I was game! I play with him every now and again and we get together and practice and drill occasionally. I really enjoy playing with him so that will be fun.

My friend Linda, who visits regularly, is planning her next visit. She’ll be coming around Labor Day and will stay for two weeks. I’m in great need of a vacation and am looking forward to her visit. I’m going to have to figure out what quilt I want to make while she’s here.

We have a nice few days of cool weather coming up and I’m really looking forward to it.

25 Replies to “Summer Continues and a Quick Check In”

  1. Love tge I Dea about the block in the template. You are so smart. And, hey everyone needs a break from sewing. Hugs Dianne

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  2. Down here in Southern Oregon, we’ve found it difficult to find accessible clumps of wild blackberries. We planted some thornless blackberries in our tiny back yard, but they just don’t have the fabulous flavor of the wild. You have quite a nice haul there!

    I forget about using the Washi tape on rulers for squaring up, so thank you for the reminder! I’m anxious to see the finished quilt from those blocks!

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  6. coucou Anne toujours aussi active

    je viens de faire mes gelées de mûres et je fais mon plaid patchwork

    à bientôt Anne

    Josette de France

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  7. congratulations on your silver medal, how lovely for you.

    I collected my latest quilt from Midsomer Quilting yesterday and am so pleased with it. I had been inspired by one of your quilts and used gorgeous autumnal colours in batiks- once it’s on the bed I’ll get a picture to show you. I made it for my husband to celebrate our 40 th wedding anniversary. We have 60 guests coming for lunch on Sunday so not much sewing for me this week!

    Enjoy these last few weeks of summertime.

    warm regards

    Lindy g

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  8. great reading about your pickleball accomplishments! Good luck in your upcoming tournaments! Looking forward to the quilt pattern you choose to make while your friend is visiting. You always inspire me to start a new quilt!

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  9. Missed you Anne. Good to see your fab Brandon Leftover quilt again. Worth waiting for the perfect backing fabric. When I saw what you did with the Shark’s Teeth print I wondered why your designs were not being featured in any of the Kaffe books. But you are busy enough. Thanks for sharing your life with us. It really makes my day to see I have a new blog post from you.

    Pauline H.

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  11. Glad you found the Kaffe fabric you were looking for. Do you play at the courts in Gladstone? We have watched matches when I take him to play in the park. The photo looked familiar. Congrats on your win. Judith

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  12. Aren’t blackberries just the best!! The Maryland crop this year has been fantastic. — Perfect backing for your Brandon quilt. I followed one of your quilt tutorials and made a Kaffe greens with the black and white 9 patch like yours – it’s at the longarmer now. My husband actually commented that he liked this one – that’s pretty special. Thanks for being so generous with your ideas. Good luck with the pickleball. B.

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  14. Yum! The blackberries look delicious! They are my favorite berry. You have become quite the pickle ball player. Congratulations on your silver medal!

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  15. I have missed your frequent posts but I do understand about enjoying the summer too. Congrats on your silver medal! WooHoo! And I caught the bug from you. I’ve been seeing that little wallet too. Your posts have pushed me to make a few myself. Thank you!! Enjoy the rest of your summer and of course your friend’s visit.

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  18. Hello Anne,

    I miss you, reading about your boys latest adventures and your latest quilting projects and pickle ball! Just wanted you to know.

    I hope that life is treating you well!

    Eva

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    1. thanks for checking in. I’m well, I;m just stuck in a creative slump. Hoping it comes back soon. maybe I’ll try a new project after new years and see if that gets me going.

      Anne

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  19. Hope you are doing well Anne.

    I realize how much I miss your blog.

    Hope you’ll pick back up one day if the desire returns.

    Meanwhile, happy holidays.

    Nancy Pendergast

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      1. Here’s mine for the end of the year. Your last blog mentioned these $ card purses. I had just made a few myself. For gifts : table runners for my mom and mother-in-law. FrankenBag for a friend, coasters, and tryed to crochet some scarves. Hand made was my theme this year.

        Thanks for being my inspirational mentor 😁.

        Happy holidays, Nancy

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