And still, the graduation quilts

These are the graduation quilts of four years ago, (for my posse) and since then there have been many more, but I do not want to post the latest because everyone loves a surprise.

When I make these quilts for graduations and weddings and births and other highlights of life's great moments, I think intensely about each recipient. I spend hours selecting and piecing and creating and sewing. Sometimes, I think about the tiny Asian women in sweat shops who make the quilts for Garnet Hill and such. They do not have the creative leisure I do, but I do appreciate those quilts.

It takes many hours to make a quilt. First the idea, and then a trip to the quilt store to add to the fabric I already have. The best part is trying out the colors. My "clients" often ask for certain colors or themes and I try my best to accommodate them. I am loathe to spend so many hours on something purple and dark green.. I never make anything traditional.

Over the years, and hundreds of quilts made, I have learned a lot about how to do this. It doesn't take nearly as much time now, and since I have my great collaborator, Laurie, who finally does the final quilting on her long arm machine, it isn't the tedium of hand-quilting the finished thing. And the product is much stronger.

My studio is now cleaned up after my last quilt - everything fairly spiffy, now ready for the next project, a baby quilt for a friend. She's having a girl and I'm thinking of not doing anything pink and princess.. I have a lot of sailboat fabric. (girls sail)

It is midsummer, rainy season here, and every afternoon the heavens part and torrential rain happens. The earth is soggy, the creek from the river is rising under the bridge to the delight of millions of frogs, and my hair curls.

The seed order for the fall gardens- both mine and the one for the school community, has arrived. This is the season in a central Florida vegetable gardening when we can relax and maybe take out the dead tomato plants, quell the biomass, and only harvest eggplants and okra for supper. With all the rain I never think about watering anything. All is potential! We have built some new planter beds, the compost is thick and ready to put on the beds for the fall garden.

I am loving my residence here in the steamy summer
with all the rain and dramatic clouds every day. I love the loud froggy calls and the constant buzz of the hummingbirds on the six feeders and in the garden.  As I came up to the main house from my studio for supper there were three deer were grazing in the pasture and a couple of turkey families with their young were pecking around.