Solidarity Flimsie #1, A Special Book, Everything's A' Bloomin'

Everything is blooming!

Including a Clematis Sapphire bush in a shady spot.

I'm trying to "tend the garden" these days. Short spurts of weeding here and there; it has to be short as the heat has been killing. We are just not acclimatized to this kind of humidity either. But the flowers love it. The soil in the beds is very rich which means the weeds love it as well.

 I've thought of my Dad's mother, my grandmother, who had not only a flower garden but a vegetable garden to tend each summer. In that outport it was mostly women's work to plant and tend the vegetable garden, though I remember Granda giving her a hand at times. They grew enough potatoes, turnip, carrot, cabbage, beets, and onions to last all winter stored in their root cellar. By the time I arrived for my visit at the end of June, the last of the potatoes would taste sweet from being there so long. 

One of Dad's cousins who grew up with him, wrote this book, More Than Fifty Per Cent: Women's Life in Outport Newfoundland, for her Folklore master's thesis.  It chronicles women's work in that little outport...in summary, women's work is never done. You've heard the old rhyme, men may toil from sun to sun but women's work is never done and of course, this would certainly apply to farmer's wives as well.  My grandparents are cited in the book.  Available at  Amazon -not affiliated.

I have enjoyed working with these cheery blocks again. I have good memories of stitching so many appliqued different and unique blocks. I looked up how others have put their Solidarity quilt together. The blocks are different sizes and it can be tricky to sort out an arrangement when that happens. I stitched 15 blocks so have divided them into two projects. Here is the first one ready to be layered and quilted. I'll use that same pretty green in the binding. I love the fir tree shadows in this photo.

The backlit view like stained glass is always pretty too. Will enjoy linking with the party for reds at So Scrappy

I would like to have this bound and layered this week. Especially doable as Rainbow Neighbourhood is almost finished! Amazing what you can accomplish when you actually spend time in the sewing room doing it. :D

Thanks Joanne and Michelle for confirming that line of poetry for me. Yes it is from Robert Herrick's poem that features the more famous line Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. I had to smile because young "maids" in fishing communities and on farms had little time to gather rosebuds. And I must say I very much enjoyed reading what your "time wasters" are so thanks for sharing.

I need to show you my hair these days. It is a little naturally curly and the humidity makes it frizzy and a bit wild. I'm still growing it out from the Pixie cut I gave myself and it is the longest it's been in ten years! I'm letting it sit on my head like a wild bird nest! 

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Happily linking with The Inquiring Quilter, Songbird Designs, Quilt Schmilt, My Quilt Infatuation, Sew and Tell, Finished Friday, Alycia Quilts, Kathy's Quilts and Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.