Thursday, 14 September 2023

Free Patterns, Plus Quilt, Coleus Beginnings

 I mentioned a few years ago I wanted to grow Coleus and finally set a packet of seeds this spring. When I put out the tiny plants, some critter ate most of them and these few here below somehow survived. I'm happy to have these and hope they will fare well now when brought into the house later on. 

 All the Marigolds were also grown from seeds and I chose the autumn colours at the time. I wish I'd put them all in one big pot instead of spreading them throughout different pots as they would make such a pretty show now. 
I've been reading how to gather seeds from the Zinnias and Marigolds and will give it a try. The beginnings...
We got together with Tony's former in laws last weekend. We went to a pub in a nearby village which serves English style pub food. We were slow to finish our wonderful meals as we had so much catching up to do with all the news. I was struck by the ceiling lamp in real stained glass which is something I love. It was enormous and there were two of them. 
Remember the Plus Quilt?
Free pattern from kind Mollie at her Wild Olive site. It is a perfect lap size and I've removed all the templates and started the hand quilting in diagonal lines. Sorry it looks so rumpled; should have given it a little press.
I haven't shown the back fabric before. A neutral with green/grey swirly flowers. 
I haven't used the machine in ages but I feel like I'm getting lots of stitching done. 

I notice folks are starting their Autumn and Halloween stitching. Projects are cropping up and always fun to see. Here are a couple of free patterns featuring leaves that I've been eyeing from the Quilt Inspiration Autumn Leaves Bank .

This pattern is Turning Leaves and is from Cloud 9 Fabrics. Looks completely different when sewn in different colours as you'll see at that link.

And this one is Mirrored Leaves from A.E. Nathan and the free pattern is in the main link above...you'll have to scroll through to find it but that is not a hardship as there are so many beautiful patterns you'll be looking at. 
Thank you for all the comments and emails about canned meat and the ways you or your mothers and sometimes hubbies use/used it. Yes, that was a staple in many cupboards back in the day and our mothers relied on it for busier week days like wash days, etc. It reminded me that Mom would take tinned corned beef, mix it with mashed potatoes and make patties. Those would be fried and served with her homemade pickles or beets and of course, homemade bread.  You could make a meal out of it, as they would say.
Anyway, generations now know nothing of designated wash days or breadmaking days, etc. That's almost laughable now. 
Here at the wooden house, it is a day to get some of the summer clothes put away and drag out the next heavier duvet (yes, the top bed covers have varying warmth levels). 

Hope your week is ending on a high note and there is something to look forward to in your weekend!





23 comments :

Susie H said...

Oh what a fun post! Loved looking through all the free leaf patterns. So many beautiful ones. I didn't know that you could grow coleus from seed. They're beautiful and I ought to give 'em a try next spring.

Nancy J said...

When our girls were young, I always brought out their winter singlets etc, And washed them ready for winter wear, and got the heavy wool blankets down for the beds. I had old( in age) friends who boiled up the copper for Monday wash, guess Freda did ironing on a Tuesday. They had one long line, wire, with a tall pole in the middle to prop it up.Those days are gone now, and I always wonder how do they people in the far north Arctic manage? Maybe just was whatever they wear when winter ends.Even when you were a child and far further north can you remember what happened on washday? Probably one of those lovely wooden frames on a pulley that was close to the fireplace.Wore my scarf yesterday as we had a freezing wind. Sorry the beaver statue wouldn't give much warmth round my neck !!!I think of that every time I wear it.

Brian's Home Blog said...

Those plants are beautiful and so is your quilt. Good luck with the seed gathering. Canned meat was a luxury item when I was growing up. We were rather poor and ate mostly what we grew. Have a fabulous weekend!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Your coleus are really pretty, Jocelyn! I've never thought to grow them from seed, but I do have marigolds that reseed themselves all the time. Your plus quilt is looking wonderful and I even spy a green print that I have in my stash! Those leaf quilt designs are sweet, too.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

love the quilts. Is hurricane Lee going to make you get too rain?

grammajudyb said...

Coleus are so pretty aren’t they! I wonder how they will do inside? Keep us posted please! I love the Autumn-y colors of marigolds, but my nose doesn’t like them. So I don’t plant them. But admire them from afar!
I think your Plus quilt looks all crinkly and cuddly. A wonderful lap quilt.
I missed your Monday post regarding the canned meats, so went back and read it. I remember the canned hams too. With the key like opener that you turned and turned around the oval can. Thanks for the memory! 😀

Allie said...

Hi Jocelyn! Be careful with coleus, it's extremely toxic to dogs and cats - they don't notice the bitter flavor until they've already ingested some of it, and it can be fatal. Someone bought my aunt a potted plant of it and she had to throw it away, she has a cat. There are varieties that are NOT poisonous, though, so maybe check which kind you have.

Linda said...

I love your header, so pretty with the books and the little village, and butterflies! Your Plus Quilt looks lovely and cozy. How wonderful you have grown such beautifully colored coleus from seed. I wish you good luck with it indoors. It might get a bit leggy looking for the sun - lol!
I want so badly to put the electric blanket out and put it on the bed, but we are forecast to get back into the high 80s by next week - ugh.

Jenn Jilks said...

It's been an interesting growing season. Good work for you.

I'm doing some needle felting. So many, like yourself, inspire me. I am having trouble getting pads for it, though. I may have to figure out how to make some.

Karrin Hurd said...

Love your header. I meant to comment on the tinned meat post. My husband mad3 up a pasta salad that our family still eats to this day with elbow pasta, Spam diced, diced celery , dill pickles, two kinds of cheese such as cheddar and pepper jack, cherry tomatoes, diced green onion. The dressing is mayo, a bit of mustard and some celery seeds

PaintedThread said...

Love the quilts. Your coleus are so pretty. I did alright with my zinnia seeds harvested from last year (and even better with my marigolds). Good luck with yours!

Jackie said...

Such gorgeous quilt patterns. Your Plus Quilt is coming along very nicely. Love the backing fabric.

I still most weeks follow my Mom's cleaning days. Monday is usually laundry, but because we were away I had to do the laundry today.... I will do it again on Monday just to get back on track.

God bless.

Carol in Texas said...

Thanks for the fall quilt patterns. I bookmarked several table runners. I am always tempted to order the pattern for Twirl from Fig Tree. I wish she still offered a kit, but I don’t see it on her website. I love the way the leaves fall and flutter on that quilt. I hope your experiment with the coleus works!

Ute naeht und strickt said...

Hallo Joicelin
Ich möchte Dir gern einmal sagen wie ich mich über Deine Postings freue und ich wie gern ich Sie lese. Liebe Gruesse aus
Norddeutschland

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

What beautiful plants!!
and your plus quilt is going to be amazing!!!
that light is really pretty - kind of inspiration for another quilt?
designated days - that brought up memories.. my grandma had designated days for everything - ironing, bread, washing - she was always so on top of things. but she was pretty adamant about getting her chores done before she would do anything else....

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

The Turning Leaves quilt is gorgeous. They all are.
Coleus here gets eaten as well depending on where it is planted.

Michele McLaughlin said...

It was so nice to catch up on your posts. Your coleus should be fine indoors over the winter. I had some I brought in years ago and they were cheerful reminders of the warmer months. Let us know how the seeds work out, I think they should be fine too. So nice to see all your sewing projects. Love the plus quilt and your hexies look great! Sending hugs!

Jill at emeraldcottage said...

Your quilt is fabulous! I'm working on an autumn cross-stitch its bucketing with rain here and feels very autumnal.
Jillxxx

CathieJ said...

What an interesting post. I like how you are quilting the plus quilt. I am not a natural gardener, so although I found the idea of collecting the seeds interesting, I realized that I most likely would either forget where I put them or forget I had them. Thanks for all the links.

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

My grandmother had days of the week she designated for household tasks. I grew up in a busy household. . we had to do at least a load of laundry every day and the floor was mopped daily! I often wondered how my grandma managed the laundry. When I was older, I realized two people don't make much laundry especially when they aren't doing jobs that get them dirty! You sure have a green thumb! I'm a seed saver too. I hope you have good luck saving your seeds!

Quilter Kathy said...

So much eye candy to enjoy! I loved seeing your hand quilting! It has to be cold weather for me to get out my hand quilting - but soon!

Daisy Debs said...

Autumn is a coming in here too ! Darker evenings . I'm sleeping under two very thin quilts at the moment but have the heavier duvet at the ready ! I'm loving your patchwork , so inspiring 💐x

Miaismine said...

Your quilt looks just fine – it’s a work in progress! It’s beautiful! You had some interesting books pictured in your header – a couple of which I requested from my library! Thank you for sharing!