Posts Tagged ‘poppies’
a quilting story: lemons and lemonade
I am going to share the long, twisty story of my poppy quilt.
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First, I am not a great quilter, but I have made many quilts. To illustrate, a friend once asked if I was ‘basting’ the quilt together first. I was not; I just quilt with long, uneven stitches.
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The story begins last Christmas when I ordered, on-line, a draft-stopper made from a row of stuffed sheep. It was adorable, well-constructed and perfect.
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So this Christmas I decided a cute lap-quilt with a sheep motif would be nice for the easy chair near the draft-stopper. So I looked on-line and ordered this cute little quilt.
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Something went wrong with the order (I think I ordered from a knock-off site) and when the quilt arrived I was beyond disappointed. Someone had taken a photo of the above quilt or one like it, had it printed on rayon fabric and sewed the ‘quilt’ together with a machine stitch.
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Meanwhile, I was planning to make a small quilt for our bedroom which is decorated with a poppy motif. I had some of the fabric, left over from other projects. I looked on- line and found the perfect fabric, in ready-to-quilt 5″ by 5″ squares. 42 squares, just enough for my quilt. Disappointment number 2. The fabric, when it arrived was beautiful. But, only 8 of the 42 squares were in the poppy motif! Grrrrr.
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So I said, dang the price and sent for another 42 (that is 8) squares. Now I still had to purchase a padding for the quilt. Hmmm. I have that ugly sheep quilt.
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So I used the sheep quilt for the backing, sewing individual poppy squares over the sheep in rows. Very pretty although the colours are probably the result of my flower-child years.
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Once I had the top completed, I sent for some fabric to do the underside. The first order was cancelled because the fabric did not print correctly, but, frustration aside, the final fabric is soft and beautiful. You can see my ‘basting’ stitches if you look closely!
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Now I will do a wide band for the edges, this time in a bright California poppy fabric. My quilt will be colourful and warm, and, somewhere within the layers of fabric, sleep 25 ugly sheep!
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All my best and may your quilting projects be without frustration!
Jane
a quest for poppies 5-5 a
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On April 27, I took a short detour on my virtual bike tour, to find a field of poppies. I love poppies and I’d like to find a field of them on my virtual visit to central France.
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map showing red field … could it be a field of blooming poppies? (map from Google Maps)
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I started by scanning the maps to the south of the area I have been visiting. And I found what looked like a red field just south of my bike path. Side trip!!!!
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map showing my quest to find a field of poppies (map from Google maps)
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At the first of my side trip, I saw a lady, picking flowers along the roadside …
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looks like she is picking daisies … (image from Street View)
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I stopped to ask her if she knew any poppy fields in the area …
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the lady stops to talk (image from Street View)
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Jane to Lady-picking-flowers: Bonjour Madame! (Hello Madame.)
Lady-picking-flowers: Bonjour! (Hello!)
Jane: Je pense que vous aimez les fleurs! (I think you must like flowers!)
Lady: Oui. Je trouve un bouquet pour la table! (Yes. I am getting a bouquet for the table.)
Jane: Est-ce que vous connaissez s’il y a un champ des coquelicots dans cet territoire? (Do you know if there are any fields of poppies in this area?)
Lady: Oui. Dans le printemps, il y a un grand champ des coquelicots just à côté de cette route. Il n’est que deux kilomètres vers l’est. (Yes. In the spring, there is a big field of poppies just beside this road. It’s only two kilometers to the east.)
Jane: Bon! Merci! Bonjour! (Great! Thanks! Have a good day!)
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So off I went, peddling madly between fields of grain and plowed soil on a very narrow dirt road …
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the poppy field must be just up ahead (image from street View)
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It was boring, but I was watching for that gorgeous field of poppies …
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it should be just off to the left … (image from Street View)
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When I got to the area on the map where I was sure there was a poppy field, I saw only plowed field …
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I’m sure they should be just over there (image from Street View)
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As a reward for my search, I saw two poppy blooms in the grass beside the road …
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two poppies beside the road (image from Street View)
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I realised then, the Google Map and the Street View images were taken at different times of the year. So sad.
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Best View: imaginary poppies …
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Copyright Jane Tims 2013
more encounters with poppies 5-1
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houses in the town of Ferrieres – shutters and white curtains (image by Street View)
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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Maps)
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On my virtual bike trip on April 15, I cycled through the countryside to the east of the town of Ferrières. It seemed to take forever to reach the first corner in the road. This part of France is very flat and you can see what is ahead of you for miles …
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When I reached the corner at last, I was so happy …
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I could see poppies in the ditch at the edge of the grain field, so I looked back and saw the closest thing yet to a whole field of poppies. If you Google images for ‘field of poppies’, you will see some beautiful examples of the many poppy fields in France. Sparse though it was, this is the best field of poppies I have ever ‘seen’ …
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a field of poppies and grain – most of the poppies are along the road or deep in the field just left of center (image from Street View)
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Afterward, I followed my poppy-colored bike path into the town of Ferrières. This town seems to have more space than other towns I have ‘visited’ in central France …
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I must have been tired during my bike trip, because it was very hard not to stop and buy a scooter or motorbike at the roadside dealership …
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This is the first day on my virtual bike trip that I have been tired and not very motivated. I know from previous bouts of exercise that quitting can be far too easy.
Since I began my stationary cycling trip ‘through’ central France, I have kept at it for two and a half months, exercising once in every two or three days.
I have been motivated by a number of things: looking forward to my next virtual adventure, reporting on my Blog about my progress, and choosing a subject and doing my pencil drawing.
I am also newly encouraged by my last blood work which shows both my cholesterol and my triglycerides considerably improved. So today, I am heading back down to my tiny exercise room to see some new sights in central France. Perhaps there is a huge field of poppies just around the corner!!!!
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Best View: shade along the country road…
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Copyright Jane Tims 2013
wildflowers along the road
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I have completed Phase 4 of my virtual bike ride through France! My entire ride (Phase 1, 2, 3 and 4) since January 30, 2013 has taken me from Lusignan to Ferrières for a total of 116 km or 1155 minutes (19.2 hours).
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The last bike ride of Phase 4 took me through the countryside east of Ferrièrres …
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The theme seemed to be one of wildflowers. I saw Queen Anne’s Lace, Fireweed, and, best of all, Poppies, along the edge of the fields …
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I also saw a roadside shrub in yellow bloom. Since the images were taken in May, I think these flowers were Gorse …
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I also saw a flock of sheep grazing in a pasture …
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Best View: a flower garden in Courçon …
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For Phase 5 of my trip, I plan to cycle from Ferrières to Nieul-sur-Mer, near the Atlantic Coast of France. Hope you will stay with me on my journey!
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Copyright Jane Tims 2013
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