Pillows, pork chops, and purple pansies

I did lots of quilty sewing in May, but the only finishes were pillows.  I made myself the couch pillow below. 

Pillow made entirely from scraps in my stash.  This pattern is from the book Cultural Fusion Quilts by Sujata Shah.  I love how this pillow turned out.  It really updates my older gold couch.

This is how I usually finish my pillows.  I make the back in two pieces that overlap, and the opening is closed with a piece of velcro.  It's a simple technique, and makes it easy to remove the pillow cover for cleaning.

My husband is an excellent cook.  Our dinners are usually simple, but delicious.  This was pork chops with apples (from Betty Crocker), steamed broccoli, and lovely beverages (I had gin and tonic). I was gifted the awesome glass by my awesome sister-in-law, Jean H. 

We live walking distance to town, so sometimes we get carryout for dinner.  We had Steak Chimichanga and Nachos. 

More pillows made this month for my daughter, Hannah.  She asked me to use solid fabrics with pops of color.  I searched Pinterest for pillow ideas as this is not my usual style.  I made these pillows all from my stash. 

The gardens have been coming on strong this month.  Here, the Siberian iris show many buds, getting ready to bloom.

Great view with purple pansies in one pot; impatiens, geranium, lobelia, and vinca vine in the large planter; and huge hosta and tall alium in the background.  It was a great month for the alium, I saw them all over town. 
Stay safe everyone, and hug your loved ones.  It was a tough week. 

 

Clematis Garden Tour and One Alien

Oh no, another long gap with no blog post....time to play a little catch up, I guess!  I could play the "I've been busy" card, but I'd be preaching to the choir...who's NOT busy these days?  

So - no excuses, just get on with it - and try to post more frequently.

 Clematis #1, in my back yard near the patio.  Truthfully, our yard doesn't really have any 100% sunny areas, so I have to be creative with my gardening.  This clematis was just planted last year, so this is its first flowering.  I think they look like pink stars.

This used to be my favorite clematis - the classic deep purple variety that my mom used to grow - but it is just tiny and frail this year.  It seems to be having an "off" year, like so many sports teams.  But the sweet yellow (the leaves are yellow) iris are lovely! They were a gift from our dear neighbors, Peg and Jim, in memory of our first yellow lab, Maggie.  The iris variety is sweet and yellow, just like old Mags was. :)

Easily my most robust clematis plant, this one can be cut back and it still burst forth with vigorous growth.  This one has deep purple flowers, but it blooms later in the summer.  

And how about this stunner? First summer blooming for this beauty, too - a nice, pale lavender, adding some interest to my back fence.  I have to cross the back yard to see it, but those cutting through our alley (and many  neighbors to so) get to enjoy it daily.

We have quite a few alium or, as Scott likes to call them, "aliens", out front.  I am old enough to think of Sputnik when I see these 4-foot tall lovelies.