An Alberta Heat Wave.... There are lots of beautiful flowers blooming around the neighborhood- though its hard to keep them from drying out, in the heat wave that has hit the prairies. We are in the 30's C(90's F) which is pretty hot for here and it appears that the weather is to stay that way for the rest of the week. With the humidity, it feels like over 40 degrees C- very hot. We had a rolling power outage this afternoon - something that has never happened before. You realize how dependent one is on electricity. Every technological connection relies on power!!!! The Alstroemeria ..are looking pretty nice- they stay fresh for a nice long time as long as you change the water regularly..

I thought I might post a photo of the individual blocks in the lattice quilt. My blog friend Sio from Scraps and Thread tales posted a basket weave quilt that she had made, on her facebook page not long ago. It got me to thinking about the construction of the lattice quilt's individual blocks. Her quilt reminded me of the lattice quilts, but she pointed out a couple of differences- like she had 3 strips rather than two, and the weave was continual, whereas mine formed squares that intersect across the quilt.

Here is the second lattice quilt all quilted up- I am glad that I quilted it last week, instead of trying to quilt it in this heat wave. My quilting machine is upstairs in the gables of the house, so even with the overhead fans, it would be quite hot up there. It makes such a difference to a quilt when one gets the edges squared. This one has been squared now.

I finally got some of my spring bunnies put to bed, and decided to leave the buffet fairly plain. It has a Monet pattern on the tea set - the one with the red poppies in the fields. I love the Impressionists, and thought this set looked like summer. My mother gave me the lovely Battenburg lace runner to me a couple of years ago.. It has a wonderful elegance about it!

You have probably figured out that I don't do things in half measures- I have been busy knitting some more of the frilly scarves- They are so easy, and great fun to do, while I am watching a movie or a favorite TV show. Like all knitted things, the yarn makes the difference between them being more lacy, or having a thicker texture. They do have some gorgeous yarns out there to choose from with some stunning color combinations.

From the vaults: Not long ago, someone asked me when I started quilting, and how many quilts have I made? Do you know when you made your first quilts? What keeps you quilting? I don't actually know how many bed sized quilts that I have completed, but I am thinking that I am somewhere between 75 and 100 bed sized quilts. I tried quilting a few times - the first when I was a teenager before the time of rotary cutters and acrylic templates. I have one Dresden plate pillow block from that era. It didn't stick- The second time I tried quilting, I made a queen sized log cabin in a day quilt(Eleanor Burns pattern) in 1987. It took me over a year to get that quilt made- I used a double layer of polyester batting in it, because I wanted it to be warm LOL. In 1996, I moved to the school that I am currently working. I also took up quilting seriously. This sampler quilt was the result. I chose all the blocks from books like Quilts, Quilts by Diana McClun and Laura Nownes and Ruby McKim's 101 blocks. I took a beginning quilting course that summer from a lady named Pat, who happened to be a kindergarten teacher. Not just any kindergarten teacher either- She moved into my old classroom as the new kindergarten teacher, when I moved on to my new school. Talk about one of life's six degrees of separation!!!! The following summer, I finished this sampler quilt and met a mentor teacher named Linda. I have made quilts ever since. I have appreciated Linda's ongoing support and guidance over the years, especially when I would get stuck. Thank you, Linda for being a great mentor and friend. We all need other quilters who inspire us and teach us some of the techniques. I continue to be connected to a group of ladies that love to make quilts. I don't know how many I will actually get completed this summer, but I hope to get 3 made- we shall see.. It will depend on how long this heat wave lasts...

In the next couple of weeks, our two good friends will celebrate a special birthday- This quilt was made for them a couple of years ago. We just wanted to wish Happy Birthday To Valerie and Alister. We hope that you enjoy some great times with loved ones to mark your special birthdays. You are most treasured friends!

Darlene is a quilting friend from the Connecting Threads quilt forum. She decided that she would like to try her hand at blogging. She is off to a grand start- Do go and visit her- perhaps leave a comment. It is always nice to meet bloggers from different parts of the globe. Darlene comes from a farming community in the province that we both call home. Jane has a master schedule for a Red White and Blue blog hop that is going on right now. On some of the posts, there are giveaways and on all of them, there are some fabulous blocks/projects to view. I have seen a reference or two, to a Think Christmas blog hop, that is going to start soon too. One of the things I love best about the blog hops, is that I get to meet some new to me bloggers. They, too, provide some new ideas that act as inspiration for me... Enjoy your summer days if you are living in the Northern Hemisphere. Stay warm, if you are living in the lands down Under. Warmest regards, Anna