17th Blog-iversary!

Happy Australia Day to my friends in Australia! And happy blogiversary to me. 

It's difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that 17 years ago today, I wrote my first FlourishingPalms blog post. 

17 years! 

My first post was about January 26 being Australia Day. In honor of the occasion I made pavlova, a traditional Australian baked meringue dessert reputed to have been named for the ballerina, Anna Pavlova. Back then, in 2009, I was into all things Australia because our daughter lived in Sydney, and I visited there multiple times when we lived in Iowa. 

For the first seven years of blogging - writing 716 blog posts during that seven years - I had each year of posts printed into a book. As I recall, the first few years of books were $40 to $50 each. By the time I'd had the seventh year printed for $80, I decided it wasn't worth it to continue that practice. I just check a site to see what it would cost to print 70 posts from 2025 and the price was about $148 - still not worth it. 

While some quilt makers have told me my blog posts are my legacy, and I should document everything I've written about by printing a book, I have strong doubts that my descendants will care one way or another about what I had to say about my quilts or my process for making them. 

Only for me is it satisfying to recognize that I've continued to regularly write blog posts while many other creative bloggers I avidly followed in the early days have long ago let their blogs lapse. For me, each post is a journal - a means to document all my makes, whether they're quilts or other creative efforts to which I've applied my "flourishing palms." 

I remain very happy with the blog name flourishingpalms, and use @flourishingpalms on Instagram too. In case you didn't know, I chose the name because it signifies three things for me: 

1. It's a favorite Bible verse: "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, planted in the house of the Lord." Psalm 92:12
2. I've always admired and been fascinated by palm trees, even making a palm tree quilt while living in Iowa. (See below.)
3. I appreciate the play on words, with "palm" not only referring to the tree, but referring to the creative efforts of my hands - my palms.

Here's the palm quilt hanging in our Florida house.

There's one special block... a sun chair sitting in a field of Iowa corn, where a palm is also growing!

The quilt name is I Can Dream, Can't I?

Little did I know, back in 2005 when I made the quilt, that I would one day be living in Florida where palms are a regular sight. We've been here 13½ years now.

What I've Been Doing Lately

I finished a skein of donated variegated pastel yarn. I previously posted about the baby afghan I made. Using the same knitted pattern, the remaining yarn made a piece that's only 13" X 26". I've dubbed it a lovey, or perhaps it could be a doll blanket.  

13" X 26"

"Beautiful Texture Baby Blanket" knitting pattern info

Braiding continues on my rag rug that's now 40" X 50", making it completely importable. It's heavy!

Trying to be a little more creative with the rug design, you can see where I added a second braid that's entirely orange.

Along the end I'm inserting another short, light blue braid. I plan to repeat the orange design on the next long side, and add another light blue braid at the end. My thrift store investments (several years ago) in two flat bed sheets - orange, and blue print - were good choices.

I've also begun another take-along sewing machine project. My five-pound Janome Derby sewing machine is perfect for this.

I'm piecing to "do something" with dozens and dozens of triangles I found in scrap bins. I know some triangles are offcuts from making Posh Penelope, but I can't remember where others came from. Some HSTs are finishing at 2½", and others at 2¼". No matter. I plan to work out a way to make them all into one quilt. 

Another Fun Thing

For blog-readers who are not Floridians, you won't recognize the structure below, but it's a Twistee Treat ice cream stand. 

I discovered Twisted Treat in 2020, stopping at one after getting our first COVID vaccinations - my reward for being a good girl. 😀 

I adore their soft-serve ice cream, but seldom have opportunities to eat it because the nearest location is 15 miles away. All Twistee Treat structures are distinctive like this, with a cone base and an ice-cream-and-toppings roof. Some also have sprinkles!

The picture above is of the stand that's going up near me. Oh boy! I'll be able to get there by golf cart! This is supposed to open in February. I'm closely watching @twisteetreat on Instagram.

I can't end this post without saying 💕 thank you 💕 to everyone who's been a blog-reader. 

While I miss quilters who once-upon-a-time read my posts (and I considered friends) I remain ever-so-grateful to you who take a moment to read and comment. I love hearing from you! Even those of you who have been commenting as "Anonymous," I hope you know I am responding to all comments. Whether you receive an email reply, or a response in the comments of that blog post, I appreciate you!

Maybe I'll keep hearing from you... for another 17 years? Linda

Life is So Full

A week spent traveling and visiting family in Kansas City, as well as going to Gainesville to give a "What is Modern Quilting?" program to members of Gainesville MQG, has kept me out of the sewing room. In between times, and while riding in the car, I managed to make progress on a few things.

Car time was spent finishing up these 18 EPP X-blocks for my Prudence quilt. Now to lay out and arrange all the medallions and X's. 

 

This was the view out the car window while going through Kentucky, near Paducah. (No time to stop for the AQS show that was going on. 😞) All that yellow is blooming canola which we saw in numerous fields in that area. So pretty!

I had the chance to spend time with two of our four grandsons, attending soccer games, taekwondo, and a fifth grade school musical. Tay is 12 and plays soccer. 

Aesa is 11, just earned a blue belt in taekwondo, and was the production manager for the fifth grade performance of an original musical. 

On three occasions, I visited my 92 year-old Dad at his apartment - helped clean out a storage closet, and took him to buy new shoes - while spending time with our daughter, my sister, and a brief visit with my nephew at his store (Olathe Pet Shop). It was great seeing everyone!

As soon as I returned home, I prepared for my program and trunk show with members of Gainesville MQG. They may be a small chapter, but their interest in modern is huge! I was glad to be able to pull out and revisit modern quilts I made eight/nine/ten years ago.

Since the Gainesville meeting was in the evening, my friend Rosemary traveled with me. It was so nice to chat with her coming and going on the 80 minute (each way) car drive. Thanks Rosemary!

Being away prevented me from keeping up with the Alison Glass Stitch Club Kantha Sew Along, but I've made big steps toward catching up. Week two was to add hand-embroidered words/lettering, if desired. Well, "I desired," but spent way too long coming up with what I wanted to say! 

I finally arrived on Proverbs 15:13a: A glad heart makes a happy face. 

I'm paraphrasing it as: glad heart. happy face.

Using Alison's video tutorial, I hand-drew the letters onto the yellow linen part of the backing. As a template, I used a 1¾" steel ring from a set of Applipops, and drew around them with a fine Sewline pen.

Letters are stitched with a double strand of Wonderfil Eleganza, size 8, using a chain stitch. 

Once the lettering is complete, it's time to put together the front and back, and begin stitching. I'm looking forward to that! 

Thanks to a friend, Sherry, in South Florida MQG chapter, I learned about a new Bible that sounded worth owning. Since we don't have any Christian book stores in our area, when I was in Kansas City, I sought out a Christian store and was happy to find Mardel Christian Bookstore (owned by Hobby Lobby). There I found exactly what I was looking for - a large print, red letter (Jesus's words in red) Filament Bible in NLT (New Living Translation), and a new Bible cover.

 

What's special about a Filament Bible is that you can download, for free, the Filament app. When you open the app, take a picture of the tiny logo/page number at the top of each page.

Then, a whole bunch of information is at your fingertips! Just tap to study, reflect, or see/hear videos and worship music! I love it!

I'm really excited about using this Bible. I chose the NLT version because it's what's read at Lutheran Church of Hope (West Des Moines, Iowa). My previous Bible is NIV (New International Version). Oh! And while in Kansas City I worshipped, in-person, at Lutheran Church of Hope's satellite location in Shawnee. Loved that too!

We finally got our new golf cart! We ordered it November 15, and delivery was April 25, even later than anticipated. Turns out, our cart (as well of those of dozens and dozens of other customers like us) was assembled and only waiting for a turn signal handle! Yep, production of that small part, coming from China, prevented earlier delivery.  Just another incidence of supply chain problems since the pandemic. 

Hubs and I have shared one golf cart since moving here in 2013, so keeping the old golf cart (with 33,700+ miles on it!) means we each have a cart to use if we happen to be away at the same time. Yay!

Book Recommendation

I've been excited to share this book with you because it's one of the best books I've listened to in months! Definitely my best read, so far, in 2022. 

The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle is the debut title from this author who lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

The story is about Summer and Iris, identical twin sisters from Australia, who take a long sailing yacht trip together from Thailand to the Seychelles. During the voyage, Iris reflects on her relationship with Summer, the twin who seems to have it all - good fortune; a gorgeous, doting husband Adam; a young son from Adam's previous marriage - while Iris is trying to pull her life back together from a failed marriage to Noah. 

On the voyage, Summer goes missing, and after searching for her, Iris fumbles her way alone to the Seychelles, where she's swept up in Adam's arms and concerns. He thinks she's Summer. As Iris wrestles about "the right thing to do," she becomes more embroiled in her lies.

I can't get this book out of my mind, which to me, is a sign of a great story. I hope Rose Carlyle keeps writing!

Linda's score: 4.6/5.0

Linda

What's Happenin'

When I'm teaching, the time really gets away from me. On Monday I taught week four of five lessons with 21 first time quilt makers. They learned how to bind a quilt.

On Saturday I led an all day free motion quilting workshop. Fifteen students learned about batting, threads, quilting needles, and straight line and free motion quilting.

As for my own quilting activities...

I've been quilting these fat quarter-sized samples of what can be done with backing fabric that has a distinctive pattern. Quilters who use such a print will need to make the quilt sandwich upside down (quilt top face down on the table, batting, then backing), but how nice to just follow the fabric pattern to get an all over design on the front.

This backing is bubbles, and makes a pretty design on the quilt front.

Love this "Drawn" fabric by Angela Walters for Robert Kaufman. She calls her wide-back fabric designs "training wheels" for quilters. This one quilts lovely feathers. I showed these samples to Saturday's class, suggesting such fabrics as an option for practicing FMQ.

After running out of beige and green solid fabrics in December, I ordered more and was able to return to this Mini Trees quilt, a free project from SewKindofWonderful using their new mini quick curve ruler.  It was a fast project to sew together. 

Now my 36" X 47" top is pin-basted and ready to quilt. Note the green batting? That's Quilter's Dream select loft batting made from recycled plastic bottles. A 46" X 60" batt was only $8.95, so I thought I'd give it a try. 

Our Hogan is doing great! He visited the vet last week and after Dan and I told her about his dry cough, his nearly incessant paw-licking, and showed her a couple pink-looking spots on his tummy, we agreed that he should be on steroids again. Once he started them, within two days he stopped coughing and licking.

He's acting like he feels good, though being 12-1/2 years old, he sleeps a lot. The sarcoma is still there though, in the muscles on his right front chest. It will inevitably return as a small, then larger, visible lump. We're hoping that's months away. In the meantime we're treating him like a king. For the first time, he ate green beans (from the farmer's market, and steamed) and loved them. He also likes popcorn fresh from the popper (unsalted), braunschweiger, and peanut butter, and I've been baking "cookies" for him that he practically salivates over. We know we've created "a monster," but we consider him a much-loved and deserving one.

In January, using a Blog2Print coupon, I prepared and had printed my 2014 and 2015 blog posts: FlourishingPalms Volumes 6 and 7. I'm pleased with how they turned out.

Though these books are fairly expensive, I'm glad I can save the thousands of words I've written, and hundreds of pictures I've taken over the past seven years.

Three upcoming medical appointments are on my mind, and make me grateful that I unintentionally scheduled a teaching break from February 9-29. During that period, I'll have two tests and a procedure. While I've been feeling anxious, I've been trying to focus on the "light." The Holy Spirit led me to this verse from Psalm 112:4:

Even in the darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous woman. 

Linda

Catch Up

Time is passing at lightening speed. Or is it just me? My beginner quiltmaking classes are already coming down the home stretch. Today I showed one class of students how to sew binding to a quilt. My thanks to whoever picked up my camera to take this picture!

This Friday is an all-day free motion quilting workshop. For those quilters who have never attempted FMQ, I'll do a pin basting demo as I've done on this "Spinner" quilt. Spinner is a 36" X 48" quilt I recently designed for First Time Quiltmaking students. It's simply an additional pattern option, besides the four basic designs students have had since 2005. (Oh my! I've been teaching for a long time, haven't I?!)

Catching up on a long-intended to-do, I recently had two more books made of my Flourishing Palms blog posts. While I managed to have volumes 1, 2 and 3 printed shortly after the end of each year -  2009, 2010, and 2011 - somehow, I never made the time to create Volumes 4 and 5, from 2012 and 2013. Both those years were pretty monumental for us, so I didn't want to lose record of them.

Having blog posts made into a print book is a pretty easy process. I did it through Blog2Print. You get to choose a date range, and then several options for formatting - a cover style, front and back cover photographs, and whether to include a table of contents, or blog comments. I didn't include either. It takes a couple weeks to have the book order fulfilled by Shared Books.

Here are pages from a post about a Carolyn Friedlander trunk show I attended last year. It's great having lots of pictures.

The only posts I didn't include were those about giveaways.

I'm expecting that someday, probably after I'm gone, my children and grandchildren will look through these books and find that their Mom/Nana was crazy for quiltmaking. As if they don't know that already! They'll also know I'm proud of them. After all, they made the covers of several books!

Below are four churn dash blocks for Carla, the February queen of our Mid-Century Modern Bee.  This is the link to our new Mid-Century Modern Bee blog where you can see pictures of blocks and 2013 quilt finishes by our 12 bee members. I'm sorry to say that my 2013 quilt isn't there yet - because it's not finished - and I don't have a clue what I'm going to ask my bee mates to sew for me when I'm the July queen.

Carla's churn dash blocks might look familiar because she asked for them, and I sewed them, in January 2013. Now she's requesting them again because she needs a lot of 4" blocks for a queen-sized quilt! All the blocks are bright - orange, red, pink, yellow, and white/snow. The quilt will be appropriately named "Juicy Fruit." If you ever need a clever method for sewing a churn dash block, check out Carla's super tutorial!

 

When I sewed together each little block, I used my web method of piecing. If you're not familiar how to sew a web, check out my tutorial here. This joining method works for sewing together blocks to make a quilt top, and can be applied to sew together little patches to make a block like this.

Chain-pieced columns to make a web.

All four blocks as webs.

Then, I sewed rows together to finish each block.

Last weekend I finished improv-piecing my 2014 Pantone Challenge quilt. That was a lot of fabric-chopping and resewing! I've pretty much decided improv takes longer than sewing together more traditional blocks. The four sections, and the gray and white strips are all improv-pieced.

With fabric leftovers, I pieced together very scrappy single-fold binding. It's ready to sew to the quilt when I'm done quilting. Happily, I'm on track to meet the March 21 entry deadline.

So far, this is the quilting - very much an improv quilting design since none of the quilted arcs have uniform spacing.

To quilt those arcs, I used this handy FMQ tool - a Fine Line Curve Ruler made by Accents in Design. 

Stay in touch! In an upcoming post, I'll show you how to use the ruler, and you'll have an opportunity to win a set for yourself! Linda