Yesterday, Mother Nature gifted us with sunshine and 71°F. That is unseasonably warm even for South Carolina. Regular temps are on their way for the rest of the week including a forecast for frost this Thursday evening.
We took advantage of the beautiful weather by sitting in the sun on the balcony, and in the afternoon several of us went out to Brookgreen Gardens. What’s not to love – beautiful flowers in bloom, baby alligator and turtles sunning themselves, and even a visiting cardinal. It was a great way to spend Sunday afternoon. 🙂
When I’m not enjoying the outdoors, I’ve been sewing on the first of the two baby quilts I brought to work on. The pattern is lattice, the baby is a boy, and his room is gray and white with other accents. I have the two middle rows to attach, add the borders, and then I’m on to quilting and binding. I’ll show it again when I’m finished.
I also promised a photo of the quilt I put together
with my Mom’s candlewicking or white embroidery. It is somewhat wonky because I couldn’t quilt her pieces on my sewing machine. I’m still contemplating what I can do to smooth those out. I’m thinking this would be a good project for me to attempt some hand quilting. It’s not perfect, but I try to look at the bottom line that I preserved those panels and their memories.
This morning a group of ladies is off to Stitchin at the Beach to check out vendors and then to grab lunch.
Hope your second week in January is off to a great start!
NewEnglandGardenAndThread 
It’s only a little bit cooler here and equally sunny, though tomorrow is supposed to be messy. Still, a very mild winter — so far. We don’t count on it until the flowers of May are blooming! Hope you’re vacation continues to be beautiful!
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I hope the New England winter continues to be nicer and warmer than normal. Of course, next summer, we may all be moaning about the heat and humidity. But, we won’t worry about that until then. 🙂
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That sounds like a fabulous Sunday!
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Wow, Judy, how wonderful that you enjoy all those beautiful camellias already on January 6!
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And, they are all loaded with blooms so I’m guessing they will be a sight for quite a while. Glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
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Awwww! The TURTLES ARE BACK! – my favorite of your SC nature shots – all of them (give or take a few depending on the weather!) faithfully reporting to the sunning log whether or not you’re there to capture them!
The cardinal shot could be an art class demo of how warm colors advance, and how red is always the first hue one’s eye is drawn to in a composition!
Very attractive baby quilt! Interesting trending from pastels in the era you and I had our nurseries, to the bright primary blasts in rooms of our grandchildren, to the current elegant, understated grey!
I’m totally in love with the tribute paid to mom’s candlewicking squares. It’s so pretty! I think someone with your skill could hand quilt the problems away, smoothing and stretching the fabric as you go…..??
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Yes, the color schemes are so different. I never heard of a baby’s room in gray and white, but it will probably be stunning. I knew you’d enjoy the turtles just like I do. If we lived closer, I’d bring coffee and dessert to even sit and watch you do your magic with hand quilting. 🙂 Thank goodness for the internet so I can poke around until I find a good instruction video.
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Beautiful flowers, beautiful quilts! Your mom would love it, wouldn’t she?
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I think she would which makes me feel good. 🙂
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Oh the flowers! The turtles! And your quilts!
Your preservation of your Mom’s candle wicking is a treasure of love! I applaud you! I wish I had some of my Mom’s quilts. I don’t know where some ended up? We do have Sweet Man’s Mom’s and his grandmother’s which we use and display in both homes!
Happy Week to you!
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Glad you have some family quilts and all the wonderful memories that go with them. There is nothing like looking at a quilt made years ago and being able to admire the work and skill that went into its creation. 🙂
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I whole heartedly agree! 🤗
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It poured yesterday so I took down all the Christmas decorations and tree.
Your day sounded great! The quilts are coming along very well. I love how you’re preserving your Mom’s candle wicking.
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I like how you are able to take your quilting work with you and find time to do it. I might be content to just sit and enjoy the view, or walk and enjoy the view.
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Beautiful flowers, but oh those turtles sunning themselves! NH or SC, you never sit on your a…… ummmmm, laurels!! Lol.
The baby quilt is going to be a knockout. Your mom would be so proud to see how you preserved her candle wicking. Hand quilting? Yeah, you would ace it!!
🐾Ginger 🐾
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Those turtles always make me smile. I’m glad you like the quilt. I do need to learn at least a little hand quilting so I can smooth those out, but I’m glad it is at least put together and safe. 🙂
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I love that you preserved your mother’s panels. It’s raining here in Wisconsin, which is also unseasonable but not nearly as pleasantly unseasonable.
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The one good thing about rain is it doesn’t have to be shoveled. 🙂
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You make an excellent point. My back and I thank you.
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Wow. Beautiful flowers and quilts, Judy. And weather. Enjoy.
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What a lovely day you have had.. And what a wonderful photo of the turtles. Also that your are preserving your mother’s candle wicking.. I wishI had something like that from my mother, but I treasure her letters. Enjoy your time in the sun.
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If you ever get the inclination there is material you can run through an ink jet printer. You could scan and print a letter and make it into a wall hanging or quilt. 🙂
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That sounds interesting… thanks Judy.
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Love your collage! Enjoy your winter in South Carolina!
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I love that quilt of your Mom’s!!! I sometimes wish I crocheted, or knitted, or something that I could easily take with me, although I guess a phone camera qualifies. But it’s not something I can do while sitting watching a hockey game. 🙂 Ahh, well, I guess I don’t really care enough to take any of those things up at this point in my life. But I certainly enjoy and appreciate the talents of those who do them well, such as yourself.
Enjoy the warmth!
janet, where it raining, but there’s chicken stock perfuming the house
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I too wish I could knit or crochet, and I don’t know what keeps me from learning. 🙂
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Yes it definitely looks like you are enjoying yourself. Warm weather, flowers and quilting, it doesn’t get much nicer than that. Enjoy!
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Oh, love the colors of that first baby quilt! Beautiful!
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A wonderful Sunday indeed — definitely my idea of winter! I have to admit that it’s been very un-wintry here, but to me that just means Mother Nature is plotting something dastardly for the coming weeks. The cardinal is beautiful but obviously lost; doesn’t he know he’s the Indiana state bird and should be here instead of there? Your quilts are, as always, mind-blowing to me, but the one with your mother’s candlewicking is especially meaningful with the pansies. What a family history is there! I love that photo with the turtles — that still water reflecting everything is so peaceful!
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Glad you liked the quilt and the turtles. 🙂
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Both quilts are pretty and special for different reasons. I would definitely do some hand quilting, make the texture work for you instead of against you. Besides, plenty of winter left for lap work 🙂
The scenery is delightful and the flowers are beautiful, of course.
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D > I always tend to run ahead with pictures, and have to catch up with the reading. So I had not idea that the wonky quilt was any such thing (and yes I clicked to see the whole image straight away ) until my reading caught up. And actually I still don’t think so. What I see is something that is true to the traditions of quilting – and absolutely delightful. The delight to you of preserving family memories – surely that makes it just perfect?
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Thank you for your nice comments. I’m glad you like it. 🙂
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“…even a visiting cardinal” 😉 Enjoy the warm respite! – Marty
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Gardens, stitching and sitting in the sun sounds ideal.
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As well as camellias do for us, I sort of think that they do even better there. I think that they are also appreciated more there.
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They sure are appreciated by this woman who hasn’t seen an outdoor bloom in months. 🙂 It is also amazing how many different colors and types there are.
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Yes! We tried to grow some of the more unusual ones, but the more traditional types are still the most popular. It seems that camellia enthusiasts here prefer the more traditional, which happens to be what I prefer to grow. We grew Camellia reticulata for a while, and still grow a few, but they are not popular here.
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Fancy quilts! Enjoy the weather!
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Flowers and quilts and alligators, oh my! 😉
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I like the baby quilt you are working on…love the colors. But oh, my, I LOVE the other…love pansies. Loved how the colors have switced positions in each one.
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So glad you like it. I enjoyed making the pansies because I know how much my Mom enjoyed here. 🙂
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You’re a happy gal! And you should be–what a perfect setting you have, plus quilts to work on! I really love the one with the candlewicking–so sentimental and lovely. Hand quilting might be fun–but you might also be too hard on yourself, if it’s your first time quilting by hand. I think the quilt looks good as is!
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Days like that ARE gifts. Love your projects. Sounds to me like going South for the winter is the new “normal”. Glad you aren’t shoveling snow and chipping ice. You have settled on a great location. 🙂
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I have no idea about the challenges of quilting, except that it looks detailed and time consuming … so to my eye, your quilt looks lovely.
What’s this candle wicking thing relative to fabric? I’ve never heard of it.
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If you have ever heard of ‘red work,’ that is red embroidery on white or cream fabric. Candle wicking is ivory thread on ivory material, but instead of stitches they are knots. So, the design is a series of knots on the front, and I couldn’t get it under my needle of the machine without catching the knots.
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wow – I’ve never heard of that. It sounds like painstaking work! Ivory on ivory sounds lovely though.
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How nice to have warm weather! It was very brisk the year we went to SC for Christmas. I don’t remember hearing about Brookgreen, is it on a restored plantation?
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Yes, it is on the Huntington plantation. You would have liked it. 🙂
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I had never heard of candle wicking either. So glad to learn something new. Reminds me of French knots in crewel work. How meaningful your finished piece will be.
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Lovely quilts and I think your preserving your mother’s work is precious.
Glad you are enjoying being away from NH. Being in the sun is delicious. I just had a week in FL, but am back for the duration… must grin and bear it!
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