Hazy Daze (Monroe, WA)

I have seen a couple of people refer to this as the 'Wildfire Season' and I now understand why.  It's not just the burn-ban or the threat of a wildfire, it is the smoke-filled air mixed with very high temperatures during the day.  

Blaine, WA

Our second visit to Blaine started out with fabulous weather, but during our last week, we started experiencing hazy days with smoke from Canada's wildfires.  We moved south to Monroe, WA on Tuesday only to find the smoke thicker here.  I haven't seen the local news lately, so I am not aware of wildfires nearby.  I would not be surprised to learn there are a few burning in Washington and in Oregon.  I can only hope that our brave firefighters stay safe and are able to get the wildfires under control soon.

In the meantime, I feel like I have gone a couple of rounds in a boxing ring.  It is hard for us to filter out the smoke during the night.  Every morning I wake up feeling like I have been punched in the face with my sinuses bruised and my eyes all puffy.  I feel really bad for those with respiratory problems.

Before the smoke moved in, we spent one afternoon walking through the Blaine Marine Park.  We like to take the walking trail instead of the sidewalk so we can view sea birds on the shores along with a nice view of the Peace Arch Park and White Rock, BC.

There are wild blackberry bushes along the trail with water fountains...

and artwork.

The trail ends at a public pier overlooking views across the bay to Semiahmoo Resort and Pt. Roberts.  

This last picture is looking inland towards Blaine.  What a view!

On The Cutting Board

I can actually say something good came out of me feeling bad.  I have been very focused on finishing a few UFOs.  I finished four quilt tops.  They are pinned, and ready to be quilted!  Below is the new Black Cat quilt that I am making for a customer's request.  She bought the last one I made, but she asked if I could make a larger lap quilt.

I made the top bigger and did not realize that I had made it bigger than the backing fabric I had already chosen for it.  I really did not want to go shopping for more fabric, so I decided to extend the backing with leftover fabric from the quilt.  Now, the customer can display the front or the back of her quilt!

Backing for Black Cat quilt

Below is a photo of the Showered with Love quilt.  Lots of scraps used in this one....and yet the scraps seem to be growing.....taking over my storage bin...I think their master plan is to take over the motorhome......  Okay, back to reality.  This quilt is pinned and ready for quilting.  I will show the other two quilts next time.

Showered with Love

I was so happy to finish four quilts that I took a picture of the four together.  Then, I really started looking at this pile and it suddenly dawned on me that I had no idea where I was going to store my new quilts.  Darn!  I thought I was being smart trying to use up my stash.  Instead, I have created a new problem.  I spent the next couple of hours going through my storage areas.  I have some space open up since I used up the last of my batting,  That helped a little.  

Then I came across two pillow forms and remembered that I had planned to make two more pillows for our dining room benches.  I had forgotten about them since we had the bench seats reupholstered.  Talk about a senior moment!  The quilts were put aside and I went to work on the pillow covers.  I had already finished the two appliquéd centers.  I just needed to add a border and quilt.  I kept the quilting simple and was done within a couple of weeks.

And now...I can finish my four quilts!

Happy Quilting!