heirlooms and eiderdowns

At last I've finished piecing this hexagon quilt. Sewing it by machine was quite fast once I was in the swing of it, and I've backed it just with a soft old flannelette sheet and no wadding, for a light and summery feeling. 

I'm going to tie this quilt, something I haven't tried before. Apparently you need to use a 'surgeon's knot' so it doesn't come undone, which sounds like good practise if I ever need to perform an emergency operation...

It feels worn and loved already, and it reminds me of the eiderdowns my sister and I had as children.

And eiderdowns always remind me of hydrangeas. These originally came from cuttings from my Mum's garden, making them precious indeed. 

Memories are the extra dimension in a garden, each plant or cutting reminds you of the person who gave it, and of course there is also the pleasure of giving plants in exchange to friends. And a quilt is hopefully an heirloom in the making too, especially if its made from old fabric from much loved garments.

This year the hydrangeas, which are usually pink, have flowered in every shade of pink and blue- maybe its the lovely summer weather?

The garden is glowing with pink and blue at the moment. This lychnis really is this bright magenta, wonderful with the furry silver stems and leaves.

The sweet peas are starting to produce a bunch a day of divinely scented blooms, and the best thing about sweet peas is that the more you pick, the more you get.

(Later)... my trial surgeon's knots don't seem very secure to me, probably just as well I wasn't planning on doing a spot of appendectomy anytime soon. Will have to do further research on this one I think...