Back to the Machine

Making a small embroidery sample for an illustration

Yesterday I polished up the written portion of a magazine article.  Then I worked on making samples for some in-process photos.  It really felt good to be working at the machine again. I will let all of you know when and where it will be published later. Of course, Oreo heard the machine and came in to help with my project. Sometimes it is better to work without an assistant!

Here is Oreo pictured on a different project, she is always willing to share her fur with others

 

 

 

 

 Ann Fahl

Where's Ann?

Hello Everyone,
I'm still alive and kicking I mean digging.  It has been a very long time since my last post I just haven't been quilting, so I'm not sure how much non-quilting stuff you would like to read about.

Now a glamorous gardener, take note of the fashionable legwear she is wearing.  Ann is dressed for planting a small square garden

Since passing the Master Gardener exam in May, I have become a crazed gardener. My studio and sewing machine haven't been used since some time in April. Instead, I've been digging, weeding, planting, transplanting and watering.  Finishing the class material has given me the confidence to strike out and try new things, ideas and a variety of plants.

Here are 2 of the 5 flowerpots that I watch over at my fav Hardee's restaurant

I've planted and tended the flower barrels at my local Hardee's restaurant for 2 summers.  Since it is my favorite place for tea in the morning, I like to have pretty flowers to greet me each morning on my arrival.

Closeup. Hint the center geranium wasn't doing well, so I put it in it's own pot, and set it back in the center.  Now it gets more sun, and is getting ready to bloom again.

My first volunteer garden is a large perennial garden at the Racine Theater Guild.  A number of volunteers have helped with this site for many years.  I helped to plant hundreds of pansies in late spring and have been exposed to some varieties of perennials that I wasn't familiar with. Trollius is one flower that was new to me.  I also learned the importance of pinching off the flowers on the annuals before they are planted, so the roots grow larger to support the future flowers.  It isn't pleasant to pinch off the little flower heads, as they are so pretty and colorful, but it pays off in the long run.

Racine Theater Guild as it appears in August 2012

Here are some of the hundreds of pansies planted on my first day at Theater Guild.

My other volunteer site is Ridgewood Care and Rehabilitation Center. This garden area surrounds the building, and adds a great deal of color to the lives of the people living and working there. I've met so many interesting gardeners at both locations, and learned by working along side them too. Sorry no pictures yet.  This garden deserves its own blog!

The Mt. Pleasant Village Hall, WI  with the 2 small square gardens that I designed and planted

Still finding the digging and gardening to be invigorating, I have volunteered at my new village hall.  The building and landscaping is just over one year old, and needs a little love and attention from a gardener.  So I've been planting and transplanting, and due to the drought, watering something almost every day!  I'm getting tired, but the work really makes me feel good.  In June in I put annuals in two square gardens near the front door.  They have not thrived like I had hoped. Because they are surrounded by concrete they've never been able to cool off at night, and have to be watered every day.  Had they gotten lots of natural rain water, they would be in much better condition right now.

Because of salt use in the winter some of the plants turned brown.  I replaced them with two varieties of salt-tolerant sedum.

So, as my quilting studio collects dust, I continue to dig in the dirt!  Next year my village hall will have lots more color in the garden than it does now.  All winter I will be thinking of ways to add to it for 2013.

Make a quilt, or work in the garden, they'll both make you feel good.

Ann

Color on Deck

Last night I was standing in my kitchen, looking out the back windows, when I realized my rose colored clematis has finally come into its full glory!

Ann's rose colored Clematis 'Ernest Markham'

You should really be impressed, this plant has a story to go along with it. Probably 15 years ago, I paid $1.79 for a little box with a sprig of clematis in it. I purchased two of them, and planted both at the base of a dead tree.  This dead buckthorn was too much for me to cut down, so my plan was for it to become a trellis for the beautiful new clematis; in the back of my corner garden.

A little closer view of how it looks after an almost 20 year struggle.

The plan didn't work and years later, I purchased an electric saw to cut the tree up.  My neighbor helped me and realized that it could be pushed over onto the ground, and chopped up.  Then I saw it! There was a tiny little tendril struggling on the sunny side of the old tree, trying to live.  By this time it was probably only 4 feet long.

I dug it up, and planted it in a spot where it could climb up 5 feet up to our deck.  I tied together some long sticks to help it go up, then it could spread out across the railing. This is what it has done. "Clem" has been growing on the deck for 4 years now.  This year, I purchased an additional small trellis, so it could go even higher and just look at it, it's about 12 feet above ground. This morning as I was having my breakfast, a yellow swallowtail butterfly stopped for a few moments and sipped some of the nectar from the flowers.  Sorry, no photos.  It was a lovely moment.

Ann Fahl

An Announcement for the Small Screen

Hello to all of my readers that own a smart phone.  My webmaster has been working for quite some time to make my website smart phone friendly. 

So if you are one of the fortunate that has one of these great phones, please come to visit www.annfahl.com and see how easy it is to navigate around my website with your small screen. It has been tested, but if you experience any difficulties, please let me know, so the problem can be fixed.

No smart or Android phone? That's OK.  You are welcome to visit my website and galleries 24 hours a day.  I'll put in a batch of chocolate chip cookies, for your arrival!

Ann

I'm Still Here!

Quilting has truly taken a back seat in my current life as a new Master Gardener in training. The classes were interesting, and I have passed the exam.

I've been getting really dirty, digging, moving plants, planting new ones, and having an absolutely wonderful time. The other day when I was taking a short rest from some serious digging, an inspiration for a quilt, actually hit me.  When the idea strikes really hard like this one, it means that I should actually get going and make something. All this has happened and my beloved coneflowers and black eyed susans aren't even blooming yet.

I was looking at my clump of poppies which were magnificent until it rained the other day.  Each year there are more and more flowers.  How can one not be inspired?

Look at the strong orange color, and the purple Siberian iris behind them

Also while I was resting I happened to look at the wild columbine that are blooming in the front yard.  I almost pulled them out last week because they make the garden look kind of ratty!  And a little humming bird came back 3 or 4 times to drink their nectar.  What a treat to watch.

This is the wild variety of columbine that grows in my yard. It isn't the most lush and beautiful plant!

Here is a closeup of the delicate little red and yellow flowers.  No wonder the hummingbirds love them.

Last year I posted about the world's most expensive free rose bush. This is its' third year or maybe fourth. Because of the ultra mild spring it is blooming profusely.

This is how the bush looked last spring, with my son's hockey sticks holding it up.

Here it is in all it's glory this spring 2012.  You can still see a hockey stick!

The jack in the pulpits are huge.  There must be many varieties, because I have one that is almost waist high and others as high as about 12 inches. They are amazing.

Look closely, and you will see Jack in the Pulpit. This one is about 24 inches tall.

The big news, is that after 5 or 6 years my hydrangea bush is going to bloom.  It has taken the right amount of sun/shade and patience.  Finally I've found both. You will have to wait to see a photo of this plant.

Anyhow, this is my first season as a Master Gardener. I am taking advantage of this new found energy for this muddy hard work.  It is so inspiring, thinking about the flowers and leaves that will grow; and very healthy and healing to work hard outside in cooperation with mother nature.  So all I can do is try and harness this new energy, work with it, and hopefully come up with some really inspired pieces.  This will happen when the mosquitoes come out or perhaps when the weather turns cold in the fall.  All I can do is dig stuff and see what happens. Quilting will have to wait, life is too exciting in my garden.

Ann