My daughter and I took two little jaunts a week or two ago, first to a corn maze and farm market and another day to Slate Run Farm, a living history Metro Park. These are two photos of the corn maze we visited, just to walk through the corn field.
I love pathways that are bordered on either side by arched trees, high shrubs, etc., and corn stalks.
I also love the expanse of corn stalks and sky in this photo.
Toward the end of the week we went to Slate Run Farm where they plant, harvest, can, cook, and bake (among other activities) as they would have in the late 1800s. Perhaps you can see the corn shocks at the end of this pathway to the barn? They were harvesting corn when we were there.
We discovered a persimmon tree, sometimes called sugarplums. They are beautiful little fruits.
They looked ripe and were soft to the touch so my daughter tasted one and quickly spit it out. She said it was sweet but felt really dry. We talked to a farm hand a little later and learned that persimmons are best eaten (or canned or turned into jam) when they're overly ripe and have fallen from the tree. (Read more about them
here.)
The most delightful find was this hazelnut seedpod. This one had four nuts in it. The pods are connected at their base and face outward in different directions.
For some reason it made me think of ladies in frills, dancing in autumn-colored
silk skirts. Isn't it wonderful? I brought two home to add to my
collection of seed pods. I don't know how long they will last. They are fragile.
Last month Fat Quarter Shop had a sale on Confetti Cotton (which I notice has not increased in price even now in November). Speaking independently here--no affiliation with Fat Quarter Shop or Riley Blake--I just love the feel of this particular solid fabric. I was looking for a good teal to go on the back of
Everyday Patchwork.
I chose Cape Verde, hopeful that it would be close to one of the sashing fabrics in the quilt. (It's definitely a scrappy quilt, with three or four fabrics in the sashing.) From the photo I thought it went really well.
The fabric arrived less than a week after I ordered it, but I couldn't bring myself to open the package. Does anyone else feel apprehensive or uncertain about color choices when buying fabric online? I think it's especially hard when I'm trying to find a fabric to go with a quilt I've already made.
The color of the Confetti Cotton is not quite the same as at the FQS website, not as intense and it seems a little more blue than teal, but I think it will work okay for a back. I hope this quilt will be up next for hand quilting but I won't get to it till next year since I just started quilting Flowers. Still, it will be good to have a quilt ready for the hoop as soon as the previous one is finished.
We're having beautiful autumn days this week but the forecast for the end of the week is rain on Friday and daytime temperatures in the 40s. It'll be time for my silk underwear soon!
Thanks for visiting.
--Nancy.
Love the description of your fall activities. I have never seen persimmons or hazelnuts "in the wild". Thanks for educating me on them.
ReplyDeleteColors are so hard to choose through a computer monitor. The difference between what you see and what you get can be dependent on many things. I think of the lighting when the original online photo is taken can play a big part. Then the monitor on which you view it can take that photo and work its own magic on it. It is just such a risk, isn't it, if exact color really matters. But, like you said, I think this will work fine as the backing.
We have been having wonderfully wet, sometimes snowy, days. After record heat, and years of drought, I'll take the precipitation any way it comes--even if it is cold. We need it so badly here!
I'm glad you enjoyed the photos of persimmons and hazelnuts, Janet. It's the first time I'd encountered them on trees, too.My brain knows how hard it is to see true colors on a computer and yet the times I order, I hope all the equipment involved in photographing and transmitting photos aligns and the fabric looks the same as on my computer screen.
DeleteI'm so glad to hear you've been getting rain. When it comes here in torrents, I always wish I could send some west.
I think your teal backing tones beautifully, at least in the photo.
ReplyDeleteI loved the corn maze, have never seen one in person, but the rows made me think of home, in Illinois. I too loved the stretches' of golden corn and blue skies.
I never imagined a hazelnut pod looking like that. Lovely. Yes frilly silk dresses!
fun post, thanks!
Thanks, Lizzy. It was hard to photograph the colors of the quilt and backing fabric accurately but in person I think the fabric will be fine.
DeleteWe didn't do the corn maze as I would imagine most young people would do, we just took a walk through it. It was fun to hear the rustling of the leaves in the wind and see the variety of coloring left on the dried stalks.
I was surprised to see the hazelnut pods, too. Not like anything I imagined.
I'm not a fan of ordering fabric online. You're in luck! The piece that arrived looks like it will blend well with the other shades in your quilt, Nancy.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of ordering fabric online, either, Joyful, but sometimes needs must, such as when the local quilt shop doesn't have solid fabrics other than Bella and Kona, or doesn't have the colors, etc. Yes, I think the fabric will be fine for this quilt.
DeleteYou've done some fun things. I just sit in my house and applique. I need to get out more. My dad used to like to eat persimmons. He offered me some when he would peel them and take them apart. The flavor was okay but the texture was kind of slimy but I was a kid - who knows what I would think of them now. They are sure a lovely color of orange, aren't they? I'm sorry you're a little disappointed with your fabric order. I can see that it doesn't match exactly but I think it would be lovely for your backing. That hazelnut seed pod is fascinating.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter's a great one for doing things in the afternoons. I think she would plan something for every one of her days off if she could. It won't be long till you're finished appliqueing the crows, Robin, and then you'll be out and about again.
DeleteI know sometimes impressions change over time, especially about food, but I've always thought tomatoes were slimy and I still do. I'll have to try a ripe persimmon sometime. In fact, I should have brought one home to ripen and tried it. Yes, they are a beautiful orange color.
The color of the backing fabric is a little off but I sure do love the feel of the fabric. In my opinion, much nicer than Bella and Kona.
I too enjoyed reading about your outings. One of the farms here have four corn mazes of increasing difficulty but fortunately they have a look out tower to be able to see where folks are to help if they need it. I have never tasted persimmons, sounds like a story book thing. How neat to see it growing. I'm leaning more towards teal lately too. It is a challenge sometimes to get the shade of a colour you have in mind. Good luck with that wonderful quilt, Nancy.
ReplyDeleteI think there are several farms that offer corn mazes in our area and I remember that one of them has a tower. I would guess the mazes were of considerable difficulty if a tower is needed to help people through the maze!
DeleteI have loved teal for ages and am so glad it's been coming into popularity again. I know there are color trends in fabric just as in clothes, so the trend for teal may not last long. In the end, I'm glad I used several different fabrics in the sashing and borders on the quilt because it means nothing matches exactly, and, therefore, the back doesn't have to match exactly either.
I love "living history" type museums. It looks like you really have a gem of one near you. I had no idea "sugar plums" were persimmons! I have a hard time buying online too. The green/blue you got will be a fine backing, and being a solid, it will let the quilting show nicely. But I see what you mean, it's not as saturated as you probably expected. I've always loved teal or blue-green - it seems to be such a good unifier in quilts.
ReplyDeleteThe living history home near us is pretty small, a house and farm with a variety of animals. I think there are maybe 3 employees and a few volunteers. But even being so small, we enjoy visiting. It's nothing compared to places like Colonial Williamsburg and Greenfield Village.
ReplyDeleteI haven't washed the teal fabric yet. I think, or hope, that might bring out the color the way it was in the shop photo. We'll see.
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and will have a fun December, too, Cynthia.