Besides quilting, I enjoy being outside and working in my yard.

I only have four azaleas left in my front door garden. I started up with over a dozen that were hardy and happy. Little did I know that azaleas do not like salt water! Hurricane Hermine brought a storm surge into the yard in 2016 and that flood killed a couple of the bushes and weakened several more. Then Hurricane Idalia finished off the weak ones last summer. I guess the four I have left are from a stronger stock! They are blooming like crazy.

The Indian Hawthorne and begonias are planted in the same area but were not bothered by the storm surge. Blooming better than ever.

I’ve been enjoying the amazing March weather–working in my gardens. Just moved some day lilies plus planted new ones in the back yard along with some white caladiums for the front door garden. They should all be blooming in April. (There might be pics!)

Besides yard work, I’ve also been working on the backing for the heart strips quilt.

The front of the quilt is almost entirely created from scraps from my stash.

Exception is the Kona Cotton White that I used for the background. I always keep at least three yards of this fabric in my inventory plus my local quilt shop keeps it in stock and I’ve never had any trouble with the white being slightly off from different runs.

Now I’m working on the backing for this quilt. After all the piecing on the front of the quilt, I was really tempted to buy some wide-back fabric so it would be easy peasy. I was burnt out on the piecing. But the rest of the quilt was scrappy and I still have SO much in my stash. I really am trying to clear stuff out. I will be moving at some point and do not want to take any more fabric than I absolutely have to! So for the backing—scrappy it is!

I had several “layer cakes” from years past and some solid fat quarters. Decided to go with 9 1/2″ squares and cut out a bunch. Then grabbed the wrong template and cut several to 8 1/2″. Whoops. I stumbled across some of my old “orphan” blocks. And I threw it all together. Supplemented with mostly low volume prints.

Well, mostly low volume, I couldn’t resist adding this final piece of dragon that I had used for pillows for two little girls.

And I’m just about finished! Next up, basting, quilting, binding. But I need to take a break from this quilt. I have a few bags that I need to finish by next week and thinking about a few small Easter projects. And I want to spend some more time with my flowers!