I planted some geraniums today. That’s a sign that I think it’s springtime!
I love geraniums. Especially red geraniums. They are so perky and straightforward, “I AM A BIG SHOWY FLOWER. LOOK AT ME!”.
Even my brown thumbs can keep them producing blooms through the summer.
Maybe because Aunt Nellie always had them, I find their presence comforting in the yard. I put them in terra cotta pots because she said “their roots like to breathe.”
So I found myself thinking of this little quit in the photo. I made it for our guild’s challenge in 2011. The challenge that year was to make a “two-block quilt”. Further details in the rules said you must include two different pieced blocks.
Since I like to try to find an unexpected way to follow the rules, I pieced several sawtooth star blocks; not all the same size, from red and white fabrics in the top section of this quilt. For the lower section, I pieced square-in-a-square blocks using some of my precious indigo collection. These fabrics were printed in Africa using copper plates that are several hundred years old. I bought them from a vendor in Paducah one year and treasure them in a special basket. But I thought a geranium themed quilt was worthy of putting these treasures under the knife.
Atop the pieced background, I appliquéd the flower pot, stems, leaves, and geraniums using felted wool. There is minimal quilting on this piece, a simple vine and leaf design that is one of my favorite hand-guided, free-motion quilting motifs. It finished at 14” x 20”.
I confess that this was likely done at the last minute. No label is attached as yet and the imaginative title of “Geraniums” is another clue that the deadline was nigh. The geranium in the pot was inspired by one of Maggie Bonanomi’s designs, I added a big satin bow to give dimension.
The geraniums in the watering can are a colored pencil 
drawing I made last week from a photo taken in our backyard. I love old, well-worn watering cans almost as much as I love geraniums. Anything in blue is beautiful So, the three working together make my soul sing.
I love Geraniums too but have never been successful with them! Love reading your blogs!
Sweet story! Can’t wait until we, I mean, Bruce can get the flowers going!
Loved the blog. Guess what – one of my favorite prints is of an ol front porch step with an old pot of red geraniums! The title – “Aunt Nettie’s Porch”! I’ve had it for years and truly love it. Keep up the great work.
I love geraniums too! We plant geraniums every spring in our front porch containers. Last year they bloomed until December!