thistles

flowers 
or
 weeds?!?

Melissa loves thistles...

she's even been known to walk across Snarf's busy parking lot to take pictures of them

like my dad used to say
 pretty is as pretty does 
and she wouldn't think they're so pretty if she was the one trying to curb their enthusiasm in the garden...

don't tell her - and i will deny it if you do - but i think they are pretty, too

till one of them pokes me...

anywho...

when i was trying to find just the right linen tea towel 

for her calendar quilt 

i stumbled across a thistle tea towel 
and ordered it, just in case the really right towel didn't come along...

the really right towel did come along, so i put the thistles away...

still...
 she had to wait a year longer than her brothers and sister for her finished quilt 
and i felt a little guilty...
 so i planned to make another quilt for her, with the thistles...

but after five quilts
 i was so over linen tea towels 
and i dillydallied...

i've been saving scraps of purples and greens for the past three years...

i bought a paper-pieced thistle pattern about the same time that i found the paper-pieced rose pattern...

two years ago i bought 5 yards of a creamy batik for background fabric 
cuz paper-piecing always takes five times more fabric than i think i'm gonna need...

and saved all that Stuff in a box labelled 

come hither, heather

yeah, i have a name for it
 and all the Stuff that i need to make it
so no more excuses, right?!?

the towel is trimmed and bordered...

who knew there are so many different types of thistles?!?

the pattern is enlarged and tested...

had to do something about those top corners

and the bits and pieces are coming together...

scrappy leaves and scrappy blossoms - not my usual thing

but i'm sure i can come up with reasons to dillydally if i try hard enough...

Do not blame the thistle 

that you see no beauty.

Jonathan Lockwood Huie