My Fourth of July

We had  a wonderful week camping, no one wanted to come home.
My husband and son fishing while our son's girlfriend and I relax in the front of the boat and soak up some of the Sun's rays.

The grand kids fished and fished,

when they weren't fishing they played in the water,

caught turtles and critters,

and when I had a free minute I sat here and quilted, all the while enjoying the "nature" around me,

beautiful water lily's,

wild roses blooming all around the lake,

and my most favorite of all, loons with their haunting call.

One of my most favorite "wilderness" sounds.

I finished quilting my mullein block,

the design came from this plant.

I completed a cosmos flower block.

Our Fourth of July table with my "family jean" table cloth (I made it in the 80's with my husband, our kids and my jeans and more recently sewed on my grand kids jean pockets).
I picked a bouquet of flowers from home and put them in my dads old minnow bucket from the 50's. 

We grilled hamburgers and slow cooked a roast.

Nothing better than corn on the grill.

While the kids went to town for the fireworks, my husband and I watched our own from the boat.

Back home to my rose dyeing. I started with deep red petals, simmered them in water and added the fabric.

This wool was pre mordanted in alum than I soaked it in vinegar. It turned out dull and boring.
I think the pre alum mordant wasn't a good idea.

Next I tried wrapping the petals in the fabric and steaming them. The fabric on the left was pre soaked only in vinegar, the fabric on the right was premordanted in alum. Vinegar is the way to go with roses. Now the real test is how they will age, will they turn brown? We'll see.