Mother Earth DONE, and Fairy Fabric

Lesson -- If a woman saves her buttons for 47 years, and carts them around for 47 years, and dusts around them for 47 years, and plays with them for 47 years, she will eventually find a use for $5.00 worth of buttons! It's truly amazing how many are NOT suitable! There are little button buds on this vine, and the centers of the red flowers have khaki colored buttons, highlighted with tufts of black embroidery thread, knotted and left about 1/2 inch long, looking very interesting, as I wanted to divert attention from my flower edges not done well, but done well enough.

The shadows of the morning light in contrast with the brightness of the quilt were too delicious so both photos are included. I was very thoughtful and did not insist DH walk in the wet grass in his bare feet to hold this recent treasure. I'm not gifted at applique, but better than I used to be! At least I'm no longer afraid to try - another one of those danged life-lessons! Thanks for the suggestions of crosshatching by many of you. It's exactly what was needed. This will look amazing, when washed and all crinkley! This is a gift for my SIL, also named Elaine, who has 5 children, many grandchildren, and a gift for gardening. She picked the pattern from a Mimi Dietrick book, Bed and Breakfast Quilts (out of print), but I made it smaller. Elaine is just 5 ft. tall, so it didn't have to be made large!

New subject - here is the fairy fabric for a 3-yr old great niece, that I 'found' in my own stash after unsuccessfully searching 4 quilt shops all over this section of Nebraska. THAT'S why we have 'stash'! And that's also why we need to keep a handle on those messy stashes! LOL I don't have a pattern yet in mind, but I DO have a good supply of pale blues and greens, corals, white, pinks and oranges. (yeahhhhh, I just cleaned out my stash drawer!)