then and now

a bit of a thursday throwback post....while rummaging thru a thumb drive for a particular photo, these popped up....years ago now, meaning late 1990s, i was in a four seasons doll quilt swap....4 small quilts for the year.  a different person got each one....i was a freshman quilter still....take a look

so, from the top....spring, summer, autumn, winter...fast forward to recent days and a gal met on the aussie zoom group has the spring one!  color me surprised!  

and this week?  the what knot wall quilt is coming along....

my favorite enabler posted a quilt with this pattern and hmm, those plaids came immediately to mind...this is why!  my tote runneth over....

more quilting done on the current UFO as well...

so a busy sewing week here in the suburb of a blast furnace....otherwise, it's been a week or so of profound gratitude, with issues of concern now resolved.  while it's true i am not fond of my current situation, God has tempered my dissatisfaction and disappointment into thankfulness for all his blessings every day...now that's Grace!  

un-father's day

must keep reminding myself i did have a father....he graduated to heaven in 2002....a simple Maine country boy who loved nothing more than to drown in the beauty and natural vistas around him.  he went to war, worked hard all his life tho hampered by lack of education, loved his family, succumbed to a constellation of medical challenges....one of my favorite photos of him is this...

this after his cardiac bypass (yes, we are a family of cardiac patients)....i saw him cry only once...he was the family chronicler with movie camera always at the ready...i've been digitizing some of his films, telling him he was right, that someday we are happy to have them...i picture him greeting my mother like this when she arrived in his presence....

in other news, baskets I is done!  

another warm and dry day in this neighborhood....but my mind is here....there's salt water in my veins doncha know!

have a blessed summer day!

flower friday

after ogling beautiful flowers on a gazillion blogs this spring/summer, just had to post another of mine from long ago....

the short concrete walkway into my house from driveway begged for some color...planted these tulips and they didn't disappoint...

the binding is ready to go on baskets I so popped another UFO into the hoop and it just might get done before july arrives....

with june winding down, almost time for christmas in july....daughter and i are going to make another try at a craft table so pulled some ideas to use up more christmas stash...

and maybe some strip-pieced placemats as well...long ago i made large bells and tied little jingle bells to them for door hangers...have to see if that pattern is still on hand...from a 1980s woman's day mag back i think....

with house chores caught up and exercise done for the day, it's sewing time!  have one for yourself why don't you???

voice from above???

nope...romania!  LOL....seriously, sat down at the machine today and bonnie hunter's voice echoed in my brain...."almost anything works for strip piecing" is what i heard....and so i did.  

made this for flag day and upcoming july 4th too....the little star has block has been hanging around for some time (think years) and aha moment led to this project.   

of course it took more time than i thought it would, but it's done and happy with the result.  my cuffs are usually 3" long finished and this one is a bit more because the block was 4" finished....my door naked no more...

and these blocks got finished this weekend as well....

if i hadn't made the stocking, a flimsy photo would be here instead....might put them up on ebay as is...

more quilting on the baskets got done along with clearing off the sewing table that unearthed this project in the works...hesitated going forward as not totally happy with the background fabric...so pulled everything that was enough yardage to audition....these are the final 2...

kaffe 1:  some pieces cut, would drop the 2 lights and go with 36 squares (6 of each, 6" finished)... 

kaffe 2:  keep all 8 prints, 48 blocks (6 of each again, size 36x48)....

the colors are much richer in person...but the 2 lights still a washout in kaffe1...i've only 1 block made but think have decided to go with kaffe1, drop the 2 lightest and use the kaffe2 to make a smaller piece, 12 blocks, 4x3.  dilemma solved!  do you wake up with quilty thoughts?  i sometimes problem solve before getting up for the day...the benefit of lots of free time...

hot weekend included the movies with dear daughter to see "disclosure day"....a good movie although i need to see it again as it seemed a bit disjointed at the beginning.  spielberg doesn't disappoint, but i think he wrote this during covid when he could let his mind wander aimlessly...LOL!  wrapped up with a bit of tidying, bit of cooking and more quilting...all in all a pleasant two days...hope you are counting your blessings too!

(PS...new header photo Damariscotta, Maine...one of the many pretty villages along the coast)

monday again!

and the hots have abated for now....few days anyway....productive weekend with a small finish...

not an official UFO but now it won't be on next year's list either.....so darn colorful i think...the angle skews it a bit but it IS square...LOL!  

other doings.....

daughter loaned me her card table and even though it crowds the space even more, easy to get lost in doing puzzles....hours do fly by.....still not quite done but more hot weather coming so it'll keep....

and if you see this charmer today, wish her a happy birthday!  the light of my life and God's dearest gift to me....

here with my mom at the beach circa 1980s....she had attitude even then....LOL!  even though she's celebrating in an unexpected way today, it's still good....praying for many more!  

now back to that monday list....have a blessed day!

hello june!

now that quilty life is back on track, it's another chookshed challenge to tackle...

this is my project for this month.....baskets I and II quilting.  playing catch up with the UFO list and the soon approach of the horrible hots should be enough to succeed.  it's been an enjoyable week with no heat or A/C but it can't last. 

 

always interesting and inspiring to see what's happening in blogland....one that i read regularly is wanda hanson's "exuberant color"  she is a very prolific quilter and loves all things kaffe.  it's always a color explosion on her blog!  this recent design caught my eye...

a fresh idea on the kaleidoscope block, well one i'd never seen anyway....immediately brought to mind a snake trail quilt that's been on my someday list...a perfect marriage in my book, especially with a shoebox of kaffe scraps...at the senior center grabbed this freebie...

no, not started yet at all...it'll get put into the queue, but a perfect scrappy project don't you think?  

our weather has been glorious so enjoying every moment of no heat or A/C; alas, the 90s are coming end of the week the TV gurus say...but plenty of inside diversions--sewing, puzzles, exercise, books, videos and always cooking and house stuff to do.  

so you see, blessings abound and thankful for all my blessings...now go out and have a stellar day!

a divine finish

the scrappy DWR is finally finished but didn't happen just by myself...thankful to divine guidance that provided expert caregivers who got me back to quilty baseline and onward to more finishes!  i love it but need a break from it just now...

what else shakin'?  the closet herd has been thinned....DD chose some, others are getting rehomed, and space is now available for those waiting in the wings...

now in the hoop....baskets I....with baskets II soon to follow.....still playing catch up with the UFO list...

machine project for june will be to finish up the repro blocks and get to the flimsy stage....

summer clothes still waiting to be unpacked as it's been a 5-day deluge with chilly and very wet weather...sneaked in one last pot of clam chowder for now.....it was delish!  

and if when the sun returns, i'm ready for safe scooting with this snazzy umbrella....a mother's day present from dear daughter....nifty gift i'd say!  

while ogling all the beautiful garden pix on various blogs, my heart travels back to my little house and all the pretties that bloomed there....here's one...every year may is the month i miss my house and yard the most....

keep calm and quilt on!

never forget

may those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms always be remembered...

 no beach time here....rainy for five days....but paying homage to our heroes isn't dependent on good weather....

a blessed memorial weekend!

a friday finish

spent the dreary days this week finishing a small wall piece to boost my morale about the slow process on the scrappy DWR, which should be done before june arrives.   my spirits are buoyed, my mojo is in full gear and anticipating the horrible hots with finishes in mind.  

this is 'beaded curtain' my tiny kaffe tumblers.....small measuring 22x34 so wall size....my daughter thinks it look like tiny lava lamps...LOL...she was always fascinated by them.  it's a colorful, cheery piece that'll perk up my off-white walls...

this repro project coming along...nearly 20 blocks done at this post, so just over 10 to get a flimsy size...happy to say both projects made completely from the stash....that's the goal these days, sew up what's on hand....will i use it all?  doubtful but hoping to leave behind as little as possible...my head is positively swimming with scrappy ideas to keep me and miss sunny busy!

speaking of sun, summer is here for a week with a couple of hot days inside...a few scooting errands and some house chores that must come before sewing....better get cracking!  

last, today is a day to remember all our service men and women.....they are the front lines of defense for our country no matter where they serve.....may God guide and protect them all!

have a blessed day!

monday again!

new week and still stuck in spring-like weather....cool, cloudy, rain off and on...the summer clothes are patiently waiting to be unpacked!  hope your weekend was pleasant and enjoyed mother's day if it applies....my daughter and SIL arrived bearing gifts...

a lovely card and some custard tarts, after which we had lunch out and watched some of my dad's movies that had been transferred to MP4 files on the computer....sweet memories!  dear SIL applied his handyman skills fixing a curtain rod that was in need of shoring up....what a guy!!

the scrappy DWR is almost ready to bind so went to the stash for the blue fabric....did i find it?  but noooo!  did find another piece that is an almost exact match....more noticeable in person...but it'll certainly do fine for my needs....

and for a relatively quick finish picked up the kaffe mini tumblers...a small piece with simple quilting.  happy to say half finished already....

these photos taken with my phone and somewhat brighter than actual....finished the day binge watching mysteries.  

up early and made blueberry muffins...get bored with plain toast sometimes....and vacuuming and laundry top today's list.  hope to finish the tumblers and pull suitable binding to finish.  no scooting today because of weather....ick!  first thing, tho, it's the exercise bike.  hope you have a pleasant day!