busy blading....

in addition to some machine piecing here and there and some hand quilting in odd moments during TV, i've been kitting up some projects.  to the right of the rotary cutter are pieces for my laptop bag and the kim diehl tablerunner; to the left are pieces for the plus quilt and a batik stars project.  they're boring, repetitious tasks that i can do when watching TV mysteries.  my next blading task is to finish pieces for a bag workshop coming up before the end of the month.  i also got the binding ready for "christmas wishes" for whenever it gets quilted.  **** speaking of quilting, autumn change is about 2/3 finished and soon i'll have to find a binding for that.  i also got the back ready for the batik/plum quilt, hoping to get that finished and gone before the end of march....or sooner!  *** yesterday it was actually spring here with temps above 50 degrees.  mom and I had lunch at Billy's Chowder House....fresh haddock and maine shrimp....simply delish!  if you are in Wells at any time, you MUST go there for the food and the view overlooking the bay.  even in winter it is beautiful! 

now it's february

just yesterday finally got my little heart wallhanging up for the month, or what's left anyway.  i did flip the calendar on the 1st, which i really hated to do because this kim diehl calendar is soo, sooo gorgeous!  this month's table topper is from her book "simply scraps," which denise kindly loaned me for a bit.  **** got my little washed batik strips all packed and ready to go for this month's swap.  *** and yes, we got more of that awful snow yesterday, can you believe?  today, though, temps are in the 30s already, it's clear and sunny, so it's going to be a melting day for sure! 

the bonus round

sunday's sewing focused on the scrappy indigo flimsy.  after sewing a gazillion (well about 200) flying geese units, i had a stack of bonus triangles left over.  i used to toss these in the trash but the price of fabric and my own inner frugal self just wouldn't let me.  so chain piecing took up a bit of my time and resulted in this stack.  more little HSTs that make me quite happy!  i am hoping to incorporate them into this quilt somehow.  so this project is well on its way to flimsy stage.  **** last week i caved and added 4 more clear shoeboxes, i simply had to, so some reorg was in order to find space for them.  **** sunday i also cut batik strips for an upcoming swap.  **** winter continues here in coastal maine with more precip coming; we're oh-so hoping it will be rain, which will wash away a few snow himalayas....hurry up spring!

batik backing

hoffman's "a year in the meadow"

while denise and i were shop-hopping, i found this pretty hoffman print that will be used to back the batik and plum flimsy.  i agree, it is too pretty to use as a backing but it was the end of bolt, nearly 3 yards at a whopping $3, and even with my fuzzy math, that's one dollar per yard so the price is definitely right.  i am hoping there will be some scraps leftover as it is such a pretty print.  back when i was first starting quilting, hoffman prints were the rolls royce of quilting fabrics and for me they still are.  **** all is calm and bright here after the storm with a sliver of orange on the horizon heralding the coming sunrise.  still very cold but clear is good.  **** today's task is to tidy the sewing space and get in some sewing time before the week starts again.  and i've got to hang my february wallhanging, finally!