a postal prezzie...

friday was a picture perfect day but just when i thought it couldn't get better, opened my little cookie-cutter mailbox to find this beautiful bundle!

first a few oranges for the orange mod....these are perfect and will blend with the others quite nicely.  i think with these and my own scraps, will just about use them all up...always a good thing!
along with the orange scraps, were these....oh, my heart began to quicken despite the calming  gentle breeze around me....none other than (wait for it).....kaffe scraps!

the gift giver, miss janet of utah, the mini quilt construction phenomenon, actually apologized for sending scraps???  huh???  how did she know that this was sitting on my someday shelf?

it's a floral applique pattern picked up some years back (of course) from the now-closed Kathie's Quilt Shop on a mini-hop with a maine quilty pal of mine.  as you can see, the background blocks are cut and waiting patiently for some kaffe action.  i've promised myself to finish a couple more things before i start on these, namely the new england sampler, which is my current big applique project.  i was inspired by patterns of kim mclean i'd seen....gorgeous and heavily appliqued things using only the kaffe fabrics with mostly white backgrounds that made his vibrant colors pop in psychedelic style splendor...but they are quite large projects/quilts and i sought something smaller with the same effect, which i think this will be.   ***  so i am guilty of quilt planning-itis, a muse at warp speed despite hands/eyes/fingers that move in real time.  *** back to reality and while most of my life is going along uneventfully, my car is once again on the sick list putting my independence and job in jeopardy.  next to family and friends, health and a sound mind, a car, housing and my little job are important to me and serious contributors to my well being.  i had my days in the city with no car, but much prefer the freedom dependable four wheels provide.  just because i live in a senior complex named (incorrectly) village, doesn't mean institutionalized.  some here think it's assisted living, a commune or a reform school but to me, it's just an apartment in an apartment building.  and anyone who thinks i shouldn't be independent, able to work a bit and go where i want, is worse than a grinch.  you don't have to live in new hampshire to be free....

texas update

this morning while reading messages on yahoo's "stashbuster" group, this was posted and i wanted to share it with you...

From Betty and Nita at West Houston Quilters Guild:

A huge Thank You goes out to the StashBusters for their donations to West Houston Quilter' s Guild after we lost over 200 charity quilts, preemie quilts, stockings and an estimated $10,000 worth of fabric.  Donations have included: probably 400+ yards of fabric (large yardage, Fat Quarters, bundles, charm packs, etc.), 60 quilt tops (with/without backs and binding), 13 completed quilts, rolls of batting, kits with all fabric included, 2 cutting mats, Hobbs labels, gift cards and checks plus all sorts of quilters' tools and notions.

Our storage will be available on October 1 and it will be wonderful to see it filled with all the "goodies" that other quilters have so generously given to us. We have a guild sew in planned for mid October and lots of these donations have been put into kits for guild members to make into quilts on that day.  Again, I don't know how to express our gratitude except with a sincere "Thank You."

And adding my own personal thanks for those of you who responded thru this blog.  with postage rates climbing ever higher, your generosity has even greater meaning.  you have all made a huge difference to our quilty community!

dream quilting

no doubt every quilter has projects stored away in the mind, dream quilts for that "someday" and i am no exception.  when i first started quilting, it was amish style quilts and by now i've made several with a couple in the works.  but recently--like in the past year--i've been bitten by the jen kingwell (designer) bug and especially this design of hers....midnight at the oasis.

this quilt has everything that zings for me...polka dots, patchwork squares, some applique, bright colors....i've discounted making it all the while slowly considering the same by thinking about colors, fabrics and mentally calculating the time involved against my own UFO pile.  it brings me back to something my brother said to me when i was pursuing my college degree at midlife, saying "how old are you going to be if you don't do it?"....so i am making a sort of, probably, tentative commitment to seriously thinking of making this quilt.  i already know what the background will be.  i'm mentally choosing from my pile of kaffe fabrics and ignoring the finished size.  until i get the pattern, put scissors to fabric or bank card to online shops, i'll be hacking away at the UFOs. there, i feel better now for pretty much deciding.  how about you?  what are your quilty dreams?