december mini

here is december's mini....linking up with wendy so be sure and check out the other mini links she has posted...

only about 17" square, it's about as mini as i ever make....love the blue/white....so crisp looking and very wintry, even tho we have no snow and not even cold winter temps.  

it's already thursday so only 2 more days in magic week...this morning listed projects i'd like to do in 2022...have pulled some floss for a couple of cross-stitch tasks, planned out a quilt for next christmas giving, pulled fabrics and book for january mini leaving only laundry and a quick grocery trip.  my new year's wish is for covid to disappear entirely....sigh....

finished - one monthly goal!

 chalk up the last finish of 2021....my december monthly goal....

my apologies for not listing designer....i saw this made by somebody else long ago in blues and lavenders so have no idea i'm afraid...i went for scrappy.  it's throw size, 54" square, but nice to curl up with...that makes 45.31 yards busted for the year with only the previously mentioned 18.5 added so a respectable accounting.  i'm linking up with patty, who keeps track of the OMG stats....

today's task?  bind the december mini, machine quilt and bind the 'trees' runner, start a new quilting project and some cross stitch might round out the day.  not to mention washing dishes and doing laundry, the least fun tasks, oh, and the must-do exercise.  keeps thumper (heart) happy you know!

magic week progress

it's the dawn of day 3 and progress has been made!  first tackled this task before it became unmanageable....

cut up all the scraps in the basket and filed them away in their respective shoeboxes...do have a small stash of batik scraps that i'm keeping separate for a percolating project....next came this finish....

the guild's challenge....mine was blue and a baggie of scraps challenged my quilty muse to the max!  they were hinky scraps and i added the pink in the center, a lovely dutch chintz.  dear friend (now angel) marianne came to the rescue again with the border print she flung my way during one of her purges.... these quilts end up with a charity so no doubt somebody will love it, just not me.  *** last night started sewing the binding on 2021's last finish so that will continue today.  ***  surprise visit from santa on his way to Cancun for winter vacation.... a wayward gift in the bottom of the sleigh......

some lovely repro fabrics!  the total added to the stash for 2021 is now 18.5 yards with used up--as in done/done not waiting UFO--of over 40 yards this year!  by my dodgy math that's progress. *** as every year since i relocated, waiting for winter weather that has not yet arrived...at least by my new england inner gauge.  today's predicted 54 with nary a flake in sight...not winter but spring!

it's magic week!

 

no annoying covid talk here.....just a bit of new england winter to close out the year....the quintessential lobster trap tree!  magic week is that week between christmas and new year where the focus is off holiday prep and onto the anticipation of the clean slate of a new year.  still in the glow of a wonderful holiday with my daughter and son-in-law...and basking in the blessings we shared.  with no other family around, those hugs are so precious to me...received some lovely gifts....

also some joann gift cards for quilty supplies....the soap from a far away quilty friend...another gift card toward replacing my cd player....all are very nice and will be enjoyed..hoping to finish the christmas cross-stitch this week....but it's the hugs and warmth of family that give me the greatest joy....i'll take more of that please!

merry christmas!

well almost, but i'm hopping on the blue sled to be with family so will post my wish today....spent a bit of time on a festive UFO that is progressing at a snail's pace, a very old snail...LOL!

my facebook group 'celebrate hand quilting' showed off their red and green quilts this week so was inspired to spend some time on this.  it'll be 4 blocks altogether with a swag border of some sort...no deadline...maybe next christmas?  

so disheartening to wake every morning to news of shootings and murders overnight.  a young police woman was ambushed and shot a week ago and just yesterday taken off life support....imagine if the only gift you can give is to unplug a loved one....christmas is forever changed for her family.  makes me even more thankful for the cherished blessings in my life..."blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted" matthew 5:4....may all my readers find joy in the season and hope for the new year to come.....

ready to ride!

 rudolph is all set for his big one-night gig....

finished this seasonal wall quilt and a table topper for that all-important plate of cookies....

speaking of cookies.....another batch got made....

simple butter cookies with a dab of raspberry peach champagne jam, courtesy of stonewall kitchen, a maine purveyor of yummy things.  the recipe called for rolling the balls in walnuts, but didn't have enough, and also for candied cherries instead of jam, which i can't eat.  even so, they are delish!  

my secret elf sent along some very nice gifties...first, an adorable mug rug

and a selection of very pretty repro fabrics....

received a surprise gift card that provided another giftie to myself....a new toaster oven.  i use this every single day and the one i had was about 10 years old with a spring-loaded drop-down door that caused innumerable tiny burn accidents.  the new design door stays down and the opening is a bit larger as well.  all that's needed when cooking for one.

have been ready for the holiday for a couple of weeks now, so could spend time on finishing a UFO that'll get its binding today.  the december mini is ready to bind as well.  pulled out civil war diary project and decided will finish the blocks potholder method perfected by my maine pal wendy.  all ready to go when january arrives.  

the holiday will be low key with just daughter, son-in-law and me but just as meaningful.  christmas is all about family no matter the size. 

ADDENDUM:

 the link below is a website set up by the governor of kentucky....

The best way to help right now is to give financially: https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/Finance/WKYRelief

If you wish to donate warm bedding, bring donations to our store or mail to:

Hancock’s of Paducah

Attn: Tornado Relief

3841 Hinkleville Road

Paducah, KY 42001

Please label the outside of the box with the number of items included, and if they're baby/throw/bed sizes.

If you are an individual or organization impacted by the storms and NEED BEDDING, please send us a direct message or come to the store if you can.

Store hours are Tuesday-Friday 9am-5pm, and Saturday 9am-3pm. We will have a shopping cart on our porch or inside our front doors today to accept donations.

For more information: https://www.hancocks-paducah.com/tornado-recovery

monday report

are you--like me--feeling hugely blessed this morning after seeing devastation from tornado down south...i feel powerless to help other than a small donation to relief efforts...i do pray these are people of resilience and determination....

been hunkered down in the apartment while old blue subaru at hospital....lists helped keep me on track for what i wanted to accomplish....the trees did get basted but there were a few left over...

fashioned a little runner that'll get pressed and then machine quilted...and then there was some cross stitch, coming along nicely....

then some sewing on a secret project....

blues of course....nice batiks...and still hand quilting on the monthly goal of the solids squares....my tree is up and decorated....

watched a few christmas music specials that were live streamed, did some cleaning, sent cards, started a bag for goodwill, few other tasks that had been waiting far too long...next come the 3 generations of dust bunnies that simply have to go!  but first of all, counting my many blessings and sending up prayers for those in need....that's the Christmas message...

sunday report

long ago purchased a folding banquet-size table that i've kept in my clutches thru many moves....it comes in handy often.  mostly used for basting big quilts, but also for puzzles.  here is the 'splashes of color' top all assembled.  dear daughter has already claimed this for her own when finished....

it is quite vibrant in person--camera doesn't depict it very well...then while cleaning out extraneous files etc from my computer, came across bonnie hunter's 'batik baskets' page from quiltmaker....the batik scraps were still on the table so used up some for these...

they do sew up fast....i've 3 more cut and ready....not a new project, just some playing in the scraps....and after the batik top was done, time to baste the scrappy trees...

with our senior center still closed until who knows when, the folding table came to the rescue....this is now ready to quilt.  not sure if it'll be done by new year's or not...and since it's christmas, a bit of holiday baking was done...

sometimes i make these without the decoration...they are a not-too-sweet snack, but since it's christmas, fancied them up.  the tree is up and today will enjoy 'the messiah' live streamed from washington cathedral.  the upside of the pandemic is there are lots of musical events free and live streamed...i'm too chicken to venture into DC on the beltway, so i'd never go in person.  i learned to drive in boston off hours when traffic was minimal, but that never happens here.  *** no winter weather as of yet...but a sort of winter will come eventually.  wherever you are, have a blessed day!

november's mini

 

kyle chose pink and brown for her mini....mine is pink and black.  i wanted to use a color that hardly gets chosen....this is 12x18, probably the smallest quilt i prefer to make.  it's hand quilted, a true humble quilt.  i've started on the december mini already, not quite as small as this one.  check out wendy's blog for other minis of november....all very nice indeed!

for december's OMG, this mod type in solids will get finished.  it isn't bed size, rather ideal for sofa or chair throw.  

this will make finish lucky #13 for this year unless can pull out another small piece.  looking forward to end of year wrap-up and plans for 2022...

November OMG

happy to say my November One Monthly Goal has been met....finished this wall quilt called "an amish granny" since granny smith apple green is the background.  was going to use a fancy border design but with more UFOs waiting and plenty of WHIMMs (works hidden in my mind), decided finished was the better choice...linking up with patty at elm street quilts to document...

also racked up another finish....a large runner called "south beach stroll"....friend marianne had given me the small piece used in the border which prompted the idea....

i think that's finish #12 so far this year....should be able to knock off at least one more and only started 5 6 new projects so making headway on the UFO list...some of the remaining haven't gotten to the flimsy stage yet and quite a few are large size...another busy year anticipated for 2022....

last week at a lab appointment, somebody backed out of a parking space....

old blue will be admitted to the hospital later this week for an unknown stay...i felt bad for the other driver as she had just left the surgeon's office...not sure if bad news had influenced her or not...thankfully she was fully insured and car will be in tip top shape soon...i told the woman she got me in the saddlebags, trying to make light as she was visibly upset.  accidents happen and it can be fixed....not worth agonizing over...a rental was included but i'd have to pay the daily extra insurance, which i can't, so could be getting a lot more sewing done for the duration.   now bring on monday!

onward to christmas!

 

a singular, subdued holiday for me....oh, and if you see one-legged turkey around, please don't mention my name...LOL!   ***  the day flew by with lots of quilty stuff....two bastings got done...

this piece made from some gifted anonymous blocks....a hawaiian style baltimore project.  so much applique work already done....chose these 4 and 2 of the border units for this wall piece...i do have more blocks awaiting ideas...and mr. reindeer got basted as well...perfect backing in the stash that is now used up. 

pinned the binding on the amish granny wall quilt and finished quilting on another runner UFO that now needs just binding too.  added another border to the guild's challenge quilt.  then played around with this potential project...

another hawaiian style piece...the print is a lovely yard of an edyta sitar design....the yellow is the new piece i just got, which was NOT intended for this applique but looks pretty good.  not big enough tho, so if i do go with it, will need to acquire more.  the applique is very coral-ish in design.  simply have to stop with the applique projects...five are on board so far--dargate baskets, midnight at the oasis (border only), red/green christmas blocks (4), a vintage design wall quilt and now this coral thing...before settling on a background will audition a few other colors, but so far i like this a lot.  

still to baste is the scrappy trees, after backing is fashioned.  all these should keep me busy until the new year i would imagine, plus a bit of cross stitch besides.  no wonder time flies! 

happy thanksgiving!

 "Now thank we all our God....."

this painting definitely someone's romanticized interpretation, after all, it was late fall after the harvest, on the coast of southeast massachusetts.....brrr, chilly just thinking about it..... ***  lots of blessings to be thankful for this year, way too many to list....hope you feel the same.  *** closing in on another UFO finish this week and have pulled fabrics from the stash for a couple of new starts.  the list will never get done at this rate....LOL!   ***  the requisite pie has been baked, tested and approved!  it's squash, one i always make at thanksgiving.  

below is photo of a fountain statue erected and dedicated in plymouth by the DAR to honor pilgrim women...hardy souls every one.  

 wishing you all a thankful day and overflowing blessings....

UFO news

 some hand stitching resulted in this!  

five of the 16 blocks of 'wildest dreams' are done....the stars themselves are machine pieced but the setting pinks are done by hand due to many bias edges.  the construction will require a scant 1/4" seam to hopefully preserve all the points but alas, there may be some casualties.  lots of open quilting space, tho, which is delighting my quilty muse.  *** have also been working on this cross-stitch UFO...

i knew this family once who used this as one of their mealtime prayers....short and sweet and sincere...a probable 2022 finish....i also caved and sent for this on-its-way chart....picked up some aida and hope to have finished for christmas...

love the vintage-y feel...this could be my turkey day project as, alas, kiddos have to work so we'll be gathering friday to give thanks.  i've turkey parts in the freezer and will prepare some of the usual suspects for my personal dining while channeling my inner tap dancer watching the rockettes! 
 

wednesday again!

we've a couple of days of 70s temps but then back to cool autumn...no matter, i can sew in any weather....this morning tackled the challenge quilt for the guild...the center medallion was done...now how to proceed?  i was given a collection of blue fabrics (the pink i added), a very eclectic bunch if i do say....not shown is a piece of ombre, about 2 yards, from which i cut the background of the center medallion.  after much pondering, this is the next step...

this was taken close up at an angle so perspective a tad off...will do the bottom the same and then go from there.  i didn't want it to end up square is why.  after each addition, have to wait for it to "speak" to me as for the next step.   and what else have i been doing?  the november mini is ready to quilt, which won't take long as it's, well, a mini....here is a teaser, a photo of the binding...

this was another quilty challenge in itself.  my rudimentary math skills are rusty to say the least, so have to protein load before tackling...LOL...

all 64 squares of "splashes of color" are done and waiting for layout, which i'll do at my kiddos over thanksgiving as they have a bigger floor....

glad to have a healthy to-do sewing list as it keeps me busting stash and working the little gray cells...also to finish are the amish granny wall piece, the reindeer wall quilt and baste the scrappy trees for december's quilting.  will be taking time out next week to put up my little tree and ornaments overflowing with memories....then it'll be christmas!

mid-month update

november is flying by and temps are slowly cooling...winter jacket on board and cool weather dish recipes dusted off.  not quite clam chowder weather yet but may not wait...LOL!  with only fitness to schedule, plenty of time to sew....almost ready to construct the flimsy of the splash of color project...

53 blocks done, only 11 to go.  these are so quick to sew up.  it's the fabrics of course, vibrant colors make them fun.  when the top is done, will give it a wash before hand quilting--batiks lose their stiffness when laundered.  and the amish granny is coming along as well...first thing this morning picked up thimble and needle for some stitching...

almost done with first border, so a november finish is probably definite.  the apple green is a kona cotton, which is really too densely woven for easy quilting.  have switched my brand to moda bella solids, a medium woven between amerian made solids and the kona solids.  

and thanks to patty over at elm street quilts, a $25 gift cert to fat quarter shop came my way....so my mailbox will soon receive these goodies...

some bigger perfect circles from karen kay buckley for the tree of life wall quilt and some yellow solid for another wall quilt not yet started.  i seldom use yellow and have seen some pretty examples, so one is on my WHIMM list to start in the new year.  thank you patty!

since it's november, time to recert for my subsidized apartment....it feels more like signing up for the inquisition but must needs i guess.  the detour of the hip has not detoured my resolve to find and have a real home again, someplace where my health isn't attacked nor my belongings, with a population that's a bit more lively and less resemblance to a nursing home.  i can't stop aging but i refuse to be old...