monthly mini and monthly goal

what's this?  another post this week?  finally getting back into pre-vacation groove...well, sort of.  started the monthly mini before i left, inspiration from jo morton's last little women's club....

and one monthly goal?  it was to make progress on the folk art nativity and did just that...

didn't expect any finishes but moving along snail's pace, fine with me.....and next month's goal?

finish quilting this repro joseph's coat....more than half done now and will add another little finish to the month as well...

that'll knock 2 off the UFO list....plus another UFO is being donated to the guild as a top so whittling down the waiting projects to make room for more of course...LOL!  linking up with elm street quilts to join others in their monthly quest...

and just this week finished my birthday book...

was a devotee of prairie home companion for many years....and this book the definitive PHC history but also insight into the often sad and poignant life of its creator.  some funny limericks and behind-the-scenes stories but at times overwhelmingly depressive and sad....keillor's life was besot by many tragedies, the final straw being falsely accused by a former employee seeking a big payoff that made him a media outcast.  his health struggles and family origins detailed, warts and all, overshadowed the humor and enjoyment the show portrayed.  will recommend with these caveats, as there are also many funny anecdotes and those bawdy limericks.  

and in my own personal lake woebegone it's been a positive week....weather balmy and breezy, discharged from PT and orthoman both declaring me fully healed and strong.  cane remains part time but that's to be expected.  resume cardiac fitness to rebuild endurance, also back to dietary restrictions after more than a few slips, autumnal household tasks listed, stocking up at farmer's market....vacation over but not at all forgotten, manage to slip back to the beach in my heart and mind still. 

new temptations

fall must be the reason to start new projects....plus the constant enabling of computer photos and like-minded enthusiasts...surfing blogs doesn't help either!  this is definitely getting started first, just need 1.5 yards of a dark indigo repro print and ready to go...pattern by edyta sitar

then these 2 came across my screen....a new jen kingwell pattern....wensleydale...just right for all my repro scraps don't you think?

and this by natalie bird, a new-to-me designer from zoom pals down under...plenty of blue scraps on hand for this....the photo doesn't do it justice at all...

will be fun to sew this along with others and watch the progress i think....plus some sewing for the guild, the DAR and my own UFO list should chase those other blues away and keep them at bay....i hope

before and after

 

escapades with the command hangers have been mentioned previously....but after a challenging summer, the last time was really the last.  put the little gray cells to work to see how i could circumvent the pesky things....the above is the "before" picture...the shelving unit directly behind me when i sit at the machine....but this is the "after"....

the design wall is now up on a wall that is drywall, not concrete, as the walk-in closet behind was fashioned when the apartments were renovated.  the shelving unit now just a few steps to the left.  the management touts the closet as a big feature...but unfortunately it doesn't begin to offset the dope addicts and thieves who live here....it's really like a homeless shelter with more room.  the locked doors are meaningless...woke up again in the night with stench of pot, a headache, stuffed nose and chest pain.  pot is also legal in maine and my mother has the same difficulty....smoking rules go unenforced, management couldn't care less, the other tenants have to suffer....being half stoned all the time only contributes to depression, lack of energy and listlessness among those who need every bit of strength.  it just isn't right at all, but there is no one to fix the problem....