it's friday....

time marches on and christmas things--yes christmas--are in the dollar store right now!  not much new here...weather continues to be downright perfect...i got this made...i love making these stockings....about 2.5 hours start to finish...

the weekend list?  work some on a new piece to use up these row-by-row license plates...for now holding off cleaning out anymore drawers that might reveal other lurking projects...lol!

more quilting on tuscan starburst, baste down tulips on the kim diehl applique...some veggie cooking and freezing, fit in some exercise too...wash kitchen floor?  maybe....

days are getting easier....always i try to think what would my mom want me to do...she came to me in a dream about a month ago, i was crying and she sat on the edge of my bed and said 'don't cry for me'....woke up and my face was wet.  a love that never dies....

and on a cheerier note...reading this book by carl hiaasen...

i've read others by him and they are always very funny, very irreverent and very politically incorrect!  in a recent interview he was asked where his descriptive style emanates and he replied from sitting in endless traffic in florida where he lives...his characters live in a world of ignorant hope...if anything can go wrong it does, seemingly simple plans always go awry and the mundane always has drastic results.  some of his other titles?  razor girl, bad monkey, strip tease....great diversions for the car-less, fixed-income senior set...LOL!

wednesday chat

keeping busy here in finally cool maryland....sleeping and doing just about anything is grand!  still in shorts, tho...today's tasks?  trim this piece and get the woodland borders on

then it goes to our group quilter....i left the banquet table up to do this, but it's in the way....my living room is small but handy when needed.  

pinned the new appliques on this piece....next is to press and get out the ruler before sewing down....i'm left handed, aka sinister, and i believe that means my eye...i keep a level on hand also to hang things as without it, well they'd all be skewed...

i do like the addition of the tulip stems and have an idea for the big pink petals as well...doing just for fun....applique fun you say?  yes getting that way....

quilting steadily on 'tuscan starburst' as the bathroom hanging and batik baskets must also be quilted before i can start the bow ties, which i am itching to do.  then blue album to start by january if not before.  also in the planning stage is a special project for an exhibit next year...

upping regular exercise is surely improving my mental attitude and am settling into a sort of routine sans car....grieving continues of course but not crippling, still have that huge hole in my life...no doubt worse as still feel a stranger here with no close friends and where people don't really know me and without any common history with anyone.  so what to do but keep on keeping on as so many do...could always be worse, right?  

silk purse?

 not even close....remember this sow's ear?

i tried to ignore but it kept falling off the closet shelf...could no longer avoid...came up with an idea that resulted in sacrificing some points and still a tad of a ripple in the top border, but here it is, renovated and ready to baste...

so what was done?  took off all green borders...it was still bit wonky despite all the measures i took to avoid same...then sewed the side borders back on moving in one-half zig-zag WITHOUT removing the outer edge row units, hoping to maintain some sort of straight edge.  worked pretty well--not perfectly--then re-measured, trimmed and re-attached top/bottom borders.  i can now and finish it without shame.  if you don't tell, then nobody will be the wiser....LOL!  my frugal muse simply wouldn't allow tossing it....

what else shakin'?  some cooking of course--corn fritters, veggie prep and chicken/leek pie.  laundry, bathroom freshen...then this...

yet another UFO wanting attention....block pattern from kim diehl...was going to call it ok but there's a blog i follow, actually drool over....https://gladiquilts.wordpress.com/....if you have seen it you know what i mean...the block looked bare...what would gladi do?  so decided to add the tulips...am i done?  not sure...maybe those big pinky blooms need something added...anyway, it's a work in progress...and just to prove my growing obsession with applique....

the wall quilt for dear daughter to commemorate her savoy hotel tea in london...using those luscious liberty fabrics...only 13 blocks, still seeking the fabric for the alternate blocks....the perfect pieces i had are too small...

the santa panel for senior center is getting needle-turn appliqued but when done plan to do one row of zig-zag stitch for stability.  hoping to pass along to the quilter friday....

monday holiday finishing up photos for siblings and hopefully baste blue album...day by day life returns to normal or at least as normal as it will be from hereon in...have a blessed day!