my tribute

at friday quilt group, busy measuring and trimming my red/green blocks...here they are all together waiting for the border...

relieved to get this far, anxious now to move on but not today....still whittling away at the solids scraps hoping to get a top done this weekend...

while busy, a few gals were reorganizing our tall cabinets and unearthed a delightful array of paper pieced blocks...donated by someone at some point....the maker?  her family?  we'll never know...but passed by until they came to me.  so much work went into them...by donating them to our group, the hope was they would be used...so most came home with me.  no doubt you will ooh and ahh as i did....

only 10 of these blocks, but there were many others much smaller, taken by another lady in our group.  one can only guess at what was the final setting, us having only pieces of the puzzle...and more blocks....

these were made with many of the same fabrics at the bird houses...blocks in the bottom photo about 4", top photo about 6"...plan (and honor) is to come up with a setting and assemble large enough for someone to quilt and finish and offer for sale...there were other miscellaneous paper pieced blocks, all individual patterns and different sizes....

lastly was this intricately pieced block...the only one in the pile but i couldn't leave it behind...so pretty and so perfect...it'll be the joseph's coat of many colors on display in my kitchen...

so anonymous quilter, your creativity and skill lives on, appreciated and enjoyed, not cast aside...your sister quilters have accepted the torch and will carry to the finish....rest easy.

rainy-ish weekend here, cooler but weather no consequence to me....got my list made and high hopes, thankful for leisure time and all the blessings in my life that money could never buy.

best kind of mail

mostly i never get any mail at all, an occasional advert, the monthly flyer from PBS station and my Yankee magazine...occasionally a quilty peep shares their bounty with me and yesterday it was like Christmas!

the latest book from Victoria Findlay Wolfe...more than a pattern book, it's a quilting diary and memoir all in one.  i've only started reading and highly recommend already...

the box was too small for a car but plenty else to make me squeal....

some very floral applique patterns to drool over and send the quilty muse into apoplexy...LOL!

a Christmas wall quilt ready for quilting....and maybe gifting?

a couple of baggies of scraps...new fabric is always interesting right?  

the cute snowmen blocks got used right away as I had the perfect setting fabric...

not only did the snowmen get used right away, that background print is now gone completely...and last but not least, a lovely, endearing read just right for nighttime...

my mom loved elisabeth ogilvie books and i had read some of her fiction as well...these gifts will distract me from being cooped up in the A/C and result in more UFOs probably, the best antidote for boredom and much preferred over other remedies...

brief sojourn today for quick lab appointment....then it's more cracker blocks--i've decided on 25 total, so 10 more to go.  for the smaller pieces, some checkerboard blocks are planned.  next outing friday afternoon for quilt group, so thankful for diversions while chilling out with a couple of 90-degree days ahead.  another day with overflowing blessings for health, home, family, friends....

just yesterday....

received this precious gift....

was actually 51 years ago yesterday....a classic beauty, artistic, compassionate nurse, comedic, intelligent and insightful, strong faith and often opinionated...lucky me...

no more procrastinating...pulled out the solids to jump start the muse....i had an idea and made a couple of blocks but no thrill so went looking for more inspiration.  started on this...

.had always planned some cracker blocks but with christmas fabrics?  blah...saw some on the net made from bright colors so jumped right in and fired up miss sunny--after thorough oiling and new needle that is.  not sure final top size but not a lot of my scraps are large enough for the block itself, hence the piano key border.  i thought about 8x8...blocks are 8" finished

along with lots of quilting on 'dreams', some sewing for senior center also got done....found these 2 panels in the christmas stash and whipped up a couple of placemat tops to finish and sell...happy to do what i can to generate funds for our group.  

vacation looming and have to say with a bit of trepidation...have not been to Maine since mum passed away and i know it will be tough...that'll be me crying on the bus as we get closer no doubt...

days roll on and counting my blessings each one...now back to the machine!!