almost

despite some tummy trouble for a couple of days, the wallhanging is almost all quilted.  perhaps the binding will get started (and finished?) this weekend.  i also visited the dentist this week, which was actually a nearly pleasant appointment.  all it takes is enough novocaine, really.  gotta go, pizza for supper....yum!

another detour

took a break from sewing for a blast from the past.  pulled out my 45s stash, total of 73, and copied them to CD.  why?  takes up less room of course!  i am also working on my stash of LP albums as well.  i checked prices on ebay first and found that their value is miniscule, so they are getting copied and flung....all but the beatles of course!  each CD holds about 30 45s or 2 albums, so it saves quite a bit of space, welcome in our small apartment.  i am squeezing in a bit of quilting too, though.  ***** sending another letter to my senators about the budget.  why is it NASA is a sacred cow?  why are millions and billions being spent on outer space only for people on earth to be homeless and hungry and without healthcare?  sounds like somebody's priorities are skewed for sure. 

addendum....

6:36 am....temperature 21 degrees F.....enough already!!!!

more applique.....

here are a couple of more applique UFOs in the works.  the heart piece is a row sampler, not all rows are applique; the sewing machine is a little project that will have some spool blocks around the perimeter, sort of homage to the old viking.  last night i also put the beginner's star in the frame to start the quilting on it as it will need to be finished by the end of may in time for maine quilts this year.  it passes the time but sometimes that's all these projects do; it will never take the place of a real job and the passion for my work that goes unrequited still.....

red and white bandwagon

thanks to the current exhibit of red and white quilts in new york, red and white projects are popping up all over blogland. i, too, have succumbed but with restraint, meaning no bed size quilt. i've long admired the schoolhouse block and so i drafted a 6" version and picked up the fabrics and will make a small wallhanging or tabletopper or whatever. just another little project to squeeze in amongst the UFOs that are ongoing....

quilting detour

every so often the cross-stitch tote under my bed whispers to me in the wee hours to open it up and choose a project. for some time, i've wanted to do a vintage sampler AND i wanted a christmas stocking done in cross stitch. i found this pattern in a magazine eons ago and have kept it close by. i started it a while ago, did a bit and put it away. this past week or so i've spent a lot of time working on it, though the progress thus far is deceiving. i'm not expert, not like my daughter, but i love the result and best of all, it won't have to be framed. it's going to be my christmas stocking THIS year, God willing, and that'll be another needlework wish satisfied. ***** though we did get a bit of snow end of last week, it's mostly gone but winter just won't let go. one of these days it will probably be 80 or so and spring will be gone, even though we haven't had any yet of which to speak.

A is for....

not adulterer but, in my case, applique. took a break from quilting the lone star and appliqued this cute little piece based on my daughter's school days artwork. also, it helps in fine tuning my needleturn skills getting ready for the big kahuna, aka the hawaiian quilt. not too bad if i do say so myself, but more precise skills are needed so i will continue practicing until i've got it down pat!

still here....

haven't fallen off the face of terra firma yet, so thought i would just post that fact since there's nothing else to tell really. we are still waiting for the bona fide spring to arrive instead of the teaser weather we've been having of late. it's almost here but just not quite....

lone star update

here's a current photo of the lone star wallhanging and a closeup of one of the triangles already quilted. i've one more triangle and 3 of the corner squares to quilt with this arc design and then i can bind it. you can see the green solid i chose for the binding. i actually had to go out and buy it because i didn't have a piece large enough for the entire binding in my stash. it pulls out the green fabric in the star itself. green is not my favorite color but i felt there was enough blue/pink shades without choosing either of those for the binding. i'm a bit disappointed as it didn't come out as well as the first one i made but it was a lot of work, pieced by hand and now quilted by hand. not perfect but then who/what is? i can live with it without a lot of guilt and only a smidgen of regret. i do this for fun is why.....

yeeccchhh!

why? it SNOWED today! after 60-degree weather last week, this is one of the last things we wanted to see. "they" say we might get up to 5 inches overnight, but the good part of snow in late march is it's soon gone, as this will be by wednesday, again "they" say. even if they are wrong, it won't be by much. ***** and what have i been doing? well, quilting on the lone star. i am now quilting the corner squares and triangles, having finished every one of the individual diamonds. i got the binding fabric over the weekend; no, i didn't have any in my stash to match. i've also been on a job interview today, done the usual weekend stuff like laundry, read the sunday paper and do some miscellaneous sewing on other UFOs. the unemployed life is hardly exciting, i'm afraid.