mmmmmarden's!

stopped in at marden's yesterday to pick up some fabric as a giftie...found a delish thimbleberries and a blender to go with it; they are already in their package so can't show those BUT, found these awesome pieces!  the cheddar plaid was a remnant, the end of a 2.99 bolt so grabbed that.  found some civil war reds/browns for my maine quilts workshop, plus a shirting background and a shirt-type stripe for an upcoming project.  most fabrics at marden's have gone up to about 4.49 per yard but still very good deals.  saw another shopper with a cart that was rapidly filling up.  we met in the aisle and just grinned at each other.  it's a sickness for certain.  i don't go there often for that reason and was deeply saddened to leave so many gorgeous fabrics behind, but i'll let marden's store them for me  <grin>!

tale of two wallhangings

this wallhanging was STARTED on the day of Charles and Diana's wedding back in 1981.  i got up early to watch the wedding and then spent most of the day at a quilting seminar at Stonehill College in North Easton, MA.  i was working for a shop selling fabric and patterns.  the vendor in the adjacent booth had some patterns and the feathered star caught my eye.  being a novice quilter, i simply purchased some fabrics from the booth where i was working and started to sew right then and there, completely oblivious to things like bias edges and such.  i chose these colors because amish quilts were my original passion.  flash forward 30 years. just this morning i FINISHED the bottom wallhanging from some swap squares, again on the day of a royal wedding.  how spooky is that?

stash bargains

hit the thrift yesterday looking for cotton shirts in good condition to add to my stash and i found 2, a plaid and a stripe.  these were half price, though i would rather pay less than $2 for them.  i'll be yard saling this summer looking for same.  going to the thrift is like a treasure hunt, never knowing what will be found.  i found (and bought) 2 English china soup bowls, 99 cents each, and also a summer cotton nightgown for $1.75.  i was going to sew one up but couldn't possibly for that price.  it was hardly worn if at all.  now if i could just find a good bargain on quality cotton thread.  ***** today's tasks?  some grocery shopping, some cleaning and hopefully to finish the pineapple blossom blocks AND bind the small wallhanging.  next week's plan is to get 3 quilts basted for quilting.  i've plenty of TV work at the ready for tomorrow morning's royal wedding. 

eaglet update

sadly, today the chicks were removed from the nest and sent to the wildlife center for continued care and eventual release.  it was determined that one parent could not provide enough food for the chicks whose appetite increases daily and one or more chicks would not survive.  skilled wildlife caretakers have speedily set up a similar habitat and say the outlook is very good, since the chicks are older than most they get and are all in excellent health.  an older sibling of the chick is at the center where he was sent and lives after contracting avian pox.  even the tree service staff who facilitated in the banding last week and the removal today were filled with emotion over the events of the past two days.  i am totally surprised how attached i have become to these wild birds just by watching them grow and be cared for by the adults.  the wildlife center has been overwhelmed by voluminous contacts of those who have followed their progress.  fortunately, it has resulted in significant donations to aid in their work and rescue efforts. ***** back to quilty stuff tomorrow, i promise.

p.s.

checked back on the eagle cam before heading to bed with my book and learned that dad eagle had been perching on a nearby branch all day and did eventually bring the chicks some food.  he's an experienced dad so maybe he will be able to keep up with the feedings for the next month or so until they start flying on their own.  even if he is successful, the fact remains that 50% of all eagle chicks die in the first year, mostly due to inadequate hunting skills.

sooo sad

the mama eagle from the pair nesting at Norfolk Botanical Garden has been killed by a landing US Airways plane.  from the moderator, i learn that this mother eagle lost her first mate from a plane strike.  it's terribly sad, especially since i've recently been watching her teach her 3 babies how to eat by themselves.  they are nowhere near ready to be without her.  it's possible the father eagle will step in, but not sure.  he has not been seen at the nest all day either.  waiting to hear from NBG what will be done for these little feathered orphans.  all of us who have been watching the progress of these majestic birds are in deep mourning.  i know, it's only a wild animal, but if you had seen her with her babies, you would be crying too.  after having seen this bird care for her young through only her instinct, i am truly in awe of their Creator.  God knows when a sparrow falls and i am sure this includes eagles as well. 

another finish

this is a small piece finished today utilizing pepper cory's drunkard's path method totally by machine.  i busted some solids (very few) in its construction, it was quilted free form with brown thread, totally invisible on this view.  the units are 3", total size 18" square.  i'll add it to the stack of finished items for someday use.  i've now started quilting, free form again, on a wallhanging made of swap squares from my yahoo group, Real Women Quilt.  i expect it will be finished some time this week.  the binding takes the longest as i usually bind totally by hand.....great TV watching, er listening, work. 

the finish

so here it is all finished, quilted and everything, posing on the sofa.  big relief to know it's all done just waiting to be mailed to maine quilts at the designated time.  i took a break from the pineapple blossom to get this one done.  i've a few more small quilted projects that can get finished quickly and knocked off the list as well.  this could very well be the year the entire list gets finished, who knows?  in the process of the finish, i busted 2 spools of thread, one quilting and one machine.  once i finish a few more, there's a summer wallhanging i want to make using up my watermelon fabric stash of just 5 FQs.  there will be some scraps leftover but it'll be out of the Elfa drawer.  plus i want to get back to those 5" pineapple blocks started earlier this year.  those are a great warm weather project, sitting in the a/c with the old viking whirring. 

happy easter!

this is the gang of four on Easter Sunday in 1961 and the littlest is now 50....how did THAT happen?  it really was only yesterday, wasn't it?  i hope they all see this and know i love them and will for always.  ***** what did i do today?  had dinner with family and finished a UFO...will post photo tomorrow!

leaders/enders

this is my ongoing inchie leaders/enders project.  when i get 1.5" squares out of scraps, i put them aside in a little tote next to the old viking.  i sew them in rows of 16 and they are getting sewn into squares for a future scrappy project.  i've been doing this for a while now and have enough for one whole square now, so it'll be a while before any flimsy appears.  the leaders/enders allow me to get the max from my spool of thread, which i like a lot.  before L/E, a lot of thread went into the trash can but no longer.  another gem of a tip from quiltville USA!  before L/E i would use a thread bunny over and over that eventually got tossed, but this method is sooo much better and way more frugal.