a favorite place

in all the 18 years since the horrific house-selling fiasco, i've lived dozens of places.  many were places i wanted to stay and settle down, but for reasons that i still cannot comprehend, i wasn't able to do that.  this is a photo of the place i liked most.  it was only an ordinary apartment, but it was 2 blocks from this beach where there was a terrific sidewalk and park.  i went there often, always daily and sometimes more, to walk, read, cry, pray, regroup, think and sometimes nap.  it was very close to terrific public transit (buses, train), great shopping, downtown boston, colleges, churches, potential employers, diverse neighborhoods and lots of great beaches.  for someone with salt water in her veins, it was ideal.  alas, i could not stay here either.  but if i moved back to massachusetts, this is the first place i'd go.  i hope before i die, someone will tell me what happened to my house and led to those very miserable 18 years.  forgive me this brief interlude of bitterness.

lists update

this morning did a little blog housekeeping and updated my project lists.  so far have finished 5 off the UFO list.  i started 4 new projects, all small pieces, and moved 3 from my WHIMM list to the STARTED list.  so it would seem i'm running in the negative with regard to the UFO list at present.  this, however, WILL change.  in addition to finishing more UFOs, i'm hoping to finish up some of the small projects and keep them from being 2012 UFOs.  while i love scrappy quilts and make a lot of them, sometimes i need a change from all those pieces.  havinig a mixture of projects utilizing different techniques (pieced, applique, etc.) gives me the option to satisfy my current creative muse on any given day.  many might not think this is a system, but quilters understand perfectly, don't you? 

when life gives you scraps....

after the pineapple blossom top finish, i had these little scraps left over.  many are 2" strip scrap pieces.  these are going to morph into some paper pieced blocks for who knows what future project.  i was thinking placemats maybe or a tablerunner or even a mini wallhanging of sorts.  maybe a pineapple or courthouse steps paper pieced tablerunner?  that would definitely work.  see?  i am actually using up my stash, scraps and all.  now on to the next project/UFO/finish. 

first peek....

at the new england sampler UFO in progress.  top is row 1, bottom is row 4.  the other rows are all applique replete with vines, leaves, hearts, flowers, etc.  the maple leaf row is the only patchwork row, which is why it's done.  the border, too, is vines, leaves and flowers.  ***** yesterday got the room all vacuumed...little fabric dog ears all over the floor don't you know!  no cutting today, for it's basting day!  i've 3 quilts to baste and the boston commons white borders will be marked (hopefully) using a stencil i got in nashua a few years back.  this is my first attempt after my quilt marking class, so anxious to see the result.  i'll keep you posted....i'm quite fortunate that i now have the time to fine-tune my quilting skills, going back to techniques i heard of previously but never had the chance to learn or perfect. ***** thanks to all who commented on my pineapple blossom!

a flimsy!

whew, here is my pineapple blossom top all done!  the picture really doesn't do the colors justice.  these are all batiks and it will be hand quilted.  i did the border different than bonnie's pattern because i only made 24 blocks and wanted it a little bigger.  so used the waste triangles to make broken dishes and also included a narrow white border to stop the action of the pineapple blossom blocks and show the pattern more distinctly.  i'm pretty happy with it.

a little finish

yesterday i finished this little square.  it's a jinny beyer pattern using her border print fabrics.  i had been wanting to try it for some time, since the 1980s really, when i first learned of this technique.  jinny blew the quilting world away with her "ray of light" quilt, which i got to see up close and personal.  she, along with a few others, are credited with the resurgence of quilting at the time of the bicentennial and it's exploded since then.  this square is going in the orphan pile for some use later on.  ****** today i'm putting the last border on the pineapple blossom, so watch this space for a look at the flimsy, probably tomorrow. 



what's in your trash?

if you are frugal at all, no doubt you've been eyeing what's going in the trash bin lately.  last night i was cutting out some more triangles for a scrappy pinwheel.  this morning i was prepping more strips for my pineapple blossom.  i was quite pleased when i took a look at the throwaways and didn't find one smidgen i could use in another project.  i know, those dogbed people are going to chastise me, but regardless of them, what i tossed wasn't what i consider usable fabric.  keep in mind this photo was taken close up so they actually look larger than they really are.  so, even though i don't regularly pay $10-12 per yard for what i buy, it's nonetheless valuable in terms of the specie of the realm.  from the pineapple blossom project alone, i've got lots of little pieces leftover.....great for miniature pineapples don't you think?

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.