david letterman not!

maine's top ten

1.  medical secretaries need not apply
2.  in maine, multitaskers are the under-employed with a series of minimum wage seasonal jobs
3.  most renown landowner actually calls texas home
4.  you can get there from here, but it's at least a 100-mile drive each way, usually more
5.  always sacrifice industry and jobs to save tourist haunts
6.  25 miles on turnpike costs you $3 in tolls
7.  4-year college degree opens doors....to the job center to look for a job
8.  sign at border stating "the way life should be" for tourists only
9.  the original LL (leon leonwood) Bean's goal was never to sell shirts made in pakistan or guatemala
10.  most abundant of resources, lobster and blueberries, shipped out of state

so, come on up and be sure to bring those tourist bucks with you!

a pity

the pot smoker is back outside now that the weather has improved.  too bad our complex doesn't have a building set aside for those who indulge in such pastimes....closer to the boonies, you know?  it's one of the real negatives of apartment complex living.  it just isn't fair to those of us who would rather not smoke along.  that explains why i wake up with a headache in the morning because i'm not really a headache person at all.

weekend wrap

spent the weekend quilting on the pinks as well as machine piecing this little wallhanging.  the pattern is from the moda bakeshop via calico horse and calls for charms, but naturally i have stash to use!  it's almost all pieced, now on the design wall.  once finished it will go in the tote along with all the other finished items with no specific destination.  it will be hand quilted at some point.  other colors could be used for any season, really, but i love christmas so greens it is!

by the sea, by the sea...

strange yellow orb appeared briefly in the sky today compelling us to leave the confines of our rented abode and travel to the nearest salt water galaxy not too far away.  in maine, when the mercury-contained heat indicator reaches 60F., many denizens are garbed in shorts and i complied.  seriously, 60F. in maine is like 80F. in southern locales so it's nearly a requirement.  **** am presently quilting the pinks project and some machine sewing on other things as well.  ***** after a hastily prepared evening caloric intake of the mediterranean genre along with herbaceous leafy greens (spaghetti and salad), some quilting and TV listening, am retiring to the all-purpose sleep/sewing chamber for reading my current volume on temporary loan from the nearest multimedia receptacle (library)....."The Land of Painted Caves," last volume of Earth's Children Series by Jean Auel, which I recommend highly. 

quilting in progress

yesterday i did get the pinks basted and started the quilting as well.  that project needs to be finished right away, so it'll be my primary handwork project until completion.  today i'm pulling out the next machine project that is a gift, so details omitted until it's been received.  these two projects will take up the majority of the next two weeks.  after that, it's back to basting 2 UFOs and quilting the next.  this year hoping to knock off at least 10 from my UFO list of 21; with june nearly here i've finished 6 so well on my way to that goal.  ***** the sky is lightening a bit here after a week of clouds and rain, so maybe the weather guru is right, the sun WILL come out tomorrow!

a friday flimsy

got this top done today but it won't be a flimsy long because i'm basting it later on so i can start the quilting and yes, the photo is sideways.  a thanks here to susan branch for posting her pattern of "vineyard seasons" for inspiration.  true, the pinwheel is a public domain pattern, but she utilized it in a unique way which I did not copy exactly but all in all, i want to give her a mention.  i am probably going to bind mine in one of the pink fabrics.  after this quilting project is done, i'm going back to the hawaiian applique project for handwork.  i've also got a quilt that needs tying and then bound to be finished, so that's on the agenda as well.  ****** has finally stopped raining here in maine but no sun yet.  the talking weather heads say sunday for certain.

9 little schools...

all pieced by hand.  these are 6" schoolhouse blocks all done and waiting for the narrow border, then baste, quilt and binding!  though i do still make some bed-size quilts, i am so into making small projects that can be finished fairly quickly and give me just as much satisfaction.  there are so many patterns i want to make that i couldn't possibly all do in big quilts.  so, i'll have a collection of smaller pieces instead.  i have 2 quilts on my bed, my daughter has 3 quilts, my mother has 3 quilts, there is a sofa quilt, my aunt has a quilt, my older brother and SIL have 2 quilts and my sister has a quilt.  i also have 2 tied quilts to be given away, 4 bed quilts in process and a few more at the UFO stage.  when i finish them all, i still have stash to make more.....so will that be enough? 

the beginning

last night during "dancing with the stars," i decided to try the applique portion of my hawaiian quilt.  i watched the DVD three times and felt confident enough to try it for myself.  the left is a photo of the back and it does look like the example on the video, except for the skipped spot....i'm impressed!  below is the front where the stitches are barely or not even showing.  good thread match!  this is aurifil 50/2 recommended by the shop.  i used a batik that i washed three times, also recommended by the shop, to make it soft enough for the applique and quilting later on.  so far i am pretty happy with the result.  this will probably be my TV project for some time, as there is no deadline for its completion and i do have other projects that need to be done for specific reasons.  i put a lot of thought into my choices and so far i am more than pleased.  **** weather continues dreary and drizzly, so could get a lot of sewing done this during its tenure.  already i've finished the 30s flimsy and started on the pinks project, which should be basted by week's end.  it doesn't take the place of meaningful work but a tolerable substitute for the time being.

flimsy finish

clipped this pattern from mccall's quilting magazine in 2000 and now the flimsy finally is done.  this is going to be a gift at some point.  the name is "lovers' links" and i used my 30s stash, which is now nearly completely gone.  there are some authentic vintage fabrics in this as well.  i've also started sewing together the pinks project and hope to get that to the basting stage this week some time.  pretty good accomplishment for a rainy monday.  since the entire week may be similarly solar challenged, i expect i'll get a lot of sewing done, if my pedal foot holds up that is.

here it is!

well, the lone star is finally finished.  it needs a cold water dip to get rid of the quilting marks, but otherwise it's a finish.  this is the second one i've made, both were made by hand.  this one didn't come out as well as the other and i sort of lost enthusiasm for it near the end.   regardless of the outcome, there is a lot of work here so it'll get hung up on the wall as it's not entirely displeasing to the eye but again, not at all blue ribbon status.  no matter. it's an accomplishment and that's better than leaving it or flinging it incompleted.  my quilting goal never was to be absolutely perfect, only to enjoy the process and the result.