blue cheese so far

this is my blue cheese project so far.  i'm saying "so far" because i haven't decided whether this is it or if it will be a larger finished piece.  the colors are a bit bright because i wanted a closeup so you could see the mouse fabric in the lower left corner.  i think i have just enough left for one more square, if i decide to make it bigger.  it's a bit boring because a solid is the only cheddar i have in my stash that i could use.  i do have a cheddar plaid but it's being reserved for another project. **** thanks to those who posted kind words about my christmas scrappy!

half the christmas scrappy

since my design wall is vertically challenged, i had to fold the flimsy over to pin it on to take its photo.  even so, you can get an idea of its complete size and how it looks.  i'm glad this is done.  next is baste and then quilt and bind.  no border as the batt i'm using isn't large enough for one.  i might use red for the binding and muslin for the back.  i don't think this will get finished this year, but we'll see.  it's 48 x 72, large enough for a sofa or twin quilt.  as predicted, i didn't completely bust my white scraps but one more scrappy just might. 

inchie project minus 2

my current leaders/enders are these inchie blocks, 16 x 16.  as of today, i now have 2 whole blocks done!  there is no time limit whatsoever for this project.  i have a little tote on the sewing table containing these 1.5" squares for use in place of a thread bunny.  i know one thing now, though, it won't be a hand quilted project at all....all those seams!  ***** watch this space as the christmas scrappy is done, done, done!  **** thanks for all the kind comments on my prairie patches, they are appreciated!

nobody, but nobody....

sings our national anthem like sandi patty and she appeared in a free concert locally on wednesday night.  it was held outdoors at a local pavilion and we went early.  good thing as it was nearly a full house and why not?  sandi has dove awards, grammys, gold and platinum recordings which are

well deserved and represent a gift bestowed on her by God, which she uses to exalt Him.  her repertoire includes classical music, traditional hymns, southern gospel and contemporary praise, all performed with joyful exuberance.  it was one of the highlights of our summer so far.

my version of prairie patches

it doesn't look exactly as jo morton's, but i am pretty satisfied with the color combo.  her recommendations were for darker fabrics, but i used what was in the stash and this is what i got.  i had some difficulty with machine piecing the 8-pt star center, but with practice that will improve.  i'll probably baste it and put the quilting on hold until next year or later this year. 

book recommendation

on a visit to the local library yesterday for DVDs i found this book.  it could be subtitled, "amish quilts leave the farm."  lots of luscious geometric projects done in mostly solids with black.  i found more than a few i'd like to make because you KNOW how i feel about solids.  i'm pretty sure i have all the materials on hand to whip at least 3-4 of them up right away, so......

MQ fabrics

here is the sum total of my fabric acquisition at Maine Quilts.  a chrome yellow, double pink and poison green (jo morton's) are going into my repros stash for the upcoming civil war diary quilt.  for now i am going to TRY and focus on finishing up some of the stuff that is currently lounging around the "studio" and also play around with a diamond design for my cherrywood solids.  ***** attended a free band concert last night, late to bed again and up early, so i'm headed back for an extended sleep.  it's a luxury i couldn't afford when working so i'm seizing the opportunity here and hoping later, if it ever rains and dries out the air, i can get some sewing done. 



birthday month

yes, my birthday is in august, near the end.  thank you, God, for giving me another!  as usual, i've a list of things i'd like to accomplish this month.  much depends on the weather, or heat actually.  some depends on motivation/inspiration and the rest, well, you know how it is.  so, you might wonder (or not) what my list looks like.  well.....

finish christmas scrappy top and (maybe) baste
quilt on the lovers' links
eat some lobster
finish the prairie patches top and baste
work on the amish pinwheel squares (less than 30 left to assemble)
start a new project...i've got diamonds dancing in my head!
make verrill farm's corn and tomato tart (mmmmm)

aaaaahhhaugust!

the end of Maine Quilts signals the beginning of august, the last third of the official Maine summer.  though i didn't get to see all the quilts, i had a wonderful class with jo morton making this wallhanging.  only 2 borders to go, one of which is flying geese, and the top will be done.  i had left my camera in the classroom and didn't even get a photo of my own wallhanging, sheesh!  no matter, it'll get plenty of viewing when it is returned.  ***** this is a big show and requires many hands and hours for a successful outcome.  kudos to all the chairpeople and everyone involved as it is a HUGE undertaking.  since i live close to the airport, i volunteered to bring a teacher back for flying out.  on the way we enjoyed a delish pizza dinner and some delightful conversation, strangers who became acquaintances through quilts.  ****** i did pick up a few repros that i'll show another day.  today it's just unpack and relax. 

2 gone, 1 on hold

photo by jim deal of one of the norfolk eaglets after release.  the 2 males took flight without issue; the female is on hold.  due to the heat and her new transmitter, she was overly stressed on the day of release and didn't take flight.  she's back at the wildlife center until another day when (hopefully) she will join her 2 siblings in the skies over the james river.  you can see more at the wildlife center of virginia's website and see just how huge these majestic juveniles have grown.  they are adult size now and all their devotees are hoping for good outcomes, though statistics do not support same.  we are all hoping the widowed adult male will find a mate and more chicks will hatch next year to watch and follow.  it's way better than TV!