plaid-tastic!

ducked into marden's yesterday just for a look and found these cotton shirt plaids...aren't they gorgeous!  i have also gotten plaid shirts at the thrift store, but these were $3 per yard and for nearly the cost of one thrift store shirt, i got four different plaids for an upcoming quilt. 

it gave me the benefit of adding some different colors rather than the limited palette i've found in actual shirts.  more than once i've seen a shirt on a body somewhere and wished i could say, "please sir, can i have your shirt?"  but propriety ruled over desire.  ****** on the weather map here in maine this morning, i saw 59 in more than one place.  it was a cool day yesterday and a cool morning so far today, great for sewing.  unfortunately my day is already scheduled with nonquilty errands. **** also at marden's i found 2 cheddar prints, a great find!  i did search on the internet for cheddar prints, but found that different manufacturers have different definitions of cheddar, many of them more gold than what i think of as cheddar.   plus, the internet finds were much pricier....frugality usually trumps.

critical stage

this is my shoebox full of 1.5" strips.  the time has come for a decision.  either i get a larger tote OR i start using these strips.   i could cut some of them up for inchies of course.  have to think about it....meanwhile, it's coooool here in coastal maine, low 60s.  a day without the hum of fans or air conditioners.  cloudy too, but i hear summer is coming back for the weekend. 

Boomer FYI

just the other day, Jay North, aka dennis the menace, turned 60....

apologies

first one is to atkinson designs, their pattern name is "pinwheel puzzle" and the first time i made this pattern, it felt just like that.  this time around, though, it's much easier.  and the second is to bonnie hunter.  see these little scrap triangles?  bonnie would have turned them into an astounding scrappy piece but mine are (gulp) getting tossed.  they are just way too small for me to work with; anything that is smaller than a 1.5" square goes and these are no exception.  sorry bonnie; i am a true believer, i really am, but not with pieces this small.  **** also pictured is the pinwheel puzzle so far, just have to add in a few border pieces and it can be sewn together.  i am liking this pattern.  i see one in batik scraps, don't you? ***** no fans or air conditioners here today, it's 62 and breezy...wheeee!  no sun, but no problem at all!

double dipping

two projects got pulled from the shoeboxes yesterday and i spent the entire day sewing!  still no work, so the sewing goes on and on.  the wallhanging is a pattern i bought in PA last year.  all the pieces have been cut and placed; the "white" pieces are freezer paper and the yellow dots are pins!  i'm hoping it will be done for halloween but we'll see.  the second photo is an atkinson designs pattern from 1995, "pinwheel patches," done in heirloom lilacs from 2006 (i know the date from the selvedge!).  i think it's properly aged by now; i'd like to get this top done this week and put the remains in my stash.  that'll give me about 7 small projects in the flimsy stage.  some blustery winter week i'll get them all finished at once, no doubt!  i've also been working on handpiecing some amish pinwheels.  it's a lofty goal, but it would be nice if all the squares were done by the end of the month.  there will be an intricate quilting motif medallion (i love the hand quilting part) and i've a wool batt set aside to use.  the same 2 quilts have been on my bed for some time now, so i think a change is in order, don't you?  i'd like to get it quilted before winter, that and the 30s lovers' links.

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.