trunk show success

my little trunk show at the women's residential home went pretty well.  i had one HUGE suitcase of quilts and a large tote bag (the ricky tims one) as well.  i brought a few unfinished items, such as the hawaiian, the amish center diamond and the red/cream northwind.  there are less than 20 women who live at this home and some were out but most came and seemed to have an enjoyable morning.  i brought along dessert of apple crisp; i had been invited for lunch when the show was booked.  many of these women have done needlework in their lifetime but no longer for various reasons.  i was back at my apartment, which is about one hour south, at 3:30 pm, left at 8:30 am this morning.  a long day for a change.  ***** most of the vertigo has subsided, which is a real blessing indeed.  after a good night's rest, i can get back to sewing projects tomorrow. 

coincidence?

flipped over the calendar page today and this is the pattern, "geese in flight," so apropos because early this morning i heard a flock of canadian geese honking while they flew on by.  you think they can read?  naw.....but i do love this little perpetual calendar.  there are some great scrappy patterns i'd like to make someday.  ***** spent most of yesterday quilting on the lovers' links and i've got sore fingers as proof.  by the time my quilter's callouses have developed, the quilt will probably be done.  ***** just popped a huge pan of apple crisp into the oven.  makes the apartment smell sooo homey.  it's majorie standish's recipe so it'll be yummy for certain! **** today?  more quilting on the lovers' links, maybe some machine time also and read my sunday paper at a leisurely pace.  busy week ahead and october is looming, can you believe it?  as of oct 4th i'll be unemployed a whole year this time around.  maine truly is vacationland....has been for me anyway.   

FNSI Report

disclaimer:  this is probably a boring post but i worked on only the lovers' links last night during FNSI.  it's at the hump point, meaning seems like it is taking forever to get it done, but a little push and the finish will be in sight.  that'll rev up my impetus to finish this and get down to the binding for early fall completion. 

FNSI

sheesh, almost forgot; tonight's the night!  friday night sew-in!  i'm ready, got the lovers' links in the hoop to work on PLUS busy cutting out "amish in the city" inbetween.  just popped some orange cranberry scones (barefoot contessa recipe) in the oven and plenty of diet pepsi in the refrigerator; how good is that?

half done!

the quilting part, that is.  there's still the binding to do after, but at least the lovers' links is getting done.  i've some lavendar solid for the binding, so some day i'll have to pull that out and get that made so it will be ready.  with half the month to go, i could very well get this done if i don't work on too many other projects in the meantime.  **** my other handwork project is sewing together squares and rows of the amish pinwheel.  that'll be the next bed quilt to be quilted.  ***** our temps are down to real fall levels.  last night i even wore my FLANNEL pj pants to bed, with one quilt over me and the window open.  fall activities are in full swing in maine, meaning apple picking and orchard festivities.  i just love the autumn!

the word uttered

this very morning, september 14th, the local weather guy said it OUT LOUD!  what was it?  SNOW....off with his head!

on the wall

the amish pinwheels have made it vertical!  i did this for color placement and am pretty satisfied, though i did find quite a few purple value blocks in the stack.  the center medallion is to be quilted.  it's a large urn with feathers and topped with a pineapple.  though i don't like to use fusibles on my fabric, not being sure what their very long-term results are, i couldn't think of another method that would be as botch-free as Transfer-eze.  i've got a wool batt at the ready for this once the flimsy is done, currently being assembled by hand.  this is another fully hand-pieced, hand-quilted project.  after i finish quilting lovers' links, this one will be quilted, hoping to get it done for my bed this winter.  it'll be cozy, don't you think?

quick stop

though i try to keep my posts quilt related, this will be a rare exception.  on the way to the beach today, stopped at the local farm stand and picked up this colorful bounty.  not pictured are 4 ears of corn and a jar of jam.  in summer we consume mass quantities of the fresh veggies available.  the peppers will go into spaghetti sauce, the zucchini for pancakes or bread; the rest just get prepared simply to maximize flavor.  we already had green beans, so i passed on those. there were winter squashes also, but plenty of time for those when the others are gone.  we've also had native peaches and muskmelons from this stand this year.  we also get fresh garlic, red potatoes, red onions, scallions, broccoli and herbs.  nature's bounty indeed! ***** the beach?  it was a perfect no sunscreen, no umbrella, no sweatshirt day.  not hot, not cold, breezy, refreshing; water was cold, of course, but not unbearable.  can only hope for more days like today. 

day break

the shore beckons and the weather is summery.  what is an ocean-loving girl to do?  answer the call....quilting postponed to another day

how eerie is that?

in 1991 or 1992, i went to visit the statue of liberty.  it was the very beginning of november, the day before the NY marathon.  the weather was a balmy 72 degrees, unheard of for late fall.  the day was gorgeous.  the ferry across the harbor was spectacular.  the christmas decorations already displayed seemed utterly out of place.  on happenstance, i snapped this photo.  i found it the other day while cataloging my trip photos for a scrapbook.  i thought it was a twilight zone moment, like some supernatural event, coming across this particular photo in this particular week.