won't be long

we'll be trimming the tree before you know it!  i made this little star for a reason, but then discovered it was too "modern" so i have to keep it....what a shame (not!), so it'll hang on my tree this year.  of course, that means i have to make another but no big hardship.  ***** this weekend i sewed a lot.  you've already seen the red/cream northwind and i have more of that piano key border done.  i also hand sewed on the amish pinwheel.  only 1 full row and half of another need to be sewn on, so it'll be a flimsy in no time.  once that's done, my hand work will focus on finishing the halloween piece.  looks like november is basting month, plus hand quilting of course.  i've got ideas swimming in my head for the large spaces on my center diamond quilt.  the red/cream is getting tied and i can quilt on the other 2, hoping at least 1 gets finished before the end of the year.  that'll give me 2 more big quilt finishes and the halloween piece, if all goes according to plan.  **** today i'll also be meeting up with bonnie hunter and show off the nearby Marden's.  I'm pretty sure she'll find SOMETHING she can't live without, even with her seemingly voluminous stash!  **** on another ominous note, i read on another blog about someone who was told by a shop owner that cotton fabric will go to $19 per yard....if that's true, many of us are sitting on fort knox-like stashes, so maybe i'd better stock up at Marden's today.  That's my reasoning and wouldn't be frugal to do otherwise, don't you agree?

red/cream flimsy and border idea

 as you can see, my design wall is woefully inadequate to display this flimsy best, but you get the idea.  i am so glad to see this flimsy done; just have to add the borders that i've auditioned here and i think they will work great.  plus i'll be busting more of those red scraps!  i'll even have some of that cute henry glass shirting fabric left over; plop, into the "light" stash!  red is so NOT my favorite color, but have to say i love this pattern and how it worked up.  again, it's a marsha mccloskey, so thank you marsha!  this will be tied and donated, recipient has already been chosen.  just in time for winter....this is a good thing!  **** this afternoon hope to finish adding the remaining 3 rows on the amish scrappy and then i can baste it with my wool batt.  i'm keeping this one and it's going right on my bed for the upcoming winter.  **** since i have lots of little project UFOs on my list for next year that i can finish quickly, i am thinking about making the hawaiian my primary project for the new year.  would be great if that could get finished in 2012.

a giveaway

janet over at http://www.roguequilter.blogspot.com/ is having a giveaway of 2 delicious scrap quilt books by lynn roddy brown!  to up the odds for ME, you don't have to leave a comment but chances are you will ignore that advice....LOL

real reality TV

bored?  then hop on over to http://www.wildlifecenter.org/ and check on the critter cam.  there is a hawk being rehabilitated for eventual release back into the wild.  he came in with a broken wing that has been surgically repaired.  last i read, he was ready for "mouse school," meaning they are going to teach him how to catch live mice!  also recent stories about 2 eagles that were found, both of which had to eventually be euthanized.  fully grown these birds are HUGE, stand about 2 or so feet tall with wingspan of about 30 feet.  it seems, though, they are somewhat fragile in contrast to their size.  one had been hit by a car or something, they think, and the other showed signs of some kind of poisoning.  it is sad to see such a majestic creature put down.  we were driving the interstate last week and did see an eagle, probably just under 5 years as his tailfeathers were recognizable as white but no full white head as of yet.  thought i'd post something a bit different from quilting and weather.

library sale

you know my rule about quilting books...if it doesn't fit on the shelf, out it goes.  fortunately, there was a smidgen of room left for these great used books i got at the library sale yesterday for seriously el cheapo prices.  there were plenty more, but they were thicker hard covers and i knew there wasn't enough room, so they got left behind.  there are a couple of new books i would like, but won't pay full retail and not sure i'd use them enough to warrant that anyway.  they are too new to be found used, so i'll wait and in the interim, might change my mind.  ***** yesterday sewed some rows together on the amish scrappy and on the red/cream northwind as well.  could be these 2 flimsies will be ready to baste at the same time.  the boston commons and christmas ribbons are ready to baste, plus a stack of small pieces, so one of these days it's going to be a big basting party.  then i can get back to quilting the amish center diamond; my fingers are itching to do just that.  *****  hard to believe thanksgiving is a just over a month away.  i have started my christmas shopping, though; just a few gifts for my immediate family.  first up, though is celebrating the birthday of my dear aunt who will be 91 next tuesday!

the ship is in!

no it's not MY ship, that's still cruising around someplace, but it's somebody's ship.  we trekked the 6-7 miles over to portland to see the new, larger terminal and this baby that had just come into port.  before this opened, portland couldn't handle the really big cruise ships and lamented every day over lost tourist dollars.  living here we totally forget that portland is a travel destination.  we saw plenty of buses at the terminal also, heading for locales like kennebunkport and LL Bean, other big tourist draws.  we saw plenty of street walkers with their jackets on.  i know one thing, if i go on a cruise i'm NOT taking my winter jacket.  *****  that roving quilter, bonnie hunter, has arrived in maine and off to rangeley for quilt camp, details here.  on a return trip from baltimore last year, my seatmate was a very pregnant young woman with her toddler.  she was going to visit her mother who just happened to be the very same carol perkins at threads galore, like how eerie is that?  anyway, i'm sure bonnie will find plenty to like about maine...she's northwest of here about 2 hours' drive, in the hinterlands which is probably quite beautiful right about now!

wednesday witch update

been busy with applique on the halloween piece.  here's the latest photo of what is done so far.  i've got one of the bats done which drove me a tad "batty" but looks pretty ok to me.  now i'm on letters.  although i am not "into" embellishments, the whimsy of this piece is screaming for some, so i've got some ideas in mind to kick it up a few notches and make it really dazzling.  *****  today no real plans, so might tackle the red/cream blocks or even a new quilt top.  ****  our veggie drawer is nearly empty now that our favorite local farm stand has closed.  a few carrots, a couple of disfigured cukes, 2 tomatoes and 2 peppers are all that remain of our summer bounty.  *****  after a cool night, it's sunny and seasonably warm here.  while not summer-ish like last weekend, it's not yet coat weather either.

two weekend pursuits

this weekend was quite un-fall like weather.  portland broke its heat record yesterday, 81 set in 1909 actual was 84.  we went to the beach and it was actually hot there.  later in the afternoon it was just perfect except the sun set way too quick for my liking.  plenty of cars in the parking lot and people in the water.  don't imagine we'll get any more swimming weather this year; this weekend was a gift. *****  i got quite a bit of sewing done, not the least of which was to finish these red/cream northwind blocks.  now i can get the rows assembled and finish the top.  someday soon i'm going to have to have a basting day with 3 quilts to baste.  ****  our foliage is at about 30% right now; it's tough to say for certain due to the glut of pine trees in the area, but there are plenty of trees left that

haven't yet turned to gold/red/rust.  lots of the young trees are bare but mature trees are still in summer mode.....like everyone i guess.  **** 

two revolting things

two things i saw again this week that simply fed my wrath.  one is a food bank, a small, generic building that has now tripled in size not far from here.  the second is a shelter that was formerly a motel and is now bigger than a mcmansion with new buildings and wings.  working class people are down and on life support and the only thing that shows signs of expanding in this horrible economy are organizations that service homeless and poor.  not far from here they built 4 new banks along a small stretch of route 1 in the past year...huh?  when i came to maine i had hoped to continue in my career and buy a condo of my own but in 10 years that has not yet happened.  i worked very hard for many years and don't claim to be a genius by any means, but i did work hard and kept my family off welfare when they wanted a lien on my home.  at this point i am wondering why i bothered, except i raised a child with pride in herself and a strong work ethic.  if the middle class gives up or goes under, no doubt we'll see more homeless palaces.

retreat so far....

in addition to finishing the center of the amish diamond quilt, i've been working on my halloween piece and the red/cream northwind.  as you can see, i've gotten as far as the shoes, working my way down from the hat.  after the shoes and buckles (green pieces) are done, it's the bats and letters and lastly the spider.  it could very well be done by the witching hour, at least i'm hoping it will be.  the sock print will be the binding.  ****   i've also finished a stack of red/cream blocks, leading me to think about the border(s).  piano keys?  sawtooth?  remains to be seen at this point, totally dependent on how much red fabric i have left.  **** if anyone had told me a month ago that october 9th would be a beach day, i don't think i would have believed them, but so it is.  in fact, portland is set to possibly break a heat record today.  great beaches and cheap lobster, only 2 of very few reasons i know of to be in maine at all.