stunned

this morning i started assembling a feathered star wallhanging for DD/DSIL's home.  no surprise so i can talk/show here.  last summer when i made this pattern star it wasn't quite perfect, but lo and behold!  this morning's effort turned out pretty good....i was a bit stunned.  i always attempt this star with a bit of trepidation.  it's probably because of the oxymoronic karma in my little room, 60-degree weather AND christmas commercials on TV; 2 quilts on the bed and me still wearing my summer clothes.  ***** i've got my weekly to-do list made, not much earth shattering, just trying to keep busy.  **** went through my repro stash and surprised to find i've a number of jo morton fabrics.  i've separated them into their very own shoebox for ease with future projects.  later on today i have to post another photo of the blue cheese bowtie project, per request of janet.  i haven't done anything with this as i might possibly add to it and make it a tad larger, remains to be seen.   

another flimsy

this one's a little quilt, only 30" square; 25 6" blocks.  it's going to be hand quilted with the cross-hatch design and then bound with the lavender.  this is probably my last 30s style quilt.   i've given away all the pieces i had left and kept only the true vintage pieces inherited long ago.  done this year?  not sure...maybe or maybe not.  **** in addition to getting this little top done today, i quilted more on the amish center diamond.  i'm working on the last border segment of the first round of borders.  next come the triangles, which will be quilted with a clamshell design.  this is a no rush project but it's moving along fairly well.  ***** this week i have to make a new clothing item.  it won't take long but it must get done this week.  i might set aside a day this week just to baste small projects, too....we'll see. 

autumn change flimsy!

and here it is....this is rachel griffith's design from 'quiltmaker' jul/aug 2010.  hers was pictured with tans and turquoise with a cream background but i dove into my luscious stash of autumn prints and made this version.  it'll be quilted--hand quilted naturally--with various leaf/acorn/vine designs and then bound with a scrappy binding of....what else but autumn fabrics!  this is a future gift for somebody special.  i had to take this a bit far off at an angle because my room is small AND the close-up version completely skewed the colors, which are fabulous.  so now you know why i haven't blogged in a few days.  i've been busy sewing on this and a few other things too.  plus a bit of room cleaning was also necessary.  the shoebox left empty with this flimsy finish now has a new resident project.  they don't stay empty long, i'm afraid.  **** today i've also been quilting on the amish center diamond.  i've got all the open spaces planned except the next-to-last border, a 5" border.  i've a baptist fan stencil i might use or i might try my hand at a wavy feather design, now that i know how.  **** still on the job hunt as usual.  now that beach weather has passed, there's a lot more time to sew.  after thanksgiving holiday i plan to ramp up my efforts. 

2 little packages

from janet are some purples just perfect for bonnie's mystery quilt coming up soooon!  then, my swap gift from the jo morton online stitchers' group.  even without these two little gifts, it's a glorious day here in coastal maine...temps over 60, sunny, light breeze...perfect!  **** been doing a little of this'n'that sewing, nothing to show yet.  gotta get back into regular sewing; first, the autumn change flimsy needs finishing.  i'm also hand quilting on the center diamond.  always something to do, just a question of motivation.

another nashua beauty

this was a group project by Coastal Quilters in Massachusetts....it's Arena Farm in Concord and it really does look like this.  very often in the autumn i would be in concord and drive right past this farm and there would be piles of pumpkins...the beautiful oranges against red barn, blue sky and all those changing leaves.  this is considered 'country' but not far from the city.  i would occasionally stop and pick up some apples or fall veggies.  unfortunately, i read they recently closed.  so glad it has been preserved in cloth. 

thank you, catherine!

last summer i received an e-mail from catherine sanchez of 'australian homespun' magazine asking if i would mention their new digital service on my blog.  i was happy to do so; it makes for easier and quicker accessibility by non-aussies.  today in the mail i received a personal thank you and 3 issues....how sweet!   i was truly delighted!  it was a  bit of a down day after a brief respite from maine/no-job misery and these cheered me up a bit.  i'll stop here because i'm in a serious griping mood.....

nashua shopping

yep, this was it.  some quilting thread for UFOs, purple/green FQ for bonnie's mystery, the kaffe fassett FQs and the pink pencil leads.  the stashbuster UFO coordinator tells me with my finishes this year, i've busted over 50 yards of fabric.  that's pretty good, i think.  that means i've probably got 150 yards left, or thereabouts.  because most of my fabric pieces are half yard or less, and lots of it are cut up into strips or squares, it's difficult to actually calculate.  that 50+ yards was in 11 finishes; so 33 more finishes and it'll be gone.  and that isn't all bed-size quilts either.  this info is very encouraging indeed.  **** our temps this week are hovering around 58-60, so should be a quite nice...except for the afternoon dark, that is.  will take a day or two to adjust circadian rhythms. 

back from nashua

best of show went to this astoundingly beautiful quilt by LINDA ROY called "Irish Cream."  Plenty of action here....stippling, trapunto, cathedral window sashings and hand quilted too!  i just love it when shows acknowledge hand quilters along with machine quilters...makes my fingers tingle!  **** kudos to the team for organizing this year's gathering, especially difficult given the fact that the venue abruptly closed on them earlier in the year AND just days before the freak early winter storm knocked out power.  many not far west are still without electricity, but was restored in time for the show to go on.  i sat at admissions for a couple of hours and more than one quilter arrived still without electricity but who cares when there's a quilt show on?  **** seriously, i can't extol the virtues of this show enough.  it's all juried and it's always stellar.  my admissions cohort, terry burris, had 2 quilts in the show...i was impressed!  **** my one class was sue nickels and drawing feathers.  since i make a lot of amish quilts, i'm always looking for over-the-top designs to quilt (it's the part i love most, remember?) and despite being totally exhausted for this evening class, i was giddy with design fever.  it'll take practice of course, especially since rulers and i are uneasy partners, but since my focus is not perfection, i believe i can be successful.  i imagine the person who drew the first circle or invented the wheel was equally excited.   designing in my head for the 2+ hour trip home last night helped keep me awake and alert.  thank you time change...i got an extra hour that i so badly needed!  the vendors?  watch tomorrow....

the quilting so far

if you look closely, i hope you are able to see the extensive quilting i've done on this center square.  i decided to use matching thread to see the result and i am pretty happy with how it looks.  i've read the amish use matching thread for humility, but my reasons are purely experimental.  believe me when i say i'm not trying to hide perfect 13/inch stitches here.  did i mention i absolutely LOVE amish quilts?  i think i did once or twice.  **** up again in the night.  sometimes when i have only a light supper, i wake up hungry in the night.  a container of yogurt fixes that.  

bonnie's mystery post script

kept wondering where i'd seen this color combo before; it's not my usual at all.  then tonight it finally came to me....mardi gras colors!  green, purple, yellow (sort of)...here's hoping it's DONE by mardi gras....LOL.  poor bonnie, off on another cruise.  i'll keep her in my daily prayers hoping she can tolerate such despair!  no, not jealous at all.  it looks like terrific fun and i'd love to go on a cruise, but the ship would have to stay on terra firma or chained at the dock, hardly likely.