just takes 2 more

at this point i am revoltingly behind on this project but vowing to get caught up very soon....i hope!  in fact, i have to hop on over to the site today as more blocks may have been posted this past week.  and should you think so, of course my working part time has cut into my sewing time a bit, but not significantly.  with 3 whole days off every week, i do have blocks of time to spend with the old viking AND phoebe, and evenings i do have handwork when listening to TV or videos.  no doubt it's just because i have soooo many projects in the works; no surprise there eh quilters?  **** yesterday was my first real challenging day at work.  i made a booboo and it really affected the rest of my day.  i am hoping today is a start over and all is still well.  i am really enjoying the job; the paycheck is nice as well.  all in all, i don't think i'm doing THAT bad, especially considering i was away from a work environment for nearly 18 months; it's an adjustment and would be for anyone. 

finish #2

this itty bitty quilt is also done.  it's a lori smith pattern from her book "fat quarter quilts."  i've used this terrific book quite a bit for patterns and inspiration. it's chock full of little quilts, blocks and ideas.  these are colors i hardly ever use, but i saw them together in a shop a while back and picked up a few FQs for a future project.  they were perfect for this.  it measures 16 x 20 so you know those HSTs are really tiny...for me anyway.  i hardly ever do projects requiring units under 1"...short, chubby fingers you know!  **** it's early yet but the temp is already over 50 degrees, with a high of over 80 expected today, despite that no sun will be out....a good beach day even so.  our wacky weather continues.

tale of 2 woodstocks

 this woodstock was created by DD in grade school...see i was right, budding georgia o'keefe!  it was at christmas time and i hung it up right away and did every year for so many years.  i always loved it; it has been on my bulletin board for some time now...note the fading.  i decided to make it in fabric to keep always (see below).  i quilted a tree for the branch too!  it seems like only last week she brought it home....wasn't it?  so that's finish #1 from last week. 

daytrip photo

the best way to ward off triskaidekaphobia is to ignore it, so mom and i ventured across the border to north conway, nh, for sightseeing and sustenance.  we lamented the loss of the old man on the mountain and gasped at the oodles of snow still on top.  the town was bustling due to early warm spring temps and a waning winter that was nowhere to be found.  we checked out empty storefronts and headed for a yummy burger haven...no, not a fast food one!  mom and dad spent their honeymoon in north conway all those years ago and often revisited and rekindled.  with dad gone now, mom and i make the trip once or twice yearly so she can recall those special memories.  i am blessed to be able to do this for her.  the only challenge was several spots where construction is in full swing and had to dodge the orange cones.  and i was good...avoided 2 whole quilt shops!

sew busy

last week i dug out my civil war reds to start this little quilt...the blocks will be 8" square when finished.  these are needleturn and it's difficult to see the actual pattern from this photo, but it's more intricate than at first glance.  as mentioned, i was looking at moda's friendship red prints, but after pulling these, i think i have enough for what i need....and then some.  ***** another project, you say?  never fear, i did have 2 small finishes this weekend, will post photos later, so i am getting things off my list, too.  it's easy to do when i spend my free days at home in the studio rather than gallivanting, which i did 2 of 3 days off....more about our daytrip later, too.

solution 1

this pattern is by sherri driver from a 2011 mccall's quilting magazine.  i'm thinking it should help alleviate some of the overcrowding, or at least help.  i love making the little quilts but it's clear that i need to bring in the "big guns" to make progress a bit faster.  this would be a quilted quilt, not tied, and will probably be mine for the time being.  ***** on a tad more serious note, for those of you who follow my blog and believe in prayer, i ask that you uphold my DD today.  can't be more specific but this mom's heart is hurting, as most moms would, in this situation.  band-aids won't work anymore like they did when she was small and prayer is the most effective first-aid i have.  i am grateful if  you could do the same.  i can't be there to wrap her in my arms but God can, with your help.

dilemma.....

last summer i took jo morton's class at maine quilts.  at the time, i had only 1 small clear shoebox of civil war reproduction fabrics, hence the title of today's post.  i am absolutely loving making small repro quilts, so much so that i haven't given a thought to bed-size quilts for some time now.  i'm not whining, mind you, simply having a bit of a reality check here.  besides these 2 overflowing shoeboxes, i have 2 more regular ones that can be closed, albeit full.  that explains why i've been starting a new little quilt nearly every week...sometimes 2!   tomorrow i'll post a solution.

wednesday progress

so, i got this far on this little project.  isn't it cute?  i think so.  next up?  a couple of borders/corner blocks to finish it off.  the civil war stash is really inspiring me to make a gazillion of these little quilts....i'm channeling my inner jo morton/kathleen tracy....LOL!  *****  so, what else did i get done yesterday?  prepped background blocks for ANOTHER little quilt, an applique style with those fabulous red prints.  i also finished cutting the freezer paper honeycomb hexagons for my amish quilt; in fact, only about 30 or so more to iron onto fabric.  i also quilted on a UFO little quilt that should be done fairly soon.  i'm taking a mini-break from the pinwheel to finish up a couple of small things.  this is the upside of having lots of projects in process; a lot of them tend to get done around the same time.  i'll be working on these and others today and tomorrow.

new header photo

this is the same location but a more springy-summery atmosphere.  many times i took the subway across the river to and from work; it is one of my favorite views of the city.  the sun is shining here in maine today too, but a tad on the cooler side--normal spring weather!  up early and shopping the stash; already prepped a stack of HSTs for the blue cheese bowtie piece.  waiting for 9ish to start sewing..neighbors, you know.  it's my 3-day weekend and have no real plans, hoping to get mucho sewing and quilting done and just plain enjoy.

sneak peek

ok, so here is the finishing fabric for my little 3" shoofly blocks.  it's a darkish poison green that i think sets off these little gems very nicely.  i saw this color combo in a book and wanted to try it so i judiciously made a little quilt rather than something larger.  with all my other projects, this one will take enough time to finish.  **** tomorrow i want to get started on finishing the blue cheese piece also; remember, the cheddar/blue bow ties?  it'll have a 1" finished outer border and then a blue/cheddar sawtooth border.  then i will baste and quilt and call it a finish.  ***** also on the agenda this weekend is more on "just takes 2" which is sorely needed.  i did get one more unit done but i'm still way behind on this project.  ***** and as usual, busy quilting away on the amish pinwheel.  plenty more to do since i added the swirly feather pinwheels to the center of the gray areas, but it really needed more quilting and it's soooo delicious to quilt with a wool batt.  i'll probably get it done just in time to pack away in the cedar chest until fall.