plan b

these came home with me from retreat last october.  i had a pattern to make a donation quilt with squares on the diagonal.  turns out i didn't have the proper ruler and didn't really want to invest in another for one project.  since late october this has been taking up space on my ironing table (among other stuff).  so, today i got tired of looking at this pile of gorgeous batiks, chose another pattern and started the squares.  it's a basic floating 4-patch but the plum squares really set off the batiks.  it will have a plum border as well.  it's destination is bob's blankie brigade in new jersey and then to a deserving recipient.  this is a bali pop watermelon and the colors are luscious.  i almost never buy strips or charm squares, but the colors were too tempting.  with any luck, i'll have some scraps left over to hoard for a future project.  **** yesterday i did get more pieces cut for the hole in the barn door project, got more quilting done on the christmas scrappy, and sewed along with bonnie during quilt-cam time and her new little 301 baby last night!  **** up way too early but will probably go back for a few more zzzzzs before the day really starts. 

o christmas tree

binding that is....picked up this festive print at marden's some time ago for whenever and it seems just the right thing for binding the christmas scrappy.  with the quilting nearly done, time to get the binding ready so i can hopefully lop this UFO off my 2012 list.  i absolutely love this print and wish i had bought more at the time, even though the thread count is higher than usual cotton fabric.  **** aside from deleting tempting sales e-mails, i've been making more indigo flying geese and finishing up christmas gifties.  we picked up our tree yesterday and the house is filled with the aroma of balsam, one of the few perks of maine living.  all that remains is to decorate the tree, make some cookies and enjoy the season.  though our celebrations are very low key due to few family members close by, it's nice to be able to relax and enjoy the pandemonium around after my way over-committed single parent days.   

weekend sewing

thursday is my saturday so first thing, sat down at the old viking and finished my christmas sewing.  these little selvedge needlecases will be under somebody's tree this christmas...yours maybe?  victoria already knows one is hers because she gave me the selvedges!  ****  other than finishing these, i'll be quilting on the scrappy christmas and working on more indigo flying geese.  getting ready for my "just takes 2" marathon week to see how much i can get done of that project.  not to the flimsy stage, probably, but whatever gets done will be progress.  and lastly, a miscellaneous hand project is gail pan's "christmas wishes" wallhanging, a combo of stitchery and patchwork, which will be my december wallhanging to join the others already done.  **** just a few more things and my shopping will be done but have to wait for the next paycheck first. 

memories

like many, every time the box of ornaments is opened and they are hung on the tree i experience a flood of memories.  if you knew me in the late 1970s and 1980s when i was a stay-at-home mom, you would have seen me do things like this.  the sequin ornaments were from kits--all those tiny pins!  the cross-stitch came from patterns in a magazine.  the bandanna ornaments came from a family circle magazine, i think--tons of tiny white buttons!  i love looking at them and always get misty-eyed every time they are brought out for the season (sniff, sniff).  *** cold morning here in coastal maine, meaning normal for december.  this morning after a few necessary tasks, will head for the old viking and sew up more flying geese for the scrappy indigo.  so many projects sometimes it's difficult to choose what to play with but one always speaks to me...today it's the blues!

secret santa stuff

my secret santa from oz sent this and it arrived yesterday!  i haven't opened it yet, the rules say i can''t.  i'm happy to put it under the tree for christmas day....aside from checking the mailbox, i've been quilting on the scrappy christmas and also cutting a bunch of 2.5" squares for that plus quilt...i know, another project, but it gives me a chance to play in the stash! 

october little quilt

this is the little quilt for october from kathy tracy's little quilt yahoo group.  it measures 18 x 24, using some small but not teeny-tiny hexies and some 6" swap shirting squares.  haven't yet decided to border or not.  i have some swap civil war HSTs that might work.  *** also did some paper piecing on sunday while bonnie sewed on her quilt cam.  still hoping for a finish on the christmas scrappy, which progresses.  *** the week begins as holidays are in full swing.  woke up to rain and no snow yet.  also, the LQS sent an email with 12 days of deals....how good is that?

lest you think...

my needle has been idle during this brief blogging break, au contraire!  these are 2 applique blocks for "just takes 2" from the most recent collection.  this erstwhile project will soon be addressed in earnest once all the christmas prep and sewing is completed.  **** it is a warm day for december in this new england woebegone but not for long, flurries and freezing are always a hair's breadth away this time of year.  today, though, we will languish in the sun and 50-degree temps of this early winter gift.  **** a few house chores and then back to sewing for me after working half day for a coworker.  it's a no-stress job but still work, some days more harrowing than others.  i am truly grateful to be working!

so, what's black & white,

black & white, black & white, black & white and....no, not a nun falling down the stairs but black & white swap strips!  yes, they arrived in my little post box yesterday and aren't they gorgeous!  thank you to the swappers at quiltville swappers yahoo group!  i see them with lots of bright colors like cheddar and green and blue and pink and, well you get the idea.  and since these are swaps, there is no addition to the stash whatsoever.   

handwork project

no, not ANOTHER new project, rather one that has been in the works for some time.  since it's being hand sewn, not enough progress to show until now.  this is a gift quilt that will have alternating pieced and blank squares...for the quilting of course!   and since i am trying to use up some of the cherrywood scraps, there is the occasional un-matchy piece included (see purple square).  *** though many think maine is such an idyllic place (mostly tourists or those who have only seen the LL Bean commercials), for me it has been like living under a ladder, with a black cat or broken mirrors nearly every day.  what with too much healthcare that has bordered on benign neglect and hordes of indifferent, indignant healthcare employers, plus the feeling of general imprisonment, it is hardly vacationland to me.  true, it is a beautiful place but when i lived in the city, though i was often alone, i never felt as lonely and isolated as i do here.  it's because i was home, you know, and now i'm not.  whether or not it will be my home again is anyone's guess, or maybe i will find a new home.  i know, though, it won't be maine.   stay tuned.... 

whoops

looks like i collected a few too many scrappy indigos.  some will go into the civil war repros stash and the others back in the regular blue stash; some will go to a scrappy binding too.  i love scrappy quilts but in order to have a real nice scrappy, a large selection of fabrics is a must.  it is a challenge!  the square-in-a-square units are done and now working on the flying geese units that encircle the squares.  and you won't believe what i am saving....waste triangles!  my frugal gene is in overdrive and i keep hearing the scrap savers' mantra over and over about little scraps being the same price as yardage, so my conscience just won't let me toss them out.  **** spent some time quilting the christmas ribbons too, so it's coming along nicely.  hoping i can squeeze 2 more finishes out of december.....