a mod finish

so here is the mod tote for my laptop all finished except sewing up the seam inside where it got turned.  i think i used up about 7-8 FQs making this; it is always good to bust stash!  i saw a kit for this in a quilting catalog at $45, so decided to try and make it on my own with pretty good result i think.  even though these little 3.5" blocks sew up fast, it does take a bit of time to make enough for a project like this.  another shoebox got emptied as well, double good!  **** other than this finish, life is quiet here in our maine lake woebegone.  it's been cloudy and rainy for a few days but would you believe they are talking snow for tonight?  me either!  now on to another little project plus more quilting on autumn change.  and today's word?  enjoy! 

no need to ask....

what else i did on sunday...here's the proof.  this is probably the one time i am soooo glad we don't have a gas stove.  i turned on the back (i thought) burner, then had to run to the {ahem} facility, which is another, longer, much more unpleasant saga.  anyway, yes, i turned on the WRONG burner and quite soon the kitchen was smoky.  so glad it wasn't the cover else gordon ramsay would be, shall we say, disfigured?  i watched this series 4x on the BBC channel and loved it, so got the book; his other shows don't interest me because there is almost no content--all bleeped out.  unlike many cooking shows, this one is for the home aka normal cook.  no wacky or expensive tools or ingredients, but he does utilize some new-to-me spices that are interesting and jazz up banal recipes.  like most professionals, he makes it look super easy and simple.  those i've tried so far are very good and fairly quick to prepare.  i flung 3 cookbooks so i've room to keep this one.  now back to quilting......   

early morning strippin'

on the to-do list today was to cut a stack of 1.5" strips for an upcoming swap.  experience has taught me NOT to commit to 10-12 packages, and this time it was 4.  so pulled out an elfa drawer and cut 40 strips 11 x 1.5" (bottom right).  and since the rotary cutter was warmed up, also cut a stack of repro strips for an inprocess project (bottom left), which left, obviously, leftovers of some short strips, inchies and then strings (top, left to right).   glad to say the trash can didn't get fed much at all from this task.  **** with this done, can go back to laptop tote and some hand quilting and it isn't even 9 AM yet...how good is that? 

singing (the praises of) the blues!

that would be jo morton's variety blues....yes, finally got to fondle them yesterday and bring them home.  aren't they gorgeous!  indeed!  on the drive back to the village where i live, about an  hour, couldn't stop thinking about how to use them.  plenty of patchwork visions danced through my mind--while obeying the traffic rules, of course.  first off, wash and dry, then fold and add to my stash of irresistible jo morton fabrics.  and now i'm thinking....brown variety?  green variety?  cheddar variety?  oh yeah, i sure hope jo is reading this!

taking stock

every time i add a bit of new fabric to the stash--these are madison manor FQs from jo morton--time is spent taking stock of what's been used up.  my head was nearly hung in shame after last year's retreat when almost 40 yards of fabric came home with me...i know, it seems like a HUGE amount.  but since then, the plum solid and batik bali pop has been used, 3 yards of a green solid just about gone, 3 yards of a dark blue print also cut up waiting to be sewn that will incorporate many of the batiks bought, the mod FQs are disappearing slowly, the summer breeze blues/yellows made into the mondo bag, other solid FQs cut up for the amish style ocean waves, black/white prints were swapped, and bits of civil war repros used in various little quilts.  true, it hasn't all been used but feeling confident i haven't become a fabric collector.  my swap gift at retreat was a collection of blues/yellows batik charms, and those are going toward a pair of pillowcases--white with tiny 3" paper pieced stars--some time this summer probably.  rest assured i'll be sewing up a storm between now and this year's retreat...after all, i go to have fun and shopping for fabric is an absolute fun requirement!

scrappy indigo flimsy

most of my sewing time recently has been quilting on autumn change and sewing up those little blocks for a tote, BUT this did finally get its final press and can be shown....what is better than blue and white?  collected these indigo and indigo-like fabrics for a while and they are perfect for this pattern.  a blue narrow border was called for, but decided to opt out and instead will bind with the blue to finish it off.  **** today is my friday and looking forward to a couple of days of spring weather, even though it is hardly warm.  the snow is just about gone except for a few errant dirty hills here and there.  but the sun is soooo nice.  in maine, 50 degrees is warm and i've seen many in shorts already.  now off to spend AND enjoy the day!

taking shape

machine time friday included assembling more of these little mod kansas dugout blocks.  still more to go but this project is starting to come together and i am liking it more and more.  no, i am not a mod quilter as my quilty portfolio will attest, but i saw these fabrics and the colors just popped out and begged to be put together for a project.  friday also included a HUGE amount of time spent quilting the autumn change, as well as working on my maine quilts wallhanging.  not much sewing today as it's a work day....gotta support my habits, right?

yes, it's friday, but....

for those of us who are Christians, we know that friday wasn't the end, that Sunday came and life began anew.  nature's personification of that truth is evident in the spring awakening, now finally a reality here in coastal maine.  way overdue, too, if you ask me.  the summer seasonal places are starting to open on a regular basis and patio furniture is appearing in stores.  spring brings summer and summer brings maine quilts, so today i've been working on my project to display.  auditioning fabric is soooo taxing....not!  and some time today, the fedex truck will be making a brief stop bringing......fabric?  of course!

long ago easter

over at nann's blog, she posted an old Easter photo so here is one of mine!  this had to be 1956 or so.  this was before brother #2 and sister #1 joined our family.  if i close my eyes, i can clearly see my grandmother's house filled with relatives and doting aunts all gathered around a holiday table.  see, we still had snow THAT Easter too and even with our warm temps this year, no doubt there will be a few stubborn piles left.  no doubt my daughter will get a chuckle out of that hat!

a quilting gold mine

pulled out my HUGE stash of QNM and find that these old magazines are worth their weight in gold.  for example, found this article on a younger jo morton with patterns of some cute little quilts.....how fantastic is that?   my stack dates back to 1990 and i've been leafing thru them the past few days basking in the story of quilting over the past 20+ years.  plenty of technique lessons, articles by quilt teachers who are at the top of their game today and those photos to match......people like gwen marston, carol doak, jinny beyer plus those no longer alive like virginia avery, bonnie leman, pat campbell, doreen speckman and others.  back then i wasn't "into" civil war reproductions and was surprised to find many quilts and patterns that i can use for my newly acquired collection of fabrics.  some quilters don't like the magazine today, but even though it has morphed into a more modern resource, the inspiration it provides is priceless to me.  i "flung" 2 years of issues and need to fling more, but it'll be difficult finding ones i can easily let go.  yeah, it's THAT good....