birthday goodies!

after a long 8 hours at work on saturday, arrived back at the dungeon to find some birthday goodies in the mail.  first, from my dear kiddos these birthstone earrings PLUS a magazine subscription...aren't they lovely?  i think so too and will be wearing them on my birthday for sure.  next up is a squishie from vic in NH....and she made an adorable little repro quilt for me plus some gorgeous fabric to fondle.  we love the same fabrics so it's easy to find ones we both love....these will get popped into the washer today.

as for us in maine, we are still chilly at a brisk 53 degrees here this morning.   i have heard summer is coming back this week for a few days, so hoping there are more beach days in our future before fall arrives permanently.  *** busy making lists for fall retreat and planning which projects to take.  oh, almost forgot, one more birthday surprise to show....

a pair of karen kay buckley serrated scissors for precision fabric cutting....i had a small pair that evaporated somewhere which were super for applique, so i replaced them.  ***  my sunday to-do list is made and hoping to get a few things finished so can continue on busting stash!

up to date!

yep, the block for week #4 is done so i am current with this sew-along.  this is very good indeed.  i've also been doing some secret sewing, which i will be able to share very soon.  plus the hawaiian...despite working on it nearly all month, i am only about half done with the third quarter of getting the top basted.  i may just continue on with it, hoping it's ready to baste by the end of the year....maybe?   ****  we are in a cool spell here, this morning was 59 and has now climbed up to 61.  fans and a/c units are off, and i'm actually wearing sweat pants today.  **** it has been a tough week overall but not so tough it couldn't be tamed.  still suffering negative effects of an unnecessary surgery in 2010, which cannot fix itself.  but finding a provider who will facilitate this here in maine is nearly impossible.  until then will hobble along and be grateful it isn't worse. 

then there were 3....

week 3 of the marcus bros sew-along and voila, 3 blocks done!  have even amazed myself with the way keeping up with this short-term quilty event.  getting plenty of applique done on the hawaiian too, but still a ways to go.  here is a photo of the 3 blocks together...this is gonna be a cute little quilt i think!

a gray and fallishly cool day here in maine....summer will be back later this week but for today the slate is clean and just planning on doing some sewing  and relaxing.   ***  the lexington stash is all washed and dried and ready to use.  think i'm gonna just look at it for a while and enjoy...

throwback thursday

heh, heh, heh, me and the older brother one christmas, circa 1957....my aunt used to love putting angel hair on the christmas tree..i always loved the way the colored lights would shine through it...pure magic!  and curls by tonette too!  another cool summer day here, sooo comfortable and ideal for doing anything.  well, some chores done, now to dress and get sewing! 

B minus 2 weeks

birthday two weeks from today but this early bird gift came today....my lexington prints!  i chose 12 of my favorites but in truth, i love them all.  what's not to like!  pair these with some midwinter reds and zowie.....a simply gorgeous quilt or anything for that matter.  for many years i've been wanting to make a jack's chain quilt and these will be perfect!  and those nice hancock's people put in a color flyer for luscious batiks and kaffe fassett fabrics, so very sweet of them.  oohhh these are truly gorgeous prints and colors.  i might just have to fondle them a while before cutting into them.  let the celebrating begin!

no wonder....

ok, so i made the "cabana daydreams" flimsy, then i made another small project (can't show now) and then i made these 2 potholders, the top one is done and has crazy patches on the back--same fabric scraps--and have i used up the entire 2 layer cakes yet?  no way!  so, no wonder i have a humongous amount of scraps left over from other projects.  once i piece another crazy back for the 2nd potholder, i am going to use the rest to cut inchies and make more of these little 9 patches....aren't they adorable?  this fabric line is sooo pretty, just right for spring and summer.  and the potholders will brighten up the kitchen come winter and much shorter days.  **** bonnie hunter is going to tuscany next spring.  i am toying with the idea of going on this tour.  i have always wanted to see italy.  true, i don't care much for flying long distances, would have to get in better shape for walking and sightseeing and would have to go into mega-scrimping mode, but still am thinking about it.  she flies all over all the time without any serious mishap, so chances are would make it to and from alive, but not sure can muster the courage.  it's a daydream all on its own!  ****  bit chilly in these parts this morning, 58 degrees, which is more like fall but won't last....summer is coming back soon with a vengeance, meaning beach and swim days galore!  now for more playtime with phoebe!

23 to do

first "lady of the lake" block done, only 23 more to go.  yes it DOES measure EXACTLY 8.5" so swap hostess will be happy.  using a variety of blue batiks with a WOW print.  should be a very pretty finished project i'd say.  leisurely sunday morning playing in the stash with phoebe....have 2 more little projects hope to play with today, in addition to tying the baby quilt AND some time on the hawaiian...  is this a great day off or what! aaahhh this is what i had hoped it would be like during this time in my life.  thought i might go on more quilty jaunts, but realizing that time is finite, would rather sew than browse endless shops.  if i didn't work saturdays, i probably would do more quilt shows, but won't always be this way.  for now, playing in the stash whenever i can is just right.  now go on, have a good day!

two for two

can hardly believe it myself, the queen of too many project starts!  it's week 2 of the sew-a-long and there are 2 blocks done!  block 2 on the right got sewn this morning after getting up early and having a quick breakfast.  my fabrics were pulled from stash rather than buying the kit, and truthfully, i wasn't enthralled with them, but now that blocks are together, they are working together just fine.  *** in addition to these blocks, also got some swap sewing done.  next up is to tie the baby quilt and continue on with the hawaiian.  also have to get cracking on some swap blocks that are due late september.  all in all, a most productive and enjoyable weekend that included some much needed beach time as well.  keep calm and sew on!

using it up

when life quilts give you scraps, gotta use them up.  today making yet another project from daydreams scraps.  and not done using them up yet.  those 2 layer cakes aka 10" square bundles i bought will be spread around plenty.  most of what is left will only yield inchies; that is 1.5" squares for a UFO in progress.  but there are still some triangles left for pieces a bit larger, probably 2.5" that will be ideal for most anything.  thanks to bonnie hunter, i visualize my scraps as being part of yardage that was paid for with real money, meaning scraps have plenty of monetary value.  anything that ends up in the trash can is money down the drain.  have you checked your trash can lately?  of course, more scraps means an overflowing scrap basket of which i have 2, so there will be plenty of scrappy sewing in my future.   **** this is my weekend and so far it's been wonderful.  a rainy day is  sewing day but hoping for some beach weather tomorrow.  gotta jam as much fun as possible into 2 days off! 

cabana daydreams reality

yes, it is a flimsy now!  it is 2 rows shorter than the pattern for reasons totally frugal....i like to keep my tops so i can use 90" muslin as backing and 2 more rows would be a tad too wide.  also, i ran out of yellow print triangles.  thinking of using a white flannel instead of a batt so it would be an ideal summer topper.  it will be hand quilted of course....probably a 2015 finish.  **** still working on the hawaiian, or i should say playing, because that really is the correct verb.  ***  now that CD is a flimsy, can move on to some swap blocks and a couple of small projects swirling around in the gray matter.  first up, though, is to tidy the sewing space, send the remaining triangles to the scrap basket and enjoy the rest of the summer.   **** retreat is a mere 80 days away--2 months plus--and have already started my list.  plan to devote september to finishing up a donation for B3--bob's blankie brigade--and cross THAT off the UFO list.  **** my weekend starts tonight and vacuum is at the top of the to-do list!  PS the new header photo is our nearby coast during the tail end of a hurricane a few years ago....10 foot waves....awesome!