great start!

terrific way to herald in december is with an almost finish....the quilting is done and have bound one side, so 3 sides to go and this project goes in the done column for 2014.  before i started quilting seriously in 1979, i used to ogle and drool over amish quilts and this pattern in particular.  now one of my own is almost finished and i am over the moon with delight.  the center diamond is quilted with a pattern from pepper cory's quiltmarking book plus some corner designs.  the inner blue border has an elongated feather and some diagonal lines, the brown squares have an embellished shell pattern, the outside blue border has baptist fans and the final turquoise border is a fancy cable from a pepper cory stencil.  hopefully it will be fully bound before our next cold snap sometime this week.  interesting note here....the binding was all cut and prepped and somehow got packed in a box.  so had to go and buy more.  found it at the NH shop visited a couple of weeks ago and it is also a kona cotton like the others and it matches perfectly!  the two fabrics were bought about 4 years apart but it matched!  i call that serious fabric karma....but even spookier, the blue matched too.  i took both scraps with me hoping to find one that would work, but they both would have.  i say well done robert kaufman....

christmas stash busting

victoria gifted me this jelly roll back in august for my birthday.  i almost never buy precuts but i love this fabric line and, in fact, had purchased some yardage of it for myself.  the jelly roll was staring me in the face and was motivated to find a pattern and use it up.  cut a stack of 5" white blocks and started making these.  there'll be room for hand quilting on the white and some sort of design on the printed borders.  hoping to take a day in december to at least get the flimsy done.  *** also on the december list is finish the amish center diamond, cut and mail some swap strips, finish the little alphabet piece, finish the shenandoah log cabin and baste the hawaiian.  not too ambitious you think?  ***  whew got by black friday and small business saturday with hardly a blip.  feel confident about facing cyber monday.  my shopping list is made and the budget pretty much prevents any veering off into the impulse zone.  i did cave on 2.5 yards of mod fabric line that makes me drool; could have passed it up until i saw it in person at a shop recently.  oh well...it'll go nicely with other stuff in the stash and it just means more fun for me!  now off to start the day and enjoy another day that's been allotted to me....

final four

yep, cold outside--26 degrees--but inside the old viking is smokin!  first thing this morning fired up the machine and finished the last 4 blocks of my scrappy alphabet sew-along.  as expected, there is hardly a dent in the scrap basket but no matter, my frugal self is pumped up at making this entirely from stash on hand.  of course the backing will also come from stash and batting too, so it is a freebie of sorts...this will make an ideal gift for somebody someplace at some point, but for now it'll get finished (this year?  maybe) and set aside for the right time.  ***  laundry is going, breakfast is done and i'm working my way into the daily to do list and more quilting time on the amish center diamond.  creeping toward a finish very soon.  no shopping for me today at all.  rather spend time with mom and some delish turkey leftovers and the sewing machines.  hoping to get the wheel on trudy's cabinet at some point.  *** everything christmas is in full swing now; my list has been made and have done some gift acquiring.  it already looks like christmas outside; now to get out the music and enjoy the season! 

what it's about...

not pie or turkey or football or shopping...it's about thankfulness...at surviving the year, for enough to eat, for health and family, for anything in your life that evokes that sigh of relief or overwhelming gratefulness.  my list of thankful things is long, some are serious and important and others not at all.  cannot imagine how difficult life was in 1620, how awful that voyage must have been...no place for the squeamish or laid back types.  it was all about survival, freedom, a journey's end, a new beginning....and of course, quilting!  happy thanksgiving!

tiny slip

while decluttering some stuff that is boxed up, i found the orange stash for the modern quilt....have no idea where the book is, but took these out in case it too materializes...no pun!   last friday the NH jaunt took me to Quilted Threads in Henniker, a lovely shop with 3 floors of goodies.  this gray/white by dear stella was among the sale goodies.  had found a small scrap of this at the keepsake sale last summer and so caved just a tiny bit and got more...i love it!  this plus 2 small pieces of kaffe fassett greens was all i got.  the stash added from my retreat is still holding me back from desiring more, at least until "union blues" hits in march.  by then hope to have used up a chunk of what is already here.   ***  it's monday again of a holiday week.  not much planned and no big family gathering, just me, mom and maybe sis if weather isn't awful.  foregoing the big bird for some fresh turkey parts plus a few sides.  it'll be a nice day even without the norman rockwell version, but the rest of the gang will be sorely missed.  ***  work continues on the amish center diamond and the binding is ready once the quilting is done...and work is the absolute wrong word...it's pure fun!

let's see....

pheasant, venison, geese, ducks, rabbits....100 people, 3 days of feasting....i should be back in time....found this photo in amongst stuff taken by DD eons ago at a school field trip to plimoth plantation.  since i trekked to the grocery this morning for our feast fixins, thought it would be an interesting parallel...and to make this quilty related, here is another beauty from the gerald roy exhibit...

this little quilt is pretty simple but look, the birds are actually storks!  no doubt somebody's choice for a tiny baby quilt...i actually think this might be a doll quilt but either way, it has survived beautifully...perhaps it was made for a baby who didn't survive as those never got used for other children.  hop on over to victoria's blog to see lots more of these beautiful specimens...in the meantime, gotta get ready for quilt cam today, wahoooo!

one of my faves...

isn't this gorgeous!  wonder why the vine border?  perhaps she had a lot of green left over?  we'll never know but this is one of my favorites from the exhibit friday....a kind of low volume quilt, serene and comforting...watch this space for more to come!

anywhere near new hampshire?

if you are then you must go here!!!!  right off route 89 in warner, just west of concord about 15 miles, is the most jaw-dropping exhibit of antique crib and doll quilts you just might ever see.  the building is restored and a perfect venue for these quilts.  lots of vintage thingies on display as well as stenciled floors and walls, plus a wall mural in the entryway.  i didn't know but gerald roy actually LIVES in warner, a quiet little town chock full of federalist style homes and little else.  the few luncheon places close at 2 pm (except one)...there is an independent book store, a general store type place and very few other places, at least that i saw.  and the quilts, oooh the quilts!  all small and most from the 1800s....some well worn and some hardly used.  parking is a breeze.  the building has a sandwich board out front so you can't miss it.  the docents are knowledgeable and uber-friendly.  before old man winter closes us in, an ideal trip to take and breathe in autumn's last.  and we actually did have some flakes that were short lived, thankfully!

secret stitching revealed....

these little pine trees got stitched during some free moments and were gifted to my retreat pals in october, so i can show them now.  have made a lot of them over the years for little momento gifts...i think they are adorable!  can be pin cushions or ornaments, depending on your preference.  i still do some cross stitch occasionally but have had to abandon 18-ct due to "aging eyes"....same reason i have mostly given up quilting on black fabric.  *** it's my weekend and despite a slow start to the day, have every minute mapped out between quilting the amish and finishing borders on shenandoah.  the scrap basket is once again full as i've been cutting out triangles for the "wildest dreams" antique repro, which i am itching to start, but must focus on some finishes.  *** now, tho, have to locate my winter scarf and rev up energy for the day....keep warm and keep sewing!   

up to date

the little alphabet sew-along is up to date as of today when the "V" instructions were posted.  also switched out the middle section of  "O" making it more distinguishable.  only 4 more letters and can finish off this little whimsy flimsy, get it basted and quilted for a someday donation.  *** border #2 is on the shenandoah log cabin so this project is on track for a soon finish.  it'll be tied and also probably donated at some point.  *** lastly, quilting the border of amish center diamond is now going on.  this one should also be a finish before the end of the year.  when done, it's going on my bed as a switch off for the scrappy pinwheel now being used.  the batting is part wool so it should be warm enough for any vicious winter maine can dish out.  *** that's all the quilty news from this lake woebegone.  keeping busy is keeping some family concerns at bay, praying for a soon resolution...but not complaining at all...still so many things for which to be thankful all year round, not just november.