new routine

the awful truth.....our weekend and beyond...8-12" is whispered....there can't be a soul in maine who isn't sick of this weather by now.  we are in a pattern of sorts of our own....hunker down for a day or two, clean off car and warm up, then take out trash, go get mail, pick up essentials, get videos from library, then hibernate another day or two and then repeat.  driving is a real challenge due to the Himalayan-size snow piles at parking lots, sidewalks, etc.  we are thrilled for lengthening daylight, especially on sunny days, but frigid temps allow for not a smidgen of melting at all.  no global warming here.  have many blessings, though....electricity, warm clothing, warm apartment, plenty of quilting and books to read.  we'll get thru, we are tough stock acclimated to unexpected weather patterns.  jim cantore and on-demand TV are my new BFFs...as long as i don't run out of hot chocolate and low-salt chips i'll be fine!

oldest quilting buddy....

when i started quilting in 1979, immediately bought this magazine and devoured every word like a proverbial sponge.  when funds allowed, got my very own subscription and soon began saving every issue like they were first edition books.  have amassed quite a stack of issues--not every one but several--and now, due to cost, have decided to stop my subscription.  with the explosion of the internet--the death knell of many printed publications--no longer have to rely on this magazine for quilty news, patterns, photos.  it's a decision of mixed emotions.  i love to look back at old issues and pick up info previously missed.  but they do take up a lot of room and the cost has gone up beyond my now fixed income budget.  so long old friend....and thanks for making me a quilter.....

quilt-cam progress....

sometimes technology is great....given our present weather situation and the difficulty of travel, thanks to my computer and TV, can still quilt with friends.  i don't have a big screen laptop but i do have a cable and a regular TV so watch bonnie hunter on TV...isn't that great!  this is what i worked on last night....

it's my current flimsy-in-progress of the antique repro and it's looking good i think.  might get it done today after some errands because there is more *SNOW* in our forecast tonight and tomorrow.  and once this is a done flimsy, can tackle these....

the 2nd part of this swap is now done with the arrival of the last set of blocks.  they are gorgeous...all batiks and white...a perfect combo!  and still the hawaiian progresses along.....these will keep me busy until our weather pattern changes for sure!

on the fence

the latest issue of American Patchwork and Quilting arrived saturday and the details of the 4-patch sew-along were given along with a few different projects.  now, i have plenty of fabric to do this sew-along, plenty of 1.5" strips could whip up into little 4-patch blocks and now plenty of pattern ideas.  question is, should i?  with a hefty plaid stash, itching to use them, thinking some cheddar solid and my plaids would be a nice combo.  it's the perpetual quandary of someone with lots of fabric, lots of ideas and plenty of motivation BUT there is that UFO list and the finite-ness of time.  do i jump in on this?  for now will let the question percolate....can always jump in later, or never if that's the case.  ***  in the throes of another blizzard here, have a short to-do list that includes quilting of course.  plan to stay inside, bundle up, keep busy and quilt! 

3 for 3....

week 3 equals 3 more blocks, shirting stars this time.  so far my little stack is kinda boring but as time goes on, more fabric types will result in more pizzazz....and of course i am limited to fabrics currently accessible, which could change any moment.  always good to be current on a sewalong, though.  **** and yes, it IS snowing here again, today's prediction is for anywhere from 4-12 inches, although i think we've passed the 4"mark already.  mother nature gave us a break yesterday with a sunshiny day, so all errands were completed giving me a task-free sewing day.  of course i could vacuum and do that last load of laundry but no rush at all.  *** now that these blocks are done it's back to the red/cheddar project and the hawaiian too.  having specific projects lined up helps keep the urge to acquire more stash at bay....and looking at the packed boxes of fabric helps too.  that is when you really know how much fabric you have....when it's in boxes staring you in the face.  but i am happy to have and love every scrap....potential for hours and hours of sewing and quilty fun...how good is that?

taking shape....

given a few more snow days and this flimsy could be done....and as it happens, tomorrow and then again monday are predicted to be just that.  there may be evidence of global warming someplace, but definitely not here.  if temps ramp up a few more degrees, we may just get mostly rain tomorrow but the word "noreaster" is being used for monday, though.  but i digress.....as for this flimsy, all the little strippy units are made and most of the red solid squares are cut as well, now working on the hourglass blocks.  i wish i had the photo where i found this vintage quilt; it was from an old photograph in an issue of "quilt life" a couple of years ago.  the photo was black and white, but i wanted to use some repro fabrics and thought the red/cheddar would look nice.  it'll be hand quilted of course and should look nice when done.  *** over half the hawaiian design is now quilted; that's the orange part.  thought it might be all quilted by end of february, but can see now not gonna happen.  perhaps end of march it will be done.  *** took advantage of sunny, dry day to do errands; bank, recycling, gas station, groceries, library...replenishing the larder et al.  though not working is sometimes boring, so very glad don't have to venture out in awful weather.  now back to sewing!

never forget.....

blizzard project

while brief sunshine is gone and it hasn't really started snowing here yet, that only means once it has, won't be over until early wednesday morning.  now that necessaries are stocked, can continue on with this UFO; it's my version of a quilt seen in a vintage photo.  last night printed off some graph paper and mapped it out to get a tally of how many hourglass, strip and solid squares it would require.  yesterday spent time sewing up little strips into little squares; today have to cut squares for side triangles and hourglass squares. in typical fashion, bought fabric without doing the math as to how much it would require, so hoping i have enough.  originally bought 3 yards of red and 3 yards of cheddar, so we'll see.  my go-to quilty math book is packed without considering it might be needed.  ***  being of a certain age, recall vividly the blizzard of 1978; was living in massachusetts and DD was still preschool age.  the ex was home from work for a week, a definite challenge for us both.  at that time they predicted "just a dusting" but revised once the exact pattern of the storm became evident.   it was eerie to see national guard trucks only on the roads; the ex and some neighbors walked about 2 miles to grocery to get what little they could.  later in the week a milkman came down the street selling milk, butter, bread and eggs.  times have changed since then; forecasting is better, information more widely disseminated.  being stranded in my sewing space is no challenge at all, rather enjoyable, though i miss not having DD around.  in many ways, life is better and with any luck, this blizzard will result in a finished flimsy!  

scrappy AND snowy....

weather outside today was frightful so took the opportunity to corral that pile of scraps; fired up the old iron and ended up with these piles of 2.5" squares, inchies, 1.5" strips and 2"strips.  to be fair, many of them were already 2" wide but it did amass quite a few that'll now need a home of their own until they can be used.  seems like have had many "scrappy" days lately, but no doubt due to using up stash, or at least trying to.  **** being just about no-buy since late last year, my resolve has been sorely taxed to have to delete so many email sale notifications and new fabric photos.  the fact is, even if i continued to buy regularly, couldn't begin to get all the fabric i like.....it's a sickness for sure!  ***  and can you believe?  a week from tomorrow is february....month of groundhogs, valentines and ever lengthening days here in lobsterville....all good!

scrappy thursday

while trying to decide on the next project, was confronted with the bin of 2.5" strips which, putting it mildly, was in disarray, not to mention that all weren't even 2.5" wide so.....sat down, dumped it out and proceeded to bring order out of chaos.  found that the most were red and brown, few blues and hardly any yellows or pinks.  quite a stack of neutrals also.  did participate in some swaps last year which explains the findings.  the right side pile is stuff that doesn't belong, so will deal with "later".  the left is the newly organized strip stash, a temporary fix until a better system can be utilized.  hoping organization mojo will hold until can resolve completely.  right side pile includes some very short pieces that will go into 2.5" squares, the rest into usable strips.  playing in scraps is almost as fun as buying new fabrics and way more frugal doncha know!