since you asked....

this is what i have been keeping occupied with (some of the time) while marooned here on homeless island.   this is my counted cross-stitch christmas stocking. had been wanting to do a sampler AND a christmas stocking, so combined the two with this project.  no deadline; it gets done when it gets done.  also have my little busy box of solid little bow ties.  thought i had packed these items in a box but actually tucked them away in my suitcase, so do have a couple of handwork options (found them, denise!) while the quilty stuff is in storage (AGAIN!!!!)....i do have the girls here with me but useless without the stash and notions.  while grateful to have a safe place to crash, it is way far from ideal or even where i should be right now....which is in my own apartment....but in between venting and being angry, am enjoying a few creature comforts.  *** and the giveaway IS coming....should be in a day or two so keep watch!   meanwhile, pray for me that my situation gets fixed immediately if not sooner...am way beyond weary of what many enjoy, a place of my own to live and to be safe and cozy.

watch this space!

1000 posts....giveaway coming!

more recent stash additions

about 2 months ago in the midst of my packing frenzy, realized that marden's might soon be unaccessible...so in a pre-emptive strike, gathered up these lovely spring-colored goodies for future sewing fun.  of course, this was way before the recent twisted events, but even so, think it was a wise move.  the machines are safely tucked away leaving me without quilty fun.  working diligently with housing, hoping to be moved and settled soon so i can get back to lots of fun with old and new projects.  sadly, the hawaiian is packed away as well so no finish on that is on the horizon.  without the quilty part of my life and a home base, simply adrift in the sea of a terrifying and isolated life experience making it difficult to even function day to day.  i seldom get depressed, but without my sewing and quilting to shore me up through this difficult passage, relying on faith-based inner strength to keep me going.  by that i do not mean the support of church family Christians, as in the past i have found they were nonexistent.  we are all recovering pharisees of course, but far too many claim God's agenda as their own, doing great harm in the process.......

aaarrrrrrrgh!

as snoopy often says, or another way to say it is SH** happens!  should be in my cozy new apartment by now but alas and alack, dark forces have derailed well laid plans once again.  have mostly gotten over the screaming and crying....well the screaming anyway....and formulating plan B, then C and D to cover all bases.  to say i am disappointed and angry is a gross understatement....as some of you know, for the past 20 years, life has been an uphill challenge with setbacks too numerous to mention.  have not been able to figure out the problem, apparently way too dense and brain-addled for that.  the whole mess has made me physically ill and hugely upset.  with all my sewing goodies packed away, unable to treat with daily sewing fixes.  instead have had to wash dishes as a salve to the wounded spirit and soul, so you know the situation is pretty bad.  *** as somebody once told me about my disastrous marriage, it was like my 40 years in the desert....who knew the desert experience would continue my whole life (sniff, sniff)....it isn't that i don't have gratitudes just that was hoping life would be more enjoyable at some point.    i know there are those in worse situations and am grateful mine is fairly benign; it's just the longevity is wearing me down.  this short post is an update for those who care and maybe even some of those dark forces who snoop.....

last marden's haul

taking a breather before the great unpacking begins....caved and slipped into marden's just once more and picked up these.  marden's simply cannot be beat...here is 4.75 yards total for a mere $19...how good is that?  i loved the pastel plaids and stripes and found a yellow for the stash, plus a couple of solids for my ocean waves top.  bottom shows a couple of jo mortons (shirting and stripe) and a purple remnant and a prussian blue.  and the orange mod print?  i have that same in lime green....luscious!  i am so itching to get my girls set up and whirring.  they are faring well with the trip albeit crowded...LOL!  *** and i never had a professional mover before but it is simply the way to go...pricey on my fixed income but slick and quick!  i've just about caught up on rest from the getting ready part and will certainly need my wheaties for the other part.  i know my mum is in good hands with my bro and sis, tho i miss her already.  now think i'll have another quick snooze just because....have a good day!

spring break!

no, not lounging on some white sand beach this week--far from it!  instead, packing up and moving south.  it's a move that's been in the works for some time now, delayed only by bureaucratic reasons.  eager to get it done and get back to sewing, which has been on the back burner, except for the hawaiian.  it's a daunting task, even with my small (by comparison) amount of belongings.  easily half or more of my boxes are sewing related.  excited about the future and new experiences....until then....oh and one last thing, 3 more posts and i'll be at the 1000 mark, so once the dust settles, a giveaway will be on tap....watch this space!

nick of time

our favorite seafood place opened up for the season today....nick of time too as soon it'll be too far for me to indulge.  not today, though....fried clams done to perfection, fried in batter which isn't done by everyone, and a few onion rings as a "veggie"....LOL!   just a few remaining days here, so racking up as much quality mom time as possible.  packing just about done.  tomorrow the old viking will be packed up as there won't be time to give her a workout before the move.  so excited and sad at the same time.  spring DOES arrive later today, although the real spring temps will greet me on my arrival south, but the real draw is family of course.....

week 2 no stars

this is the 2nd week i haven't--or can't--make any stars for the sew along.  the designated fabrics--chrome yellow and green calico--are packed up.  the old viking is sitting here waiting for some action but nothing so far.  will wait one more wednesday and then pack it up for the trip south.  there has been plenty of sewing action on the hawaiian, however.  now starting my 3rd round of echo quilting on the white background and looking real good.  all those facebook photos are making my fingers twitch big time.  so very anxious to have fabric to fondle and books to peruse.  for someone who normally sews every single day on something, this is a too-long hiatus.  ***  march marches on with extreme wind and blinding sunshine.  we are now 3 hours added to daylight and it is delicious; we know warmer temps will come.  thought i might wake up in oz due to the gale-like winds but no munchkins were spied so we are still in kansas i guess!  now back to the hawaiian!

erin go bragh!

photo of an old wallhanging now buried in a box someplace, but it's festive and green so.....work on the hawaiian continues as does the packing, tho remaining unpacked items are few at this point.  yesterday was a bit of a down day due to ongoing issues from surgery in 2010.  at some point will need a redo but this time will be looking for a legally blind, one-armed surgeon as would get a better result than from the previous supposedly unimpaired surgeon....who knew?  though i have ceased sending complaint letters to both the doctor and hospital out of religious conviction reasons, the reality hasn't changed.  i don't believe in litigation and, unfortunately, too many doctors take no responsibility for their mistakes without legal action, so it's like rearranging deck chairs on the titanic--pointless.  just that some days are better than others, like everyone else...moving on....

the home stretch

after quilting on nothing else for nearly 3 solid months, have finally reached the easiest part of this project--the simple echo quilting.  took me nearly 2 weeks to quilt the first row as had to navigate all the curves and fill in little spaces that got closed in with the first row.  now it's simply mark the distance as i go and continue until the edge is reached.  the binding is all ready once the quilting is done....another month maybe?  it is really in need of a wash once the binding is on.  this has been a HUGE project but certainly well worth the time and perpetually sore fingers.  the liquid bandage helps a lot.   is it perfect?  not by a long shot   do i care?  not a whit!  do i love it?  absolutely!   ***  march weather is anything goes and we've had a bit of snow but no real inches.  mom and i are busily boxing and donating.  i think i have one more box for pans and dishes and small odds/ends and then done.  still waiting on apartment confirmation, which should come this week.  moving van is booked and only have to pick up map at AAA.  the "girls" aka trudy, old viking and phoebe are ready to roll and though i can't speak for them, i am excited to be closer to my daughter and son-in-law.  having been a new england yankee all my life, this move takes me into the south and away from horrific winters permanently!