next to last 4....

with this batch, only 4 blocks remain to make for this little summer project.   and yet again, the angle has distorted the size...plus the fan in the window that is blowing directly this way...but they are all the same size.  anxious to see this flimsy take shape and add it to the "to be quilted" pile.   ****  vic has sent me yet ANOTHER care package, this one containing a printout of "union blues" quilt, a small tumbler pattern and more thread.  also included a delish margo krager shirting, some teals from the winterthur collection and some judie rothermels too.   judging from her posts lately, guessing these donations haven't made a dent in her stash, nosiree!  i've been in her stash closet aka living room, so have seen her collection.  i love the word her hub has coined....fiber-myalgia....meaning it is painful to pass by gorgeous fabric....don't we all have that illness???  *** it's scraptastic tuesday and more 9-patch blocks are getting assembled.  next sewing will be more brackman stars....lapis, indigo and one gnarled branches block from a couple of weeks ago.  and the mess on my sewing table?  that comes first....it'll give phoebe a break before we play again!

sunday sewing

just 2 little blocks done and yes, the left is a squidge smaller than the right although it looks a LOT smaller in this photo....it'll work....there wasn't much more done because of these....

took an afternoon drive along the shore in east boothbay harbor, one of the most beautifully scenic places that isn't a far distance.  no doubt there are other similarly beautiful places along the coast, north and south.   it's a place i visit winter or summer; today being summer there was plenty of traffic, foot and otherwise, on the narrow road.  most of the relaxing vistas are private areas but there are some public....easy to see why it is a favorite stopping place.   taking advantage of my prolonged sojourn here by visiting special places.  anxious to discover new favorite places after the move, no doubt there are plenty both near the water and inland.  tops on my list are civil war battlefields and a crab shack...LOL!
   

a lovely surprise....

from vic in NH....live free or die NH (license plate motto)....a very nice and unexpected squishy jamming my po box.  vic and i share fabric DNA, same as busy thimble, meaning we drool over the same ones...LOL!  and even one of those nearly extinct pillar prints....wow!  to say i am touched is an understatement.....the care packages received have done wonders for my morale and kept me busy washing, cutting and sewing up a storm.  and having a place to sew?  priceless.. saying thanks seems so inadequate as they have all meant so much to me.  ***  it's the weekend but no real plans in the works except sewing of course....and welcome august, harbinger of autumn and overflowing farm stands.....i love 'em!

so darn cute!

here are the latest summer sampler blocks....gotta say i am lovin these cute little blocks....now if you know me, you know that i am not a world class machine piecer....there has been a lot of improvement in this technique over the years and think these have come together pretty well.  pictured also is the background/sashing fabric i'll be using on this little sampler.  it's a paula barnes civil war dark blue with a hint of gold so just right for these red/gold blocks.....now that august is here, don't imagine there are too many more weeks...maybe one?  i thought i counted 36 blocks all together....this has been one fun sew-along, just like the little alphabet piece earlier this year.

 
hoping you can see the pretty reds and golds i've used.   the graphics card on my laptop is on life support and everything is in shades of purple, so difficult for me to know if the colors are right.  and did i say "year" earlier?   unbelievable that august is here....summer winding down, not  many UFO finishes at all with several new ones for next year and no retreat for me this year.  it's been a whopper of a messy one so far, but still enjoyable....well, mostly....and far better than many i'd guess.  many gratitudes and blessings so far....excited about those to come!  

W.W.C.W.W.D.

today's short stack....

had to channel my inner civil war woman while making the green/red block....the green was a gift but alas!  not quite big enough for all block pieces....what would civil war woman do?  run to the nearest shop and buy more?  choose another fabric?  i think she would have dug into her stash and pulled out something that would complement the green chintz, which is a stunning print i think.  no way was this little piece getting left behind for some other scrappy project....in the beginning of my quilty life, it's true that yardage was what came home with me; matchy-matchy was my BFF....but now that i have left the dark side (almost) and come into the light of serendipity scrap sewing, would rather shop my own stash first if possible and improvise if need be.  it's actually more fun, too!   ***   summer heat is on here like in most of the country.   we are only a few hours away from dog days of august.  in a couple of weeks it will actually begin to feel a bit like fall with cooler/drier days here and there.  hot days won't be gone completely, but the tilt will be noticeable.  but now it's a few errands and back to phoebe...summer sampler blocks await.   and this week's star print? oh lapis blue, where are you?  

a plan!

been working on these little bow tie blocks for some time now, originally started to use up scraps  (i hear that snickering....) but as often happens, probably have MORE solids now than when i started.  as i've been sewing them up, wondering how to actually use them in one or more projects and have finally formulated a plan.  first, will sew them together in blocks of 25 ties; then set them off with 2" sashing...probably charcoal or black....with scrappy solid 4-patch corner squares(or maybe little bow tie blocks?)...can you picture it?  will need 300 little bow tie blocks....most of which are in a box someplace, so for now will only sew rows together to get a good mix later.  have sketched it out and put the paper in the busy box as inspiration.  anxious to see the flimsy together which'll happen once all blocks are in one place...LOL!  feeling relieved now that there is a plan in place.  they are still homeless like me for now, but soon we'll be together.....won't that be fun?  **** now there are 10, meaning while i had 6 blocks to catch up for the summer sampler, 4 more posted today makes it 10.  this must be my task this week, to get all or most of these done.  have roughed out diagrams and written down how many of what size/color to cut for the 6....next will tackle the 4 new ones from today.  already have my fabrics together--reds, golds and some kona snow--will make a good project for later in the week when triple-H weather arrives--hazy/hot/humid.  another plan!  what are YOUR plans for today/this week?

more stars...

finally done are paisleys (bottom row), california golds (top right), one quercitron (middle), one pillar.....2 more pillar are ready to sew, one gnarled branches to be cut/sewn....after these are done, it's finish up chintz blocks (already to sew) and cut/sew indigos....that'll get me just about current with the exception of a couple of chrome yellow and poison greens, plus the conversation prints.  those fabrics i know are in my boxed-up stash so holding off for the unpacking.   hoping to devote a whole day next week to the summer sampler and get that current as well....won't be as daunting a task as the blocks are smaller and fabrics all on hand.  *** not sure about you but am thinking will have enough of the brackman stars for maybe 2 quilts....am looking at a few different settings for next year when they are all done.   ***  it's been cool here past few days, probably due to overcast skies....heat is coming next week so will be hanging out near a/c and sewing probably.   other than this, not much shaking....midsummer calm scrappy sewing.....blissful and rejuvenating all at the same time....enjoy the day!

WIPs...

for the unenlightened, that is Works in Progress....still playing in the stash here at temporary headquarters.  summer rolls on, although so far no stretch of real hot weather.  nights have been mostly cool at 50-60 or so; days around 75 or so with only one that came close to 90 so far.  this is what is under phoebe's needle currently...

the little applique heart block was sent to me and decided to make a small wallhanging from it using scraps (? what else)....it isn't quite finished but will hopefully get to the flimsy stage soon....it seemed a little wonky to me so used the serpentine print to mask any imperfections;  the photo was taken with it on an uneven surface so that doesn't help either.  

had a few selvedges lying around and am using them for some future potholders.  always nice to start in a new place with new potholders.  these 2, plus stars and summer sampler blocks PLUS some little 4-patch solid squares as leader/enders are stacked on the sewing table right now.  so blessed to have a sewing space.....keep calm and quilt on!

it's THAT time again....

course, it seems nearly EVERY day is a scrappy one for me....playing in the scraps keeps me busy and off the 10 most wanted list don't ya know....LOL....so, decided to *TRY* and bust more of my wonderful scrap stash with a cute little handwork project, portable to take along while waiting or whiling away the summery days.   bottom photo is just a tryout layout shot, so might change.  cute little hearts appliqued onto shirting background.  the background squares were in that $2 bundle from the thrift and the hearts were anonymously gifted.  it'll be a cute small quilt when finished.

only 10 days to august; another birthday month has just about rolled around again.  you can probably guess what gift is at the top of my list......my senior apartment!  wouldn't it be spectacular to be able to spend my birthday unpacking and getting settled in my new digs AND celebrating with my daughter and her hub too?  priceless.....we could go to chick-fil-a!   lol.....

a perfect sewing storm!

in the book, 3 weather systems merged to create the perfect storm...a terrific book and yummy movie (george clooney, remember?)....and so sunday was the perfect storm of sewing for me..even phoebe was nearly smoking, i tell ya!  had to give her time to cool down and get out the oil...and here are some photos to prove it. 

first up some little inchie blocks made of solids....solids make me swooooon!  aren't they cute?  i have more in the storage stuff and these will make a nice border at some point i think....

next, more summer sampler blocks...i didn't do all of these on sunday but they look nice together and i am "almost" caught up with this sew along....until today that is...

last but not least, some scrappy 9-patch blocks from a giveaway stash....i love them...not complicated but i have a nice setting planned and they will make a nice repro quilt for me or somebody at some point...also in the top photo you can see more stars blocks cut out, so am slowly getting up to speed with this sew along as well.   **** as a last comment, wish to thank all who have sent me fabric; the top and bottom photos are made from these lovely gifts...cannot tell you how far they have gone to boost my spirit and jump start my quilty mojo.   you can be certain it will get paid forward whenever the need arises.  oh, and i have another project started too, a bonnie hunter pattern called 4-patch and furrows....will post a photo when blocks are well under way...and if you think all i've been doing is sewing, take a look....love to see all the pretty colored umbrellas!

oohh, phoebe's calling....gotta go!