next step....

took only a little bit of time, hour or so, to unsew the other hearts and get them pinned on to the new setting....next is to baste down and then applique....after might tea dye the whole thing to give it a primitive feel as the white is very stark....

hoping that whoever sent me the little hearts likes how they have been used....thanks again!  ***  rainy day today and cool of course.  otherwise it's been a gorgeous fall week that will resume again in a day or two.   hoping the boxes will be unpacked before mittens and full winter gear are needed....

sweet caro-liiinnnne...ba.ba.ba..

today was the day to make the caroline block and it's pictured here next to betty and see that yes, those fabrics DO go well together in the block AND will be good for the others too...the light background fabric in "caroline" is one of very few new FQs that have added to the pile....

also today pulled out this little heart project for a bit of revising....had several of the hearts appliqued and some squares trimmed down, but when put together found they were too small so decided to get more of the original squares and make a bit larger wallhanging.  here you see some of those that didn't get trimmed now put together with new blocks waiting for me to unsew the trimmed ones and re-applique. 

also found 12 plaid hearts from the same stash, so put together a 12-block background and these will get appliqued at some point.  lastly, found some claret reds that will use for this week's star blocks.  pretty good amount of sewing fun on this beautiful mid-fall day in the high 60s...we'll take all these we can get!

scraptastic tuesday

while waiting for the next "stars" fabric of the week to post, had some foursie fun and more little HSTs for the small quilt currently in the works.

the other rows of the little HSTs are someplace here in a bag and will dive in and resurrect to put them all together at some point....not yet decided on total number of rows.  and plans for the foursies?  none at present, but will file them away for something at some point.  and last but not least, another FWS block called "betty"....just tonight another was posted and that's a project for tomorrow or friday?

i'll add this to the FWS page....and over 4000 sew-along participants?   awesome!   not too late to join in....these blocks work up fast--i chose paper piecing method--and will be a nice finished quilt.  *** so nice to have some sewing time, which is not nearly enough in the current situation but at least it's some....praying that will change soon....

getting it done....

so here is midnight/peacock garden so far...needs a final press before borders are added....so difficult to have fun sewing with absolutely no room to iron/baste etc, a situation i hope is remedied soon.  it is starting to affect my enjoyment and mojo.  these are really lovely oriental fabrics.  tried to fussy cut some of the prints to get a bit of movement, which seems to have worked nicely.   after borders and baste, have to do the next FWS block (farmer's wife sewalong)....and have also started a NEW project, a small version of a lovely antique quilt. not much done as of this writing but expect it to be a long-term project. ***  very chilly this AM at 38 degrees about 5:30 am...frost definitely on the pumpkin and no doubt many gardens are now history.  hard to believe summer is really over once again....it happened seemingly overnight.  pretty tired so will sign off to avoid venturing into morose territory.....tomorrow is another whole day to spend!

decorum prevails...

otherwise i could show you a photo of miss phoebe's mended bottom, rather her case with the mended bottom.  afraid the ravages of time had gotten the best of phoebe featherweight's original case, so an immediate fix was in order.  first thing today scooted off to joann's with my coupon for some black duct tape to insure miss phoebe doesn't fall flat on her little feet.  all is well now and miss phoebe is once again safe in her traveling abode.  ***  and sewing plans?  ready to put together the applique and patchwork blocks for midnight garden, which may rename to "peacock garden" as the colors and patterns evoke same.  also have to tweak my "bonnie" block for the sew along and expect by this evening, another block will be posted.  other than that, it's a finestkind fall sunday here in lobsterville.  off to spend this delicious day!

oh my stars!

yesterday got caught up on my stars; they are (top to bottom) my version of lace, lancaster blue and black.  haven't yet made the cretonne ones as my choices of fabric are limited and know i have plenty in my boxed stash for these. 

my pile of these is getting higher and have a few ideas of how will use them, but will wait until sew-along is over.  cannot recall now exactly why i chose to make 3 every week for the 49 weeks, but will continue along.  ***  skipped over to busy thimble the other day to pick up the new jo mortons that are finally here.  they favor pinks/browns but as you can see from my choices, two cheddars sneaked in.  these will work nicely with my farmer's wife sew-along fabrics or just in the stash generally.   gotta start saving as another line due out in december....

and as a 180, anna maria horner has a new line out called "true colors" which are bright mod fabrics....

hardly ever buy fat quarter packs but these are good basic brights; will probably hold off until all my stash is together and see exactly what is what.  it'll be just like christmas unpacking all those boxes of my yummy fabric!  now off to spend the day....

last call?

on Tuesday stopped at a favorite veg stand to stock up on what was available.  purposely passed by winter squashes and apples in favor of those that will soon be gone for another year like little cukes, corn, beans and summer squash.  this means on the menu is a double batch of corn fritters, zucchini bread (muffin size), clam chowder with new potatoes, bruschetta, sauteed cabbage and carrots among others.  while fall is beautiful, it is bittersweet as the garden bounty fades away.  sarah and her helpers who work the magic cannot be praised enough for adding such deliciousness to the table again this summer.  the stand closes columbus day but plan to make one more gathering visit for whatever is available and maybe some peach habanero jam....delish!  ***  and to make this quilty, today is stars day and also 2 blocks for the farmer's wife sew-along...cool and windy and definitely fall-like the rest of the week!

seriously tempting....

this is the mother of all projects.....www.365challengequilt.com.au....starting january 1, 2016....i am picturing scrappy to the nth degree here....some blocks 3", some 6" and i would guess the corner squares and center are 12".....a heavy commitment that depends on stamina and continuing good health...can i do it?  should i do it?  or possibly tweak it?  maybe make only the 3" or the 6"....plenty of possibilities...in the meantime will focus on today's quilty plate that includes the bonnie block from farmer's wife, some stars too....some serious caffeine first as it is a cloudy and rainy day, good day for a book and a comfy chair with a cozy quilt.  the good AND bad side of the internet--so much--too much--quilty temptation.  have time to ponder this while focusing on today's.....keep dry and quilt on!

off and running!

the farmer's wife sew-along has started....actually last evening about 6 pm canberra time....and have patiently and obediently waited until the official start to make my first block.  here is it....done is those gorgeous civil war tones, the first of 99...or maybe 84; doubt i will make all 99 as the quilt would be too large for my needs or personal style.  probably will be a few duds along the way that'll get relegated to the orphan pile so that i end up with 84 good ones.  there are setting triangles as these will be set on point; i do have some black in the stash but remains to be decided definitively.....anyway, now to get caught up on the stars before wednesday....

again, the camera angle and remaining papers make it look a tad wonky but it is fine....*** now off to find my jacket with the fleece lining...yes, it is THAT chilly here.  got new shoes just in time to put aside the sandals for another year. 

the jingle goes....

i shoulda bought it when i saw it at marden's....and yes, they play it while you are IN the store, naturally, but no jingle was needed to entice me for these....

the flannel i bought is the top portion...a red rooster quilter's weight flannel....$2 per yard and only 2 yards left so they are mine now....and the bottom is a fat eighth packet, 10 of 'em in these gorgeous bright colors for $4.49 I think...or $4.99?  either way a good deal.  it's quality, tightly woven fabric too...already have plans for these cuts....there was another packet of different fabrics in turquoises...you KNOW how i feel about turquoise....but i liked the gray/lime/oranges in this bunch....orange DOES make my heart beat faster!    vic emailed me to let me know she was going to marden's saturday, so anxious to see her haul.  ***  frost on the ground this AM so that means end of our veggie season not far off.  the woodpiles are high and the days are shorter; aura of busy prep for the coming cold season is everywhere.  still good days ahead, just closer to *SNOW* and soups on the back burner.  time to quilt!