leader-ing and ender-ing

of course i joined in with the tumbler leader/ender craze by cutting up some gifted 2.5" squares and nickels of these wow mod prints.  no project in mind, just sewin' together and see what comes about.

these are the small tumblers, 2.5" tall, the smallest i'll go. have toyed with the idea of using the rows as borders on something, but we'll see.  hoping to pull more mod fabrics out of the storage stash before finalizing anything to ramp up the variety.  but the colors, oh the colors!  might have some "daydreams" scraps left that would work in nicely.  *** another fine fall day here, on the cool side of course, but it's inevitable.  pulling out the cold weather recipes like apple crisp, new england boiled dinner, homemade veg soup, clam chowder....and a big pot of italian wedding soup is going to be next.  and the dumpling book arrived so a gathering trip to the oriental market is on the list too!  are you hungry yet?  ***  and over on facebook, the coloring diagram of the center medallion of the 365 challenge was posted.  though i have not formally committed to this fantastic, year-long, scrappy project, am mulling it over more and more.  in case you missed it, here's another look--don't mind the drool...

though i like the blues/browns, am thinking scrappy is the way to go...it's a biggie 90" square but thinking more and more it's a challenge that can be tackled like eating an elephant--one bite at a time.  pardon me while i sharpen the incisors...LOL

not quite black/neon...

once again, thanks to the civil war nickels received in a recent swap, found a couple of blacks with sorta bright colors that will have to do for neons this week.  nothing else in the stash comes close and trying not to buy for this sew along if it can be avoided.

also found in the nickels was another celestial....arcs of tiny stars...so that'll be the 3rd for this week.  spent a bit of time chronicling my star photos in a separate page in this blog and amazed to see how many have finished since january.  i think this sew along wraps up by the new year, just when the 365 challenge starts, so with 10 more weeks or so, another 30-ish will be added.  have really learned a lot about printed fabric so far.  this gets me caught up on both sew along blocks for the weekend.  not much else of interest here in lobsterville.  looking forward to another spectacular autumn weekend and the waning foliage show....

katherine and susannah

angie aka gnomeangel, our chief admin on the FWS project, posted 2 blocks yesterday, and since the old viking was already set up, decided to get them done.  the weekly stars got set aside for these..

happy to say that the fabrics used in these blocks came from small scraps that are now just about all used and nearly gone from the stash.  this color variety wasn't my first choice, but these were on hand and was determined to shop the stash exclusively--if possible--for this project; have been able to do just that with the exception of 2-3 FQs purchased.  ***  might just leave the old viking ready to go for the stars and whatever else might inspire me....it works just that way!

ADDENDUM:  post office has informed me now that my mail is being sent to NH not NJ....difference of about 400 miles as the crow flies...???

old maid and coral

two latest blocks in the FWS are now done, just have to rip out the papers.  am doing this as i go along to avoid a big mess/task later on.  got my stars cut out as well which'll get sewn together today or tomorrow.  thank goodness for sewing; it's a pleasant diversion from challenges of daily grind.  but "this too shall pass," and immediately would be nice.  missing my stash and stuff in storage, not to mention winter clothing, which will be needed sooner if not later. 

in the meantime, will keep calm and sew on!

not quilt related....

the USPS has no sympathy from me.  quite frankly, pony express was probably much more efficient than what we have currently.  i had a PO box which i gave up--given my current state of temporary location, plus it was pricey--and forwarded my mail to general delivery, which is kept in a cabinet a mere 12 feet away.   so where is my mail?  well, it comes to the post office and instead of going to the aforementioned cabinet, gets sent to NEW JERSEY?????  yes, folks, have been informed that all forwarded mail goes directly to NEW JERSEY no matter what state one forwards mail from/to.   that is the central forwarding facility location.  so the question as to why the PO is in dire financial straits is partly explained by this ridiculous, convoluted system, one function--excuse me "service"--that our national postal system provides at no cost to the taxpayer i might add.  if you believe that, then i have a bridge to sell you, also located (no coincidence) in NEW JERSEY!!!!   so, no magazines, no flyers, no junk mail (not missed), no catalogs for nearly a month, just 2-3 letters, 2 that were sent from here in maine and apparently did not get the trip to NEW JERSEY as they arrived in less than a week to me personally.  so the next time you go into any post office to buy cute little stamps, mail a letter or pick up a package, take a look around and see what you are getting for your postage dollars....and pray that you never need their forwarding service.   i'm not mad or angry, just totally confused as to who thought up this system and why it has continued so long despite not really working very well.  ***   aside from my unproductive trip to the post office today, hoping to catch up with FWS blocks and do some other fun sewing, plus some just plain R&R time on another soon-to-be nice autumn day.  keep calm and keep quilting!

clues

it was miss t. in the living room with the rotary cutter....she murdered a FQ of a gorgeous "baltimore beauties" neutral.   other scraps were also similarly mutilated on this low-key sunday where yes, we also saw a few minutes' worth of snow flurries.  hoping elly sinkiewicz understands.....

also sent to an early demise was the last zuke in the drawer for some delish zucchini bread that i bake in a rectangle.  with spices, nuts and raisins it makes a tasty autumn treat, especially toasted with butter for breakfast or anytime really.   half will get frozen for another day when the cooking bug is hibernating.

these days don't bake an awful lot but there are some things that are traditional, like this.  but that may change when this book arrives....

every time i watch anthony bourdain in an asian country slurping a soup dumpling or noshing on various bao, i want to try them.  hoping this will prove to be an excellent guide book for my own versions.  i already have gordon ramsay's book with his sticky rib recipe that is on my must try list....now back to relaxation with hexies, waiting for PBS dramas to start...i love sunday nights!

honest to pete...

these little hexies DO work up pretty fast....have spent very little time yet here are almost 6 rosettes done.  easy to see that a large quilt is pretty possible if one has large amounts of dedicated time to hand sew. 

today more papers will get cut up; confess to pulling magazine cards in the store and tucking them into my purse...could have purchased them all die cut but am perfectly capable of doing my own and it does save the cash of course....and don't you love this photo?  it's a favorite place, pemaquid point, taken by somebody else, already on the computer from someplace, looks like early fall at nearly dusk.....gorgeous!

and today's list?  includes sewing down the little hearts that have been basted in their final configuration, more papers for hexies of course, maybe the "coral" block....and just might pull out the mod spools, get that marked and start quilting....be nice to have a finish of some sort.  over at stashbusters, am again paying a FQ penalty for no finish this quarter...thankfully the stash can spare another easily....now off to spend another glorious day!

old man no more....

on such a fine day--sunny, warmish, slight breeze--ventured west to new hampshire to visit the former home of the old man of the mountain.   sadly, his face fell off some years back, but the mountain remains albeit a tad altered.  this is a zoom photo of said mountain straight ahead at 12 o'clock and the vibrant foliage colors around (photo a bit too bright from reality).  it was a leisurely, all day drive through little towns similarly adorned.  a cheapo lunch at subway on the patio--yes, it was THAT warm--and moseyed back to maine.   with snow predicted for the northern maine mountains any day, probably the old man will get hit by a month's time.  the marigolds have breathed their last, so summer is really done.  every good day from now on is a gift, in fact, every DAY is a gift, but better without snow. 

more hexies in the works--yowza!  they work up quickly...and a coral block to sew up today.  it's another good day AND a sunny, warmish one besides.  great day to sew, doncha know!

thursday's stars...

the latest batch of completed stars....top 2 are cadet blue, bottom left is a chocolate/blue combo and bottom right is my version of celestial using what looks like crescent moon fabric.  don't have the iron with me so they aren't yet pressed but they are done.   also finished is the "belle" block for the FWS with "coral" posted yesterday and waiting to be done.  the hexies are coming along nicely; last night once again prepped papers and fabrics for more hexie sewing fun.  *** enjoying a gorgeous autumn foliage fest here in new england.....bonnie and vic have posted beautiful pix and it is just exactly like that. it's the only time of year where the interstate is fun to drive.  temps are cooling after a few days of nice warmth.....predict more sewing in the cold days ahead!

then there were 2....

and pretty soon 3...wow, they DO work up pretty quickly.   my busy box needs more papers, so that is tonight's task. 

and i can see there is a tad of a learning curve, being that the papers MUST all be the exact same size, which is not the case for the 2nd rosette.  i left it, chalking it up to experience and giving it that authentic pioneer scrappy look.  it is hardly noticeable, tho....and did i say this was going to be a small version of this beauty?  like the hawaiian technique, could get carried away and keep  on going until whenever.  ***  next few days will be dedicated to block sewing...."belle" for FWS and whatever tomorrow's stars will be...fun quilting but having absolutely NO effect on my humongous UFO list, first being my hawaiian quilt that'll hopefully get done in time for winter.  in the meantime, will keep on keeping on and enjoy the new england fall beauty, which is spectacular!