my "granny"

it's block #41 called "granny" and it's ready to join the stack....

one of the pieces was from the edge but will be taken up in the seam allowance....of course, i could measure and cut the pieces to size but it's fuzzy math and have often cut the pieces too small, resulting in waste so just eyeball which seems to work ok...*** a super fine day and since foliage is on the wane, decided to go pumpkin peeping instead.  the town of damariscotta has a HUGE pumpkin fest every year.  the giant size gourds are hollowed out and then fashioned into flotation devices and a race is held on the river.  all around town are lots more decorated and fun to see....

have more that will post another day; end with a shot of the harbor that is so picturesque, much like many other little coastal inlets.   they may be tourist destinations, but are also working fishing villages.  enjoy!

somebody's birthday....

if you see this scowling little towhead today, be sure and wish him a happy birthday!  this is brother #2 all wrapped up in his snowsuit and not too happy about it either.  he was a feisty little guy but age has mellowed him (a tad) and he is definitely a keeper!   ***  another tuesday so time to play in the scraps again...my busy box is once again stocked with hexie papers and fabric pieces.  the next FWS block has been posted and the little spools piece needs marking for quilting so the sewing list is started....probably more bricks will be added and who knows what else....another sew-wonderful day in store!

lickety split bricks

another project is in the works....having lots of fabric piled around constantly inspires me to use it.  i got this idea from a pattern in jen kingwell's book a while ago, filed it away in the "little gray cells" and have been cutting up scraps into bricks for yesterday's start.

pretty sure this one will get tied and donated.  it's my way of paying it forward for all the fabric that was so generously sent to me earlier this year.  maybe you'll see YOUR donation fabric here and know that you had a part of this gift.

sewed up a couple more daisies for the daisy chain project, which might also be a donation but not quite sure yet.  both of these are a long way from being done.  trying to keep the new UFOs to a minimum, but so far have mom's table topper, the summer sew-along, these 2 projects, the little tumblers; the little hexies--not counting the 2 current sew alongs--so that might be all so far.  the little spools WILL get quilted and finished sometime before the end of the year, and i did finish the little heart medallion piece.  here are the daisies...

no rhyme or reason to either of these, just pulling pieces out and sewing them together.  some oldies in these round pieces, see the yellow roses in the left one?  bought that about 15 years ago at the fabric place in woburn, it was a hunk of 3 yards on one of their discount tables.  at that time i was not "into" repros but i loved the fabric and still have some of it left.  fabric place was a wonderful source for good quality at good prices...gone now about 5 years but not forgotten.  got some gorgeous hoffman prints there as well....such is life...well, up early to get this week going!

stuff

was flipping thru some old photos and it was fun to see my "stuff".  it just isn't true that being "out of sight, out of mind," as i do think of my stuff often.  found this photo and many others of things that haven't been seen for a while...

when i hear the word "stuff," an old sunday sermon comes to mind, subject being "stuff".  given by a missions pastor who traveled extensively to third world countries, he lamented the fact that most people have too much stuff.  compared to many in far-off lands, it is true.  many live day to day without basic requirements to sustain life or without many comforts we take for granted.  material possessions abound for many, and too many have the life goal of acquiring more.  i agree; by those criteria, i also have too much stuff.  not as much as some, but more than many.  and while i've lived since april without most of my stuff, i have been able to sustain life and my basic needs are met, albeit without comfort or convenience.  so, do i feel guilty?  not so much guilty, but certainly appreciative.  i miss my stuff; i miss sifting through it, admiring it, enjoying it, using it.  not as much as i miss family members not here, but--and secret confession here--i don't feel like ME without my usual stuff.  things that were at arm's length are no longer; items that were mindless parts of my daily life have disappeared.  now looking at old photos, i think, "oh yeah, i have that book/pattern/tool/frypan/sweater."  will my life go on?  it does anyway, but will be nice to have my stuff back with me again.  won't replace loved ones who have passed or those who live far away and are dearly missed, but life will seem somewhat normal again. 

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!