in the house....

and sooo pretty too!   thank you henry glass fabrics AND the fedex driver!

design wall monday

with no other tasks on the to-do list, was able to start my day with the old viking--recently oiled and cleaned up and ready for action!   first thing was the 365 block for today, done!   next up tackled some secret christmas sewing.  then tackled the 12 days of christmas blocks that are now a little flimsy, about placemat size. 

needs to be trimmed to size for basting, quilting and finish....i have a pretty Christmas stripe i think i'll use for binding; either that or some polka dots.   then moved right along to this as was anxious to sew with these pretty fabrics...

the limes matched in regular daylight but not quite with camera flsh.   ***   and when life sends zucchini my way, i make zucchini bread, complete with raisins and walnuts...it makes a big pan so half always goes into the freezer...love it toasted for breakfast.  oooh, the aroma of spices is filling the apartment!

and last, but not least, got a lovely email from lisa at henry glass fabrics...i won a giveaway of some beautiful new fabric...how great is that!   it's journey to versailles and gorgeous blues, reds and creams....in fact, the entire line is sooo pretty.   check it out! 

so, spent every minute of this day; will get my dishes washed and then relax with some quilting...and this busy monday will be history....

sweet sight!

whew, after two and one-half days of sewing, just this afternoon got current on my 365 blocks!   this certainly feels good....block for august 15 is in my inbox but not looking at it until tomorrow....and next up is farmer's wife....could get very used to this new trend!   here are the latest..

the lower left block has a corner that's a tad larger due to the way it was trimmed...and notice the date in the upper left corner...today!!!   

horse before cart....

while clearing off the ironing table, happened to glance over and saw an unfinished christmas project from last year--the 12 days of christmas tiny blocks--and realized that planning yet another christmas project was putting the cart before the horse, so pulled out the 12 days and did some auditioning to get this into a flimsy and then a finish for ? maybe august ? september...

these blocks are tiny, meaning 3"....like the 365 blocks....and shopped the stash once more for a suitable green....they all work but leaning toward upper left or upper right.   basting table is still up, so now that scraps under control, a basting day is on tap for sometime next week.   ***  it seems like i've sewn a tremendous amount this year but without enough finishes to support the effort.   makes me realize just how much sewing time the 365 has consumed.   more discouraging is the measly yardage busted as many of the actual finishes were small pieces, not all big quilts.  so, with 4.5 months left in 2016, maybe can get at least a couple of bigger quilts done and rack up a respectable use of actual fabric.  in any case, enjoying the process and whatever doesn't get used will still be there for shopping and sewing fun.   

back on track

after a mini-detour, today printed up the most recent blocks and got these done today....looking pretty good i think...can definitely see improvement in my machine piecing efforts...

up to august 4th, but you can see that a few hours of sewing is really productive.  but before these got sewn, westering women block 7 was put together, so current on something at least...

and inbetween went shopping in my stash. while trolling the internet and various blogs, stumbled on a christmas sew along, 25 blocks measuring 6" finished....pulling these helped quick start my mojo.  would like to participate in this christmas sew-along, but ultimately hinges on other fall commitments....it sure was fun shopping anyway....aren't they pretty?  

and thanks to the camera, see that the turquoise is a bit too dark so back to the store...LOL!

double vision?

not really, if you look close that is....both wall pieces are now flimsies and there were 4 little 9-patch squares left that have gone into the orphan block pile.  really like how they turned out....finishes for 2017 maybe? 

and a heartwarming sight indeed....an empty scrap basket!   i'll be needing a new rotary cutter blade, and all the little units have been put away in their shoeboxes....will be cruising for patterns for 2.5" strips and squares as that shoebox is chock full now.  

ventured outside for a very few minutes as the bookmobile was here.   this is a fantastic benefit..it comes twice a month and all i have to do is reserve stuff online and pick it up.  today's haul was 4 dvds and 3 books.   didn't dawdle as it was quite hot and oppressive.  ***  next task?  print out sew-along block instructions and start sewing!  

between blocks

doesn't mean there isn't anything to sew....au contraire!!  this piece has been on the design wall almost since i moved in 4 months ago and it was overdue for a finish, well the flimsy anyway. 

this is midnight garden wallhanging....the beautiful fabric was gifted to me by a maine friend over a year ago when i "thought" i was going to be moving soon....this is an homage to her, someone whose life is challenging every day, but yet finds solace and peace in her cozy, chic, country home, her garden, chickens and bees!   she is the living image of the proverbs 31 woman, someone who wears many hats and finds time to quilt as well.   in spite of her personal burdens, she took time to console me in my disappointment and homelessness with a thoughtful devotional book that i use every day and have gifted to others as well.   am always inspired of how much she accomplishes and how she just takes on every day with a smile and positivity.  she is often confined at home, but has made delicious lemonade out of pretty sour lemons....a fine example to us all!   then there is this piece that got revamped....

you might recall a piece some time ago made with just the nine-patch squares and it was blah to the max!  so, deconstructed and added in some hourglass blocks and am more satisfied with the outcome...enough blocks for 2 of these, this one with the gold fabric on the sides and the next will have the red fabric on the sides.  so no longer languishing in blocks limbo.   all this while watching "hinterland" on netflix.....terrific shows indeed!  ****  tackled the scrap basket once again last night when olympic watching and making progress but not empty yet...stay tuned!

this explains it...

meaning why we sew and sew and the stash hardly diminishes!  friday night spent 4+ hours cutting scraps from my basket....you saw the BEFORE photo yesterday....and today is the AFTER photo....see the difference?   me either....but i promise, the trash can is chock full of spaghetti-sized trimmings and all these units are at the ready.....

there are some large tumbler pieces; strips and squares of various sizes plus a stack of brick size pieces as well...and, more important, see the basket in the background.....while prepping these units, visions of a multitude of scrappy quilts were swirling around my mind (inbetween tv watching) and honestly, should run right to my PCP and get an Rx for dexedrine so i can sew 24/7.....not that i would ever consider that, but imagine what could get done and how much stash could be busted!   really, tho, do enjoy the process and the fabric does inspire me big time...but no time to wax poetic on the philosophical aspects, gotta get back to sewing!!!  

my mission....

should i choose to accept (remember the old series 'mission impossible'?) is to tackle THIS today....great mindless activity while watching olympic cermony tonight.

either that or it's get a new basket, which is not a good idea.  after a busy few days, will be nice to relax with rotary cutter, ruler and get this pile under control.  *** last night at guild was workshop with heather kojan and this cute little project bag workshop....so many pretty ones...with all my fabric, you might have expected something flashier but confess didn't want to cut into my "good" fabric....LOL....and thought this would be appropriate, especially to get hauled around.   my hexie project has outgrown the little bag that vic made for me, so will get transferred to this one and the little red bag will become a home for something else.

already august 5th and time for more 365 blocks.   and have you thought about christmas yet?  i've got some gift ideas percolating...with the budget tight, gotta fire up the creative muse for some good ideas...  but first up, stock the larder! 

monday design wall

a fairly busy sewing weekend here in steamy and occasional monsoon-like weather...what else to do but sew, right?   first up, nearly busted an entire layer cake with this wallhanging....it's sandy gervais' rambling rose line and this layer cake was a giveaway...lucky me! 

the flash washed the color out a bit, but it's pinks, aquas, tan/browns....with a pile of leftover waste triangles, started sewing up a dolly quilt.   would have liked more of the cream prints, but had to work around what was available...one of the issues with layer cakes, but it'll get hand quilted and then a pink binding which should tone down the brown flying geese a bit.  next up, 2 more farmer's wife blocks, leaving me with 2 more to get current....what can i say....slacked off a bit...

and lastly, here's a look at the 365 with ALL the borders on to date....that is today's task...more 365 blocks. with august here, only 5 months left on this challenge and my interest has waned a bit, but can't stop now.   i think this 3rd border of little blocks is about 3 months' worth as well...

the schedule is a tad crowded this week for a few days....hoping friday/saturday will be devoted to cutting up scraps and clearing out the basket...it's way beyond due....another hot week, but over summer's hump and have made it so far and on our way to autumn...my favorite season of all!