never forgotten....

my dad, a WWII vet of utah beach, at rest now for 14 years....he never talked about the war even tho we had a ton of grainy, sepia-toned photos of many fellow GIs....the few comments he made during my lifetime were casual things....scrambling eggs in his helmet, sights seen in paris, a glimpse of bing crosby....but the impact of war on his life was immeasurable with him fading away like most WWII vets from a constellation of ailments and then multi-system failure.  his corny jokes and tender heart live on through us.....just another imperfect human who left a great legacy....one of so many who served, worthy of all our honor and thanks....

still waging my own battle with 365 blocks....4 more added to the pile and still 21 blocks behind...hoping this weekend will afford some time to shorten the gap, eventually to win this war by december's end.  

a peek at upcoming blocks revealed some HUGE challenges....like a tree of life....in 3.5"??? are you kidding???  

november and flowers?

yes, even though we have plenty of this in the neighborhood...

this being the northernmost southern state, there are also these still blooming everywhere....some variety of a bush rose....they bloom continuously all summer and into the fall apparently...

drive by these often and just had to snap a photo....these are a lovely pink.....the tree photo was taken at a local state park, Gambrill, about 5-6 miles from here....up a small mountain with plenty of views overlooking the valleys.....built by the CCC back in the 1930s.   lots of picnic spots with grills too....will have to visit next summer and (make note) take hot dogs!!!   ****  upcoming church bazaar means tuesdays are ultra-busy sewing up tied quilts and other items for sale.  have contributed one bed size flimsy with another nearly done, which partly explains why my own sewing is lagging.  quilting on the donation quilt is nearly finished, thinking another week or so should see it done.  then can devote more time to 365, finishing farmer's wife (for which all background triangles have been readied) and the last few westering women.  empty spools are piling up as it has been a banner sewing year for me!

latest batch...

of  365 blocks, that is...still just under 3 weeks behind on this sew along that is plugging along at a snail's pace.  with the holiday closing in, going to make a supreme effort to be current before family arrives later this month.

funny how some go together smoothly but others are a huge challenge...the bottom row far left was a nightmare, one of the worst of the year, but it's passable and hoping will blend in ok with the finished project.   choosing fabrics randomly also results in some surprises as in the top right.   there are 3 corner blocks that are 12.5" unfinished waiting as well, but thought would hold off and do all at once and use same fabrics.   if your interest in this has been piqued, it's being run again next year--same patterns--for newbies or those on the fence or some who dropped out/fell behind.   even if january is catch up month for me, anxious to get this flimsy done.  hoping to make 2017 a year of wiping out old UFOs....  all in all, have to say in spite of the elephantine challenge, has been interesting and a boon to my machine piecing skills overall regardless of some that are far from perfect.

first friday finish

here we are solidly on the road to thanksgiving and my first november finish!  it's a table runner, pattern by kim diehl....quilted sparsely to hold it together, busting a mere 3/4 yard of fabric in total, but it's done. i think this came from her book "simple blessings".....

it's sitting atop a small bookcase flung to me recently, along with a small end table, that completes my furniture needs for the apartment.  this is in the bedroom holding a small collection of books and a few display items.   the end table is next to my quilting chair, freeing up a tray table that can now function as the dining room, as there is no eating space per se.  all the needed things now are smallish items that will come in time.  since the bed arrived, the echo is gone and it feels like a real home---plenty of sewing space, plenty of living space....feeling very blessed!

holiday baking

some time in the last year, a blogger had links to several Christmas projects....found this called 'christmas baubles' by jen daly for the moda bakeshop.  with endless fabric combinations in the stash, started with this one....

still need to move some squares around and add borders, but so far looking good i think....already my mind is veering off to kaffe fassett fabrics?  batiks?   civil war repros?   any fabric style would work, depending on your decor and/or stash.....***  october is just about gone and, shamefully, have not finished one UFO....did bust a fair amount of fabric and basted quite a few items, so hoping november will fare better.  with the end of the year looming, plus planned finish of 2 big sew alongs, the 2017 UFO list will still be way too long.....not too many new things started this year and not very many new fabric to tempt me, which should help.  *** and a BIG thanks for those of you who commented on the previous post....

extra! extra!

imagine, here in maryland a mere 7 months and 5 days and already making headlines!!!  well, on a small scale, that is....it's the senior center newsletter and here is my hawaiian and the other blue ribbon winner by my fellow super quilter, emilie, pictured.  the only blue ribbons of the senior center, that is. 

unlike some quilters who start every project with visions of big ribbons and even bigger payoffs, this project was started for one reason alone...the quilting.  my fingers tingled to get to the echo quilting, with the applique part a means to the center of the tootsie pop, if you will.  will probably never ever seek another blue ribbon, though i didn't this time either...i simply wanted to show off my beautiful quilt, as i was as stunned as anyone about its beauty.  and truth is, anyone can be an excellent quilter...it just takes practice and the sheer love of doing it!  

God's saturday gift...

by sheer divine providence, was gifted this today.   while the futon chair is comfy, the arms are like side rails and changing position is a challenge.  so thankful it has been my comfy nighttime solace and for those occasional naps....but beyond grateful for this gift.

couldn't wait to see the hawaiian all spread out....and with my mom coming for thanksgiving, the timing is perfect as well.  this was a big ticket item way outside my budget, but now my prayer list has shortened by one needed thing.  feeling so very blessed today and always really, ever mindful of so many who have much greater needs.  may God send them a gift today as well.   ***  gorgeous autumn day spent so far on a hodge podge of things--cutting bindings, doing a frankenbatt and frankenback, cutting out another pair of flannel lounge pants and not a moment too soon either, predicted to be 81 degrees tomorow....LOL!

bonnie hunter's mystery

the day has finally arrived when bonnie hunter has posted her color selections for this year's mystery project.   i absolutely LOVE bonnie's quilts, and her tips and influence 10 years ago kicked my quilty muse up several notches....but being a hand quilter, lots of her patterns have waaaay too many seams for me.  have made a few but have donated flimsies for someone else to machine quilt and use for charity, not a problem.  this year decided to repeat the effort and have pulled my choices from her color suggestions...

these are what i found and may be a bit stronger in value than hers, but i like strong colors anyway and definitely NOT buying anything for this mystery.  that, to me, is the whole point--to use what is on hand that'll give it a controlled kitchen sink look.  bonnie's quilt is large so going to make half the number of units for my project.  and didn't think there was any magenta, but whoa!  if you have kaffe, you have magenta to the max!   these are "special" fabrics that so far have just ogled and fondled, but time has come to use some....so bring on black friday and clue #1!

blocks and birthday....

and this thursday just happens to be the birthday of brother #2...he was our october treat...despite being quite scary and ghoulish at times...now a successful business owner and dad.....happy birthday bro!

between tuesday quilt-cam and yesterday, sewed up 10, count 'em 10, more 365 blocks....maybe by the time the weekend is over, i'll have more racked up....struggle to keep up at times, but the end is near for this mega-sew along!

have a happy sewing day!

flimsy fling

proof that the stash IS getting used up is this flimsy that got flung to charity just this week....nearly all those scrappy 9-patch blocks have found a home...

in september 2 lap robes were made with these blocks and this month's is a 72x78 flimsy.  so happy that they are no longer stuck in an elfa drawer.   this was a leader/ender project long ago and wish i could say the 2.5" square shoebox was empty but not quite.   the 2.5" strips shoebox is overflowing so i'm pulling from that for the 365 blocks, which won't make a dent obviously.   but there is progress busting stash that is downright fun and rewarding.  and a button i recently found at a local quilt shop says it all....