reasonable facsimile

with nary a flake here in maryland....at least my area....have to make do with the fabric kind....this is my latest finish, the snowman candlemat.  had gotten this pattern some years ago for a swap gift and liked it so much, bought it for myself....and now it's done. 

used flannel for a batt, but used 2 layers which was really too much, so another learning experience but it'll work fine.  and a kind fellow quilty blogger sent me the carrot button for the nose...and while hacking away at some of these small projects, quilting continues on the milky way masquerade.   the westering women blocks are together and now just need tying and binding for a finish as well...my 2 tables are stacked with WIPs  (works in progress) that keep me focused.....and now that mr. sun has made his appearance, back to the workshop!

framed!

finally these 2 small and ancient cross stitch projects are in their frames....the frames themselves go back to a small shop in mansfield, massachusetts, called "the picket fence" and were purchased in the 70s maybe?  could have been 80s though...this was before I had decided to focus on only quilting.  have a few more cross stitch pieces that need framing and/or finishing....my DD is an expert and it is her pretty much solitary craft, so have saved my stuff for her to go through when all my projects are done.   even though my home is a small apartment, hand made items make it quite homey and cozy...and camouflages the institutional box look.  and have racked up another UFO finish, my snowman candlemat that will show another day as it's drying after being washed.   now on to the next project!

three to go....

that's 3 rows of course....not a moment too soon....setting these on point is a bigger chore than had anticipated....but have to say not looking too bad. 

needs a good press and some tidying/trimming of seams, but so far looking better than anticipated.  not adding any borders, will just baste, quilt and bind.  another project that was a ton of work....must have been daydreaming when took on this plus the 365....small blocks are like venus flytraps...luring one in until it's too late to escape.   have also sewn some on the stars project, but primary goal is to get this to the flimsy stage and tidy up the mess....vacuuming still not done but pointless until this is completed as far as it can be.   ***  still no winter here and that makes me a very happy marylander indeed!

rainy day sewing

it's cloudy, drizzly and rainy here today but so happy no white flakes...not a one!  so far winter hasn't really arrived...at least for this recent transplant from very snowy new england!   ideal weather to sew, starting with the church group this morning, and this afternoon doing this...

two rows of the farmer's wife are together and even though the background fabric isn't really striking, it does allow the blocks to stand out.   six more of these vertical rows and it'll be an official flimsy....even at this stage it does represent a significant amount of sewing, all paper pieced of course.   and then couldn't help but sew a few of these together....

these will also be on point with no sashing; not sure how many of the blocks will be used but probably not all as there were LOTS of them sewn.  this was a really fun and educational sew along and hopefully the flimsy will be available for preview soon...by the time february rolls around, hoping both of these tops will be done.   this means a basting day is somewhere in the future, after some backs are obtained.  with oodles of things to finish, try and make some progress every day....

and blocks are done!

sew along #2 now complete...just remaining are the farmer's wife blocks and flimsy....the westering women will be used for a charity lap robe and out of here soon.

and pet peeve of the day??? command hangers....since march, have now had to replace 5 of these overpriced and poor quality hangers.  a 1# hook insufficient for an 8 oz clock?  really....very bad item 3M......scotch tape is good but these hangers are lousy.....thankfully there are alternatives....shudder to think how much these cost and have ended up in the trash....but all is well now and back to the old viking for more sewing fun!

continuing westward

today's sewing included 2 more of the 'westering women' sew along, now with only 2 to finish it up...better late than never of course....

love these colors--indigo and cheddar!  that leaves the farmer's wife flimsy to construct and the stars/time warp too...feeling like the piles are getting fewer and fewer on the sewing table...also sewed up a lap robe and thinking of doing the same with these blocks....even found 2 cross-stitch projects that were done and just needing framing...on hand also...so they've been washed and will soon be done as well....2017 is the year of the FINISH....will still be able to bust stash chipping away at the too-long UFO list....happy to have you join in!

big reveal....

even though my floor isn't big enough to show it all neatly and in detail, hope you get the idea....

you can't see my ear-to-ear grin, but know i'm deliriously happy this flimsy is finally done.  was completely gobsmacked at the time it took to do this sew along and it has taught me an important lesson, especially now that i have other quilty diversions and doing more charity sewing than before.  next up is to finish the westering women blocks and the farmer's wife project too, so no time to be bored.  now that this is done, can get dressed and finish breakfast dishes--yep, hit the machine right after breakfast...LOL!

first corner, first finish...

first corner block is done and the other 3 are in process...now that i've got one together, should quickly finish the others....good to see where all the little pieces go and how it should look...

choosing to make all 4 the same as, quite frankly, have had enough challenges with this project so far and just want to be done with it....this was the easiest to make but still no piece of cake...

and did finish one little project, some mod little tumblers sewed up for a placemat for a dining tray table i use for meals and miscellaneous clutter.....i love these fabrics and bright colors....these came from some charm packs sent to me last year and there are quite a few left for more fun...

in the deep freeze here for a few days, but 50+ degree weather coming mid-week....and again this weekend, a local PBS station has a "downton abbey" marathon so it's back to Highclere for more zingers from the dowager...LOL!

bittersweet bargain

this week went to 2 guild meetings and at each one, the brevity of life was starkly evident.  at the first meeting, a woman brought in 2 suitcases of quilting stuff (books and fabric) from a deceased elderly lady with the promise of more suitcases to come.   at the 2nd guild meeting, large totes of bagged fabric were sent in by a quilter's husband, she who was now permanently disabled at a too-young age and will no longer quilt.  of course, like moths to a flame, the loot was examined and chosen for charity projects or personal stash.  that was the intent of the donations and i was a willing participant.  confess to feeling somewhat ghoulish, despite my own small selection, at the thought of benefiting from someone's misfortune.  not sure if others were thinking the same, but knew the day would come for me when my left behind quilting stuff would be similarly parceled out.  that thought (and the budget) kept me from accumulating more, except for one small bag of scrap pieces for far less than the price of a big mac.

lots of pretty pieces with hardly a reproduction piece in the bunch, but some nice mods and neutrals....with the scrappy DWR coming up, they'll get used and by using, will become a monument to one whose life was irreparably interrupted forever.  i hope she would have been approved.....

round one...

of the final four corner blocks is completed.  i've included a photo of the next phase yet to be done.  it's been a busy week so done well to get this far.   the completed top is in sight and though it's tedious, at least not getting more blocks every day to add to the task...

as you can see, the next part is not simple and is no doubt time consuming.  all the while i'm doing this, muttering "no more sew alongs"....but of course that's for now. 

when the tedium is peaking, take a break and do something different....this is an official UFO now ready to baste.   it needed some stitchery and that fine nose kindly sent to me by a blogger....the pesky iron has left a stain on one of the blocks, so once it's finished, needs washing before it goes into the finish pile.  

am also quilting a new placemat for my tray table and the christmas baubles wall hanging is being quilted too...afraid i've lagged behind on bonnie hunter's mystery....up next are more doll clothes, the westering women and farmer's wife projects.....that's how my new year's starting....and yours?