yes, another post!

being without my laptop has really cramped my blogging but do have some things to show, so making the supreme effort to bring it up to date.  need to change header photo but that is for another day....since my last post have gotten some sewing done...for instance, the doll clothes are done and gone!  they were well received and that makes me happy....the money too i have to admit.  also, did some traveling and found the beach!  yes, real sand and sea....a bit of a drive, but also obtained my lifetime state park pass for a pittance so now i am good to go to any state park for free.  here are a few photos i took....the beach itself isn't huge, rather long and narrow compared to maine beaches, but salt water it is and i don't even have to think about crossing that horrific bridge!

 

 

it looks a little nondescript, but trust me, it is a very spacious and large park with several areas for boat launch, private group parties, a first aid building, a concession stand and bath house, plus areas of shade with plenty of picnic tables and grills.  *** and last week was a sort of perfect storm of mini-disasters....first, my wrist watch died, then one of my fabric shelves deconstructed and lastly, my portable radio/CD player fell off the bed and bit the dust.  the watch was replaced first....but the other two are on hold for the moment for that always-in-need stash of cash. 

so for the time being, will be diving into this fabric pile for anything i might need stash-wise. 
also finished all the borders on this "sunshiny day" wall piece.   goes into the finish pile for some basting marathon day.  

working on a doll quilt for upcoming swap that i can't yet show, plus something for my mom for mother's day and also a mug rug for another swap.  the milky way masquerade is just about ready to bind, and so prepped the binding for that plus sunshiny day at the same time.  *** aside from these things, doing the usual and a couple of fun freebie things as well.  spring/early summer has arrived here with temps in the 80s today and tomorrow.  everything is blooming and green; can't believe non-winter has come and gone so quickly.  and how about that crazy giraffe???? 

catching up!

spring in full swing here in the mid-atlantic....blooms are everywhere and leaves are starting to sprout.  today it's nearly 70, although it does fluctuate some, but most days around 60 for right now.  the one positive about no 24/7 laptop is that more sewing gets done.  these past few weeks have been making doll clothes and got them all done!

these 2 dresses, 2 flannel nitegowns, a few blouses and a top/pants set have kept me busy...aren't theyy cute?  then a friend gave me 1/3 yard of a delish african print fabric, which i promptly used for a pillowcase.  i don't normally make pillowcases but wanted to use this up as it is so stunning!

next, DD the expert cross-stitcher, had made me this piece a while back and because professional framing is out of my budget, turned it into a small wall piece to hang up....just needs a bit of quilting to keep it from flopping and it'll be done....nice work, eh?

last to show is a small quilt put together with some of the dargate basket blocks....still have lots of these to applique, but an upcoming doll quilt swap prompted me to see if this would work...it's actually too large for the guidelines, but really nice otherwise.  it goes in the F to finish pile to be hand quilted.

in addition to these projects, have worked on a garment for DD, done a lot of quilting on the milky way which is just about ready to bind.  had hoped for a march finish but not quite unfortunately.  also the stack of log cabin squares that i was working on for a disaster relief top are now done, total 80 altogether.  next week they will get laid out and sewn together, getting this UFO outta my home and off my list!   still 3 lap robes to make for charity, the previously mentioned doll quilt for swapping to baste/quilt/bind, a mug rug and one more side of piano keys on the sunshiny day wall piece to do.   i'm also quilting a QOV made by the senior center gals, hoping to get it completed to present for memorial day or maybe D-day anniversary or flag day even.  that should clear the decks for me to have the summer to work on my own things.  have several that are almost to the flimsy stage that need some time.  so you see, manage to keep occupied despite being otherwise financially bereft.  thank goodness the stash is healthy and waiting for lots of quilty fun!

spring break....

all is fine here at casa frederick, just taking a bit of a hiatus from the blog for (ahem) technical reasons.....spring has sprung!

snow day sewing...

the old viking and i are playing today with some doll clothes sewing.   a set of pjs, top/pants, another top and a flannel nitegown and cap are done so far and ready for play.   also on today's list is a top for my dear daughter and some hand quilting as well.  despite being in the "bullseye" per the weatherman, stella hasn't been as bad as predicted.  seems like new england is getting the full force, but the sun is out now and no appreciable snow is falling.  it might be a lull but could just be it for us.  no important plans all week, so matters little to me.  if boredom sets in, variety of other things to sew and planning for an upcoming doll quilt swap.  linking up with "oh scrap" so hop on over to see who else is sewing today!

super stars!

the wednesday guild had a workshop the other day and it was fun to go and sew with some quilty peeps.  the big blocks were perfect for some large prints, so ran to my kaffe pile to pull some lights and darks and had just enough of this celery green solid for the background.   working with these bright colors certainly revs up my sewing mojo.  wanted to get it to the flimsy stage and avoid another bag/box UFO.  when finished, it'll hang on one of my neutral walls for a wow splash of color.   the large pieces in the blocks are ideal for hand quilting.   fun to use up some fabric that had been hoarding for that "someday", and the title?  describes kaffe perfectly i think!   ***  was spring here but today a taste of winter with a few flurries and now a week ahead of very cold temps and perhaps even a more substantial storm.  nice to know that most of my activities are of the "want to" kind, so can opt to stay home and sew if desired. and now that the old viking has had some play time, no doubt she'll want more as she's been sorely neglected for far too long.  oh, i think i hear her calling me now.....

not quilt related....for the fat police

An elderly man was walking through a park and saw a little boy with eight candy bars sitting on a bench. As the boy finished the last one, the man said, "You shouldn't eat all those candy bars, son, it'll make you sick." The boy said, "Sir, my grandfather lived to be one-hundred-and-nine years old..." The man asked, "And did he eat eight candy bars a day?" "No," replied the boy, "But he minded his own business!"

this was sent to me as a joke but if you are on the "fluffy" side--aka fat---then it is a battle cry.  self-appointed do-gooders to the fat population are always lurking, nutritional advice and tsk tsk always rolling off their tongues.   we all know who the fat people are; so many times i feel quite thankful for being quite healthy considering my shape and silently mourn for those who are not.  most of my health issues stem from the botched surgery in 2010....i could brag about my lab numbers but i won't. my diet is pretty healthy but does include some junk food, for which i harbor no guilt.  i'll never be a twiggy, have a ballerina's or gymnast's physique.  i seldom require medical attention--a lot less than some thin people for sure.  so consider this a word to all you who think you are doing society a favor....

and today celebrating my non-anniversary....a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, i stupidly married the absolute wrong man on this auspicious day.  after 11 terrible years, a saint intervened and was soon shed of this mistake.  so now i celebrate this day with glee....

great guild day

here i belong to 2 quilt guilds that have their meetings a day apart once monthly.   that means two days in a row every month are packed with quilty pals and fun.  this month they are both hosting fabric sales....always a challenge for the budget conscious!  nevertheless, at $1 per FQ and one lonely george washington left in my wallet, today caved for this pretty gold christmas print....see the cute reindeer?

it was a teensy, weensy slip with absolutely no guilt...showed it to another quilter who had purchased some snowmen fabric with a bit of gold, so she found another for her project.  it was perfect!   of course there is a free table, and in lieu of dragging home more magazines, opted to take a photo of a couple of things that caught my eye.   these were full size quilts, but thinking smaller versions for quick finishes to add to the "someday sell" pile, or just give away or even keep.  also scooped up some nice wooden spools for my jar.

isn't technology great sometimes?  much easier than more magazine clutter that would only have to be sent along someplace.   the top one uses that chrome-ish yellow for the alternating squares that really gives it a WOW.....and march arrived like a lamb altho a bit cooler than anticipated.  even so, certainly looking more and more like spring with blooming trees and flowers dotting the landscape everywhere.  i just can't believe we had a snow-less winter....bless you Mother Nature!

time flies...a year....

loaded with blessings....it's been nearly a year since the move from north to south.  a home of my own again, a roomy sewing space, new church and community connections, new friends and a new climate....best of all being close to my daughter and my dear son-in-law...priceless indeed!  a lot like these little houses--lots of pieces patched together to make a new life.  alas, the management company of my complex is much like other unethical and self-serving landlords....despite being advertised as a no-smoking building, it is a portion of the lease that is not enforced or viewed as important in a building where there are many with vascular illness only worsened by these scofflaws.  have  complained voiced my concern to every government agency i can think of, yet nobody holds HABITATAMERICA accountable for enforcing its own rules...how idiotic is that????  i am disappointed and crestfallen, especially after the south portland experience, but am otherwise quite content and happy, although am certain my recent illness was made worse by the smoke in the building.  who ever thought the 5th floor would be devoid of constant fresh air???  even so,  have sewn a  LOT, both personal and for charity, said goodby to about 20 pounds (always good), tried catfish and crab cakes, rediscovered fried chicken, jettisoned my frigid winter habits, visited battlefields and located new quilty places.  still lots of places to discover!  financially has been uber-challenging and the budget is still tight--i knew it would be--but that only ramped up my creativity and organizational skills into overdrive, and how to squeak out pricey necessities like shoes requires lots of planning and tweaking.  my little part-time paycheck is sorely missed but God has provided for my needs in many ways.  this move was pondered for a long time and spent hours preparing myself mentally for being further away from family and the familiar for something far more important.  it was the right thing to do, reinforced many times over 365 days.  now on to year 2 and more new experiences and adventures....at home in maryland!

scrappy sewing

one day while still mired in bronchitis, spied this pattern had saved to my desktop and remembered some little 9-patches that got sewn leader/ender and got stuffed away in a baggie....not really feeling like vegetating but no real mojo, so pulled them out and made them bigger and found this leftover yellow for a bright and colorful wallhanging....aka "sunshiny day." 

not quite finished and didn't use up all my mod charm squares (no surprise there), but did make a dent and, better still, emptied a UFO in a baggie.   my gloomy sick days made me think of the sunshine and how vivid colors are when the sun shines bright.  found the pattern on the internet, freebie, by kelly guy that she calls "between charming friends" as it calls for charm squares mostly.  my charms were sent to me my during my gap year between maine/maryland housing.  most of the charms were used in a quilt "cabana daydreams" that is waiting its turn in the quilting pile.  the piano key border needs finishing and there's enough yellow left to bind.  when completed, it'll go in the "hopefully sell" pile for a someday venue to generate funds and bring the sunshine inside for some lucky person.  ***  linking up with "oh scrap" today, so hop on over and see more scrappy goodies!

bit of playtime

with one day of antibiotics left, bronchitic haze is starting to lift so was able to spend a few minutes playing with the old viking and my scraps for the double wedding ring sew along.  this is my 3rd DWR project, the first done completely by hand and the second by machine (except hand quilted of course)...

this one has paper-pieced arcs, all scrappy, and you can see my little organizer chock full of scrappy squares, probably way more than needed but no surprise there.  i'll go on record and again say this is my ONE AND ONLY sew along this year as i focus on unfinished projects and sew up some "want to try patterns" while shopping the stash.  in just a year since moving, can definitely see a difference in the "shop inventory", although do plan on a bit of retail therapy this year, especially during my vacation.  ***  today's chores include a few "must do" household things, more sewing (i hope) and basking in 70+ degree weather for another day....unheard of i'm told for maryland in february.  looking more and more like a snowless winter!