awwwww...

jam packed quilt guild meeting last night with a valentine swap.  we also had a food tasting fundraiser that included lots of delish dishes to try.  of course, my taste buds are nearly dead thanks to being nearly asphyxiated in my apartment with alcohol-based fumes on a constant basis, but somebody did bring in the required southern dish of pimento cheese, which was good.  and the dessert winner was a caramel chocolate chip square.  the pieces were tiny so ate it all!  came home with this little prezzie...

new fabric is always good, isn't it?  the reds are from a sandy gervais line, a favorite designer....and now that my wrong polka dot fabric is getting returned, doncha know saw a brand new line from jen kingwell, that down under design diva.   it's called "circulus" and the dots are perfect for my "midnight at the oasis" which just happens to be one of jen's design winners too! 

photo isn't great but you get the idea....so will wait until some shops have sales and pick some up...this will be perfect!   ***  behemoth turkeys of recovery challenges, noxious apartment irritants and constant budget woes are ever present--working to keep a positive outlook, not always successful, but hoping for a sunnier february!

post script

the retailer has agreed to take back the polka dot fabric and did agree it looked tan rather than gray; however, the manufacturer (RJR) sent it labeled as gray, which was why it was classified such.  perhaps vision exams for their employees are in order??  so the search continues....and while i've seen more grays with white dots online, i also saw some at web fabrics, which is a much safer choice once funds are available.  really missing my library job paycheck but having Rx coverage is essential right now....and for the foreseeable future.  ***  sunny and seasonably cool today; got my shorts out before heading to fitness and laundry.  another month or so and spring will be here in full force along with my 2-year anniversary in maryland....still happy with my choice to leave new england!

tale of two fabrics

after much internet research, finally found background for my "midnight at the oasis" at a good price....it was labeled as a gray with white polka dots.  see retailer's swatch below...

looks gray too, doesn't it?   you can imagine my dismay when what arrived was tan with neutral polka dots....not gray at all and no white dots either.  before contacting retailer, decided to take a photo of the wrong fabric for comparison....

again dismayed to find there is little noticeable difference between the two when photographed.  the only thing in my favor, i would think, is that the retailer lists the fabric as GRAY, in with its black/gray fabrics.  not tan, not beige, not toast, not brown or any other variation.  it's a lovely fabric and i would keep it if the retailer sends me the gray no charge (who wouldn't?)...it would make a nice background for another project.  but i'm hoping the retailer will send me the gray as that is what i originally selected.  true, i'll live just as long if i HAVE to use the tan, as the budget just can't fit in another 3 yards right now, and it is really small stuff in the grand scheme of things.  nobody will suffer some horrendous calamity and it isn't even a blip in anyone's life.  i'll let you know how it turns out....either way life will go on pretty much the same, which is certainly good enough. 

a new library find

much as i would love to trek to NYC and take classes with VFW, the budget just doesn't permit.  thankfully she publishes these great books, although the ambience and enthusiasm don't completely come thru in print.   i credit bonnie hunter with jettisoning me out of my "matchy-matchy" hum-drum quilty existence, but i'm not quite "there" with victoria's innovative style, although i love what she has done for the humble double wedding ring and now the braid pattern as well.  the book gives 5 tricks for taking your quilty muse to a new level and does not disappoint.   some are methods we've all known about but most have never mastered, plus there's the X factor of victoria's style and flair for all things modern.  in deference to VFW, i can't show you much but i will share one other photo of a quilt i really liked using curved pieces, something i've shied away from or maybe tried once and failed at miserably.  i just might give them another go, tho, after seeing this....

combines the braid AND the curved pieces in one...stunning, isn't it?  if you can't travel to NYC either, can highly recommend this book for your quilty pleasure and inspiration.  the "little gray cells" are busy with a few ideas already!

in the hoop!

first thing on my fri/sat/sun to do list was get this basted and in the hoop...and it is!  had hoped this would be done by january 1st but as usual circumstances interfered and it's a bit late.   yes, i'm still basting the 1980s way with needle and thread!   i saw this quilt in the now-defunct magazine "quilt life" in a collection of photos showing prairie women with quilts hung on a soddy as a backdrop for the photos...thought it would make a good scrappy and it does.  this will be donated to a worthy cause as a fundraiser since my budget doesn't allow me to contribute very often.  ***  also made up a pot of chicken soup which looks delish but actually has very little taste due to no salt.  at this point on a mostly liquid diet thanks to the butcher of brick hill and modern pharmaceuticals that have put my GI system in nearly suspended animation.  while modern medicine has given me a new lease on life, have to say in all honesty it is much less enjoyable in some instances.  whereas appendix or gallbladder removal is pretty much a fix, cardiac surgery is a huge game changer; not all aspects of which are pleasant or welcome.  some days a bit more challenging to focus on the positives than deal with the realities....know what i mean???

orphans

one of the many perks of living alone is that when i'm wide awake at 4 am, i can get up and do most anything as long as i don't disturb the neighbors.  so this morning, decided to go thru the elfa drawers and weed out stuff.  among the "stuff" was a collection of orphan blocks....leftovers, wrong size, tried out blocks....that i'm now offering to anyone who will take them all.

the largest is the repro fence rail piece, about 12 x 9....some 10" blocks, some 6", some 4"....not all repro as you can see.   again, you MUST take all of them.  they need a new home where somebody will use them....  by the time i was finished with this task, was feeling sleepy again so back to bed for a couple of hours...another perk of the single life.   ***  today is a wide open day, nothing much planned except exercise so hoping to nearly finish the orange modern blocks; only 7 more to make and can get the top together and send it off to the finish pile.   finished my valentine sewing project on wednesday.  next is to baste a donation quilt and start the quilting.   am hoping to finish quilting 3 bed size quilts this year, maybe even 4, to make some headway on the UFO list.  will see how that goal turns out...in the meantime, it's a sunny but cool day ahead!

spring already?

well at 60 degrees and sunny, it sure feels like it.   we've had some wonderful warm days, but i think after today it'll cool down some to the high 40s...that's winter in maryland and i love it!   few chores on today's list plus the usual exercise time, but after that's it's me and betty.   first thing this morning, tried out the first block for a jo morton project, economy blocks on point....have had the sashing fabric for quite a while of course; figured will sew one up every now and then...

and though i had planned to do barb's churn dash sew along/block swap, something else arrived in my inbox.   every july there's a local quilty seminar in the next town.   several guild members attend and rave about it...it's mid-applachian quilters!  apparently they have a block sew along for the 6 months leading up to the event...january thru june, 2 blocks per month.   this year's it's a star sampler, just perfect for my lovely kaffe fabrics and the pale pink kona background.   here is block #1, hand pieced, sewn up pretty quickly.

there'll be plenty of hand quilting space on these blocks.   thinking a kaffe print sashing and plain corner squares should give it a little more zing.  ***  orange mod blocks continue with 8 more to sew for a flimsy.  and later in the week will be doing some valentiney sewing as well....keep calm and quilt on!

a gathering place

on this fine, mild, sunny 62-degree day, a friend took me to a very nice quilty gathering place....

the very famous (in these parts) web fabrics....a wonderful shop that carries nearly everything quilt related.   fabric, notions, patterns, every tool imaginable, some gift items and those to-lust-after dutch chintz prints.  knowing my philosophy of shopping my stash first, you might think i was running low on fabric, but rest easy readers, only 1.75 yards came home with me--hardly noticeable in most any quilter's stash.  

a few text prints to add to what's on hand, a couple of kaffe prints i had not seen before in colors a bit unusual for him and 2 of those luscious dutch chintz prints.  certainly well worth the half hour trip through rolling countryside and places new to me.  ***  my friend lives in a very picturesque farm house, updated but with some original features left intact, with a view that extends over the entire valley.  there's a spring house, a smokehouse, a small chicken house and some other outbuildings along with fenced-in pastures and an updated garage.  it is so idyllic, i thought i was actually on walton's mountain!  the day was perfect, topped off with a dozen farm-fresh eggs to bring home.   i couldn't be more blessed that she is my friend....

tiny brag - not quilt related

whew, underwent cardioversion today to restore normal sinus rhythm...successful!  relieved and elated...on to cardiac rehab!

holy hiatus batman!

has it really been over a week since the last post?   indeed....well, all I can say is that tasks take longer than previous these days, and then some days nothing gets done except the essentials...but today was finally a sewing day!

scrap attack chore for january was to get this to the flimsy stage.  today cranked out nearly all the 6 blocks needed for another row, which will be #4 of 6, so it is a real possibility to meet the goal.  ran out of precut squares so that's next.   had hoped to get a quilt basted as well but once again, the  backing is a teensy bit lacking in width so had to order another piece--a larger one of course--to get that done.  the table is up to baste a few small things and possibly tie a donation quilt as well.  ***  it's been a challenging week on the recovery front and another delay for cardioversion.   then one day must have bumped into the rocking chair rocker as felt some ankle discomfort, took a look and saw this...

it's my ugly left foot with a huge black/blue bruise, quite tender and swollen.  thankfully it isn't my sewing pedal or driving foot.  just another wrinkle in this long and convoluted recovery road.  have to confess there are fleeting moments when I wonder if it has been worth it, stupid really, as it was very necessary and hopefully lengthened my life even with all the setbacks, dietary changes, medication side effects to name a few.  but the many positives outweigh the bad and it is wonderful to wake up in the morning, any morning, still vertical....a real and precious gift from God!