monday update

weekend went by in a flash....thought when i stopped working they might be longer, but noooooo!  plenty of this going on though.....

the inchie blocks are picking up steam....and the turkeys are closing in for a finish, binding a little later this week....and for those of you of a "certain" age, who could forget this saturday hero?   today is his birthday, 107 years, and his physical presence may be absent, but he will never be forgotten, by me anyway....

happy trails to all today!

new photo

new header pix is of my farmer's wife sew along flimsy...not yet basted but have batting and backing side aside for it when the time presents itself....my friend nann received an obscene amount of free fabric recently, like 350 yards....yikes!!!!   so thankful it wasn't me but she is one uber-productive quilty lady so it'll probably be gone in no time....then guild meeting happened along with several boxes from a deceased quilter....feeling deprived (oh no!) picked up about 15 yards that included a couple of backs and some smaller pieces...

plans for a few of these already....our guild speaker was terry kramzar and if can get her to come to your guild, you really must!  a prize-winning quilter of course, but her adventures as artist-in-residence at national parks are riveting, humorous and downright thrilling....oh and her quilts....oh my! 

she is a pennsylvania gal, but her hiking tales prove she is willing to go just about anywhere!

happy heart anniversary!

despite the past week's events--echo, stress test and cardiac cath--along with medication adjustment issues, it's a great day indeed!   can't quite yet run like this gal, tho....but as the cath nurse told me this week..."you are so much better than last year and next year you'll be even better."   had not anticipated a detour this far out from surgery, but just have to sail thru.  i admit discouragement and the downright annoyance of more patient time, but knew it was necessary.  another quick test and two appointments, plus hiatus from the YMCA ahead.  but time for more important things like...

now that october potholders are history, time for november's project and the goal of an honest-to-goodness UFO finish....the inchies!  remember this?

only 2 more blocks and finish the borders; you can see the light and the next is scrappy, also 4"wide, and it can be tied and bound and crossed off the list....got a head start wednesday night.  some smaller projects for DD will be sprinkled inbetween this plus the turkeys and dora's quilt...a healthy list indeed!

potholders and a birthday!

first, if you see this happy guy today, wish him a happy birthday!  it's brother #2, the business owner/author and the second musician in our family.   the card's in the mail, but i didn't want him to think i forgot, or worse, didn't care.

and despite herculean efforts, the selvedge bin did NOT get emptied, not quite.

course i went to the stash 3x to find more to finish my potholders and this is what remains.  they'll get stored away in a pencil case for when there are more and probably more potholders will get made at some point...

almost done, these 26 will go to the fair hoping  to raise some christmas money.  already sold 10 others....a special gift is on for somebody is planned and it requires a small influx of cash....so fingers crossed!

Sajou linkup

Lori over at Humble Quilts is having a linky party for her latest sew-along...Sajou.  Here is my version all basted and ready to hand quilt....

jumped into this SAL late but so glad i did....got to use some pretty fabrics from my stash for this little piece that'll hang in my blue/beige bathroom....and it was no small feat to get this done either....a tiny nick in my finger while prepping some chicken for soup resulted in a day-long bleed for which had to again visit the urgent care.  trying to stay healthier is more challenging than anticipated....

now back to finish up potholders....november is looming and another scrap attack is on the horizon!

dora update

received an email from janet finley, author of the book, who had been in touch with dora's great-grandson. the photo was taken from a cabinet card and found its way from kentucky to colorado.  his research led him to two great-aunts, the only he could find who had ever met dora.  this was their response to his inquiry.....

they told of a quiet, pleasant woman who kept house all her life, was a thoughtful mother, worked hard for her children, was even tempered, smiled & laughed often, & made guests comfortable in her home & how that she had treated them both kindly when they were children.

he continued saying that her photo was chosen by the International Quilt Study Center and Museum (University of Nebraska in Lincoln) & appeared in their 2013 exhibit Posing with Patchwork: Quilts in Photographs, 1855-1955. The photo was greatly enlarged and matched with a comparable quilt from the museum’s collection.  

the great-grandson closed by admonishing everyone to document photographs and quilts to preserve information for future generations.....and so we should!

shopping trip

the other day somebody asked if i needed more selvedges for my potholders, but i declined.  this morning pulled 2 small stacks from the stash and cut these in under an hour...

so apparently have enough for this century anyway....

yesterday while selling raffle tix for the guild at a very lovely quilt shop, ogled some of the new aboriginal prints.  spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how i could squeeze funds out of the budget for at least a yard--four little FQs--but just couldn't....left feeling deprived of course, but after this morning's shopping, realize how many beautiful fabrics i already have that are waiting for me to play....no longer deprived but elated and blessed!  a great way to start a sunday or any day!

anniversary gift

have been mulling over what might be a good anniversary present for the one-year mark of the heart surgery--but this arrived yesterday and it will do very nicely!  there was only a last name on the return address, but have an inkling who might have sent it....simple thanks are so inadequate for such a gift...my new and improved heart was doing cartwheels!

already drool stains on every page....yes, it's THAT good!  last year had sold my "primarily quilts" mostly because it contained all very large and complicated quilts that i knew i would never make...it's a beautiful book, but it should be used.  betsy's book, however, contains only a few large quilts and mostly small wall projects that are simply stunning...every single one!  only sheer will kept me from pulling fabric for each and every one.  but now the big decision is which one to make first....i'll keep you posted!   **** and post script from yesterday's post about dora's quilt.  got an email from the book's author, janet finley, who was delightfully surprised to see my rendition and has some info from one of dora's relatives she'll be sharing with me.  so anxious to learn more about her....if only the quilt could be found and could talk!

channeling dora

some years ago, i saw a photo in an issue of "quilt life," the now-defunct magazine of alex anderson/ricky tims that came from this book by janet finley...

chock full of wonderful examples of quilters and their quilts. one caveat: there are many post-mortem photos, mostly babies and children, also included.  one of the photos in the magazine was this...

most likely a wedding photo of dora petty-wood, age 23 in 1904, displaying her wedding gifts.  it is not known if the quilt was one she received or one she herself made.  the last line of the article in the book was "i wonder what this quilt would look like in color."  well, wonder no more, ms. finley....

this is my interpretation of dora's quilt.  the pattern in the quilt intrigued me and got filed away as a possible reproduction project.  fast forward more than 100 years and it is now nearly done.  densely hand quilted and destined as a donation, it has been a nearly year's project.  for some time i had tried to find the magazine article so i could use the original picture and put it on my label.  thanks to my local library, it has been found.   you can read more about dora on find-a-grave.com....she lived to her 90s, had six children married to a man 29 years her senior.  the whereabouts of the quilt at the book's writing (2012) was unknown.  i hope dora would be flattered...

tuesday sewing

spent tuesday sewing more of the potholders by day and quilting on the donation quilt by night....the turkeys also got basted and now ready to quilt...thanksgiving only 6 weeks away???  unbelievable!

dear daughter spent the weekend and we had a girls pj party of sorts....she left with 2 quilted pillows, 1 runner and 2 wall quilts for her home.  in return she gave me this bag that i had been ogling for some time....

up early this morning to try out a new recipe and it is delish!  it's cheddar zucchini quick bread, yummy right out of the oven but toasted will be as good...something about autumn that sends my cooking muse into overdrive; must be the yankee gene of putting by, saving the harvest, preserving the summer bounty....when i was a child, our only winter green beans were those my family had canned in the summer, unlike today's market offerings.

and also made a batch of chocolate orange biscotti....for the same price as a supermarket package, got a large supply of these that are ideal for dipping in hot chocolate...

back to enjoying autumn!