wednesday report

while i have been sewing since the last post, have also been tackling spring cleaning....vacuuming, washing floors, dusting, cleaning the fridge, collecting thrift items, moving furniture....it's been a while since i could do all this in just a few days!   most of my sewing has been hand quilting, hand piecing and cutting up...but this morning betty and i finished these blocks...

barbara brackman's "stars in her crown" sew along....one for each of queen victoria's children...there is a similar star-like border but not going there...gonna dig thru the stash to see if there's a nice border print to finish them off....
for hand sewing, picked up "midnight at the oasis" to stitch up the next step....these "wow" triangles and their setting pieces....

still in my kaffe groove obviously...just can't get enough of these gorgeous fabrics.....at some point in my travels going to be looking for a lime (batik maybe?) print for the narrow borders in this large wall quilt....as for cutting,

cutting up this pile into pieces for future quilts for a friend....now that the fairies wall quilt is just about done (photo later), this project and assembling the QOV top are the last two commitments on my list...2 more UFOs are already in the hoops--a wall quilt and a bed quilt--so continuing on with my goal to FINISH stuff this year.

marooned....

meaning the car is on the sick list...spending much more time in the sewing space browsing thru books....meaning more projects?  could be...in kaffe fassett's book on quilts from the V&A, saw this...actually had seen it before but another look was electrifyingly tempting.   love, love, love it...it's big at 94" square but the borders are 10" so the size issue can be remedied...

on hold until more UFOs are done and maybe then it won't be as tempting?  **** and it's the beginning of the end for this project...

the upside down border diagram section has been righted and the applique can commence...for which i'm thrilled...i think it was 1988 when i saw this pattern at a NH show, bought the pattern and have been inching away on it every so often...this could be the year it will finally adorn my wall!  *** and (gulp), did actually start a few new small projects from this tantalizing siren betsy chutchian book...

all this plus quilting on dear daughter's cross-stitch wall quilt, which should be done in another week?  should be anyway....especially since i'm MAROONED!

easy sewing green

it has been a topsy-turvy week so it felt comforting to sit and sew a bit today....car issues, cable TV issues, prescription issues, non-sleep issues all added up to a discombobulated atmosphere that hoping will settle down now. 

this month's rainbow scrap challenge color is green...naturally!  in between snow bursts (again this weekend!) , we are already seeing green with daffodils up about 4" and pansies blooming!  and once again, the strip tote held very few green fabrics so had to pull some stash to finish these blocks.  did manage to use up a couple of small pieces plus the strips i found.  after the blocks were done, added them to my RSC pile and set about clearing the decks, putting away and tidying up.  emptied an elfa drawer by consolidation creating space for stuff that was just lying about and causing chaos.  this block got unearthed and thought about what to do with it....

it was a senior center donation nobody wanted.  i knew the fabrics were old and contacted the local heritage society, but they refused it without a definite provenance to the county so i kept it.  it isn't perfect and badly stained, a triple irish chain block, only one.  decided that it'll get finished potholder style and displayed.  somebody made it, sewn by hand.  it's my way of paying tribute to an anonymous quilter.  *** and if you are a reader who likes a good yarn, a quasi-mystery with a cast of unbelievable, humorous and unconventional characters, can heartily recommend carl hiaasen and this one i'm currently reading...

it's an older book of his, but all those i've read so far are thoroughly entertaining....like his latest, "razor girl", about a nefarious couple whose job is staging car accidents to collect insurance money.  the girl is the driver, plowing into unsuspecting (male) drivers of expensive cars.  when the fuming victim pulls over and gets out to find out who hit him, he sees the girl shaving her very private parts, hence the title.   when i need laughs, colorful characters and a harmless mystery, always pick up a hiaasen novel....

not quilty....

a brief trip back in time to march of 1961....this little miss joined our family....and fast forward to today, her birthday....she has had a very tough go for over a year with lots of serious medical issues, admittedly some due to her own stubbornness, but even so, things that would knock many down for the count.  with 12 years between, we haven't been awfully close as siblings but she's important to our family....happy birthday dear sis...hang on tight and struggle like mad!

monday design wall

seven up!   almost current with this mini sewalong....block 8 (leopold) needs to be constructed, then next saturday is the last...

if you saw the pile of scraps, you'd think a whole lot of fabric got busted, but of course not!  did get to use some of the pretties being "saved" for a someday project.  ***  first thing this AM got these 2 wall quilts basted....so quilting the fairies will be tackled first.....

and last but not least, a photo of our birthday girl celebrating with bro #1 and his wife....she looks fantastic!

playing with scraps

after picking this up at the bookmobile the other day....

was itching to play with my own kaffe fabric scraps....so after working on some necessary sewing projects, opened up the blue plastic case that is jam-packed full of explosive color...

before long had cut all the tiny triangles for the next phase of this project, a legal UFO so nothing new...

omigosh, this is uber-colorful!  gonna really look wow on my institutional beige everything walls....and if you see OUR beauty today, wish her a happy birthday...it's my wonderful mom....

she says she doesn't feel a day over 25, but she's really.......

done!

another 6.5 yards out of the stash....and this is finished....not quite twin size but size ok for me...and yes, there ARE 2 different greens in this quilt....no matter....channeling some antique quilt maker...lol!   a small quilt has moved into the hoop for perhaps another finish before march roars in....we'll see!

snow day sew day

whereas 2-3" of snow is enough to shut down most everything, the arrival of 6-8" is a proverbial maryland blizzard....no problem for a sewist tho...had a very successful sewing day.  first thing, now we are 5, that's blocks for the brackman sew along...

while i like these star blocks a lot, looking forward to the last 4 and to get them off my plate.  block 8 is due out saturday and might just get 6 and 7 done before then, we'll see.  ***  so what else got sewn?

1.  finished the cross-stitch fairy top and now ready to baste and quilt; also prepped the binding for it.
2.  finished applique on another wall quilt that is also ready to baste and quilt.
3.  more on the amish churn dash that will see the finish today...that's the plan anyway.

plus baked an applesauce cake and a few household things rounded out the entire day.  spent every minute in enjoyable pursuits....is that good?  i think so.....

royal sewing

with the cold finally abating, able to do something else today besides blow my nose and pop tylenol...LOL!  first up, a project for my own princess....the cross-stitch diva....

her very delicate and precisely stitched fairy blocks....all it needs is side borders and then baste/quilt....they are adorable and she has already reserved a place for this....and betty was in a sewing mood so progressed to block 3 in the barbara brackman sew along...

am way behind on this with 4 blocks to get caught up, but maybe by next week...with only 9 total it'll be a quick finish...a great short SAL giving me the opportunity to use some really nice fabrics from the stash...and february half over???  impossible!!!  spring is coming tho as just this morning the sun was out and birds were chirping in the trees....

happy valentine's day!

The world may know my words, but it has no such privileges with my heart - Jane Austen