a week to go...

with plenty on the 'to do' list yet....today ventured to the shore again for more of this...

met up with NH friend vic in freeport and she brought me this lovely bundle of birthday blues!

since my blue scrappy is nearly done, these will fit nicely into the stash for future projects....if you hop over to her blog, no doubt she has posted a photo of us chowing down fresh lobster roll (hers) and steamers (me) at harraseeket lunch and lobster where the parking lot is always full!

can't beat a maine lobster shack!

more fun....

perfect weather for outdoors so headed to the coast but first a visit to 'busy thimble' shop...repros from floor to rafters...good thing my budget was limited and i had preselected some jo morton indigos, a few pinks, a couple of di ford prints and a nice purple..

awesome peacocks!   and on arrival at cyndi's shop, spied some very tall deep purple hollyhocks strutting their stuff....my grandmother had hollyhocks in her yard and they always remind me of her...then it was onward to pemaquid point, a favorite spot with gentle breezes and sparkling ocean..

after a scrumptious lunch and some relaxation, onward to boothbay harbor and more ocean sights....plus some gently lapping waves...finally into vacation mode after a shocking start of car accident with the rental (yes AGAIN this year) that was not my fault and no injuries, but unnerving as it occurred only 15 min after picking up the rental.  had to switch vehicles and refocus on having fun.....

rough day

after a very long travel day arrived at maine destination where it was still hot and humid....but the itinerary had been mapped out so first day trekked to a very chic lobster shack where we dined in the rough on fresh delicious fish!  the vistas right off the travel brochure but so typical of any small fishing village...

this photo could have been snapped at any one of fish piers all along the coast....nothing fancy at all but the view and the delicious fresh food prepared simply--no CIA-trained chefs need apply!  

and no coastal trip would be complete without a finish like this....

a stop at our favorite lobster pound then scooted back to pop them in a hot pot for several yummy lobster rolls, again prepared simply without celery, lettuce, herbs or fancy bread....just a new england style top cut bun, some mayo and the lobster....fancy chefs take note!

done and done!

oooh loving this horribly hot weather!  so fantastic for hanging out with the air conditioner and sewing machine!  happy to say finished these 2 small wall quilts--not official UFOs--but done nevertheless. 

made excellent headway on my official UFO of blue scrappy strips top as well.  *** ran out very early and opened up the grocery store for a few necessary items, then quickly back to the cool.  tomorrow the reprieve air arrives and it will be welcomed....but one day left to retreat into the quilty space....isn't life grand!

ADDENDUM:   oh nooooo!  while sewing on the sleeve realized had made an error sewing the rows together....sheesh....silly me!   it's staying that way i'm afraid....chalk it up to being imperfect....no surprise to anyone i'm sure...

a proclamation

Be it known that on this day, July 18th, in the year of our Lord 2019, the quilting has begun on this behemoth queen size quilt known as 365 challenge.   The idea of tracking actual hours required to finish crossed my mind briefly, but instead will take notice only of beginning and finishing dates.  the quilt is destined to grace the bed of dear daughter and son-in-law.  in the interim, some small wall quilts and tied donation quilts may be finished to initiate progress on the seemingly stagnant unfinished project list.

actual pattern and design for the quilting is somewhat flexible due to the enormous amount of seams in the many 3" blocks, but may be resigned to stitching in the ditch in those areas.  using aurifil 28 wt thread in a very pale ice blue tint, hoping the nearly full spool will be enough.  there will be a brief detour from this when thread to finish 'cabana daydreams' is on hand after vacation, as that is nearly done.  I attest this a true and factual account, sealed by my hand and signature....citymouse quilter!

home stretch?

well, being a mostly "glass half full" person i'd say yes indeed!

this project got started when hector was a pup, meaning eons ago....it's my perennial busy box sewing that gets toted everywhere there might be time to sew up a square or two.  only one more row meaning 64 more bow ties (63 really as i've got one left over)....decided to call it joseph's technicolor bowties....and i think it'll finally finish off the plum solid i bought at my first lancaster retreat in 2010....3 yards of it!   i'll definitely hand quilt and keep this one as it's probably something only its mother could love....but maybe down the road somebody else will too.   and while flipping thru a book, quilty muse inspired me to another wall quilt i've been wanting to make....first to finish the plaids tho.....had hoped 'cabana daydreams' would be done by now but the variegated thread has slithered off someplace so have to wait a while to see if it comes back, otherwise gotta replace. 

another detour

the july list has once again taken a back seat to some fun sewing....recently acquired this book...

ideal for me as much of my stash is fat quarters......inside was this project....

pretty plaids that enticed my quilty muse, so what's a quilter to do but....

once again, my choices resulted in a higher contrast.......will brighten up the apartment nicely i think.....good to get back to sewing after nearly a week tending to dear daughter who had successful surgery last week.   unfortunately the aftercare at this mega-city hospital was horrific at best.  some scary medication errors and lack of basic tasks left us leery and quite concerned for her postop well being.  thankfully our God watched over her and she came home quickly and is recovering quickly as well.   ***  it's a very hot week here with triple-digit temps by saturday.....time to stock up and hibernate!

update

no posts due to mom duties....more later....

detour sewing

left off my july list was the monthly rainbow scrap challenge blocks....but now they are done and they DO sew up very quick!   found some pink strips in the tote and some in the scrap basket but did have to raid the stash for a few.

now have 28 blocks done with 20 more to go....have no idea what they'll be used for but there are always donation requests of some sort.   ***  oppressive hot and humid weather here for the duration, at least until next week and probably beyond.  they are good days to stay in the cool and sew and, unlike snow days, much easier to run out for quick errands as the need arises....not at all like being snowed in.  ***  working the bernina every day with some things that can't be revealed yet.  cabana daydreams is on hold as the variegated thread has gone AWOL, along with a small USB drive.  had a hissy fit over it yesterday but both can be replaced.  as far as the USB goes, old stuff from laptop like medical expenses, tons of quilt photos, probably some old correspondence so nothing uber-secretive.  still, it's a feeling of being violated that infuriates me....back to sewing R and R.....

before and after

BEFORE july 4th, posted a list of goals for july....now AFTER happy to say one goal has been met!  it's the scrappy wall quilt that no longer takes up design wall space....this was the first version....the BEFORE

i tried following the values in the book  (Betsy Chutchian's 'quilts for all seasons') but found that my lights were too light, soooooo after some ripping and re-sewing, this is the final version aka AFTER....

today is declutter, a few household chores, and more tackling of the july list.  happy to say all pieces cut for the guild's october challenge plus more bow ties for the seemingly never-ending project that i think is nearly ready for flimsy stage.  got the newly acquired stash washed and dried and ready to use as well.   indulged in a celebratory hamburger for lunch, a welcome change from chicken!  july marches on and so must i!