first monday

of november, that is....the year is whizzing by and seasonal/holiday ideas are in full swing.  november has ushered in cool and sometimes cold temps here in the northern part of the south.  the extra quilt is now fully on the bed, the flannels and jackets are in daily use.  the 365 is moving along with delightful progress.  this is where i am now...

some of the quilting stitches reminiscent of a 3-year-old with the DTs...LOL....just a few more squares and i'll be turning the corner to the last side of the 2nd dark border.... then it's on to the final border of 6" light squares....am super happy about getting this behemoth done!  i may even end up liking this quilt....and with colder temps, a pot of chowder was in order....

and earlier made muffins for the freezer.....

a huge butternut squash was also cooked and sent to the freezer....it must be a yankee habit of storing up for the winter.....as a child watched my great-grandmother, grandmother, aunts and mother process green beans, tomatoes, beets, carrots, cranberries, plus all kinds of pickles and fruits to enhance meals thru the winter and beyond.  we felt privileged to have these items on our table so far out of season, a testament to endless hours of garden and kitchen work.  fast forward 50-60 years and the rows of jars in the cellar have disappeared but the memories remain....now bring on the week!

the big 2nd anniversary!

it's 2 years today since the big heart fix....and you might think i'm going overboard here, but if you have had this surgery you know otherwise.  it is brutal and monumentally life altering, complicating every single aspect of life, and quite likely without the surgery there would be no blog post at all....many tasks now are possible  but others still need improvement.  even tho my awful neighbors seem to be trying to kill me, it hasn't worked so far....i won't tell you it has been smooth sailing...far from it.  plenty of rogue waves engulfed me, riptides and many times blown off course.  it's a patch job that ushers in the start of a very high maintenance life, so difficult for me who has always been a get-up-and-go person.   i've cried an ocean of tears, been on top of the world, had many sleepless nights, plenty of inpatient visits, a gazillion lab tests, many repetitive cardiac tests, endless office visits, boring and tasteless salt-free meals and juggling dietary restrictions, more exercise in 2 years than the 68 before, a matterhorn-size stack of pills.  i've had to give away half my clothes and forego many fun events with great disappointment.  chicken is now on the endangered species list because i eat so much of it...LOL!  at my last doctor visit, i even told him i had changed my mind about having the bypass done because some days it is just that overwhelming....a very few...but of course so very thankful it was done.   i wish i could return to work part time but doesn't seem to be in the cards....snacking on potato chips, doritos, cheetos, pizza, french fries or movie popcorn has been a difficult habit to break...but do have a wee treat every so often without any issue.  i try to remember how far i've progressed, the days spent with family and friends, lots of quilting fun and just plain living.  i was never going to be a dancing diva, do cartwheels, change the world or run marathons...life is still very good!

whooooo?

has a birthday today?   that would be brother #2.....seen here in his very early days...

my mother's babies 3 and 4 were both born with the family auburn hair, and those bright eyes and clenched fists haven't changed too much.  he lives far away but is in our thoughts and prayers constantly.....he is the halloween baby, a definite treat!

getting there

cooler temps are here to stay so working on this huge quilt is uber comfy!

almost ready to turn the 2nd corner on this second border.  each block being different gives this task a bit of fun....i am thinking this will be finished by thanksgiving maybe?   that's well ahead of my end-of-year goal and would be terrific, giving me a chance to knock off a couple of small UFOs before 2020 arrives.   ***  it's the weekend again and have little on the agenda except the usual....and i'm wired for the weekend aka cardiac monitor to get a better idea of medication and exercise effects....hard to believe in 7 days it'll be two whole years since the life-changing event!

fancy to plain...

after all the fancy quilting on the flag challenge project, now with the 365 it's simply with a capital "S".....this quilt has about a billion more seams than any bonnie hunter scrappy and it is huge in size, for me anyway....it's 90" square and will be just right for daughter and son-in-law and is probably the only quilt i'll ever make this size. 
quilting the center medallion is DONE and happy to say that the first border of dark value 3" squares is also just about finished...

was lying in bed thinking ruminating about how this could be quilted and light bulb moment revealed that simple is best and same for every block is the very best.  so that is what i chose....you can just see that each little square has quilting just 1/4" inside with all the rustic imperfections!   the next border---light made of 6" squares--will be quilted simply as well...according to design of block, but if the block is constructed of 4 units, it'll get the same small block treatment.  still with 10 days in october and hoping to get that second border done before the big surgery anniversary on november 1st--all saints' day--so apropos for the cardiac surgeon and long list of other health professionals who extended my life. *** and with october, jack makes his annual appearance....

looking good for 40 years old, doncha think? made this the very year i started quilting and he's tagged along for all the horrendous moves and storage episodes....what tales he could tell!  no doubt he's happy to have a real home now....even tho to me it doesn't seem so.  with no ocean nearby how could it be??

and the loser is....

well, not just mine i'm sure....altho since i missed the meeting can't be totally positive!  the challenge was to select a state flag and use ALL the colors in the flag in the project.  my choice was Louisiana, only 5 colors in the flag.

the pattern chosen was storm at sea--had seen an article about the encroaching sea water into the marshes and the inevitable loss of bountiful shrimping along with several livelihoods....i call it "bayou sampler" as it is densely quilted with different patterns.  now that it's done, will next find it a home.

and what else is going on? the last of the solid bow ties are now in process....48 of  'em so this will definitely be a flimsy before 2019 flies....

and the amish star ornaments ready for sewing closed....these are 3" finished....

and wouldn't be a week without a new start....homage to gwen marston playing with more solids....have plenty of precut scraps so just a few minutes resulted in these that'll be another small piece to finish quickly...

i do believe i could sew nearly all week with just these scraps!  *** selling raffle tix, some hands-on mother duties and a few pesky medical appointments (boo) along with regular YMCA visits (yay) rounded out the week.....happily donning sweats and long sleeve shirts for this spectacular autumn weather....and since the maryland move, actually look forward to winter...but not quite yet.  first up will be a very important anniversary just 2 weeks from today!

reputation intact

the one about being a non-perfectionist quilter that is....this got started to "use up" some batik scraps  (the quilter's mantra!)....it's paper pieced and once i started assembling, knew those pesky bias edges were going to solidify aforementioned reputation....it's called "aurora borealis" and it'll at least brighten up somebody's wall...

if i were starting this now, would use the light starch spray that would no doubt help, but hindsight is always 20/20 as my wise lawyer told me many years ago, and he was so right.   did i use up those scraps?  i see those heads shaking....so another non-bias edge project has been chosen for the ever-expanding scraps.   this is an official UFO; hoping to get it done before 2020 arrives.  ***   in addition to this project, am finishing up a guild challenge that is moot since the reveal was last night.  had hoped to garner at least 3rd prize which would get me a couple of "quiltmania" issues at the local shop, but will now put that on my personal christmas list, letting my "quiltmaker" subscription go. ***  fall has finally arrived here in the catoctin mountains valley....all it took was a teensy weensy tilt of the earth and presto! those pesky 90s were gone until next summer.  everyone is glad and seems to be loving the cooler, crisp days and downright chilly nights.  another quilt has appeared on the bed along with comfy flannels and long sleeves.  a trip to the local orchard for cider and a few last cucumbers was taken where this was spied...

gently winding back roads reveal turning and falling leaves evoking a new england feel.  first pot of chowder has been made and consumed.  sweet cider is in the refrigerator.  my last local tomato is now gone.  dear daughter has planned a yankee pot roast dinner.  plans for next summer's beach vacation are shaping up.  ***  weekend plans include much-needed household chores, finishing up some guild selling items and perhaps baking a pan of yeast rolls....and always quilting of course!

finally finished

when mom and i lived near the beach, we went every chance we got...any season but especially summer.  this is one of many photos i took of nearly the exact same view...

all the pretty umbrellas against the bluest sky and water....i wanted to imprint it in my memory to recall and relive forever....even now when i close my eyes, i am right back there....a memory that morphed into a fabric reality named cabana daydreams!

not the greatest photo but couldn't wait to put it to use....here is a peek of the scrappy binding....3 different yellows were used but even up close, it is not noticeable at all...

this idea came to life when a generous anonymous quilter mailed me a box of various fabrics that included 3 charm packs of these bright and colorful fabrics that jump started my modern quilty muse and took off at warp speed....with (hopefully) only 2 more days of sweltering summer temps...today and tomorrow....this quilt will keep those beach days with me, not to mention brighten AND warm the coming cooler days and nights.  this one is a keeper for sure!  and again, designer is shayla wolf--she calls her pattern 'wynkoop court'

and with this finish, immediately moved the frame over to 365....since it's october 1st, have 85 days to get 'er done...now THAT is a challenge for sure!  

it's a busy week so no time to spare! first up, tho, is turn on the a/c!

weekend sewing

even though my primary task this past weekend was trying to breathe---very suffocating, noxious neighbors plus laundry room dryer fumes---did manage to get in some sewing time on a variety of things while watching repeats of ken burns' "country music." it was a fantastic series equally as good as his series on "jazz"....the cabana daydreams is nearly finished, probably tomorrow's post...the rest of the weekend sewing was devoted to guild projects.  *** first up was to prep kits for a senior center workshop.....then pulled out some solid scraps on hand and sewed up this little quilt or possibly table topper

it needs squaring up and then basted/quilted...this will be a machine quilted piece....next, made up some tiny stars for ornaments.  my friend janet is a master miniature quilt piecer but not me at all...made 8 of these, again for a guild event..here are 4 ready for stuffing....

lastly, caved and sorta started a new project, pattern on hand since 2008, called bohemian charm, designed by sarah maxwell and dolores smith in an issue of 'american quilt and patchwork'.....

i love the mix of traditional pattern and modern prints....need to make 29 of these 4.5" churn dash blocks....pulled out some on-hand nickel pairs....no rush on this but hoping to end 2019 with about 10 finishes and only a few starts soooo....you know the rest!  ***  not much else new in this land of summer temps and falling leaves....have a few other guild things to finish up after a joann's run and with cabana done, the 365 gets tackled in earnest...

still summer?

yes indeed.....yesterday and today, then a break but returning on the weekend...so a/c whirs while i happily sit and sew.....

total of 24 blocks, 12 each color....it'll get tied and sent along....looks great but while i sewed, my fresh green beans got cremated...LOL!   the black print was from the guild along with some salmon color pieces, but not enough of any one piece for the 12 blocks, so pulled from my own stash. ***  last full week of september and my to-do list for the last quarter is in process....first is to finally finish cabana daydreams tho.....