mystery finished!

while most are starting bonnie hunter's mystery, today i finished up part of one i started from a previous year....these were pieces in a bag on the shelf for far too long, so finished up into blocks and will donate......

i usually don't do mystery challenges but the colors sucked me in and then fizzled....i'm sure they will find a good home and a purpose....next up was a charity lap robe size, 24 blocks of 10" finished....so the top is just about half done.  this will get tied with black floss and then donated..... should be gone before december is! 

lastly, had one more panel to make into a portrait....got 2 done last year and this one will be done for this winter.   the other 2 are strictly christmas, but this one can be kept up all winter long....was a freebie donated to the senior center and kinda cute....

that's what friday accomplished....just a bit of giftie sewing left and the rest of the year is clear for some basting, some small thingie finishes and knock off at least one more UFO.... with just a few weeks until the days begin to lengthen, this year has totally flown by....so many prayers answered and blessings experienced....i think of a cousin who lost her mom last year on christmas day and my heart just breaks, even though we are not in touch.  having my mom still with us this year spry and sharp-minded is the greatest gift....God is good indeed!

a blessed thanksgiving

unless you just arrived here from another galaxy far, far away, you have already been saturated with christmas and thanksgiving is almost completely forgotten....but we of the new england ilk hold thanksgiving in high esteem....first order of the day is to muzzle all the food police and nutrition pests who feel compelled to control the choices of everyone else.  as long as i have free will and am of sound mind, i'll enjoy the traditional holiday meal--in moderation of course--without calorie or content guilt and hope you do the same.  aside from that, hoping you have family and/or good friends to gather with and forget about christmas entirely, if possible.  i'll close with my very favorite thanksgiving drawing, done by a talented artist well known to me....happy thanksgiving all!

sunday stuff

it's been a quiet weekend here in lake woebegone maryland....weather mild, gray, dreary and sometimes wet....but sewing continues!  first on the list was a couple of giftie things that are under wraps for now....then got my gwen marston inspiration piece to the flimsy stage...

this might get basted before december finishes....but it will go on the 2020 UFO list.....then with a new year looming, my organization bug is in overdrive....had some baggies with pieces and some little piles of stuff set aside for future projects.   first cut up the piles and kitted everything needed for those planned projects, then emptied a baggie with some already-sewn units from a bonnie hunter mystery that got started then derailed....have enough units for 12 blocks of this...

these would be ideal for a little girl quilt as the light lavender is paper dolls.....not sure if i'll make this up or if the blocks will get donated...either way the baggie is empty and languishing pieces on the super highway outta here....then it was an hour or so of scrap maintenance as the 2" strip tote was jam packed.   pulled all the short pieces--less than 10"--and cut them up into squares, going into the 2" squares tote which has plenty of room.  ***  this time of year is always exciting to me with holiday traditions and clearing the decks for a new year.   keeping things orderly gives me more time to sew and plan new projects.   ***   and a plant-based thanksgiving dinner???  a fellow dieter years ago told me thanksgiving dinner is bread in every color--stuffing, squash, peas, white and sweet potatoes, gravy thickened with flour....she was right!   don't need thanksgiving to be thankful for so many blessings in my life....

monday report

first up, a finish!!  slept peacefully after this very long-term project got completed....much like the hawaiian i made.  this 365 was by far the biggest quilt i've ever tackled and, thanks to the passage of time, haven't a clue why i originally started it in 2016.  i was homeless, couch surfing with most of my stuff in storage save for a few clothes, my featherweight and a grocery sack of scraps.  after 3 months an apartment came thru and the big move south, again with few items, the sewing machine and scraps.  this is going to my daughter and son-in-law as it's way too large for my use.  i would have given the top away if she hadn't spied and claimed it.  it isn't my best piecing or quilting, but it's done, isn't a cheap import and it has a home.  the entire quilt made from stash--not a bit was bought.  the final tally was 13.25 yards.....including the scrappy binding. 

with the 365 done, quickly moved on to some other sewing...during quiet early morning hours got this first of four blocks basted.....

and some time at the machine working on my gwen marston inspiration blocks...only a few more for this small 5x5 wall quilt....

these are 4" finished and border is red, all cut and ready to attach. ***  with end of year approaching, taking stock of year's accomplishments and revamping the UFO list for 2020....happy to say made good progress with finishes and only a handful of small project starts.  have also ramped up my exercise routine a bit in prep for one more cardiac test in a few weeks.  wish it wasn't so high maintenance but the payoff is so worth it....i know i am blessed with reasonably good health despite the supreme efforts....now back to sewing!

in the hoop

do you spy something different in my quilting hoop?  yes indeed!  this is a small piece assembled from the scrap pile and it'll be a quick finish....

and it's in the hoop because this is happening!! 

the 365 binding is being pinned on....oooh am giddy with delight at getting this finished so far ahead of what had originally hoped (end of december)....in the nick of time too because dear daughter and her hubby are in need of a big warm quilt....she loves it and i love giving it to them....and even with the mega-quilting time, did manage to do a bit of organizing.....went thru some of my elfa drawers, emptied 2 and consolidated some notions stuff in 2 others....

streamlining and culling "stuff" gives me more time to sew and quilt and others benefit from my discards, a win/win all around!

salute to veterans

and just the other day, found this on facebook....awesome!  thank you all past and present veterans for your service....and especially to all the veterans in my own family starting with the revolution, all brave and determined individuals. 

halloween's over....

and it seems that many think christmas comes next!   television and stores have ramped up christmas related programs, sales, gift ideas, etc...and with bazaars and fairs imminent, sewing has joined the fray...

these cute panels were donated to the senior center and decided to use some of them for holiday potholders....2 will be used in one potholder and i think i have enough for 5 potholders....pulled out the strip shoeboxes and these sewed up PDQ....should all be done this weekend and i'll post the finishes later....but first up today got the binding ready for the 365.  again used 3 prints from the stash and am super excited about getting this one done.  this quilt is going to family so scrappy binding isn't an issue....

gotta put it aside a bit this weekend for some necessary household duties...laundry basket overflowing!

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!