bad weather = great sewing

the snow queen passed us by, but cold rain and slippery spots made for a weekend of great sewing!

finished another 1.5 rows for this project....with 11 days left in january and only 1.5 rows to make, it just might get to the flimsy stage.  the rows need to be sewn together and the circles appliqued so it'll be close...am truly liking this more and more....it'll be hand quilted of course and will be a nice scrappy when finished....first, tho, have to go and cut more pieces.   it's a bad habit of mine, i confess, to start things without calculating the exact number of pieces needed.  i've reformed somewhat in that area but not entirely....

no snow sew day

even tho 1-3" was predicted, then downgraded to 1", aside from very few morning flakes we are getting "thick rain"...sort of a rain/slush precip...a bit sticks to the windows but otherwise the ground is wet.   no plans were on the agenda today aside from the usual (meals, dress, make bed) but plenty of sewing plans were made...first up was to finish all 18 sew along blocks, and now they are done!

they'll stay on the design wall until the construction phase, probably february or whenever joseph's coat flimsy is done.  these gave me a chance to cut into some 'stash on the shelf' fabrics for the first time, one of which was clearly marked 2013....seven years ago.  it was a half-yard piece but even so, just reinforces the wake-up call of shopping stash first and ALWAYS from here on....

4 done, 14 to go

my little stars for the cecile sew-along....

though i had no intention of doing a sew-along, inspiration from a jo morton little quilt had been percolating in my mind for some time...thought the sew-along would give me the push needed to finally make it...here is jo's version...

i love the colors....mine won't be exactly like this, of course....but same colors and those cute little stars....i used a pattern from the 2017 JLWC that i've only glanced thru since purchasing 3 years ago...makes the stars easy peasy!  they work up very fast now that all the pieces have been cut....otherwise my sewing time has been spent on the joseph's coat repro scrappy (machine) and the blue/white (hand quilting)....with january half over, no time to waste on working toward some sort of finish.  *****   and here is an unsolicited recommendation.....

a new quilters' select ruler received in a give-away.....if you have a green mat and have been using omnigrid rulers with those bright yellow lines, you will find this a treat!   switching from the omnigrid to this felt immediate resolution of glare.....the subdued yellow background with black lines are so much easier on the eyes with this green mat.   though my budget won't permit replacing all my rulers--not all are omnigrid--i might consider investing in a larger size that is used often; yes, it's THAT good.   just my humble opinion of course, but if you have a chance to compare, by all means do. 

sunday wrap up

nearly the entire of this beautiful near 70-degree day was spent with betty bernina and a UFO/challenge project. my online group is running an "inspiration" challenge.  choose some project--from book, magazine, internet--that inspired me to make.  pulled out a UFO that was up for adoption but alas, no takers.  since it was mine permanently, decided to get re-acquainted and ramp up the mojo....

you might have seen part of 2 rows on my design wall, but today sat down and got the 2 rows done and started on a 3rd.   in all there are 5 rows so almost half done!   some of the circles have been appliqued but not all.   even so, pretty satisfied with how smooth the going has been.  was hoping to have a flimsy by the end of january and can see it is entirely possible...thinking now it will be hand quilted.   all in all, a very good day!   ***  and while today was machine day, yesterday was hand quilting day.  a nagging low-grade respiratory illness finally progressed and got some treatment, but that made saturday a recuperative day.   finally, a good report from cardioman on all the testing started the weekend off in fine form.  there was improvement in some areas and status quo in others, a huge relief, thanks to the cardiac rehab team and many praises to God for protection in my toxic environment.  now bring on Monday!

a finish and a start

today finished sewing the binding on this small piece, first finish of 2020, that used up only 1.5 yards...it's "union star" from the book "the blue and the gray" by etherington and tesene....

the colors are faves.....used up scraps and that is always good....and my friend wendy enticed me into signing on for a sew along by cecile....it's something that has been on my want list for some time, a jo morton design, again using the indigo prints i love....

 

the sew-along is for minimum 16 blocks....mine will be 4" finished....and then used in a project.   it isn't going on an official "2020 start" list as it will be done before year's end...just one of those things i've wanted to make for some time, kept looking at it but never got further than that--until now.  i have enough sewing time to do this and continue with my other UFOs as well....and just for fun, another panel that was donated to the senior center....

so cute and just perfect for spring or easter (bunnies!) to which i added a delicate print--a gift--with bunnies as well...thinking of another border, spring green maybe? with some pink scallops added....it'll be gifted when done....not a lot of work involved but a nice seasonal decoration....blogger is acting up so not sure how this post will actually look once published....

utility sewing

there are times in the life of every quilter that utility sewing is a must.....before christmas realized my potholder situation was dire...oh i could have gone to the dollar store and spent $2 on a couple of imported potholders but nooooo! 

saw this pattern on the web someplace and figured would be easy to zip up a couple--or more.   fast forward, after 6+ hours of sewing time and the $1.50 for the silver cloth (on sale 1/4 yard), they are done. thought i might possibly make some to sell but would have to charge $10 each at least for all the work and materials...LOL!  no matter, i now have 2 very chic and classy potholders....now to think up projects for the rest of those selvedges....

so soon?

meaning, have already caved and started a new project....actually it was started before the new year....while flipping thru the old quilters' newsletter magazines, cut out some photos that made my fingers itch....

the colors were wow!  and just happened to have some green apple solid on hand for a wall quilt...but the sample block was ho-hum and fussier than i was in the mood to deal with....so rummaged thru and founds lots of little amish 9-patches that were quickly turned into 16-patches.....next pulled out my trusty math resource to see if the green i had would be enough...

this was published by quilters' newsletter back in the early 1980s and is a MUST for any quilter, but especially this math flunky quilter....was glad to find some updated references pages in the old mags that i pulled out and filed away in this book--for rotary cutting since there were NO rotary cutters when it was published--yes that's how old it is!  so, enough green solid on hand....fired up betty bernina and in no time had 20 of the 16-patch solid blocks.   today after very careful cutting and sewing, ended up with this colorful flimsy...

much brighter in person of course, but really happy with the result.  no name yet but just tickled that it came out so well and all my measuring was perfect.  even though it was soon enough for a new project, not quite soon enough for the green as there is a faint fade line that i mostly cut around...only visible really on close inspection, but it doesn't detract from the piece.   ***  under the weather 3 days due to druggie and smoker neighbors who have made this week miserable.   i am simply furious that management lied to me about the smoking before i even moved and has done practically nothing to stop it.  the offenders are selfish, nasty, rude and adamant in their complete disregard for other tenants and completely ignore their lease.  in any given month, always a few debilitating days because of these reprehensible and repulsive individuals.  extremely disappointed with the entire place--no regular entertainment to speak of i.e. no FUN, many tenants quite infirmed so closer to nursing home environment than senior housing resulting in lack of upbeat attitude of many, management staff who are indifferent and uninterested in residents' safety.  i don't feel old or think of myself as old and this is totally the wrong environment for me.  i plan to live until i die, not waste away by inches mired in gloom and in jeopardy from selfish behavior of others.  their idea of entertainment is some has-been elvis impersonator telling raunchy jokes....the attitude of most is gimme gimme gimme and if you don't, i'll just take because i'm entitled....huh??   no, this definitely is NOT the right place for me at all!

2020 roaring in!

always get excited about a new year....it's a clean slate, an air of expectancy about what's ahead.  the melancholia of late summer/fall has lifted and feel energized, going full throttle!   this year had its challenges and found i had to step back from some fun things that became less so...a season without commitments was a healing potion and am now more cautious about saying "yes" that involves my time and efforts as annoying medical issues occasionally erupt.  cardioman told me it was a "new normal" and now 2+ years out, have a clear picture of what that "normal" is....anyway, wagons ho!...

once again this year, i'll be coordinating my daily schedule with the crawleys....LOL...my daughter gifted me this so i won't miss any luncheons, dinner parties or fox hunts and perhaps another downton wedding?  mustn't forget edith and bertie's christening party either!

the UFO list and stash are healthy and the 2020 fun begins today.....i'll take a cup of kindness (iced tea) with thanksgiving, gratefulness and cheer for another year.....for auld lang syne!  

december list done!

it's a rainy and dreary day here, but had a number of things wanted to finish in december so plodded on....today was able to cross off everything on that list....first up a lap robe for the guild, not due until early in the new year, but it's done with a soft flannel backing....

next up were a few zipper purses that have been sitting around for far too long, now done and with destinations in mind....except the blue one that i'm keeping....

last is another UFO that used up nearly the last of the cheddar/indigo FQ bundle by penny rose that purchased long ago....the remaining very small scraps were sent to janet for her mini quilts. 

this finish leaves me with 35 official UFOs for 2020 without starting anything new--how likely is that?  not very i'd say....for the next two days can focus on my blue/white and prepping for new year arrival...signing up at my new fitness center, some household stuff, one more laundry run...it just isn't the same without guy lombardo!

in the hoop

just finished quilting a small quilt that is waiting for binding, so pulled out next in line to get started....a nap yesterday afternoon tempted me to pull an all-nighter to get a serious head start, but finally caved around midnight.

it's a blue and white, mostly indigo prints, just right for winter quilting....i love blue and blue/white quilts....antique ones especially....but even the crispness of stark white makes me swoon every time...this is a bed size with a poly batt, so easy to quilt with no special design, just quarter inch inside seams free form....a perfect cold weather project to start off 2020....the official UFO list is at 35 with almost half wall quilts, so hoping to make a serious dent in projects waiting for quilting.   ***  last year our guild presented a Quilt of Valor to a WWII vet in his early 90s....he was frail but able to come and receive his award in person....a couple of weeks ago he passed away, a distinguished veteran and true patriot....i am so thankful we chose him for an award...well deserved.