corona-cation, episode 26

could be this "cation" is winding down now that my fitness center is opening friday.  i'll not be on forced lounging after that....so here are a few photos of what i've been doing...

have deliberately avoided the baking craze for obvious reasons, but did make these oatmeal rolls as a sub for potatoes or pasta with meals, especially lunches.  i eat a lot of chicken salad and bread got boring and commercial artisan breads too much salt....

sampled and approval!  smaller than the photo depicts....just right for a small lunch sandwich with a side veg....

then there was a tad retail therapy....from jo morton's new line 'glad tidings'.....i have lots of reds and greens on hand (many of them her designs) but this mustard print is really gorgeous.....of course a neutral to go with...

lastly, a couple of close-up photos of my new england sampler....the "delicate toil of the needle" as hawthorne described is truly a salve for the unrelenting stress of recent days.   find myself gravitating toward working on it more and more.....

the four corner baskets are done and now can start adding the flowers.....there are more leaves to cut and applique but they get boring...today it's back to the plaid triangles.  enough foundations at hand for 2 more rows, which gets this flimsy to the half done stage....even with life at a semi-standstill, the days fly by....july is on the horizon!

corona-cation, episode 25

a weekend of pleasant diversions.....saturday was a picture perfect june day and a leisurely drive to trader joe's, where there was a line waiting to get in.  what to do?  go find a quick lunch place and make the leisurely drive back to the village!  sunday was a guest at 'downton abbey' with those uppity but nice crawleys watching them solve their various aristocratic conflicts.  there was plenty of sewing going on too....first up, lots of quilting time on this project where the border is now in progress...

had planned elaborate feather border, but the stencil was really too close a fit, so went for plan B.  should be a june finish.....then over to the machine for some quality time with the old viking.....a few more of these little blocks that may end up being a bed size, not sure, but they are fun to make......

then for diversion, pulled out my scrappy DWR drawer to cut out the necessary melons and connecting pieces....thankfully i used a stock kona cotton as more will be needed.  from now on i will definitely buy 4 yards of anything planned for backgrounds....then thought i would sew up a few units to polish my machine curve sewing skills....a few tweaks but good result....

ooohh be still my heart....i am quite happy about this one and already thinking about hand quilting patterns.....but it'll have to wait its turn....also caved for a teensy bit of retail therapy, a couple of jo morton's new 'glad tidings' pieces.... **** our county is still awaiting confirmation of fitness center openings later this week.  fingers crossed and if that does indeed happen, then sewing time will be rearranged.  working out and sewing will leave very little time for news and that's a very good thing!

corona-cation, episode 24

"you're a grand old flag...."

even though this flag represents a country that was founded without consideration of me, a woman, as a citizen, and even though the constitution was written without me in mind, i revere the struggle and achievement of independence and the lives sacrificed and any life given for my freedom--freedom to protest, freedom to hang a confederate flag, freedom to challenge hateful policies and freedom to seek justice against oppressors.  you will never find me taking a knee or disrespecting it or the lives it represents.  ".....sweet land of liberty...."   *** today would have been my father's 97th birthday.  i am quite certain there are fried clams in heaven, otherwise he never would have stayed.....happy birthday dad!  

corona-cation, episode 23

fridays used to mean a lot more in days gone by but at present it's another day--albeit nice and summery--to keep oneself amused.  with various events in our nation this week, and being inspired by blog photos, pulled out my big applique project....new england sampler.

it's one of my oldest UFOs and the goal is to have the top completely done and possibly basted by year's end.  i'm finding the hand sewing very relaxing and calming in the midst of chaos all around.  i was tempted to start a new applique piece but nope, the focus on this corona-cation is entirely UFOs. 

this week has been very unsettling for me.  i am sick of hearing about restaurants opening while fitness centers are still not available.  it appears the powers that be would rather you stuff yourself rather than improve your health. there are 80+ restaurants in my downtown area alone.   the management of my residential situation have completely lost their minds with the wacky restrictions here.  the media--TV and print--are simply rabble rousers intent on fueling every little injustice.  those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.  i pray every day that God would have mercy on the USA.  I've lamented often about having no grandchildren but after this week, i am relieved....

corona-cation, episode 22

it's a hot ho-hum day, motivation waning to do much of anything....but did manage this...

now we are 5!  only 9 more rows for a flimsy.....with every row am liking this more and more....destined as a donation, it'll be tough letting this one go. today linking up with "wednesday wait loss" to show it off!  *** not much else shaking...bit of vacuuming, some meal prep and maybe some shredding later on.  feel the need for a mental health drive someplace just for change of scenery.  good news tho, hair salon taking appointments end of week for end of month....i'll need an hour for sure...lol!

corona-cation, episode 21

if you see this cutie today, wish her a happy birthday!  my dear daughter and she couldn't be more precious to me....it's bittersweet as she's at that stage of life when disappointments and missed opportunities rear their ugly heads....the brevity of life is startling real and hopes for the future seem far away.  but she is resilient and the love of her family and her faith will see her thru....some of us have been there and thrived, right?  this is one of my favorite photos of her when we were camping....

since this is monday, time to show off some sewing progress.....photo a bit wonky but this latest finish all set for the holidays....thanks to a friend for those ready-made flying geese units....

the panel was a senior center donation.....then, while clearing off the sewing table, sewed up some additions to this project.  have no idea how big it'll eventually be, but liking it more and more....

calling all jo morton and reproduction fans!  it's her new book, "tried and true", now available....knowing jo morton it's awesome!

now quilters.....start your engines!

corona-cation, episode 20

it's summertime, summertime, sum-sum summertime!  time to switch over to the summer purse i finished recently....

and it's got that dooney & bourke ticking lining too....how chic! ***  corona chugs on and managed to keep occupied all week including a day of mom duty and a bunch of puttering tasks.  one thing that got done was to prep more foundation triangles for those plaid scraps.  used up all the tracing paper that was on hand and the rest will be done at the copy shop.

this was a time consuming but thrifty task, so today can move forward with the sewing.  ***  i've also a wall quilt to bind for a (yes!) finish.  ***  want to close with this, a photo of my great-grandmother, mary elizabeth davis white.  she and her husband raised my mother from age 2.  they were hard working, frugal, sensible, reserved people.  she was the quilter in my life.  she had an old treadle machine electrified in her later years for dodgy knees.  she made scrap quilts only from apron and shirt fabrics.  she made the fluffiest biscuits in a wood-burning stove.  my great-grandfather kept the hen house spotless.  a rainbow trout lived in the spring-fed well to eat bugs and tidbits from the kitchen.  i can still recall the smell of grass clippings burning after a mow.  and yes, that's me she's holding.....1950, one year old!  no doubt she was thinking of her own dear grace who died far too young....

i can only imagine what she would think of quilting today, not something utilitarian, but artsy and creative and an industry all its own.

corona-cation, episode 19

so many have used their blogs as public forums to make statements and record feelings of the unrest in our country at this time....i would only like to post this....

"let there be peace on earth...and let it begin with me"
"with God as our father, brothers all are we....let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony"

violence only begets more violence and injustice does not give any one person the freedom to loot, set fires or fuel the unrest

God grant me the serenity to accept things i cannot change, the courage to change the things i can and the wisdom to know the difference

corona-cation, episode 18

truly, we HAVE to stop meeting like this!  though maryland has loosened some things up, still a way to go....maybe next week?  until then, i've been playing in the stash...

the plaids are piling up and while it looks like a fabric frenzy, this makes the sewing go faster....just a rummage for the "right" piece....and this is how far this project has progressed....i learned paper piecing from queen carol doak in new hampshire.

this is another instance of once some progress is made, realized it is going to be a "wow" quilt....to get an entire row done in a day is nearly impossible, unless one gives up bathroom visits and meals that is...which i don't.  it'll be a june flimsy but won't use up all the plaids...no surprise there.  ***  and in the hoop for TV sewing is this....

never too early for christmas projects and a small piece for a quick finish....again with plaids too!  then it's back to the amish honeycomb that might also be a june finish.   **** since every day brings some semblance of normalcy closer, was lamenting that i'd not accomplished much--but made a list this morning and have to say it's more than i realized.  there is one more chore, tho, that needs my attention.....

my records box needs thorough culling and shredding....had to wait for a new shredder as a bit of an electronic perfect storm earlier this year zapped mine, along with my phone, the laptop, the CD player, the TV remote and a pair of christmas earbuds.  *** so thankful now the summer vacation was put off until early september, hoping by then it'll be even more as per usual.  my family and i remain healthy which is a blessing indeed!

corona-cation, episode 17 - memorial day

another holiday under quarantine but still very blessed for so many things....not the least of which is a rich heritage of brave soldiers on both sides of my family...one of those is my great-grandfather, joseph thorne, served with maine's 8th regiment in the mid-atlantic and south carolina.  here is his regiment pictured at the 8th regiment lodge on peak's island, maine, now a museum...

thinking this must be after the war, judging by the beards and white hair...lol!  joseph and the 8th were at Appomattox courthouse when lee surrendered....here is a photo of him with wife annette and son charles, my grandfather...

and now that spring cleaning is done, sewing continues....

got 2 rows of triangles done....lopped off one making the rows 19 triangles long...will need a total of 13 rows, so 11 more makes it a flimsy.....liking this more and more....unearthing some of these old UFOs is fun!   *** and the bea et cecile stars sew along piece is done....

this would have been ideal for a humble quilt swap piece if it were smaller...the quilting is not the best and here is why....

this beautiful vintage toile was a beast to quilt thru....not deco fabric but a tad heavier than most modern cottons and a very tight thread count....laziness prevented me from unbasting and swapping it out...it gives the piece an old-fashioned feel....but it's done now and it's one i'll keep because i really like it...the binding went on like a breeze despite the hoover's attempt to gobble it up!  *** hoping this un-holiday finds you well and counting your blessings too!

note:  header photo taken at Gettysburg of a monument to the 6th Maine regiment under Neal Dow...if you haven't been and ever get the chance, it is a must visit place....