corona-cation, episode 31

if anyone had told me that july would still be sheltering in place, wouldn't have believed...yet here we are.  i admit am starting to feel the isolation despite fitness center open and zoom quilt meetings...the good news is the UFO list is the benefit....hopefully this is the last photo of an incomplete you'll see....shooting for a friday finish....

and by some weird meteorological twist, friday will be 96 degrees, definitely NOT quilt weather!  but very happy went for the cross hatch....next up is the orange mod scrappy....

recently shared some fabric with an online quilter and received this cute little sewing machine pin and a FQ yesterday....

pretty sure those are real diamonds too....LOL!

lastly a shout out to my local library and its fantastic efforts to serve their patrons....in this hot weather usually exercise, come home, have lunch, then either quilt or read.  and my fave magazine from the north arrived too....nope, no housework this weekend....LOL!

corona-cation, episode 30

in the newspaper world, '30' means end...done....kaput....finished.  but, sigh, when it comes to corona, it's just a continuation of same old, same old.   aside from a couple of additional openings, things remain static for now.  at least the fitness center is open and should make my cardio quota of days this week...and have to say it feels terrific.  it has definitely been a friday kind of week but i know sunday is coming....bringing hope and a new start.  so what have i been doing???

the amish honeycomb is getting a cross hatch border.  i love the look of it but it is a time consuming process.   and what with the navy thread on navy fabric, tough to work on at night even with good light.  hoping for a june finish but might slide over into the first part of july.....

for change of pace, pulled this out for some marathon basting.  and ooohh the more i get done just energizes me to do more and more.  nearly all the leaves are basted--need 4 more--and some of the flowers.  there might be some cross hatching on this piece as well....

i think i like applique much better than piecing....sometimes anyway.

another week has nearly ended....another hot weekend ahead, but that just means the late summer vacation is getting closer....family hugs ahead!

corona-cation, episode 29

short but sad post....dear friend marianne struggles no longer....with multiple comorbidities she sadly passed the other day.  i never knew anyone who fought so hard with so much determination to stay alive and be an active participant in life.  if i was having a down day...really a self-pity party...one chat with her would have me counting my blessings....her dear family and the grands she loved so much will miss her dearly no doubt....rest in peace my friend....and no money required in heavenly quilt shops!

this was just one year ago--the gang of four--marianne, nann, barbara and i convened for an impromptu quilt meeting at her home.   we laughed and talked and had the best show and tell.  she was the hostess with the mostest.....a precious memory for all of us....

she already had wings....at the quilters' unlimited show 2018 i think.......i was just starting to walk more at that point...she was faster than me!

corona-cation, episode 28

another week in pandemic land....seems as though it "might" be slowing down and getting back to a more normal routine....last week had a lunch and show-n-tell with a quilty pal and this week another small get together...yesterday, tho, my daughter and her super chauffeur husband and i traveled to lancaster on a recovery retail mission.  the only fabric stop i made was here...

for more of this i had ordered online for pickup....i am liking this method!

am vowing here and now--and you are my witnesses--to NEVER ever buy less than 4 yards for a background ever again....i was lucky with this as it's a stock kona color but that isn't always the case....

and no trip to Lancaster is complete without one of these....

my favorite flavor of peanut butter filling and chocolate outsides....when i was a kid, my baker grandmother made the regular kind often and they were my all-time favorites.  amy bouchard of "wicked whoopie" in maine makes one with a raspberry creme filling that's very good too.  must have more exercise days in before ripping it open!

it was a long day made more so by the oppressive heat.  we vowed never to go again in such weather...i would have cancelled but my dear SIL took the day off especially and so we went.  arrived back to the village to powerful thunder and rain.  today it's hot again but overcast and thick fog.  we saw plenty of fields bursting with new growth and lots of cows outstanding in their field...LOL!  we'll go again in autumn when it's not 90 degrees!

corona-cation, episode 27

short and hopefully sweet post today....if you are interested in the oatmeal roll recipe, scroll to the bottom as i've posted it....spent most of today at car mechanic, in general people with whom i have a love/hate relationship....a couple of important things got fixed but of course with old cars, there are more that'll have to wait until funds materalize...

while going thru unfinished flimsies, pulled out this old barbara brackman sew along to add the setting triangles.  i auditioned several and found that it needed an intense value fabric....red or green or blue or brown would have worked, but of course chose the blue.  now needs trimming and basting and into the quilting pile it goes...

it's called 'stars in a time warp' and features several types of reproduction prints.   i'm probably the last to finish this project but it'll get done eventually.   and of course more triangles got sewn together, now enough for another row.  

weekend task is to work on the border of the amish honeycomb aiming for a june finish.   ****  fitness center now open and will get re-acquainted with heating pad i'm sure...LOL....but anxious to get back to routine.  it was a lovely day here and nice to see people out walking, kids at the local park...keeping their distance of course, but the ghost town feeling had gone.  and next week i really do have to tackle some household chores....now for the recipe:

OATMEAL ROLLS:

2-1/3 cups water, divided

1 cup dry oatmeal
3 tablespoons butter
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
5 to 5-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add oatmeal and butter; simmer 1 minute. Remove to a large bowl and let cool to 110°-115°.  Heat remaining water to 110°-115°; add yeast. To oatmeal mixture, add sugars, salt, yeast mixture and half of flour. Mix well. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.  Turn out onto a floured surface; knead 6-8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Add additional flour if necessary. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.
Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.  Punch down dough; divide in half and shape each half into 12 balls. Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45-60 minutes.   Bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes. 

NOTES:  i halved the recipe with no ill effect and eliminated white sugar and salt.  next time i am cutting brown sugar to 2 T as i found them too sweet for a savory.  my oven runs hot and checked them after 15 min when they were just about done, total cooking time for me was about 18 min.  they are very good toasted too!

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!