ready for christmas yet?

last week while driving to lancaster, a radio station was already playing christmas music 24/7....today in walmart the music was also christmas and on tv the hershey kiss commercial that plays 'we wish you a merry christmas' came on...all driven by retailer desperation no doubt...but i digress.  *** this weekend a whole lot of sewing was going on....another row went on the scrappy triangle flimsy...not quite half ....8 rows done, 12 rows to go...

it should be done and tied before year's end but being foundation pieced, it's a tad more labor intensive than other flimsies....

star spin got basted.  the kit contained a muslin backing but it was a skosh too small for my comfort for hand quilting, so pulled out a pretty green toile...

it was narrow and had to piece but even so makes a nice backing....now it's ready for the hoop...

the quilting design is on a water soluble material...i do have a washable pencil and could have traced them on but went this route instead.....and today this is on the list....

marking more wreaths on the ocean waves....i guesstimate this is nearly half done.  binding is a turquoise solid and all ready....all these made possible as the week-long puzzle diversion got finished and did the trick in refueling my sewing muse...

true to murphy's law, one piece was missing....this came out of a sealed box so attribute it to ???  not on floor, didn't vacuum....mice?  rats more likely around here....

another shorts day but they are numbered of course...got my exercise in first thing--a great way to start the week!

friday progress

yesterday was a beautiful late summer day and it was ideal for some catch up sewing....

the autumn jubilee mystery sew along top got assembled....

since i had my helen keller moment epiphany (w-a-t-e-r) years ago about color value, it's always uppermost in my mind with any project.  this was done row by row and i used several of my pretty fall fabrics...but how to unify them?  found a green in my stash and added the narrow horizontal sashing and made binding from it as well.  am hoping this will pull everything together and not look too chaotic...plus it tones down some of the strong oranges too....

and this got done as well...

baby quilt for my niece, which seems totally improbable as just last week or so she was a toddler....at least that is how it seems....

since summer is lingering on, plan to catch some rays this weekend and tackle more UFOs!

 

sewing related

have NOT been watching election results hardly at all...waiting a week until dust settles on counting and controversy....but have been wasting spending lots of time doing this...

this was just the ticket to alleviate a pocket of boredom for me....and with various errands to run, popping in and out, plus early morning "quiet" hours here at the abbey, ideal diversion.   i did finish a baby quilt that needs to be sent off--will post photo when it's ready for its beauty shot.  have also been formulating holiday plans.

election day took a brief trip up to lancaster but was very good, not one quilt shop was visited.  i can see why it is a battleground state.  

cool temps have abated for at least a week....was thinking about putting shorts away but not quite yet it seems.  now that errands and appointments over with, it's back to sewing and the last quarter list.  3 items have been crossed off but still a few tops to finish plus get the ocean waves and plaid scrappy triangles quilts done.  have a blessed day!

ten thousand blessings

sunday AND all soul's saint's day....perfect anniversary for the "zipper" cardiac surgery....can it really be 3 years?  has been a rocky, roller coaster ride so far but improving every day and big leap from last year.  despite the nicotine and pot smoke environment, the excellent, watchful care of all healthcare providers under guidance from the Great Physician, the recovery has been no less than amazing.   to say i feel blessed beyond measure is a huge understatement...even though i'm still one heartbeat away from life's end and i have a sure hope of heaven, thankful beyond words for each day and admonishes me to live to the fullest, savoring this gift...

trick or treat?

 how about trick AND treat....

sewing and reading and watching (oh my!) all seemed rather mundane but then remembered this puzzle acquired over 6 years ago, never opened.  table set up (for basting originally) and box opened....was the right sort of diversion for seemingly endless days.  days can quickly and easily disappear when engrossed in a puzzle, which is why they don't often see the light of day.  after a few hours, time wasting guilt sets in and other things get done.  good way to see halloween in and out i'd say....

and i never tire of seeing these two ghouls....i think my aunts were having a party with church people as the background man is the reverend...my dad's old hat got repurposed that evening....

and a farewell until next year from jack, my 41-year-old october roomie!

better than fabric?

that would be FREE fabric of course....saturday the guild held a trunk-n-treat event across from our meeting church....we brought our free table stuff to find new homes...and vice versa...LOL!  i ended the day fairly close to even.  unfortunately tons of books went begging...all good books and ones we all had when we started, but no longer needed.  i found some backing fabrics and some other interesting pieces...

the rooster fabric was a small piece but i thought it was cute...and the ducks piece was just over 2 yards and also cute....and lime?  always comes in handy....

to banish boredom monday pulled out a UFO, a jo morton design.  slight detour from the last quarter list...i keep most of my UFOs in drawers for easy access and organization....

even with 2 zoom meetings, made good progress....

mostly jo morton fabrics and jan patek, some from the 1980s too.   *** with temps slowly ratcheting down, this just might be some of the last roses of summer...

bush roses are everywhere in maryland....here at shady pines they are yellow...these are down the street and are mostly pink, but a couple of red ones always pop out...  today must get back to that list for the last quarter of 2020.  with this pandemic continuing on at a snail's pace, it's getting more and more difficult to be motivated and alleviate boredom.  it also heightens my discontent here at the village.  thankfully my fitness center remains open and can visit often to jump start endorphins.....until normalcy returns, my job is to keep on keeping on i guess...

monday report

fall has definitely arrived here in maryland...temps in the 60s daytime, 50s at night but later in the week, 30s at night...bring on the winter menu!   and winter means quilts!  busy hand quilting the amish inspired ocean waves...just this weekend finished the first of the plain squares....a traditional feather wreath.  have always gushed over feathers and wreaths as they just satisfy my traditional muse.  

hoping to get this finished by christmas eve....to sleep under while waiting for santa!  i'm thinking a quick trip to lancaster is a must before long....

then the last row of the autumn jubilee sew along was sewn....gorgeous pumpkins, scrappy of course.  i brake for pumpkins!!!  

waiting to see how the hostess sets the rows, but i've been toying with my own ideas...

and if you see this handsome devil tomorrow, wish him a happy birthday AND congratulations....he became a brand new grandpa last week, his first...it's brother #2 and he is so very blessed...

orange you glad???

that it's autumn??....i am...because i get to play in my orange fabrics for those seasonal pumpkins of every size and style....

the last row of the autumn jubilee sew along is pumpkins!!! how wonderful!  thankfully the orange stash is healthy and available for sewing some. ****  it's a glorious warm fall day here and went out for a leisurely drive to soak up rays and see the sights....not much foliage nearby here, still plenty of green trees, but the fresh air was, well refreshing!  won't get that nip in the air that new england is already feeling until november some time....and when i arrived home, there was a squishie in my mailbox....from a quilty friend...

it's the "alaska" pattern and templates....how generous!  i am humbled by such a kind gesture...and when the stimulus check arrives, i'll venture north to lancaster to get the fabrics...i might have one of the blues on hand but generally most of my inventory is half yards or fat quarters...now off to make pumpkins!

can you say...

flimsy?  just this afternoon after a short post-exercise nap, got this wall quilt to the flimsy stage...

i have always liked this color combo from the 1980s and so this kit caught my eye right away....everything was included--fabric, batt and backing.  also worked on some charity tops for the guild too...phoebe was whirring i can tell ya!  tonight i'll be doing more hand quilting on the ocean waves....the UFO list waits for no one...LOL!  

good day as returned to fitness center after brief hiatus...it felt good!  also back on board are all regular meds so those plus some extra rest and fluid replenishment got me back in the normal groove...blessings abound make life good indeed!

happy hump day

colonoscopy is over and done and i'm off the hook for quite a while...the entire unpleasant but necessary test is a much bigger ordeal because of my cardiac meds, a nearly two-week process.  spent the day before ignoring my hunger pangs by working on this...

this was a kit purchased from a fellow guild member last summer.  it required my full attention and was a great diversion....this is how far i got with it...

two more of the beige pieces to sew in and then the border can be attached....intriguing construction, but you know me...it's the quilting i like best.  this wall quilt is on my last quarter list of things i'd like to get done before january arrives.   ***  this despicable living environment has created another health issue for me...the corneal tear is taking longer to heal than expected and will require an eventual procedure for a more permanent fix.  thanks neighbors...i could have gotten along fine without this...quilting really does keep me sane and also from becoming a felon...