october's first monday

what?  october already?  while i was preoccupied with the hip thing, months flew by without even realizing...but at 85 degrees, sure doesn't feel like october to me.  both my daughter and i long for crisp, cool fall weather...thankfully sewing knows no season!  here's my monday report...

giving credit to bonnie hunter for this project, although not exactly like her 'narragansett blues'....it's a donation for the guild and a special request from a veterans' organization....

and my last scrap cross-stitch project is nearly finished...it'll get the same fabric treatment as 'autumn' and be sent along to my mum...

and this was the big event of the weekend that i enjoyed from afar....

cousins who haven't seen each other in 81 years got to meet and catch up....impromptu photo of my mum and her cousin dwight, last together at their grandmother's funeral 81 years ago.  omigosh you can sure tell they are related...both nearly 95 and mentally sharp, living independently.  they are the last 2 surviving grandchildren....my lucky siblings got to enjoy the moment in person.   

a whole week ahead with plenty of sewing time and NO medical appointments whatsoever!  now to catch up on household chores and ramp up exercise....can't slack off on that!

monthly mini and monthly goal

what's this?  another post this week?  finally getting back into pre-vacation groove...well, sort of.  started the monthly mini before i left, inspiration from jo morton's last little women's club....

and one monthly goal?  it was to make progress on the folk art nativity and did just that...

didn't expect any finishes but moving along snail's pace, fine with me.....and next month's goal?

finish quilting this repro joseph's coat....more than half done now and will add another little finish to the month as well...

that'll knock 2 off the UFO list....plus another UFO is being donated to the guild as a top so whittling down the waiting projects to make room for more of course...LOL!  linking up with elm street quilts to join others in their monthly quest...

and just this week finished my birthday book...

was a devotee of prairie home companion for many years....and this book the definitive PHC history but also insight into the often sad and poignant life of its creator.  some funny limericks and behind-the-scenes stories but at times overwhelmingly depressive and sad....keillor's life was besot by many tragedies, the final straw being falsely accused by a former employee seeking a big payoff that made him a media outcast.  his health struggles and family origins detailed, warts and all, overshadowed the humor and enjoyment the show portrayed.  will recommend with these caveats, as there are also many funny anecdotes and those bawdy limericks.  

and in my own personal lake woebegone it's been a positive week....weather balmy and breezy, discharged from PT and orthoman both declaring me fully healed and strong.  cane remains part time but that's to be expected.  resume cardiac fitness to rebuild endurance, also back to dietary restrictions after more than a few slips, autumnal household tasks listed, stocking up at farmer's market....vacation over but not at all forgotten, manage to slip back to the beach in my heart and mind still. 

new temptations

fall must be the reason to start new projects....plus the constant enabling of computer photos and like-minded enthusiasts...surfing blogs doesn't help either!  this is definitely getting started first, just need 1.5 yards of a dark indigo repro print and ready to go...pattern by edyta sitar

then these 2 came across my screen....a new jen kingwell pattern....wensleydale...just right for all my repro scraps don't you think?

and this by natalie bird, a new-to-me designer from zoom pals down under...plenty of blue scraps on hand for this....the photo doesn't do it justice at all...

will be fun to sew this along with others and watch the progress i think....plus some sewing for the guild, the DAR and my own UFO list should chase those other blues away and keep them at bay....i hope

before and after

 

escapades with the command hangers have been mentioned previously....but after a challenging summer, the last time was really the last.  put the little gray cells to work to see how i could circumvent the pesky things....the above is the "before" picture...the shelving unit directly behind me when i sit at the machine....but this is the "after"....

the design wall is now up on a wall that is drywall, not concrete, as the walk-in closet behind was fashioned when the apartments were renovated.  the shelving unit now just a few steps to the left.  the management touts the closet as a big feature...but unfortunately it doesn't begin to offset the dope addicts and thieves who live here....it's really like a homeless shelter with more room.  the locked doors are meaningless...woke up again in the night with stench of pot, a headache, stuffed nose and chest pain.  pot is also legal in maine and my mother has the same difficulty....smoking rules go unenforced, management couldn't care less, the other tenants have to suffer....being half stoned all the time only contributes to depression, lack of energy and listlessness among those who need every bit of strength.  it just isn't right at all, but there is no one to fix the problem....

so long summer...

too many good-byes for my liking this month.....leaving the beach, now summer and my dear family members too...made this little door deco from one of the scraps....a freebie off the internet...now hangs on my mom's door....back to late summer and my somewhat regular routine....hoping re-bonding with my daughter and sewing machine will quell some of the sadness of leaving new england....

bye bye beach....

beautiful sunrise photo taken the other day....today cloudy and cool in the 60s but even so, never a bad day at the beach.  few more days then back to maryland.  aside from my daughter/son-in-law and my sewing machine, not a thing i miss there...continue to do some stitchery and applique but not quite the same. also good-bye to my immediate family and the comfort they provide.  it'll be back to PT for the remainder of my visits and ramp up my exercise to shed the cane...will still have lots of free time but alas, no sand or surf to enjoy.  anything more and i'd sink into melancholy.....

vacation update

 

my son-in-law took this beautiful sunrise photo the other day....a perfect example of our serene and pure enjoyment during our sojourn here at the coast.  very good weather--yes, few rainy bits--but not enough to spoil our beach time.  and what have i been doing besides lounging on the sand?  a few examples:

finished another crab for pin cushion to sell at guild's show next year...

another nativity block just about done....only head and tiny halo remain....

a thanksgiving cross-stitch piece to use up the last scrap of aida cloth i have....

started on the second angel for the nativity piece....

and lastly.....although i'll be returning to maryland next week....my soles (ouch, pun intended!) always at the beach!

quick housekeeping post

not much quilty going on due to vacay....but have to show my september OMG....i brought the folk art nativity blocks with me to see how far i could get...linking up with elm street quilts!

check back the end of the month to see my progress!

OMG and MM

it's that time...one monthly goal report...happy to say reached mine with this finish...linking up with elm street quilts to document my finish....

all done and delivered to daughter and SIL yesterday....they love it so i'm happy....when she was growing up, my working robbed her of much valuable nurturing, so anything i can do now before it's too late makes me happy.  and the monthly mini?

it's the christmas elves topper....glad to see those elves finally used and not stuck in the scrap basket...just so darn cute with a lot of fussy cutting and fudging required...

and this morning finished this....wonky and imperfect?  no way!! rustic and primitive i'd say...LOL...but definitely an autumn feel....

best of all, the beginning of the end for the plaid scraps in this particular drawer...and had just the right gold for the binding too...

to-do list is getting shorter with only a few things remaining before vacation...sounds improbable, but even without regular work, a break in the routine is sorely needed, especially with this pandemic hanging around, the surgery and so much disheartening news in the media.  for the first time in a very long time, experienced profound loneliness that not even sewing could remedy...short-lived but very real nonetheless...thankfully passed and looking forward to a life recharge!

getting serious about UFOs

like most quilters, i love starting new projects with new and/or pretty fabric or designs....leads to a cache of unfinished things.  this year have vowed not to start too many new things--only 3 thus far i think--and concentrate on the unfinished...here is one that has been quietly waiting for some action....

a drawer full of plaid scraps for a planned project, abandoned long ago due to far too many tiny pieces...but some blocks got done...what to do?

well only one completed block and a few others halfway....now to be a small table topper for fall...there are 4 more partial blocks that'll make 2 nice potholders...leaving me with those plaid strips...what to do?  thanks to bonnie hunter, the pied piper of scraps, decided on this...

this block will be about 8 inches finished and if i run out of navy (2 yards) will switch to another compatible solid...the idea is to empty the drawer.  about half my UFOs fit in the drawers, most of the others are flimsies waiting to be basted and/or quilted...so that is my quest.  there will no doubt be a few side small projects, but the main objective is to bust UFOs...and bonus effect is playing in my stash keeps the fabric buying siren at bay...LOL!