february goals

in the nick of time....both the february mini AND the stars in a time warp got finished...first, the mini...

had to be hearts, right?  and used that lovely print posted earlier....i have only one valentine-y piece, so will be keeping this for myself.  linking up with wendy again this month....and here's the 'stars' quilt...

i think this was my oldest UFO, started back in 2014-15 i think...a barbara brackman sew-along...just needs a wash and its special label that barbara always provides.  a different repro fabric style was chosen for each week and i think i made 3 of each type, mostly all from stash but did have to get a couple of pieces from my go-to repro gal cyndi.  will be linking up with patty over at One Monthly Goal for this one...very time-consuming due to all the seams and per lori's definition, a most humble quilt.  generous twin size and densely quilted, as you can see from this...

this was nearly full when i started and wasn't sure i'd have any left but there are a couple of yards....and then this got put into the hoop...

my scrappy christmas trees....two rows done already.  this will go much faster than 'stars' as there are no seams and the batt is a poly.  can it get finished in march with 3 extra days?  we'll see...alas, no marathon olympics sewing time tho.   *** spring has almost sprung here in maryland so it was time to bring out my spring sox....

these were a christmas gift from my dear daughter...and horizontal stripes make even your feet look fat...LOL...which they aren't.  ***  it's an exercise vacation day so will catch up on a few tasks and more s'more sewing.  maybe that will be my march OMG, to get the top done and basted.  and i've already started the march mini too.  rising gasoline prices keep me pretty much within city limits, but i did get to lunch with a quilty peep this week, in a real restaurant with no masks...and lastly, 10 months today since the hip thing and am nearly back to "normal" walking.  it's been my primary work with a great payoff.  i do feel blessed indeed!

s'more sewing

 

this is the latest on the second half of the s'mores quilt flimsy....3 more rows to the pattern, but hoping i have enough of the sashing fabric to add at least one or two extra.  coming along quite nicely i would say....

unearthed a zipper that was a rescue from something so one more project bag is on the to-do list...

and with temps see-sawing into the high 60s, the daffodils on the south side of the building are up about 6" now...there aren't anywhere near this many but i just had to post for all you winter weary readers...

somewhere along the coast of maine perhaps....and couldn't close without a tribute to my dear mom who arrived at 95 today....for nearly 73 years she has been my caregiver, confidante, disciplinarian, teacher, faith model, referee, champion and best friend...our family knows how blessed we are that she is still our touchstone....

olympic success

 

on this closing ceremony day, my first task was the binding for "stars in a time warp"....with just a few stars left to quilt and then the setting triangles around the edges, planning on a finish by week's end.  which will give me next weekend to quilt the mini in time to see march come in, like a lamb i hope!  and this got worked on today as well....

most of my time was spent making lots of setting flying geese units and binge watching a 'murphy brown' DVD.  thinking that light blue block will have to go.  *** time passes at a supersonic rate even though life is pretty much mundane.  masks have once again been dropped for indoor locales with skittish optimism.  i believe the governor has opened all state offices as well.  anxious to do some fun things despite rampant gas price elevations that are keeping me close to town.  sporadic days of spring warmth not yet consistent enough to eradicate winter blahs.  eagerness building for family visit in just over a month.  so hurry up and wait is where it's at.  *** two weeks now of a full 150 minutes cardio each week, trying for a third if the tylenol holds out...LOL

st. valentine's day

 

pattern by patrick lose....

olympics break

the superbowl has provided a brief hiatus from olympic watching and a chance to do something besides quilt....today made 2 project bags for my upcoming travel....went to the stash and chose 2 of the spring-iest fabrics i could find for these....and one project i'll be taking is this one....

these will be appliqued onto borders of the dutch tree of life wall quilt....anxious to move this project along a bit....the other i'm taking is the 'midnight at the oasis' to do the applique on the viney border, then i can go ahead and sew up the final 2 borders, baste and quilt.  i might also take a cross stitch something.

quilting on 'stars' continues and i confess, is a bit tedious at times.  it is densely quilted and going to be iffy if i'm able to finish it as my february OMG as i'd hoped.  will get back to it later today when more olympics are available for viewing....

had a dusting of snow this morning that is now just about gone since sun came out.  we're having more and more days of 50+ temps so spring is on its way.   milestone week at gym getting in 4 days in a row, then a day off, and then another day giving me over 150 minutes of cardio.  oh what a feeling!

weekend sewing

lots of sewing happened over the weekend....alas, no finishes but progress was made.  got to the halfway point on this flimsy....

good thing i like this a lot as the sashing is fussy....my plan is to start the other half at the beginning and then sew two halves together...plus for once i bought enough of the sashing fabric and will be able to add a couple of rows to make it longer than the pattern....i think it is 57" square but mine will be big enough for a twin...

and probably you, like me, watched a lot of this....

the winter games are my favorite of the two (instead of summer) although i am definitely NOT one who plays outdoors in the winter.   otherwise, whipped up a pot of spaghetti sauce, some cookies and soup along with the necessary exercise....fortunately spring returns this week so some put-off errands will get done.  and of course, counting the days to see my mom and siblings again for some long overdue hugs!

February Monthly Goal

since i was a january OMG flunkie, my goal is getting these two projects moving along in february.  my official OMG will be the "stars in a time warp" finish....the quilting is about 2/3 done, thanks to a frigid and stormy weekend spent inside and some britbox binge watching.  with the olympics coming up, lots more quilty time is on deck.

seven years isn't too long to a finish, do you think?  me either....as for the current machine project, more s'mores were sewn for this and big enough for the design wall....

a couple of those blocks are too light and will need replacing...nearsightedness benefit is that from six feet away, details disappear and design clearly emerges....would like this to be a flimsy when march arrives, a possibility.  the only other thing on my quilty plate is the february mini (in progress) and the small cross-stitch piece.  *** now counting the days until family visit...here in maryland we are a mere 5-6 weeks to spring, regardless of the rodent...LOL!  *** passed the 9-month anniversary of hip break and delighted that my leg continues to strengthen...blessings from other health positives and family issues, plus lengthening days, all help to relieve ongoing restraints from pandemic and just maybe the senior center will open sometime soon....

january mini

second pandemic winter plods along, making for long days requiring creativity to keep from uber boredom...for this month's mini, pulled out a book filled with mini ideas....

 selected a pattern called 'lincoln's logs' that is ideal for scrappy...

it's about 18x24, big for some mini makers but mini to me....hand quilted, a couple of small pieces got used up...the backing is the pigs showed in an earlier post...and while digging thru the stash, found a piece for the february mini, which has already been started!  a pretty piece that was begging to be showcased....

vintage-y red with a bit of gold thread....can't wait to show the finished project!  ***  quilting on "stars" continues and sewing s'mores as well.   *** and many quilters know this product but i've resurrected mine and it is a winner for indoor dryness and sore fingers from hand quilting...

bag balm, originally used by farmers to treat cows' teats so it's safe from chemicals and perfect for dry skin anywhere.  ***  our big winter storm resulted in 0.6" of snow but now very cold and windy...watching live feed from new england and the wallop of a blizzard up there...thankful my family members are safe and warm "til the storm passes by".....

monday report

winter drags on and even tho temps modulated some yesterday, easy for boredom to become status quo...hoping this is the LAST pandemic winter---so how did i keep occupied?  while cutting s'mores blocks, the pile of repros loomed large, sooo....

cut some of these large, elongated triangles for a scrappy top....will donate or maybe sell, if i can, but no plans to add this to the UFO pile, just to use up some of the excess.  had seen this done in greens/neutrals and it was quite appealing...

and on the dueling hobbies front, cross-stitch has made a return in a small, controlled way.  inbetween machine sewing and hand quilting, have picked this up again...started a needlecase from this small sampler....

before starting, finished my pinkeep....

unlike quilty projects, goal is to FINISH one thing before doing another....have downloaded a few free patterns from the web and dear daughter gifted me some aida for christmas....no big, complicated samplers, just small, easily finished things are planned. 

and a bit of baking was done....batch of cookies and these yummy oatmeal rolls....

i never met a carbohydrate i didn't enjoy and fresh, artisan bread tops the list...commerical types are way too salty--extends shelf life of course--so pull out some tried and true recipes and make my own.  these are ideal with a cup of hot, homemade soup or for a slider with soup...or by themselves as i can attest...LOL!  

no appointments or fun things planned so it'll be another needlework-heavy week and just maybe the week the vacuuming gets done!
 

wacky winter weather

first snow, then rain...no, first rain, then snow, warm then cold, then colder...confusing!  thankfully sewing works in all weather...so what have I been doing?  i did wash 2 small floors first, then hit the machine for more s'mores....and progress on the flimsy...

see that lightest block on the right?  it's going....too light for overall plan....but as you can see, plenty to take its place...they really do sew up pretty fast...helps to have lots of stash choices for variety.  speaking of stash, in the interest of full disclosure, have to show 2 more photos to be added to the shelf stuff...the repro stash i'm working from and the oversize shoebox of all my plaids....out of sight, out of mind doncha know....

there is at least one more plaid WHIMM (Work Hidden In My Mind) but might have to stretch that to 2-3 given the size of the pile....and in addition to s'mores, got my january mini top all done, ready to baste and quilt.  came across this small piece just right for the back....

can't recall that I ever made anything requiring pig fabric in my 43 years of quilting so safe to use up for a back.  stashbusting continues slow and steady, a few pieces at a time, that'll hopefully add up to big numbers by year's end...with only one FART (Fabric Acquiring Road Trip) planned for April, counting on more shelf space to come.   and since starting this post, the SUN has come out....wacky indeed!