today's the day

the chooky churn dash sew-along ends and at least flimsies must be done...happy to say that i'm at least VERY close to a flimsy and by end of day today just might make it!

as you can see, have a pretty good layout and yes, the red is a bit strong, but i'm leaving it because i like that block....designer's prerogative!  i've enough blocks left of the 10" size to do a vertical row along the side, giving it a finished throw size at least.  i really didn't want the full size from the pattern and goal of using up many of my odd prints was met.  some are now gone for good and others have moved on to the scrap basket.  have decided to designate a month in 2023 to purely scrap sewing so stay tuned...

up early as busy morning ahead....get post done before morning meds slow me down....next cardio visit possible downward adjust of dosage...expecting a weekend visit from Ian so warming soup on the menu.  and since October is just a mere 18 hours away, i'll sign off with this...hoping my mom is putting up her "boo" piece too!

change

for good or ill, change is always present.  my september mini is titled just that...."change"....once again, linking up with wendy and other monthly mini makers!

it's the chinese coins pattern done with lots of autumnal fabrics.  i have a lot of them and it's difficult to choose just a few, so a perfect pattern.  only 3 more minis for me as i'll be giving up the sew along when 2022 ends.  my UFO list isn't dwindling as fast as it should and needs more of my time.  ***  fall weather is here finally!  *** growing up, "putting by" for the winter was an all-consuming task.  jams, pickles, veggies, fruit...all colorfully displayed on shelves promising a taste of summer all winter.  i no longer preserve anything but do try and put some veggies in the freezer for later.  and autumn cooking returns, firstly with these cider donut muffins.

the recipe calls for dipping tops in melted butter then sugar but i like them without.  next up is pumpkin bread!  ***  finally, finally getting over the nasty, stubborn cold.  no fever at all, but congestion that won't let go.  was it covid? don't know, didn't test, wouldn't have made a difference.  lots of extra rest and empiric treatment (cough remedies, vitamin c, tylenol and a bit of extra aspirin) slowly doing their job.  some of it was from exercise holiday AND more dietary slips than usual, so getting back into the cardiac lifestyle groove has helped also.  *** featherweight was unpacked and feeling more like sewing....the churn dash blocks are next.  "sunny", my mom's 1960s era singer, will be joining us late october. 

along with muffins, murder is back on the menu as well....LOL!  the bookmobile stops here regularly and i've lined up enough suspense to see me thru the winter!

the brevity of time becomes more apparent in autumn.   how many more years can i quilt?  sew?  read?  travel?  like the elders of my family, just keep on keeping on i guess, doing things as usual every day, ignoring the calendar and delighting in every birthday.  our family reunion in august once again reminded me of the resilience and fortitude in my genetic makeup....here we are, 140+, on the Whitney family farm in jonesboro, maine. 

and always, thanks be to God for His provision and care every day!

back to business....

but before that, just one last beach photo...i promise!

pesky cold has finally subsided enough for normal duties that got accomplished with energy left to pull out churn dash blocks for some work....this is the first of what will be quite a few versions, i anticipate.

because i opted out of the last size of blocks, cannot follow the pattern, so it's "design" time, scary as i am no designer, no way no how.  next will try rows of same size blocks to avoid spacer strips between blocks with maybe strips between rows.  it'll be colorful for sure.  i've got 'til the end of the month to produce a flimsy, so brain food is definitely on the menu....i need all the help i can get...LOL!

and in the cute department, a quilty peep and her husband are traveling australia and they sent me this photo of an adult emu with chicks crossing the road....australia was never on my bucket list until i followed her blog along...it is an astounding place!

"dash"ing off to the design wall!

sojourn ended....temporarily!

it was a VERY brisk morning at the beach...49 degrees...when we packed up to go.  bittersweet as always...already i'm missing it....when landing in baltimore it was 80! 

if you are weary of these vistas, scroll on past!  for me, the ocean is new every morning and i love watching waves, wildlife and people too...other beach hounds who revel in any weather..  the last end of our visit both mom and i developed colds, so we were less than perky and mine hangs on...covid negative, just a cold.  driving to airport, spied this sign from our favorite purveyor of those delish crustaceans....

if you can't see it clearly, it says lobsters here are $5.50 per pound....he is local with his own boat and tanks who sells out of his garage.  though we indulged frequently, i can always eat more lobster.  in fact, we dined on seafood for most of my visit.  ***  and yes, more lazy stitching was done.  abandoned the christmas piece for an autumn piece, but again, due to sniffles not much accomplished.

thanks to order online and pickup, necessary groceries waiting for me.  today it's stock up at farmer's market, make some vital chicken soup and self medicate with tylenol and cough syrup.  dirty clothes can wait a day or so.  ***  although the flight was uneventful, there was some water dripping down from the overhead bin.  could not find a leak of any kind and the attendant seemed to think it was just condensation from air systems or something.  since he wasn't alarmed, i was reassured and told him i didn't look good in yellow anyway (life jacket)....LOL!  ***  at the airport i had just missed an honor flight departing for home...i would have loved to join in the send off...no doubt my DAR sisters were accompanying.  ***  first item on sewing agenda is to quilt the september mini and then return to quilting my christmas gift quilt, both while i'm counting the days to another visit with my very dear family.  ah, such memories to keep in my heart!

Catching up

Heading down to beach in a bit so a brief post....weather is perfect....hurricane out at sea so big waves today....this year made it to the water...Last year was impossible so soon after hip break but delighted with progress...Stitching continues lazily...

Had to redo "j" and saw that "y" was off so that's a redo now...

Baskets continue with only 103 to go....

Will sign off with this idyllic view....

Thunder thighs and all!

It's heeeere!

 That would be mr. Sunshine!   

Summer weather from here on in....I can take that!  Two rainy days and this got done....

Some cross stitch and few more baskets....and lastly, down to the last lobster roll....me and mum bought 6 each, cooked and picked out, gave us rolls for a week plus some sharing.....I never got tired of eating them....lol!

One more that we will share and back to regularly scheduled menu items...

This post done on the tablet so forgive wonkiness....me I'm headed for sand and surf!

basket progress

in a word....pitiful.  in order to complete the applique on ALL the baskets, would have to do something like 13 per day....nowhere near that i confess.  

this is the same photo from last post as no way currently to upload a more recent one...anyway, no guilt on the lack of progress.  spending most of the time traveling to and from HUGE family reunion, catching up on sleep, visiting with my dear family whom I miss terribly when in Maryland.  plus getting re-acquainted with an "old friend".....the lobster!  prices are reasonable so have been over-indulging....

we eat them like real mainers....no celery, lettuce, fancy aioli, celery seed....nothing, just plain lobster, bit of mayo on a toasted new england style bun.  we think it's the best way!  ***  few more days and we'll be heading south to our beach for the remainder of my stay.  it'll be cool...talking maybe high 40s sunday morning....but plenty of warm things on board and heck, there is always LL Bean if needed.  so ocean photos to come!

august mini!

while rummaging thru the stash, pulled out this prussian blue column print...one of my pretties.  it looked lonely so decided to use it for this month's mini.  it was just a FQ so none left over, but do have this cute little wall or table piece to enjoy.  

block pattern is flyfoot....colors i don't use often but they work. 

since i'm away from the village, i've brought some long overdue UFO applique blocks with me that i would love to finish...a 2022 flimsy would be awesome!

 

 

and this was my design wall when i left town....more of these strippy blocks...they do sew up fast and lickety split, you have a top....

 

good news is all the scrap pieces i had got used up and had to visit the stash, pulling some very small pieces.  with another birthday just passed, mindful of using up as much as possible....i didn't buy it to donate to the thrift!

 

my kind of math

 most math is fuzzy to me but i can at least do this much....take one pile of batik strip scraps...

add two hours of afternoon time....

and that makes three scrappy blocks, waiting for more!

this pattern is by amanda nyberg and it is one of my very faves...why you ask?  because not much background is required but lots of scraps are!  i've got a medium tote jam packed with 1.5" strips just perfect for this pattern.  i've made a couple and there will be more.  this one uses a swirly background fabric--i bought only 1.5 yards--and some batik scraps cut into strips, left over from the batik splash quilt.  not sure how many blocks i'll get out of the background (that's too much math for me) but plenty of batik strips and more FQs on the shelf...probably finish this off with a dynamic piano key border.  *** what else is going on?   mr. boo #2 is all finished waiting for his trip north...

have dabbled a bit in some cross stitch....tidied the apartment....packed the duffle, ate my way thru freezer (mostly) and made a couple of last-minute lists...my workouts are keeping the excitement at a tolerable level....i might even dust! 

not at all quilty post.....

this is Emma.....She is my brother's only daughter, his last born....

 

she looks like my brother and her siblings...she has my father's eyebrows....i wish i could say she was missing, kidnapped or stolen, but it is only her mother's and seemingly her choice that she is a stranger.....it was a messy situation....parents not legally married; angry, vindictive mother who is very intelligent and with devotion to her only child; religious, cultural and social differences.  it started out like most divisions as a financial war, or maybe that was just the excuse.  our family hoped when she grew to adulthood she might be curious about us, at least want to know her father and maybe his family, leave the past behind, but not as yet.  she is brilliant, successful, intelligent, educated and accomplished.  she had advantages her siblings did not, though they are equally intelligent.  my brother is smart, educated, musically gifted, deeply emotional and devastatingly broken-hearted at this estrangement.  with a big family reunion coming up, all our wounds are seeping once again.  this photo was taken from a professional page, not current.  the last one her mother sent was about age 6, nothing since.  my father lived and died without knowing his grand-daughter, a joy robbed from him.  at the end of the day, when all else disappears, the family bonds keep us afloat.  we don't expect her to show up and automatically feel at home, but to do the adult thing and make peace, call a truce, no explanation necessary.  our family consists of imperfect people with flaws and occasional flares of disagreement in the ranks, but we love each other deeply and unconditionally.  i'll add this photo to our family array and there will always be an open chair if the seemingly impossible happens.