no new sewing....

am away in maine visiting my family for a brief week before snow flies...enjoying lobster of course and other seafood delights....we trekked (well, drove actually) to boothbay harbor, a favorite seaside locale and found it quite deserted, not a tourist in sight!  just the locals getting ready for the holidays....

this colorful buoy tree adorns the waterfront....i love it!  then ventured to a local eatery for a delish seafood (natch) lunch overlooking the harbor....heartily recommend it if you find yourself in the neighborhood...

the tugboat inn has been a fixture for many years....then another trip to yet another seaside favorite and watch the awesome waves because of hurricane nicole's visit....i'll post it when i can.   *** before  traveling back to MD, we'll all gather for an early Thanksgiving meal and more of that precious family time...

chilly has arrived

it's true, summer weather has gone and with it my shorts wardrobe...was inevitable of course and i am ready for it.  ****  the kaffe lozenges is a flimsy....

i moved around some of the prints to achieve balance, but it seems as tho the bottom half has fewer dark prints so might still require some tweaking...as far as other sewing, quilting the perimeter of the gift quilt so a christmas finish is definite.  it's huge, 96" square, way bigger than i care to make really, but for a gift i soldiered on.   **** a friend loaned me this to read and perhaps discuss with others in a small book group....

thoroughly interesting read...it is believed hawthorne based his hester prynne on anne hutchinson who, the ministers of the colony agreed, "she was a woman not only difficult in her opinions, but also of an intemperate spirit".  easy to recognize the traits of 21st century women in this trail-blazing rogue of her time--in short; outspoken, with common sense, confident in her opinions and belief that she was the equal of any man.  you can understand why she was feared in Puritan America.  cool weather is ideal to curl up under a cozy quilt and be whisked away.....

bit o progress

here's the kaffe lozenges wall quilt, almost a flimsy, just a few rows to go....

the original plan was to piece 10x10 but thinking might do 11x9 instead...i absolutely love those prints...pretty sure i have plenty on hand for a few more projects...and what else?

it was zoom time for a bit last night....i've been working on the wildest dreams squares hoping to assemble the top this year.  one evening last week sat and pinned in the setting triangles to have at the ready.  there were only 6 blocks left to do....

happy to say on zoom 3 got finished with the triangles, now waiting for the 4 corner squares.  maybe this weekend those will get pinned in...anxious to see this become a top.  dreaming of the quilting as i sew....perhaps quilt every little triangle and some feathery stuff in the pink pieces?  oh yeah, that sounds good...

november arrived once again for me....on 11/1/22 it was 5 years since my life-saving cardiac surgery....that's 5 years of sewing, birthdays, christmas and thanksgivings, beach visits, lobster, happy times with family and just plain lots of love....i couldn't be more grateful and blessed!

and all you boomers don your cowboy hats in tribute today and sing along with me....."happy trails to you..."  it's the birthday anniversary of the king of the cowboys...roy rogers!

now there was a real hero....

october mini

just this morning sewed down the last of the binding....

while i was quilting, noticed that had forgotten to baste...LOL...pattern is kentucky crossroads...used a background fabric that was another of those pretty things had bought for "someday"....tops for november and december mini are also done.  *** so what is on the design wall now?

it's the kaffe lozenges piece....nearly 50 are done waiting for other half.  hoping to baste by end of week...then it'll go into the to-be-quilted pile.   *** the christmas gift quilt is coming along, nearly ready to start quilting the border; christmas finish is very likely.  if santa brings another joann card, will stock up on batts for the few bed size quilt tops waiting for basting.  looks like 2023 might be another UFO busting year!

now and then

it took only a couple of days and some marathon sewing to make a dent in the strip tote....this is now...

and this was then....just mere hours ago....

the tote even weighs less...LOL....and now i have these....

49 blocks waiting on more....such fun and lots of memories come to mind, so just like visiting old friends...but the angel on my shoulder kept whispering UFO.....UFO...so will save the strips for another fun day and pulled out this, the lozenges wall quilt using awesome kaffe fabrics...

current plan is for 10 rows of 10 lozenges for the flimsy.    ****  peak foliage has finally arrived here with balmy, sunny days where the out of doors is always beckoning....just driving around with no destination is wonderful!

it's been windy off and on making lots of trees prematurely bare....all around town fall/winter pansies are planted, so plenty of color everywhere!  no real weekend plans--exercise, bind october mini, quilt and read....that's about it.

 

happy birthday.....

to this little guy....dear brother #2....he lives far away but in our hearts and thoughts every day...he's a grandfather now...how did that happen???   8 years younger than me, so now he has joined the medicare generation...

 and just like popcorn, couldn't stop making those scrappy squares from 1.5" strips....

don't mind my wonky design wall....i needed a piece of flannel for one of the monthly minis and yes, i hacked it off my design wall...  these are NOT log cabin blocks, rather just strips sewn as pulled from tote until they are the right size.   some days miss going to work but not on a blitz sewing day!  still a long way from emptying the tote, tho...keep calm and sew on!

a flimsy!

 

the amanda nyberg pattern is now a flimsy, 60" square and soon to be flung to the thrift...somebody should love it's colors and find a place for it, and it'll generate funds for their service projects, win/win i'd say!  

moseying around blogland inspired me to answer the siren call of the scrappy sewists...LOL!  the tote of 1.5" strips was in my face and overflowing...what's a sewist to do?

especially when a blank afternoon is on the horizon....well, thought i would try a scrappy block or two...and shazam!

the sewing mojo kicked into overdrive and now there's a stack of half done blocks plus these....no pattern, no fussy cutting, no nothing but pull out a strip, sew it on and trim.  now that's what i call fun.  thinking another donation top is well on its way....and only a load of laundry and the day is wide open...more sewing fun!

another week whizzed by

here in maryland we are inching slowly toward actual cool with 30 and 40-degree mornings that require more than a sweater.  back in my routine of regular exercise...and my sewing mojo has ramped up as well! last night joined in with zoom quilty peeps for a bit of socializing and reconnecting...

all busy quilters and sewists with lots of eye candy!  my task for the evening was to move forward on a UFO, "wildest dreams" and now working on block 10 with only 6 to go.  the patchwork parts are done, just adding the pink triangles and squares.

from the october 2009 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting, maker is unknown, a beautiful vintage quilt.  This is going to be a flimsy before 2023 arrives...i hope!  

a wonderful surprise arrived in my mail this week.  on a whim entered a giveaway on a blog i follow, "from my carolina home," for some aurifil thread.  my own supply was dwindling and it was on my list to replenish....

not anymore!  9 lovely spools--3 spools each in 3 collections of my choice--and they are most welcome.  when "sunny" the vintage singer arrives can't wait to introduce her to this thread.  will only have to add a couple of spools of white at some point and probably a few spools of 28 wt for hand quilting.  happy additions all!

and it had to happen....summer veggie choices slowly leaving....the other day i enjoyed my last farm stand cuke...a staple of my diet all summer.  it's a quick fix veggie and low cal filler upper....so long until may....

 it's another beautiful autumn day and dear daughter and i are off on a day trip....that's all for now!

friday again?

sure is a challenge to keep track of the days sometimes....with very few commitments for my time, a week seems like just one very long day...LOL!  sewing was at a snail's pace but picked up past couple of days...the featherweight has been humming with more of those batik scrap squares...

photo taken just before sunrise but you can see she is busy....i've also been working on the 3 minis for the rest of the year.  october top is done, november top in progress and fabrics pulled for december.  quilting on the gift quilt continues....october finish?  doubtful but close...and breakfast included some hot blues....only half gallons of milk in store, way too much for me, that needed to be used.

yes i do cook a lot....keeping to very low sodium intake demands it, but have streamlined quantity cooking and freezer is my best friend.  *** farmer's market slowing down but still some choices as no killing frost quite yet...not too far away i would guess.   *** october has got to be my favorite month.  in new england the foliage is outstanding, crisp air nights with warm days just right for anything, autumn fairs, aroma of apples baking, cozy flannel duds, luscious orange pumpkins everywhere, quilts back on beds...a quilty peep gave me permission to use this photo she took near her home....gladi porsche is an amazing quilter with many varied interests...if you haven't seen her work, you simply must.  she blows me away with her applique work and execution of beautiful quilts...thank you gladi for sending a bit of new england for me to drool over!

TGIF?

unlike when i was working, friday doesn't mean much anymore...without many diversions, the days just melt together punctuated only by weather changes...and whatever strikes my fancy!  this week it was cross stitch....

a bit more stitching on this...a pattern from modern folk embroidery....could be done for christmas...and this freebie from DMC website....

this will be a wall piece and i've got just the french general fabric for it...those reindeer get me every time!  also this week, my car had a sleepover at the garage for a few fixes.  *** and thanks to mary berry for this delish chicken wing recipe.  something i enjoy occasionally but forbidden until she demonstrated this recipe with almost no sodium ingredients--a bit of worcestershire that i pared down--and a few spices, maple syrup.  the maple syrup makes them a bit sticky but they are so very good!  

wings are ridiculously expensive right now but found a marked down package and grabbed them.

still recovering from vacation and a never-ending cold that just won't completely resolve.  not cardiac related, but annoying and keeping me in the doldrums without energy or ambition.  wacky see-saw weather affecting regular sleep habits not helpful either.  i did work on the october mini plus pulled fabric and patterns for november and december.  this weekend after chores, it's hand quilting on the christmas gift. ***  off to get more caffeine to rev up the engine...it's a fitness day!