in the hoop

the humongous gift quilt is now done, just a wash and then it'll get packed and sent off to its new home.  happy to say i busted just over 15 yards with this project.  ramps up my usage considerably.  i don't keep detailed in/out statistics, just a basic tally that might not be wholly accurate....no matter, i'd rather be sewing than accounting.  so this project is now in the quilt hoop....

it's the glad tidings wall quilt....the mustard print is called glad tidings by jo morton...i swooned over this print and know it will be a seasonal favorite when complete.  you can see the shell pattern i'll be quilting in the blank squares....and on the design wall....

the dargate baskets....i took this with me on vacation and think i finished one block...totally anemic effort.  i put the finished ones on the design wall as a "reminder" or "nag" to get going on this...it's one of my oldest UFOs, if not the oldest....and to the far left is a string of "S" hexies for the dutch panel project.  

heading into 2023 with about 26 UFOs, 4-5 of them bed size and all but two of these ready to baste and quilt.  the rest are wall quilts.  roughly calculated about 3 years' worth of sewing--lots of hand work with piecing/applique/quilting required.  not included are 3 scrappy tops that'll be donated as tops being made from precut scraps on hand.  one new year's wish is for continued health to see all of these done.  

getting ready for a big freeze and nasty weather here...ran out this morning for gym, groceries and gas, so the next 4 days i'll be ensconced in the apartment...if i get really bored i can start in on cleaning....LOL!  and one christmas wish?  that mary berry would invite me for dinner!  flying time to applique baskets and i know i'd look good in that funny paper crown!

countdown to christmas!

naked no more....the tree has been trimmed and its lights and ornaments happily revisited once more.

the tree itself is a cheap fake one, but works as a foundation for these cheery lights and my dear ornaments, all rekindling warm memories of past christmases and kind people....i do miss the aroma of fresh evergreen tho.  ***  have returned to my apartment after the brief sojourn retreat a mere hour away.  was busy while i was gone with results to show!

'wildest dreams' has been flimsified...alas, no big design wall to show it off properly but you can see nearly all of it.  i am quite excited to get this basted and start quilting, especially those big and little squares just screaming for some vintage-y designs.  should be a finish in 2023 finally.  i have just about decided to quilt every stinkin' triangle.  *** the 2 seasonal stitcheries also got completed--well, the stitchery part anyway.  

this will get finished as a bowl filler....and this next one will be a small wall decor piece...

that french general fabric is just perfect for finishing....love those reindeer!!  

holiday plans are set.  my kiddos are working--hospitals, you know--so i'll be enjoying the day myself with a special lunch and probably sewing in my jammies for the day.  still have a few things i'd like to finish this year....the december mini is just about ready to bind and the gift quilt binding will get sewn on tomorrow.  have begun tallying the year's progress and roughing out 2023 goals.  marathon cleaning week coming up to clear ALL the decks before new year's.  so very thankful for a year of health and sewing!

Retreat weekend sort of...

No place exotic and me the only attendee...condo sitting for my kiddos an hour from toxic village has given me days of free hours used to advance a few stagnant UFOs.....

all these blocks are now done and ready to flimsify....new word!

And up next....

a bit of applique and some homey embellishments anthis will be ready to flimsify too!  amazing what a change of venue can do...plenty on the list on return to the village but for now, an enjoyable respite....,

my week

for someone who doesn't work and has no outside time commitments, the weeks evaporate regardless...of course i sew something most every day and there are boring, repetitive household things...what's up this week?   first off, the thus-far naked tree...

it's small but still, lights and tons of ornies take time...then the ever-present stack of books

tantalizing mysteries whispering, no shouting at me each time i walk by....and this brand new, can't be renewed DAR book club must read...

i finished "american jezebel" and was gobsmacked to find i am a descendant of Anne Hutchinson and, get this, also Mayflower passenger Constance Hopkins!  another delightful accident for sure...my grandfather always told us about the Mayflower connection but never located until now.  *** so where's the sewing you ask?

a patriots scrub top for dear daughter, and flannel batt for kaffe's lozenges, can now baste...gotta try and rack up a couple of small finishes before december flies...lastly,

a pinwheel baby quilt gift that'll probably be done before january as well...plus finish the december mini AND the huge gift quilt that is almost ready to bind....enough to keep me off santa's naughty list...i hope!!!

a UFO tale...

into our 3rd dreary day, 2 of rain, and almost done with the gift quilt (finally!), so pulled out an ancient UFO....you might remember this...

it's the 1861 healy quilt...had avoided getting sucked into the hexie craze for a long time until this came along...could i do it?  why not?  i did give it a determined try...spent a lot of time on these tiny hexies...3/4" ones....here is the proof...

take-along bags filled with tiny pieces and papers, all cut from free magazine inserts....

a drawer filled with various sections....the quilt itself required 192 of the size rosette seen here in the pink, not to mention joining sections and rows.  life changes as it does and my fascination dwindled, sitting in the drawer with a twinge of guilt each time it was opened.  but no longer!  the tiny hexies are now being repurposed--the pink and blue ones--into an applique for a border on my dutch chintz wall quilt.  

have been trolling the 'net looking at di ford style medallion quilts for border ideas and saw this.  it's perfect!  not all the hexies will be used so the finished rosettes will be repurposed into a wall quilt of some sort, but the time spent isn't totally wasted.  i can feel the guilt dissipating as my plan is put into action.  the weather stinks but it's sunshiny in my studio!  ***  and now to avoid other guilt, i'm off to the gym!

november mini

with the holiday over and leftovers gone, time to get back to sewing!  since my return from Maine, have been quilting the gift quilt.  but after the parade, the featherweight came out to play...first up, to finish this...

it's machine quilted with flannel batt; at about 16x20, this is mini to me!  you know how i feel about amish solid-style quilts and so no surprise here.  after this, a sleeve got sewn for a gift wall quilt, and the december mini got basted too.  but nothing goes in the hoop until the gift quilt is done and feel confident that'll be well ahead of Christmas.  only necessary house chores until then, so week between christmas and new year will be more thorough and decluttering to get ready for yet another sewing-filled year.  

december will mark the end of the monthly mini challenge for me.  i've had fun and used some of my pretty fabrics.  loved seeing what others make, which is always inspiring.  blame it on the brevity of time...if i was sure i'd have 40+ years of quilting ahead i would probably continue, but that's only a tantalizing wish i'd guess, and there is that 3-ring binder chock full of things i want to do!

happy thanksgiving!

hoping that you, like me, have a long thankful list this year....yes, news is grim and there is more than enough sadness and misery to go around, but in the midst of it all i consider myself blessed!  my life is poor in material riches, but overflowing with the important ones.  my maryland family works tomorrow so it'll be just me for dinner, and yes, i've got turkey and all the sides...it'll be a sew day for me!

 Blessings to all who read this!

trip recap

have returned to maryland and temps that are a bit warmer....yes, we DID have SNOW on wednesday but only a couple of inches...so here's the final report--if you're interested, that is....

waiting at airports got this much done on this christmas stitchery....there's more to the top border and a single row of the zigzag along the bottom and then can finish into a festive wall decoration...love those reindeer!

while at mum's, stocked her freezer with some future meals....not fried clams but rhode island clam cakes, more like puffs as you can see, but they do taste exactly like fried clams. 
 

in addition to home cooking, we dined out a few times and were treated to a delish breakfast by my bro and SIL at a B&B near their home....plus lots of seafood and yes LOBSTER got consumed.  i do miss it a lot here in crab territory...

we took advantage of a couple of balmy days and visited our favorite beaches....here's a link to a video of reid state park and the effects of hurricane nicole.   we visited on a whim but the parking lot was nearly full of other beach lovers and we were rewarded with this show of nature.  in all my beach days, i've never seen the waves curl like this!  enjoy!

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNK2Ys5YS0uJdrmOUkXL3FFxa7HifOxGCrbQsFz

 

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.....