block progress

now that things are calming down, have finally been able to grab some sewing time and these got done lickety split!  

had pulled out some 2.5" strips to whip these up...so handy to have those precuts on hand!  today is another sewing day for me.  breathing room from all the chaos and challenges sorely needed.

and i guess it's official now.....this has been hung up in my hallway as you enter the apartment.

new complex kinder and gentler than the last with no offending behaviors.  the other residents are quite friendly but not in your face, and the location is proving to be extremely convenient to many usual places. *** yesterday was initial visit with new PCP, a geriatric specialist, young, vibrant, funny and a native from Massachusetts...just perfect--a true divine find!  so the day is mine and it's a beauty too..75 degrees...with only a nurse visit on tap.  thank you God for this much-needed oasis!

it's moda love!

does not seem possible just about a week since last post.  i've been busy i think....but finally sat down for some sew time.  it's moda love wall quilt!

just sew rows together and it's a flimsy....late to the party as my zoom peeps in the southern hemisphere made theirs a couple of weeks ago at retreat.  oh well, better late than never.  pulled a couple of kaffe prints that caught my eye and here it is.  you know i like color and kaffe prints never, ever disappoint.  

and the peril most quilters face when moving didn't miss me.  way in a deep, dark place was this not-quite UFO....i say not quite since i made only one block for a tryout but i did cut a gazillion pieces for it.  it whispered to me now and then but now frugality demands that i move it to the official UFO pile and at least get it to flimsy stage.

if you zoom in on the date, you'll see 2011...12 years ago, so yes it is time.  

it's scrappy repro of course...so plenty of stash on hand.  blocks finish at 6"....

sweet 100s are just about ready for outdoor planting.  it's been cooler than normal here but i think next week is the change for more warmth, 75-80 every single day.  

so settled yet?   ha!  still trying to establish daily routine and have it feel normal.  missing my regular gym time big time, still on hold due to leg.  new wrinkle is that swelling receding steadily due to constant draining with extra bandage changes.  it's also more painful as muscles and nerves come back to life.  car on sick list as well, so off to repair next week, an added detour.  and a couple of days just rested with a book to recover and recharge.  it keeps me going but a real vacation is sorely needed, along with some TLC from my family. 

for sale

time to pare down the nearly toppling stack of small quilted pieces...starting off with this.  

this is a hand pieced and hand quilted item.  colors chosen for a challenge on state flag...these colors are from the Louisiana flag.  as a caveat, i do wash my fabrics before using them but would recommend a color catcher for future washings, especially as it's red.  i do not machine dry my pieces, not even bed size quilts.  i am asking $45 which includes shipping.  if you are interested, please email me.  

mother's day eve and i've no plans at all except to chill out.  hoping to sew some and catch up on a few household chores.  it's a rainy day so good mystery on tap as well.  

and in the "my 2 cents" department, I believe Daniel Perry should be absolved of any wrongdoing in the subway man's death.  This was a mentally ill man creating a disturbance and threatening behavior who had to be subdued by 3 people, not just Perry.  I've been on the subway with scary people and it is just that--scary.  A confined space, a loose cannon...anything can happen. 

tuesday finish

 yes indeed...it's the first finish this month....this gets crossed off the UFO list....

it's the plaid spider web wall quilt, 26" square, so not much busted but more fabric used up.  cute huh?  i like it.  thought i might make a larger quilt of this pattern but string piecing gets tedious (for me anyway) and this was enough.  UFO #3 is in the hoop and could be a may finish as well...wow!  just yesterday unpacked a small box of pictures and found 2 wall quilts, one finished and one a flimsy.  i hope that's the end of them!  

and the sewing space is finally ready for use!  it's been a week of finding homes for a myriad of items and hanging things up and some much-needed chilling out time.  tuscan starburst unpacked and remaining 3 blocks cut out...still on the hunt for the elusive background fabric.  here's a look at my happy place....

i knew the design wall was short but didn't know how much to add until it was hung.  another foot should be just enough.  just out of shot in right front of the machine is the elfa drawer stack with all sorts of related stuff.  the books are on a shelf in the bedroom, along with the stash.  i've not had a dedicated sewing room since 1978 but always able to make adequate space to be productive and comfortable.  the big screen TV is to the left, along with the laptop that has a modem connection long enough for zoom gatherings and streaming stuff.  

and up for grabs is today's freebie....this is for postage only, about $8-9 if it strikes your fancy.  it's patriots fabric scraps from sewing a scrub top.  six pieces in all, few larger than FQ but not half yard.  this is a directional print that works only one way but depending on the pattern, can be ignored. 

prefer paypal payment so email me if interested.   no space here for unnecessary stuff!

wacky weather continues....80s yesterday, 60s today.  exploring the area some, but mostly enjoying the breathing space after numerous demands and medical interventions.  the pesky leg is coming along slow, still pretty numb but bandage free very soon i hope!

thursday notes

yesterday was on the hunt for something so had to tackle the chaos of the stash....took me a solid afternoon but now pretty much sorted...at least easier to find fabrics.

herculean task but managed to squeeze it all in and still see it...missing the use of the bottom shelf but can't be helped.  it is a testament to how much fabric i've used since moving to maryland anyway.  not pictured are shoeboxes of scraps, 2 baskets of scraps to be cut up and UFO projects with their respective fabrics.  still healthy but slowly dwindling.  

if you are in need of a tri-recs set, i have two.  be happy to send them along for postage only.  pretty sure bought at joann's with 50% coupon.  determined to fling unnecessary stuff.

won't be long til these little tomato seedlings will be in the ground.  in a few days i'll divide them up into 2 pots to give them more room and should be ready to plant in a couple of weeks...

these are cherry tomato plants, sweet 100 is the variety, hoping for a bumper crop.  already have the tomato plant food on hand to keep them healthy.  

leg stitches out but numbness persists of course....signed up at local gym, had to change franchise as the local anytime fitness does not take any insurances.  got green light to start doing what i can without the leg....not quite ready for action.  coumadin swapped out for a different drug, meaning my dietary choices just increased immensely, so it's cranberry sauce with chicken dinner today after a very long time....and just in time for yummy green grapes too....

now that our weather is improving and things are pretty well settled, anticipate more time at the machine and back into the sewing swing!  thanks be to God for all His blessings!

my may quilt

first up....thanks to sue who commented on the last post and claimed the farmer's wife blocks...off to the PO today to send them along....organization is ongoing with daily decrease in floor piles as things find a home.  few more things got put up on the walls too.  

long ago had a book called "a month of sundays" featuring small quilts for every month....this was the may entry....

may baskets filled with that gorgeous tulip fabric.  at the time i bought it, hadn't a clue how to use it but just right for this.   

also got these sewn and ready to stuff...

after stuffed and sewn they'll go here....

this cute duck holder thingie made by daughter in high school shop....have downloaded a number of freebie patterns to stitch up and they will make festive holiday displays.....there is the spider web small quilt under my needle in progress, so another finish fairly soon.  

and the leg you ask?  well, numbness abating at the pace of a very drugged snail....the foot is mostly back to normal but from ankle up about 12 inches pretty numb....a real nuisance.  still using the cane but back to gym this week after hopefully getting sutures removed, which might help with the numbness...i'm told it's the last thing to resolve...

so welcome may hoping it IS a very merry month indeed...for all of us!

up for adoption

 

found in a box.....all the farmer's wife blocks....all 120 or so of them....i made them, put them together in a top and it was less than inspiring....so deconstructed and find now that i have lost enthusiasm for this project.  if you want them, i'll send along for postage only....i think about $8.  i can take paypal if you choose....or carefully concealed cash if you prefer.  email me and i'll provide my address.  

rainy, dreary day, just right for organizing drawers and such.  i'll get back to my task...

a finish start

finally got down to sew in the new space....boxes gone, some semblance of order, few good nights' sleep and beyond hospital aura....found the binding fabric for the kaffe lozenges or shuttles as some call them....fired Miss Sunny up and got 'er done!

tried a few different colors for the binding but the pink just made it wow!  and here's Miss Sunny's new home too...

the living room is a bit smaller so her corner is as well....but it's workable and all the needed doodads aren't far away.  under the table are shoeboxes of precuts and UFOs in containers.  there's more to do of course....hang things, put away quilts, organize cupboards but the long, hot summer is ahead and only 110 days to my maine vacation...that'll be ten times better for the wait!

nearly there..

after some of the most horrific 6 weeks i've had in a long time....let's see...2 hospitalizations, surgery, move, family member illness, cardiac issues, new environment, medication adjustments....how many stress points is that?  if not 300 then darn close i think!  but seeing light so improving.  first up....take note of this....the very LAST box to be emptied!

yeah it's fabric...spent the last 2 days unpacking the stash and fingers crossed it will all fit on the shelves....here it is this morning....the top shelf is going to save me i do believe!

the bottom shelf is taken up with finished wall quilts...well, most of them.  there is another small pile of things to be hung on the walls and another pile of things to give away/sell.  gonna be a tight squeeze.  makes me itching to get sewing to acquire some breathing room here.  

here is the pile of quilts for the closet shelf (left) and the wall quilts to go (right)....

overwhelmed yet?  i am!  inbetween unpacking found a few moments to get my cherry tomato seeds planted...

they are looking good and hoping for a good yield...the variety is 'sweet 100' and i've had them before....very prolific.  we have planter boxes here.  farmer's market gets $5-6 per half pint of these, beyond my budget, so even a few pints with minimal startup cost would be good.  

as mentioned, had another brief hospital visit...cardiac issues this time....all new docs and new-to-me facility.  God sent many angels in my path, starting with paramedic who recommended hospital.  appointments on board for the month.  in addition to fluid and caffeine restrictions, a heart rate stabilizer so feeling a lot like flat stanley as he slinks down the stairs.  yesterday was able to drive for the first time since mid-march.  grocery store, drug store and bank with library, gym and senior center lined up for later in the week.  still lots to make it home...another month should do it.  studio area nearly ready to use...another UFO in the hoop as well....it's been a long hiatus!

settling in

it's been another busy and somewhat harrowing week post move and surgery...leg swelling almost gone, two more weeks of home RN, more boxes gone and more things found!  i think i had a total of 62 boxes in all...down to 8-9...most containing sewing stuff and fabric.  the down time gave me a chance to decide where things go and how to maximize storage and ease of use.  

fortunately my apartment next to trash room so just sneak next door to shed these as they get emptied.  and what did get accomplished?

books and CDs got their new home...easy to access and neatly stacked.  the tall shelves they were on has been repurposed to kitchen for pans and small appliances....no more diving into lower cabinets trying to find things.  bedroom will be sewing annex with these, treadle and fabric stash.  

my slow motion status partly due to slashing my caffeine intake....cardioman said to cut in half, which i've done, but not without annoying loss of energy.  worth it to keep off blood thinner.  

lastly, in the 'never rain but pours' department, my dear sis has been hospitalized with a serious event...she is our family's youngest and has had many trials--like me--so if you are a praying person, please remember her today.