Test drive

the theme for the corinne et cecile sew along is 'animals'....i found this pattern on the internet called 'happy cats' designed by stacey day....pieced block...few pieces...ideal!  so pulled a few scraps for a test block.  the pattern makes a 50x50 quilt but wanted mine smaller....quicker finish you know.  here's the test block...

identified a few tricky areas--those triangle ears for one of course!  block ends up 8 3/8" inches wide and about 10" long.  gotta make 16 of these--fabrics pulled and ready to go when january arrives!  what else?

finished up a few potholders, some for me and some for mum.  busted some batting scraps in the bargain.  great thing is when they get grungy can just toss and make a few more.  

wedding quilt sewing is full steam ahead.  on track for top construction early january...

most of my holiday doings over and done.  i'll be celebrating solo, so have the day planned and a list that probably won't all get done, but will start on scrappy sewing week.  if i could assemble 3 scrappy tops, i'll consider it a success.  ***  PT on hiatus until next week but even after 2 visits have seen improvement, so won't be ordering the electric scooter just yet.  *** i'll leave you with a couple of holiday pix; first, spode mug and dish gifted to me 20+ years ago by a roommate when i lived in boston.  always takes me back to working 'in town' and feeling of belonging and quite cosmopolitan...one of the happiest times in my life.  truthfully, i haven't felt at home anywhere since.   second is another of those giveaway CVS ornaments from 1999...24 years ago!  surely they must be worth a mint by now....LOL!

keep calm and soldier on!

Soggy sunday sewing

for those of you who live far away, there are actually two marylands...divided by the west virginia panhandle....the eastern side gets rain and floods, the western side gets the snow.  sunday, for us, was wet and gloomy--outside.  inside, miss sunny sewing machine was whirring...to finish this flimsy.  and with careful cutting, did get all the sashing out of the scrap, now gone.  all but a few strips of the cheddar was used up as well.  next....

these two stitcheries got done a while ago but not finished until yesterday.   the big one, pin cushion size of maryland, is a gift.  the other goes in my display duck with other stuffies.  

our senior center quilty group had their little party friday and gifts were swapped.  i got this terrific item, a kitchen buddy!  hangs over the neck with towels on either end for handy hand wiping...plus a joann gift card that'll go for batting/backing for the wedding quilt and a few needed notions.  some of my pins were sacrificed fixing the jacket.  

also sunday a major frankenbatt session for the 'advent sky' top.  took several small pieces but mission accomplished AND they are gone from the stash.  pulled this piece for the back and it's just the right size--another piece gone and now it can get basted.  it's a 2024 UFO.

joined up with corinne et cecile for their annual sew along, starting january.  it's only 16 blocks--i've participated before--so pulled fabrics for that sunday as well.  shaping up to be a busy winter, especially squeezing in 6 weeks of PT that has already garnered improvement in mobility.  now that most holidays events over, can turn my attention to some needed house chores.  as anticipated, i'll be home by myself on Christmas so i've got a plan for the day that doesn't include cleaning...or laundry...and it might even be a pajama day too....LOL!

Ready or not!

a few surprises this week....a gift of fresh balsam from maine; battery candle ok for the apartment....love it!

the use-it-up project is coming along....i did have a few strips of the cheddar left, not enough for binding i'm afraid.  the sashing is another scrap and fingers crossed i've enough for all.  if not, pretty sure i've something that'll work.  that's the downside of working with scraps, often hard to calculate if there's enough, for me anyway.  

a neighbor gifted me this stack of old quilt magazines....pure gold!  thumbed through a few and found more project ideas....like who wouldn't?  a dangerous, delightful gift!

a couple of recent flingee boxes of fabric came my way.....always fun to play with somebody else's fabric!  

perked up my days several notches i can tell you.  sending huge thanks to these very generous quilters for blessing me so generously.  my budget has no room for fabric but no need with fabric angels like these.  no doubt what i'll be doing over the holidays!

few holiday happenings here at the complex that allow for cheerful gatherings with other residents, new and old.  i did meet another quilter who moved in recently.  

another round of PT on the calendar that'll keep me busy thru january--when i'm not sewing that is! 

as you can see, blogger being obstinate again despite my repeated attempts to align the text to the left.  i don't know how to reveal formatting codes so just have to go with it.  

Holiday stuff

i'm supposed to be at a church concert tonite but the weather is totally miserable--heavy rain and wind--plus it's dark so opted to remain at home and enjoy online concerts--there are plenty!  i did manage to clip some of this before rain arrived....

it's bye bye bittersweet and hello holly!  it grows like wildfire here; i've seen tall trees of the stuff....not in new england tho, so i had to have a bit to gussy up the kitchen...all my holiday hanging stuff is up and out came ornies and tree....

more ornaments to place in the back but already it's quite full...and hey, do you have a CVS santa ornament?  CVS gave out yearly ornaments for a few years back in the 1980s or 1990s..have a few others....such warm memories of people and places resurrected for a bit.  

doing some secret sewing that has to remain under wraps for now, but also working on the blue/cheddar blocks in between holiday stuff and usual must dos....

you can just see the edge of the red/green trip around the world finished this year...

here's another lovely cross stitch card received while i lived in frederick from a fellow quilter....she does such beautiful work!

a local church came to our complex today with lunch, music, advent encouragement and a lovely gift.  totally blessed by their generosity.  and as if they knew, some of the food had NO SALT....a divine gift for sure!  

 

designated sewist

what about you?  are you the one family members come to for all things mending and sewing?  in my family, it's me.  this is the current family fix-it....jacket zipper.  

for anyone else i'd say no.  retrofitting commercial garment sewing is not for the faint of heart or even us with repaired hearts.  Zipper in and works but safe to say, land's end won't be offering me a job anytime soon.

more wednesday wedding sewing coming up....goal is to have a top to baste come new year's...more blue/cheddar 9-patches made.

A neighborly santa left this for me....

And tree up with lights glowing...i love them.  This means little Frosty keeping watch...

Made this little guy in ceramics class, oh 44 years ago--that's about right...

no snow here of course, but enveloped in the music, decorations and activity of Christmas.  I might be home alone on the day,  but i've a plan and know i won't be lonely...my Savior always is with me.  😊 

saved by sewing

tuesday calendar clear so what to do?  sew of course!  i had pulled out a pattern sheet of bonnie hunter's from Quiltmaker column i'd saved for 'someday'...tuesday was someday!  

blue and cheddar....nothing better!  while rummaging in the stash had seen just the right fabric--small enough to use up but big enough for placemats or small wall quilt.  instead of using neutrals with the blue, using the cheddar with neutrals for setting pieces.  let the stripping begin!

hmm...are there some blues in scrap basket i could use?  went to check and shazam!  saw strips of a red batik mistakenly cut for a previous project PLUS some leftover green squares from last year's gift quilt....hmmm, red and green?  sounds like christmas!  so i pulled them, ironed them and stripped those as well....took me about 5 hours (includes bathroom and lunch breaks) in all but this is the result...

leftover solid apple green on the back and used for binding....a win/win!  not only did i wipe out aforementioned red/green scraps, ended up with a very festive, seasonal and possible gift!   late afternoon returned to the original project, blues and cheddars.  so it was sewing and inspiration to the rescue for an otherwise boring day.  

brrr cold day here, 24 degrees....yes that's maryland cold.  no matter, got my ll bean heavy coat, my lovingly knit hat/mittens/scarf/sox and those all-important cuddle duds long underwear.   ready to brave the elements!

necessity, they say....

is the mother of invention.  i never invented anything but having a need and finding a solution has challenged the little gray cells many times.  during a sleepless early morning, trying to figure a way to move quilted items to a tall shelf--vertically challenged, you know!  here is the shelf...

this was my solution.....

used the walker and wooden step left over from broken hip rehab, along with my regular step stool, to gain enough height to move things and make sure i had necessary support to avoid another broken hip.  worked like a charm!  i'll use this method to hang the rest of my wall quilts too.  

so now i have this....empty half shelf

that i hope will fit these....

things that need basting and quilting.....(ignore broken printer on bottom)....hmm might be a tight fit.  getting the last couple of stacks off the floor makes me happy.  

while moving things around, came across these in the "to be quilted" pile, 3 more of the hawaiian album blocks.  thinking a table runner for these once the squares have been evened up....

in addition to the blocks--i think there are more tucked away--came the pattern and a small stash of beautiful hand-dyed fabric pieces to make more.  i don't think i'll be making more but will finish up the blocks and use the remaining fabric elsewhere.  as i said, these were gifted to me and it's my honor to use them.

friday finish

quick post to report my 11th finish this year...that's one per month for the numerically disadvantaged, which includes me!  being a hand quilter slows me down from many of my fellow peeps but it's the part i like best.

the colors are off, being more muted and dark in person...the pitfalls of electronic eyes...really happy this is done in time for the holiday season.  

hope your turkey day was enjoyable...mine was quiet and subdued but glad to spend it with family.  then it's back to some wedding quilt sewing and  a re-watch of the parade.  no shopping day for me....i've got more UFOs to tackle!

We Gather Together...

to ask the Lord's blessing.....for me, it's not just today but every single day.  gather those i hold dear in my heart and prayers.  though i miss those huge holiday dinners with aunts, uncles and cousins and my grandmother, joining with my dear daughter and my dear son-in-law is equally enjoyable.  may you also commemorate this important day with those you love and cherish!

it's worth remembering that our native peoples actually kept the pilgrims alive and from starvation that first difficult year and joined with them in the first harvest feast.  it doesn't erase the horror that followed, but i imagine that recollection is painful. we owe them so very much.   i'll sign off with this masterpiece created years ago by my cherished chipmunk!

Tuesday tale

what's on the design wall?  wild turkeys of course!  as an homage, i'm having chicken on thanksgiving day....LOL!   actually, i ran to the store this morning and NO turkey legs or thighs whatsoever....a whole is out of the question, so chicken it is!  

folk art nativity is out of the hoop and ready for binding, so because nature abhors a vacuum, immediately pulled another UFO for possible december finish.   was gifted a number of baltimore-style blocks of a hawaiian theme.  decided to assemble them as smaller projects and this is the first.  i'm doing echo quilting of course and do so admire the lovely applique work as i quilt.  

monday pulled out the selvedge basket and sewed up some string pieces for potholders.  my mum is in need for a few and decided to make extras.  half the selvedges are used up and plan another day to empty the basket.  

starting this week, wednesdays are declared wedding quilt day.  hope to have the top done by the new year so it can be basted.  

stormy, rainy and windy day here with "cold" temps, as the weatherman says, arriving after.  when he says cold he means 40ish....will be dining with DD and SIL thursday and then it's heavy into christmas festivities.  putting up my tree very soon and bask in enormous thankfulness that i'm here to see all the cherished ornaments once again, but the real reason for christmas remains in my heart as always.  wishing all a blessed thanksgiving and hey, go easy on the pie!