the kindness of quilters...

i turn down many offers of free fabric except from a very few and some of those are for needed items kindly gifted to me.  just this week a box arrived with batting and backing for my blue album quilt...i am gobsmacked with surprise and humbled with thankfulness....

our senior center group received a large, filled tote of pieces separated by color, not all quilty cotton, most from 1980s or so, but i found this that was interesting and sad...

crafted with pride in the USA.  some companies even ship US-grown cotton overseas to be made into fabric.  that in a nutshell is the state of bigger things and explains a lot.  i was given these small pieces, ideal for my bathroom wall quilt....

that was it.  the remainder of the tote now waits for someone else to collect as most was passed by.  

working on eliminating the selvedges, found that i did not have enough to sew up all the potholders i planned...so, that means the tote of 1.5" strips will be raided to finish them....happy thought indeed!

dargate baskets?  16 baskets left, 17 days to go...i am on a mission!

busy-ish week with cardioman visit today.  my neighbors have been uber-kind in letting me tag along to shop.  our temps have begun to modulate as the earth spins ever so slowly on its annual schedule.  there are darn few weeks in the year when maryland weather isn't complain worthy...

two more done

 august plows on....the summer to do list is dwindling with two more finishes....

the lobster runner that DD has claimed already

my mom's sampler....ready to hang up.  was a tearful day getting this finished i can tell you...but it's done now and i am pleased.  

basket report:  22 days left of august and 24 baskets to applique...they WILL be done by the 31st!

the batik baskets are basted and in line for quilting while i work on tuscan starburst.  now in the works are the selvedge potholders for the chookshed challenge.  first, cut up the remaining backing fabric to see how many i could make.

two will be made from batik basket orphan blocks, the rest from selvedges and was delighted that a few were done so sat at miss sunny and whipped out a few more....

emptying this little container will free up more space under the ironing table.  unearthed this pile of scraps of new england patriots fabric...any takers?  will be happy to pass along for postage only.  i'll keep them until the end of the month and then they go regardless.  

last but not least at all, when i returned from the senior center my neighbor knocked on my door and shared these with me....oh how i love yellow roses!  

a temporary lift of my melancholy.  she is a sweet christian lady, former missionary, such a dear.  i am truly blessed to be her neighbor!

this and that

august rolls on....trying to keep busy...finding places to tidy and things to use up or pass on...all while air conditioner drones on....dreaming of 60-degree nights with a cool breeze wafting thru the window and a quilt up around my ears....not anytime soon unfortunately and no beach vacation ahead this year sadly.  here is one problem area that i've sorted...

the scraps and some UFOs get stored here for easy (not) access.  doesn't take much for it to become chaos.

another summer to do done....this little stitchery pattern was a gift and since my birthday is in august i knew it HAD to be finished now.  pattern by country cottage needleworks from 2011....

today's dargate report:  28 more to applique, 25 days left in august....veering off into hate for this project...LOL!

and the downside of tidying those drawers and crannies.....

blocks from an abandoned sew along....there were pieced blocks as well--those are done--but alas these got waylaid... my bathroom walls are pale yellow so a wall quilt is in the works!  can these get done in august as well? gonna try....

another day heat index over 100 but thanks to debby there will be a much desired break...can't wait til she gets here....rainy the rest of the week but i'll take it...

summer list progress

thanks to sweltering temps and no vehicle, the summer to-do list is coming along nicely.   this is the latest getting attention....

my mother's sampler....have added border, prepped a binding, basted it with flannel and a lovely kaffe print on the back.  she taught me everything except how to regain joy in life without her, and no freedom makes it doubly difficult.  the things i enjoyed doing here in MD no longer possible.

batik baskets is a flimsy.  not an official summer to do, just a UFO that needs to get done.  i did tweak the setting a bit more and made 2 more blocks to even out colors and values.  it does seem a bit heavy on darks in the top half but not taking it apart at this point...it'll get donated and somebody will love it...next up is basting....

not on summer list is this quickie project for our senior center group....

the panel i was given could not be squared up to add borders without skewing the design, so i trimmed off the edge and basted it to this red, which will get machine appliqued, then add the woodland border.  somebody will quilt it and add binding.  problem solved!

and a large tote of fabric pieces was getting emptied and passed out but sensibility ruled and i came home with just this one small piece, good for backgrounds in scrappy blocks...

lobster runner ready to machine quilt but a new walking foot had to be ordered, so by midweek a finish probably.  the small august stitchery is done and will be finished into a stuffie today most likely.  

still grieving the loss of my independence....i don't think new hampshire is the only place where you can 'live free or die', praying it's only temporary....have a blessed sunday...this IS the day the Lord has made!

done!

shazam!   i did manage to cut up all the scraps in the basket...a happy result indeed!

all that remains are a few pieces suitable for broderie perse...so now that task is done!  

what's next? here is august's chookshed challenge....

3.  finish up the selvedge strips.  little container half full (or half empty) shouldn't take more than half a day at most.  

first thing is to prep some foundation squares...then i can sew up all these selvedge strips into potholders....or maybe i can find another idea for them...this will be a win/win as it'll finish them up into something useful AND free up thie small tote for another use.  

after staring at the baskets on the design wall, decided it needed better contrast in some of the blocks so this is the second version which i like much better.  might still move a couple around tho.

wednesday felt more like a usual day before my year got sidelined...cut up my scraps, made some yeast onion rolls and a nice luncheon salad (thank you lidia bastianich), watched olympics, read a bit and washed my recent quilt finish.  that's more than i've accomplished in one day for many months.   tears still come but not consuming my whole day...not that i miss her any less or that my life is less empty without her.  still hemmed in at the apartment of course.  ortho guy told me to get a scooter but as long as i'm on two legs, not gonna happen. he's probably got 2 cars in his driveway....

down to the wire

for the chookshed monthly challenge....mine was to empty the scrap basket and this is my progress so far...

that's right, NONE!  so today's the day....will see if i can empty this or not...only added a couple of pieces this month while i was occupied with UFO finishes...horrible heat back for another week so hoping can keep on task and not go off the rails with being confined inside...thankful for A/C of course and kind neighbors who ferry me to shop when needed.

also finished all my batik baskets and got them up on the design wall....still needs some tweaking but they are done AND surprise!  i had enough of a white batik print for the setting triangles AND the binding if i choose...now that's a first!  

moving along on dargate baskets also...have about 36 left to do so an august 31 finish is likely...color me happy!  i had thought it might get to flimsy stage but doubt it...

and hard to believe, but sewing does get boring now and then.  whereas usually i'd pull out a long-buried UFO, can't even face that so off i hibernate with a good read.  this came my way--advanced reader copy so not available til fall but can recommend.  i'll only say this:  swamps, suspects and murder oh my!  i'm also reading thru the inspector lynley mysteries ebooks from library...

and of course, the olympics are on TV...NBC only shows you what they want and i don't pay for Peacock so can't see everything.  enough women's beach volleyball please..no doubt camera guys preference!  

now back to that basket!

FYI

in case you wondered....the header photo was taken at pemaquid point in maine...it was my mother's favorite place to go and just sit and read....after my father died, she often went after work to just ponder, probably pray, and soak in sea air and sunshine.  when i was there, we always visited.  i wish i could have taken her more times.  the black stripes in the rock are called dikes, cooled molten lava...there is a lighthouse there and a lovely little restaurant.  the restaurant burned a few years ago but was rebuilt.  it is one of the many, many beautiful spots in maine, seldom over-run with tourists....no beach but oh the view.  lobster boats can often be seen hauling traps...if you love the ocean and get to maine, it is a must.  

saturday doings

finally cooler, cloudy, still steamy, but at least can open the drapes and let some light in...i made a list and working on it slow and steady.  so far today....

eighteen 6.5" baskets all done....that's half....so on the way to another finish.  takes the same time to cut pieces and sew the block.  might get the others prepped before the day is gone....might.  

leftover album blocks got approval for a lap quilt at yesterday's sewing group....border fabric found in our storage so get them on and it goes bye bye next friday.  

it seems everyone is in the christmas mode and our group is no different.  they pulled out a project for me....

it's a cute panel, santa with some woodland animals.  they added the tan print with little deer and a red to finish it off, so that's on my next week's agenda.  

more baskets got appliqued and on target to finish them by august 31st.  tuscan starburst is in the hoop.  summer list slowly dwindling but still robust.   there are 3 basting tasks but think one will get done for now.  

missing my independence big time...finally get to a point in my life with no other demands and now stranded...if i were younger and in better physical shape, i'd give up my apartment and buy a new car.  yeah i miss it that much....glass still half full but the half empty part is unpleasant....sigh

quilty circle of life

just as in everyday life, things, people, situations come and go.  so it is with quilting.  just yesterday finished this long-awaited UFO...

s'mores is finished, waiting for winter.  a jo morton pattern pulled from a magazine and drooled over ever since.  color me happy....one down, one added....

blue album/chimney sweep top is finished....goes in the basting pile after batting and backing acquired...it's 60x80 and had planned a larger quilt but caved and used the extra blocks for a lap quilt top for our group project.  i have a couple already finished that'll get donated as well.  

that's the sweltering heat week progress.   tuscan starburst now in the hoop, more dargate blocks done, and dove in to my christmas puzzle...this is a real toughie...next will tackle mom's sampler to finish...with july half over the summer list is at the forefront.  had hoped to get 3 bed tops basted but at least the bow ties.  

all these are diversions are mostly keeping me from sliding into grief mode--loss of my dear mum, my car and independence, my summer beach vacay, my regular gym visits....focusing on blessings and gratitude for the good in my life, trying to emulate St. Paul, also a prisoner, and be content where i am, trusting my Lord to free me.  

as per usual...

my bad habit, or deficient calculation more like, finds me often lacking a certain needed fabric...and it happened again with s'mores.  i do have some sashing fabric left but alas, not enough to bind.  what to do?  rummage in the stash for something do-able...

close enough....not quite a color match but not too far off the sashing....it's for me, another humble quilt, so i don't mind.  it's definitely snuggle worthy.

i do have a finish, tho....it's the birdhouse project

this idea came from the border fabric pieces, just small scraps that appealed to me.  it's done and needs a wash....dear daughter has already claimed....i do like to do letters now and then, plus busted more fabric, always good.  and on the back....

cleaning out an elfa drawer found a bit of this aunt grace fabric so fussy cut the designs and will use them as quilt labels...

last but not least, a sample block of 'crossed canoes'....

bit of ripping out a couple of times but overall good result...this is NOT a new start but will leave on design wall for now....have to sign off now, cable acting up as per usual....keeps telling me i have no internet connection that i paid for which means nothing to them.