wednesday chat

keeping busy here in finally cool maryland....sleeping and doing just about anything is grand!  still in shorts, tho...today's tasks?  trim this piece and get the woodland borders on

then it goes to our group quilter....i left the banquet table up to do this, but it's in the way....my living room is small but handy when needed.  

pinned the new appliques on this piece....next is to press and get out the ruler before sewing down....i'm left handed, aka sinister, and i believe that means my eye...i keep a level on hand also to hang things as without it, well they'd all be skewed...

i do like the addition of the tulip stems and have an idea for the big pink petals as well...doing just for fun....applique fun you say?  yes getting that way....

quilting steadily on 'tuscan starburst' as the bathroom hanging and batik baskets must also be quilted before i can start the bow ties, which i am itching to do.  then blue album to start by january if not before.  also in the planning stage is a special project for an exhibit next year...

upping regular exercise is surely improving my mental attitude and am settling into a sort of routine sans car....grieving continues of course but not crippling, still have that huge hole in my life...no doubt worse as still feel a stranger here with no close friends and where people don't really know me and without any common history with anyone.  so what to do but keep on keeping on as so many do...could always be worse, right?  

silk purse?

 not even close....remember this sow's ear?

i tried to ignore but it kept falling off the closet shelf...could no longer avoid...came up with an idea that resulted in sacrificing some points and still a tad of a ripple in the top border, but here it is, renovated and ready to baste...

so what was done?  took off all green borders...it was still bit wonky despite all the measures i took to avoid same...then sewed the side borders back on moving in one-half zig-zag WITHOUT removing the outer edge row units, hoping to maintain some sort of straight edge.  worked pretty well--not perfectly--then re-measured, trimmed and re-attached top/bottom borders.  i can now and finish it without shame.  if you don't tell, then nobody will be the wiser....LOL!  my frugal muse simply wouldn't allow tossing it....

what else shakin'?  some cooking of course--corn fritters, veggie prep and chicken/leek pie.  laundry, bathroom freshen...then this...

yet another UFO wanting attention....block pattern from kim diehl...was going to call it ok but there's a blog i follow, actually drool over....https://gladiquilts.wordpress.com/....if you have seen it you know what i mean...the block looked bare...what would gladi do?  so decided to add the tulips...am i done?  not sure...maybe those big pinky blooms need something added...anyway, it's a work in progress...and just to prove my growing obsession with applique....

the wall quilt for dear daughter to commemorate her savoy hotel tea in london...using those luscious liberty fabrics...only 13 blocks, still seeking the fabric for the alternate blocks....the perfect pieces i had are too small...

the santa panel for senior center is getting needle-turn appliqued but when done plan to do one row of zig-zag stitch for stability.  hoping to pass along to the quilter friday....

monday holiday finishing up photos for siblings and hopefully baste blue album...day by day life returns to normal or at least as normal as it will be from hereon in...have a blessed day!

chookshed challenge september

7.  prep/baste appliques for my penn dutch wall quilt; it's a 2024 UFO and doubt it will get done this year, but would like to move this project along

bought this pattern in 1980 and it's a case of now or never...as you can see i've done some prep work already but this month would like to get them basted onto background squares.  lately i've been doing more applique than in the past, now that my skill has improved and i find it more enjoyable rather than annoying.  

the blue bathroom wall quilt has gotten a remake....still not gushing over it, but this version is more acceptable to me.  

a bit more balanced...gonna go with it...

holiday weekend arrives...means little to me with no real fun plans and no wheels to wander a bit....hope to get blue album basted, the santa for the guild ready to pass on, maybe more potholders done and more quilting....bit of cooking and round out with more quilting...in other words MOTS....more of the same.  another hot one so inside....so it's another day of keep cool and sew on!

summer to-done!

with 3 days to go, have wiped out my summer to do list...today got the solid bow ties top basted....took me most of 5 hours, not 2 days as feared, and it is ready to quilt!  plop plop fizz fizz o what a relief it is!!!   fortunate to have a lounge area just outside my door a bit, so set up my table and went to work bright and early.  

that plum sashing fabric was gifted to me about 10 or so years ago when i was retreating in Lancaster.  was working on this little batik piece and stumped on a border....the quilter across from me said 'try this' a piece she had picked up in a shop that day and shazam!  it worked....i think it was 2 yards or so....i've used it a lot and probably still have some...this was the batik piece...

dear daughter stopped by with hubby to gift me some things from across the pond...she has a new penchant for shopping there since her spring trip...lol

i couldn't upload the video but it is a music box biscuit tin....cookies inside and it rotates and plays 'happy birthday'....soooo darn cute!!!

i had planned other things for today but the basting was the elephant in the room and it had to be done...in june when the list was made, i was knee deep in crippling grief....doing nothing, crying, lying in bed most of the day.  i prayed for relief and the summer list was it...gave me an alternate focus, a goal, the carrot of finishes for things in limbo...i still cry some but not all day and not horizontal either...i knew if relief didn't come, it could get more serious than i was willing to tolerate.  an anti-depressant prescription promised only 20% weight gain, which the knees vetoed right away...but God is faithful and hung onto me like super glue.  

got my bathroom wall quilt together...not gorgeous but done and will perk up the bathroom which nobody but me sees anyway.  going to hand quilt that won't take long and should perk it up a bit.

backing for the blue album quilt got washed in readiness for another basting day. this quilt plus my scrappy DWR and wildest dreams are my last for big quilts...they take a lot of space to prep for quilting and long time to quilt as well.. i've a stack of basted things waiting.  still lots of fabric on hand and lots of ideas for smaller pieces.  plus my storage shelf is already groaning from quilted things on hand...

all in all, a very good hump day in spite of the 100-degree heat!  it's what i call a southern snow day!

the week begins

our respite from horrid heat is over and we are back into it, at least for a few days....but that means more sewing maybe?  the to-do list for the week is ready.  the week got started with half hour of fitness, which felt really good--or it will tomorrow...LOL!  it's been far too long since i've done that much at one time but hoping it'll happen more often.  will make me happy and my improved heart as well...

racked up a little finish....

this got made in january when i was busting my solid scraps...now it's fully done...hand quilted with a lavender thread....be still my amish heart....just exactly the type of quilt i love.  

these got put on the design wall next....

the applique blocks are done and this obviously needs more work...and no, not making anymore blocks whatsoever...

the best news from the weekend???  the dargate baskets are DONE!  yes, and ahead of schedule too....now getting put aside as i'm totally tired of looking at them...

and more quilting got done on 'tuscan starburst'....hoping for a september finish, and maybe the batik baskets also.  

more ho-hum days as i slide into 75 years...no card from mom of course, which is heart wrenching, but so many do not have their mothers until this age so in that respect i was totally blessed...and no beach vacation either...no daytrips to interesting places either...have to work double hard to find any joy in the face of so many stressors so far this year....guess i'll just keep calm and sew on!

thursday chat

OMGOSH!  the weather has been soooo wonderful....coool, breezy, sunny...it is totally invigorating!  lots of puttering type things going on as well as plenty of sewing action.  progress on the chookshed challenge...

they are a bit fussy and even tho 5 are done, there are 13 to go....but not today.  i met the august challenge by emptying the tote...

and this little quilt got finished...machine quilted with the new walking foot....went to the stash looking for binding and pulled out a piece i'd never seen, so it must have been gifted to me...was just right so thank you to the generous quilter!

waterfall got basted, another off the summer to-do list.....

it's down the home stretch on the dargate basket appliques....still mulling over ideas to use them now that have nixed the big quilt idea...once the baskets are finished applique, there is ONE thing left on the summer list....BASTE BOW TIE QUI!LT!   it's a biggie and will probably take 2 days or maybe one very long one....it just has to be done...

and because it's cooler i actually BAKED!  lemon shortbread cookies got turned out---tasted and approved!  

also a new dish, eggplant and tomato gratin.  can always use more good veggie recipes in my repertoire, and fresh, local is even better.  another taste test approved...the only salt in this would be from a sparse sprinkling of parmesan and small amount of bread crumbs...but portioned out very tolerable...

avoiding political news if at all possible....races have become personality contests and rhetoric, but saying things and making promises hardly ever fruitful.  the fairy tale 'emperor's new clothes' is always in the forefront of my mind...and there are few to step up and voice any real common sense to the voters.  and remember that old commercial?  promise her anything...but give her arpege?  well that is what politicians do...promise everything and give darn little...

too nice a day to dwell on bluster and kindergarten-style slurs...temps start to ramp up tomorrow back to 90 by monday...ick...good time to clean house!

monday report

usually end of august leaves me sad for summer's leaving but not this year...summer in the south sucks...period.  leaves me longing for this...

i tell people winter can be quite beautiful with crisp air, glistening snow on fields and trees, the bright sun lighting up the whole world but they aren't convinced...it is a nuisance driving and plans do get cancelled every other thing, but i miss the defined change of seasons and different vistas that just don't happen here.  we don't get any nice crisp autumn air either, summer just slowly morphs into dreary, quasi winter...

this weekend resulted in a flurry of different sewing things....first, baskets....down to 7, YES SEVEN!  pretty excited about that....also worked on the bathroom wall quilt squares...nearly completed...

these are from a sew along that got abandoned and stuffed away!  CAVEAT:  be careful when decluttering....LOL...a bit more organizing unearthed these....

the pieced stars that got made first....these plus the pieces given to me will suffice in a nice little wall piece for my bathroom.  course, nobody sees it but me but that's ok.   what else?

selvedges be gone!  no magic just some time with the machine and these are ready to become potholders...for what?  who knows, but done and that's a good thing.  and....

some orphan block sewing....sew along leftovers, these also got "found" in a drawer and just need some sort of a plan....still in the works as you can see...and weekend would not be complete without this....

another sort of abandoned project (sense the theme here???)....row by row, remember those?  i never went on a quest to get them all--not possible--but did garner a few and they, too, have been silently waiting for some attention....the time has come....one of my summer to-do things is to move this along.  no rush on it but at least in the works...

did some zooming with quilty pals friday and always good to have friends visit while you are in pajamas...LOL....cardio visit went very well, things improving so cardioman happy.  stocked up at farmer's market...mmmm delish!   with cooler, drier temps have been doing more walking outside but curtailed when it's humid.  

another monday, whole week to map out and see what can be crossed off the quilty plate.  apartment inspection next week so some housework must be done.  time to start the engine...have a blessed day!

header photo

this is reid state park in georgetown, maine....one of the gazillion gorgeous places along the coast...our july 4th celebrations were always here, even if the weather wasn't perfect because the location always was...

sore throat and chest congestion has me sidelined this weekend...but hoping more progress on baskets can happen....only 10 left!  yowza!  

this is the last bundle of 10....i had pinned the blocks in bundles so i could keep count to motivate me...so happy to see the end of this part of the process....been mulling over ideas for the blocks...a huge quilt not so appealing to me anymore.

cooler but very humid here this weekend, but hoping can avoid A/C use....enough already!

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!