february challenge wrap

could i use up all the kaffe hexies?....in my dreams!  i think maybe 1/3 got busted, leaving a healthy stack still to use.  more plans for them but not now.  this was posted the other day....

now in the baste/quilt pile...and thursday spent assembling this...

a placemat measuring 12x20....i've triangles to make another at some point....

and here is where i've stopped on the rising sun blocks....

has to be put aside now for the march challenge....i've adjusted the color and this is pretty close...the gold does not want to photograph true...planning to have it done before fall as our local library is again having a show of local works...

and i've also been working on another UFO.....

before the pandemic somewhere i saw a collection of african wax resist fabrics, so naturally i scooted on over to the website and bought a charm pack--so hard to choose just one.  started during the pandemic with a working title of "telescopic travelogue" since distancing was the order of the day.  fast forward, now anxious to get this done, whipped out my karen kay buckley bigger circles and have gotten this far...there are 36 blocks altogether i think...the others are basted.  i alternated gray/black as i felt the black was too much and pretty pleased with the result.  not like the (ahem) love bug fiasco!  

so you see, peeps, plenty of irons in the quilty fire, no doubt due to extreme boredom waiting for warm weather and a bit of diversion.  i've a busy week ahead for a change....3 outings via county transit which takes a chunk out of each day.  since spring is just about here, will have to set aside a week soon for cleaning the apartment before the horrible hots arrive.  no summer clothes out yet until shorts weather.  still grieving of course, losing mom and then the car, a double whammy that totally derailed me.  the siblings and i move forward with baby steps as we navigate life without our touchstone and anchor...but resilient yankees we...just keep on keeping on....so off to do just that...have a blessed day!

bring on spring!

this just in from deana.....Google generator gives us challenge #2!

so you ask what is my challenge #2?  it's this....

2.  tree of life panel wall quilt top....this too was a gift and needs to get to the flimsy stage, perhaps even basted...i've got as far as next-to-last border to use some tiny hexies on hand from an abandoned project, so a win/win to achieve this goal

this IS going to be a challenge....lots to be done to get this to a flimsy...thankfully march is longer month than february....thankful for longer days of more daylight and sunshine (fingers crossed)...there's this gold border and then one more and some of the prep is already done but both require lots of hand sewing.  it will be great to move this along for a (hopeful) 2025 finish.  

thursday spent busting more of those kaffe hexies...check in this weekend for a wrap up of that challenge....

next week a bit busier with monday shopping shuttle and 2 appointments and maybe a food pantry run as well.  with better weather there'll be more walking outside....also hopeful...should quell the cabin fever a bit...but oh how i am desperate for my independence again...i feel like a 5-year-old, not able to go anywhere i choose or by myself...these are good beach days and, of course, i can't go at all.  but glass still half full as i know it could be much worse...i'll just keep calm and sew on!

i get ideas....

ventured into the quilt book stash tuesday morning for JUST ONE THING...grab it and go....but nooooo! the book i wanted was at the bottom of the pile and so fingers did the walking thru a few others and came away with more project ideas....and of course the kaffe books contributed their share.  my stash is heavily fat quarters and often pieces too small for projects that interest me,  but pulled this one out especially...

and these.....

until i get to those "new ideas" here's the autumn tree runner ready to baste and finish...binding will be the gold...two pieces used up from the stash too!  

still lots of the autumnal hexies left but idea #3 is percolating for another time as the march challenge is on the horizon.  

and coming attraction...i've signed on to a blog hop under www.beaquilter.com....i'm slated for march 5th so hope you will come on by and see my selection....and see which book i dove into the stash to find....

the hawaiian blocks i mentioned previously?  two of the patterns proved to be far too intricate for the size of the block but i did keep two of them....

next to find a background fabric and baste....the print is from hawaii

i pulled these out to show...the two scrap pattern books my mother gifted me so many years ago....there was another on applique, but at the time i had zero interest in applique other than to drool from afar...i believe these were the only 3 books she ever published...i am so very thankful for this long-ago gift that has been used several times over....

it's another late start this morning due to broken nighttime sleep--no matter as i've nowhere to go except outside as it's into the 60s today and sunny....about time!  it was finally a one-quilt night.  have a blessed day!

miss sunny's day

after a day off for hand quilting, it was back to the machine...got a later start than usual but the entire monday afternoon and part of the evening devoted to chookshed challenge.  here is the beginning...

this is the first of 3 blocks for this runner....each has 4 autumnal trees and that pinwheel center...all pieces ready to finish at least the top today....then it's back to the rising sun blocks and make the binding for the circles.  thanks to gladi for the idea as she used it on some large circles for a quilt--rather than applique down, she secured them with a narrow bias all around.  she is definitely one of my online mentors.  she's a yankee gal too...upta na-hampshire!

so what else?  repro quilt lover over on instagram is hosting another sew along, this time for tiny economy blocks.  i did the 3" finished 9-patches but i'm going with 4" blocks this time.  the goal is to make 60 of them using reds and greens but might not, we'll see.  i have shoeboxes of reds and greens and this will use up some of them.  

i am going to swap colors so i can put them all together.  this will probably be donated depending on how big it finally comes to be. 

lots of chatter online about the demise of joann's and the cost of fabric in a recent catalog.  almost never got any decent garment fabric at joann's...in recent years i've bought batts and backings using the coupons but no need for them now so the closings won't really affect me.  as for fabric prices, i've only bought an occasional piece here and there.  i've been the lucky recipient of much gifted fabric that i do use and for which i'm thankful as it keeps my quilty muse fueled.

spring weather has finally arrived and yesterday actually sat outside a bit...i'll take more that mother nature gives us before the blistering hot stuff descends.  it certainly does re-energize...off to catch me some rays!

 

the un-birthday....no quilty content

february 23rd is mom's unbirthday...she would have been 98...she nearly made it...healthy and vibrant into her 90s until the junkyard dog cancer grabbed hold and didn't let go.  she never thought about age or numbers, just got up every day and did what she always did...as the family stalwarts always did.  we were shocked and still are at this deep and profound loss.  if she were here, we'd have chocolate cake with boiled icing, a nice dinner, a few gifts, probably flowers from somebody and calls from faraway family.  we wouldn't have been surprised that she was 98, still walking in good weather, living independently, preparing family get togethers, doing her crosswords....we are surprised she isn't here, leaving us with a crater-size hole in our hearts and lives...

i didn't circle her in the grade school photo, but she is on the left in the front row....i ended with a photo of pemaquid point, her favorite ocean place....we went there often just to relax and drink in the ocean smell and sounds, sun glistening on the waves, always with a book and ending with a trip to the snack bar for french fries...she loved them and her Savior, Jesus Christ, and family, reading, walking, lobster, vintage dishes, adventures, music, the ocean...in later years i gifted her special trips like a windjammer cruise, a music concert, a trip to see Cirque du Soleil, pilgrimages to Jonesboro, holiday concerts, Downeast Brass at an old church, summer festivals, a high tea luncheon, beach vacations....and always, always ocean visits...never did get the sand completely out of the car!  i'll be making clam chowder in her honor and a toast to a lifetime of love--her gift to all of us...

slow mo jo

continuing cold temps and chronic cabin fever have left me with decreased mojo for sewing or anything else.  i did get my quilty group homework done...2 lap robe tops for our charity project.  oh and the laundry too..

what else?  finished the 2 "rising sun" circles and onto backgrounds....

one medical appointment took up a fair part of a day...a bit more on the winter saltbox by pinker and punkin designs....

that about sums up the week so far....without close friends and no car to do fun things makes life dull and feeling largely disconnected.  almost no public transit here aside from the train station about 3 miles away--too far to walk.  so i usually just do whatever will keep my mind occupied until the worst passes...spring can't come any time too soon.  

with a week to go in february's challenge, used up more of the large hexies for a planned table runner, autumn trees...not sure if it'll get finished this month but perhaps in time to sell later in the year...here's a peek....  

also traced 4 hawaiian applique patterns for a sew along...i do love hawaiian quilting and hope these small pieces will satisfy my longing for a bigger project.

it's friday but sunday's coming!  

sunday chat

a wacky weather week here in maryland....rain, snow, sleet, ice and occasional sunshine as well...it's almost spring, i can feel it, so this is sort of mother nature's menopause--transition from one phase to another.  a routine primary care visit left me elated that remains despite the dreary view out my window.  there was some sewing tho....wildest dreams is in the hoop and excited to work on this finally...the quilting is my favorite part you know...

even happier to know i won't have to baste any more large quilts....me hates thread basting!!!

attended friday quilt group and came home with some homework...LOL...we are making lap robes for a veteran's hospice and i'm to sew 2 tops together and pass them on to the quilter....saving that task for president's day...before the name gets changed that is...

ladies in our group are tireless workers for local charities and i am more than happy to be included...God instilled in me the love of sewing and my hands belong to Him...

ended the week with a brief zoom gathering of the faithful, mostly down under peeps where they are comparing hot temps...LOL..but there were are few northern hemisphere gals who joined in....

and what's to do with lots of free time?  why cruise instagram of course!  i found these gems i'll pass along to you....

new name for gulf of maine maybe?  this could be a new trend....

for the winter weary....pox on those snow lovers!!!

and a solution to a nuisance problem...environmental friendly too!

yes, they are chuckle worthy but stoke the fires of irksome for sure....let's just say the unemployment claims in maryland have skyrocketed...and serious issues remain a genuine concern....

winter sans car has made me quite laid back...thanks to the bike my mental health has remained top notch but if boredom were fatal, i wouldn't be blogging...those who ferry me around have really been my saviors...God has been faithful with my daily needs but cabin fever isn't a priority i guess...nor my independence...sigh...

but blessings still abound so i'll keep calm and sew on...have a blessed day!

snow day sew-in

the snow the talking heads were yammering about finally arrived...it takes only the mere mention to work marylanders into a frenzy and our measly 6" crippled the entire area.  i didn't tell them that in maine a puny 6" doesn't close or stop anything.  you just pile on the wardrobe and adjust.  i avoided the panicky hype and sewed....my challenge project moved forward quite nicely....

there are now 3 circles done and auditioned the brown as a foundation fabric.  one more to sew up before can applique them to the foundation.  thought i would use a lot of hexies--it seemed like i was constantly cutting up pieces--but noooo.....so while i sewed, pondered ideas to use up more...

pulled out these, given to me by late friend marianne....

not sure if i will make all 200, but however many there end up being will be used for something...ideas for HSTs are endless...and another item will escape the donate pile.  

i don't have a lot of light kaffes suitable for backgrounds so chose this neutral--boring i know but it works and will be used up.  

worked up a wee sample and declare it ok...

another day home bound...so more sewing no doubt.  switching gears briefly to get the binding on the 'oz' project and get 'wildest dreams' in the hoop.  no outing plans until friday so long stretch of time ahead...there is that laundry tho...yesterday made applesauce and fresh tomato spaghetti sauce, and there are plenty of frozen meals at the ready.  housework only comes before quilting in the dictionary you know...so keep calm and soldier on!

hit and miss

2025 is my 46th year of quilting.  like most beginners, that night school course produced a sampler quilt, now long gone, and sent me off into quilting nirvana.  i have improved a lot since then but truth is, i can still produce a dud....and here is the current one--a definite miss.

i thought it might be cute....those bugs have lots of little hearts on them...was going to add letters to top and bottom to read LOVE BUG.. every morning it was on the design wall, those bugs looking more like petrified cow patties...but can't bring myself to spend another minute on it.  conversely, there are days when things go well....

pattern is called 'rising sun' from a jan halgrimson book given to me in the 80s by my mother...there were 2 books of scrap blocks, she gave me both, and i use them often.  tweaked the points a bit making the triangle points a big bigger and fewer of them......the plan is for 4 blocks--it's my chookshed challenge.  qulting is one of the gifts my mother gave me, sending me off at age 8 to learn how to sew.  she always said she never dreamed it would be a life-long passion...

as for today, a bit of cooking was done....thought it was going to snow but apparently off until sunday.  no matter, no where to go.  sunday is devoted to quilting the 'oz' piece as i am anxious to get to 'wildest dreams'.   then it's another week with a nearly empty calendar and more storms they say.  but i do believe this is winter's last gasp in maryland...

last one basted

that would be 'wildest dreams'....so january chookshed challenge complete.  anxious to get into the hoop once "oz" is finished....now i can move on to february's task....

dreary weather has zapped my mojo a bit but hoping to rev it up...monday was shuttle shopping day, a washout as far as doing much else.  then there was the puzzle to do and finish....

christmas gift from daughter and was challenging...all those clouds, mountains and rocks...oh my!  and would you believe a piece missing right from the factory?  true...

weather dodgy next few days with possible snow, ice, rain and everything inbetween...no plans for any errands anyway.  

"mathemagical" has gone to its new home today garnering a bit of extra cash that went into food budget.  a couple of big ticket items needed but on the back burner...and of course a vehicle, but trusting God to supply as He promised.  meanwhile i'm biking and sewing the winter away thankful for blessings.  the daily diatribes from DC via the bluster-in-chief of ridiculous pronouncements that are totally without merit and most lack validity to materialize.  all i can think of is the movie 'the caine mutiny' where the crew of a vessel comes to realize the captain is as mad as a hatter...

aside from quilt group friday, i'm settling in for a long spell of playing with fabric and binge watching jane austen movies...the perfect antidote to maniacal rants...LOL!  and for all you winter weary readers....

keep warm and quilt on!