more stars

first thing this morning with no other demands got these little blocks all done.  start to finish they take about 1.5 hours so work up quickly.  had a darker poison green in my stash but not enough to make all 3 so went with this one instead.  so nice to have gorgeous fabrics to work with, most of which so far have been from my jo morton tote.  no longer just fondling and refolding, have pulled out several to use.  they are all very nice and soon will have a few more.  squirreled a bit of cash from my tax refund to get some from her new "hollyhocks" line.  otherwise, i am on a strict no-buy fabric diet....not a big hardship as plenty on hand for loads of quilty and sewing fun.  *** enjoying the sun on an otherwise frigid day.  the piles of white snow reflect the sun making it very bright and cheerful....stay warm and sew on!

today's blocks....

brought to you from the whiteout metropolis in southern maine, first igloo on the left.  while sitting around waiting for mother earth to tilt just a bit, sewed up these chrome and cheddar blocks for the sew along.  they are stacking up quickly and so quick to make as well.  while cutting out pieces for these blocks, have also been cutting tumblers for another UFO in progress.  as for the red/cheddar hourglass repro, i'm over the midpoint hump now, with only 8 rows left to do to get this to the flimsy stage.  as for the hawaiian, just about to start the last quarter of the orange applique and once that is done, can start quilting the background.  my estimate is there is less white area than orange design, so an early spring finish is probable.  ***  and spring?  only about  6 weeks away, so the end of snowmageddon is a reality.  but this being another stormy and cold day, it's clam chowder for lunch again....delish!

new routine

the awful truth.....our weekend and beyond...8-12" is whispered....there can't be a soul in maine who isn't sick of this weather by now.  we are in a pattern of sorts of our own....hunker down for a day or two, clean off car and warm up, then take out trash, go get mail, pick up essentials, get videos from library, then hibernate another day or two and then repeat.  driving is a real challenge due to the Himalayan-size snow piles at parking lots, sidewalks, etc.  we are thrilled for lengthening daylight, especially on sunny days, but frigid temps allow for not a smidgen of melting at all.  no global warming here.  have many blessings, though....electricity, warm clothing, warm apartment, plenty of quilting and books to read.  we'll get thru, we are tough stock acclimated to unexpected weather patterns.  jim cantore and on-demand TV are my new BFFs...as long as i don't run out of hot chocolate and low-salt chips i'll be fine!

oldest quilting buddy....

when i started quilting in 1979, immediately bought this magazine and devoured every word like a proverbial sponge.  when funds allowed, got my very own subscription and soon began saving every issue like they were first edition books.  have amassed quite a stack of issues--not every one but several--and now, due to cost, have decided to stop my subscription.  with the explosion of the internet--the death knell of many printed publications--no longer have to rely on this magazine for quilty news, patterns, photos.  it's a decision of mixed emotions.  i love to look back at old issues and pick up info previously missed.  but they do take up a lot of room and the cost has gone up beyond my now fixed income budget.  so long old friend....and thanks for making me a quilter.....

quilt-cam progress....

sometimes technology is great....given our present weather situation and the difficulty of travel, thanks to my computer and TV, can still quilt with friends.  i don't have a big screen laptop but i do have a cable and a regular TV so watch bonnie hunter on TV...isn't that great!  this is what i worked on last night....

it's my current flimsy-in-progress of the antique repro and it's looking good i think.  might get it done today after some errands because there is more *SNOW* in our forecast tonight and tomorrow.  and once this is a done flimsy, can tackle these....

the 2nd part of this swap is now done with the arrival of the last set of blocks.  they are gorgeous...all batiks and white...a perfect combo!  and still the hawaiian progresses along.....these will keep me busy until our weather pattern changes for sure!

on the fence

the latest issue of American Patchwork and Quilting arrived saturday and the details of the 4-patch sew-along were given along with a few different projects.  now, i have plenty of fabric to do this sew-along, plenty of 1.5" strips could whip up into little 4-patch blocks and now plenty of pattern ideas.  question is, should i?  with a hefty plaid stash, itching to use them, thinking some cheddar solid and my plaids would be a nice combo.  it's the perpetual quandary of someone with lots of fabric, lots of ideas and plenty of motivation BUT there is that UFO list and the finite-ness of time.  do i jump in on this?  for now will let the question percolate....can always jump in later, or never if that's the case.  ***  in the throes of another blizzard here, have a short to-do list that includes quilting of course.  plan to stay inside, bundle up, keep busy and quilt! 

3 for 3....

week 3 equals 3 more blocks, shirting stars this time.  so far my little stack is kinda boring but as time goes on, more fabric types will result in more pizzazz....and of course i am limited to fabrics currently accessible, which could change any moment.  always good to be current on a sewalong, though.  **** and yes, it IS snowing here again, today's prediction is for anywhere from 4-12 inches, although i think we've passed the 4"mark already.  mother nature gave us a break yesterday with a sunshiny day, so all errands were completed giving me a task-free sewing day.  of course i could vacuum and do that last load of laundry but no rush at all.  *** now that these blocks are done it's back to the red/cheddar project and the hawaiian too.  having specific projects lined up helps keep the urge to acquire more stash at bay....and looking at the packed boxes of fabric helps too.  that is when you really know how much fabric you have....when it's in boxes staring you in the face.  but i am happy to have and love every scrap....potential for hours and hours of sewing and quilty fun...how good is that?

taking shape....

given a few more snow days and this flimsy could be done....and as it happens, tomorrow and then again monday are predicted to be just that.  there may be evidence of global warming someplace, but definitely not here.  if temps ramp up a few more degrees, we may just get mostly rain tomorrow but the word "noreaster" is being used for monday, though.  but i digress.....as for this flimsy, all the little strippy units are made and most of the red solid squares are cut as well, now working on the hourglass blocks.  i wish i had the photo where i found this vintage quilt; it was from an old photograph in an issue of "quilt life" a couple of years ago.  the photo was black and white, but i wanted to use some repro fabrics and thought the red/cheddar would look nice.  it'll be hand quilted of course and should look nice when done.  *** over half the hawaiian design is now quilted; that's the orange part.  thought it might be all quilted by end of february, but can see now not gonna happen.  perhaps end of march it will be done.  *** took advantage of sunny, dry day to do errands; bank, recycling, gas station, groceries, library...replenishing the larder et al.  though not working is sometimes boring, so very glad don't have to venture out in awful weather.  now back to sewing!

never forget.....

blizzard project

while brief sunshine is gone and it hasn't really started snowing here yet, that only means once it has, won't be over until early wednesday morning.  now that necessaries are stocked, can continue on with this UFO; it's my version of a quilt seen in a vintage photo.  last night printed off some graph paper and mapped it out to get a tally of how many hourglass, strip and solid squares it would require.  yesterday spent time sewing up little strips into little squares; today have to cut squares for side triangles and hourglass squares. in typical fashion, bought fabric without doing the math as to how much it would require, so hoping i have enough.  originally bought 3 yards of red and 3 yards of cheddar, so we'll see.  my go-to quilty math book is packed without considering it might be needed.  ***  being of a certain age, recall vividly the blizzard of 1978; was living in massachusetts and DD was still preschool age.  the ex was home from work for a week, a definite challenge for us both.  at that time they predicted "just a dusting" but revised once the exact pattern of the storm became evident.   it was eerie to see national guard trucks only on the roads; the ex and some neighbors walked about 2 miles to grocery to get what little they could.  later in the week a milkman came down the street selling milk, butter, bread and eggs.  times have changed since then; forecasting is better, information more widely disseminated.  being stranded in my sewing space is no challenge at all, rather enjoyable, though i miss not having DD around.  in many ways, life is better and with any luck, this blizzard will result in a finished flimsy!