more stars...

finally done are paisleys (bottom row), california golds (top right), one quercitron (middle), one pillar.....2 more pillar are ready to sew, one gnarled branches to be cut/sewn....after these are done, it's finish up chintz blocks (already to sew) and cut/sew indigos....that'll get me just about current with the exception of a couple of chrome yellow and poison greens, plus the conversation prints.  those fabrics i know are in my boxed-up stash so holding off for the unpacking.   hoping to devote a whole day next week to the summer sampler and get that current as well....won't be as daunting a task as the blocks are smaller and fabrics all on hand.  *** not sure about you but am thinking will have enough of the brackman stars for maybe 2 quilts....am looking at a few different settings for next year when they are all done.   ***  it's been cool here past few days, probably due to overcast skies....heat is coming next week so will be hanging out near a/c and sewing probably.   other than this, not much shaking....midsummer calm scrappy sewing.....blissful and rejuvenating all at the same time....enjoy the day!

WIPs...

for the unenlightened, that is Works in Progress....still playing in the stash here at temporary headquarters.  summer rolls on, although so far no stretch of real hot weather.  nights have been mostly cool at 50-60 or so; days around 75 or so with only one that came close to 90 so far.  this is what is under phoebe's needle currently...

the little applique heart block was sent to me and decided to make a small wallhanging from it using scraps (? what else)....it isn't quite finished but will hopefully get to the flimsy stage soon....it seemed a little wonky to me so used the serpentine print to mask any imperfections;  the photo was taken with it on an uneven surface so that doesn't help either.  

had a few selvedges lying around and am using them for some future potholders.  always nice to start in a new place with new potholders.  these 2, plus stars and summer sampler blocks PLUS some little 4-patch solid squares as leader/enders are stacked on the sewing table right now.  so blessed to have a sewing space.....keep calm and quilt on!

it's THAT time again....

course, it seems nearly EVERY day is a scrappy one for me....playing in the scraps keeps me busy and off the 10 most wanted list don't ya know....LOL....so, decided to *TRY* and bust more of my wonderful scrap stash with a cute little handwork project, portable to take along while waiting or whiling away the summery days.   bottom photo is just a tryout layout shot, so might change.  cute little hearts appliqued onto shirting background.  the background squares were in that $2 bundle from the thrift and the hearts were anonymously gifted.  it'll be a cute small quilt when finished.

only 10 days to august; another birthday month has just about rolled around again.  you can probably guess what gift is at the top of my list......my senior apartment!  wouldn't it be spectacular to be able to spend my birthday unpacking and getting settled in my new digs AND celebrating with my daughter and her hub too?  priceless.....we could go to chick-fil-a!   lol.....

a perfect sewing storm!

in the book, 3 weather systems merged to create the perfect storm...a terrific book and yummy movie (george clooney, remember?)....and so sunday was the perfect storm of sewing for me..even phoebe was nearly smoking, i tell ya!  had to give her time to cool down and get out the oil...and here are some photos to prove it. 

first up some little inchie blocks made of solids....solids make me swooooon!  aren't they cute?  i have more in the storage stuff and these will make a nice border at some point i think....

next, more summer sampler blocks...i didn't do all of these on sunday but they look nice together and i am "almost" caught up with this sew along....until today that is...

last but not least, some scrappy 9-patch blocks from a giveaway stash....i love them...not complicated but i have a nice setting planned and they will make a nice repro quilt for me or somebody at some point...also in the top photo you can see more stars blocks cut out, so am slowly getting up to speed with this sew along as well.   **** as a last comment, wish to thank all who have sent me fabric; the top and bottom photos are made from these lovely gifts...cannot tell you how far they have gone to boost my spirit and jump start my quilty mojo.   you can be certain it will get paid forward whenever the need arises.  oh, and i have another project started too, a bonnie hunter pattern called 4-patch and furrows....will post a photo when blocks are well under way...and if you think all i've been doing is sewing, take a look....love to see all the pretty colored umbrellas!

oohh, phoebe's calling....gotta go!

more star fun!

still catching up on stars....here are the woven plaids...ooh i love plaids!  plus 2 more little squares for the summer sampler.  plus have lots more squares cut for the scrappy 9-patches too.  being able to play in the stash has been a real boost to my mood and greatly increased my ability to carry on.  quilting truly is therapy!  that's not to discount the benefits of regular, adequate sleep tho...lol!  and thanks to the generosity of another quilter, will be able to play even more....a surprise package arrived yesterday with a huge scrappy selection for future sewing pleasure.  i'll be sharing some of this with other quilters, of course, and paying it forward whenever possible.  it humbles me to be part of a community of sewists with such varied interests but similar in our regard for one another.  time's a wasting so it's back to playtime!     

scraptastic tuesday!

after a quick laundromat run this morning, got down to important stuff like catching up on blog reading and uploading photos...LOL!   over at mrs sew and sow's blog she features "scraptastic tuesday" which is perfect for this photo, some nice little 9-patch blocks made with some giveaway scraps.  simple but very vintage looking, i think.  had toyed with the idea of tackling a much more complicated project, but with current flux status, thought i should stick to something less intense.  and here is the photo of the rest of the star blocks that got made over the past few days...

these are my first set of chintz blocks....got others in the works.  *** a few household type tasks are on deck for this afternoon, then it's more scrappy sewing watching netflix or acorntv, which has all those british drama/mysteries usually borrowed from the library or seen on pbs.  nice to have reached a plateau of some comfort and anxious for an apartment and unpacking all those boxes...LOL!

trying to catch up

though still lagging behind on both sew-alongs, have made some progress...top photo are little blocks for the summer sampler sew-along and bottom photo is a stack of stars for the barbara brackman sew-along...i have one more photo to tweak the color on and then i can post.  having so much fun with both of these, though i must say the little blocks are getting sewn up quite quickly once pieces are cut.  it's also the easier as the fabrics are on hand whereas barbara brackman chooses fabrics that are not always in my stash and have to hunt for them.  both are providing some diversion and enjoyment and that's all that matters i guess....of course, stash is getting used albeit not too much.   tonight after work started on another project using some giveaway stash recently acquired.  it's mostly civil war stuff and will make a fun project that isn't requiring any taxing math on my part.  ***  appreciate all the kind comments on recent posts about my new digs.  they are appreciated a whole lot; some of you who comment i know personally, but all kind words are equally welcome.  *** was up early this AM as it was a work day so eyelids are beginning to droop a bit.  as scarlett said, "tomorrow is another day"  and i'll add "to play in the stash"!

sunday morning shopping

here in my temporary quarters there is a shelf unit and so all the stash from the car was neatly piled here for easy selection.   it's sooo fun shopping from my own stash now that i can actually see it all.  it'll be totally awesome when all of it is in the same place, once "the call" comes for housing.  then, of course, it'll be sorted by color, designer and type.  and the plaid in the left corner?  it was a freebie pair of shorts at a leftovers yard sale that got scooped up, washed and deconstructed.  *** this morning sitting in front of an open window with a gentle, warm breeze listening to soothing sacred music with birds chirping happily in the background.  it's bonding time with phoebe working on summer sampler blocks, of which are nearly current.  actually found myself singing along with the music and realized that awful weariness had dissipated, thanks to having an actual place to sleep, a handy bathroom etc., even if only short term.  it makes me ever mindful of those who are still without such riches.  not having to daily dive into various bags for clean underwear is priceless...really.   thanks be to God for blessings in my life today; may He bestow the same wherever you are today.  

yep it works...

now that i'm in a space of my own, no iron at hand so had to invest in this little travel iron and inadvertently placed it on my mat while it was turned ON and pleased to find it works....not too happy about the mat tho....good thing a joann's sale is coming up.  this one is about 5 years old, so it doesn't owe me anything at all.  *** delightful summer day here, mom and i took a drive to the coast and ran into a few row by row shops like mariner's compass in bath, alewives in damariscotta and on board fabrics in edgecomb....all very nice shops with loads of lovely fabric.  alewives is strictly mod and batiks pretty much; on board has some gorgeous decorator fabrics and quilting cottons and mariner's compass has some of everything....all 3 carry plenty of maine/ocean theme fabrics. ****  it has been a busy week of getting moved in to a temporary space and setting up phoebe, not to mention shelves for the fabric that is with me for easy selection.  hope your week has given you some joy and happy times.....

a new day

have FINALLY found a temporary place to crash until my apartment comes thru, and a good night's sleep, a hot shower, my own bathroom and a place to sew....how good is that?  was in goodwill cruising for some sheets and this little packet of scraps jumped right into my cart, can you believe it?  me either...but when i saw the shirtings and plaids, it had to stay.  way cheaper than shirts and a good assortment too....a fabulous find!

  
so busy unpacking the car so it can get a thorough cleaning until it has to be repacked is on the agenda, that and some serious sewing too...oooh giddy as a schoolgirl!  hope your day is as good as i feel right now....