addendum to friday post...

forgot to mention (exhaustion!) there is at least ONE quilter in the building, a SERIOUS quilter, meaning lots of stash and several machines who has it bad like me...lol!  after 9 hrs straight of sleep am thinking clearer now and hoping they didn't find me too weird...tend to babble when overtired...so maybe will get my gear together in anticipation....it's the right thing to do!

quiltus interruptus

yes folks, time again for the so far unproductive, superfast trip to interview for housing, yes, in maryland...took the midnight train (9:30 really), which should be renamed the back buster...but i digress....akin to being on a roller coaster in the dark that stops and starts several times.  arrived bleary-eyed and exhausted; picked up rental that was upgraded from subcompact to jeep latitude with nice, roomy, reclining seats perfect for occasional naps and the size of a small yacht....a pleasant surprise!   after the required but alarmingly brief 15-minute housing interview, more napping in the jeep and return car, wait for 10:40 train that turned out to be 11:05 train and another excitement filled trip to new england, then another bus ride (another nap) and finally back to square one...literally.  i took my sewing (no loud guffaws, please) and the ipod (perfect), drove thru chick-fil-a twice,  a change of clothing (wise indeed) and little else.  again promised  am "near the top", which must be a euphemism for "haven't a clue" or "don't hold your breath," or "sometime this decade" providing, of course, i am the proper "fit" (? huh) for senior housing community, meaning around age 70 (me 66) and with a keen interest in dominoes!  not looking for a life partner here, people...just an apartment near my daughter and SIL....crikey!   seriously, it is a lovely place and the people seem nice--how can one be sure in 15 minutes?  the location is nice also, near lots of retail and community resources; spit polish neat and most of all, my own apartment....(pause for drool and near heart seizure)....if only the beckoning call comes, for which i am definitely NOT holding my breath.  six months ago was #3 on the list for another location and still no call.  my income has been downgraded by social security, thanks to working too much last year, so essentially poorer than ever.  have described my desires and hopes and the direness of my current situation, perhaps too overzealously, that seems to fall on deaf ears.  am wondering now if perhaps they are oh-so silently skipping over my name, which would be illegal, so probably not.  at least i hope not.....stay tuned for more adventures of grace's housing pursuit...now back to the regularly scheduled quilty posts!

garden progress....

since these little blocks will be getting carried around, thought it would be best to securely baste rather than just pin down...they go with the midnight garden small quilt project currently working on...

some of the pieces were fussy cut to get the most out of these beautiful fabrics; can't wait to see the top all together with the patchwork blocks.  have to say these are much prettier than those used in the original magazine pattern....taking photos is great for getting a good perspective as now i see the top left is not exactly evenly centered.   ****   facebook is overrun with posts about the farmer's wife sew-along coming up in a couple of weeks. still have not decided on what i'll use for fabrics; have lots in my stash that would be nice but may have to choose from what is on hand, which is mostly civil war.  ***  well if it's tuesday, that means scraptastic tuesday, plus laundry and few other errands.  aaahhh the circle of life.....

design floor monday

spent some time with the old viking on sunday during quilt-cam working on a new scrappy project--civil war era of course--seen here....liking this a lot so far...the centers are a red/cheddar print..  the background wonky triangles will be scrappy too...gotta use up the stash!  have also included a photo of the summer sampler with its borders....ready to baste and quilt.

 

touch of fall in the air here, welcomed by just about everyone.  now onward...busy week ahead with plenty of sewing of course!

all scrapped out....

for the moment that is....had a gallon-size bag half full of pieces that needed cutting up (far right) and got that done today....also got the borders on my summer sampler piece--basting comes next.  also did some prep applique work, i.e.turning under the edges and basting of small pieces for "midnight garden" blocks....all in all a pretty productive day.  with my usual scrap storage pieces somewhere in the bowels of a warehouse, have resorted to plastic bags of various types.

also have baggies for selvedge and the little applique hearts that are yet to be finished.  at least they are organized and ready to transfer to the usual places once they are available.  ***  not much else is new in limbo lobsterville; housing continues to be at some place in the future; hoping i don't go broke here trying to get a subsidized senior apartment....between interview trips, applications, faxes and mailings, it has so far cost me about $1000 and no apartment at hand, which is probably about right for a government program.   will end here to keep my blood pressure from spiking....

midnight garden

the 5 patchwork blocks are done, next come the applique blocks....these fabrics are from an oriental collection gifted to me earlier this year, for which i've been waiting for the right kind of project that would highlight these beautiful prints.  hoping once the floral applique squares are done, i will have done them justice.  *** in addition to finishing these blocks, spent a fair amount of time corralling scraps and getting them organized before the sew-along starts later this month.   since my available sewing space is always catch-as-catch-can, need to keep things where they can be found and also close at hand.  also basted the spools piece, sewed some on a couple of other projects, put together more scrappy 9-patch blocks, and surfed the net a fair amount of time--the good and bad of having lots of free time.  once my belongings and i are reunited, that'll change of course....can you say 5 am sewing?  oh yeahhhh!

tropical storm grace?

like the meteorological version, my own self had a bit of a stormy start yesterday but soon downgraded and fair skies prevailed....finished up this flimsy of mod spools with a narrow pale yellow inner border and then short piano keys.  when it gets bound, again with pale yellow, i'll round the corners, giving them a fan shape that i think will soften all the angles.

then i sailed right into another project that has been mulling around in my mind...it's from a Quiltmaker mag, issue--4 applique blocks and 5 patchwork blocks, made with gifted fabric, tentatively titled "midnight garden" but that's not final...photos another day....

meanwhile, with oppressive summer weather here for a few days and the a/c cranked high, figured might  pull out the hawaiian and see how much can get done.  the binding has been ready and was wisely packed with the project; doubt it will get to the binding stage but remains to be seen....

and guess it's progress on the housing front...past couple of weeks, contact has been steady so soon maybe?  can always hope....in the meantime, chunky little fingers will keep busy with fabric and stuff....keep cool!

bronze stars

the camera battery was just about done, but did manage to take this of the latest batch of stars...bronze browns, of which i chose 3 from the stash and made one of each.  you'll notice my high class ironing board aka pink towel again in this photo--we quilters are known for our specialized tools...(grin!)...and have also posted a couple of photos from a day trip to pemaquid point.  it is a fine kodak place but more than that, lovely shade trees, picnic tables everywhere, grassy areas and nice restrooms.  and of course, the lighthouse and a small museum on the history of col. pemaquid and the area.  as a youngster, always climbed on the rocky outcroppings but in recent years, am always baffled why people take small children in sandals or flip flops so close to the edge where a rogue wave could pull them in.  was i that casual in similarly dangerous places about my daughter?  i don't recall and i hope not.  definitely not near water as i don't swim; i don't think aqua-aerobics qualify....but hope you enjoy and just maybe if you get real close, you can even smell the salt water...maybe?

a diagnosis!

whew, what a relief to know i wasn't just imagining things! after playing in knee-deep stash piles yesterday and working on about 5 different things, thought i was simply having an "off" day but nooooo!  i was suffering from this malady that affects probably ALL quilters and crafters...now i can relax and enjoy the illness..thank you dr. msmidge!....LOL!   ***  so what did i accomplish you might ask?   the little heart applique wall piece is basted,  more scrappy 9-patch blocks, cut up a bunch of little scraps, started yet ANOTHER scrappy quilt.  someone had gifted me some FQs with a circus theme, one with elephants, one with tigers, one with clowns and so on.  did some fussy cutting and now have to shop for a background to tie them all together for a child's quilt that will get donated when the time comes.  oooh feeling faint, an exacerbation of symptoms no doubt...must go and start the machine!

a little tumble...

took some gifted 2.5" squares and turned them into tiny tumblers...needs more variety but it is a start. already made one little quilt with civil war tumblers but looks like will have another in mod fabrics...oohh i do love the bright colors... a veritable cotton crayola box!  ****   and remember i mentioned red's eats in an earlier post....they have been featured many places for their generous lobster rolls, and it was a fave place of my dear dad for fried clams; can attest that everything they sell is good but for me, not worth the wait.  as you can see, it doesn't deter many tho....this was nearly 2 pm in the afternoon on a friday and the line was like this at 12:30 too....no wonder other seafood shacks have popped up across the street for the impatient and/or starving masses....

to order and pick up food, have to make it all the way up the little hill and around the corner to the window.  this is route 1 in wiscasset, a pretty little town, but the traffic is bumper to bumper all summer long--makes it easier to ogle the masses waiting for food and see other sights in this little village.  and as i said, the food is very good but have a snack before you come....LOL!  *** ay caramba! september already?   did we have summer?  it's another hot week here but seriously, it has been a rainy summer and with a late start as well.  plenty of good days left before the nasty arrives.   and i don't know anyone who doesn't enjoy autumn.....