bittersweet bargain

this week went to 2 guild meetings and at each one, the brevity of life was starkly evident.  at the first meeting, a woman brought in 2 suitcases of quilting stuff (books and fabric) from a deceased elderly lady with the promise of more suitcases to come.   at the 2nd guild meeting, large totes of bagged fabric were sent in by a quilter's husband, she who was now permanently disabled at a too-young age and will no longer quilt.  of course, like moths to a flame, the loot was examined and chosen for charity projects or personal stash.  that was the intent of the donations and i was a willing participant.  confess to feeling somewhat ghoulish, despite my own small selection, at the thought of benefiting from someone's misfortune.  not sure if others were thinking the same, but knew the day would come for me when my left behind quilting stuff would be similarly parceled out.  that thought (and the budget) kept me from accumulating more, except for one small bag of scrap pieces for far less than the price of a big mac.

lots of pretty pieces with hardly a reproduction piece in the bunch, but some nice mods and neutrals....with the scrappy DWR coming up, they'll get used and by using, will become a monument to one whose life was irreparably interrupted forever.  i hope she would have been approved.....

round one...

of the final four corner blocks is completed.  i've included a photo of the next phase yet to be done.  it's been a busy week so done well to get this far.   the completed top is in sight and though it's tedious, at least not getting more blocks every day to add to the task...

as you can see, the next part is not simple and is no doubt time consuming.  all the while i'm doing this, muttering "no more sew alongs"....but of course that's for now. 

when the tedium is peaking, take a break and do something different....this is an official UFO now ready to baste.   it needed some stitchery and that fine nose kindly sent to me by a blogger....the pesky iron has left a stain on one of the blocks, so once it's finished, needs washing before it goes into the finish pile.  

am also quilting a new placemat for my tray table and the christmas baubles wall hanging is being quilted too...afraid i've lagged behind on bonnie hunter's mystery....up next are more doll clothes, the westering women and farmer's wife projects.....that's how my new year's starting....and yours?

hello 2017!

without guy lombardo or dick clark, new year's eve just isn't the same...so spent the evening binge watching 'downton abbey' and sewing of course!   have resisted resolutions (except for no long-term sew alongs!) and any major organizing yet, but have roughed out a january list of things hope to accomplish.  christmas is put away but now the apartment need a thorough once-over before getting back into the swing of my regular schedule.  my one general hope is to whittle down the stash even further and finish as much as possible, just to alleviate bags and boxes of waiting projects. ***  and the end-of-year tally for stash is a net use of 22.25 yards, so that is good indeed.  the huge 365 flimsy was not factored in that total, but did keep all my empty spools from the year and a lot of thread got used.   most of the little orange spools were new and this photo is a good indication.  

christmas prezzies...

in addition to the previously posted cheddars and quilt calendar, received these very nice gifts....first up, a soothing and tasty cold weather treat....holiday spice tea....plain tea is not my thing, but this delicious blend just tastes so, so christmas-y....it almost seems too special to drink on ordinary days but i do anyway and it tastes like a holiday indeed!

next up are a few things from vic....dear vic has a problem in that one little gift is simply nowhere enough....she is a serial giver!   i did tell her earlier this year that i was limited to cards this year, but she ignored my hint and was thus a fortunate beneficiary of her generosity....and she knows i am appreciative....

two snuggly pillowcases, a cute patchwork stocking, rotary blades and 9 FQs of indigo crossing....she knows i love blues!   she is probably hunkered down in her sewing space watching snow fall...LOL!   in addition to these items, a joann's gift card,  another generic gift card and some very nice homemade soap from janet in UT.....consider myself so darn blessed for these gifts but especially the givers who have made my first christmas away from new england so special....thank you one and all!

six more, six more...

the phone takes not that great photos, but here is the last pile....10 more done and 6 left to the end....the sewing space is a wreck but my mojo is in overdrive.  years ago there was a commercial that went "i can't believe i ate the whole thing"....well, i can't believe i did the whole challenge....will finally be able to put away at least one stack of fabrics that have taken over my ironing table....first task in 2017 will be to make the 4 corner squares and finish the flimsy.....stay tuned for the big reveal!

final 2016 finish...

the little peacock garden wallhanging is now done and off the list!   it measures 30" square so not THAT much stash busted (1.5 yards), but gone from the stash regardless.   started this from a gifted FQ bundle of very beautiful fabrics during my (hopefully) last year in housing limbo.

photo taken by my phone on a chair so it looks a bit convex.   my camera is currently out of batteries...so this gets put into the finish pile for whenever.  and although it gets crossed off the list, the christmas baubles wall hanging will take its place, so the number for 2017 remains static at 35.   *** hoping santa was as good to you as he was to me....my dear mum gave me a quilting mag subscription and this lovely calendar that'll double as wall art for the coming year.

ahhh, she knows me so well!  and if it's wednesday, it must be more 365 blocks day!

back to business

not a moment to dilly dally if i'm to finish up this sew along by next week....without delay here are 5 more blocks that are done and done!  that leaves me 17 with 6 days to go....actually 5 because thursday is a wash due to preplanned activities. 

hoping your Christmas was as delightful as mine....spent the day with my daughter and son-in-law....the delicious dinner and gifts were just pleasant add-ons compared to spending time with them...though i miss my maine family, trading their company and my new england roots for maryland was exactly the right thing to do.  

God bless us everyone!

wishing all my blog peeps the most wonderful Christmas and holiday season....posting again one of my very favorite decorations--fabric rendition of an art project from my daughter's school days...

woodstock is ready for Christmas and so am I....already received some lovely gifts via the mail truck that i'll show another day....until then, keep calm and celebrate!

it's a tree!

whereas previously got my christmas tree in maine or massachusetts--a live one--this year had to venture a bit more south, like the amazon!   lol....like most congregate housing, live trees are not permitted so plan B resulted in this one. it was an easy choice...homeless or fake tree?  just big enough for all my lights that were new last year (and thus safe) and most of the ornaments collected over the years.  so homey revisiting old friends and christmases past....it's easy up and easy store and that suits me fine.  no more wrestling boughs and removing pitch from various limbs or dealing with saws/hatchets.  i do miss a real tree though, but again, the choice was a no brainer.  now bring on christmas!

on the sewing front, another horrific block got finished...took me all day inbetween other tasks....and then some hand sewing.  will be posting another finish for sure before the year ends.  and since the new year will be a downton year for me, you can practice calling me "your ladyship"....

first 2017 resolution...

resolve to relinquish my self-appointed job as fabric archivist and shop exclusively (if at all possible) to sew from my (ahem) extensive collection.   no reason to try and rival smithsonian here...

of course, this resolution in no way applies to jo morton collections, kaffe fassett releases or patriotic bundles (nordic stitches, april release)  oh, and those pam buda cheddars and always-gorgeous kim diehls either....otherwise, intend to fully determinedly firmly hope to comply.  course, some kona white and good muslin needed for backgrounds and backings need to be acquired for some current and new fun projects in the works.  can't tell you how freeing it is to make this decision...all this time thought i was just a quilter but turns out was preserving it for posterity as a learning tool...who knew?   in fact, think i'll get started now....