a find!

had to visit a small quilt shop downtown to pick up a gift certificate donated to our guild.  it's a lovely little shop with a very old stone fireplace smack dab in the main room.  i was hoping to find something to redeem a birthday gift sent to me.  lots of pretty things and plenty of jo morton fabrics too!  i found this FQ of a print i had never seen; must have been before my day as a jo morton devotee...a gorgeous paisley that i certainly would have bought more of had i seen it...

have no idea what line it's from but isn't it gorgeous?  i've got plans already of course....and it's cooled down here but still not cold enough for christmas.  even so, santa made an early stop and this was in my mailbox from a maine quilty pal.  she obviously reads my blog...a very sincere friend with a full plate but her glass always seems half full if not overflowing with inner joy.  already i've been trolling the internet for some background fabrics and making plans for some of my next paycheck...isn't that how it goes anyway?  really excited about this project, which is helping me get thru the senior center's quilt that is almost done.  this week will see it outta here finally and me free to go on to another quilting project, hoping for at least one UFO finish before january. 

i am so humbled by this gift which was totally unnecessary but delightful regardless.  this person's friendship is more than enough gift for me anytime....

book reviews

one of my job perks is first look at new things...saturday these were on my cart but never made it to the shelf...first up, a nice scrappy book by the author of "sunday morning quilts"...i loved that book but felt all the projects were too time consuming.

this book, however, has projects that incorporate small and larger pieces.   lovely full-color photos, sections for each shape--square, triangle, rectangle, strips, snippets--that jump started my quilty muse.  if you need inspiration or are over-run with a particular size, you'll get great ideas here.  the next new book is tula pink's...

this book, too, has luscious color photos, some rudimentary information, detailed construction info plus innovative patterns--no surprise there--plus some really detailed machine quilting ideas.  about the same number of patterns as the first book (i didn't count) but more involved for somebody looking to venture outside of a wide comfort zone.  i offer these reviews simply as my observations, without author obligation and no remuneration whatsoever except that of inspiring and informing fellow sewists...caveat:  not a repro print in sight either!

well done quilters!

a post on stashbusters' yahoo group from betty at the West Houston Quilt Guild:

Thank You to Stash Busters
After putting out an appeal to the Yahoo group, Stash Busters, concerning our loss we have received donations from all over the continental US as well as from Hawaii. These generous ladies have donated dozens of quilt tops (with/without backing), numerous complete quilts in every design possible, several hundred yards of fabric, rolls of batting (count is up to 6), jelly rolls, complete quilt kits, miscellaneous tools, and assorted 1 to 1 1/2 yard pieces, gift cards and checks.

charm-ing surprise!

thursday's post brought me this little surprise....

a small packet filled with big color....a charm pack of kaffe blues/greens...this will go directly into the pouch with my applique project and the other kaffes that came last week...what a lovely surprise after a sorta chaotic week...culminating with taking miss subaru in for some maintenance and a search for that awful odor that, unfortunately, could not be narrowed down.  more tests were recommended but alas, the car repair budget is busted so will have to muddle along hoping that it's nothing life threatening.  then a quick trip to farm stand for cider and last-gasp little cukes...have put off fall veggies until all the summer ones have gone by.  *** this weekend devoted to apartment tidy, a bit of work, some much-needed sewing (for my mental wellbeing) and relax for medical tests next week.  nothing serious, just regular life-stage monitoring.  summer is back for a few days so gotta find those shorts!

the awful truth

such a beautiful october day belies the ugly truth that i had NO finishes this month at all...have sewed plenty but didn't quite get anything done.  not for lack of trying, certainly, but now that the last quarter of the year has arrived, must knock off at least ONE UFO at the absolute minimum.  the QOV will ABSOLUTELY be done but it isn't one of my official UFOs.  no doubt in the ever-growing flimsy pile is something small that will work.  but the day is just too gorgeous to spend much time perseverating on this, so i'll close and get back to leaf peeping from my near-penthouse across the vista to the catoctins....

a postal prezzie...

friday was a picture perfect day but just when i thought it couldn't get better, opened my little cookie-cutter mailbox to find this beautiful bundle!

first a few oranges for the orange mod....these are perfect and will blend with the others quite nicely.  i think with these and my own scraps, will just about use them all up...always a good thing!
along with the orange scraps, were these....oh, my heart began to quicken despite the calming  gentle breeze around me....none other than (wait for it).....kaffe scraps!

the gift giver, miss janet of utah, the mini quilt construction phenomenon, actually apologized for sending scraps???  huh???  how did she know that this was sitting on my someday shelf?

it's a floral applique pattern picked up some years back (of course) from the now-closed Kathie's Quilt Shop on a mini-hop with a maine quilty pal of mine.  as you can see, the background blocks are cut and waiting patiently for some kaffe action.  i've promised myself to finish a couple more things before i start on these, namely the new england sampler, which is my current big applique project.  i was inspired by patterns of kim mclean i'd seen....gorgeous and heavily appliqued things using only the kaffe fabrics with mostly white backgrounds that made his vibrant colors pop in psychedelic style splendor...but they are quite large projects/quilts and i sought something smaller with the same effect, which i think this will be.   ***  so i am guilty of quilt planning-itis, a muse at warp speed despite hands/eyes/fingers that move in real time.  *** back to reality and while most of my life is going along uneventfully, my car is once again on the sick list putting my independence and job in jeopardy.  next to family and friends, health and a sound mind, a car, housing and my little job are important to me and serious contributors to my well being.  i had my days in the city with no car, but much prefer the freedom dependable four wheels provide.  just because i live in a senior complex named (incorrectly) village, doesn't mean institutionalized.  some here think it's assisted living, a commune or a reform school but to me, it's just an apartment in an apartment building.  and anyone who thinks i shouldn't be independent, able to work a bit and go where i want, is worse than a grinch.  you don't have to live in new hampshire to be free....

texas update

this morning while reading messages on yahoo's "stashbuster" group, this was posted and i wanted to share it with you...

From Betty and Nita at West Houston Quilters Guild:

A huge Thank You goes out to the StashBusters for their donations to West Houston Quilter' s Guild after we lost over 200 charity quilts, preemie quilts, stockings and an estimated $10,000 worth of fabric.  Donations have included: probably 400+ yards of fabric (large yardage, Fat Quarters, bundles, charm packs, etc.), 60 quilt tops (with/without backs and binding), 13 completed quilts, rolls of batting, kits with all fabric included, 2 cutting mats, Hobbs labels, gift cards and checks plus all sorts of quilters' tools and notions.

Our storage will be available on October 1 and it will be wonderful to see it filled with all the "goodies" that other quilters have so generously given to us. We have a guild sew in planned for mid October and lots of these donations have been put into kits for guild members to make into quilts on that day.  Again, I don't know how to express our gratitude except with a sincere "Thank You."

And adding my own personal thanks for those of you who responded thru this blog.  with postage rates climbing ever higher, your generosity has even greater meaning.  you have all made a huge difference to our quilty community!

dream quilting

no doubt every quilter has projects stored away in the mind, dream quilts for that "someday" and i am no exception.  when i first started quilting, it was amish style quilts and by now i've made several with a couple in the works.  but recently--like in the past year--i've been bitten by the jen kingwell (designer) bug and especially this design of hers....midnight at the oasis.

this quilt has everything that zings for me...polka dots, patchwork squares, some applique, bright colors....i've discounted making it all the while slowly considering the same by thinking about colors, fabrics and mentally calculating the time involved against my own UFO pile.  it brings me back to something my brother said to me when i was pursuing my college degree at midlife, saying "how old are you going to be if you don't do it?"....so i am making a sort of, probably, tentative commitment to seriously thinking of making this quilt.  i already know what the background will be.  i'm mentally choosing from my pile of kaffe fabrics and ignoring the finished size.  until i get the pattern, put scissors to fabric or bank card to online shops, i'll be hacking away at the UFOs. there, i feel better now for pretty much deciding.  how about you?  what are your quilty dreams?

halfway to flimsy

with the addition of another row, the orange mod top is now halfway completed.  am liking this more and more as the blocks get added.  no border is planned, and have plenty of orange binding leftover from the hawaiian ready for the finish--once the quilting is done, that is.

have a spool of aurifil's variegated orange/yellow thread that might be just the ticket...except for the gray design that'll get quilted with white probably.  and even though i *thought* i had plenty of orange scraps, might have to actually shop for some...but will do my best to avoid any retail acquisitions if i can.   *** spent most of today on the QOV trying for a september finish and i just might make it.  eager to move on to something else that 1) isn't orange and 2) isn't patriotic....i did work a bit today on a repro UFO just for a change of pace. ***  summer has returned to maryland with very warm days and nice, cool nights....tipping over into 90s for the weekend.  ***  lastly, so very thankful no storms came near us and my family who met Irma all got thru safely.

monday design wall

even though spent most of sunday quilting the QOV--10 blocks to go!--just this morning finished up this little piece that used waste triangles from the orange mod.

saw the pattern in this issue of American Patchwork when it arrived last month....and although i would have preferred to make it in the blues, the oranges were at hand...but it works and saved the waste triangles from the trash.  not sure what i'll do with all the rest of them, but they are kinda small for other uses.

and remember those roasted tomatoes?  well, put them in the chopper, added some basil and parsley, some chicken stock and a bit of heavy cream and it's soup!  it's the first time i've made my own creamy tomato soup and it won't be the last. a great way to use garden bounty....it's a bit chunky which is my preference.  try it...you'll like it!