playing with scraps

after picking this up at the bookmobile the other day....

was itching to play with my own kaffe fabric scraps....so after working on some necessary sewing projects, opened up the blue plastic case that is jam-packed full of explosive color...

before long had cut all the tiny triangles for the next phase of this project, a legal UFO so nothing new...

omigosh, this is uber-colorful!  gonna really look wow on my institutional beige everything walls....and if you see OUR beauty today, wish her a happy birthday...it's my wonderful mom....

she says she doesn't feel a day over 25, but she's really.......

done!

another 6.5 yards out of the stash....and this is finished....not quite twin size but size ok for me...and yes, there ARE 2 different greens in this quilt....no matter....channeling some antique quilt maker...lol!   a small quilt has moved into the hoop for perhaps another finish before march roars in....we'll see!

snow day sew day

whereas 2-3" of snow is enough to shut down most everything, the arrival of 6-8" is a proverbial maryland blizzard....no problem for a sewist tho...had a very successful sewing day.  first thing, now we are 5, that's blocks for the brackman sew along...

while i like these star blocks a lot, looking forward to the last 4 and to get them off my plate.  block 8 is due out saturday and might just get 6 and 7 done before then, we'll see.  ***  so what else got sewn?

1.  finished the cross-stitch fairy top and now ready to baste and quilt; also prepped the binding for it.
2.  finished applique on another wall quilt that is also ready to baste and quilt.
3.  more on the amish churn dash that will see the finish today...that's the plan anyway.

plus baked an applesauce cake and a few household things rounded out the entire day.  spent every minute in enjoyable pursuits....is that good?  i think so.....

royal sewing

with the cold finally abating, able to do something else today besides blow my nose and pop tylenol...LOL!  first up, a project for my own princess....the cross-stitch diva....

her very delicate and precisely stitched fairy blocks....all it needs is side borders and then baste/quilt....they are adorable and she has already reserved a place for this....and betty was in a sewing mood so progressed to block 3 in the barbara brackman sew along...

am way behind on this with 4 blocks to get caught up, but maybe by next week...with only 9 total it'll be a quick finish...a great short SAL giving me the opportunity to use some really nice fabrics from the stash...and february half over???  impossible!!!  spring is coming tho as just this morning the sun was out and birds were chirping in the trees....

happy valentine's day!

The world may know my words, but it has no such privileges with my heart - Jane Austen 

day 4....

of the head cold that is slowly resolving....and with it return of my quilty mojo, again slowly....but last week before it hit, got this to the flimsy stage...

so it now resides in "the pile" to be basted and then quilted....and with the amish churn dash quilting done, this got put into the hoop as the next lucky quilt to be quilted...

it's "cabana daydreams" and a complete 180 from the dark amish solids.  a good project for spring that'll be here in a month or so.  it'll be sidelined once the cross-stitch top is done for a basting blitz day.   would like to finish the "fairies" by the end of february as DD has been so patient for its completion.  the only other must-do is the QOV top that should be ready by march in order to get it quilted and bound and ready for june award....all this WILL be done once the drippy nose and sneezing are history....

slow stitching sunday

up early this AM and quilting on this...only 3 blocks to go plus the setting triangles, so it'll be a February finish for sure. 

there will be machine time as well...DD is an expert cross-stitcher and asked me to make a wall quilt from some adorable fairy blocks she did.  she picked out the fabric last summer from the stash and has been waiting patiently for other things that needed to come first.  now it's her turn!  she has already selected space for the wall quilt in her home and the ball is in my court.  maybe it too will be a february finish!

RSC II

month 2 of the RSC sew along and all is well here....actually had to cut stash to get the needed strips as the shoebox had only a few.  after these got finished, worked on a few other things and confess did a bit of lollygagging around outside in the 70-degree weather.  am so ready for this to come and stay....even my mom in maine got a reprieve from bitter cold.  it's the january thaw just a tad late but better than never!

good news from PA!

FLASH!  phil did NOT see his shadow meaning an early spring.....woo hoo!  for us here in MD it's coming this weekend....what a great way to start a winter day--the sun is shining bright here and temps are on the rise.   me i am celebrating a finish...the paper doll books are done and will be on their way today..

lots of fussy cutting and sewing but the result is two adorable playthings for special little girls.  but my fingers were itching for some machine fun, so pulled out an easy UFO and got this far on this wall quilt project...

it'll say "home sweet home" when done and incorporates lots of bright colors--batiks and some very nice grunge dots--(thank you janet!) and it'll be for me.  this may not be my forever home but wherever, it is sweet to have a home.  ***  and mr mailman brought some goodies for me yesterday....a beautiful trinket box from dear daughter, 2 hand knit hats from my mum, a jonesboro, maine, history book with scads of photos of, well, scads of ancestors.  then my sister sent this...

when i belonged to the New England Quilt Museum, attended a talk given by Pam Weeks on this very subject and got to see a civil war quilt up close and personal.  I thought about buying the book but it was a want and not a need, so had to pass.  my dear sister got this a while back and i am super thrilled!  PS it's autographed too!   *** and yesterday finally got the border traced onto this UFO...

this is one of the true oldie UFOs that got put aside due to my timidity in tackling this part.  at the senior center was able to spread it out and finally get it marked.  there is one section i tried to do in my small space that is (gulp) upside down, so that'll have to be washed off (washable graphite pencil) and redone.  ***  also prepped final border on the guild's round robin challenge, so that's closing in to get done.   *** and (cringe) some former football jock on TV just said "it TEACHED the kids...."  uh oh....needs some verbal instruction i think! 

seeing red

last year at this time, only 3 months out from my cardiac surgery and struggling with basic daily needs, couldn't get behind this at all....fast forward one year and and things are hugely improved.  can't encourage enough to be a champion for one's health.  THREE, yes THREE primary care doctors fluffed off my shortness of breath due to physical deconditioning and obesity....turns out they were so very wrong.  One specialist even performed surgery with general anesthesia WITHOUT a cardiac clearance...so you can understand my gratitude for life today.  today i'm better, stronger, leaner, improved 1000%....HEALTHIER, tho not without the trauma and struggles of major surgery and recovery.  DON'T ignore annoying, recurring symptoms.  DO advocate on your own behalf.  DO find a physician who will pay attention to issues that trouble you.....it may save your life....