all saint's day

today's the day...my heart surgery anniversary...7 lucky years...so thankful i lived to see my dear mom to the end and more years with my family.....couldn't feel more grateful and blessed...a gift from the Great Physician!  after an 81-degree day i hope it's  going to become more seasonable, 68 here this morning.....hand quilting a big quilt in too warm weather isn't really ideal...but it has been nice for outside walks and stitching on our porch...

what else have i done?   moving along on another UFO, the scrappy repro triangles....i goofed before and really need 243 blocks, not 234 blocks...just about halfway there now...i pin them in bunches of 10 for easy counting...

moved the christmas stitchery along...not much left, then it's decide how to finish...

doing some secret  gift sewing for christmas so keeping under wraps...thankfully an extra hour is on tap for this weekend...

speaking of weekend, a bit o' housework must be done now that freezer is stocked with easy meals...then i can sew!

sunday sewing

bright and early at the machine and these got finished....

a pile of potholders!  only a few more but i've run out of batting scraps for the moment...happy to see the selvedges all used...

and if you see this dapper gent today, wish him a happy birthday!  it's brother #2...mom brought him home on halloween...i waited all day for him to wake up but he didn't...not until i was ready to go trick-or-treating, so i had to wait until the next day to hold him.

father of 4 and grandfather of 1, his cup runneth over.  senior struggles like all of us, but still keeping on....love you brother!

a quick lunch of some homemade chicken soup and then back to miss sunny for more stash busting!

the weekend?

like Lady Violet Crawley, i question what IS a weekend...being without car and no local transportation, weekends are like most any other day, just whatever needs doing and then whatever i choose...but blogging is always a priority...lol!

at senior center friday, a large stash was donated by a retiring quilter.  we have 3 tall cabinets with fabric so naturally some culling was needed.  free fabric?  oh yeah i'm in...but with restraint of course.  you can always tell how long somebody's been quilting by their stash....look at this...

definitely 1980s....3.5 yards of it too...so either background, backing or what?  i grabbed this, not because i love it, but my kitchen window needs an insulated drape before winter.  this will do the trick.  there was also a large piece of fleece to back it, bright orange but who cares...and this small pile came home with me, a few half yards but most less.

the selvedge date on the bottom piece is 2004--isn't it gorgeous?--but some of the others are older....like the stripes/hearts and the blue shells on cream, VIP cranston print pieces...oh and the madras plaid piece too.  marbling?  i never tried it but was too pretty to leave behind, definitely 1990s that one.  and the blueberries on black....with my heritage it had to be mine.  the RWB stripey piece just the ticket for a planned patriotic piece and the very top is a pretty thanksgiving theme piece with turkeys just right for a runner or 2 placemats..last the red/white print just because valentine's will be here before you know it.  

plenty got left behind, lots of big pieces of 3-4 yards i surmised but my reserve held fast...so not addicted to fabric after all.  and with UFOs always at the forefront, moved on to another....

pulled lots of small repros from the stash--smaller than FQ--and set them aside for a top with this pattern.  simple simple simple but nice.  i need 234 triangles of each, neutral and print, and no worries there.  i won't finish this but either sell or donate top when done.  

not much quilting friday as the machine needle thru the tip of my finger resulted in a tiny but painful and nuisance cut.  3 doses of liquid bandage didn't stop the seepage and so had to put off until the weekend...pesky blood thinners you know.  

last night was games night with some pals and a late bedtime, so full day today--dishes, laundry, sewing, quilting, cooking and walking as our weather is still drop dead enjoyable.  the leg surgery left me with a bit of neuropathy in my shin but the walking is making slow improvements in that.  no time to dilly dally, the day awaits!  have a blessed one...

chookshed challenge wrap up

all saint's day approaches and it's time to report my progress.  hopefully it will run again as i found it motivating and quite do-able.  

so this was a 10-month challenge with 10 things to accomplish...how did i do?  start with the most recent challenge....

all four zippers plus vinyl plus some stash all used and now hold UFOs instead of stacked on the sewing table.  keeping them corralled and in plain sight should be a great motivator.  they came out pretty good and they are so gosh darn handy.  miss sunny is not a fan of the walking foot and being an older machine, there's no adjustment of the feed dogs, but we managed.  

the other challenges:

1.  tame the scrap basket....it's nearly empty and gets fed seldom as i focus on UFOs

2.  make something out of solids drawer....done!  still scraps left but far less and now some nice blocks for play

3.  finish up selvedge strips....done, tote empty, almost all potholders done and ready to gift

4.  clear out 2" shoebox tote--stack of scrappy 9-patch blocks that will be used to make an insulated drape for my kitchen

5.  start a new blue quilt....changed pattern to blue album, now basted and in the quilting pile..this used up most of my muslin scraps too!

6.  circles for tree of life project....also done, next step please?

7.  prep appliques for penn dutch wall quilt....ready to roll on this one!

8.  dargate baskets applique....these are finally finished awaiting next step

9.  tidy the stash shelves...this was a great task that, once finished, very advantageous for finding stash, putting away stash and best of all, using it...i can definitely see a reduction

early morning quilting before the day gets going.  i've got quilt group, zoom meeting and games night on tap.  another day of overflowing blessings and delight!

calling all sewists!

this is an invite to participate in chooky's cancer donation zoom....make a donation to your choice of cancer foundations and join in this friday afternoon/evening US time for a healthy dose of down under fun.  

i donated last year in memory of others but this year it's personal--my dear mother succumbed to ovarian cancer in april--nobody should live healthily to 97 and then get cancer of any kind.  for far too many, cancer is like a junk yard dog...once it grabs you it doesn't let go.

for details from chooky, here's the link...

https://chookyblue.blogspot.com/2024/10/zoom-cancer-fundraiser.html

i wish the US would take the money going to mars for stupid, senseless stuff and funnel it somewhere that really helps real people....

ho ho ho?

everyone in blogland seems to be making christmas stuff...i should be focusing on UFOs but no no no!  i caved for this....

it's a wee stitchery by anni downs of the shop 'hatched and patched' and shared with me by chooky down under!  unearthed a small piece of linen from the cavernous stash plus a small piece of lightweight fusible to bust and i was in business!  the bottom says "bring joy at christmas"...a great project for when sitting on the porch soaking up this late summer weather we've been gifted...

but a UFO did get finished finally....

the batik basket wall piece is done....this will probably make its way to the donation blog....i do love those batik colors and glad i went with the matching binding as i think it makes the colors really pop.  

while i can enjoy new england vistas only on youtube, there is a smidgen of color in my back yard....

sadly, still no car of mine in the roomy parking lot...diligently keeping occupied with other things, or trying to anyway.  you can see what a delightful morning it is...i think today is the last of the near 80 weather but won't be cooling down that much.  i've been able to get out each day and walk around then sit and soak up the fresh air.  

it's hump day and hope to finish up my project bags, busting all my on-hand zippers and vinyl.  i made one already and 3 to go and doubt i'll make anymore.  

got my fall shots yesterday--covid #6 and flu--and arms bit stiff this morning.  never had a reaction to the covid shot at all and no covid either.....and maybe this weekend get out winter things?  

one week to the 8-year heart surgery anniversary.  it's taken a lot of work and lifestyle changes but cardioman says function has improved.  my heart bursts with thankfulness and blessings at the life-saving event, doubly so this year for the ability to see my loving mum move on with comfort and unfathomable love.    gotta go, sunshine is calling me!

something new

i've set up a new blog.  in the interests of relieving overcrowding, i've listed some pieces that have just been folded and put away since being made.  all the details are here at the new blog.  any questions of course feel free to ask.  i confess to only adequate photography skills but happy to provide close ups or whatever.   

throwback thursday

 

just had to repost this little beauty...it was gifted but still have the photo of "asian autumn".   the background fabric is a very pretty asian fabric but only a smidgen of it, just enough for this.  the smidgen was gifted to me by dear late friend marianne...

and stitched this little door hanger for my mum and it did indeed hang on her apartment door...many pluses about senior apartments but decor can be blah and it gave me such delight to make things for her to perk up her space.  this is hanging in my apartment now...

the stew is made and waiting to cool before freezing...food pantry pork roast cut up and sliced off all the fat resulted in comforting, hot, nutritious meals later on....

another food pantry receipt was this little bag of chocolate quinoa snacks...remarkably good and better than a regular candy bar...

sell for $4 per bag at target or costco, won't be buying them myself but nice to get for a change...they have other snacks of milk or dark chocolate as well.

i hesitate to verbalize for fear of jinxing, but the weather here is downright spectacular....cool morning and overnite to sleep with cozy quilts, warm sun during the day....frost last night in some areas so this is definitely indian summer now.  

couple of quilts to wash and bathroom clean on my weekend list....plus that pumpkin bread to make still..unless can squeeze in before.  winter haircut yesterday, short enough to avoid winter hat scare...LOL

overflowing blessings today despite unmet wants and needs.  feel richly blessed while i pray for those still suffering storm after effects.

not much new here

weather has cooled considerably...ironic that the uber hot days seem to last forever but the nice, cool, crisp ones don't...a week or so ago it was 60s overnite but now 40s and morning frost in spotted areas...great quilting weather tho..

nice segue into the ongoing bow ties project....trying to get at least 15 of the 20 blocks quilted in october, then the last 5 and sashings in november.  which means not much else of sewing is getting done.  plus i'm out of batting scraps for small things until i can trim and frankenbatt (sewing together small pieces)....goal of 3 finishes before 2025..it waits for me every morning as my after-breakfast pastime...

since it's the spooky season, here are a couple of mine i've posted before...

i made this for my mom's door and now it's back with me...

and here is a view of calais, maine, from a week ago...stunning natural beauty in autumn...

lots of up north family drama going on that is occupying my mind...plus being wheel-less and housebound are daily stressors and have me on the hunt for pleasant diversions, mostly sewing related.  

after haircut today, some yummy pumpkin bread and a pork stew to be made.  cold weather meals are back on the menu.   last week grabbed the last farm stand tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini until next year...boo hoo...will be pulling out winter clothes by the weekend i guess..but maryland weather can be sneaky so one pair of shorts will be kept close...

hopefully next post will show some new sewing stuff, so signing off to get dressed and start the day...it's another beauty....richly blessed are we!

throwback thursday

will start off with a quilt memory....

i made this in the year between waiting for housing, 2015...gave it to my mom for her apartment as she liked red.  every time i visited i'd say oh yeah i remember that...now it's back with me...

the new header photo and these are the shore road in east boothbay, maine...mom and i visited often....picnicked a few times as well.  these photos were taken after a hurricane--date on photo is wrong!...tourists gone so we could dawdle and pull over to park anywhere....the road is a very tight 2 lanes...i love the green/gray of the ocean....

my sister's booties are done and it is my last task for mum...i wish i could tell her tho i know she knew she could depend on me.   we were so close we most always thought alike about many things, and her wisdom was one of the priceless examples she left me.  

bow ties quilting continues...20 blocks, 16 bow ties each block plus cables in the sashing...oh yeah, i've a ways to go.  

some fall cooking and my PT exercises rounded out the day....more chicken soup, apple crisp and egg custard, good for the bones you know!  still praying for a car replacement...i serve a God of surprises so we shall see!