this and that

alone time leads to pondering....so just some meandering thoughts...before that a couple of christmas decoration photos...

sturbridge christmas...one of my favorite pieces....that mustard is a jo morton print...i love almost every one of her designs

a traditional trip around the world...i love this too...nothing says tradition like this pattern...no longer on the floor, these now hang along with the nativity....

on my bed is this scrappy tree quilt....

too frequently i meet someone who is recovering from or getting diagnosed with cancer of some sort...

as a senior in a new place with limited resources--money, car, social networks--it is very difficult to make new friends and especially one or two besties with whom i can really be myself....my only BFF is the exercise bike...LOL

peyton place had nothing on senior housing....gossip travels faster than the speed of light

good healthcare is the most important asset in the so-called golden years; i am blessed in that

the material trappings of christmas seem meaningless without the comfort of loving family members

hawthorne said it best.."women derive a pleasure...of delicate toil with the needle."  

i tell people who bask in 90-degree temps there is nothing prettier than newfallen snow, especially on the evergreens in the crisp, cold winter air

new england is still in my blood as i felt energized after a brief outdoors in the cold, snug in my woolen trappings

end of year always spurs me on to organize, ducks in a row, make new year lists, daydream hopes and wishes, stay serene....

just this morning in the local news, housing and retail units proposed down the street with IMPROVED LOCAL BUS...sorely needed especially by our complex where many do not drive

and last by request...

family photos on the wall, close by always....large antique frame is HS grad grandmother grace, died in 1929 only 3 years after that, next to parents...below left our gang of four with me holding youngest sister, now 63...next to us is a collage of small photos various family--many of them school pictures...below is daughter's wedding and a few others below that...so even tho i'm alone much of the time, only sometimes feel lonely...

but now back to sewing...there's that gift that HAS to be finished ASAP...i've got a couple of new project ideas swirling around!

getting there

that would be the bow ties project....now that i'm quilting the sashings, i find it's moving along a bit faster than first thought...in a morning, can get 4-5 of them quilted so december finish it will be.   i have a turquoise binding prepped but don't think i'll use it...not sure if there's enough of the plum left either....stay tuned...

sewing time has been sacrificed to get out christmas decorations....tree is up and quite ornament heavy...

and my folk nativity is getting displayed this year...i think it was done last year but no sleeve, so that was done and can hang on the wall now...

and this cheery placemat came home with me from mom's...i thought the teary episodes were under control but seeing her things in my home without her here has been tough...next year i'll do better i'm sure...

i'll post some other decorations in the future.  focusing on gratitudes and blessings daily will get me thru this first holiday without her, i expect.  after all, christmas is a season of hope and joyful anticipation...

saturday sewing

 cold and windy, ideal indoor quilty weather....finally a finish!

an official UFO, kim diehl pattern, chosen to highlight the gorgeous pink old sturbridge print shared with me by a quilty peep....it is a gorgeous print....only 18" square and no destination, but enjoyed making it...it's all the counts, right?

moved along the scrappy repros project....

only 10 more rows to go....i still have to cut/sew about 30 of the units, but i just needed to see it started....

more quilting on bow ties, the sashings, and hope it will be done in a month.  i've still a gift sewing project to finish, not quite halfway done, so these 3 things will keep me occupied needle-wise...

and while perusing on instagram, came across the 5-minute crafter....i hesitated just a tad too long and am now glued, sort of....but this project was actually needed here and came in quite handy...

pulled out some christmas wall pieces and sleeves were sewn on...so it is starting to feel christmas-y, sorely needed this year of so much sadness and stress. ...the exercise bike and i have become routine and no longer vexed by painful knees, a real plus!  it's just more effort to get into the holiday swing but once tree is up and lights on, should help a lot.....despite challenges i've been greatly blessed by God's care thru willing servant hands in my neighborhood and beyond...

a blessed thanksgiving!

dining solo this year due to illness--not mine!  usual suspects assembled--turkey, gravy, stuffing, squash, boiled onions, egg nog ice cream for dessert!  i'll be dining a la flannels, me and the rockettes!  good time to rack up another UFO finish....

despite the heavily challenging year so far, cannot help but give boundless thanks to God for his constant and unfailing care of family and myself, even in sad moments that still sometimes erupt.  diversion with all things sewing has been my rescue many times and most welcomed.  looking forward to a Christmas season that i hope brings peace, continued health and care for those i love, serenity, joy and maybe some fun too.  i'll just bet you are hoping for the same.....

and the look ahead?  well, boothbay harbor, maine, is on it!

isn't that sooo pretty?  for a crayola devotee like myself it ticks all my boxes!   Christmas quilt on the bed and pulled out cards to get going...this weekend tree goes up with cheerful colored lights and precious ornaments filled with memories...

finally, must always close thanksgiving post with this, a self-portrait of my very favorite pilgrim!  hope she is better real soon!  Happy Thanksgiving all!

november wind down

 as turkey day approaches and 6 days to tree up day, no time to waste finishing this...

just a quick closure and it'll be done....well ahead of turkey day!  up next is this little christmas stitchery...

with only 3 weeks not sure it'll get finished in time but no matter...

senior center friday where some donations were dropped off....this quilt top was included...

a pretty top with corners requiring some applique to finish it...and most in the group do not do much applique so i offered my services...then it'll be turned over to somebody to finish and sell to garner funds for our supplies.  finished items get displayed and sell pretty fast....i also came home with a few pieces of template plastic and some chalk leads for my marking pencil.  it always amazes me that God knows and meets my mundane needs....

the top is quite wrinkly but there are 4 of these to be done...after the bow ties is finished it'll get tackled.  with only 2 blocks left of the ties, it's just the sashing to quilt now.  planning on it being bed ready january 1st...

back to baseline after brief surgery...took me a few days to catch up on sleep and get meds back on routine....saturday back on exercise bike so it's all good.  all tests were negative so peace of mind worth it...

a few flurries fell friday but quickly became rain, which was badly needed.  i've made my list for cooking tasks and already put the christmas quilt on the bed.  the next 4 weeks will be busy and whiz by no doubt, but that's ok...diversion good to keep tears at bay...one sewing gift is tops on the list and a few fun things on the schedule already.  so ducks in a row and let the holidays begin!

last warmish day?

a predicted 68 is probably the best it's going to be until may i think...maryland's mother nature is wishy-washy most seasons except summer...then she is brutal.  the weekend was productive on all things needle related, aside from saturday morning cooking blitz.  here's my wrap up....

the stocking that was half done is now finished...with 5 on hand for the holidays, don't anticipate the need to make more until next year.  but after rummaging in the christmas fabric stash, i think another quilt top is needed...lots of small pieces need a home.  

the repro triangles moved forward as well...now with 160 finished, only 83 to make, hoping to have a flimsy by december 1st...

cross-stitch pilgrims about half or more finished....this was a last minute project with a deadline of course, but will be done i'm sure....they are short so could very well be my ancestors...LOL!

the kim diehl wall piece quilting is nearly done as well....this is an official UFO, just a bit more quilting and then bind to be finished.  

this was a quick quilting detour from the bow ties...happy to report only 3 more blocks to quilt on that, then do all the sashings and THAT will be ready to bind as well...yes, a december finish and maybe in time to quilt another small piece before it's an official 2025 UFO.  

a bit of time spent sorting out under the ironing station.  with no room for shelving in my living room, shoeboxes and such have to live here.  

project bags keep unfinished stuff neat and organized.  the top of the table got cleared off as well with only the dargate basket project still sitting there.  those are a 2025 chookshed challenge task, probably several small wall quilts instead of one large.  

and a new addition!  meet marcy....

my pin money for 2025 will pay her off but she was a necessity.  without a car and few opportunities to work out at the senior center, this was sorely needed to keep the heart happy.  it has an additional benefit for my knees as well.  only calamity was a broken great toe during assembly... first week logged 100 minutes of cardio, which is quite acceptable for me and cardioman agrees.  even better, it helps my mental health.   and good news, i've enough living room space left for a nice recliner for evening quilting comfort...that'll be next!

going to be a surreal holiday season, first without my mom.  every day i think of things i would like to tell her but i know that's normal for everyone with such a loss.  tears are popping up a bit more frequently, but the exercise and keeping busy helps.  i can't imagine the void will ever be filled....

wednesday chat

fall has arrived in earnest...40s this morning and for the next week or so...flannel pants on board along with hot chocolate...so it begins.  i've been quilting quite a bit on the bow ties as i am quite sick of seeing this behemoth lying around...what else?

totally done making these...not pretty or perfect but quite functional...have managed to pawn a few off to neighbors who don't sew...

these got done...

last 2 zippers got used on these...no vinyl and not buying any so just fabric...and annoyed as the yellow i used was very similar on both right/wrong sides and when finished, i see the wrong side is the horizontal piece...rats!  so much for sewing at night.   i had thought to gift to someone but no longer...no more of these either.  i've one more Christmas stocking to finish and all my batting scraps will be gone.  it is quite rewarding to use up bits and bobs, no longer lying around for someday.

with November racing on, pulled out this little stitchery from the primitive hare, designer isabella abbiati....

this will go in my decorative duck for display...i cruise instagram every day and drool over so many beautiful stitcheries, but not about to abandon quilting for cross stitch.  

getting fall tasks done bit by bit.  bit of laundry today and then make the kitchen drape.  next week 2 medical appointments and our community dinner.  still plenty of time for exercise and sewing.  i am assigned 2 pies for turkey day at daughter/son-in-law's home.  then it's up with the Christmas tree.  i do need a LOT of Christmas this year that has been so painful and sad.  it still hurts so very much you know...now for that exercise--imperative to keep my spirits up!

R.E.D.

 

even though i'm a color hound, red isn't one of my favorites in the box.  but the DAR has given it new meaning...R.E.D. is an acronym for Remember Everyone Deployed.  with two current family members serving and a long list of previous ones, veteran's day is always a time to recall their service and feel quite humbled and proud of them...i hope you feel the same.

the weekend?  murphy was right...work expands to fill the allotted time...with two whole days of nothing really pressing, i should have gotten much sewing done--nope.  i did get one project bag done and another just about, plus some quilting on bow ties, then some exercise, cooking, reading, so mojo not yet up to full throttle.  i am certain serious cabin fever is a part.  a broken toe kept me in friday, giving up 2 fun things, which was irritating.  with just laundry staring me in the face, it's back to sewing and quilting.  

back to quilting

now that house chores done (except laundry!), can sew with clear conscience...lol...first thing hung up my turkeys!  a country threads pattern now out of print...would be right at home in a log cabin but works here as well...one of my favorites....

pulled some blocks from the solids drawer and sewed this up...

one of my 2025 chookshed challenges is to empty the drawer from the remaining solids scraps...

then this got basted and should be a november finish....

more bow ties quilting...you know what that looks like....and christmas stitchery ready for finishing....thank you anni downs for such a cute pattern!

when i made the project bags i thought there were more zippers somewhere and turns out, intuition was right...so 2 more project bags will be made without the vinyl as none left and not buying any...this will give me something like 8-9 and that's quite enough.  

election impression?  it was close, we knew it would be...so many democrats are shouting serious gloom and doom...but i say be patient...even with republicans in control, i am quite certain many do not share trump's plans or ideas, after all they tried to get him off the ticket didn't they?  i got the impression harris thought she was a shoe-in...but no swing states?  not really surprised there...i think immigration was a big factor...am i happy with the choice?  not a whit...but i don't believe for a nanosecond that America is done for....the framers knew a lot about dangers of absolute power and established our republic cognizant of same. lastly, God blesses America and pray he will continue to do so...in spite of flawed politicians.

patriotic duty

 

Thomas Jefferson

“We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.”