the un-birthday....no quilty content

february 23rd is mom's unbirthday...she would have been 98...she nearly made it...healthy and vibrant into her 90s until the junkyard dog cancer grabbed hold and didn't let go.  she never thought about age or numbers, just got up every day and did what she always did...as the family stalwarts always did.  we were shocked and still are at this deep and profound loss.  if she were here, we'd have chocolate cake with boiled icing, a nice dinner, a few gifts, probably flowers from somebody and calls from faraway family.  we wouldn't have been surprised that she was 98, still walking in good weather, living independently, preparing family get togethers, doing her crosswords....we are surprised she isn't here, leaving us with a crater-size hole in our hearts and lives...

i didn't circle her in the grade school photo, but she is on the left in the front row....i ended with a photo of pemaquid point, her favorite ocean place....we went there often just to relax and drink in the ocean smell and sounds, sun glistening on the waves, always with a book and ending with a trip to the snack bar for french fries...she loved them and her Savior, Jesus Christ, and family, reading, walking, lobster, vintage dishes, adventures, music, the ocean...in later years i gifted her special trips like a windjammer cruise, a music concert, a trip to see Cirque du Soleil, pilgrimages to Jonesboro, holiday concerts, Downeast Brass at an old church, summer festivals, a high tea luncheon, beach vacations....and always, always ocean visits...never did get the sand completely out of the car!  i'll be making clam chowder in her honor and a toast to a lifetime of love--her gift to all of us...

slow mo jo

continuing cold temps and chronic cabin fever have left me with decreased mojo for sewing or anything else.  i did get my quilty group homework done...2 lap robe tops for our charity project.  oh and the laundry too..

what else?  finished the 2 "rising sun" circles and onto backgrounds....

one medical appointment took up a fair part of a day...a bit more on the winter saltbox by pinker and punkin designs....

that about sums up the week so far....without close friends and no car to do fun things makes life dull and feeling largely disconnected.  almost no public transit here aside from the train station about 3 miles away--too far to walk.  so i usually just do whatever will keep my mind occupied until the worst passes...spring can't come any time too soon.  

with a week to go in february's challenge, used up more of the large hexies for a planned table runner, autumn trees...not sure if it'll get finished this month but perhaps in time to sell later in the year...here's a peek....  

also traced 4 hawaiian applique patterns for a sew along...i do love hawaiian quilting and hope these small pieces will satisfy my longing for a bigger project.

it's friday but sunday's coming!  

sunday chat

a wacky weather week here in maryland....rain, snow, sleet, ice and occasional sunshine as well...it's almost spring, i can feel it, so this is sort of mother nature's menopause--transition from one phase to another.  a routine primary care visit left me elated that remains despite the dreary view out my window.  there was some sewing tho....wildest dreams is in the hoop and excited to work on this finally...the quilting is my favorite part you know...

even happier to know i won't have to baste any more large quilts....me hates thread basting!!!

attended friday quilt group and came home with some homework...LOL...we are making lap robes for a veteran's hospice and i'm to sew 2 tops together and pass them on to the quilter....saving that task for president's day...before the name gets changed that is...

ladies in our group are tireless workers for local charities and i am more than happy to be included...God instilled in me the love of sewing and my hands belong to Him...

ended the week with a brief zoom gathering of the faithful, mostly down under peeps where they are comparing hot temps...LOL..but there were are few northern hemisphere gals who joined in....

and what's to do with lots of free time?  why cruise instagram of course!  i found these gems i'll pass along to you....

new name for gulf of maine maybe?  this could be a new trend....

for the winter weary....pox on those snow lovers!!!

and a solution to a nuisance problem...environmental friendly too!

yes, they are chuckle worthy but stoke the fires of irksome for sure....let's just say the unemployment claims in maryland have skyrocketed...and serious issues remain a genuine concern....

winter sans car has made me quite laid back...thanks to the bike my mental health has remained top notch but if boredom were fatal, i wouldn't be blogging...those who ferry me around have really been my saviors...God has been faithful with my daily needs but cabin fever isn't a priority i guess...nor my independence...sigh...

but blessings still abound so i'll keep calm and sew on...have a blessed day!

snow day sew-in

the snow the talking heads were yammering about finally arrived...it takes only the mere mention to work marylanders into a frenzy and our measly 6" crippled the entire area.  i didn't tell them that in maine a puny 6" doesn't close or stop anything.  you just pile on the wardrobe and adjust.  i avoided the panicky hype and sewed....my challenge project moved forward quite nicely....

there are now 3 circles done and auditioned the brown as a foundation fabric.  one more to sew up before can applique them to the foundation.  thought i would use a lot of hexies--it seemed like i was constantly cutting up pieces--but noooo.....so while i sewed, pondered ideas to use up more...

pulled out these, given to me by late friend marianne....

not sure if i will make all 200, but however many there end up being will be used for something...ideas for HSTs are endless...and another item will escape the donate pile.  

i don't have a lot of light kaffes suitable for backgrounds so chose this neutral--boring i know but it works and will be used up.  

worked up a wee sample and declare it ok...

another day home bound...so more sewing no doubt.  switching gears briefly to get the binding on the 'oz' project and get 'wildest dreams' in the hoop.  no outing plans until friday so long stretch of time ahead...there is that laundry tho...yesterday made applesauce and fresh tomato spaghetti sauce, and there are plenty of frozen meals at the ready.  housework only comes before quilting in the dictionary you know...so keep calm and soldier on!

hit and miss

2025 is my 46th year of quilting.  like most beginners, that night school course produced a sampler quilt, now long gone, and sent me off into quilting nirvana.  i have improved a lot since then but truth is, i can still produce a dud....and here is the current one--a definite miss.

i thought it might be cute....those bugs have lots of little hearts on them...was going to add letters to top and bottom to read LOVE BUG.. every morning it was on the design wall, those bugs looking more like petrified cow patties...but can't bring myself to spend another minute on it.  conversely, there are days when things go well....

pattern is called 'rising sun' from a jan halgrimson book given to me in the 80s by my mother...there were 2 books of scrap blocks, she gave me both, and i use them often.  tweaked the points a bit making the triangle points a big bigger and fewer of them......the plan is for 4 blocks--it's my chookshed challenge.  qulting is one of the gifts my mother gave me, sending me off at age 8 to learn how to sew.  she always said she never dreamed it would be a life-long passion...

as for today, a bit of cooking was done....thought it was going to snow but apparently off until sunday.  no matter, no where to go.  sunday is devoted to quilting the 'oz' piece as i am anxious to get to 'wildest dreams'.   then it's another week with a nearly empty calendar and more storms they say.  but i do believe this is winter's last gasp in maryland...

last one basted

that would be 'wildest dreams'....so january chookshed challenge complete.  anxious to get into the hoop once "oz" is finished....now i can move on to february's task....

dreary weather has zapped my mojo a bit but hoping to rev it up...monday was shuttle shopping day, a washout as far as doing much else.  then there was the puzzle to do and finish....

christmas gift from daughter and was challenging...all those clouds, mountains and rocks...oh my!  and would you believe a piece missing right from the factory?  true...

weather dodgy next few days with possible snow, ice, rain and everything inbetween...no plans for any errands anyway.  

"mathemagical" has gone to its new home today garnering a bit of extra cash that went into food budget.  a couple of big ticket items needed but on the back burner...and of course a vehicle, but trusting God to supply as He promised.  meanwhile i'm biking and sewing the winter away thankful for blessings.  the daily diatribes from DC via the bluster-in-chief of ridiculous pronouncements that are totally without merit and most lack validity to materialize.  all i can think of is the movie 'the caine mutiny' where the crew of a vessel comes to realize the captain is as mad as a hatter...

aside from quilt group friday, i'm settling in for a long spell of playing with fabric and binge watching jane austen movies...the perfect antidote to maniacal rants...LOL!  and for all you winter weary readers....

keep warm and quilt on!

february challenge

Deana has drawn #10 for February challenge and here is mine....

10.  last but not least, big hexies project...these were gifted to me...lovely kaffe prints...and using a solid yellow gold for connector triangles as most are autumnal colors...hoping to assemble a few small pieces out of this hefty stack...

friday mail was another surprise...a delightful squishie of kaffe stripes/plaids plus that rich teal shot cotton....i've already plans for that piece and will peruse my kaffe books for other ideas.

and 'love bug' piece is coming along....

as is 'oz' wall quilt too...

weekend to-do list is made and included is some TLC for miss sunny....she works hard you know, nearly every day, without a blip...old Singer machines will run forever with regular maintenance...no motherboards to crash here!

weather is revealing hints of spring....warmish here this morning at 48 with a couple of high 50s next week. vehicle at the top of my prayer list always--the shore beckons...until then, keep calm and sew on i guess....have a blessed day!

half success

cold winter days foster daydreams about warmth and surf...hoping i can get there this summer or early fall some time...i do have salt water in my veins....definitely my happy place...

planned to get both quilts basted in january but due to a batting issue, only one.  even so, january wasn't a total washout....did some frankenbatting and now have one for wildest dreams, so that's the weekend project--close enough

• finished waterfall UFO
• basted scrappy DWR
• 'mathemagical' top 
• finished stitchery 'sleigh bells'
• 2 christmas placemats and a hot pad
• lap robe top and baby quilt for senior center projects
• basted and quilting 'detour to oz'
• 'love bug' flimsy

PLUS.....

• put away christmas, revamped living/storage space
• all quilted items moved to closet shelf
• cooked for freezer
• exercised regularly
• read 2 books
• only one routine medical visit

this is the baby face panel top made for the senior center...another quilter chose the backing and quilted it, then bound by me...isn't it adorable?  can't you just imagine some new mom wrapping her precious in it?  i can....

started another little cross stitch stuffie...this is 'winter saltbox' by pinker n punkin designer...she has free patterns for a series of saltbox littles....remind me of new england...

this came up on instagram and choked me up....the other day for one fleeting nanosecond i thought i would call her, then caught myself...she was my only confidante and BFF...

and yes, it's friday, but sunday's coming!

next?

the next...and last...biggie to baste is 'wildest dreams' at 72" square.  remember this?  i am going to quilt every light triangle and then do cross hatch in blocks and setting triangles...should give it a really vintage look.  

on the to-do list is the 'wensleydale' but it's 60" square so not really bed size.  

saturday daughter ferried me to wegman's and then the weekend focused on 'mathemagical' which is nearly a flimsy....if you are thinking of making one, i'm listing a couple of tips that helped me. first is this....the construction diagram can be confusing so i use little post-its to block off finished sections...my ex-boss, the neuro brain, would likely say i have some sort of deficit but he had a penchant for diagnosing everyone from the paperboy to grocery clerks.  probably goes with the territory...

the second is these prepped units...i counted up the twosies, sewed them together and pinned to the design wall so they were ready when needed.  i am working on the last section now.

aren't those kaffe fabrics wild?  don't tell him, but the gray print came from joann's...i bought a couple of yards at $3 per so a good deal and a good quality fabric.  i thought it looked sorta like a kaffe. 

clam chowder got made sunday...a taste of home indeed...enjoyed some fresh air finally now that temps have warmed, promising to creep up most of the week.

last but certainly not least, today is Holocaust Remembrance Day....80 years since Auschwitz was liberated....never, ever forget...especially now that the wannabe dictator-in-chief is in the white house.

one down....

 the scrappy DWR is all basted and marked, set aside until i finish the wall piece in the hoop currently....

busted 6 yards for the back alone...took most of 2 days, now taking a few days' break until tackling the next one....that'll complete my chookshed challenge for january.

still bitter cold, 5 degrees here this early morning going up to 34...thankfully sun is shining which warms up my apartment considerably.  i pay my own electric here and so every bit of free energy is a plus.  

after grocery delivery midmorning, rustled up a big pot of my mom's beef veggie soup....

i used about 3/4 pound of stew beef and veggies aplenty--carrots, parsnips, onions, celery, cabbage plus a can of diced tomatoes, unsalted stock, herbs and a splash of worcestershire...containers were frozen for future meals but it's on the menu again today...mmm mmm good!  

working up motivation for getting to the mathemagical top.  i should be able to get most of it done today, the rest friday morning.  friday afternoon and saturday taken up with activities but next week is another week free of appointments and such.  might be time for a couple of small pieces on my wish list to stave off midwinter boredom.  keep warm and sew on!!