and away we go!

exciting starting a new year....days ahead of promise and hope for health, family, fun...at least that's my list.  

also hoping for lots of sewing time as i've an ambitious list of things to make and or finish

2025 accomplishments?  finished 8 UFOs, acquired some small wheels, survived yet another medical event, did lose some weight, did NOT keep up with the kardashians, did see maine family briefly, learned to live with grief, ramped up exercise routine, sewed for charity...that's about it.  a pretty mundane lifestyle i guess.  

this week finished the re-do on the pumpkin wall quilt....i am thinking the panel was off...i trimmed it to keep the leaves border but now realize it was off....

got in some quality zoom time with the gals down under in their summer duds....plenty of quilty chat and barbie plans....i worked on my vintage melon squares and finished almost half...

the moderator IS doing the chookshed challenge again this year...my list at the ready.  started 2025 with high hopes and list of 10....all was well until july, then detour!  here the 2026 edition...

1) baste and applique semiquincentennial wall quilt (new!)
2) W-I-N-T-E-R  wall quilt (new!)
3) wensleydale
4) mark and baste whole cloth WQ (new!)
5)  hearts/wreath applique
6) alaska blocks
7) vintage melon blocks/applique/baste
8) tree of life WQ border top and baste 
9) alaska blocks
10) red/green applique WQ top finish and baste 

also a personal challenge of some blocks using my healthy repro fabric stash....plus whittle down the hand quilting pile, knocking off the last 2 bed size quilts..

in the not-really-resolutions department, tighten up the budget along with maintaining/improving my health, ongoing culling of unwanted stuff and increased independence.  not the least is keeping my faith strong in a world of increasing chaos, violence, absurdity.  on that note i close, wishing you peace, joy, contentment, health and faith to guide you on the journey. a blessed happy new year!

busting scraps

gap week tasks proceed with good result so  far....several drawers of sewing related stuff have been tidied and streamlined....but brief detour required for some housekeeping sewing....

a bit of early morning cooking revealed my potholders had outlived their shelf life...so pulled a few orphan blocks, an ugly FQ, some leftover batting and binding strips...voila!  quickly sewed up 4 with 2 more to finish....definitely not blue ribbon worthy but they are functional...

had planned a library trip today but somehow the scooter keys plus another set had eloped from my purse.  i put them there last wednesday before going to daughter's and had no need for them until today...but now missing....it was a nice day for a trip and replacing them is an unplanned expense...

have been able to up my exercise thanks to the eliquis, a welcome benefit...i have a fitness center membership but can't get there without a car, a real disappointment for me....

no doubt many are gearing up to welcome the new year, but just so you know...and probably would rather not...LOL

keep calm and quilt on!!

onward to 2026!

hope your Christmas was as enjoyable as mine....spent a few days with daughter and son-in-love just basking in each other's company, refilling the hugs tank....the best gift of all!  my gifts were sorta spread out thru december but i did receive a couple more.....

a lovely gift of handmade soap from a quilty peep...she is so creative in all she does!  a set of blueberry print flannel sheets was tops on my list and will keep me cozy!

now begins a week of tidying the apartment, culling unwanted stuff, a few sewing tasks culminated with deconstructing christmas...if i had space i would leave my little tree up laden with its lifetime of memories in ornaments...it's comforting altho a bit bittersweet to relive special moments and people represented by them...days already beginning to lengthen and soon harbingers of spring will appear, every day overflowing with thankfulness....and so it goes...

a blessed Christmas!

busy with few last minute cooking tasks...when done, it'll be time to enjoy the day.   hoping you have loved ones close because that's all that really counts....all the rest is window dressing....we celebrate the birthday of a King, not the jolly fat man or most everything else that comes with him...may the warm memories of this and past Christmases remain with you in the years ahead...

one week to go....

are you almost ready?  speaking to my quilty peeps here, many busily finishing handmade gifts and cramming in decorating, baking along with usual....calm and bright in my neighborhood.  some early gifts came my way this week....

way to go Santa!  totally surprised with this bundle of neutral threads that both my vintage machines will love...

and just yesterday this arrived....

a box chock full of quilty and hand made goodies...oh and some chocolate too!  pretty sure mrs. claus is a quilter aren't you? 

the next gift received was from my drug plan....they have now included eliquis, the blood thinner, in my coverage.  wahoooo!  i've been off anticoagulants since july (a bit of russian roulette), but another bleeding related surgery had to be avoided.  thanks be to God for this potentially life-saving benefit.  i feel so very blessed....

in addition to little jaunts with the scooter (when weather permits), been quilting on the DWR and applique on this project, just about ready for basting and added to the quilty pile...

all the kaffe scraps have now been cut into tumblers too...

end of the year always finds me excited with anticipation....a new start, a clean slate, the decks cleared and raring to go...i wish i could inject that feeling into all whose lives are less than pleasant, as there are so very many, even within my small sphere, with various burdens.  i've learned to live with my grief while others are just starting that journey.  i've been blessed with excellent healthcare, caregivers whose care and advice have enhanced the quality of my life.  even tho i am what many consider poor, my life overflows with blessings every day....praying you find blessings in your life as well...

four finishes

a cold and snowy weekend just the ticket for finishing up some things that were lying around annoying me....

a pin cushion and ornament meant for a swap that i had to drop...

next came the 2 remaining microwave bowls just needing a sew up from where they were turned...

a lobster print and a crab print.....equal opportunity!  next a stitchery done last year but never finished....

it was photographed lying on a table and not wonky at all...just a sleeve and ribbon to hang.  the stitchery was a freebie by anni downs of 'hatched and patched', a shop in australia...these are free every christmas...you can hop on over and get this year's...

now the table can be tidied to move on to other stuff, like the kaffe tumblers and continue quilting on the scrappy DWR....plenty cold here and we did get about an inch of white stuff sunday...homemade chicken soup ready and more cookie baking.  also this week a bit of garment sewing on the list to use up some free fabric.  i'm already in the new year mindset and getting my UFO ducks in a row.   it's been a low key, pared down holiday season and quite enjoyable, able to relax and take in many excellent holiday specials online.  have a blessed and peaceful week!  

weekend update

temps moderate today so will harness the sleigh and head to local grocery for a few things and get a good dose of fresh air before another cold snap...on the quilty front it was a hit and a miss this week...

the last border on the pumpkin sent this to wonky world...i did measure twice...can only think the HSTs and their bias edges were the culprit...so off with the binding and tweak the border, then rebind...it looked ok before the border was added so might just leave it off...stay tuned....

the quilting hoop was promptly filled with this...

the scrappy DWR.....it's the next-to-last bed size quilt in process....so darn cozy having a big quilt on your lap in winter....the apartment is warm but the quilt is snuggly...

my favorite christmas decoration?

dear woodstock in his nest waiting for santa....it was a school art project by my daughter made from fragile construction paper...i just had to recreate in fabric and keep for always...

most of my christmas decorating and prep is done so i can relax in the evening with my hoop and watch specials on TV.....

my little tree lights are on when i'm home to enjoy every day.....my family has to make extra effort to be joyful...we've no little kids that exude that frenzied excitement and losses seem to multiply that want to overshadow...but we focus on each other and the real reason for the season, hanging on to a few traditions to remind us of our shared love....

december rolls on

even though most of the world is in a holiday frenzy, things are quiet and serene here in middle earth maryland...my shopping is done, most cards mailed, christmas dinner contributions planned, apartment decorated.  one thing was missing tho....

christmas pillowcases!  i had changed bed linens and put the quilt on but oh no!!  no christmas pillowcases!  as providence would have it, a member of our friday group donated a couple bags of stash detritus and therewas this christmas print....geese with neck wreaths...pulled out a green toile for the cuffs and here they are....made a skosh larger than pattern as my pillows are quite fluffy.  

quilting the pumpkin panel and cutting out more kaffe tumblers rounded out sewing for the week.

another gift arrived last week....a sortof santa dropped by with my very own sleigh!!

i joke and tell people my apartment is furnished by Uncle Sam aka Medicare....only half right!  the PT admonished me sternly to NOT depend on it too much....so i still exercise and walk as much as possible, but no longer confined to quarters.  there is a plaza close by and various other places PLUS the ever-enticing library....only dependent on weather...going to store by myself is a definite high.  

a scale (from Medicare) helps monitor for fluid retention but this time of year it can be a grinch, so taking this advice....

wishing you a blessed and calm week....remember the reason for the season!

a momentous day!!

much anticipated day when i finally have finished my quilt....it was a long and sometimes uncertain hiatus...thanks be to God and all his caregiver servants...i dedicate this quilt to them!

say hello to 'wildest dreams'.....72" square, blocks are hand pieced and top is machine pieced, then densely hand quilted by me...definitely a humble quilt as it took a bit to get back in my quilting groove but i love it just the same....a very satisfying feeling of accomplishment.  with my very last PT visit yesterday, putting my patient persona on the back burner for a very long time...i hope!  next???

since snow is in the forecast....not us but getting closer...time to get this autumn panel done and put away until next year....just some outline quilting and bind for a speedy finish...then either Baskets I or II  will take its place....another finish this year???  hope springs eternal!

my tree is up and this little sentiment is just perfect for me....love love love multicolor christmas lights...especially on pine trees with snowy boughs....

decorations are nice but i never forget the real reason for the season...especially with the blessings i've received this year....

onward to christmas!

 as a true mainer, this is the kind of tree i love....

with a lot of free time over the holiday, cruising the 'net i found ancestors on both sides who were in maine in the 1600s...so there you have it....what else did i do to keep busy?

finished this little snowmen wall quilt for dear daughter who visited and now resides in her home...a quick wash and it might be on her door already!  she spied the red/green economy block scrappy and requested that as well...

turkey day awoke late and spent most of day quilting, now on last side of 'wildest dreams'...cruising instagram and reading blogs...baked cookies...pulled out christmas tote....texting family in maine....today absolutely must clean fridge and more quilting of course!

word to the wise sewist...

have a blessed day!