long ago homework

i wrote this for much-needed extra credit
AUTUMN

Leaves, like broken kaleidoscopes, spill their colors
on sunny days of cool, fresh air.
The quickening pace of winter's call
reminds of a life all too brief.

When all but firs have shed their coats,
the early dark envelopes us.
Too soon to sleep until the night is o'er
awakens new with spring's first herald.

new flimsy

this is the next flimsy.  these blocks are 15" square, the pattern is a variation on chinese coins i found in a quiltmaker magazine, designer is rachel griffith.  i'm calling it "autumn change," because i'm using autumn prints/colors.  this will be a hand-quilted giftie.  *****  yesterday i cut up a stack of scraps into inchies for my leaders/enders project.  i also basted 2 small pieces, one of which is a languishing UFO.   the halloween needs a bit more sparklies and it will be ready to baste/quilt, should be done in time for the "witching hour!"  ***** today i'm hoping to tie the red/cream.  the binding needs prepping for what will probably be an official finish this week.  another week or so and the decks will be cleared to get back to a hand quilting project for me.  not a moment too soon as the weatherman is talking about really cool weather this coming week with snow in the northern elevations.

FNSI: The Results

the red/cream is finally at the flimsy stage.  i finished piecing the piano keys and adding the inner border last night, but didn't attach the keys until this morning.  tomorrow i might pull out the folding table and get this basted and tied so i can move on to the binding.  that would give me another UFO finish this year, which is always good.  **** last night i also finished all but one of the letters on my halloween piece.  i am hoping to finish the wallhanging in time for the 31st, a good possibility.  **** next machine project?  my autumn change top; fall colors in a great scrappy quilt.  this is earmarked for a gift when completed.  hand projects are the halloween piece and one of my amish quilts, hoping to finish at least 1 before the end of the year....or maybe before thanksgiving?  now that's a stretch but could be, could be.

FNSI

it's friday night sew-in!  my life is so completely dull and empty this is a notable event...not complaining, just stating facts.  me, i got an early start!

springtime wishes

these tulips were some i planted in my yard eons ago and glad i took a photo when they were in bloom.  it'll be more than a few months before we see any of these here in the hinterlands.  each week the temps fall ever so slightly toward a too-long maine winter.  for now we are basking in glorious fall weather while it lasts.  **** up early this morning and finished a swap giftie that i can't show right now but will when it's received.  today i'm tackling the red/cream borders and get that flimsy done once and for all.  last night i finished sparklies on my witch's shoe buckles and, since it's sunny, hope to finish the black letter applique.  i have an ott lite and can do this at night but it's so much easier in bright daylight.  also this morning i pulled out my stash of wrapping paper/ribbons and cleaned/organized that.  other friday plans are for a delish seafood lunch before the shack closes for the winter. 

marden's trip

my monday trip to marden's was well controlled, bringing home only these 3 pieces.  the cheddar is 1 yard, the others half yards.  i'm thinking of enlarging my "blue cheese" bow tie project as they are just so darn cute!  and to find a good christmas fabric with a white background can be a challenge, so i usually get one if i see it.  **** raining cats and dogs again this morning, so an ideal day to stay in and finish the red/cream flimsy AND the halloween too, wouldn' t you say?  went to the library yesterday and stocked up on DVDs.  i only have to scoot out and get the paper. 

added some sparkly

though the photo is a bit difficult to see clearly, i've started doing some embellishing on the halloween piece.  on the hat are little silver stars with silver beads and on the shoes are green sequins with green beads.  i also gave one of the bats black-bead eyes.  if i work on this project only, it should be done for halloween; we'll see if that happens.  **** rainy and cool here today but i heard the phrase "43 to 49 overnight" on the local weather.  Yikes, 43 is only 11 degrees over freezing.  this isn't good news at all; inevitable yes, but not good.  **** another ominous news item was the very possible collapse of the government in Greece.  that's right, the ancient seat of governmental establishment itself could very well disappear.  what do you think this says about governments in other places?  an idea whose time has come and soon to be gone?  and what then? 

flimsy done

bit of a skewed view but yesterday i finished this flimsy and photographed it on my bed, for lack of a better place.  the 2 side rows are hanging off the bed and can't be seen, but you get the general idea.  this is completely assembled by hand, squares and top, and it will now be hand quilted with a wool batt.  that's Transfer-eze in the middle with the elaborately detailed quiting design....it's an urn and lots of feathers.  **** right now i'm mainly working on the halloween piece to finish by the end of the month.  yesterday i got my sparkly embellishments and it should be cute when done.  after that i get to quilt with 2 quilts now ready for the really fun part.  ***** took a break yesterday afternoon and met up with bonnie hunter and carol perkins at the famous marden's.  if you hop on over to bonnie's blog, you will see photos at some point; she had a very late arrival home so might be sleeping in this morning.  no doubt carol had a late return home to rangeley as well. *****  me i was up at 4:30 this morning and got some applique done already.  it's really feeling quite fallish here now.

only 4 days til....

friday night sew-in!  no big event since i usually sew most every day, but it's an event regardless!

won't be long

we'll be trimming the tree before you know it!  i made this little star for a reason, but then discovered it was too "modern" so i have to keep it....what a shame (not!), so it'll hang on my tree this year.  of course, that means i have to make another but no big hardship.  ***** this weekend i sewed a lot.  you've already seen the red/cream northwind and i have more of that piano key border done.  i also hand sewed on the amish pinwheel.  only 1 full row and half of another need to be sewn on, so it'll be a flimsy in no time.  once that's done, my hand work will focus on finishing the halloween piece.  looks like november is basting month, plus hand quilting of course.  i've got ideas swimming in my head for the large spaces on my center diamond quilt.  the red/cream is getting tied and i can quilt on the other 2, hoping at least 1 gets finished before the end of the year.  that'll give me 2 more big quilt finishes and the halloween piece, if all goes according to plan.  **** today i'll also be meeting up with bonnie hunter and show off the nearby Marden's.  I'm pretty sure she'll find SOMETHING she can't live without, even with her seemingly voluminous stash!  **** on another ominous note, i read on another blog about someone who was told by a shop owner that cotton fabric will go to $19 per yard....if that's true, many of us are sitting on fort knox-like stashes, so maybe i'd better stock up at Marden's today.  That's my reasoning and wouldn't be frugal to do otherwise, don't you agree?

red/cream flimsy and border idea

 as you can see, my design wall is woefully inadequate to display this flimsy best, but you get the idea.  i am so glad to see this flimsy done; just have to add the borders that i've auditioned here and i think they will work great.  plus i'll be busting more of those red scraps!  i'll even have some of that cute henry glass shirting fabric left over; plop, into the "light" stash!  red is so NOT my favorite color, but have to say i love this pattern and how it worked up.  again, it's a marsha mccloskey, so thank you marsha!  this will be tied and donated, recipient has already been chosen.  just in time for winter....this is a good thing!  **** this afternoon hope to finish adding the remaining 3 rows on the amish scrappy and then i can baste it with my wool batt.  i'm keeping this one and it's going right on my bed for the upcoming winter.  **** since i have lots of little project UFOs on my list for next year that i can finish quickly, i am thinking about making the hawaiian my primary project for the new year.  would be great if that could get finished in 2012.

a giveaway

janet over at http://www.roguequilter.blogspot.com/ is having a giveaway of 2 delicious scrap quilt books by lynn roddy brown!  to up the odds for ME, you don't have to leave a comment but chances are you will ignore that advice....LOL

real reality TV

bored?  then hop on over to http://www.wildlifecenter.org/ and check on the critter cam.  there is a hawk being rehabilitated for eventual release back into the wild.  he came in with a broken wing that has been surgically repaired.  last i read, he was ready for "mouse school," meaning they are going to teach him how to catch live mice!  also recent stories about 2 eagles that were found, both of which had to eventually be euthanized.  fully grown these birds are HUGE, stand about 2 or so feet tall with wingspan of about 30 feet.  it seems, though, they are somewhat fragile in contrast to their size.  one had been hit by a car or something, they think, and the other showed signs of some kind of poisoning.  it is sad to see such a majestic creature put down.  we were driving the interstate last week and did see an eagle, probably just under 5 years as his tailfeathers were recognizable as white but no full white head as of yet.  thought i'd post something a bit different from quilting and weather.

library sale

you know my rule about quilting books...if it doesn't fit on the shelf, out it goes.  fortunately, there was a smidgen of room left for these great used books i got at the library sale yesterday for seriously el cheapo prices.  there were plenty more, but they were thicker hard covers and i knew there wasn't enough room, so they got left behind.  there are a couple of new books i would like, but won't pay full retail and not sure i'd use them enough to warrant that anyway.  they are too new to be found used, so i'll wait and in the interim, might change my mind.  ***** yesterday sewed some rows together on the amish scrappy and on the red/cream northwind as well.  could be these 2 flimsies will be ready to baste at the same time.  the boston commons and christmas ribbons are ready to baste, plus a stack of small pieces, so one of these days it's going to be a big basting party.  then i can get back to quilting the amish center diamond; my fingers are itching to do just that.  *****  hard to believe thanksgiving is a just over a month away.  i have started my christmas shopping, though; just a few gifts for my immediate family.  first up, though is celebrating the birthday of my dear aunt who will be 91 next tuesday!

the ship is in!

no it's not MY ship, that's still cruising around someplace, but it's somebody's ship.  we trekked the 6-7 miles over to portland to see the new, larger terminal and this baby that had just come into port.  before this opened, portland couldn't handle the really big cruise ships and lamented every day over lost tourist dollars.  living here we totally forget that portland is a travel destination.  we saw plenty of buses at the terminal also, heading for locales like kennebunkport and LL Bean, other big tourist draws.  we saw plenty of street walkers with their jackets on.  i know one thing, if i go on a cruise i'm NOT taking my winter jacket.  *****  that roving quilter, bonnie hunter, has arrived in maine and off to rangeley for quilt camp, details here.  on a return trip from baltimore last year, my seatmate was a very pregnant young woman with her toddler.  she was going to visit her mother who just happened to be the very same carol perkins at threads galore, like how eerie is that?  anyway, i'm sure bonnie will find plenty to like about maine...she's northwest of here about 2 hours' drive, in the hinterlands which is probably quite beautiful right about now!

wednesday witch update

been busy with applique on the halloween piece.  here's the latest photo of what is done so far.  i've got one of the bats done which drove me a tad "batty" but looks pretty ok to me.  now i'm on letters.  although i am not "into" embellishments, the whimsy of this piece is screaming for some, so i've got some ideas in mind to kick it up a few notches and make it really dazzling.  *****  today no real plans, so might tackle the red/cream blocks or even a new quilt top.  ****  our veggie drawer is nearly empty now that our favorite local farm stand has closed.  a few carrots, a couple of disfigured cukes, 2 tomatoes and 2 peppers are all that remain of our summer bounty.  *****  after a cool night, it's sunny and seasonably warm here.  while not summer-ish like last weekend, it's not yet coat weather either.

two weekend pursuits

this weekend was quite un-fall like weather.  portland broke its heat record yesterday, 81 set in 1909 actual was 84.  we went to the beach and it was actually hot there.  later in the afternoon it was just perfect except the sun set way too quick for my liking.  plenty of cars in the parking lot and people in the water.  don't imagine we'll get any more swimming weather this year; this weekend was a gift. *****  i got quite a bit of sewing done, not the least of which was to finish these red/cream northwind blocks.  now i can get the rows assembled and finish the top.  someday soon i'm going to have to have a basting day with 3 quilts to baste.  ****  our foliage is at about 30% right now; it's tough to say for certain due to the glut of pine trees in the area, but there are plenty of trees left that

haven't yet turned to gold/red/rust.  lots of the young trees are bare but mature trees are still in summer mode.....like everyone i guess.  **** 

two revolting things

two things i saw again this week that simply fed my wrath.  one is a food bank, a small, generic building that has now tripled in size not far from here.  the second is a shelter that was formerly a motel and is now bigger than a mcmansion with new buildings and wings.  working class people are down and on life support and the only thing that shows signs of expanding in this horrible economy are organizations that service homeless and poor.  not far from here they built 4 new banks along a small stretch of route 1 in the past year...huh?  when i came to maine i had hoped to continue in my career and buy a condo of my own but in 10 years that has not yet happened.  i worked very hard for many years and don't claim to be a genius by any means, but i did work hard and kept my family off welfare when they wanted a lien on my home.  at this point i am wondering why i bothered, except i raised a child with pride in herself and a strong work ethic.  if the middle class gives up or goes under, no doubt we'll see more homeless palaces.

retreat so far....

in addition to finishing the center of the amish diamond quilt, i've been working on my halloween piece and the red/cream northwind.  as you can see, i've gotten as far as the shoes, working my way down from the hat.  after the shoes and buckles (green pieces) are done, it's the bats and letters and lastly the spider.  it could very well be done by the witching hour, at least i'm hoping it will be.  the sock print will be the binding.  ****   i've also finished a stack of red/cream blocks, leading me to think about the border(s).  piano keys?  sawtooth?  remains to be seen at this point, totally dependent on how much red fabric i have left.  **** if anyone had told me a month ago that october 9th would be a beach day, i don't think i would have believed them, but so it is.  in fact, portland is set to possibly break a heat record today.  great beaches and cheap lobster, only 2 of very few reasons i know of to be in maine at all.  

it works!

this is still wet but i wanted you to see how it came out.  the Solvy has completely dissolved and my quilting is intact!  i solved the needle problem by switching to a heavier between, probably an 8 or 9 so no more blunt tip.  i am anxious to see it once it has dried but so far i'm pretty satisfied and i would definitely use this transfer agent again.  it takes a bit of getting used to, but it was the perfect choice for this particular project.  the batt in this quilt is 80% cotton and 20% wool, something i had ordered from buffalo batt eons ago.  the finished quilt will have some weight to it, but that is fine.  i might have to use only this one during the winter instead of a poly quilt AND a blended batt quilt.  now back to the halloween wallhanging and the red/cream northwind.  3 whole days to go in this weekend!

trying something new

last night i decided to try out my water soluble "paper" on a design for this amish center diamond quilt.  in pepper cory's quiltmarking book, there's an antique design that she gave permission to copy.  i thought it would be neat to preserve this design in a new quilt.  i enlarged the pattern as indicated and used Solvy water soluble transfer paper to trace it, basted it to my quilt and here it is!  it's a bit like quilting through a raincoat and it seems to be blunting my very sharp #10 quilting needles, making it a bit more difficult to quilt.  it would be really difficult to do an entire quilt or even a very large area with this, but for the center of this quilt, it'll work fine.  ***** it's a stashbuster at-home retreat weekend and maybe i can finish the red/cream northwind flimsy.  that plus the halloween wallhanging is on the ever-so-flexible agenda, but at any rate, it's 4 days of no real plans and plenty of projects.  

swap treasures!

wow!  got my swap package from donna yesterday and it is super!  sooo many delish goodies; some yummy honey for tea and biscuits, a "necessary" needlecase and needles, an "essential" pincushion and my favorite quilting pins, a country-ish mug for that hot chocolate and tea along with a mat from moda's "grace" fabrics, a journal for my jottings, some delish dot fabrics and a quilt calendar for next year...how great is that?  and she wrapped them all in some gorgeous fabrics and will fit nicely into my scrappy stash.  i am blown over at the thought and care that went into this stash of goodies.  **** pretty cool here in the hinterlands overnight.  bonnie is coming to maine in a week or so and i hope she brings her woolies!  i had to close my window last night even.  **** last night worked on my halloween wallhanging, hoping to get it done in time for the big day.  then i'm going to quilt the amish center diamond.  my bed needs a new quilt this winter.

a fine fair quilt!

spent this lovely autumn day at the fair!  i was there helping out at a craft booth in amongst all the quilts and such.  i didn't get much time to look around but this beauty was hanging nearly over my head.  from far it looked a lot like kaffe fassett fabrics, but up close i see they aren't.  even so, it's stunning don't you think?  had some yummy fair food (kettle corn and fudge)...just a bit mind you.....and saw tons of people and some cute little kids.  hope i was able to plant the idea of quiltmaking into a few interested minds.  i took my halloween piece to work on now that my big quilt is done.  i am itching to start quilting on another big quilt but the spooky stuff comes first!

done!

the lover's links quilt got finished last night!  though it can hardly be seen, it was bound with a lavendar cotton, so right with these 30s repro fabrics.  this is a giftie so it'll get mailed off as soon as it's washed.  ****  another bed size quilt from my list is done, so i can move on to the next one.  the amish center diamond is all basted and ready to go, hoping to finish this before the end of the year.  for hand work in the meantime, though, i'm going to finish the halloween piece.  for machine work, it's the red/cream northwind flimsy to finish. ***** though i do enjoy quilting, i really need something different to do.  still working on a job hunt with hardly any result.  it's downright discouraging. 

busy binding

while i'm still busy binding the lover's links quilt, thought i would post a photo taken inside the quilt museum.  this is in the downstairs shop section, not the actual gallery.  i apologize for not giving credit to the maker but i neglected to see if it was documented.  there are other quilts hanging on the shop walls, but i liked this contemporary piece....something i would never make for myself.  **** so yes, i'm busily binding the lover's links quilt.  it'll be a finish this week for certain.  then it's back to red/cream and also my halloween wallhanging too, i think.  last week was really busy for a change but this week i'll have more time to sew.  my quilt mojo has been low so i might have to tackle a new project to jazz it up a bit.  probably finishing some stuff will help as well.  ***** we are solidly into fall here in maine.  i've pulled out some fall clothes and put away some summer clothes.  no freeze yet so that's good.  it's getting dark earlier which saddens me, and most everything seasonal closes this coming weekend.  then it will be even quieter here in pine tree place.

friday road trip

this is the new england quilt museum in lowell, mass.  friday we went there to see the current exhibit on quilts from the maine documentation project.  it's in a terrific downtown location.  i am a member of the museum.  the gift shop has really expanded since i was last there about 8 months ago.  the quilts were gorgeous; all antique and one a quilt of tiny yo-yo squares set on the diagonal.  they have a library and i borrowed some videos; gwen marston and ruth mcdowell plus "quilts in womens' lives," and they also have tons of used books for sale, but i resisted.  i met some friendly quilters in the library who share my memories of the new england guild of long ago, now defunct.  we stopped for a delish seafood lunch on the way back to vacationland.  the weather was simply beautiful; sunny, not too hot, breezy; typical early fall.  if lowell were closer to the coast, i might move there....seriously.

another bonnie fan?

this is the tie brian williams had on last night during the NBC newscast.....cheddar and blue?  just goes to show bonnie hunter's influence is far reaching, way beyond quilty circles!  i am certainly impressed.  hmmm, you think his wife makes quilts?  is a quiltville fan?  could be.....**** no quilting today, off daytripping AGAIN, that's the 3rd day this week.  boy, this unemployment stuff can be challenging!  plus wednesday was the shopping day; these have really cut into my sewing time.  oh well, winter is coming and there will be weeks when i hardly leave the apartment no doubt.  we are taking advantage of this oh-so gorgeous fall weather to the max!

a busy 2012

on a whim, i roughed out my 2012 UFO list, perhaps a bit premature since it's still 3 months away. i could conceivably finish another bed size quilt before the end of the year OR i could knock off some of the small projects i started this year.  with no real quilting mojo today, i'm just lazing around watching old tapes of "simply quilts."  judy mentioned them on her blog today and they are a great source of quilty info and entertainment.  i plugged the old VCR in and am getting inspired all over again. 

nearly done

with only few more white spaces to quilt, less than 10, it looks like the quilting part will be done this week.  then it's on to the binding.  this will be finished in plenty of time for its final destination.  with 2 months left in the year, i might get another bed size quilted before year's end.  i thought about going on to the amish center diamond, since it's already basted.  the red/cream top isn't done and neither is the amish scrappy.  i'm also hoping to get my halloween wall piece done in time for the big day.  plus i've a couple of small projects to finish as well.  ***** it's downright cool here this morning.  had both quilts on the bed last night; course the window is still wide open too.  even with the less than summer weather, 7 cruise ships will be in port this week.  they come in, the people get off and onto a bus bound for LL Bean, maine's most famous retail destination.  **** will be visiting the local veggie stand for the last time this season on saturday.  want to cook a few things to freeze and stock up on squashes, etc.  picked up some delish cider the other day!

a marden's sale

spent part of monday indoctrinating some of the quilty faithful in the delights of marden's fabric prices and eureka! they were also having a sale!  that's right, several bolts had been pulled and set aside as clearance, priced at 1.99 per yard!  is that great or what!  i myself happened to find these little plaids for an upcoming quilt, a lot easier than pulling buttons off a shirt and cheaper too, given thrift store prices in our area.  and of course, the cheddar...i couldn't pass that up.  after i got home, i wished i had bought the rest of the bolt as there wasn't THAT much and one can never have too much cheddar!  i also bought another piece for a swap that i can't show, but for less than $10 i got 3 yards of fabric....sorry LQS, just can't pass that up.  **** still quilting away on the lovers' links now that my quilty callouses are at their peak.  maybe today i'll get the binding ready as i will need it soon.

a california treat

now that we have a local whole foods (4 years) market, we get a larger variety of yummy stuff like these fresh black mission figs from california.  before that i found them only sporadically here in maine.  when i lived in boston, i would go to the haymarket produce vendors on saturdays and would often find them (in season) and get them by the tray.  it's a fruit i never had as a child and never saw in the market.  though i am a great believer in the locavore movement--we eat local as much as possible--i am glad we can get these in abundance and priced reasonably.  if i had to choose between these and chocolate, it would be these for sure, but luckily i don't....LOL!

swap very soon

one more thing to pick up today and then this batch of swap goodies gets mailed to donna!  friday is the deadline and i'm ahead just a bit!  ***** no new quilty goodies to show today as i've been working on the lovers' links all weekend with good progress.  could be a finish this week, at least that's my goal but i've got a few other things to do besides quilting, so might not make it; no matter, i'm closing in on this finish soon. 

benefits of stash

having a stash of fabric at the ready is a real benefit when luscious magazines like this arrive.  i don't buy many magazines, but this one came recommended.  there are some really beautiful quilts inside and don't you know, i found 2 i want to make!  years ago i collected a few vintage indigo fabrics and have added to them from time to time.  i also purchased 10 yards of kona white to have "on hand" when needed.  my fabric karma was working overtime because when the magazine came, i saw a traditional type scrappy and thought, where are those indigo fabrics?  and do i want white or muslin and remembered the kona white....voila!  another project!  no rush on this one of course, i'm busy trying to finish a bed-size right now, but soon i'll be busting more of my stash.....how great is that?  

seasonal sewing

with winter not that far away, time to do a little preparation.  yesterday i pulled out a hunk of flannel and whipped up a pair of flannel lounge pants.  i have one other pair and this will give me an extra.  ***** years ago my sister gave me a pair of flannel pajamas for christmas.  the pants got worn to shreds but not the top as i hate button tops; i tend to wake up during the night and they are unbuttoned and the "girls" are cold...LOL!  anyway, i found it recently and decided to remove the buttons and just sew up the top so i can wear it now.  it'll be cozy to wear in the evening or after coming in out of a storm.  **** also had time for more quilting on the lovers' links and sewing of the red/cream. 

wed night sewing

first off, what do you think about this color combo?  i was watching a free episode of "why quilts matter" on alex/ricky "the quilt show" and saw an amish quilt in the background, maybe trip around the world, in this combo.  i rushed to the stash and pulled these to photograph; that's cheddar on the bottom of course; i might have left out one, not sure, definitely food for thought.  looks like a sunflower group to me!  ***** on the right is my stack of red/cream northwind blocks.  i've got 5 rows put together, this stack is another 5 rows, so only 4 more rows to make, total of 32 blocks.  the completed flimsy is in sight!  ***** i also spent some time quilting the lovers' links last night also.  with another week until october, i might just get it all quilted by then.  we're having a stretch of rainy/cool weather, so it's quite possible.

scrap book giveaway

janet over at rogue quilter has a terrific giveaway, new book by Lynn Roddy Brown with some luscious scrap patterns and ideas.....hop on over and leave a comment and you just might win!

back to red and cream

today after some necessary household chores, i sat down at the old viking to work on red/cream blocks.  tonight i'll square them up and maybe get more rows together to add to the partial flimsy done so far.  not much work on this project in the last week or so partly because i've been hand quilting the lovers' links and partly because my room was a bit disorganized and needed vacuuming.  no vacuum bags, so had to get bags and finally today it got vacuumed.  i hate to work in a messy environment.  yes, it's a bit cluttered while i'm sewing, but it has to be neat before i can start sewing.  i also had a few things on the sewing table that needed attention.  the planets aligned today and all the necessary stuff got done and could sew again!  **** i've gone back to exercising on a regular basis and it's been an adjustment; exhilarating but an adjustment.  i hope i can keep it up.  so far i've lost 8 pounds of the 20 i wanted to drop before thanksgiving. ***** it's such a nice day today i had hoped to grill out and use up our bag of charcoal but alas, it's really too windy.  rain is predicted for the next few days but maybe on the weekend we can enjoy grilled burgers again before cold weather.

trunk show success

my little trunk show at the women's residential home went pretty well.  i had one HUGE suitcase of quilts and a large tote bag (the ricky tims one) as well.  i brought a few unfinished items, such as the hawaiian, the amish center diamond and the red/cream northwind.  there are less than 20 women who live at this home and some were out but most came and seemed to have an enjoyable morning.  i brought along dessert of apple crisp; i had been invited for lunch when the show was booked.  many of these women have done needlework in their lifetime but no longer for various reasons.  i was back at my apartment, which is about one hour south, at 3:30 pm, left at 8:30 am this morning.  a long day for a change.  ***** most of the vertigo has subsided, which is a real blessing indeed.  after a good night's rest, i can get back to sewing projects tomorrow. 

coincidence?

flipped over the calendar page today and this is the pattern, "geese in flight," so apropos because early this morning i heard a flock of canadian geese honking while they flew on by.  you think they can read?  naw.....but i do love this little perpetual calendar.  there are some great scrappy patterns i'd like to make someday.  ***** spent most of yesterday quilting on the lovers' links and i've got sore fingers as proof.  by the time my quilter's callouses have developed, the quilt will probably be done.  ***** just popped a huge pan of apple crisp into the oven.  makes the apartment smell sooo homey.  it's majorie standish's recipe so it'll be yummy for certain! **** today?  more quilting on the lovers' links, maybe some machine time also and read my sunday paper at a leisurely pace.  busy week ahead and october is looming, can you believe it?  as of oct 4th i'll be unemployed a whole year this time around.  maine truly is vacationland....has been for me anyway.   

FNSI Report

disclaimer:  this is probably a boring post but i worked on only the lovers' links last night during FNSI.  it's at the hump point, meaning seems like it is taking forever to get it done, but a little push and the finish will be in sight.  that'll rev up my impetus to finish this and get down to the binding for early fall completion. 

FNSI

sheesh, almost forgot; tonight's the night!  friday night sew-in!  i'm ready, got the lovers' links in the hoop to work on PLUS busy cutting out "amish in the city" inbetween.  just popped some orange cranberry scones (barefoot contessa recipe) in the oven and plenty of diet pepsi in the refrigerator; how good is that?

half done!

the quilting part, that is.  there's still the binding to do after, but at least the lovers' links is getting done.  i've some lavendar solid for the binding, so some day i'll have to pull that out and get that made so it will be ready.  with half the month to go, i could very well get this done if i don't work on too many other projects in the meantime.  **** my other handwork project is sewing together squares and rows of the amish pinwheel.  that'll be the next bed quilt to be quilted.  ***** our temps are down to real fall levels.  last night i even wore my FLANNEL pj pants to bed, with one quilt over me and the window open.  fall activities are in full swing in maine, meaning apple picking and orchard festivities.  i just love the autumn!

the word uttered

this very morning, september 14th, the local weather guy said it OUT LOUD!  what was it?  SNOW....off with his head!

on the wall

the amish pinwheels have made it vertical!  i did this for color placement and am pretty satisfied, though i did find quite a few purple value blocks in the stack.  the center medallion is to be quilted.  it's a large urn with feathers and topped with a pineapple.  though i don't like to use fusibles on my fabric, not being sure what their very long-term results are, i couldn't think of another method that would be as botch-free as Transfer-eze.  i've got a wool batt at the ready for this once the flimsy is done, currently being assembled by hand.  this is another fully hand-pieced, hand-quilted project.  after i finish quilting lovers' links, this one will be quilted, hoping to get it done for my bed this winter.  it'll be cozy, don't you think?

quick stop

though i try to keep my posts quilt related, this will be a rare exception.  on the way to the beach today, stopped at the local farm stand and picked up this colorful bounty.  not pictured are 4 ears of corn and a jar of jam.  in summer we consume mass quantities of the fresh veggies available.  the peppers will go into spaghetti sauce, the zucchini for pancakes or bread; the rest just get prepared simply to maximize flavor.  we already had green beans, so i passed on those. there were winter squashes also, but plenty of time for those when the others are gone.  we've also had native peaches and muskmelons from this stand this year.  we also get fresh garlic, red potatoes, red onions, scallions, broccoli and herbs.  nature's bounty indeed! ***** the beach?  it was a perfect no sunscreen, no umbrella, no sweatshirt day.  not hot, not cold, breezy, refreshing; water was cold, of course, but not unbearable.  can only hope for more days like today. 

day break

the shore beckons and the weather is summery.  what is an ocean-loving girl to do?  answer the call....quilting postponed to another day

how eerie is that?

in 1991 or 1992, i went to visit the statue of liberty.  it was the very beginning of november, the day before the NY marathon.  the weather was a balmy 72 degrees, unheard of for late fall.  the day was gorgeous.  the ferry across the harbor was spectacular.  the christmas decorations already displayed seemed utterly out of place.  on happenstance, i snapped this photo.  i found it the other day while cataloging my trip photos for a scrapbook.  i thought it was a twilight zone moment, like some supernatural event, coming across this particular photo in this particular week. 

thank you, denise!

now, i'm pretty sure denise can count and read. even though i only needed 2 FQs, she very generously sent 6!  now i can cut out the remaining triangles for my northwind quilt. i'll have some scraps left over for other projects, too.  i received many, many red scraps from other stashbusters, some swapped and some donated, so it was a real joint effort by lots of quilters.  **** i've been spending time cross-stitching the past few nights working on a christmas project.  this weekend i hope to tackle quilty projects; the northwind, amish in the city and maybe get some things basted too PLUS quilt on the lovers' links.  how did i ever have time to work?

extra! extra!

i've just received an e-mail from the editor of australian homespun magazine who tells me they now have digital subscriptions.  i haven't tried the link but i am posting the info here AND on the sidebar with the link sent to me, hoping it does work.  they had some glitches but hopefully are now ironed out.  for those who like this magazine but found the cost of a subscription over the top, this is a solution!

just arrived

yesterday the mailman brought this.  it's the sears roebuck of fabric and there is serious drool all over the pages already.  if i only bought my very favorites from this catalog, it would add probably another 6-8 yards of fabric in half-yard or FQ pieces.  there are soooo many beautiful ones from which to choose.  sometimes i only see 1-2 but this issue is overflowing with luscious, gorgeous fabric.  alas, i do not need it whatsoever nor can i squeeze that much $$ out of the budget either.  and wouldn't you know, now that my hawaiian is in the basting stage, i saw another, more beautiful, batik that would have been ideal.  "make another," says my mother.....she is kidding of course.  the first one isn't even close to being finished yet.  i do draw the line (with ruler of course) someplace.  ***** as you can see, i've added my photo to the blog.  i took it myself with the camera, taking care to avoid the double chin naturally, hoping to retain the illusion if possible!