this week's stars....

cute little stars of sprigged muslin repro fabrics; i know, quite matchy-matchy but they'll go well with all the other stars so far.  only about 9 more weeks for this sew along, doesn't seem possible it's been nearly a year.  they do add up quickly, might have enough for 2-3 flimsies when all is said and done...and here are a few more pumpkin photos; gosh it was a lovely day and good news, warmer weather is headed our way...we will take it!

lost an antler but still a moose...

mini-monsoon here this morning before the WARM arrives...next on the sewing deck are FWS blocks, more daisy chains and FLASH, forgot to list 2 UFOs...the peacock garden and the scrappy 9-patch....eeek and the year isn't over yet either!  gotta go, projects to sew!

my "granny"

it's block #41 called "granny" and it's ready to join the stack....

one of the pieces was from the edge but will be taken up in the seam allowance....of course, i could measure and cut the pieces to size but it's fuzzy math and have often cut the pieces too small, resulting in waste so just eyeball which seems to work ok...*** a super fine day and since foliage is on the wane, decided to go pumpkin peeping instead.  the town of damariscotta has a HUGE pumpkin fest every year.  the giant size gourds are hollowed out and then fashioned into flotation devices and a race is held on the river.  all around town are lots more decorated and fun to see....

have more that will post another day; end with a shot of the harbor that is so picturesque, much like many other little coastal inlets.   they may be tourist destinations, but are also working fishing villages.  enjoy!

somebody's birthday....

if you see this scowling little towhead today, be sure and wish him a happy birthday!  this is brother #2 all wrapped up in his snowsuit and not too happy about it either.  he was a feisty little guy but age has mellowed him (a tad) and he is definitely a keeper!   ***  another tuesday so time to play in the scraps again...my busy box is once again stocked with hexie papers and fabric pieces.  the next FWS block has been posted and the little spools piece needs marking for quilting so the sewing list is started....probably more bricks will be added and who knows what else....another sew-wonderful day in store!

lickety split bricks

another project is in the works....having lots of fabric piled around constantly inspires me to use it.  i got this idea from a pattern in jen kingwell's book a while ago, filed it away in the "little gray cells" and have been cutting up scraps into bricks for yesterday's start.

pretty sure this one will get tied and donated.  it's my way of paying it forward for all the fabric that was so generously sent to me earlier this year.  maybe you'll see YOUR donation fabric here and know that you had a part of this gift.

sewed up a couple more daisies for the daisy chain project, which might also be a donation but not quite sure yet.  both of these are a long way from being done.  trying to keep the new UFOs to a minimum, but so far have mom's table topper, the summer sew-along, these 2 projects, the little tumblers; the little hexies--not counting the 2 current sew alongs--so that might be all so far.  the little spools WILL get quilted and finished sometime before the end of the year, and i did finish the little heart medallion piece.  here are the daisies...

no rhyme or reason to either of these, just pulling pieces out and sewing them together.  some oldies in these round pieces, see the yellow roses in the left one?  bought that about 15 years ago at the fabric place in woburn, it was a hunk of 3 yards on one of their discount tables.  at that time i was not "into" repros but i loved the fabric and still have some of it left.  fabric place was a wonderful source for good quality at good prices...gone now about 5 years but not forgotten.  got some gorgeous hoffman prints there as well....such is life...well, up early to get this week going!

stuff

was flipping thru some old photos and it was fun to see my "stuff".  it just isn't true that being "out of sight, out of mind," as i do think of my stuff often.  found this photo and many others of things that haven't been seen for a while...

when i hear the word "stuff," an old sunday sermon comes to mind, subject being "stuff".  given by a missions pastor who traveled extensively to third world countries, he lamented the fact that most people have too much stuff.  compared to many in far-off lands, it is true.  many live day to day without basic requirements to sustain life or without many comforts we take for granted.  material possessions abound for many, and too many have the life goal of acquiring more.  i agree; by those criteria, i also have too much stuff.  not as much as some, but more than many.  and while i've lived since april without most of my stuff, i have been able to sustain life and my basic needs are met, albeit without comfort or convenience.  so, do i feel guilty?  not so much guilty, but certainly appreciative.  i miss my stuff; i miss sifting through it, admiring it, enjoying it, using it.  not as much as i miss family members not here, but--and secret confession here--i don't feel like ME without my usual stuff.  things that were at arm's length are no longer; items that were mindless parts of my daily life have disappeared.  now looking at old photos, i think, "oh yeah, i have that book/pattern/tool/frypan/sweater."  will my life go on?  it does anyway, but will be nice to have my stuff back with me again.  won't replace loved ones who have passed or those who live far away and are dearly missed, but life will seem somewhat normal again. 

leader-ing and ender-ing

of course i joined in with the tumbler leader/ender craze by cutting up some gifted 2.5" squares and nickels of these wow mod prints.  no project in mind, just sewin' together and see what comes about.

these are the small tumblers, 2.5" tall, the smallest i'll go. have toyed with the idea of using the rows as borders on something, but we'll see.  hoping to pull more mod fabrics out of the storage stash before finalizing anything to ramp up the variety.  but the colors, oh the colors!  might have some "daydreams" scraps left that would work in nicely.  *** another fine fall day here, on the cool side of course, but it's inevitable.  pulling out the cold weather recipes like apple crisp, new england boiled dinner, homemade veg soup, clam chowder....and a big pot of italian wedding soup is going to be next.  and the dumpling book arrived so a gathering trip to the oriental market is on the list too!  are you hungry yet?  ***  and over on facebook, the coloring diagram of the center medallion of the 365 challenge was posted.  though i have not formally committed to this fantastic, year-long, scrappy project, am mulling it over more and more.  in case you missed it, here's another look--don't mind the drool...

though i like the blues/browns, am thinking scrappy is the way to go...it's a biggie 90" square but thinking more and more it's a challenge that can be tackled like eating an elephant--one bite at a time.  pardon me while i sharpen the incisors...LOL

not quite black/neon...

once again, thanks to the civil war nickels received in a recent swap, found a couple of blacks with sorta bright colors that will have to do for neons this week.  nothing else in the stash comes close and trying not to buy for this sew along if it can be avoided.

also found in the nickels was another celestial....arcs of tiny stars...so that'll be the 3rd for this week.  spent a bit of time chronicling my star photos in a separate page in this blog and amazed to see how many have finished since january.  i think this sew along wraps up by the new year, just when the 365 challenge starts, so with 10 more weeks or so, another 30-ish will be added.  have really learned a lot about printed fabric so far.  this gets me caught up on both sew along blocks for the weekend.  not much else of interest here in lobsterville.  looking forward to another spectacular autumn weekend and the waning foliage show....

katherine and susannah

angie aka gnomeangel, our chief admin on the FWS project, posted 2 blocks yesterday, and since the old viking was already set up, decided to get them done.  the weekly stars got set aside for these..

happy to say that the fabrics used in these blocks came from small scraps that are now just about all used and nearly gone from the stash.  this color variety wasn't my first choice, but these were on hand and was determined to shop the stash exclusively--if possible--for this project; have been able to do just that with the exception of 2-3 FQs purchased.  ***  might just leave the old viking ready to go for the stars and whatever else might inspire me....it works just that way!

ADDENDUM:  post office has informed me now that my mail is being sent to NH not NJ....difference of about 400 miles as the crow flies...???

old maid and coral

two latest blocks in the FWS are now done, just have to rip out the papers.  am doing this as i go along to avoid a big mess/task later on.  got my stars cut out as well which'll get sewn together today or tomorrow.  thank goodness for sewing; it's a pleasant diversion from challenges of daily grind.  but "this too shall pass," and immediately would be nice.  missing my stash and stuff in storage, not to mention winter clothing, which will be needed sooner if not later. 

in the meantime, will keep calm and sew on!

not quilt related....

the USPS has no sympathy from me.  quite frankly, pony express was probably much more efficient than what we have currently.  i had a PO box which i gave up--given my current state of temporary location, plus it was pricey--and forwarded my mail to general delivery, which is kept in a cabinet a mere 12 feet away.   so where is my mail?  well, it comes to the post office and instead of going to the aforementioned cabinet, gets sent to NEW JERSEY?????  yes, folks, have been informed that all forwarded mail goes directly to NEW JERSEY no matter what state one forwards mail from/to.   that is the central forwarding facility location.  so the question as to why the PO is in dire financial straits is partly explained by this ridiculous, convoluted system, one function--excuse me "service"--that our national postal system provides at no cost to the taxpayer i might add.  if you believe that, then i have a bridge to sell you, also located (no coincidence) in NEW JERSEY!!!!   so, no magazines, no flyers, no junk mail (not missed), no catalogs for nearly a month, just 2-3 letters, 2 that were sent from here in maine and apparently did not get the trip to NEW JERSEY as they arrived in less than a week to me personally.  so the next time you go into any post office to buy cute little stamps, mail a letter or pick up a package, take a look around and see what you are getting for your postage dollars....and pray that you never need their forwarding service.   i'm not mad or angry, just totally confused as to who thought up this system and why it has continued so long despite not really working very well.  ***   aside from my unproductive trip to the post office today, hoping to catch up with FWS blocks and do some other fun sewing, plus some just plain R&R time on another soon-to-be nice autumn day.  keep calm and keep quilting!

clues

it was miss t. in the living room with the rotary cutter....she murdered a FQ of a gorgeous "baltimore beauties" neutral.   other scraps were also similarly mutilated on this low-key sunday where yes, we also saw a few minutes' worth of snow flurries.  hoping elly sinkiewicz understands.....

also sent to an early demise was the last zuke in the drawer for some delish zucchini bread that i bake in a rectangle.  with spices, nuts and raisins it makes a tasty autumn treat, especially toasted with butter for breakfast or anytime really.   half will get frozen for another day when the cooking bug is hibernating.

these days don't bake an awful lot but there are some things that are traditional, like this.  but that may change when this book arrives....

every time i watch anthony bourdain in an asian country slurping a soup dumpling or noshing on various bao, i want to try them.  hoping this will prove to be an excellent guide book for my own versions.  i already have gordon ramsay's book with his sticky rib recipe that is on my must try list....now back to relaxation with hexies, waiting for PBS dramas to start...i love sunday nights!

honest to pete...

these little hexies DO work up pretty fast....have spent very little time yet here are almost 6 rosettes done.  easy to see that a large quilt is pretty possible if one has large amounts of dedicated time to hand sew. 

today more papers will get cut up; confess to pulling magazine cards in the store and tucking them into my purse...could have purchased them all die cut but am perfectly capable of doing my own and it does save the cash of course....and don't you love this photo?  it's a favorite place, pemaquid point, taken by somebody else, already on the computer from someplace, looks like early fall at nearly dusk.....gorgeous!

and today's list?  includes sewing down the little hearts that have been basted in their final configuration, more papers for hexies of course, maybe the "coral" block....and just might pull out the mod spools, get that marked and start quilting....be nice to have a finish of some sort.  over at stashbusters, am again paying a FQ penalty for no finish this quarter...thankfully the stash can spare another easily....now off to spend another glorious day!

old man no more....

on such a fine day--sunny, warmish, slight breeze--ventured west to new hampshire to visit the former home of the old man of the mountain.   sadly, his face fell off some years back, but the mountain remains albeit a tad altered.  this is a zoom photo of said mountain straight ahead at 12 o'clock and the vibrant foliage colors around (photo a bit too bright from reality).  it was a leisurely, all day drive through little towns similarly adorned.  a cheapo lunch at subway on the patio--yes, it was THAT warm--and moseyed back to maine.   with snow predicted for the northern maine mountains any day, probably the old man will get hit by a month's time.  the marigolds have breathed their last, so summer is really done.  every good day from now on is a gift, in fact, every DAY is a gift, but better without snow. 

more hexies in the works--yowza!  they work up quickly...and a coral block to sew up today.  it's another good day AND a sunny, warmish one besides.  great day to sew, doncha know!

thursday's stars...

the latest batch of completed stars....top 2 are cadet blue, bottom left is a chocolate/blue combo and bottom right is my version of celestial using what looks like crescent moon fabric.  don't have the iron with me so they aren't yet pressed but they are done.   also finished is the "belle" block for the FWS with "coral" posted yesterday and waiting to be done.  the hexies are coming along nicely; last night once again prepped papers and fabrics for more hexie sewing fun.  *** enjoying a gorgeous autumn foliage fest here in new england.....bonnie and vic have posted beautiful pix and it is just exactly like that. it's the only time of year where the interstate is fun to drive.  temps are cooling after a few days of nice warmth.....predict more sewing in the cold days ahead!

then there were 2....

and pretty soon 3...wow, they DO work up pretty quickly.   my busy box needs more papers, so that is tonight's task. 

and i can see there is a tad of a learning curve, being that the papers MUST all be the exact same size, which is not the case for the 2nd rosette.  i left it, chalking it up to experience and giving it that authentic pioneer scrappy look.  it is hardly noticeable, tho....and did i say this was going to be a small version of this beauty?  like the hawaiian technique, could get carried away and keep  on going until whenever.  ***  next few days will be dedicated to block sewing...."belle" for FWS and whatever tomorrow's stars will be...fun quilting but having absolutely NO effect on my humongous UFO list, first being my hawaiian quilt that'll hopefully get done in time for winter.  in the meantime, will keep on keeping on and enjoy the new england fall beauty, which is spectacular! 

finally caved....

into the world of hexies...all it took was a project that wowed me and a way to conquer the short, chunky fingers handicap.  barbara brackman posted a photo of a beautiful antique quilt, the 1861 healy quilt, and right away went to inklingo, printed out hexie patterns, cut up a bunch of papers and pulled some fabrics.  my first attempt was hexies that were really too large for this small quilt project so back to the drawing board, tried smaller ones and they worked out perfect.  am only going to make it large enough to get the full pattern effect.  past hexie efforts were abandoned due to difficulties maneuvering the tiny pieces, but found that was probably cutting my fabric units too small, resulting in war with papers and enough fold over fabric.  now finding that fabric pieces cut a tad larger are working up easier and actually fun! ok, so now i get it!  sunday's project was to fill my busy box with papers and fabrics for the immediate future and maybe beyond.   here is my first "flower" if you will, and am pretty pleased with the process AND the outcome.

 

first of many that'll get done whenever.... so another UFO to add to the list for 2016, a list that is already groaning from sheer volume.  mega-fun ahead indeed!

let's celebrate!

to all my daughter sisters out there, it's a day of celebration and remembrance of our patriot ancestors who died securing freedom from tyranny!   my own revolutionary ancestor, one of several, capt. joel whitney of machias, maine, fought in several battles, most notable the battle of the margaretta, which is also known as the lexington of sea battle.  he was the husband of mary weston, who was the sister of hannah weston.  hannah remembered for ferrying much-needed ammunition to soldiers and for collecting lead items to melt down for ammunition.  these, plus vets from civil war, WWI, war of 1812 and WWII all make me proud to be recognized as the daughter and descendant of so many brave who sacrificed much.   and how to celebrate????

bounty from the sea, of course!  again our favorite lobsterman has provided us with a delicious repast at a fair price--culls but no matter, it's all good.  the tourists come and buy whole cooked lobsters by the ton but end up throwing away lots of good meat in the body; they don't know how or don't want to be bothered to work for it, but we extract every tender morsel.  ***  managed to spend the best of the day outside in the warm sun and breezy air, very good indeed! 

seeing red, er claret

thanks to a recent pile of CW nickels received in swap, was able to find lots of pretty claret reds for this week's star blocks.  this is a really pretty color, i think, and the blocks are some of my faves.  the nickel squares require using 2-3 to get all the necessary pieces for one star but i think ms brackman would approve, and i see that this makes them more interesting.  with limited stash at hand, am working a la pioneer quilter having to make do and improvise--the spirit of the swap's mantra perhaps.  ***  it's another weekend here in lobsterville, filled with busyness of late fairs and winter prep.  woodpiles are growing and pumpkins abound.  not quite peak foliage here near the coast but far western maine is.  and report of snow in VT are ominous, even tho early.  the pine trees are loaded with cones, which is one sign of a harsh winter ahead.  from here on in, any day without snow is a good day.  snowbound quilting days ahead i do believe....

next step....

took only a little bit of time, hour or so, to unsew the other hearts and get them pinned on to the new setting....next is to baste down and then applique....after might tea dye the whole thing to give it a primitive feel as the white is very stark....

hoping that whoever sent me the little hearts likes how they have been used....thanks again!  ***  rainy day today and cool of course.  otherwise it's been a gorgeous fall week that will resume again in a day or two.   hoping the boxes will be unpacked before mittens and full winter gear are needed....

sweet caro-liiinnnne...ba.ba.ba..

today was the day to make the caroline block and it's pictured here next to betty and see that yes, those fabrics DO go well together in the block AND will be good for the others too...the light background fabric in "caroline" is one of very few new FQs that have added to the pile....

also today pulled out this little heart project for a bit of revising....had several of the hearts appliqued and some squares trimmed down, but when put together found they were too small so decided to get more of the original squares and make a bit larger wallhanging.  here you see some of those that didn't get trimmed now put together with new blocks waiting for me to unsew the trimmed ones and re-applique. 

also found 12 plaid hearts from the same stash, so put together a 12-block background and these will get appliqued at some point.  lastly, found some claret reds that will use for this week's star blocks.  pretty good amount of sewing fun on this beautiful mid-fall day in the high 60s...we'll take all these we can get!

scraptastic tuesday

while waiting for the next "stars" fabric of the week to post, had some foursie fun and more little HSTs for the small quilt currently in the works.

the other rows of the little HSTs are someplace here in a bag and will dive in and resurrect to put them all together at some point....not yet decided on total number of rows.  and plans for the foursies?  none at present, but will file them away for something at some point.  and last but not least, another FWS block called "betty"....just tonight another was posted and that's a project for tomorrow or friday?

i'll add this to the FWS page....and over 4000 sew-along participants?   awesome!   not too late to join in....these blocks work up fast--i chose paper piecing method--and will be a nice finished quilt.  *** so nice to have some sewing time, which is not nearly enough in the current situation but at least it's some....praying that will change soon....

getting it done....

so here is midnight/peacock garden so far...needs a final press before borders are added....so difficult to have fun sewing with absolutely no room to iron/baste etc, a situation i hope is remedied soon.  it is starting to affect my enjoyment and mojo.  these are really lovely oriental fabrics.  tried to fussy cut some of the prints to get a bit of movement, which seems to have worked nicely.   after borders and baste, have to do the next FWS block (farmer's wife sewalong)....and have also started a NEW project, a small version of a lovely antique quilt. not much done as of this writing but expect it to be a long-term project. ***  very chilly this AM at 38 degrees about 5:30 am...frost definitely on the pumpkin and no doubt many gardens are now history.  hard to believe summer is really over once again....it happened seemingly overnight.  pretty tired so will sign off to avoid venturing into morose territory.....tomorrow is another whole day to spend!

decorum prevails...

otherwise i could show you a photo of miss phoebe's mended bottom, rather her case with the mended bottom.  afraid the ravages of time had gotten the best of phoebe featherweight's original case, so an immediate fix was in order.  first thing today scooted off to joann's with my coupon for some black duct tape to insure miss phoebe doesn't fall flat on her little feet.  all is well now and miss phoebe is once again safe in her traveling abode.  ***  and sewing plans?  ready to put together the applique and patchwork blocks for midnight garden, which may rename to "peacock garden" as the colors and patterns evoke same.  also have to tweak my "bonnie" block for the sew along and expect by this evening, another block will be posted.  other than that, it's a finestkind fall sunday here in lobsterville.  off to spend this delicious day!

oh my stars!

yesterday got caught up on my stars; they are (top to bottom) my version of lace, lancaster blue and black.  haven't yet made the cretonne ones as my choices of fabric are limited and know i have plenty in my boxed stash for these. 

my pile of these is getting higher and have a few ideas of how will use them, but will wait until sew-along is over.  cannot recall now exactly why i chose to make 3 every week for the 49 weeks, but will continue along.  ***  skipped over to busy thimble the other day to pick up the new jo mortons that are finally here.  they favor pinks/browns but as you can see from my choices, two cheddars sneaked in.  these will work nicely with my farmer's wife sew-along fabrics or just in the stash generally.   gotta start saving as another line due out in december....

and as a 180, anna maria horner has a new line out called "true colors" which are bright mod fabrics....

hardly ever buy fat quarter packs but these are good basic brights; will probably hold off until all my stash is together and see exactly what is what.  it'll be just like christmas unpacking all those boxes of my yummy fabric!  now off to spend the day....

last call?

on Tuesday stopped at a favorite veg stand to stock up on what was available.  purposely passed by winter squashes and apples in favor of those that will soon be gone for another year like little cukes, corn, beans and summer squash.  this means on the menu is a double batch of corn fritters, zucchini bread (muffin size), clam chowder with new potatoes, bruschetta, sauteed cabbage and carrots among others.  while fall is beautiful, it is bittersweet as the garden bounty fades away.  sarah and her helpers who work the magic cannot be praised enough for adding such deliciousness to the table again this summer.  the stand closes columbus day but plan to make one more gathering visit for whatever is available and maybe some peach habanero jam....delish!  ***  and to make this quilty, today is stars day and also 2 blocks for the farmer's wife sew-along...cool and windy and definitely fall-like the rest of the week!

seriously tempting....

this is the mother of all projects.....www.365challengequilt.com.au....starting january 1, 2016....i am picturing scrappy to the nth degree here....some blocks 3", some 6" and i would guess the corner squares and center are 12".....a heavy commitment that depends on stamina and continuing good health...can i do it?  should i do it?  or possibly tweak it?  maybe make only the 3" or the 6"....plenty of possibilities...in the meantime will focus on today's quilty plate that includes the bonnie block from farmer's wife, some stars too....some serious caffeine first as it is a cloudy and rainy day, good day for a book and a comfy chair with a cozy quilt.  the good AND bad side of the internet--so much--too much--quilty temptation.  have time to ponder this while focusing on today's.....keep dry and quilt on!

off and running!

the farmer's wife sew-along has started....actually last evening about 6 pm canberra time....and have patiently and obediently waited until the official start to make my first block.  here is it....done is those gorgeous civil war tones, the first of 99...or maybe 84; doubt i will make all 99 as the quilt would be too large for my needs or personal style.  probably will be a few duds along the way that'll get relegated to the orphan pile so that i end up with 84 good ones.  there are setting triangles as these will be set on point; i do have some black in the stash but remains to be decided definitively.....anyway, now to get caught up on the stars before wednesday....

again, the camera angle and remaining papers make it look a tad wonky but it is fine....*** now off to find my jacket with the fleece lining...yes, it is THAT chilly here.  got new shoes just in time to put aside the sandals for another year. 

the jingle goes....

i shoulda bought it when i saw it at marden's....and yes, they play it while you are IN the store, naturally, but no jingle was needed to entice me for these....

the flannel i bought is the top portion...a red rooster quilter's weight flannel....$2 per yard and only 2 yards left so they are mine now....and the bottom is a fat eighth packet, 10 of 'em in these gorgeous bright colors for $4.49 I think...or $4.99?  either way a good deal.  it's quality, tightly woven fabric too...already have plans for these cuts....there was another packet of different fabrics in turquoises...you KNOW how i feel about turquoise....but i liked the gray/lime/oranges in this bunch....orange DOES make my heart beat faster!    vic emailed me to let me know she was going to marden's saturday, so anxious to see her haul.  ***  frost on the ground this AM so that means end of our veggie season not far off.  the woodpiles are high and the days are shorter; aura of busy prep for the coming cold season is everywhere.  still good days ahead, just closer to *SNOW* and soups on the back burner.  time to quilt!

little finish

not the greatest photo but a finish nonetheless....this will hang in my sewing space when that is available...the heart block was a gift and then i added to it using some of my inchies and a very pretty dark purple paisley for the border.  the border is difficult to see because of the rug surrounding--photo taken in a chair.  no sewing today but will continue on with the previous to-do list tomorrow, i hope.  aside from that, nothing new here in lobsterville excepting the weather change and the declining hours of daylight....

ready or not....

the 28th is coming soon and so yesterday pulled out the ENTIRE stash that is with me currently and chose some lovely fabrics for the farmer's wife sew-along starting sunday here in the states...my heartfelt thanks to those who so generously shared with me in this interim period while mine is packed away and stored.  because of your kindness, and some i had chosen, i've got this gorgeous palette to work with for this year-long sew-along.  do i miss my kaffe fassetts, my minick & simpsons and my other jo mortons and scrappie stash?  absolutely, but these are so very fine and very ok for this project....hope you agree!

back to the 50s...in temps that is, which is definitely fall feeling and even frost way up north....today i've got some things on the list, first of which is the little heart project that is almost done.   found a spool of quilting thread and it's just about finished except for some embellishment.  next up are some star blocks for the brackman sew-along and then back to applique blocks for midnight garden.  also want to mark the mod spools with some varying size circles for quilting, hoping to get that done soon.  sounds like a full day....

fabric karma

someone had so nicely gifted me with some circus-theme fabrics....lovely clowns, animals etc....well, fussy cut the animals from their background and left the clowns and another animal piece intact.  so how to use them?  find a background and make a cheery circus kid-size quilt of course ....went to marden's, partly to ogle and fondle, and look what was there!   the popcorn fabric....light background with circus popcorn boxes and popped corn all over....how serendipitous is that?   my other purchase was some nice quilter's flannel at $2 per yard, just enough for cozy lounging pants wherever i may be this fall/winter.  ***  a bit under the weather past few days but hoping i will be hale and hearty for the farmer's wife sew-along, now that my book has been spiral bound.  next up is choose fabrics, which will be civil war i guess, since not enough of anything else available right now and not going to buy more.  *** aaaahh a beautiful early autumn day....70, breezy, sunny, crisp.....the perfect season in my opinion!

big vs little

stopped in at a well-known craft/fabric establishment to pick up a new cutting mat with a coupon, and immediately inside the front door was confronted with many, many bolts of definite quilt-shop quality cottons priced at $12.99, which is a quilt shop price also.  this is not a new development, rather an expansion of an obvious effort to compete with smaller quilt shops for the fabric dollar.  lacking here was the personal service and relationship a quilter forms with the quilt shop, but also here is the advantage of coupons to lessen the sticker shock.  will be interesting to see how this goes forward and whether or not small shops will be impacted.  not much for me personally, but maybe for some.  here in maine we have the added factor of marden's, which can be a good source for some quilt-shop quality fabric at astounding prices.......as for sunday sewing, started a small project which i blatently copied from pal janet, whose effort is gorgeous and mini in size...my squares are about 1.5" finished, small enough for me and a complete 180 from the quilt in the previous post.  have also included a photo of the centers for my scrappy repro daisy chain project, just for a glimpse of what is to eventually be...

and with sunday, fall has arrived--according to the thermometer anyway.  temps tonight in the high 40s, another harbinger....too bad they wouldn't just stop here as this is smiply perfect weather.   and i wouldn't be surprised if clam chowder is on the menu some time this week.....delish!