three to go....

that's 3 rows of course....not a moment too soon....setting these on point is a bigger chore than had anticipated....but have to say not looking too bad. 

needs a good press and some tidying/trimming of seams, but so far looking better than anticipated.  not adding any borders, will just baste, quilt and bind.  another project that was a ton of work....must have been daydreaming when took on this plus the 365....small blocks are like venus flytraps...luring one in until it's too late to escape.   have also sewn some on the stars project, but primary goal is to get this to the flimsy stage and tidy up the mess....vacuuming still not done but pointless until this is completed as far as it can be.   ***  still no winter here and that makes me a very happy marylander indeed!

rainy day sewing

it's cloudy, drizzly and rainy here today but so happy no white flakes...not a one!  so far winter hasn't really arrived...at least for this recent transplant from very snowy new england!   ideal weather to sew, starting with the church group this morning, and this afternoon doing this...

two rows of the farmer's wife are together and even though the background fabric isn't really striking, it does allow the blocks to stand out.   six more of these vertical rows and it'll be an official flimsy....even at this stage it does represent a significant amount of sewing, all paper pieced of course.   and then couldn't help but sew a few of these together....

these will also be on point with no sashing; not sure how many of the blocks will be used but probably not all as there were LOTS of them sewn.  this was a really fun and educational sew along and hopefully the flimsy will be available for preview soon...by the time february rolls around, hoping both of these tops will be done.   this means a basting day is somewhere in the future, after some backs are obtained.  with oodles of things to finish, try and make some progress every day....

and blocks are done!

sew along #2 now complete...just remaining are the farmer's wife blocks and flimsy....the westering women will be used for a charity lap robe and out of here soon.

and pet peeve of the day??? command hangers....since march, have now had to replace 5 of these overpriced and poor quality hangers.  a 1# hook insufficient for an 8 oz clock?  really....very bad item 3M......scotch tape is good but these hangers are lousy.....thankfully there are alternatives....shudder to think how much these cost and have ended up in the trash....but all is well now and back to the old viking for more sewing fun!

continuing westward

today's sewing included 2 more of the 'westering women' sew along, now with only 2 to finish it up...better late than never of course....

love these colors--indigo and cheddar!  that leaves the farmer's wife flimsy to construct and the stars/time warp too...feeling like the piles are getting fewer and fewer on the sewing table...also sewed up a lap robe and thinking of doing the same with these blocks....even found 2 cross-stitch projects that were done and just needing framing...on hand also...so they've been washed and will soon be done as well....2017 is the year of the FINISH....will still be able to bust stash chipping away at the too-long UFO list....happy to have you join in!

big reveal....

even though my floor isn't big enough to show it all neatly and in detail, hope you get the idea....

you can't see my ear-to-ear grin, but know i'm deliriously happy this flimsy is finally done.  was completely gobsmacked at the time it took to do this sew along and it has taught me an important lesson, especially now that i have other quilty diversions and doing more charity sewing than before.  next up is to finish the westering women blocks and the farmer's wife project too, so no time to be bored.  now that this is done, can get dressed and finish breakfast dishes--yep, hit the machine right after breakfast...LOL!

first corner, first finish...

first corner block is done and the other 3 are in process...now that i've got one together, should quickly finish the others....good to see where all the little pieces go and how it should look...

choosing to make all 4 the same as, quite frankly, have had enough challenges with this project so far and just want to be done with it....this was the easiest to make but still no piece of cake...

and did finish one little project, some mod little tumblers sewed up for a placemat for a dining tray table i use for meals and miscellaneous clutter.....i love these fabrics and bright colors....these came from some charm packs sent to me last year and there are quite a few left for more fun...

in the deep freeze here for a few days, but 50+ degree weather coming mid-week....and again this weekend, a local PBS station has a "downton abbey" marathon so it's back to Highclere for more zingers from the dowager...LOL!

bittersweet bargain

this week went to 2 guild meetings and at each one, the brevity of life was starkly evident.  at the first meeting, a woman brought in 2 suitcases of quilting stuff (books and fabric) from a deceased elderly lady with the promise of more suitcases to come.   at the 2nd guild meeting, large totes of bagged fabric were sent in by a quilter's husband, she who was now permanently disabled at a too-young age and will no longer quilt.  of course, like moths to a flame, the loot was examined and chosen for charity projects or personal stash.  that was the intent of the donations and i was a willing participant.  confess to feeling somewhat ghoulish, despite my own small selection, at the thought of benefiting from someone's misfortune.  not sure if others were thinking the same, but knew the day would come for me when my left behind quilting stuff would be similarly parceled out.  that thought (and the budget) kept me from accumulating more, except for one small bag of scrap pieces for far less than the price of a big mac.

lots of pretty pieces with hardly a reproduction piece in the bunch, but some nice mods and neutrals....with the scrappy DWR coming up, they'll get used and by using, will become a monument to one whose life was irreparably interrupted forever.  i hope she would have been approved.....

round one...

of the final four corner blocks is completed.  i've included a photo of the next phase yet to be done.  it's been a busy week so done well to get this far.   the completed top is in sight and though it's tedious, at least not getting more blocks every day to add to the task...

as you can see, the next part is not simple and is no doubt time consuming.  all the while i'm doing this, muttering "no more sew alongs"....but of course that's for now. 

when the tedium is peaking, take a break and do something different....this is an official UFO now ready to baste.   it needed some stitchery and that fine nose kindly sent to me by a blogger....the pesky iron has left a stain on one of the blocks, so once it's finished, needs washing before it goes into the finish pile.  

am also quilting a new placemat for my tray table and the christmas baubles wall hanging is being quilted too...afraid i've lagged behind on bonnie hunter's mystery....up next are more doll clothes, the westering women and farmer's wife projects.....that's how my new year's starting....and yours?

hello 2017!

without guy lombardo or dick clark, new year's eve just isn't the same...so spent the evening binge watching 'downton abbey' and sewing of course!   have resisted resolutions (except for no long-term sew alongs!) and any major organizing yet, but have roughed out a january list of things hope to accomplish.  christmas is put away but now the apartment need a thorough once-over before getting back into the swing of my regular schedule.  my one general hope is to whittle down the stash even further and finish as much as possible, just to alleviate bags and boxes of waiting projects. ***  and the end-of-year tally for stash is a net use of 22.25 yards, so that is good indeed.  the huge 365 flimsy was not factored in that total, but did keep all my empty spools from the year and a lot of thread got used.   most of the little orange spools were new and this photo is a good indication.  

christmas prezzies...

in addition to the previously posted cheddars and quilt calendar, received these very nice gifts....first up, a soothing and tasty cold weather treat....holiday spice tea....plain tea is not my thing, but this delicious blend just tastes so, so christmas-y....it almost seems too special to drink on ordinary days but i do anyway and it tastes like a holiday indeed!

next up are a few things from vic....dear vic has a problem in that one little gift is simply nowhere enough....she is a serial giver!   i did tell her earlier this year that i was limited to cards this year, but she ignored my hint and was thus a fortunate beneficiary of her generosity....and she knows i am appreciative....

two snuggly pillowcases, a cute patchwork stocking, rotary blades and 9 FQs of indigo crossing....she knows i love blues!   she is probably hunkered down in her sewing space watching snow fall...LOL!   in addition to these items, a joann's gift card,  another generic gift card and some very nice homemade soap from janet in UT.....consider myself so darn blessed for these gifts but especially the givers who have made my first christmas away from new england so special....thank you one and all!

six more, six more...

the phone takes not that great photos, but here is the last pile....10 more done and 6 left to the end....the sewing space is a wreck but my mojo is in overdrive.  years ago there was a commercial that went "i can't believe i ate the whole thing"....well, i can't believe i did the whole challenge....will finally be able to put away at least one stack of fabrics that have taken over my ironing table....first task in 2017 will be to make the 4 corner squares and finish the flimsy.....stay tuned for the big reveal!

final 2016 finish...

the little peacock garden wallhanging is now done and off the list!   it measures 30" square so not THAT much stash busted (1.5 yards), but gone from the stash regardless.   started this from a gifted FQ bundle of very beautiful fabrics during my (hopefully) last year in housing limbo.

photo taken by my phone on a chair so it looks a bit convex.   my camera is currently out of batteries...so this gets put into the finish pile for whenever.  and although it gets crossed off the list, the christmas baubles wall hanging will take its place, so the number for 2017 remains static at 35.   *** hoping santa was as good to you as he was to me....my dear mum gave me a quilting mag subscription and this lovely calendar that'll double as wall art for the coming year.

ahhh, she knows me so well!  and if it's wednesday, it must be more 365 blocks day!

back to business

not a moment to dilly dally if i'm to finish up this sew along by next week....without delay here are 5 more blocks that are done and done!  that leaves me 17 with 6 days to go....actually 5 because thursday is a wash due to preplanned activities. 

hoping your Christmas was as delightful as mine....spent the day with my daughter and son-in-law....the delicious dinner and gifts were just pleasant add-ons compared to spending time with them...though i miss my maine family, trading their company and my new england roots for maryland was exactly the right thing to do.  

God bless us everyone!

wishing all my blog peeps the most wonderful Christmas and holiday season....posting again one of my very favorite decorations--fabric rendition of an art project from my daughter's school days...

woodstock is ready for Christmas and so am I....already received some lovely gifts via the mail truck that i'll show another day....until then, keep calm and celebrate!

it's a tree!

whereas previously got my christmas tree in maine or massachusetts--a live one--this year had to venture a bit more south, like the amazon!   lol....like most congregate housing, live trees are not permitted so plan B resulted in this one. it was an easy choice...homeless or fake tree?  just big enough for all my lights that were new last year (and thus safe) and most of the ornaments collected over the years.  so homey revisiting old friends and christmases past....it's easy up and easy store and that suits me fine.  no more wrestling boughs and removing pitch from various limbs or dealing with saws/hatchets.  i do miss a real tree though, but again, the choice was a no brainer.  now bring on christmas!

on the sewing front, another horrific block got finished...took me all day inbetween other tasks....and then some hand sewing.  will be posting another finish for sure before the year ends.  and since the new year will be a downton year for me, you can practice calling me "your ladyship"....

first 2017 resolution...

resolve to relinquish my self-appointed job as fabric archivist and shop exclusively (if at all possible) to sew from my (ahem) extensive collection.   no reason to try and rival smithsonian here...

of course, this resolution in no way applies to jo morton collections, kaffe fassett releases or patriotic bundles (nordic stitches, april release)  oh, and those pam buda cheddars and always-gorgeous kim diehls either....otherwise, intend to fully determinedly firmly hope to comply.  course, some kona white and good muslin needed for backgrounds and backings need to be acquired for some current and new fun projects in the works.  can't tell you how freeing it is to make this decision...all this time thought i was just a quilter but turns out was preserving it for posterity as a learning tool...who knew?   in fact, think i'll get started now....

counting down

as of today at 9 am, only 22 blocks left, plus corners....already thinking about what will get sewn when this is done....first up is the farmer's wife flimsy and westering women....maybe....plus all those UFOs and WIPs....

the left side block was a real grinch...part of the issue is that when i print out the directions, i do them in gray tones to save ink and that can create an even bigger challenge....this was the december 9th block and the next, december 10th, isn't quite so difficult......and today's happiness?

 

my very own door to display christmas cards....seems like a small thing but to me it means so very much....that and NO SNOW!   if i get lonesome for snow, only have to travel about half an hour or so north and there'll be some and it'll come our way eventually, but for now it's great!

quick detour

although i did get one 365 block done on sunday, most of my sewing time was finishing up this little festive flimsy....hoping to get it quilted and done before 2016 is history....

these are so darn fun to make...now thinking of other color combos.  can barely see the tiny light gray rectangles meant to be the tops of the ornaments as that was all that was in the stash, so making another will require a tiny purchase of a darker value.   i might possibly have enough background left for binding, but if not, it'll be red print.  just goes to show, if you hang onto a piece of fabric long enough, a perfect use will "materialize"....oooh, no pun intended!   it's festive and not quite bright enough to be seen from space, just the north pole....   ***  today's hopefully the last day out and about doing holiday stuff.  the 365 blocks are never far from my mind.  and white christmas?  weatherman is predicting 50 degrees so i'd say no....just loving this maryland style winter!

25 to go.....

plus the 4 corner squares....hope to finish a couple more today and maybe even sew something different for a change!  

slippery weather kept me indoors all day saturday so binge-watched 'midsomer murders' and sewed up my own storm.   spent the evening with quilting hoop in lap working on another UFO.  most of my christmasy stuff is done, save for decorating the tree and one more party.  some time this week will pull fabrics for the corner squares.   the finish is becoming a reality....hoping will get time the week between christmas and new year's to rough out goals and do some organizing before 2017 starts....this year has been my own version of  'it's a wonderful life' even with all the challenges and disappointments.  betting you feel the same....

on to december!

these are the last of the november blocks and now to start december's!   this is exciting indeed as there are some fairly simple ones and a couple of  "corkers" to use an old phrase.  that light at the end of this year-long tunnel is getting brighter every day.   can't say enough that this has been a huge challenge, but pretty satisfied with the result.  doubting more and more that a regular batt will be used to finish, unless the destination is the arctic.  the flimsy is quite weighty and even flannel will make it more than warm for most winter climates.  nonetheless, that is a future dilemma.  for right now enjoying the almost success....and the finish can't come soon enough....

color me happy

everyone knows that happiness is contingent on happenings, and for right now am pretty happy...not only did i finish another block that went together perfectly and quickly...

but the paper doll fabric on the right is perfect for the bonnie hunter mystery and will finally get used up.  this goes back to about 2000 when i frequented a lovely fabric shop in downtown boston called "windmill fabrics" in the heart of chinatown.  though their supply of any one kind of fabric was limited, the buys were fantastic.  in addition to this fabric, bought several woolens for a coat, a blazer and a couple of skirts that all got worn frequently...the coat i still have, the blazer got stolen from a church (true) and the skirts ended up at the thrift along with my other business suits.  and even though the paper dolls will be gone, the memories, of course, are priceless.  while happiness is here for now, it is fleeting and fickle.  more blocks on the horizon and some for the next week are totally hideous.  and will not make me happy, i'm certain.  even so, am bountifully blessed and that is neither fickle nor fleeting, for me anyway.    

december finish

or it should be anyway....this is in my hoop today and anticipate it'll be OFF the UFO list for 2017, knocking me down to (gulp) 35 that includes a fair number of bed size projects.

love the fabrics in this piece and am thinking of a turquoise binding, but maybe it'll be navy instead.  and holiday decorating is done except for my tree, which hoping to find tomorrow....so instead will show you the tree seen at the Eisenhower farm adorned with 50s era glass bulbs and even some from nikita khruschev no less!   it was fake but the Eisenhowers had a real tree, of course.  now, though, cookie baking calls....

starting toward the finish

of the 365 of course....working on the final border of 6" (finished) blocks....plus bonnie hunter's mystery as leaders/enders.   is a terrific feeling indeed to know that it is entirely possible these blocks will be done come end of the month.  not sure if that includes the 4 corner blocks or not, but even so, the majority will be finished. 

first month of 2017 will be spent getting the flimsy together, finishing up the farmer's wife blocks (still 8 more to make) and the last few of barbara brackman's westering women.  have run consistently a tad behind on this due to diversions like friday when ventured up to gettysburg again for a tour of the eisenhower farm that was decorated for christmas.  crossing the threshold is like stepping back in time with its 1950s/60s era style and decor.  it is located adjacent to the battlefield and was delightful and very interesting.  of course i remember ike and mamie very well, but knew few of the details of their lives that included multiple moves, lost children, visiting dignitaries and prize angus cattle.  heartily recommend if you are in the area.  i'll sign off with views of the outside main house and one of ike's paintings that hangs in the home....

a cheesy gift...

meaning cheddars of course!   was surprised yesterday with a gift of these gorgeous fabrics...and that makes me one happy quilter!  thank you, again, mystery giver....

been an ultra busy week here with guild parties, senior center activities and a bit of holiday fun and, last but not least, elvis was in the building!  other than some christmas sewing, no blocks have been assembled but that will soon change.  also finalizing up holiday plans and some baking and the tree are on the to do list as well.  no bad weather or travel as of yet in these parts, but if that changes, the larder is stocked and the 365 is waiting patiently.  happy as the proverbial bivalve to be spending christmas with my dears aka DD and DSIL....that is priceless indeed!

beginning the end

of the 365, that is....finally on sunday finished ALL my little dark value blocks....and a couple of nasty ones too.  will definitely NOT miss the 7/8ths inch flying geese!!!   they are horrible to make for my short, chunky fingers.  but they are done and it's on to bigger blocks of light fabrics.  sorted all the dark scraps and tossed the too-tiny ones, rest in the scrap basket.  so december is really catch up and finish month...including the 4 corner blocks that haven't tackled yet.   here are the last of the littles....

once the deck was cleared, moved on to bonnie hunter's mystery clue #2....oohh those lovely kaffe magentas!  aren't they beautiful???   haven't done clue #1 yet but will get them done as leaders/enders while light blocks are made, now that the thread color has been changed on the old viking.

bonnie's quilt designs are all about scraps so these should fit in nicely.  in addition to these and the little blocks, pulled out some christmas decorations and lined up some christmas sewing that is on my to do list.   plus squeezed in a bit of a nap as well since woke up at 4 am.  it's another busy week with some holiday fun included.  hope your week is similarly scheduled.....

first party

the frederick guild held their annual christmas meeting and it was delightful!  our meeting room at the art center was festively decorated and the gustatory offerings were beyond delicious!   some games, door prizes and drawing the winner of our raffle quilt topped off an enjoyable evening.   we also got a sneak peek at the exhibit of quilts currently on display for the month at the request of the art center.  two of mine are seen....in an ART center no less....lofty environment indeed!

in addition to all the food offerings, collections were taken for toys for tots and food items for locals in need.

lastly a photo of the tied quilt from my scrappy solid flimsy, which made its debut at the church bazaar yesterday.  these blocks are now OUT of my house and on to a good home.   next up are the scrappy log cabin blocks, another longstanding UFO that should be outta here by end of january....now time for mystery sewing AKA bonnie hunter's clue #2!

last minute finish

whew, just in time to say sayonara to november, got this throw finished.  this is a donation to a favorite charity as a fundraiser.   my limited budget prevents me from giving as much as i'd like, so a quilt to raise money has to substitute.  new hampshire pal vic gave me a jelly roll of these beautiful moda fabrics, and wanted to use them up quick, so found an easy internet pattern.  some strips did end up in the 2.5" shoebox but used a lot for this project.  she also gave me a layer cake of the same fabric line AND about 3 yards of one print suitable for backing.  a wallhanging is planned for more at some point.  oh, and the name of the line?   it's grace....

it's given with no stipulations other than to generate funds, and once it's given, have no say to its ultimate destination.  this is my philosophy for all quilts that are given, regardless of to whom.  cannot agonize after the fact about what happens to them--it's pointless and robs me of the enjoyment of the process.  cannot be the quilt police either during or after, only hope that someday and somewhere they are appreciated and used.  another quickly took its place in the hoop...it's the milky way masquerade!   i love this vibrantly colorful quilt--no plans for its destination right now, but hopefully to a worthy recipient.   ***  so early in the day but blessings abound....especially warm temps and much needed rain!

   

getting closer...

to finishing up these teeny tiny blocks; think i have 8 more to make and honestly, will NOT miss those 1" finished half square triangles one single bit!  cutting a gazillion 1.5" squares and pairing them up gets old fast.   but here's the latest stack and catching up once more since december is bearing down and the light at the end of this tunnel is beginning to break through...

once the little blocks are done, will have to go thru my dark scrap basket and toss anything too small and then pull out the lights.  after that, the corner squares for the dark border will be made so can put on the final 2 dark borders and then attack the light blocks.   this is one heavy flimsy so far and not even complete yet.  have not yet decided how to finish and what to do with it, but after such an extreme effort, might have to just keep this one if a place can be found for storage.  ***  thanksgiving leftovers are gone and plans in full swing for the holiday season, which will be low key probably but still joyous.....

shopping?

not!!!   not when 365 needs attention....latest stack....excited to be nearing the end of this year-long challenge.

the 6" block is the next-to-last of its size for the dark border....just the one more 6" dark block and 18 smalls to finish the dark squares, then move on to the last and light border.  skipped over the tiny tree of life and chose a bonus block that was posted for those who needed one.  even if had funds to shop, simply no time.  have a small christmas gift list that was finalized before this weekend, so no impulse buying either.  much more enjoyable playing in the stash than fighting for parking spaces, standing in store lines and elbowing crowds.  the holiday season has begun!  i'll be linking up with oh scrap! because quilting IS way more fun than housework!

not too soon....

to pull out the christmas quilt as my first holiday decoration.   arriving home after wonderful turkey day (although we had ham) with my daughter, son-in-love and my mom visiting from maine, went to the quilt pile.  it is a smallish quilt so put another underneath, the amish pinwheel with the wool batt.

this is a true scrappy as even the background white fabrics are a variety of scraps.  my other christmas quilt is a double wedding ring done with solid forest green and cranberry.   ***  blessed holiday and visit with my mom.  wednesday we went to gettysburg battlefield which is GINORMOUS!   spent 3.5 hours driving thru reading many informational plaques and monuments as we took in the enormity of the casualties, the battle, the landscape (which was mostly woods at the time) and the general atmosphere of such a hallowed place.  normally chatty, it overwhelmed us into reverent silence for the sacrifices of so many and disgust as, in today's world, many tramp on those sacrifices because of their own agendas.  the plaques listed the action over the days of the battles, the number originally sent, those killed or wounded and the many missing whose remains must rest below the earth in such a solemn place.  urge you to go if you are ever nearby.  then a quick trip to harper's ferry and finally home to relieve our fanny fatigue.  ***  thankfulness continues with post-holiday sewing time and finally mystery clue #1!

365 so far aka seam-mageddon!

next task is to make the corner squares, obviously, and finish up the little blocks so can get the last 2 dark borders attached.   adding these 2 has re-ignited my mojo for this project.  no fabric was purchased for this project at all, entirely from stash.  explains why there are lots of empty spools.

managed to keep my bare toes out of this photo but going to be a challenge to photograph when the top is done.  would have loved to used a particular color scheme on this but have to say scrappy is not entirely un-pleasing.  you can still sign up for next year....just search for 365 on facebook!  this has been a HUGE machine piecing challenge for me.  some of the blocks are perfect, some are awful and a lot are not bad, but it has ramped up my skills and (so far) glad i tackled it....  ***  ah, november 22nd, a day boomers will never forget.  walking home from 9th grade thru downtown and passed appliance store with several televisions on--black and white of course--seeing that JFK had been killed...seemed very unreal but horrific at the same time.  then four days of nothing but funereal dirges and nonstop TV watching of ensuing events.  no school, of course, so days seemingly endless hours of ceremony, dignitaries and then actually jack ruby walking right up and killing oswald...live!   that was REAL reality TV....

fast finish

only busted half a yard but another UFO is history.....one of the many little quilts that got sewn up last year when had no real sewing space but compelled to sew something!!!

actually made a couple of these using different fabrics, one was amish and completed previously.   also closing in on another finish and, no surprise, have started quilting on another--the milky way masquerade.  ***  ready as can be for bonnie hunter's mystery starting friday.  won't get much sewing done until then, but the weekend is dedicated to 365.  all the little blocks have been posted and the daily blocks now are for the final border, so imperative to get caught up so can finish on time.