only 81 more....

with the most recent civil war diary block finishes, now have a growing stack of 40 blocks with (gulp) 81 more to make.  while i'd like to hope i'll make them all, it would become one huge quilt, so might stop before it gets to be gigantic.

and a look at the current stack....

on another note, it seems to have stopped raining finally...for now anyway...lots of damage around due to above and below ground creeks that have overflowed....our local Y had 10-12 feet of water in its lower level that houses both pools, but should be up and functional within the week they say.  *** only 5 more formal rehab sessions to go; cannot recommend this program highly enough as after a grueling and discouraging nearly 7 months, am feeling great and beyond my pre-surgery activity and endurance levels, not to mention an entire wardrobe that needs replacing.  i'll be at the thrift when not at the YMCA in the coming days....

it's baaaackkk...

that would be the annoying thief in my building....now among the missing is one of my 3-pound weights, my mother's album from my daughter's wedding, my DAR certificate....somebody needs to have their hands lopped off--the sooner the better don't you think?  i had a cousin (now deceased) who would occasionally ask me if i still had such-and-such.  i'd go to get it or look for it and it, too was gone.  at the time i figured she was the light-fingered brat as she had been jealous of me my entire life.  once she helped me move some household stuff from a storage facility to her cellar temporarily.  somewhere along the way, my blueberry luncheon plates disappeared.  they WERE in a box in storage but somehow never made the hour's trip.  i knew she had taken them.  at the time i was homeless and she could well afford to buy them for herself, but she felt justified stealing from me.  she later had a brand new home, took trips to europe, had many of life's benefits but alas, died of cancer before she could spend one year in the new home.  she grew up very poor, always wore hand-me-downs and often went hungry, but a good marriage to someone with a good income changed all that.  down deep, though, she was always that destitute child and earned my pity.  as to who the building nasty is, it's anyone's guess.  even the management here isn't trustworthy, so it could be anyone.  thankfully, my God watches over me and seeks His own form of retribution--a very comforting promise. 

potpourri

tuesday spent wiping out the to-do list that included some sewing, of course....put together cheddar/indigo blocks, so now going to audition a border....and got a couple more leader/ender blocks done.  sometimes i try color combos and they don't work out.  wasn't sure about these red windmills but liking them so far.  have to make a total of 30 for a wall quilt...no rush on this.  then put up the star blocks made with kaffe fassetts and the pale pink solid.   i liked them as individual blocks but even more so seeing them together.  have downloaded the other patterns, just way behind is all.   this will give me the mojo to make more.

put together one more civil war diary block.  had hoped for 2 but this one took over an hour in the late afternoon and ran out of oomph. 

lastly, some friends were chatting and mentioned rhubarb cobbler.  my mother makes an awesome rhubarb pie but alas, i did not get the family pie crust gene, so before doing any sewing cobbler it was.  i was a bit shy of the rhubarb needed, so cut the sugar by 1/3 and it was plenty sweet for me.....and need i say delish?  the photo tells the tale!

next time i'll use more rhubarb and less cobbler....now off to get lunch....and dessert!

monday musings

summer has arrived in force here in maryland and i'm loving it...so i guess that means i am a native now....and what better way to brag about my new home than with these....

these were a mother's day gift from DD and DSIL.....maryland flag sox!   i love them!   i don't make a big deal of mother's day since i have an only child and don't want to put pressure or guilt on her....but she did take me for a wonderful, delicious lunch....my first steak in over 6 months!  it was back to chicken today (fish tomorrow) and some sewing with 2 civil war diary blocks done...

and a few more leader/ender blocks too....

lastly, some evening applique work that closed out another busy day.   only 7 more rehab sessions and i'll be finished.  my spot won't be vacant long as every week--and sometimes every session--brings in new cardiac patients.  crossed another threshold of endurance today, but with a 5:45 am start to the day, i'm still tired early and it's another early night with a book--for a few minutes anyway.   got my tuesday to-do list already roughed out.....more fun tomorrow!

our family's treasure

that would be this 1945 beauty....our mother, carolyn, who is still a looker today at 91!   though we cherish and revere her every day, having her with us another mother's day is a priceless gift, one we don't take for granted.....i'm with her only in spirit today, and my heart goes out to all whose mothers have passed on....

final layout

just have to sew blocks together and maybe add a border of some sort...no plans for this, just wanted to finish up this FQ bundle and i came close.....but these little leftovers will be going to janet so she can work her mini magic...

and a new leader/ender project is in progress as well....

these finish at 4"....have been ogling the pattern for some time, so might make 2-3 of these in different fabric styles.   for this one am using up some reds in my stash as have an over-abundance of that color....and two more gardening angel blocks are in the works....they work up faster than i had thought they would, altho still quite intricate.

this is january and february that will make 4 completed....and only 8 more to go.  *** with my may scrap attack project just about done, it's back to civil war diary blocks....never a moment to waste!

indigo and cheddar v. 2

tweaked the blocks a bit and pretty much settled on this layout.  only 2 more mini blocks to make and then i'll be flinging the small leftovers to janet who is a whiz at mini quilts....then this FQ bundle will be history.  not a smidgen left in stash at all...and while flipping thru some old mags yesterday, happened on this inspiring photo/pattern....so the churn dashes must have been buried in my little gray cells....i am still thinking of making this one....scrappy you know

then, i had seen this pattern in progress on the 'net someplace and the maker recommended the book, so got it from my library

another pretty scrappy that intrigues me, but not sure i want to buy the ruler....many other things i really want to make so will think on this a while....but finally have a whole day unplanned and a few house chores have to come first on this picture perfect day...summer's here!

this and that

here's the doll quilt i made and sent off to patty....forgot to photograph before it got mailed, so she kindly sent me one....

up to date now with the antebellum album sew along with completion of april's block....

the pink in this block is one of the scraps the barbara sent with my doll quilt....just perfect i think!  and got a bit more done on the may scrap attack....

just pinning them to the design wall for now; have no idea what the final setting will be....i do like this fabric line a lot.... ** ultrabusy day and week with errands and such, but this coming week is designated spring cleaning for sure before summer heat arrives....

tale of two quilts

again this year joined up with lori at humble quilts for her doll quilt swap.  due to escalating postage costs, it's the only swap i do these days.  it is a first-class swap and every little quilt is excellent and gorgeous.  i patiently waited for mine and got a double delight!

this is from barb in AZ....teeny tiny flying geese, so perfectly executed and quilted...and the colors!  oh my, they are gorgeous!  she was kind enough to send along some leftover fabric too....

this one arrived from sue in NZ along with a few little gift items...not seen is a card wallet she made to hold my excess reward cards etc....which have been falling out of my wallet nearly daily, so this was a timely and much-needed gift.  again this is a very nice doll quilt of broken dishes blocks, beautiful colors and quilting too.  so consider myself doubly blessed for this swap. 

running start

on the may scrap attack goal....

the smallest block was already on my design wall; the others i made first thing this morning.  then some 1.5" strip pieces prompted me to make these little 4-patches that could be fillers....anxious to see how many blocks these scraps will make and how they can be set.  might even need some HSTs and a floater border for that littlest block....a true kitchen sink project!   ***  also on today's sewing plate is get the QOV flimsy done and also, since summer has arrived, fix the hem on a pair of shorts that are fraying.  some muslin bias will re-hem them nicely to get them thru another year. *** and since i've started my maine vacation planning, have changed my header to a dreamy vista of boothbay harbor taken a few years ago.....

scrap attack progress

it's nearly may and time to take stock of my scrap attack goals for april....pretty slim i'm afraid. i think i made a total of 10 civil war diary blocks, a pitiful attempt at the 121 i need.  for may's scrap attack, i've chosen these leftover cheddar/indigo pieces to use.  some 4" churn dash blocks are the plan and it'll be a small wall quilt that'll finish off this pretty FQ bundle.

another UFO drawer will get emptied and, being a smallish project, should give me time to make more civil war diary blocks.  also on may's plate are 2 more gardening angel applique blocks and finish quilting the donation quilt.  switching out some projects each month avoids boredom and shortens (hopefully) my list of unfinished stuff.  trouble is, there are always more to take their place...LOL!   and just this morning, attached a sleeve to this and got it on the wall....it really brightens up my living/sewing room and gives it a bit of an exotic flair.  now off to rehab again!

sewing from stash

of course i have lots of scraps but for thursday's sewing, was able to pull from stash and start using up the inventory.   first up was a small piece made from a charm pack sent to me by vic in NH and i believe the binding material was also from her.  this is the 2nd small piece i made from the charm pack, so it's gone from the stash entirely.  i call it "tic tac autumn" and after a quick wash, it'll go in the finished tote to hang up in the fall.

next came more civil war diary quilt squares....got 3 more done and pulled from stash for these as well and some leftovers went into the scrap basket, so they are also gone from stash.   glad to see the pile of completions growing, if slowly.  part of the fun of this project is finding fabrics in the stash that match the photos...the camera flash alters the colors a bit but they do match. 

the last sewing task of the day was to work on the guild's quilt of valor flimsy....all rows are done except one and working on the sashing now.  a guild member has kindly offered to quilt it and there'll be a presentation later this year.  gosh, i love red/white/blue together, don't you? 

even tho i skipped housework for the day, didn't get to the last item on my list, which was the donation quilt.  hope to get in some time on that this morning before my cardio visit and then rehab.  and just like that, another week has flown by....how does that happen?

life's just a bowl of.....

cherrywood fabrics!  

a guild pal of mine went to paducah, so i requested a cherrywood solids scrap bag....with prices going up may 1st and being able to save shipping, it seemed like the right thing to do.  in the past i had bought 3 scrap bags and used them all up.  the colors are soo gorgeous and that suede-like finish ramps up any project several notches.   for now i'll just fondle and drool, but sorta planning on a few small amish-style wall quilts for starters.   but not today....on today's list is finish the guild's quilt of valor flimsy, bind a small UFO, do some quilting on the donation quilt and get back to the front with more civil war diary blocks....i've the whole day free and have declared it a NO HOUSEWORK day...care to join in?

a most special gift...

from a new frederick friend.   she recently took the trip of a lifetime--a long, posh plane ride to nepal where a helicopter took her up the himalayas in the shadow of everest.  breathtaking photos of a far away land and even more remote culture.  she left her fears behind and stepped out into an unexpected journey of dreams, so much more than she could have imagined.  courage, awe and excitement were her constant companions.  i consider myself fortunate to even listen to her travelogue and see her photos but then she gave me this....

halfway thru her talk i had to visit the bathroom where more were hanging on the walls...i remarked how everyone had a bathroom but not everyone had beautiful molas for decoration....and now I can decorate my own bathroom....but so much more than the gift is her friendship, her vibrant decorating flair, her sidekick furry friend, her spirituality and sense of humor.  another reason why the move was the right thing to do....i sure feel blessed.  ***  and first thing this morning, had an email declaring me a winner for this e-book giveaway....had seen some photos that piqued my interest and so glad i now have the book for even more....God knows i have plenty of scraps!

caught up!

that would be on the 'antebellum album' sew along....

with the april block due to be posted next week, was a bit late in getting march's block done, but now it is and can relax for a few days.  with weekend half remaining have made so-so progress on my list.  the small UFO is all quilted and needs to be bound.  the QOV flimsy is in progress.  the house stuff is done and food and clean clothes at hand--always helpful.  hoping to get at least 2 civil war blocks done and spend some quilty time on the donation...oh, and the always must-do exercise slot...pretty sure that'll fill up the day plus leave some time for outdoor sun...who said being retired is boring??

second thoughts

remember this?  the beige that looks gray, is called gray by the manufacturer but in person is really beige?

remember the retailer agreed to take it back?  had every intention of returning it, but frugality dictated otherwise.   it's a "name brand" fabric, very good quality, was on sale at $5 per yard plus shipping so originally cost $20.  it would have been probably another $5 at least to return it, so $25 would have been spent for zip.  decided to keep it and semi-planned another project for its use.  so washed and dried and went into the stash pile.   fast forward a couple of months.  out of curiosity decided to audition a small piece for my "midnight at the oasis" quilt and here is the result...

this is just the tiny center 6" square but the kaffe fabrics completely take over the gray cum beige and the entire issue is a complete non-issue.  wish i could put everything else aside and play with this, but not possible.  this weekend's quilty list includes labeling and mailing doll quilt for swap, finishing up a small UFO, putting together a QOV flimsy for the guild service project, quilting on the donation quilt, some civil war blocks....think that's enough?   plus cooking-dishes-laundry and squeezing in some personal care--yeah, i think that's gonna use up the 48 hours and then some.  *** my rehab plan for next week is getting ramped up a bit so a couple of naps might be needed...hard to believe i've hit the halfway point.  it's been an exhilarating/exhausting/challenging task so far and it just might be the cardio man won't recognize the new me!

in memoriam....

more skirmishes...

and 2 more victories....am really enjoying this project way more than when it was first started. 

this time around have even been thinking of how to set all these blocks.  the book shows them with sashing but that makes it a very large quilt....still have time to mull over.   the other big positive is that all these fabrics are from my very own stash.  even though each block uses a small amount, lots of fabrics are getting used that haven't seen the light of day since they were added.  ***  another busy day so no time to waste....hoping warm weather arrives soon!

civil war (sewing) continues...

and, in fact, has lasted way longer than the actual war did...eeeeekk!  happy to say there were four skirmishes saturday with four victories!

for this block, the diagram shows the color as purple, but the photograph of the block shows a purple background with white circles, which completely changes the color.  and my photograph completely washes out the tan fabric used next to the purple triangles.  

whoops, this last one needs a couple of clockwise turns to match the photo.  have to say am enjoying this project a lot; half the fun is choosing the fabrics and then the construction is always something of a challenge.   it was another summer-like day but that's it for now.  think it's safe to say our snow is gone for the foreseeable future.  ***  up early and already quilting on my little doll quilt swap that should be ready to mail by midweek.  it's another jam-packed week with no significant downtime--meaning whole days--until next saturday....daylight approaches so better get movin!

short and sweet....

a very brief post on this summery saturday morning.  the quilty to-do list awaits and no household chores to do (except laundry)!  between rehab and my regular diversions, the weeks fill up fast and thanks to rehab, so far able to keep up.  last night finished the lap robe top just waiting for a final press...

my NH pal vic had gifted me a jelly roll of pastels and i pulled out all the greens and pinks to go with the fabrics from the group.  they really give it a zing i think....shorts are on the wardrobe today and plenty of fabric fun!

scraps, she said....

but they sure don't look like my scraps....someone asked if i would be interested in some chintz scraps....not much to work with, she said......

guess i'll be spending time with graph paper and quiltmania mags this weekend to come up with a medallion worthy of such spectacular fabrics.  then some shopping in the stash for some "go with" fabrics too....good thing the kitchen got cleaned yesterday....LOL!   ***  and my brother has a small farm in Maine where he raises shetland sheep; it's lambing time and so far he has 8 brand new ones hopping around.....aren't they cute?

had my usual poultry dinner last night after a rousing rehab workout....jammies and some quilting ended the day perfectly!

quick confession....

bonnie's post today tweaked my conscience, so 'fessing up here to keep myself honest....the book i saw this little quilt in was "the blue and the gray" a book of reproduction quilts by mary etherington and connie tesene....photographing the quilt and then making my own seemed harmless and, honestly, copyright laws didn't even cross my mind.   this was the only thing in the book i really wanted to make and the frugal yankee in me could not justify purchasing a book for one pattern.   even now, i think that everyone probably does it at some point, but in reality it is still wrong.  most everything i make is public domain stuff or my own interpretation of ideas i see on the internet.  sigh...life was so much less complicated when magazines and shows were my only source of inspiration...