corona-cation, episode 17 - memorial day

another holiday under quarantine but still very blessed for so many things....not the least of which is a rich heritage of brave soldiers on both sides of my family...one of those is my great-grandfather, joseph thorne, served with maine's 8th regiment in the mid-atlantic and south carolina.  here is his regiment pictured at the 8th regiment lodge on peak's island, maine, now a museum...

thinking this must be after the war, judging by the beards and white hair...lol!  joseph and the 8th were at Appomattox courthouse when lee surrendered....here is a photo of him with wife annette and son charles, my grandfather...

and now that spring cleaning is done, sewing continues....

got 2 rows of triangles done....lopped off one making the rows 19 triangles long...will need a total of 13 rows, so 11 more makes it a flimsy.....liking this more and more....unearthing some of these old UFOs is fun!   *** and the bea et cecile stars sew along piece is done....

this would have been ideal for a humble quilt swap piece if it were smaller...the quilting is not the best and here is why....

this beautiful vintage toile was a beast to quilt thru....not deco fabric but a tad heavier than most modern cottons and a very tight thread count....laziness prevented me from unbasting and swapping it out...it gives the piece an old-fashioned feel....but it's done now and it's one i'll keep because i really like it...the binding went on like a breeze despite the hoover's attempt to gobble it up!  *** hoping this un-holiday finds you well and counting your blessings too!

note:  header photo taken at Gettysburg of a monument to the 6th Maine regiment under Neal Dow...if you haven't been and ever get the chance, it is a must visit place....

corona-cation, episode 16

excitement is building here while watching hospital admits decrease every day....closer to getting back to my fitness regime...no doubt will require a few afternoon naps while i get back up to speed....and since time is of the essence, pulled out another UFO to work on while getting paper foundation triangles printed....it's a traditional and uber scrappy...blue background fabric has been on board for 6-7 years now...last year finally cut all the strips and units for now when the sewing has commenced...

i'll be working on the triangles primarily, but good to see this one started...got to use up lots of small 1.5" strips so far....today mr. mailman brought this package of beauties...half yards of 'nancy's needles' from designer betsy chutchian....every fabric in this collection is gorgeous and it was hard to limit myself to just these--all small prints except two....

and while spring cleaning continues, another fix-it job was tackled...

a tiny book table that sits next to the bed....needed regluing and tightening up and some TLC to cover the well used areas....i think this was hand made by somebody...pretty rudimentary but i like it...and copying mrs. goodneedle, forgot to post my mother's day gift..some ooh-la-la tres chic french hand creams arrived ......

and i, too, garnered some native strawberries at the farmer's market opening today....these are called 'seconds' aka misshapen, but tasty and ripe nonetheless...

saturday and sunday are predicted to be perfect early summer days begging for outside time. mostly, tho, eagerly anticipating some return to usual activities...and as always, hugely thankful for my health, my family's health, our freedom from fear and worry over basic needs and all this enjoyable sewing time!

corona-cation, episode 15

i think i've got this pandemic thing down pat now...didn't get it done today?  no problem...tomorrow is another totally free day....this has been advantageous in tackling spring cleaning bit by bit, when i'm not sewing or cooking, that is...and just what have i been sewing?

this is yet another UFO, scrappy plaid triangles, and now the first row is all done, 20 of 'em!  only 11 more rows to go.  the first few triangles were kinda blah, but as more get done, it's beginning to 'wow' me...this will probably be a donation quilt.    ***  even in a small apartment, there are fix-it jobs...bought this inexpensive window fan last year and in short order the fan came off the spindle.  super glued it twice but unsuccessful.  so, put it away until sturdier stuff was on board.  today was the day and have applied a heavy-duty epoxy to see if it can be restored.  back in the 1970s my mother bought 2 metal box fans from W.T. Grant...remember them?  those fans worked fine for well over 35 years despite getting moved a few times.  cheap imports can't even last 35 days....i'll stop there but you get the message i'm sure....

after 2 lovely summer days, it's back to rain today even tho temps hover around 70....spent saturday with my daughter and son-in-law celebrating their wedding anniversary.  i am so blessed to live near where we can visit--and hug--often.  in fact, my list of blessings is long....loved ones are healthy, freedom from want (except for that big screen TV...lol), shelter and entertainment, shorts and sandals weather, plenty of fabric and ideas to last another century i believe...God is indeed good all the time!

PS...whoops, it was the 1960s when my mum got her fans at W.T. Grant....

corona-cation, episode 14

no doubt many are fed up by this point, waiting for real life to begin again, and to be truthful i do have moments where i feel the same.  but most of the time keeping busy with spring cleaning, some outdoor jaunts and sewing...the may list is getting shorter!   this cute little easter/spring panel got finished just in time for next year!

had just enough pink plaid for the binding and now it's all gone....the next item to be tackled was a summer purse had planned to take on mother's day trip that didn't happen.  oh well, now done and ready for summer....as am I!

am continuing on with deconstruction of farmer's wife flimsy, now 5 rows finished with 2 more to go.....

and a trip to the local big box finally garnered some still scarce toilet tissue....it's the first i've bought since before the quarantine took effect.  by the time i ran out of what was on hand, there was none to be found anywhere.  my daughter had a stockpile and gifted me some, but now i'm set for quite a while....

12 double rolls that will last me until labor day i'm pretty sure....trying to keep my blessings uppermost as complacency and sameness seem to envelop the cookie-cutter days.   one more may project and will tackle another UFO even tho i'd rather be sewing something new and fun....patience, it seems, is the watchword....be well and sew on!

corona-cation, episode 13

lucky 13?  i sure hope so...things are easing up a bit here and it's possible the fitness centers will re-open end of next week....with that in mind, will be spring cleaning in earnest in readiness.  in the meantime, sewing has continued as per usual....the wildest dream stars have been set aside now waiting for hand work...

i like these more than ever and already thinking about how they will be hand quilted...and tho i've refrained from starting new projects, caved and made these 4 blocks...

for some time now have been looking for a pattern that would use up 2.5" strips as my tote is jam packed....the herd simply has to be thinned.  a simple kansas dugout pattern seemed ideal.  this will be totally scrappy, even within individual blocks.  for a twin i'll need about 140 or so blocks, hoping to empty the tote.  this will get donated when completed.   ***  then earlier this year, started another new quilt top.  had some batik scraps left over from itty bitty pineapple blocks, a project that got abandoned....

set the scraps aside for "someday" when this book came along filled with colorful batik projects...and this got chosen....

color and va-voom to the max....and the size is do-able for me.  ***  may goals are in full swing; the little easter panel is just about done.  next comes the small quilt of stars for the sew-along, then it's back to the honeycomb project.  this protracted era of stay-at-home may eventually end, but i know i'll still have plenty of sewing time.   ***  lastly, continually realize how very blessed me and my family are when i see the death, hunger, frustration and fear all around me.  it makes me think of Passover, when the angel of death passed by the doors that had been marked by the blood of the lamb...surely God has us under His protective arms....

corona-cation, episode 12

the stay-at-home train rolls on and since the end "may" be only a month away, am putting pedal to the metal to accomplish as much as possible before fitness center opens.  a summery weekend here brought out shorts and sandals, but alas early spring returns and maybe even frost....frost???  here is my monday report...  sewing up the 'wildest dreams' stars continues; had to stop and cut out a stack more triangles (a flaw of mine; hardly ever cut them all beforehand)...

nine stars are done; these 3 half done with 4 more to make.  thinking this week will see the end of these....also quilting on the amish honeycomb is moving along nicely....honeycombs i.e. big hexagons are 2/3 done and then a fancy feather border....these are my main 2 projects for may.  once the scrappy stars are done, it's another UFO.  the easter panel that didn't get done in april is ready to baste and will be machine quilted for a quick finish to this small piece.  and since our mother's day travel got cancelled, my summer purse has moved down the list....

my offering for the doll quilt swap has not been acknowledged yet by the recipient but should have arrived.  without any confirmation,  gonna go ahead and show what i sent to her...

i thought it came out rather well....hand quilted too of course.  the light borders make the squares look uneven but they were measured twice and carefully sewn.  this swap has always brought out some very nice pieces and is the only swap i do now....

was lucky enough to receive a stimulus check, with which i promptly paid off some things and indulged in a few quilty items....a new iron was at the top of the list....meet sharky...

so far so good....this one is heavier than my bargain iron and hopefully won't fly off the table as easily....and despite being bombarded with door dash and grub hub AND a gazillion restaurant emails, resorted to my own low salt version of pizza....always good....leftovers provided breakfast of champions!

lots of veggie toppings made for perfect pyramid meals....now off to start the week!

corona-cation, episode 11

with apologies to Poe....

once upon a tuesday dreary,

i'm not weak but i am weary,
gray skies and rain that won't subside,
while from corona i do hide.
no place to go, no one to see,

with endless time to sew, that's me,

quoth the maven evermore...

that was yesterday but today sunshine abounds, albeit briefly....more rain until the weekend when sunshine and spring return.....about time!   now for some eye candy....

my doll quilt arrived from Liz....isn't it adorable?  and the lovely stitchery on the back....thank you liz!  mine has not been revealed yet, but i'll post a photo when it's received...

and it has lots of blue!   very nice indeed....and i had a small finish....

only 25" square, titled "inspired by gwen" ....just solid scraps but i really like it....i was not really a gwen groupie but i love many of her solid geometric works that are really art quilts....and more of my 8-point scrappy stars got finished....these are done by machine waiting for hand sewing of pink triangles and squares.  hoping to get all 16 done before guild meetings resume--it'll be a good take along project.

and there was a bit of re-org of the stash, repurposing a small bookcase to free up floor space and empty the big canvas bag...

and what's this?  some empty space?  well that can be remedied....faster than you can say "fat quarter shop" some half yards of betsy chutchian's line 'nancy's needles' hopped into my cart and will soon be here.   this is only the second purchase i've made this year; the other was 2 half yards--blue crabs and lobsters--against 6 finishes, so no guilt at all.... despite grim news and burgeoning statistics, remain so very thankful for my continued health and that of my family.  all our needs are met and we are all safe.  praise God from whom all blessings flow......  

corona-cation, episode 10

alas, no photos in this post but hopefully that'll be remedied soon....weeks fly by even with seemingly voluminous amounts of free, unstructured time...have avoided all but necessary cooking/baking and sticking very close to the mostly plant diet, anxiously awaiting fitness center opening.  still plugging away at UFOs....quilting the amish honeycomb and a small quilt is almost all quilted as well.  wildest dream stars piling up.  itching to dive into the stash and make something different but have so far resisted.  reading blogs, necessary household stuff and television take up most of the remaining hours.  more rows of farmer's wife have been deconstructed.  kaffe fabrics calling to me in a progressively louder voice, not sure how much longer can ignore....blessings abound for wellness, safety, provision, family and friends... doesn't get much better than that!

corona-cation, episode 9

well, we simply HAVE to stop meeting like this!  i admit am starting to get a tad bored despite herculean efforts to keep busy each and every cookie-cutter day.  i did take another mental health drive and have been to the store twice since last post, otherwise nada.  ***  the black/aqua/white donation is tied, bound and finished...

gosh i do love the colors....it wasn't an official UFO but it's done and ready to go after a quick wash....and i've been working on my 'wildest dreams' stars.....4 done, 12 to go.....

waiting until blocks are constructed for ironing due to bias edges...but this is gonna be a beauty i think.....thanks to a couple of online pals for some repro scrap gifts!   and deconstructing 'farmer's wife' continues now and then....3 rows have been unsewn with 4 more to go...had forgotten how big this really was....

all the while been thinking about what to do with the tan triangles that'll be left over....and last but not least, had a few moments of local fame this week.  a feature on my guild in the county senior newsletter and my photo was included....

that's me in the hat....we meet in the church hall and it can be cool there in winter months....that's it for sewing progress so far.  did finally haul out the vacuum and slowly chipping away at household chores....bath and kitchen floors have been washed and more progress today.  also been doing some mandatory cooking.  today it's blueberry muffins, roasted asparagus and a pan of zuke with onions, some chicken for lunches and a batch of cookies.  food delivery deals abound and have been tempted, but sensibility has held me off so far....that's all the news here....as always, so very thankful for my family's continued health and safety...nearly all of us are in the high risk category you know!

 

corona-cation, episode 8

time marches on albeit exceedingly boring....yesterday a bit of essential travel for a change of scenery...essential MENTAL HEALTH travel....you get my drift, i'm sure....sewing continues of course...the doll quilt is done and can only show the back...

a nice vintage toile that was a freebie at the senior center.....will reveal the front once it's been received.....and the black/aqua binding got put on...used this purple batik for the back, essentially making it a reversible quilt.  

the joseph's coat got ironed and placed on table ready for basting....so happy that i kept this as i do like it a lot.....

but oh noooo!  one little circle is missing...

a deep dive into the 2.5" squares box and pulled out the fabric for the very last one....it'll be appliqued on before basting commences.....the solid honeycomb project went into the hoop and is being quilted now....big hexies so should go fast but fancy border is planned....

lastly, while clearing off the sewing table, came across bunch of 2" repro squares and made up a few more little blocks that got pinned on the design wall....i really like this pattern...not sure how many will ultimately get made but they are fun.  for now, plan to concentrate strictly on UFOs to see how many corona-cation can finish....

and there is still some housework to be done....maybe THIS week? 

a blessed Easter!

no matter that we are all worshipping electronically, the good news is the same!

solemn occasion

it's Friday...but Sunday's coming!

corona-cation, episode 7

going out on a limb to predict all my UFOs won't be done by the time you-know-what has moved on....not that i'm not trying mind you....got backing and batting ready and now the mod black stripe is ready to baste...

this will get hand quilted and shouldn't take too long...simple straight lines in each block....next up will be the joseph's coat, top now done and batting and backing on hand...

it needs ironing still, which might be one thing my corona stimulus check will provide....mine just isn't doing the job anymore...so happy to have all those little circles done....and yes, there ARE 2 different fabrics....my habit of not making sure there's enough fabric is still in play....my own personal design style!   *** the guild's show got postponed to autumn so more time to sew up things for sale....these are NOT funky masks, rather will be needlecases once wool felt sewn in....

saw an idea for a purse in a magazine and gave it my own spin.....nice lightweight crossbody style for summer weather with both crabs and lobsters represented....possibly a little large for me so might need further tweaking....

nice to see something different on the design wall for a change as the aqua/black/white is a flimsy and will get tied and bound to donate....maybe then the folding table can get put away for some serious apartment cleaning by monday?....keeping up with bare facts of the present situation without being glued to newscasts...it's just tooo toooo much to listen to all day long.  feel completely blessed that me and my family are healthy, we have food and shelter and all needs met...bored yes but needy, no....God has truly provided and keeps us safe with His sheltering arms...now if He could just make my apartment safe from light-fingered intruders....the management are just vile...

corona-cation, episode 6

as the unplanned retreat rolls on, doing my best to avoid the news most of the time.  it's always grim and makes me feel more helpless, so i just don't watch period.  this gives me more time to putter around the apartment and work on my sewing projects and cook those ever-tantalizing low sodium meals!  like many others, have made some masks...

my daughter requested leftover downton abbey fabric for hers and grays to match my son-in-law's work scrubs.....i lined them with a kona white cotton, a tightly woven fabric.  ***  then the black/aqua/white got to the flimsy stage at the same time more batting arrived, so this week's goal is to get that tied and finished for donation....

then, circles around the edge of the joseph's coat got sewn on....have to say these finish much quicker than the circles on the interior of the top...one side was done in short order and another all pinned.  this will get basted this week i'm thinking....

happy now that i finished this as i do like it, altho my mom has claimed it when it's finished....last but not least, got tired of seeing piles of fabric on the sewing table and the floor in various places, so took an hour or so to do this....

the browns go on the top (not seen), so essentially at the same level i have been since moving here 4 years ago....the reds/greens/tans are in those shoeboxes on the right and pieces 2 yards and over--backgrounds and backings--are in the canvas bag on the left.  no surprise that the biggest collection is blue fabrics, light to dark and everything inbetween.   taking stock just about cures me from adding more, altho did cave and purchased half yard of lobster fabric and half yard of blue crab fabric in homage to my "dual citizenship"...    ****  when this began, i had toilet paper so didn't rush to get any and, of course, it's been out of stock everywhere since.  my kiddos came to my rescue with 4 precious rolls which should last until the hoarders think they have enough.  

corona-cation, episode 5

it's finally sunny here in this part of MD....and 60s too so very spring like...been a busy couple of days here.  i think i've finally gotten into a recognizable routine, in fact i know i have because when i woke up, i knew exactly what day this is...LOL!   even the old viking is smiling....here are some photos of what i've been sewing....some potholders made from mini-charm squares gifted to me...finished off the binding and the silver cloth too!

two i'll keep and two for somebody else....the binding was on hand, donated to the senior center a while back.  just knew it would be handy someday....and remember the easter panel?

added a couple of borders to it and will now quilt/bind and gift....so cute...another senior center donation....next, got the rows of the black/aqua together...

i really like the color combo of this...tomorrow will be a flimsy....it'll be donated...did some leader/endering and remember this?

pulled out the backing bag, did some frankenbatting and now ready to baste.  this will be the last and then i can put the folding table away.   it's not in the way but it does take up a fair amount of floor space.   ***  hoping your corona-cation is as productive as mine is so far....

addendum...

just to keep me honest, the 'home sweet home' pattern was by samarra khaja....