we did it!

 that would be me and my two experts, so handy to have at my fingertips!

if you suffer from border timidity, can highly recommend this book....even me, the ultimate math dummy, can assemble a decent pieced border with the info found here.  have only used it maybe a dozen times since it was bought used eons ago, but it is a must for my library and maybe yours.  and here is the result...

this is yet another project that was put off due to fear of messing it up...but after finishing one side, was anxious to gingerly continue and finally couldn't stop until the border was complete...the next border is another narrow pink and have several ideas to go on from there....trepidation aside, eager to continue until the top is finished....can't wait to use more of those lovely dutch chintz fabrics!  the weekend is off to a smashing start!

first finish!

 the UFO train has powered up and happy to post a photo of 2021's first finish....

my dear daughter finished the cross-stitch on this elegant sampler stocking for me and put it under the tree...for me to complete, which i happily did....i love the antique samplers and always hoped to make at least one, but quilting has completely taken over all my time.  then i found this pattern....apologies to the designer--if she is still with us, that is--as it's been in the works for AT LEAST 20 YEARS....but it's done now and ready to display year-round....the hanger was reinforced just in case santa has to fill it with coal--don't snicker, it's a real possibility...LOL!  regardless, it makes my friday happy indeed....

another repro mini

not tiny but mini....blocks will be 7" finished, which called for some advanced math on my part, always a huge undertaking!  saw this block on the web, kim diehl simple whatnots i think, and wondered if it would work larger....plenty of scraps at hand of course....

another row and some sashing and might be large enough for guild charity project....or sew together and add sawtooth border--that's a sample peeking out--....might eventually sell it if i can...would make a great album or friendship block...plenty of possibilities anyway....

and meet the newest member of the family....it's joy!

a new zigzag machine to tide me over until the singer 328k comes my way....does what i need and has a decent warranty....won't get daily use, have phoebe for that.  the viking could not be replaced as machines are not made the same these days, not even singers.....i didn't want embroidery or computerized...hesitated to buy used on the internet due to chancy shipping and other unknown factors...disheartening to shop for quality items that have become obsolete...i don't love joy but i don't have to.  even if i had a gazillion greenbacks, the old viking wasn't coming back--gone the way of the rotary phone.  sometimes progress just isn't.....

my facebook account has gone haywire....somehow i had two of them, have deleted one and cannot get into the other....so set up another....sent friend requests to my "regulars" with no responses whatsoever...i only friended family members but some of my usual groups are non-responders as well....they should know i'm not donald trump...LOL

brrrr-isk saturday!

yikes, 25 degrees at 7:30 am....that's cold for these parts.  had planned to visit the gym but plans again derailed due to chemical abuse from nasty neighbors...makes me plenty mad i can tell you...that's what happens when low-life, self-centered people with an over-inflated sense of entitlement live in apartments.  came close to ER visit but my life-preserving meds rescued me.  

did spend time putting new belt on trudy treadle, made more challenging by significant dust layer, but got 'er done and gave trudy a whirl.  by afternoon was able to pick up some sewing....first up

felt good to rock the stitch again and make progress on this..hoping for january finish....then sat down at phoebe to stitch up more blocks for another small reproduction piece.   saw the pattern online someplace and tweaked it to fit my needs....25 blocks in all, will be about 35" square when done...

then, somber call from sewing machine repair confirmed the worst--old viking cannot be repaired.  parts stopped being made years ago and replacements nearly nonexistent for an issue rampant in these old machines.  it was repaired once about 20 years ago extending the life, but now must say goodbye.  seems silly but i'm heartbroken.  it went with me everywhere--rented rooms, other scuzzy apartments, seemingly immortal with a 25-year warranty that doesn't exist today.  it was my grown-up blankie.  one last visit next week to retrieve personal effects--magnets and such--that adorn her.  profound tearful sadness probably just the result of most recent huge pile of disappointments and stressors of the past year and will pass...but not today.

friday finish

that would be the new england sampler flimsy.....just about ready for a gentle wash and press and then mark for quilting and i am deeee-lighted!

all that's left to applique are the tiny centers on 4 of the blue flowers....so glad this is nearly off my quilty plate and can get back to ocean waves and other winter goals....got me thinking about how many applique projects are in the works....first is the sew along with bea and cecile project...

orange peels from a jo morton charm pack....this has a may deadline, is a small quilt, should be no problem getting it done on time (3 done so far).....

four of these big blocks, christmas red and green....just barely started so no deadline whatsoever....i do know it'll have swags, something i've wanted to do....then there's this in the works...

the wide polka dot border of this is applique but nowhere near as involved as the sampler....the corner baskets are pieced....this'll probably be the next applique that gets done after orange peels so i can proceed with the remaining borders.....not bed size but large wall quilt, like the sampler....then this is waiting in the wings....

worked on this during summer vacation....again no time frame or deadline....a lovely primitive jan patek pattern....then there is this, the newest, applique project on the list....

it's one large block, a whig rose variation, using that luscious salmon pink repro gifted me by an online quilty pal....i wanted a pattern that used it a lot and with big pieces..such a lovely fabric.....the jo morton cream from her 'glad tidings' line makes a perfect background for it....the stems and leaves are a brown print....i'm really good at leaves now...LOL!   last is the vintage tin of dargate indigo blocks....i had bought a FQ bundle of these rich indigo prints and cut most of them up into basket appliques....one wall quilt has been made and gifted to dear daughter, the rest just keep stacking up for a someday quilt...i often grab this project to take to guild meetings for busy work, but no progress nearly all last year of course...

even though i piece most of my quilts, applique is a technique that really tantalizes me.  my skills and confidence have improved a lot, so the skittishness that hampered my progress on the new england piece has dissipated and can't wait to forge ahead on these....time gallops on and so thankful my vision and fine motor skills are up to the fun and hope they remain so....

back to basics...

now that the holidays are officially over for another year.  from here until february, it's just plain winter.  this is prime quilting time, however, as any quilter can attest.  no gardens, lawns, cookouts to muddy up the schedule!  new year's day was a pajama sewing day for me....didn't even take time to make the bed or get dressed!  with jane austen on the telly, sewed up all the wishing ring blocks that were cut....

so there are just about half of the 143 i need for a good size quilt....and this year signed on for another small quilt sew along....the theme is curves and these blocks had already been set aside for someday....so it was kismet that i should join...

these are jo morton fabrics from a charm pack and the project has to be finished by may....thinking no problem here.   and then on my trek east for christmas, stopped at the guild receptacle and picked up 2 more top kits to sew.....

the gals who head this committee could be CEOs of any Fortune 500 company....tireless soldiers who motivate and manage an army of recruits....many charities benefit from our efforts and i'm proud to be one of the worker bees.  it's been a challenge without access to our ideal space but it's getting done, quite admirably too.  

so clean slate, fresh start and all that other stuff we tell ourselves at the start of any new year.  my family and i are blessed beyond measure, despite the valleys we've trekked thru and will probably continue to experience....but the joy of life knows no equal!

are you ready?

with no firm end in sight to "blursday", am fully prepared to know at a glance what day of the week it is that i'm repeating over and over...LOL!  you might recall my mom gifted me this in august at my birthday....

how did she know i had been ogling this online?  and then this arrived in the mail with autumn......

a really nice calendar with historical photos....last year it was portraits and this year highlights architectural details of this beautiful building in DC....this beltway chicken has yet to visit only 40 minutes away....and here's another i get every year with a gift subscription to my brother and SIL.....

this brings glorious photos of home and many places i've lived or visited.....then i get one of these every year.....

the delicately beautiful watercolors of this talented artist make me positively swoon....when the year is over, i repurpose many of the drawings for my scrapbook....i have 4 rooms counting the bathroom and each one gets a calendar....but the one i rely on most is this beauty, a gift from my daughter and SIL this Christmas....

this one gets my appointments and other useful info to keep at hand every day....last year's, of course, was nearly totally blank but feeling confident that this year's will be used more.  

i've been working on the new england sampler and it's getting closer to baste ready....

no other plans for the holiday other than relax and enjoy and my jane austen marathon, so take a cup o' kindness yet for auld lang syne!

finally together!

that would be ALL my fabric stash....not the precuts in shoeboxes or fabrics with UFOs....but everything else, including big (over 2 yards) pieces.  all it took was extending the shelving by 5 inches on one side....here is the before....

an inexpensive bookcase purchased when i moved here nearly five years ago....has served me well despite its precarious structural issues....yes it DID lean a bit now and then!  see the canvas tote?  yep, stash in there, as well as an underbed storage container that holds big pieces...plus the shoeboxes on the floor holding more fabric....but here it is now....

still six feet tall, but the space on the right has now been utilized with a slightly wider shelf width.  the shelves themselves are deeper as well, not required but easier when pulling and returning fabric. the shoeboxes came in handy to keep stacks from falling out.  big pieces and backings on the bottom.  the price was nearly the same as the shaky bookcase and is my christmas gift to me.  the underbed storage container is empty.  the white and muslin scraps have now rejoined their cotton kinfolk and the big canvas tote?  well, it WAS empty for a bit.....

pulled everything that was smaller than a FQ or quarter yard to cut up into strips and squares.  many are large enough to cut into squares for the guild's charity project quilts too...was nice to revisit each and every piece recalling places purchased and confess did toss a couple of pieces just too heinous to keep.  

as far as sewing, working on the new england sampler and all those needleturn flowers.  doubt it will be ready to baste by the new year but not long after, which is ok with me.  the pandemic rolls on and anticipate lots of sewing time well into the new year.  no word yet on vaccine for at risk folks.

when i turned 65, thought i would wake up that day being old but i wasn't any different at all...and anticipating the new year is much the same situation....dreaming that on january 1st life would be miraculously normal but knowing it won't happen.  even so, life is good, very very good!

scrappy sewing blitz

good thing phoebe had a tune-up...it was a busy weekend for her!  pulled out the tote with the 2.5" strips and removed lid gingerly....it was stuffed to the brim!  and there were more in another shoebox....time to thin the herd!

when the dust settled, 31 blocks had been assembled....these join the ones i removed from the design wall....

and another stack is waiting to be sewn....

i'll need 143 blocks in all for a decent size tied quilt for donation and i'm just about halfway there...sewing these up is like eating M&Ms....lickety split and there is a pile of them  (just the reverse with the M&Ms tho...LOL)....best part is the tote really shows a significant deficit.  i also pulled all the pieces that were 6" long or less and cut them into squares....then separated lights/darks to make it much easier to get back to cutting more blocks. 

this is my re-org week, one where put off tasks get done, some culling of no-longer-wants, getting out the winter quilts, attacking the budget and roughing out a sewing list for the first quarter,  the ocean waves didn't get finished yet due to time out of quilting because of my eye procedure.  

so thankful that another Christmas has come and gone and no family members lost due to pandemic.  that alone is a huge blessing.  despite concerns regarding family and friends that keep my prayers at the forefront, it was still a wonderful holiday!

right on time!

 even tho santa couldn't fill my stocking this year, no problem next year!

i've long admired vintage samplers and always had the desire to make one....until i found this pattern!  so very long ago i cannot even recall where or by who.....i started it but quilting inched it off my "to do" list....dear daughter stepped in and got it done.  now to finish and hang up, all year long as it is soo beautiful and not specifically holiday-ish....she is a superb cross stitcher and always has interesting projects in the works....

christmas nearly over for another year....some very nice gifts and precious time with my daughter and son-in-law, who got his covid vaccine shot just this week....so very grateful to God for all His blessings, the safety He has provided thus far for all my family....wind up week ahead!

just one thing (or two)....

to say.....

no matter how you celebrate this year....despite the pandemic...with or without snow....on zoom or in person....it is a Blessed Christmas, for the true meaning is never overshadowed by anything else...joy is found in every day....God bless us everyone!

weekend wrap-up

busy sewing weekend....finally got the scrappy plaid triangles to the flimsy stage....this was on my goal list.....

it seemed to take forever, probably as it was paper pieced...you know, print papers, sew on papers, rip out papers....then pulled out another UFO with speedier piecing technique...

from this book....filled with glossy, bright color photos....every quilt is done in batik fabrics....sensation describes it perfectly!  author is katherine guerrier....

and a surprise visit from one of santa's elves....that would be amazon....LOL

gosh i do miss "prairie home companion" on saturday nights....

short week this will be....quick bathroom tidy, some laundry and gift wrapping, plus groceries and a lab appointment and the always needed gym visits... how did the holidays get here so darn fast???  it's been a crazy, challenging and blessed year!

snow day - sew day

awoke to gray but dry skies that didn't stay dry long...as expected, heavy snow and wind arrived making this a snow day according to my new england criteria....i know the drill well!   this (so far) is the most snow i've seen in maryland since moving here in 2016....with more coming overnight.  despite several UFOs waiting in the wings, instead sewed up another small civil war repro quilt.  

saw the design in an old fons & porter book....the original was made with 1.5" squares but since i have plenty of repro stash, upped the size to 2" to use some precut scraps....took an hour and all 10 digits to figure out correct math measurements, but by end of day had this little flimsy.  so instead of busting UFOs, added another to the pile....it is a sickness i have....LOL!  did, however, bust most of that neutral used for sashing...the remainder went into the scrap basket.  so you see, i don't so much use up stash, rather move it around...LOL!

no room?

at this time of the year that phrase is heard often, but today it means no room for more 2.5" strips in the shoebox....it is JAMMED and then some!

spent part of the weekend tackling the scrap basket....overflowing don't you know...all the cut scraps got put away except these...looks like another shoebox will be called into service.  january's project is to whittle this down with a bunch of scrappy wishing ring blocks for a flimsy to donate someplace.  so that means the scrappy triangle top HAS to be done before month's end.  still quilting on the ocean waves but iffy for a december finish...so many triangles still to go.  

holiday prep is nearly complete.  just a few gifts to wrap and a roast to order.  my charlie brown tree is up and all decorated with lights and ornaments that have so many memories.

it's  a very rainy day here...a few degrees cooler and it would be snow, but that is predicted for wednesday, like 8-14 inches....huh?  haven't seen that much since moving to maryland....a snow day?  first one here for me, but i know the drill....plenty of food, meds and TP on hand and of course, plenty of sewing projects too.  ***  the covid vaccine is en route and i'm in the high risk group so that'll be the most important and welcome gift of the season....

monday design wall

have been thinking about some sewing goals for going into 2021 and one that kept popping out of the gray matter was the dutch tree of life panel...it's been on the back burner for far too long...so pulled out the fabrics that were set aside to at least make a start and formulate a beginning plan for a few of the borders....

most of the fabrics set aside are half yard or less so others will need to be found in the stash....the narrow pink is a di ford fabric....the second pieced border (blue squares) will be followed with another narrow pink border....after that it's a border of pinwheels....have also cut some designs for broderie perse to be incorporated at some point...

decided to donate the autumn jubilee top to free up space on the 2021 UFO list for the dutch tree of life (TOL) panel medallion....better for it to be finished and benefit someone rather than languish in the unfinished pile here.  

this little piece finally got finished....it's the nordic christmas mini sew along....nice and festive!

holiday tasks move forward on schedule despite a mini detour for fixing an eye issue...it's just one more of the constellation of medical problems i've had since moving into this apartment....not as bad as the pigsty where i briefly lived in dorchester, massachusetts....but leaves a lot to be desired and not anything like what i consider home...

another cross off

from the end of the year list!  the scrappy trees top is done....titled "in a quarantine forest" where things are not as they appear....just right don't you think?

not the best photo....it's pretty good size being about 65 wide and about 85 long, bigger than a lot of the things i make.  but it'll hang over the end of the bed nicely.  should be ready for next christmas i'm guessing....

not too christmas-y weather here--40s daytime hovering around 30s at night.  my new england family is getting a nor'easter with snow but that's expected in december.  my tree is up and covered with pretty lights, ornaments on today.  i've some gifts to wrap and mail so that's on for the weekend...

hope your holiday festivities are in full swing!

another crazy week

well here we are at november 31st.....i mean DECEMBER 1st...and christmas decorating and planning is on the front burner.   enjoyed a quiet thanksgiving with dear daughter and some yummy leftovers...where has this year gone???  seemed to fly by even with all the craziness going on...plenty of sewing still happening....

something's missing from the design wall.....

remember these?  i had an idea for a bed size quilt using these (and lots more) little blocks...but after a glance at the big quilts waiting to be quilted, decided to go small instead.   pulled out a perfect paisley to pair them with and it's a flimsy!  the binding was also prepped and the remainder of this half yard went into the scrap basket.  it's a 2021 UFO but it'll be a quick hand-quilted finish.  ***  also in the works is to finish the scrappy trees flimsy--trees done, just need to become rows, and a top for the guild.  the nordic mini is ready to baste and finish.....did end up taking out one of the tiny seams and made it a tad more mini so the top row would fit better....and glad of it...

today is decorating day, tho....moved furniture around yesterday to make room for holiday stuff.  started off with a maine-inspired breakfast, delish blueberry muffins!

made with tiny and sweet maine blueberries....

somewhere in my whitney genealogy a wyman married a whitney so you could say it's sort of a family business...but they really are the best!  and can't finish without promoting another maine family business...

 Whitney Wreath - Maine Balsam Wreaths

beautiful christmas decorations from the crown of maine...let the aroma of christmas fill your home!

don't let the craziness of this ultra-crazy year rob your christmas joy!

a sewing week?

well, they all are actually....especially during a pandemic.  but even with a major holiday looming, sewing is on the front burner.  today i'll be cooking my two donations to dinner thursday but sewing is the primary task.  first, though, i wanted to show you this....

the top is done and ready to baste and machine quilt, just in time for christmas decorating.  the top row is a skosh narrower than the others but there is NO WAY i am going to take out any of those teeny tiny seams..first i'll try some magic sizing and then baste real quick...LOL...this was a fun little project and i've the perfect backing for it too...

perfect don't you think?  along with this, i finished 2 tops for the guild and got all my remaining 45 trees cut out and ready to sew.....

had sorta decided to postpone this task but the huge pile of christmas stash was taking up half my ironing station.  did manage to use up lots of small pieces, so am thinking maybe one more christmas quilt will use up most of them...with the leftovers planning on some strippie christmas stockings to donate or sell at some point.  might call it "in a quarantine forest"....an unreal place where trees don't look like they should and there is no rhyme or reason to the norm.  

will be spending the holiday with my daughter and son-in-law--he has to work (hospital) but she and i have some fun things planned.  holidays are especially tough for her...long dreamed-for children never happened and missing her extended family, plus midlife and this crazy pandemic make for a disappointing situation.  we have our strong faith for comfort and still plenty of blessings for any day, not just thanksgiving....