halfway progress

june is half done and taking stock of my "one monthly goal" status.....not too shabby!  the guild charity top is half done...this little wall quilt is a flimsy too....

 

my little pile of dargate baskets is dwindling with only 39 to baste....then it'll get put away for a take-along project....

and since my sewing mojo has recovered somewhat, pulled out an official UFO and my box of kaffe scraps for more little houses.....

my design wall fell down again....the command hooks hate my concrete walls....so i'm making do with it hanging precariously on my shelf unit....but aren't they cute?   need to make 36 in all....and they are fun too!  

it's week 7 after surgery and progress is steady but too slow for my liking....anxious to be on two feet and driving again....been using the stationary bike more, very gingerly as PT advised...now that life is slowly returning to normal in the world, anxious to do some fun things again.....soon i hope!

long may she wave!

hope you are flying the flag today on Flag Day....despots, crooked politicians and even bad presidents have failed to destroy the democracy represented by the stars and stripes....would the founding fathers be surprised the republic has survived through all that has transpired in nearly 250 years?  for an eye-opening view into the struggles they faced, recommend reading "the federalist papers".....

and our family never forgets Flag Day for it was my Dad's birthday....

 

for a time he served in the civil air patrol and visited cape canaveral in FL......he would have been 98 today....

recovery from hip and dental surgery continues....the infirmary is just about closed and sewing mojo is returning slowly.....will have photos later this week....beach vacation just 82 days from now....now bring on monday!

two for thursday

 

more serendipity sewing and now there are two butterfly blocks!  also, the little blues and bricks is done except for its borders, a weekend task no doubt.  with june nearly half over, plan to cut up the remaining 49 background squares for the blue basket project.  am determined to get them all basted as my One Monthly Goal!  

all home care providers are done except for PT with 2 more home visits....that may extend to outpatient.  i've 3 days for strengthening the leg, some mundane home chores and a serious tidy.  the dental visit is history but more to come more when i'm fully ambulatory.  today was able to stand long enough to make a batch of turkey meatballs for the freezer and i'm hoping to make some yeast rolls this weekend.  i sure do miss being able to hop in the car and do my own errands.  the transportation and delivery expenses i've had during this injury have seriously dented my budget.  thankful our county has a free ride service for medical appointments and an all-important bookmobile that comes every two weeks. 

a notable day

it was 77 years ago that D-Day occurred....June of 1944....it was just a month later that my own dear dad arrived on Utah Beach....the war changed him forever; he never really recovered like so many who served, but at least he returned home; weary and ill but back to those he loved and who loved him.  he wasn't my dad then but nevertheless he is revered and honored....my mom's uncle was on a coast guard ship off Omaha Beach picking up the dead....a thoroughly gruesome and heart-wrenching task....

back to sewing news!  one monthly goal progress continues.....there are 49 baskets left to applique, but first background squares have to be cut....

do confess to a bit of a detour.....a friend has been on a layer cake purge, sewing like mad using one after the other on some really cute quilts....one was a butterfly pattern from Quilty Box....i caved and got the pattern before my vacation and a Tula Pink layer cake, aka really bright fabrics!  here is the first one...

still needs some applique.....all 9 that i'm making will be different but a very colorful small quilt nonetheless....

and as if a broken hip weren't enough to occupy me, a chipped tooth necessitated a dental visit and another this coming week....plus the nuisance of stopping my blood thinner, giving myself shots every day, another clinic appointment to make sure my level is back to normal....

regarding the hip, the cane is here and will be tackling ambulation sans walker with the OT this week....it still hurts but pain slowly waning....if i'm back to two legs (3 with cane) and able to drive and moderate exercise by month's end, i'll be a happy camper.  

even though challenges seem to keep coming, am very blessed and grateful....my thoughts and prayers are with those with no voice and no choice....my daughter and i researched the rehab facility where i stayed and found they are chronic offenders of HIPAA regulations....nasty business indeed!

and so it begins!

starting June with ONE MONTHLY GOAL, actually 3 of them....not to be an over-achiever but to make up for the past weeks when sewing and even fabric were far from my mind.   my official OMG is this aged UFO.  about 20+ years ago, bought an entire FQ bundle of margo krager's dargate indigo fabrics.  i used some here and there but settled on a massive basket project.  a small quilt was given to my daughter and SIL, leaving me with a gazillion baskets all cut and ready to applique.  June is going to be the month all the baskets get basted onto background squares in readiness for take-along sewing days to come and my fall vacation.  

another June goal is to get this little quilt top finished....bricks and blues.  The blue is leftover from the scrappy DWR partnered with other leftover solid scraps. getting this to the flimsy stage shouldn't be difficult...

lastly, i've a kit from the guild for another charity top.  this will definitely get done as well.  i'll continue to quilt on the New England Sampler but doubt it'll be done by month's end....no problem.  

now that summer temps have arrived, the summer clothes have to be unpacked and the apartment needs a thorough go-thru, being neglected now since late April.  my OT has declared me fit for advancing to the cane at next week's visit.....and finally, back to driving before month's end....hopefully not too ambitious goals!

new carrot

 

have decided to participate with this online sewing monthly goal group.....though not quite ready to start sewing again, shouldn't be long at all....a few good nights of sleep would help immensely but more difficult to achieve than i'd wish....once i get back to sewing, will have to get organized and get some things done, hence the accountability!  ***  dear daughter called today to say she had unearthed her cane, so i am guessing that is the next milestone.  the home care RN says another two weeks will probably be a huge step forward....on two solid feet!  yesterday did manage to hobble up to laundry room and wash a load, dry on racks and fold.   *** still managing to quilt some altho my shoulders are beginning to balk a bit from the walker....i've been watching old series of SNL on peacock and as roseanne rosannadana says...."it's always something!"

back at it....

that would be quilting!  a few days ago finally had enough energy to pick up this hand quilting project again and am trying to spend time each day with it...

hand quilting the cross hatching now and when done, will go back and outline the applique work....

recovery continues at a very slow pace, but progress is made every day.  today had to venture out first time alone with the walker to medical appointments.  dismayed at how tiring it was so no quilting until rested.  good reports but of course i am impatient for getting completely back independently mobile.  another morning appointment tomorrow.  am itching to get back at the machine but simply no oomph at all.  it is four weeks today since the injury, so enough of this nonsense now!!

hanging in...

with inch-like progress but progress nonetheless.....home therapies in place and a real shower/shampoo rounded out the week.  no sewing yet but have been working away on a small cross-stitch piece...

a little pattern called "quaker pumpkin" that'll make a nifty pin cushion when done....and this chuckle was in my mailbox earlier this week....

dear daughter and son-in-law arrived today for much needed support and brought back my new stash, all washed, dried and folded, patiently waiting for some fun....had forgotten what i had bought!

have just about regained lost ground from rehab, but with situation now stable can hopefully advance a bit faster....thinking another two weeks will make a big difference.  hoping sewing muse returns sooner rather than later....

homecoming stash

whew.....been a very long time (april 18th) since i've slept in my own bed but a 2-hour nap was the perfect way to begin...on my arrival from maine fell in the driveway and fractured left hip, bruised left knee.  off to hospital for open reduction and fixation then a brief but ghoulish stint in rehab.  tops on my prayer list from now on are those in places without any voice or choice of their own.   it is the 21st century version of a vile prison i do believe.  thankfully my regular exercise served me well and due to my cardiac situation that was completely ignored, got sprung quickly with home care and assorted adaptive doo-dads.  in my huge pile of waiting mail was this...

a bright layer cake by tula pink....i seldom buy precuts but a friend made a butterfly quilt with one and it caught my eye and of course, these fabrics will make it wow!  thanks joe....LOL!

while in maine some sewing was done and happy to report that four of my jan patek nativity sections are now done....i didn't have the lamb legs with me or they would have been completed as well...but close enough and good progress.

lastly, dedicate this brief post to all my family....being a single without a close faith community and during the pandemic, they held me up, kept me going and in their prayers....it's been an awful 18 days recovering.  they sent these to me ahead of mother's day...dear daughter and son-in-law were and are my local angels....again and again God blesses me with His favor....

weekend update

big bird and i arrived in maine a few days ago....chilly of course but packed plenty of warm things....spending time with my family and scarfing down yummy maine seafood...before i left, dropped off a charity top and some charity squares to our guild drop box....

then it was off to the airport arriving in time for supper  (i don't miss many meals...LOL)

this started the week off!  

a bit of the white stuff dusting building and car tops and temps in 30s...not a surprise as it often happens when winter has its last gasp....no deterrent to family fun whatsoever....

bad weather has kept lobstermen in dry dock a lot but still plenty to be had....deelish of course!

then a day trip to the source--ocean--for some wave watching and more seafood....

the always scrumptious fried clams....my yearly treat!  some retail therapy heralded the weekend...

these came from busy thimble, repro shop of my friend cyndi....was in need of restocking shirtings and had a couple of other projects in mind for the other selections....

there is more seafood ahead and a brunch with family before big bird and i cross the mason-dixon line once more....and a week that is flying by all too quickly....

now there are two!

 

two squares all done in the 'wildest dreams' project....no deadline for this, just whenever the urge strikes....there are 16 blocks in all.....

and there was a finish!  it's the corinne et cecile sew along piece....the theme this year was curves and had always wanted to try orange peel....some jo morton charms on hand resulted in this...

it's about 20" square, just enough to enjoy the process and get finished without stress....no destination for this piece at all....maybe a topper for one of my side tables.....

made 3 blocks for guild block-of-month and also some thank you blocks for outgoing guild officers....plus a pair of wild tropical pj shorts for summer.....just joy has been busy!  now back to quilting 'new england sampler'.....

MATO update

that's "midnight at the oasis" update....you are probably bored seeing this by now, but honestly the more i work on this, the more thrilled i get seeing its progress....

all 52 little churn dash blocks are done and attached.....had to do a bit of tweaking on some as acquired a 1/4" foot for just joy....the previous foot only had a 1/4" mark....so the latter ones were a tad larger...but all is calm now....first chance i get to lay it out and finalize the vine, will get that border done before proceeding to the last two.  the next is checkerboard and already have nearly one side all assembled.  ***  and the tote of scraps finally got to me....could no longer tolerate the heap so spent half hour sorting out....

as you can see, there were a lot of nickels in that pile that are now neatly stacked....and a similar stack of scrap pieces....much easier to find suitable pieces....have printed off several little houses to tackle next as can't bear to stop sewing with these bodacious prints!  

someone at guild mentioned ruth mcdowell....pulled this out to ruminate on a possible project from this book....

or might pull out my snapdragons photo and see if i can make a wall quilt using ruth's method....either way i am curious to try my hand....ruth retired before i could take one of her workshops so have to muddle along myself....

as of today, two weeks post second shot so fully immunized...patiently waiting for herd immunity and for group events again......spring marches on but stuck in the low 60s waiting for that elusive 70 to come and stay a while....

just the scraps, ma'am

remember joe friday?  he always said with a deadpan expression "just the facts ma'am"....dating myself here....LOL!  always lots of discussion in quilty circles about scraps...they DO seem to multiply and marathon sewing doesn't appear to whittle down the piles any, if at all.  goes for me as well....take a look...

this is my 12x12x3 plastic bin of kaffe scraps from which i'm making MATO (midnight at the oasis)....admittedly all the pieces used for the top are small but you'd think there would be some difference in the pile....not a whit.  i'll be using these for the little house project as well...maybe that'll make some headway.  and here is the top so far...

i've now cut most of the applique shapes for the viney border waiting on final vine placement....and here's a shot of just joy hard at work....

i thought making 52 of these little blocks would be a chore but really it's just like eating peanuts....or my personal preference, potato chips!  the next border is checkerboard of dot fabric and kaffe squares....won't be adding that until the applique is done.  

few outside appointments today but will still have time to sew.  it's so terrific having my studio space at hand 24/7...makes it uber convenient.  weatherman predicts 75 today, a great day to do just about anything!

almost alaska!

 

only one more fabric and i'll have all needed to start this project....it's edyta sitar's "alaska"....yesterday while in lancaster picked up the medium blue in the middle; others came from stash.  may end up swapping out the mottled blue tho.   all that's needed is the 2.5 yards of white....looking for a white batik, or one that 'reads' white anyway.  no rush at all.  happy to continue sewing AND eliminating UFOs for the time being.  

daughter and i went to lancaster to their excellent butcher shop, but of course quilty retail therapy always happens...lol!  was odd not seeing any buggies, but being good friday some shops were closed and no amish were about.  in addition to the blue pictured, these lovelies came home with me...

more blue solid for DWR border and binding, a tula pink print, a kim diehl pink, another piece of jo morton's 'glad tidings', a repro neutral and some dish toweling..  a delightful day spent together shopping and lunching....i moved to maryland to spend lots of time with my daughter doing just about anything so naturally the day was perfect.  

friday was a no sew day but thursday just the opposite....more little churn dash blocks got sewn...

because they are very small, high contrast is a must to see the pattern....here are a couple of rejects that'll become potholders probably....

Easter has arrived and it truly feels like a new england one with temps only 40s daytime and (yikes) 20s overnite.   Good weekend to mark the solemn occasion inside!

no fooling!

just joy has been quite busy since the last post....we are now getting along fine altho i've pretty much abandoned the needle threader.....suitable for a right-handed person don't you know...awkward for me so stick to tried and true method.   first, the march goal of getting the scrappy double wedding ring to a flimsy has been met!

and this will definitely need a border, about 3" i think....the original pattern called for one much wider and then appliqued but not for me.  with the border it'll be quite suitable for my use.  this was a great project to use up thread odds and ends and i think a total of 5 or 6 partial small spools are now gone.

evenings have been spent quilting on the new england sampler, also making good progress.  just about ready to start quilting borders....hoping for an april finish....some details need to be added also....bird beaks and such.  i get simply giddy when i think about this being finished.  

and once the double wedding ring top was done....an actual empty UFO drawer!

then it was on to more of those little churn dash blocks for the MATO....midnight at the oasis....one row of the border is now complete...first another narrow lime border has to be added tho.  

and yes, those little houses are kaffe fabrics too...a pattern that was on www.allpeoplequilt.com called the house that kaffe built.  they are paper pieced, total of 26 for the wall quilt.  another UFO waiting for more. 

since i've not bought any new fabric yet this year, or acquired any at the guild free table, i just might have to treat myself to some of these....."holly time" by riley blake....available in may.

aren't they cute?  then later this month i'll be visiting my friend cyndi's repro shop in maine for her retirement sale.

best news is i'm now fully vaccinated and my mom also this week....our family has been supremely blessed that no one has contracted coronavirus.  my daughter is now eligible for a shot too. like most everyone, hoping this year brings quilty gatherings and getting back on track to the precovid lifestyle.  

slow stitching....

that would be the scrappy DWR assembly.....as much pinning and ripping as sewing it seems....and you know piecing is not my best skill....😉

was procrastinating adding the second row....but was actually easier than anticipated....it's still a process and not a quick one at that....these two rows measure about 26" long so it'll be about 64x76....and since the blue is readily available thinking might add a border, maybe 3" or a bit less...just to frame it and suck up some of the scrappiness chaos....even so i like it very much....

and while i was putting off the second row, got the bias length done for 'midnight at the oasis' and  pinned on....needs some tweaking but not bad for a first try.  i do not have a flat horizontal space big enough to lay out the entire top so considering that, not too bad.  any big table space i could have used are under pandemic lock down...

once the wedding ring top is done, i can get back to the kaffe little churn dash blocks for the next border.  

aren't they cute?  before i sew down the green vine, want to get this border attached to get the vine even all around....then can applique down the flowers and various circles and leaves per the pattern.  

even with spring exploding, life is duller than dishwater and i'm starting to slink into my hermit phase...i still go for regular exercise but that's about all i do.  with easing restrictions i could wander around in the mall if it weren't for the blasted mask....governor tells us to 'wear the damn mask' and i do but really hate the 'damn mask'....zoom gatherings are losing their magic for me as well...my conversations with the television have escalated i'm afraid...LOL!  but i count my blessings and soldier on....so thankful these are the only challenges...this WILL pass i am sure!

national quilting day wrap-up

although quilters have a designated "day", being retired means i sew/quilt pretty much every day  it's the retirement goal i had for many years, one of very few that has materialized (no pun).  even though i was "down for the count" for a couple of days (thanks to fellow tenants), managed to play in the stash.  more accomplished on the scrappy DWR....

the pile of completed circles grows and all needed pieces have been cut.  there might be enough left for the binding but even if another half yard is needed, that's progress for me.  the remainder of march will be assembly....then with a trip coming up, restocked the busy box for travel....

another of those projects that's been waiting for some attention....a jan patek nativity.  prepped enough for 3 more blocks which is an ambitious goal, but one never knows.  

then with 'midnight at the oasis' hanging in plain sight, pulled out some greens for the vine on the applique border.  

the blue thread bobbin is almost gone...the binding will be finished once thread color changes..  then more hand quilting done on the new england sampler....but this hampered any further sewing progress...

this is an interesting and beguiling story of a child's request....a mystery but more than that, a relationship story between a retired cop and a child, the rural culture and how problems get solved in a harsh, impoverished environment.   sort of the dark side of 'ballykissangel'....i seldom choose books that i can't put down, but this is definitely one of them.  ate up the most of two whole days!  

even with the book and all the sewing (note:  no housework or cooking!) managed to enjoy some burgeoning springtime weather....

and that, my readers, is the most delightful thing about this chamber of horrors called taney village.