summer list progress

thanks to sweltering temps and no vehicle, the summer to-do list is coming along nicely.   this is the latest getting attention....

my mother's sampler....have added border, prepped a binding, basted it with flannel and a lovely kaffe print on the back.  she taught me everything except how to regain joy in life without her, and no freedom makes it doubly difficult.  the things i enjoyed doing here in MD no longer possible.

batik baskets is a flimsy.  not an official summer to do, just a UFO that needs to get done.  i did tweak the setting a bit more and made 2 more blocks to even out colors and values.  it does seem a bit heavy on darks in the top half but not taking it apart at this point...it'll get donated and somebody will love it...next up is basting....

not on summer list is this quickie project for our senior center group....

the panel i was given could not be squared up to add borders without skewing the design, so i trimmed off the edge and basted it to this red, which will get machine appliqued, then add the woodland border.  somebody will quilt it and add binding.  problem solved!

and a large tote of fabric pieces was getting emptied and passed out but sensibility ruled and i came home with just this one small piece, good for backgrounds in scrappy blocks...

lobster runner ready to machine quilt but a new walking foot had to be ordered, so by midweek a finish probably.  the small august stitchery is done and will be finished into a stuffie today most likely.  

still grieving the loss of my independence....i don't think new hampshire is the only place where you can 'live free or die', praying it's only temporary....have a blessed sunday...this IS the day the Lord has made!

done!

shazam!   i did manage to cut up all the scraps in the basket...a happy result indeed!

all that remains are a few pieces suitable for broderie perse...so now that task is done!  

what's next? here is august's chookshed challenge....

3.  finish up the selvedge strips.  little container half full (or half empty) shouldn't take more than half a day at most.  

first thing is to prep some foundation squares...then i can sew up all these selvedge strips into potholders....or maybe i can find another idea for them...this will be a win/win as it'll finish them up into something useful AND free up thie small tote for another use.  

after staring at the baskets on the design wall, decided it needed better contrast in some of the blocks so this is the second version which i like much better.  might still move a couple around tho.

wednesday felt more like a usual day before my year got sidelined...cut up my scraps, made some yeast onion rolls and a nice luncheon salad (thank you lidia bastianich), watched olympics, read a bit and washed my recent quilt finish.  that's more than i've accomplished in one day for many months.   tears still come but not consuming my whole day...not that i miss her any less or that my life is less empty without her.  still hemmed in at the apartment of course.  ortho guy told me to get a scooter but as long as i'm on two legs, not gonna happen. he's probably got 2 cars in his driveway....

down to the wire

for the chookshed monthly challenge....mine was to empty the scrap basket and this is my progress so far...

that's right, NONE!  so today's the day....will see if i can empty this or not...only added a couple of pieces this month while i was occupied with UFO finishes...horrible heat back for another week so hoping can keep on task and not go off the rails with being confined inside...thankful for A/C of course and kind neighbors who ferry me to shop when needed.

also finished all my batik baskets and got them up on the design wall....still needs some tweaking but they are done AND surprise!  i had enough of a white batik print for the setting triangles AND the binding if i choose...now that's a first!  

moving along on dargate baskets also...have about 36 left to do so an august 31 finish is likely...color me happy!  i had thought it might get to flimsy stage but doubt it...

and hard to believe, but sewing does get boring now and then.  whereas usually i'd pull out a long-buried UFO, can't even face that so off i hibernate with a good read.  this came my way--advanced reader copy so not available til fall but can recommend.  i'll only say this:  swamps, suspects and murder oh my!  i'm also reading thru the inspector lynley mysteries ebooks from library...

and of course, the olympics are on TV...NBC only shows you what they want and i don't pay for Peacock so can't see everything.  enough women's beach volleyball please..no doubt camera guys preference!  

now back to that basket!

FYI

in case you wondered....the header photo was taken at pemaquid point in maine...it was my mother's favorite place to go and just sit and read....after my father died, she often went after work to just ponder, probably pray, and soak in sea air and sunshine.  when i was there, we always visited.  i wish i could have taken her more times.  the black stripes in the rock are called dikes, cooled molten lava...there is a lighthouse there and a lovely little restaurant.  the restaurant burned a few years ago but was rebuilt.  it is one of the many, many beautiful spots in maine, seldom over-run with tourists....no beach but oh the view.  lobster boats can often be seen hauling traps...if you love the ocean and get to maine, it is a must.  

saturday doings

finally cooler, cloudy, still steamy, but at least can open the drapes and let some light in...i made a list and working on it slow and steady.  so far today....

eighteen 6.5" baskets all done....that's half....so on the way to another finish.  takes the same time to cut pieces and sew the block.  might get the others prepped before the day is gone....might.  

leftover album blocks got approval for a lap quilt at yesterday's sewing group....border fabric found in our storage so get them on and it goes bye bye next friday.  

it seems everyone is in the christmas mode and our group is no different.  they pulled out a project for me....

it's a cute panel, santa with some woodland animals.  they added the tan print with little deer and a red to finish it off, so that's on my next week's agenda.  

more baskets got appliqued and on target to finish them by august 31st.  tuscan starburst is in the hoop.  summer list slowly dwindling but still robust.   there are 3 basting tasks but think one will get done for now.  

missing my independence big time...finally get to a point in my life with no other demands and now stranded...if i were younger and in better physical shape, i'd give up my apartment and buy a new car.  yeah i miss it that much....glass still half full but the half empty part is unpleasant....sigh

quilty circle of life

just as in everyday life, things, people, situations come and go.  so it is with quilting.  just yesterday finished this long-awaited UFO...

s'mores is finished, waiting for winter.  a jo morton pattern pulled from a magazine and drooled over ever since.  color me happy....one down, one added....

blue album/chimney sweep top is finished....goes in the basting pile after batting and backing acquired...it's 60x80 and had planned a larger quilt but caved and used the extra blocks for a lap quilt top for our group project.  i have a couple already finished that'll get donated as well.  

that's the sweltering heat week progress.   tuscan starburst now in the hoop, more dargate blocks done, and dove in to my christmas puzzle...this is a real toughie...next will tackle mom's sampler to finish...with july half over the summer list is at the forefront.  had hoped to get 3 bed tops basted but at least the bow ties.  

all these are diversions are mostly keeping me from sliding into grief mode--loss of my dear mum, my car and independence, my summer beach vacay, my regular gym visits....focusing on blessings and gratitude for the good in my life, trying to emulate St. Paul, also a prisoner, and be content where i am, trusting my Lord to free me.  

as per usual...

my bad habit, or deficient calculation more like, finds me often lacking a certain needed fabric...and it happened again with s'mores.  i do have some sashing fabric left but alas, not enough to bind.  what to do?  rummage in the stash for something do-able...

close enough....not quite a color match but not too far off the sashing....it's for me, another humble quilt, so i don't mind.  it's definitely snuggle worthy.

i do have a finish, tho....it's the birdhouse project

this idea came from the border fabric pieces, just small scraps that appealed to me.  it's done and needs a wash....dear daughter has already claimed....i do like to do letters now and then, plus busted more fabric, always good.  and on the back....

cleaning out an elfa drawer found a bit of this aunt grace fabric so fussy cut the designs and will use them as quilt labels...

last but not least, a sample block of 'crossed canoes'....

bit of ripping out a couple of times but overall good result...this is NOT a new start but will leave on design wall for now....have to sign off now, cable acting up as per usual....keeps telling me i have no internet connection that i paid for which means nothing to them.  

unmentionable

if you live in the path of the current heat wave, no words needed.  

still waiting for new machine belt....holiday and heat have delayed delivery so it's dargate baskets on my current plate.  finished applique blocks piling up...all these plus what's on design wall...56 to go!

got all the album blocks done before the machine issue so today's task is to square them up and cut sashing strips.  pair of winter pjs need to be cut out as well.  

lotsa free time to surf quilty stuff brought this WHIMM (work hidden in my mind) to the forefront....kaffe fassett crossed canoes.

don't these colorful blocks just make you swoon?  they do me for sure....thanks to jinny beyer for the free pattern to download...just happen to have shoebox full of kaffe scraps plus what's on the shelf....added to the list!

finalized my plan for liberty fabrics and got my teacup pattern ready...

looks funky due to the fold and angle of camera...needs a bit of fine tuning

inbetween sewing fun, reading this series....Inspector Lynley

i've read a few of her more recent books but went back and started at the beginning of the series..this is book 6 so will keep me occupied thru the summer....i miss going to the library and just wandering around.  between work and weather, my occasional chauffeur has been delayed....food pantry trips gone along with the subaru but so far God has provided...

sticking to simple menus but TV pizza ads driving me nuts so early this morning, made my own....no salt dough, no salt sauce, only a bit in the cheese with vegs on top...mmm delish!

that's all from this lake woebegone!  gosh i sure do miss prairie home companion saturday nights---thank goodness for youtube!

a day to celebrate

 

no real plans for today but lots of cherished memories of past independence days...even so, it's always a good day to remember and celebrate the founding of our nation, born in struggle and maintained in equal effort...pray for our nation every day to preserve its tenets and our freedoms in these days that are no less explosive, divisive and challenging than when first established.

back to steamy

our few days of good weather and good sleeping nights have ended, it's back to the very hot and humid stuff....yeeech! 

was nearly finished sewing binding on s'mores and miss sunny snapped another belt!  only 3 weeks old too!  i've ordered a small stash of them but in the meantime, must soldier on with other things.  guessing my mom didn't have this problem as she did not sew as much as i do.  looking into alternatives that might have longer life.  

this small piece is in the hoop and will be done in short order i think.  also have some baskets to applique, album blocks to trim; house chores also on the list.  

today is the day mom is laid to rest next to dad.  we've had a few months to steel ourselves, but it is still a difficult day.  she isn't there, we know that, but everything has been settled now and it's time for us to ease back into everyday life, except it won't ever be normal again i don't think.  the emptiness, loss and aloneness never goes away.  

happy together again no doubt....

july's task

 

the chookshed challenge organizer has spoken...it's #1 on the hit parade!  this is mine....

1.  Tame the wild scrap basket.....

this was my scrap basket way back in december when the list was made....here it is now....

i've used some, added some, even tossed some--i had to, it was so tall might have caused an injury--anyway, with another heat wave later this week, more time will be spent indoors with the A/C so hoping there is room in the shoeboxes for additions.  

wonders never cease and we've a cool, sunny, breezy day here in mostly miserable weather maryland...aside from trying to schedule problematic transit service to medical appointments and rescheduling same 3-4 times, it's a great day so far...you'd think i was asking permission to run off with a tiktok stranger, which no doubt would be much easier to arrange.  

wishing all a happy 4th, so grateful for our free country and its benefits, thanks to all who worked and sacrificed for them...

life under the dome

the heat dome, that is.   oppressive heat continues...weatherman called it a heat wave but when temps don't fluctuate that much, not sure how he figures that.  my dearest daughter braved heat and took me out wednesday afternoon...haircut, farmer's market, grocery...she is definitely a keeper.  it was a boost to my mental outlook as well a PLUS as cruising around the store provided some much-needed cardio.  

getting down to the wire on s'mores....

the next photo i post of this will, i say WILL be the finish...a few more blue album blocks to assemble then it's on to the flimsy.  dargate basket progress plods along.  i am weary of these 3 projects.  fortunately a cruise on the internet revealed this...

i'm going to modify the shape a bit and use it for my liberty stash.  it will commemorate my daughter's tea at the savoy when she visited london.  it was a grand event for her and will be gifted when done, but won't be started right away.  another UFO is up next....

actually it's TWO ufos...pulled out this tote of batik scraps to make blocks--baskets and moth in window (bonnie hunter pattern)...so it's a DUO UFO....a change from the blues.  this project along with the chookshed challenge PLUS more hand quilting and a bit of cross stitch will keep my mind off horrid hot weather, made worse as there's no maine vacay in my future, nothing fun ahead.  working very hard not to sink into depression abyss.  

and must end this post with a tribute....today would have been my parents 77th anniversary....the first together in 22 years in their heavenly home....glad for them but still very sad for me....

time to crank up a/c again....eeeeek!  i've always said i'd rather cold weather than hot...easier to get warm than to stay cool....

sewing under the dome

that would be the heat dome....yes, records broken over the weekend and still hanging around....running the sewing machine drowned out the constant whirring of the electric meter while a/c pumped on...got this top done and packed for the thrift...

nearly all my blue batik stash used up and one of three blue projects off the sewing table.  

what else?  lots of quilting time and i believe i WILL finish s'mores this week.   recently gifted this gadget.

i knew about it long ago but never tried...now i am a convert!  keeps the quilting moving along steadily...the brown quilting thread was chosen, not a great choice.  using it on dark fabrics doesn't permit monitoring stitches, so it's another humble quilt by me i'm afraid.  

more dargate basket blocks got appliqued, some cross stitching, more album blocks--only 12 left to put together and can work on the flimsy.  the lobster runner got basted, plan to finish it in the next day or two.  no laundry was done nor kitchen floor washed either.  did have to do a bit of cooking of course and some PT exercises as well.  i do miss going to the gym immensely.  it seems every time i get into a groove, some annoying misfortune derails my momentum.

summer 1/3 over and i've still a hefty to-do list..hoping for good progress this week.  

so that's it for photos....keep COOL and quilt on!

today's post...

brought to you by the word "more"....as in more progress on current projects.

more quilting on s'mores...and found a use for that pesky walker i need to keep on hand...

acquired an oval hoop from senior center donation but no stand.  besides, would have been too short but eureka!  the walker fits the bill.  i just might get this finished in june...

more basket blocks....

only 72 more to applique...on target for finishing them all by august 31st...i could really use a much larger design wall...

more album blocks....

only 18 more to sew up and then it's on to a flimsy....am thinking these 2 will be the last bed size quilts i make...focus more on smaller projects and some scrappy tops that will get donated.  

and in the UFO department, batting and backing on hand to baste this biggie....

you know how i love solids and this makes me absolutely swoon....hoping this will be my winter quilt, or at least one to warm me as the new year dawns....maybe?  a good task for a triple-digit heat weekend...

lots of personal stressors have been resolved and aside from the heat, should be--or hoping it will be--a week to relax and focus on some self-nurturing.  hot weather meals requiring simple prep on the menu.  it surely has been a rocky, stressful and devastatingly tearful spring, thankful to my God for His sustaining and comforting daily presence. 

happy father's day

 

my dad in one of his favorite places--the maine woods--this photo taken late 1990s i would guess, he died 2002.  certainly my most unforgettable character and his (un) wise words still live with me...got your haircut dad?  yes, all of them...or this one:  it isn't the car, it's the nut behind the wheel...and a gazillion more.  and i won't forget the few times i saw him cry...a simple, sensitive, determined and hard working man who loved us all very much, no doubt happy today as his dearest is now with him.  

flag day

 

in our family, this was dad's birthday first--he would have been 99 this year--but always a day to reflect on our freedoms and the birth of our republic.  i wrote this poem for a DAR contest--it didn't win but i still thought it was a good poem that conveyed my patriotism.

OUR FLAG

Flying high above the pavement, waving in the breeze,
a flag that tells a story--can I hear it again please?
Of souls resolved, united, courageous, brave and true,
to defeat a foreign tyrant, to free themselves....and you.
They came with tools and muskets, leaving farm and home behind.
They marched and bled and died, all patriots, allies in kind.
The cause seemed lost at times, but perseverance never waned.
And in the end victorious, independence finally gained.

But how to show the country, the victory won but long?
Dame Betsy Ross' needle, with skill and resolution strong, 
sewed a flag to wave most proudly, to remind and fly on high.
With stripes of red and white, and white stars on a deep blue sky.
The stars for thirteen states, now united together as one,
a symbol of the republic now that the fighting was done.
The nation grew and stars increased for each new added state.
The flag steadfastly flown thru conflicts, wars and debate.

But dissention for our flag emerged in recent days, 
forgetting its true meaning, not a symbol of individual ways, 
but of a nation born in struggle by those who knew no fear.
My wish for every American is to hold our flag so dear.
Don't kneel or turn your back when it flies from poles or domes.
Revere this hallowed symbol, of our United States, our home.
So when you see our flag at ballpark, business or door,
your hand to heart or salute for the bravest who've gone before.

(c) grace thorne 2024

long may she wave!

 

tuesday stuff....

before jumping into to-do list, a quick post....still car-less....continuing PT exercises at home but difficult to get the heart rate workout i need...did a mish mash of stitching stuff...

pulled some stash fabric for a small baby quilt, the new project at the senior center...just enough of this fairy dust print for a 36x36 top.

putting away some selvedges and came across these two blocks made by lila, my ex's grandmother---the hazards of pawing thru containers...decided to put them together in a small piece...the setting triangles already cut, will quilt and finish off with the wee print binding on the left.  calling it 'remembering lila' altho i never met her, only heard the stories about her--she was the sewist and made many crazy quilts.  i was lucky to receive a box of her fabrics and some orphan blocks.  i made this from some...

this was lila, age 9, taken at a photo studio in provincetown which is actually still there...and here is my daughter high school photo...

uncanny eh?  and then early this morning--another fractured sleeping night--picked this up working toward a finish....

ended up tearful as i made some of these and gifted to my mom, she loved handmade things...BUT a few of my tears disintegrated the design paper, so had to put down.  should be done soon.   also kept up with my dargate basket-a-day, now only 79 to applique plus laundry, cooking etc.  

grief struggle goes on accentuated by being confined too much of the time.  plenty of sewing but even that gets ho-hum sometimes.  at least we've a break from the disgusting heat for one brief day.  off to tackle to do list!

friday report

another week nearly gone and settling into a sort of routine sans vehicle...not happy about it but there it is.  on the sewing front, miss sunny up and running again with a new belt...

purring along as usual....love this machine....keeps me close to my beloved mom...and may blues sewing continues with a scrappy project that needs to move along....

it's a pattern by amanda jean nyberg i've used before, a great scrap buster.  for this one i've pulled all my blue batiks.  pattern calls for 36 blocks but may end up with 30, depending on how long the blues hold out.

for a wee color detour, sewed up this summery runner that'll be gifted to dear daughter...long ago she spied the lobsters and asked for a runner....fast forward to now and it's a flimsy, soon to be machine quilted, bound and gifted.  time gallops along and i am trying not to leave things undone.  

we always knew dear brother was way ahead of the pack, and here he is circa 1962 with a prototype cell phone!  somebody contact the patent office!!!

and last but most important, my belmont baby, dear daughter, is celebrating another birthday saturday and again on race day!  i've told her many times how i delayed my hospital run until the horse race was over!  here she is at her first birthday...still adorable and so very precious!

keep cool and quilt on!