Pretending Spring Will Come [Old Red Baskets Restyled]

 

Hello, hello! Last week's snowstorm has lingered as temps ''plummeted'' and remain in single digits. There's mini glaciers everywhere, might not melt til, um, spring aka June.

My tulips from @hollandridgefarms have lasted all week.

So I was inspired to challenge myself to style Old Red Baskets, a very autumn quilt/ table runner into a spring like look.

So fun! I love it. No one but me will see the acorns and autumn leaves, right?

Came across these cuties as I was tidying  on a did-nothing day.

I've enjoyed using old saved blocks so much recently with Blue Baskets and Old Red Baskets--I  started on the neutral set of four. Sort of mourning prints but also 'don't show stains" apron prints maybe.

And a funny accidental shot of the little sewing room, making it look very
big and wide open. Hahaha. I so want a rug to make it warmer and prettier, but the bare floors clean up so easily. On that right wall, w my work baskets, I d like to maybe hang Bramble Berries someday. The room faces north so less sun fade.

Some low energy  spring cleaning has begun, as I wash a stack of the yellow ware bowls now and then.

First big effort cooking since flu began 6 weeks ago now. A str fry in my new Christmas gift braiser pan/ wok. I was so tired standing , prepping the vegs. Need to get out again and recapture walking and standing strength. But frostbite isn't appealing either, so I do my little Justin Agustin moves for now. @justinagustin here 

Mo saw the vet today, ears are badly infected again. vet: "We can just make him comfortable.." He is almost 12 now. It breaks my heart to think he is in constant pain, though he doesn't usually seem to be.

Hope your week is good. Oh have you seen the Walk for Peace Buddhist monks' story. They radiate such calm and peace. I am a bit dreading if they arrive at The White House though. May they be greeted with respect.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

I Did Nothing This Week

 

I did nothing This week. I really didn't. Seems like we've been waiting for this stupid storm to arrive for like, forever. More than a week for sure. So slow. If not for internet nonsense we'd just see a 

moderately snowy day and a sudden list of school closures. 

edit/ next day 1/25: snowing finally...//Update Monday: I m pretty sure this is wrong, but my area is the final almost 16".

It was so cold last night, I couldn't keep my drafty bedroom warm. I slept in my daytime clothes [sweatpants and two tee shirts, socks] and huddled in my new Pottery Barn sherpa throw, getting up each hour to check on Mo. He insisted on sleeping in his usual ''nook''...the floor was outdoor temps cold. He's not a fan of covers so  every hour I d find something new to wrap hm in. We survived, [He sleeps in his bed, my bed is too high for a senior pug to jump or fall from. He doesn't like to cuddle anyway.]

I did see the doctor this week . A friend went with me bec this doctor is not the best communicator. I babble to his unresponsive back as he rereads my computerized chart. I mumbled at one point, "am I talking to myself here?'' and he turned briefly and motioned me to go on. Bottom line he Rxed steroids and antibiotics for post-flu lung inflammation. My cough had almost entirely subsided, but seems to be be returning as as Rx is tapered off?

Ordered tulips, how pretty.

Tulips box of two colors, ten stems each, from local NJ grower @hollandridgefarms . They do a great shipping service, twenty stems/ free shipping. The tulips arrive pristine and tightly budded, bloom overnight. Usually you get whatever colors they have that day but I asked for red or red stripey and they came through for me. Such a cheery self-gift in the dark of January. [They ship all over US, very easy to use website ordering! Reel w details HERE].

Worked on a few just for me hearts. I wanted blue to add to my brown collection. I am just not a brown fabric  person.

On IG there's been amusing to me tutorials on How to Make Your Own heart template. LOL. The brown one is my oldie, cut freehand, usually filled with lavender or herbs; the white one is the circle template and ruler version via IG. Soooo close.

I don't have a good selection of repro blues, isn't that odd?

Used these from my favorite fabric basket. 

The toadstool maybe  doesn't fit in, but I love it.

Cooking now but why? If the power goes we'd have to leave; if the power stays on we can cook. sigh I used to love winter. Day two, now I'm making biscuits and roasted apple slices. To use the oven for additional warmth. The apples smell lovely.

This is my teatime real book for this winter. The header pic above is page one. I can't tell yet if I like it, the print is so tiny, I really can't read it, not even just enough to see if I want a readable Kindle version. Disappointing.

Mo is baffled by staying in now that the snow happened. There's a huge chest high drift against the deck door and outer front door too. Dogwalker cancelled, of course. But ''stay in / stay safe '' is not Mo's mindset. 

Back soon with more, some quilty thoughts are emerging.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

today's beach in the snow, photo from a friend....

snow globe..

 

Good morning! How pretty--light snow flurries like in a souvenir snow globe. 40* here so it won't pile up, at least  for now. Glad I didn't wash the windows though.

A friend asked me what I was doing these days--she meant new quilt wise, after my oh so busy [imaginary] list of projects, previous post. But I felt like such a slacker. The Christmas stuff came down the day after non-Christmas and is tidied up in a tote, but I have not boxed it into its bin for storage in the far closet nook! But despite my still bad choke-inducing cough, I put in the storm windows and also ''fed'' and polished the pine furniture. The salt spray watermarks have looked especially awful in photos, so I hope this gunk worked.

Meanwhile, back in the little sewing room, no new projects.  I've been working on a challenging doll dress. Little friend chooses the fabric and draws a sketch, I add my own sketch as she supervises. We have fun!

But then---the skirt fabric, sent by a designer friend along w trims and laces---was very odd. Late last night I tried to tell myself it is okay, but no.

Woke up with a redo plan that worked! I know at age ''almost-6'' LF is not too critical, but I can't give someone poor quality work. This is better! And easier to dress the doll, 14" American Girl doll.

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Otherwise I'm still finishing 2025 projects. Good for post flu brain fog as no plan or choices need to be made.

Old Red Baskets: Binding done. Isn't the veggie toile backing wonderful, I love it. Saved it for so many years.

I didn't wash this yet; the quilting made the old blocks look so fresh that I decided to leave well enough alone. I did soak the corners briefly to remove glue stick residue and darned if the one red calico didn't run.

Good to know for future use and washing.

No tulips yet for its glamour pics, tho I still have October's pumpkin, lol. Saving it for the beach critters, a no-no here so I must sneak it into t he dunes on a silent day. It's still so pretty though.

Then what a surprise ending! Silent Night is DONE, yawn, sigh, yawn. It is renamed Snow Day.

And I'm amazed that the finishes like faces on the pets and additions of the snowbabies turned this tedious behemoth into something adorable. I like it! Maybe---love it?.

Once the kiddies came out to play, I knew it was a daytime scene of shouts, laughter and snowball fights. Snow Day it is. I'm so glad it came out cute, it's maybe the most time consuming quilt I ever made, both in hours spent sewing and years in work.

The snowbabies came from another Jan P pattern, or two. They make me smile. Many thanks again to Julianne for the bright wools I used.

And of course I added a Pug.

Next projects:  Ill make backing for Googly eyed Jacks, then piece Noah's Ark and its backing. That'll keep me busy for January and prob lots of February. I also may make some new prim Basket hearts, the collection is crying out for blues. Hmmm...last set of Old Baskets to piece, Christmas mini to quilt. Try out block/ section of Boardwalk.

Busy work. Let the winds howl, let the snow fall...

Have a good week. 

love

lizzy 

gone to the beach...

No beach walks, just this beautiful bird in the wind tossed locust tree. Not Mr Mockingbird, I think it's a mourning dove.

And this wonderful, although yes, it is pink, sherpa hoodie found on Amazon. $34.oo. Outerwear for indoor wear in this drafty home. My mom always forbade pink for adults, except oddly for golf shirts. She'd frown and say, You'll look like a fat pink rabbit. Me, now, as if I care! Comes in many other colors, if you want one and agree w mom.