Happy Mail ~ Part Two Retail Therapy

 

But first--earlier this week I overcame my extreme white coat phobia [terrified of hospitals and doctors/ nurses; it causes panic and claustrophobia] and took my painful wrist/ arm/ hand to the local ER. It's what we have since the hospital on the same site washed away during H Sandy [2012]. It's a funny little concrete box, but clean and quiet, no wait. Staffed by generally kind young medical persons.

X-rays say wrist--tho swollen and deformed looking-- is not dislocated or broken. The tissue is inflamed, blah blah blah. The doctor didn't say not to use the hand, so I'm allocating 30-45 minutes of hand sewing each afternoon. IV autoimmune specialist is still AWOL, like most doctors in the late summer.

Now back to more fun subjects: fabric! and sewing plans. This is my ''bundle" from Two Thimbles

This past winter I got very shortsighted, finishing projects large and small, see previous post. I neglected to plan ahead and experienced a terrible funk. Omigosh, I have nothing to dooooooo. So planning, planning. Posies and Boardwalk are the biggies, both going well; notes taken all sorted. So I treated myself to this long yearned for fabric bundle.

Great merchandising. They post a fabric group on Fridays, mixing and matching--showcasing--their fabrics beautifully. I follow on IG. This is the recent arrival. The shop is really good about changing details if there's a fabric that doesn't fit your plan.

This is the bundle that inspired Posies and will also be this crib quilt someday. I make up little fabric ''kits' so I remember my plans now.

Got a bit stumped w the pattern piecing here, my sewing machine will chew those little pieces like last week's Sunday roast. [reading too many British cozy crime series. Rhys Dylan, Sharon Bolton, Faith Martin etc; the characters are  always are having midday roasts?]

The big chintz [Dutch Chintzes] on butternut and duck egg are so appealing yet challenging. NOT Lizzy colors at all.

They will be Tiny Baskets on dark grounds, I suppose color values will be an aspect to watch.

.I did pull out this adorable Basket ditsy/ conversational. Not sure where it will go, if at all.

And I added some pale aqua, ''duck egg blues" from ,my stash. Hard to photograph but lovely, much treasured prints.

and added this Tall Ships shirting just to collect.

The rich Butternut and Duck Egg w dark Taupe colors for the inspiration group  would actually make a beautiful late fall full sized quilt but I'm pretty sure it will be a little quilt. As Penny noted, how I love using the little ''placemat'' quilts, tucked under bowls or behind crocks etc.

TT also tucked in this wonderful blue print swatch. Blue Schoolhouses by Paula Barnes. I'm thinking large scale Schoolhouse blocks? So wonderful.

Though truth is I have never successfully pieced a SH block, lol. 

And I wouldn't want the Houses spaced so far. I put the Pineapple throw on my bed this week, easier to make the bed w poorly hand as it's just a throw, but much as I love it I think there's way too much white space, it's a tad yawn.

Have a good weekend! It will be August, the light is changing. I saw dragonflies and a monarch buterfly this week. Beautiful creatures but harbingers of summer's moving on.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach......

***TWO THIMBLES QUILT SHOP

Look What the Mail Guy Brought! -Part One

 

Back from the quilter!

Such a thrill always.

These four small to medium quilts represent all my quilting for the second 8 months of 2025, [Silent Night/ Snow Day and Red Baskets,  Old Blue Baskets, and Whatnots were the first 6 months. ] So not a bad showing.

Here the new batch are excitedly displayed on my bed. Imagine me oooo-ing and ah-ing. 

Lori C's  quilting is as always, the final magic touch that brings my ideas to brilliant life. We work together on the quilting plans but in the end I leave final decisions in her hands. She never disappoints.

Keep in mind these are still unfinished. Button eyes and binding, a good wash and scrunch.

Googly-eyed Jacks:

Note the great quilting, a spider web. So cool,

Adorable backing with a pieced-in block from a J Wecker Frisch panel.

The jacks will get tiny button pupils for their eyes and a few get pearly button teeth.

Noah's Ark: a success!

Influenced by the Harriet Powers quilts, 

pattern by Jan Patek, w additions and changes by me.

You may recall I'm always trying something new. This was made w needle turn applique around a Pellon-like ''soluble'' applique base. The inner forms did NOT dissolve. But it quilted beautifully, I'm sure the bulk added a challenge for Lori.

It's quite large, like a crib quilt, even though I reduced the design to 75% of the original (Sadly I can't imagine any mid 21st century child taking an interest in the animals or story, whereas when I was a child  the exotic beasts seems as magical as dragons or unicorns. ''yawn, grandma, where's my iPad?")

Simple Waves and Stars quilting.

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Merry Christmas ~Another new technique, piecing using  a fusible base sheet. 

Fun, fast, and a boon to someone like me who is a horrible pieer. Lookit those sharp corners!

Cute  faux feedsack, saved many years, finally remembered to use it.

I love the whirly quilting, like Christmas Tree ornaments. And how Lori gives as much thought, care, effort to a tiny little ''extra'' quilt as she does to a big project like Ark. I used a TQC shop pack in Christmas colors; I always add them to my annual gift of  Postcard Quilt of the Month series for stocking stuffers for girlfriends.

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And another Old Baskets, mourning grey, from the Basket blocks I collected for so many years.

I found one more unmatching batch still, btw. I could be persuaded to share if anyone wants to try. I'll throw in the necessary fusible that reinforces the very VERY worn old Basket blocks. This is the only quilt of the group that I forget or never planned the binding. I'll figure it out.

I think I'll name this mini:  Grey Winter Skies/ Baskets. "Mourning" is too sad right now for me.

I love sewing binding--the final touch, so lots to look forward to. 

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Sorry, I am stopping now. My hand is still very painful and looks so odd. No Dr appointment yet. But rest helps so I do a bit of everything but a little less. Forgive  slow responses to your comments, dear friends.

Summer and the Scribble Journal still happen. Nature sketchbook on hiatus. I make sketches and notes and will return to them when my head feels calmer and happier. Great new book by my favorite Journaler,  Lara Gastinger HERE 

See you soon w part Two.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

The sanderlings have returned, in giant swirling flocks, synchronized, white.