Unfocused

Good evening, friends! It's been a low dark grey and very blustery day today. It is after all, still March. A blogger who often talks about folk sayings and traditions, says for today the rhyme was something like,"windy on this date, windy until May" which pretty much sums it all up. But yesterday was calm and sunny and so warm I could sit out on my deck in a long sleeve tee shirt, jeans, and a fleece jacket. And I saw surfers coming with their boards, albeit in full winter wetsuits, arriving in search of springtime waves [nope, dead calm].

Today was a better, more productive day for me. I finally gave in to the upset and lack of focus I'm feeling, and just worked on this and that, accomplishing more than I have recently. Though yesterday I did clean the cottage's big main open plan room, and all looks quite fresh now.

Because of the changeable weather I don't know what sheets to put upon my bed. I've been using my Christmas gifts sheets all winter---strip the bed, wash and dry and remake. So cozy. But I am thinking this week's Saturday change will be to the lighter weight old velvet flannel in blue and white. These sheets are smoothed with age and can usually remain through May. I do love my flannel sheets! So today I carefully patched the fitted white sheet. Good for another 15 years I hope.

I began a few etsy hearts. If tomorrow  is again warm and sunny I can sit outside to fill these with my lavender mix. (It makes quite  a mess.)

I have darling bunny buttons to add on, too.

Then I got the last two Days blocks ready for their hand sewing and embroidery. Some hand applique, some machine applique, and I marked the words: The December block says Peace.

I chose embroidery floss, and these went into my sewing box for more sunny deck hours.

The October block is more or less finished:

If you look very closely you'll see I had to piece a strip at the top of the main green swirly square. I had to unpick the Moon to do so and much remember to re-affix it too. Yes I was trimming to 10 1/2'' size and cut too close; very relieved I could save it.

The side strips also need trimming. I have forgotten whit my final measurements are. 12 1/3"?

I'm so glad I had this already-in-work project to pick up right now.

And so I started another pick up project, Blackbirds. I prepped the first three very gaudy blocks. The blue velvet is a gift from my thrifting buddy B.

I hope it isn't a disaster. The project is patterned [psychologically] on When the Wild Geese Fly, my fave quilt, one that I made random blocks now and then, and unfocused plan, just something for fun. Fun is needed right now.

Mo supervised carefully, as he always does. Maybe more so; I find him watching me instead of  snoozing, poor little man.

We put on all our layers and went out. Look! Forsythia in March. Joyous.

Tonight's dinner will be omelets and fresh asparagus. Because eggs don't keep forever.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

Photos are from last summer, August.

Chocolate Milk Brown and Hockney Swimming Pool Blue ~ a Quilt

David Hockney, I think called Bigger Splash

Happy Sunday, everyone all home safe and sound so far? I am still walking Mo, with far away waves to neighbors also dog-walking. Paid professional dogwalkers are a thing of the past. Otherwise I'm isolating.
I fear my blog may become a quilting blog. But I'll always post beach pics at the end, memories of better days.

Mel said it was amusing that I used a bad pen for quilt marking, an ooopsie. But I turned around yesterday and marked again with a permanent white opaque pen, for embroidering my Days' October block. Not a good thing. It took a lot of scrubbing to get it even this okay.

Sewing well requires a certain focus and mental serenity, I think.  This day my hands were shaking too much for finely spaced wool applique. Ugh. I wanted the hint of snow on the wintry pine tree.

It's not quite the same feeling for me as the [many, many, many] online quilters laugh off the quarantine as a wonderful time to get busy and sew. [do they not fear for their children, their parents, themselves? I don't get it.]

I turned my attention for a different project. This is Swimming Pool and Chocolate Milk, a vintage partial top I found on FB Marketplace.

Oddly it disappeared from sales  when I wanted to buy it, then it returned and I snapped it up. It is from eastern PA, and is reputedly an Old Amish center section for an Amish estate sale.

No provenance to prove that story, but in quilt collecting I accept fairy tales if I love the item. I think I paid 30.oo.
Such strange colors! But beachy.

Some close ups.

Note the brown squares are darker than the border triangles.

And the ''pool'' color is more blue than green/ turq, though on my screen the color is very green.

I want to put a turquoise 1 1/2'' border then a wide brown border. I originally tried to order the solids via internet but the results were wildly off.

I also tried out some alternates for the ''stop'' border, less crucial than matching the brown. I could live with either of these, maybe.

Before the virus hit I had contacted Fat Quarters Shop customer service and they said they'd try to do a better match if I could send swatches.

Of course a well made top has no excess so I shaved off tiny bits to send.

And augmented with paint chips,

collected during our last outing to Ace Hardware before the Apocalypse. That was a Tuesday. I wanted paint supplies to paint my bathroom ceiling [so hard!] and by Friday we were in a panic and isolating.
I feel it's okay to ask for project chips when I am also buying other supplies; I'm told it is okay.

I have everything set up, just must write the cover letter and hope the online store can help. I do foresee that maybe all commerce will stop soon, but I'll try.

Maybe I'll succeed and have a beautiful Amish quilt someday.

..............

Mo had a birthday.

We didn't make a party but he got a bag of Pupperoni treats[junk food!], a spa day, and two rawhide/ jerky chews. Mo adores jerky but is indifferent to rawhide. I find if he  must gnaw the jerky off the rawhide stick he can't gobble the jerky and choke. He was pleased.

Freshly groomed, like a little doll.

Mo is six, now.

Remember Baby Mo, here at  2 1/2 months.

I think of you all often. I value our friendship in these uncertain times. If you visit and feel up to it a comment brightens my day immensely.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....

To see more swimming pool paintings by David Hockney, click here .
I have to admit I love his paintings, they have the same  loneliness of Edward Hopper's Nighthawks [men in the old chrome diner, late at night], while also capturing the heat and stillness of a surreal summer day.