Porch Quilt : Winter

A Little Porch Time quilt

Hi! Oh my gosh, it is windy!

I hope to show you this very cool video at the end here. Despite the days' sunshine, I just want to stay indoors and hide.

Yep, the kitty has it right! I feel like I don't get much done but Oh I am tired.
It's the wind! That's my excuse.
And I need an excuse because I feel like a little kid who did not finish her homework. Today is the  day to show our progress on Lori's "A Little Porch Time" quilt along.
Actually we---I ---was supposed to get this baby finished, but no.

Lori said she'd love to see our quilts anyway, so here goes:

 

  

I did the stems on the borders. Partially. That is it. I figured out that dark brown birds will work on my mud border....and I patched together the ''remember me'' block ground for the backing, using my NYC fabrics. Pink beach combed template.
That's it...not a good show and tell :-(

I had estimated that the borders were about 25% of the total labor here...so doing the applique in one month, or even two was a [failed] challenge. I had hoped this would be a good January project but now I realize I rarely sit quietly and hand sew. Only on the beach, in the summer, where there are no chores, no calls, no post office runs.  I can't do fine hand sewing and watch TV, so it's senseless to think I'll sew during my favorite shows, the only time I sit and do nothing, usually.  For a few discouraged days I seriously planned to put the quilt top away, folded up with the un-stored as yet beach chairs [H. Sandy?] by the back door. I'd save the darn borders for next June, when I could knock them out happily in a couple sunny afternoons.

But I do love working on it and so I have been trying to pick it up some evenings when one of my kids is home, eating their supper...we sit in companionable, or so I believe, silence....he watches golf. I sew on my Porch quilt...for half an hour. Maybe we both think about hot carefree summer days?

 January is  a big month for me on Ebay and etsy, as I make and list many hearts and Valentine-y things. And you know how I love make-it-do  inspirations.

These hearts have little pockets on their reverse sides---a friend who wears gorgeous bespoke suits gave me a tattered suit jacket, for the fine wool. [oh his shirts!].....

But what I loved were all his fancy little hidden pockets in the ombre grey-rose silk lining.

A secret message to one's Valentine.....

And this was from a thrifting expedition that I haven't shown you guys yet. A souvenir shell box, once marked Miami Beach. 

I removed the writing...added a felted wool pad inside, for a pincushion. An old photo, a silk rosette [remember these, that awful vest?]...and we have a Sailor's Valentine of sorts.

Last make-do... an almost new but discarded bolster/ bed pillow. The child wanted memory foam, not primaloft. Instead of throwing it out, I took some unused batik  cotton , sewed a tube.

Squished in the bolster and tied the ends with linen twine.

A draft guard for my damaged deck door!

Good thing because here is the scene outside that door and window---

crazy guy on a sail surfboard, 50-60 mph gusting wind



love

           lizzy

    gone to the beach ................

 

 Lori's Blog:  Humble Quilts Lori's quiltalong/ porch quilt

 

there is a linky at the end so you all can see other quilters' versions of The Porch

 

 

Homemade Valentines

Hi! I couldn't show you my handmade Valentines before now because Valentines are...shhhh!...a secret, right?

My family has a tradition of making Valentines at home [not that I don't love a pretty store-bought card!]. My mother made elaborate frilly heart collages for family and friends and my dad, once he discovered computer graphics, loved making up a Valentine for my mom on his pc. Some were sappy, some were tacky, but all were made at home...

This year I just had No Ideas. During my January clean-out session I threw out all my many years' collection of Valentine papers and doilies and  pretty stickers! [It could be worse, last January, I discarded ALL my books, including a huge library of classic quilting book, sigh. so sad...].
But on Monday night before V-Day, I realized I better have something for friends and family! Oooh, can we say ''last minute'?

I grabbed a brown paper Trader Joe's sack, some cute fabric scraps from my sewing table...some pretty vintage buttons...and...sewed up some Valentine hearts! (but a glue stick would work just fine!)

Here they are! I think they're so cute....

And everyone loved them, I think.

Now about the classic dozen Valentine roses:

On the fifteenth I had to go over the bridge to the big supermarket. And right inside their front door were many tubs of gorgeous roses. Every color you can imagine! No red, but pink, coral, peach, yellow, pale green, cream with pink, deep pink, pale pink, mixed bunches, too....


the beautiful pink lilies were a gift to me
from a dear friend...



The sign said $39.99!
Then that was crossed out with Magic Marker: Sale! Doz roses $4.99.

Hmmm...is this what we mean by price gouging?

I don't think the husbands and boyfriends fell for that first huge price, at least not at the grocery store. There were lots of roses left and every woman who walked into the store seemed to stop and choose a bunch or two of the leftovers. And the ladies, including me!, seemed very happy...

love

            lizzy

                    ~~~~gone to the beach...