Quilts ~ Looking Forward Looking Back

Hi everyone! What would  Quilt blogging be without the traditional yearly round up. My successes are quite meagre---I never really recovered momentum after my Nobody Loves Me/ My Quilts in May  HERE, exacerbated by poor vision and the shocking return of Covid.  My dream of doing a big Thanksgiving failed, then Christmas, New Years followed behind. And while the rest of the country seems fine, the NYC area is hard hit by both Delta and omicron , and friend after friend has become very ill. [You may recall I am immune suppressed, so it is an issue to consider, despite vaccines and boosters.]

I made/ completed only one  full sized quilt: Blue Pineapples. Machine pieced, machine appliqued, machine quilted [by Lori C.]

Some small quilts:

Brown doll quilt, using a postage stamp remnant of a 19th century quilt block. I dyed the binding to include it in my Lucky Series of small make do quilts.

Next an exchange with a friend who is far far away: "One for you, One for me.'' The plan was we'd each make two quilts from the TQC mini a month postcards of 2021, exchange them at Christmas.

I chose this bright cutie. I think its asymmetry creates a textile that could be useful, under a candle or bowl, for displays. Her quilt is at the top, somehow I lost all my photos.

 My friend wasn't totally on board, though I may challenge her again this year! She sent me and Mo a beautiful flannel lap quilt in prim Autumn into Winter colors instead of a TQC mini. We love it!

My Christmas mini treat project was inspired by Fun with Barb's IG and blog posts about the mini tree pattern from a few years ago. I loved the Swedish or Nordic Marimekko vibe of her colorway, and shamelessly copied for my little version. Tiny Trees

Isn't the backing darling! Fairy toadstools.

Teeny Tiny, the mini-est of minis 3" square:

Also, barely-there micro quilts, gifts for friends. 

Ongoing:

I spent a lot of summer deck time working on my Welcome Pineapple wall quilt, then set it aside unfinished as Fall arrived, too soon. "The pleasant summer was a fading memory as September dragged us to Autumn." [you know I collect quotes: this is from a J M Dalgliesh book I'm reading, see below]

Pattern photo, NOT my work.

          

Deck time sewing.

Worked on and finally banished Silent Night. Really struggled with the dark wool applique, due to my vision difficulty. I need a bunch of boring pieced Stars, just can't face them right now.

Lori [Humble Quilts]'s antique block challenge: Madder Anvils [madder is the rust-red dye]

I keep changing my mind.

Two antique quilt tops are still in work. Cartwheels needs its borders.

And Watermelon Wine needs a good press and check for loose seams,

then I need to piece the green backing before it all goes off to be quilted. I needed 5 yards of green backing and was very happy to find the green at Keepsake Quilts catalog sale for only 5.95 a yard. It is Annette Plog's line for Marcus Brothers called, I think, Petite Perennials. [sold out now, sorry]  Check out the sale if you expect to need some yardage soon. SALE

This was the double pink from the same fabric line. Cute but too much pink.

And last I sewed these wool herb pillows. They were fun and fast and easier to see to hand sew.

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Not quilt related but I spent a delightful if imaginary summer and fall in Venice Italy, reading the entire Donna Leon / Inspector Brunetti police crime fiction series.  here 

Now I'm reading a rather gory detective series by J M Dalgleish/ DI Nathaniel Caslin, set in the city of York in northern UK. here

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 Upcoming, I have a special order to sew, then will get on with projects, hopefully finishing Cartwheels and beginning my winter version of When the Wild Geese Fly. Unless I have eye surgery I hope to start that project February 1st, I am basing it on Jan Patek's Morning has Broken, if anyone else wishes to make it with me. My version will be very low key, a personal utility quilt. Nothing fancy and OMG no embroidery! First blocks are the Crescent Moons. My colors are of winter, blue, grey, white, black. HERE

Book on Jan's website:

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My dog walker has Covid and is out indefinitely, so Mo and I are on our own. I suppose the extra exercise is good for me, lol. Truth is, I only love winter if I am inside looking out, or rambling on the beach in many layers of warm clothes. The third winter of Covid has begun.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

Fog sunset

A New Years Walk

 

Happy New Year, friends. A new year means a beach walk, I have done this every year, for many years. The day is cloudy with some wispy fog, but not cold. So come with me and enjoy the fresh salty air of 2022.

J loved the tiny paw prints that appeared under the 2. 

Walking through the dunes, the wet fog-dripping weeds were beautiful in the winter neutrals.

A secret pathway through the dunes, many tiny foot prints. It is well traveled. Beyond is an occasional wet swale. Maybe they go there for drinking water, though I always thought that water was salty.

Still greeted by the funny vintage Par Duck herds, though 2020's inspiring shell installation is long gone, swept away by the wind and rain.

The winter beach and low winter sun.

On the way home, this forsythia , an ancient specimen, is confused by the warm days and is trying to welcome spring. Sweet or sad? I'm not sure.

Mr Mockingbird has returned to the now bare ugly locust tree, as he has done for many years. Who knew birds live so long and in such harsh conditions. He must be 15 years old or more. Nests in the dune pine, above/ top; winters outside my window.

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My cottage is mostly serenely blue and white again. I put away all the very Christmassy things, but I keep a few much loved items out for early winter.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

PS This amused me on I think, Instagram. My words were...purpose/ family/connection/ change. Not thrilled with change, though the hopeful saying : "change for the better" springs to mind.