Gone To The Beach

Friday, January 8, 2016

A Winter Tapestry

Hello! The polar vortex has come and gone. Time for a walk on the beach. Come on, the fresh air is so delightful.

The beach and dunes are silent and colorless.

Yet if I look closely, the quiet subtle beauty is revealed. A pale tapestry, with brilliant red-orange accents....

Back at home, Mo seems happy playing indoors more. But we're very grateful that it is now light out for our dinnertime walk at 5 PM.

Yes, the days are getting longer! Did you notice? I don't mind the cold, but the early dark is not something I enjoy. Hot tea, candles, soup on the stove---what do you do to ward of the winter blues?

How about---January sunflowers! in my friends' garden.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

PS The other day I forgot to include my tiny flag quilt in my 2015 finishes. I love it!

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Hi! I was talking to a friend and I said I thought 2015 was a pretty good year, all things considered. No major health crises, no hurricanes, no---issues. A good year. And so I thought it'd be fun, in a braggy sort of way, maybe? to look at what I accomplished quilt-wise over the past year. Please note the these are finishes, not begun AND finished in 2015---it can take me years to get a project done just right.

And so it's also safe to say I won't be one of these quilters who has made 450 quilts last year. What do they DO with them [and how do they afford it?! here ***; mine go right into the closet to gather dust, or are listed on eBay or etsy.... Anyway, here goes:

Flags of the American Revolution

Antique Chimney Sweep [taken apart and resewed, finished, cleaned.]

Mo's crib quilt

Cordelia's Quilt aka the Lost Quilt [copied from an eBay auction that I lost by less than a dollar]

Table runner, upcycled dish towels w/ folkloric birds

Doll quilts/ minis:

only handquilted piece

A tiny Flag:

Miscellaneous sewing needfuls and pinkeeps for my etsy shop. These are just a few.

Mo is a big help, of course!

I hope you enjoyed my little quilt show!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

***from Pinterest---interesting.

Monday, January 4, 2016

December Quilty 365 Dots and other ramblings

Hi! A new week, a new year, how exciting?

Here are my Quilty 365 Dots for December, plus a few for January. These are from Dec 1 to January 3. I began November 5th, one Dot per day. So far I have made or prepped 60 Dot blocks.

You can see I can't keep up with the hand sewing. But I try.

I notice that despite choosing a fabric that resonates with each day, a month later I have no idea what that meant [hence the written diary] unless it is an obvious thing, like Santa on December 24th. And of course even the notion of ''perfect circles'' is an oxymoron, as is "Six Minute Circles". I figure each dot takes me 20 minutes, in total. [choose, cut, write a bit, sew]

I'm enjoying the project very much. On the other hand the accumulated dots are maybe not a Wow? Gonna hope for folky not graphic.

.....
On the home front, the Christmas Tree and all the decorations are gone. [sad!]

The house would be blue again but poor Mo's upset tummy has triggered yet another round of slipcover, throw rug, and cushion washing.

I didn't do it!

Tomorrow I will put away the Ark and the red and green transferware. I redid my bedroom with my extra fluffy down comforter, velvety white flannels sheets, blue flannel pillow cases, cozy cream throws and a Midwestern Mennonite quilt. Mo is not allowed on my bed so I hope the quilt is safe under its layer of clear shower curtains. [tacky but better than regrets!]

And so winter has suddenly arrived!
Delightful!
Today was the first day I have smelled sweet wood smoke in the air, it's finally cold enough for a fireplace fire somewhere nearby. The air is so crisp and refreshing, just glorious, all dense and full of extra oxygen. Take a deep breath! Wow, it sparkles in your lungs, banishes migraines and post-holiday fatigue. The night sky is a trite but true black velvet full of diamond stars. Orion stands boldly in the southeast sky, sword and dog Sirius at his side. You can almost see him up there, watching over us.

"Oh to dance beneath the diamond skies..."

Mo seems to quite like his new sweater and new jackets. He stands quietly while I dress him warmly.

A helpful guy came by today and he reattached the baseboard heat in my craft room! I'll have to have the heat on these nights, I suppose, and a cold workroom did not appeal.

For a belated New Years dinner yesterday, I made a pork roast with a garlic-horseradish crust, coconut basil rice, and roasted curly [Savoy?] cabbage. The house smelled delicious and I ll have great leftovers all week--soup and sandwiches tonight; pork pad thai [use a box/ mix and add vegs etc], pork enchiladas...etc etc. Good warm food for cold nights.