Summer 2024

 Let's see how the Spring 2024 quarter finished shall we? The goal was to have 3 finishes. 

The reality - 1 finish! Split nines got finished last quarter. Progress was made on hand quilting the cats and mouse. I am done with the cats and onto the sashing and cornerstones.

The list of UFO's - 

 1.) I know I have at least one more cut somewhere to fill that open spot for a 7x6 setting. *** found the parts in a baggie!  These are hand pieced.... and might need a little fixing along the way on some of those middle joins. Just ordered some kona solids for an alternate block for these to become a quilt. From Inklingo lemoyne stars.

 2.) Hexagon flowers on a black background. These are a stack of blocks I hand pieced a few years ago then hand appliqued to the black background a couple years after that!  I also have the black heaxagons I cut out of the block when I appliqued them on.... those might come out to play this quarter! Unfinished block size is 6.5 inches. Right now with 12x14 setting it will be 72x84. If I add a border - 5 inches all around it would be 82x94. Fit a double bed. Have a pretty butterfly border that needs to get added. 

3.) Midget Applique quilt from Sentimental Stitches. I need to add more flowers and leaves and the vines... and the bottom yellow border. This one is completely hand pieced.

4.) Ella Maria Deacon blocks - make a few more and finish them off into a top. I believe I was making these by hand. Patterns from Sentimental Stitches.

progressed to this stage before vacation.

5.) triangle pyramids. started June 2024.

6.) flying geese leftover from another project 2022 RSC quilt I believe. Well, the triangle of the geese actually!

7.) Midget block collection - I started these in Vermont in 2010! I have a light blue for sashing.

8.) Birds in the Air block collection

9.) Potato chip blocks - started april 5 and boy are they addicting! 

added a few before life got crazy.

10.) Erin's Butterfly - I made the wings in 2021.  Need to add one more set of wings... thinking 9 is a nice number?

11.) Full Stop Sew along.... 2021 . Re thinking this one - might eliminate some of the white space and make a few more of some.....???? Or add some Alphabet or numbers to the mix?

12.) mostly cut out and some 9 patches are made. Hehe... from the first quilting book I had and made a quilt from. Introduction to Quilting 101 - the basics by Sharon Hultgren. I think this was Sunrise Surprise! The four patch from this book is at my Mom's hanging over a crib still!

13.) I forgot I had this. It is a cute birdhouse wall hanging but is foundation pieced, which I dislike. Maybe I can deal with it enough to get this done? Or rework it?

14,) This is a kit I purchased mid-90s - butterfly's. I think all the parts are there and I did start arranging them.

15.) Quilters Patch. A sew along that I completely did not meet my goals on in 2022. One block is done.

16.) Scrappy Flowering Snowball - I started cutting these with my accuquilt from scraps with the color of the month in 2020. I think it is time to start stitching them together. I see I need some orange added and purple and lots of lights!

 

17.) Bittersweet Briar - pattern in Kim Deihl's book and kit of fabric.

18) Brimfield Awakening EPP. I did start this and have the first fabric thread basted in purple!

19.) Bonnie Hunter Mystery - On Ringo Lake - maybe step #2?

20) Bonnie Hunter Mystery - Grassy Creek (2020) Think I am on step #4.

21.) 30's log cabin tulip quilt.

Quilt Tops: 

22) Cat and mouse is on the frame in process of hand quilting but has been sadly neglected.

23) Vermont Quilt Festival Booth Hop from either 2008 or 2009.  it is 71x71.

24.) Trip around the World - 2 inches hand pieced. 60x60.

25.) Y2K Joann's BOM - quilt top

26.) 1857 Quilt Along Top

27.) Spring Hexagons - not sure if this wants to be bigger or not.... 

28.) Triple Irish Chain - green. 80x80 I think. I did find both fabrics extra with it... Might need a green or cream border first or both... Made in the early 2000's. circular feathers in open spaces.

29.) Christmas Cactus Wreath. Completed 9/4/24

30.)Harmony - hand pieced project started March 2021-

2/5/24 it is a top!

No stitching yet.....

 Something about a migraine all weekend so I did not head away from camp and see my Dad in the hospital. I do plan to head over today for a little bit. Dad is doing better. Lots of liquids draining and his color is better and his oxygen is better. It is very strange being out at camp without them here. I did take a Covid test, just in case. Negative. I have yet to have one of those pop as positive.

My brother David and his wife Donna came out both Saturday and Sunday. He got the pilot light started on the wall heater and I was right, the starter switch was not working. I just didn't want to remove the panel and manually light it! It kicked right on.... but of course, the weather warmed up a bit by then! They played a few games of Domino's and then a card game they learned on a camping vacation out west. Bung. I can't find it anywhere online, but it is a fun and quick game. We might have played it both days. The kids really liked it, and Emily was next to my brother....and kept having him loose his chips and be out of the game. She might have enjoyed that a lot! He started calling her the mean girl! 

The game - a deck of standard cards. We used domino pieces and each got 8. Then someone deals out 8 cards to everyone. Going around in a circle, you play one card. If the person next to you plays the same card - Bung and you lose a chip to the center. If the following person also plays that card - the previous person loses 2 chips to the middle. We did get 4 laid in a row twice, which is rare. Guess who was the 3rd one.... yup, me! You continue with rounds going around with different dealers and starters until the last one with a chip left, wins. Once you are out of chips, you are out of the game. Quite a bit of strategy is involved, and it was a lot of fun. 

Emily was working on getting the last 2 chairs built that we kids got them for Fathers Day/61st Anniversary in June. The tools they sent with were awful and she spent a few hours on one chair. David came with power tools on Sunday and they went together quickly.

There was a storm last Sunday that caused flash flooding in parts of Vermont. It washed out the road in a few spots between Montpelier and Elmore. This is the main washout - they had it up and passable within 2 days. It is right near the waterfall walking trail. I wonder how that brook is looking now.... we might have to take a trip over if the gates are open and take a look. It will be pretty muddy though - as we are still getting rain each day.

A calmer lake shot. It has been very windy the whole time we have been here or raining, so no kayaking yet or boat ride. Maybe that will change today? 

I have been using my cat and mouse quilt to keep me warm at night.... but alas, no stitching has happened. I think now that the headache is better,  I can dig in the crafty bag and pull something to work on. (so far so good this morning and I can drink my coffee without it turning my tummy - 2 days without coffee is an unhappy me!) The current temp on the porch is sunny 68 degrees. Very pleasant! 10:30 and still in my jammies. I guess I better get something for breakfast and then grab a shower so I can go see Mom and Dad.

A week of travel.....

 

We arrived to camp today a bit after 5PM.  It is just the 3 of us out here and it is going to get down to 46 degrees tonight. The pilot light on the gas heater... is refusing to start and so I started a fire in the fireplace. It looked good, until the smoke started coming in from outside by the chimney edges. It is really windy out... but I have a feeling where the smoke is coming in by the chimney/roof area it is another issue from the roofer who put the new roof on October 2022. Lots of leaking last year and it is still not fixed. Sigh.  Fire is out and outside into the burn pit. House is aired out. Going to be a 3 quilt night!

We started out Sunday morning from Ocala and headed to Fort Caroline in Jacksonville. 

It was a nice break and we stopped at Publix for subs for lunch. We travelled and got to Buc-ees around dinnertime in SC. It was so crowded, the kids just wanted to grab food and get back to the car. We continued on and got up to Rocky Mount NC at the hotel we like there. 

Monday, it was a short travel day to DC. We tried a Cookout restaurant for lunch - I've seen the billboards for years and decided to give it a try. We went to Arlington National Cemetary, and walked around to see JFK's flame, Arlington House and walked to the Tomb of the Unknown soldier.

I remember watching Challenger in 7th grade with Christa McAuliffe on it. We were in VT and she was a teacher from NH. It was quite a shock to see that happen. This was a nice memorial of that crew.

 We did see a changing of the guard. It was really hot and humid out - near 100 degrees. Lots of steps this day. We got to our hotel and checked in. Turns out, I got a really nice room! It was a suite (instead of the double I was expecting) with 2 double beds in one area, a desk and chair in another corner and then a pull out sofa and chair in another area! Aidan took the couch and we all were happy with our own beds. After guzzling a lot of water, I walked down and ordered a pizza from the place we found last year and loved. Aidan and I watched game 7 of the Stanley Cup. Sadly, his Oilers lost but it was a great series.

Tuesday, we had breakfast and lunch at our favorite deli - 2 Sisters Deli. Between the 2 we went to the Air and Space Museum. A lot is closed for renovations, but it was still pretty neat.

 After lunch, Emily wanted to chill in the room, so we did for an hour or so. Then Aidan and I went to the Native American Museum. It was really interesting. The beadwork and art was stunning. The building design was so interesting and all around the outside was native gardens with living art structures. 

After walking back to the hotel and resting a bit, we walked to the Warf for dinner. We ended up finding a Falafal place that was really good. We got our food and took it back to the hotel. Did I mention it was really, really hot outside and it was a 20 minute walk each way? It was a chill evening in the hotel room after that.

Wednesday morning, we had a last breakfast at the 2 Sisters Deli (egg, bacon and cheese croissant). 

We packed up and headed out of DC. We were off to Maryland and did a quick stop in Arlington to walk around and looked in the capital building. 

Then we headed to Cross Creek, MD to the Hariett Tubman Underground Railroad Museum. It was another great museum and I learned a lot. 

From there we headed north and got up to Belin, CT.

Today, we headed north again and made our way to Deerfield, MA to the Yankee Candle shop. Seems Aidan saw a nutcracker last year and really wanted it! We stopped and he got it.

 Along with a few candles for all of us that were on sale in the clearance area. I mentioned a favorite restaurant of mine in West Lebanon NH - Lui Lui - and they checked out the menu. Well, we hit there just before 1PM. I had forgot the warm rolls and herbed oil they bring to the table. My foodie kids were happy. Aidan got the pizza from the brick pizza oven and was in heaven. There was an LL Bean shop next door, so we browsed while we were there. There had been various texts from my siblings at each stop. My Dad has been retaining water for a few weeks and despite all of us saying he should go to the ER (I told them last Thursday!), he finally went today. We stopped to see him in the hospital this afternoon. They are doing the Lasix and a few other things to see if they can get the retention down. His kidneys are not functioning properly now, but he is in good hands. Hopefully things are looking better in the morning. We saw my Mom and oldest brother Mike at the hospital. Since they had not moved out to camp yet, we did a quick Walmart run for a few things for dinner and breakfast, stopped at home (anyone else call the place you grew up home still?)  to grab a few things to take out and drop off some things. Then it was the last of the route to get out to camp..... and found out where the washed out roads from the Sunday storm were. At least they have it passable now. I am wondering how our favorite waterfall walking trail fared though. It looked like the parking area was closed, and it was right near where the wash out was. I have a feeling that little stream is looking a lot different now. At least the water has gone down at the lake but we have a rainy weekend in the forecast. 

I'm sure I'll have a trip one way for groceries and the other way to visit Dad in the hospital tomorrow. Might see a few siblings or four over the next few days as well. 

That's my update. 

RSC Chickens

 

I did manage to sew together some blue chickens this week. They were happy to join the flock. I still need to pick out some blues for the Arkansas Traveller blocks and the string of beads blocks. I'm not sure the AT blocks will get done, but I should be able to prep the beads blocks as a hand work project for my trip up to VT. I suppose I should pack Saturday, as we are leaving on Sunday morning. 

Linking up with the RSC on Saturday.