September Fades Away

 

[above drawing is NOT by me***]

Hello, hello! How is everyone? I think the looming hurricanes went out to sea, and we all are safe. I used to pay no attention to hurricane forecasts, until H Sandy caught me very unaware. Now I watch and worry.

Mostly I have been doing projects for friends [think tie dye, think patches], next some alterations and some doll clothes..

 and laboring along w various quilt projects. Sometimes I lose creative momentum. . I get busy and happy, just having fun--- then a tiny glitch can totally throw me off track. 

Does that ever happen to you ?

Noah’s Ark:  the aqua whale w the other two grey was hopelessly wrong. Trust me it looked awful in person.

Had to do over. which didn't please me as a redid the aqua whale's mouth at least three times. So tiny, so fraying.

Red baskets. Stymied by a border and the realization I won’t get it done and back from quilter in time to use this year. And who knows what next year may bring.

 

I loved the the anchoring base border in the Tiny Pumpkin print.

Just for fun I asked on IG and everyone but one [and me] chose the burnt orange sprig instead.

I went with that because I know it is more usable that way--but was surprised at everyone's somewhat safe boring choice. However I knew--in my practical heart--that I'd regret the tiny jackolanterns come November, lol. And I am very grateful to Two Thimbles who include a gift fat quarter/ fat eighth? in each order. The pumpkin colored almost solid was their choice, otherwise I'd not have had it or thought to use it.  Two Thimbles

Next make do/ upcycle: a darling gingham Maple Leaf that was mixed in w the Red Baskets. Just a candle mat or crock tuck. But someday I would love to make an Autumn Leaves quilt, like blog friend Nancy made a few years ago.

Darling Whatnots: it’s back! [pics to come]  Wait til you see it quilted, it's just a delight. But I’d planned to match the wide tomato red border for its binding. But not enuf fabric. I dithered all week. Made my choice---six times! I will show you soon. It may not be anyone else's taste but it will always make me smile.

Snow children: Silent Night's final touch. I keep burying the wool and patterns, ignoring it. It's the quilt that just won't go into its closet and shut up, isn't it.

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Another stymy moment: my dining room plate rack.

I had to take down all the plates and not use the summer blues because of the vibration of the brick workers jackhammering. Couldn't decide what to put up now. I haven't used my beautiful polychrome brown and sepia transferware in many years---but then I 'd have to change for Christmas, so soon, and again in January. I decided to go with Winter and just do the black Staffordshire. I can put a few red pieces out if I want to at Christmas. My days of redoing the home decor each month seem to be gone. I so rarely have friends or family in like I once did. Life is so quiet, times change. How I miss the joy of the bustle and chaos.

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Last week there was one cool day.  I refocused and did some baking. Yummy roasted cauliflower. Biscuits from a Pillsbury Grands roll. Yes my oven needs a clean cycle, it is just too hot though.

 [I am going through, using up, supplies ahead of storms and cold weather to come.] And I made The Most delicious pear tart. 

It could be any fruit or a mixture. I love pears. 

The juice sort of ran through the crust and made the bottom pastry wonderfully sweet and crispy. Served warm with a dollop of vanilla Greek yogurt. I could have eaten the whole tart. Yum!

Mo had a child visit him today. He was sooo good, remembering his tricks and being so sweet. I don't let him dance on his hind legs anymore due to hip pain and arthritis. Those are young pug antics. The mom always says he is so stinky, though. I never notice, he is brushed daily  and sprayed w a special fur .conditioner every third day. Peach! Face and neck washed. I'd do his feet but that is a big no for many pugs: "Do not touch my toes, mommy!" In my opinion, Pugs are very clean and just smell faintly wooly, so it upset me on his behalf. 

Hope your October is wonderful. Have a good week.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

a last sunset of September, looks more like Spring with its gossamer pastels and soft sky.....

click to enlarge to see the evening flocking birds, one group of OCs, on right center edge.

***First photo, mousies and pumpkin are NOT drawn by me. An image sent to me many years ago.

No Sense Saying Goodbye ~ [Hello Autumn]

 

Good Sunday afternoon, everyone! Tomorrow night is the Equinox [Monday evening], even diehard summer people like me cannot make summer last forever.

And so Autumn begins, despite the joy of endless hot sunny days. It could rain! It could snow, we could have a hurricane--but you know, probably not. 

A hummingbird visited while I quietly sewed!

And this little lady sparrow, Missy, visits daily.

I think she'd eat from my  hand but I' m a bit wary of her getting too friendly. No birds in the house, I tell her.

Mo is oblivious.

The garden pots struggle on, damaged as they were in July and August. They look terrible but they're so brave and still produce sweet bright flowers.

The cosmos and marigolds were the stars this year, in such bright Lizzy colors. The zinnias mostly couldn't renew and regrow, they need lots of babying and care to flourish here.

I  was going to cut everything back, but the hummingbird loved the tall pink cosmos. So they remain. These tiny birds fly about 25 miles a day and desperately need food for their journey south. I put out extra water for the birds too.

In the big cosmos pot these tiny alpine daisies have just started blooming, along with the white alyssum. So sweet, love the color that I think of as blue, but actually it is a purple, isn't it. There's a deep pink version too. No clue what they are, it was a not specific wildflower mix. There's another tiny blue flower also, can hardly see it except in the pics. Maybe catmint?

I am diligently hand sewing Noah's Ark, even as I dither about the too stiff papers I experimented with.

It made a lovely firm edge for needle turn applique, but the water soluble description is a bust.

This week I soaked all the blocks overnight in batches, squeezing gently to soften the paper. Blocked to dry on kitchen counter. When it's done all I can plan is to send it to my longarm quilter for her opinion, yes/try or a resounding no. We'll see.

Since Mo is poorly I've been walking alone twice a day. Looking for nature journal items. Hahaha, so far came home w just these few leaves and this tiny shell from one of my gathering jars.

Not a native shell here, someone's discarded Florida collection, I suppose.

I do like drawing and painting leaves. This is what we call shield weed. [has a real name, like ''lamb shanks''?]. A true weed, quite ugly and gets so big.

And companion drawing from 2024, the awful Lantern Bugs. They're BACK. One landed on me, eeew. 

Another much anticipated migration occurred as always on August 3o. The big dragonflies. My sketch is not what I had envisioned. But not as bad as I thought, maybe.

This sketch remembers my fountain, broken  during brickwork. May try again next year. I was so sad. 

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Old Red Baskets is so fun! Just doing borders now, prewashing  the backing.

In my hunt for my supply of fusible [for a tiny Christmas quilt],

I found more old recycled Basket blocks! I have many many blue Baskets--12?---and one very ugly maroon. Plus these wonderful grey/ neutral  prints. I'll make them into another small table topper for winter. This is so fun.

 You can see two are in very poor condition. This is why I ended up not making a recycled bed sized quilt, just too fragile. But I can repair in my primitive manner -I like to save to original work, poor as it may be] and use for candle mats etc.  

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Since fabric is getting used up or donated or tossed out recently, I treated myself to more from Two Thimbles. So beautiful. Perfectly Fall and Halloween. Quite a few were on sale. Happy mail for me.

This is a poison yellow/ chrome yellow from Pan Buda. Note the spooky Moons! And darling squirrels.

This is a cool find. I collect this odd mourning vermicelli print. Repros and original. Variations turn up fairly often once you take note. No clue why it appeals---I just imagine the 1860s-ish quilter  thinking, well, it certainly won't show the dirt.

Mo is doing  poorly. The vet appointment was lukewarm: "not better but not worse".He has had two of his vestibular episodes that I call a seizure, bec I don't know what else to call them--since his appointment on 9/17, so past 4 days. Vet says he is not in pain, but I feel he is frightened and sit with him etc. All. Night. His lovely dogwalker came to visit him this afternoon and coaxed him out for a small walk on this beautiful day. It did perk him up and I am so grateful. 

Wishing everyone a good first week of Autumn. Go ahead, put up the pumpkins now. It is time.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

It's ''clutter'' but sometimes I leave out new or interesting projects on the dining room jelly cabinet, so I can see and love them as I eat and work. Not lost in the little sewing room, at least for a few days.