Rainbow Scrap Challenge

 I took a little break between clues of the Grassy Creek mystery quilt to make a few blocks toward my Rainbow Scrap Challenge for 2021.  I decided to continue making Jenny Doan's Pop Stars blocks using various gray backgrounds and also to make some 6" pineapple blocks.  I don't plan to use these two sets of blocks together in a quilt.  I'll see how it all goes - you never know!

Pop Stars is a very easy variation on a saw-toothed star, with points that float.  The January RSC color is pink, so I dug deep into my pink box for these odd fabrics.  The one on the left is about the last remnant of my aunt's stash that I inherited after she passed away around 2003.  There were several UFOs and a lot of scraps.  I finished all the UFOs, made other quilts out of most of the scraps and gave many of them to my cousins.  I do love using a few of Tante Wil's scraps in my own quilts, though, as it keeps her memory close to me.  She seemed to love pink and brown.

Then I decided to make a scrappy little pineapple quilt as part of RSC also.  The Nov./Dec. colors were gray and black, but I used a variety of odd strings to make four 6" blocks, and then I also made a couple of pink ones for January.  I figure if I make at least four of these a month, I will have enough for a small quilt by the end of the year.   

I think the only sensible way to make a pineapple quilt is by paper piecing, so I bought some books of printed papers from the Fat Quarter Shop and figure I can remove the papers while watching TV.  Doing a few every month will get them done without too much moaning and groaning on my part.  Paper piecing isn't my favorite technique, but it is handy in the quilter's "toolkit."  I'll make two more pink blocks tomorrow because another mystery clue will arrive on Friday.  I like the pace of this year's mystery which is giving me time to work on a few other projects in between.

New Year's Eve

 We are celebrating New Year's Day by making a special cheesecake to share with neighbors.  Paul's mother, Mildred, won awards at the Vermont Farm Show with this, and the recipe has been missing since she passed away.  Paul's sister found it recently in an old box.  Here it is:

Mildred’s Award-winning Cheesecake

 

Crust

Mix and press into 8” springform pan:

          22 single graham crackers, rolled fine (or 2 c. crumbs)

          1 T. sugar mixed with a little cinnamon

          1 stick melted butter

Bake @ 350 for 6 minutes.  Cool.

Filling

Mix with mixer until smooth:

          2   8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened

          1 T. vanilla

          2 eggs, beaten

          1 c. sugar

Pour into cooled crust and bake @ 350 30 min.  Turn oven off and allow to cool for one hour.  Do not open the oven door.

Topping

Mix:

          1 pt. sour cream

          2 T. sugar

          2 T. vanilla

Pour over cake

Sprinkle on:

          ¼ c, sugar mixed with ¼ t, cinnamon

Bake @ 350 for 6 minutes.

Cool in refrigerator for at least 10 hrs. before serving.

Now you can see why we are making it today - it needs all that cooling time.  Licking the beaters, I can attest to its deliciousness!  Happy New Year!

For 2021: Declutter

I've read a few blogs that suggest choosing a watch word for 2021, sort of a theme for living.  I've been thinking about mine, and it is definitely declutter.  Or should I say unclutter?  I spent a little time last winter going through basement closets, shredding old documents, and doing a little organizing.  I need to finish that and once it is safe to do so, give things to the ReStore, the Salvation Army, etc.  These items have now become clutter even though I intended for them to leave the house.  And there is more to do to add some air to our house.  

I love our house, but we do hope to move in the next year or so to one with a bedroom and bath on the first floor.  I want to make sure moving isn't as much agony as it was the last time, when we moved from a giant Victorian to a three bedroom condo.  The upcoming winter months will be a good time for decluttering.

My sewing room is pretty much under  control, and my goals for this year include working on several quilts:  

  - Grassy Creek Mystery - Bonnie Hunter's, going on now

  - RSC2021 - actually two projects - MSQC's Pop Stars and 6" pineapple blocks

  - Anything Goes swap blocks - all made but need to put together

  - Christmas Cobblestones swap blocks - waiting for blocks to arrive and need to make some more

  - Dear Jen by Jen Kingwell, incorporating some guild blocks of the month along with pattern blocks

  - Barbara Brackman Civil War block of the month using Jane at Home fabric

  - Hanky quilt

  - "Sisters" quilt - needs quilting

I've also been gathering things to start a crazy quilt for months now, but I'll wait to start when the Calico County Quilters group can meet again.  Bronwyn was to lead us through that process.  I do miss getting together with those ladies!  We usually work on our own projects while talking about quilting, life, and more.

As for knitting, I am working on a lavender scarf for Jenny who gave me the yarn for Christmas.  I just finished the little shawl I made, and I have some pretty variegated yarn waiting in the wings for a hat and mittens for me.  I feel no need to hurry knitting projects along as it's basically a relaxation activity.

Today I'll run down to the store for milk, finish up this week's mystery quilt clue, AND do a little decluttering in the living room which still has Christmas presents and candy stacked up here and there.  Maybe I'll sew the last side of a binding down, too.  Have a great day!

Merry Christmas!

 Just a quick note to wish you a Merry Christmas!  We had lots of rain overnight so our snow is almost all gone.  We just have a few banks along the roadway, which I hope don't turn to ice later today.  I'm sure we'll have snow again soon enough.  Today we'll have presents and brunch with Chris, followed by a Zoom with my family and some phone calls with Paul's family.  Have a great day, however you celebrate it!  (This photo is of our Christmas village "tree," from 2018)

Projects near the finish line

 In between weekly clues for Bonnie Hunter's Grassy Creek Mystery quilt and holiday cooking, I've been pecking away at various projects.  Maybe I'll finish them by the end of the year; they are both quite close.  

I spent a couple of days hand quilting the sashiko center of my blue and white round robin quilt after it came home from the long armer.  I discovered that my hands aren't as dexterous as they used to be.  Quilting was hard and slow.  It might also be that the sashiko fabric was a little thicker than the usual quilting cotton.   At any rate, I am now working slowly on binding and am lucky to do a half side a day.  I didn't work on it yesterday but hope to get back to it today.  It is nice to sit partially under a quilt on a chilly day.

Most days I do several rows of knitting on a shawl made from a "cupcake" of various blues and greens.  As it grows, each row takes a little longer.  I don't have a pattern for this - I just adapted a dish cloth pattern and will leave it as a big triangle when I've used up all the yarn.  I do want to finish this fairly soon, though, as I have some very pretty yarn waiting in the wings for a hat and mittens.  Unlike quilting, I don't want to have more than one knitting project going at a time for fear I'll never finish anything.  

I finished the kelly green section and now there's a little bit of teal yarn before the final bright blue start.  It won't be long til it's finished.  I knit while watching TV - Quilting Arts in the afternoons and Jeopardy in the evenings,  sometimes a little more in between.

I draped the shawl over the coffee table which has a very old Christmas table topper on it.  Since COVID-19 began, the coffee table is usually in front of the fireplace and piled with bolsters and other equipment for yoga via Zoom in the middle of the living room.  We are taking two weeks off from yoga so we can have a "normal" living room for a little while.   

On tap today:  vaccuum, bake a loaf of bread and drop off cards and little gifts (mug rugs, coasters, goodies) at the neighbors.  We had considered a little driveway get-together, but cold weather and a recent increase in virus cases makes that a little too risky since we are all "of a certain age."  

Sisters top finished. goals for 2021

 I am enjoying this year's Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt project because, so far, I am able to finish each clue with a few days to spare before the next one.  That's left time for some other quilting projects, knitting, cooking, going to the dentist (broke a tooth but now it's fixed), etc.  

I was able to put together all of the blocks for Aby Dolinger's Sisters quilt along, which involved blocks of the month, one 12" and one 6" in similar designs.  I used a variety of cream backgrounds and scrappy blues for the blocks, and then I added a nice printed cream for the open spaces, sashing, and borders.  It's 60" x 64" and will be quilted in early 2021 (I hope) on my trust Elna.

I seem to have made quite a few blue scrappy quilts this year and still have plenty of blues to piece a back, which is something I'll work on in between mystery clues.  

In 2021, I plan to work on Jen Kingwell's Dear Jen (incorporating some guild blocks of the month) and make a quilt out of some old hankies with some Jane Austen fabric I've been hoarding.  One of the fabrics is called "Marianne" so you can imagine that I had to buy that!  I am also gathering Christmas Cobblestone blocks from a swap with my online group so that's in the queue, and of course I'm working on another Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilt.  No doubt a few more projects will be added to this list along the way.

It's a long winter here in Vermont, and even if we get COVID vaccines, we'll be stuck inside a lot of the time.   Quilting is the perfect way to keep busy - and sane!

Progressing

Good Monday morning!  It was a fairly productive, yet relaxing weekend here.  Hope yours was, too.  Chris came Saturday to help me put up our Christmas village/"tree."  This picture is from last year, but it looks about the same except for the addition of a few more houses and a little red covered bridge bought on Ebay after last Christmas.

I added a red bow and a stuffed Santa from Chris' preschool days on top.  The 1950s creepy Santa is on a window sill this year.  A few other decorations make the house feel very festive and cozy.

As we were putting things out, three packages from Mom and Jenny arrived, so I opened those and put them under the tree.  My one regret about this new "tree" is that I'm not using the skirt I made out of swap blocks a few years ago.   It has a hole for the tree stand in the middle and doesn't look right under the village.  

Yesterday I made some squash bread (using Linda's late mother's recipe for pumpkin bread).  It turned out great, and as luck would have it, Chris appeared as it was cooling.  I gave him and his buddy little loaves to take home as "payment" for taking our cans and bottles to the redemption center.

I sat down a few times during the day to read Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters, by Jennifer Chiaverini.  It is sort of a parallel sequel to Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker that she wrote a few years ago.  I loved that story of Elizabeth Keckley.  This novel is told from the points of view of four of Mrs. Lincoln's sisters and is interesting but not her best novel.   I am definitely looking forward to Chiaverini's new (unrelated) pattern book which is coming out on Christmas day.

Headway was made on the Grassy Creek Mystery, too, and I have just a few more sets to make today.  I keep each week's clue sets in baggies in a shoebox.   I like the pace of this year's mystery - as Bonnie said, it's a "normal" pace, not too fast, not too slow.  This gives me time to get started binding my blue and white virtual round robin quilt.   I'll have to hunt around for some navy blue thread to hand quilt the sashiko center of that quilt.  I think I'll enjoy doing that quilting this coming week as it's supposed to be a lot colder and snowier.  

Another sale!

This is the year of mail order, I guess, and I've been doing quite a bit of it myself.  My etsy shop has been busier than ever, too.  This summer I sold a blue and gray Civil War sampler quilt that had been on there for several years, and before Thanksgiving my Ohio Star sampler sold.  

The buyer of the Ohio Star quilt wondered if she could return it if it didn't fit her bed.   I labored over a response, hoping to sound encouraging and not negative.  I have been worrying ever since I mailed it, but so far, it has not returned to me.  I especially love the scrappy green border on that quilt which includes blocks from a swap in my local guild.    

Earlier this week, I received an inquiry about my Modern Ohio Star challenge wall hanging.  The person wanted to know if  I could make one just like it, only "a little" bigger.  It is 21" x 26", and she wanted it to be 36" x 48", not even the same proportion.  The inquiry caused another diplomatic dilemma for me as I absolutely had to decline.  I used "Quilters Linen" for the navy blue and know that my local shop no longer has any because I liked it so much that I tried to get more for another quilt.   

Luckily, someone else likes it just the size it is, and I mailed it to someone in Colorado a couple of days later.   I hope it arrives there before Christmas.  Everything seems to be taking longer to mail these days.  I really liked this little quilt which was a guild challenge to "modernize" a traditional block.  The back has one large, strippy Ohio Star, making it reversible.  It's so gratifying when something sells!

December "Sisters" block

This is the last month for the "Sisters" block of the month quilt along, created by Aby Dolinger.  I've enjoyed making the blocks out of mostly blue scraps.  Each month, there have been instructions for two similar blocks, one 12" and the other 6".   I have some nice cream fabric for spacers, borders, binding, and any sashing I might want to add.   The finished size will be about 71" x 78".  I may quilt it in sections.

At the beginning of each year, I say I'm not going to do any more blocks of the month.  Then as the year goes on, I miss having one to work on.  We'll see how the year goes.   I am organizing the guild block of the month so try to work ahead on instructions every month.  I will still be doing the Rainbow Scrap Challenge each month, and I have been making nine patch blocks out of scrappy 2.5" squares to use, somehow.  I also have  few other half-finished projects in boxes waiting for attention, as well as some knitting to work on this winter.

Today is Friday, so another clue for Bonnie Hunter's Grassy Creek Mystery was posted.  I got right to work, cutting and then sewing a few of the segments.  I like this week's results because I'm working with one of my favorite color combinations - kelly green and soft pink.  She confirmed today that we won't be using any more gold.  I had substituted purple for that color because gold is not a favorite and I don't have much of it.  This is a help since I've been working on log cabining my "Anything Goes" swap blocks in purple and don't want to run out.  Ha!  As if!

Favorite books, 2020 edition

I usually read about a book a week, sometimes more.  This year, I read quite a few less, probably due to the distractions of the pandemic and the fatigue induced by the insane person in the White House.  Good Reads tells me I read 41 so far, and I have several going right now that I may or may not finish by the end of the year.  Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order:

 - The Life We Bury - Allen Eskens (thanks, Karen, for the recommendation)

 - Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah

 - Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel (my favorite this year; I'll be looking for more by this author)

 - Everyone Brave Is Forgiven - Chris Cleaves

 - The Way Life Should Be - Christina Baker Kline (great recipes)

 - Troubled Blood - Robert Galbraith (#5 in series)

 - Ice Blue - Emma Jameson (and three others in the series)

 - The Mountains Wild - Sarah Stewart Taylor (so glad to read a new book by this author)

 - Alone in the Wild - Kelley Armstrong (#5 in series)

 - Westering Women - Sandra Dallas

I see that several of these books were pretty long (Galbraith's book was nearly 1,000 pages!) which also accounts for my not reading as much this year.  I spent more time knitting while watching TV and quilting - it was a productive year at home.   

Curiously, I have been remiss in keeping my handwritten diary of books read this year.  I have five of these going back 15 or so years when I first started keeping track.  It all started at a family gathering when someone who had had a little too much to drink said, snidely,  "So you're a librarian.  How many books do you read in a year?" "52" was my off-the-top-of-my-head response which was met with a respectful raising of the eyebrows.   My diaries prove me correct and also help me remember what I read.  Guess I should go update it today!

Making progress on many fronts

All of our Christmas packages have been mailed, the library staff's gifts have been delivered, and get-out-the-vote postcards to Georgia have been written and are ready to mail.  Now I can start doing a little more holiday prep, including wrapping the gifts for local friends, Paul, and Chris and decorating a little bit.  I did hang the old patchwork wreath on the door.  It looks awfully tatty close up but fine from the street!   I like to Christmas-ize a little at a time to stretch the season out.

Yesterday evening, I posted the guild's block of the month November lottery winner and December block.  We're making snowball blocks in blues this time.  These 6" blocks are pretty easy and one person has already informed me that she's made one.  I made three in this size for my Dear Jen quilt (a Jen Kingwell sampler I plan to start in the new year).

I also sewed four 3" snowballs together for the optional 6" block for the guild lottery,  People in the guild seem to enjoy the lottery aspect of this block of the month, with 15 or so mailing their blocks to the winner each month.   This has been a fun project for me during this more isolated time, too.

This week's Bonnie Hunter mystery clue is also done after a weekend of steady sewing.  I, of course, printed the clue out in black and white to save colored printer ink and, as a result, misread the clue and used the wrong color.   Because I didn't like Bonnie's green-orange-red-gold scheme, I chose green-medium blue-purple-pink.  I should have made my half-square triangles out of pinks, but they are purple so I will shuffle what I had planned.  I always figure I can dig deeper into my stash to finish the clues if I need to anyway.  And I can make a quick run to the quilt shop as a last resort.

My sewing room has been a busy place for me over the last few days because I also made some Christmas Cobblestone blocks for a swap with an online group.  I'll be sending two blocks to each of nine people in the U.S., Australia, Canada, and England soon.  On tap for today:  starting on Christmas cards, taking some stuff to the Salvation Army, vacuuming, and a little more knitting on a shawl which has grown off of two needles and onto circular ones.  Hope it's not as gloomy as the last few days have been.  I'd love to squeeze in a few walks, too.  Have a great day!

Thanksgiving

 Good morning!  Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving.   We had a quiet day with a nice meal, some TV (a bit of the Macy's parade and the National Dog Show), and one walk around the neighborhood.  Today I hope we'll get out for our usual three turns around the neighborhood because I feel the need to walk off a little of what we ate.  I got out a favorite table runner yesterday, made of fragments from a Civil War "layer cake."

My Pilgrim candles remind me of the candles my Dad used to buy me when I was small.  I don't plan to burn them because I remember being so upset at losing their heads way back then!  I'll carefully put them back in the box for next year.  Today I hope to meet up with Samantha to exchange some leftover turkey for a big squash, one of three in the garage.  Maybe I'll work on one of them this weekend.  Today I'll be using leftover squash and mashed potatoes to make a lighter soup for dinner with some cornbread.  

The apple kuchen I made using Burton's recipe turned out really good and not too heavy.  I sent Chris home with some, and we still have plenty for a few more meals.  It would be really good with a dollop of ice cream but plain was good, too.  I love anything with almond flavoring.

I just printed out the first clue of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt, so that's what I'll be dipping into today.  Should be fun!

Easy dinner and great bread

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!  I hope your holiday is a fun one,  how ever you celebrate.  We'll be here with the three of us as was the case last year.  The guys are still waxing poetic about the filet mignon I made then, but we're having ham this time.  I couldn't find a turkey breast, and the turkeys were way too big.  Luckily, Samantha is bringing us some leftovers from the big turkey she got.  In the past, we had T'giving dinner with her and Vicki, when she actually cooked the turkey at her house and brought it here.  What a great friend!  She's even willing to take one of the three gigantic squashes Chris gave me.

In preparation for tomorrow's blow out, this week's dinners have been very easy and low cal.   Some have been vegetarian, and here's one that I really like - Greek nachos for two:

Dressing:  mix 1/3 c. hummus with 2 T. olive oil, 1 T. lemon juice, and a 1/8 t. pepper (the New York Times recipe said this served six, but they must have been small eaters).

Put a layer of pita chips (my new favorite) on two dinner plates.  Top each with chopped Romaine lettuce, chopped vegetables (cucumber, tomatoes, green peppers, whatever appeals), sliced olives, and finish with crumbled feta cheese.

Drizzle hummus dressing over all, and enjoy.  Perhaps offer more chips and hummus on the side.

Right now, I'm making 100% whole wheat bread using a recipe from King Arthur Flour in my bread machine.  I have tried a lot of recipes before recently finding one that really works.  It includes flax seed and a good amount of maple syrup; it rises well, is soft, and makes great toast and sandwiches.  I use the dough setting on the machine, which lets me take it out, shape and rise it again, and then bake it in the oven.   It may seem odd to do it that way, but the machine does a thorough job of heavy kneading for my older hands and allows the first rise to be in a warmer spot than my cool kitchen offers.

Later today, I'll make some winter squash for tomorrow, but mostly I'll be sewing today - perfect!

Heading to California!

 

I woke up early this morning, which seems to be my pattern lately, to find that another quilt had sold on my etsy shop.  What a great surprise!  I love this cheerful, fresh-looking quilt with blocks from a swap and a border adapted from a pattern by Deb Tucker.  The grass green fabric makes it especially bright.

I took this picture by hanging the quilt over the railing of my neighbor's deck.  She went to Florida from October to April, so on good days, I would use that spot to take pictures of quilts that are too big for Paul to hold up by himself.  That neighbor passed away last year and new people have moved in, but they won't mind if I use their deck now and then.   In fact, Dave will probably help Paul hold it up if I ask.  During this COVID crisis, we have become closer as we check in most days in our driveways or the backyard.

Paul and I went to the post office to mail the first of our holiday packages - four to the Netherlands and one to Wisconsin - yesterday.  I wasn't planning on going there again today, but guess I will now.  It is fun and gratifying to have something sell, but also a little bittersweet to see one of my projects leave the safety of my home.

Organized chaos

My sewing room is also our guest room, but we haven't had any house guests since Paul's brother was here for a long weekend last fall.  If guests do come, I will happily clean the nooks and crannies of the room.  I use the double bed as a design wall and a place to organize and sort fabrics for various projects.  Under the bed are tubs for batting scraps, linens (for the bed), and knitting supplies as well as dowels and curtain rods for hanging quilts. 

 Right now, the top of the bed is strewn with boxes and piles of stuff in preparation for Bonnie Hunter's annual mystery quilt extravaganza.  (Sorry the photo is so dark  - it's November)  This year's quilt, beginning on Black Friday, is called Grassy Creek.   I'm making my quilt in different colors than she suggests - cranberry, medium blue, bright green, and pink - but I am using her neutrals and grays.  I have made a little chart and marked the bags with my various fabrics so I don't get too confused about those substitutions.  

My biggest problem with mystery quilts is not knowing how the colors will "play" together.  But I do like the intensity of this particular mystery series.  It gets my mind off the constant nattering on TV and elsewhere about what we should be doing for "the holidays."  

Meanwhile, I am pecking away at the holiday list in my own fashion.  Last week I started knitting some slippers for my sister Jenny.  I got to a slightly difficult section requiring double-pointed needles, but I could see immediately that stitches would slip off too easily.  I have been avoiding trying the "magic loop" method with circular needles but could see that this was really the time to use it.  With trepidation, I tried it Sunday... and it worked!  I'm not going to start using the magic loop to make socks or anything else right away, but I now have a little more confidence in my ability to do it.  

The first slipper took 3 days, and I should finish the second one today after starting it yesterday.  Will try to take a photo when I have them stitched up.  I think I should try to get some suede to sew onto the bottoms to help make them non-slip.   Uh oh - I feel another trip to Joann's coming on.  :-)

Holiday preparations

I have all the gifts I'm planning to mail and some for in-person giving spread out on a card table in the basement.  There's no room to wrap them, but I'll shuffle over the weekend and get them ready to go.  I worry that the ones for the Netherlands will get hung up somewhere, so I like to get them out early.  Once the packages are mailed, I can begin to enjoy the holidays.

Tomorrow I'll be going over to Pauline and Bob's new condo in Burlington (45 min. west of us) to help Pauline clean and settle in before the move over the weekend.   Since it is an older place (30+ years?), they have had to put in new flooring, paint, re-do bathrooms and kitchen, and put up some walls in the basement.  So I imagine it's pretty dusty even with the contractor promising to clean after his work was done.  But it should be fun to see it finished - we saw it mid-construction two months ago.  

As a house-warming gift, I made an insulated table runner out of Christmas tumblers.  They love Christmas, and we usually get together for lunch or dinner before the holidays get going.  This year, we'll probably all do something a little less group-oriented since cases of the virus are growing again.

I have had my fill of tumblers.  I started out the year thinking I'd make holiday tumblers my "leaders and enders" like Bonnie Hunter suggests.  I found I really hated doing that.  The pieces were always in the way.  I like to concentrate on one thing at a time.  So I made another table runner, some Christmas stockings to sell, and some mug rugs for neighbors this summer, all using tumblers,  And now I am soooo finished!!  Next year I'm planning to make some nine- and four-patches in holiday fabrics now and then for use in various projects.

I hope to stop at Trader Joe's before I go to Pauline's.  I love browsing there, but the last time I went (pre-COVID), it was too busy to really enjoy it.  I even have a list of things to look for this time.

Knitting up a storm

I'm glad to have the election resolved to my liking.  No more looking at retirement communities in New Brunswick or wondering if I should get my Dutch citizenship back (it was relinquished when I became a US citizen at age 9).  I realize the days and months ahead will probably be tense, but I hope, with calmer leadership, it will all turn out OK in the end.   All Paul's and my time spent holding signs at downtown honk 'n' waves has been worth it.

I made two Christmas mug rugs yesterday, but mostly I spent my time knitting and checking in with the TV during the day and evening. I'm almost finished knitting the orange/yellow scarf because I'm almost at the end of the yarn.  Next will be something made from a blue/green "cupcake" I got at the same time.  I'm thinking about a shawl and have a pattern, but will I be able to stand working on circular needles?  We'll see!  

I also downloaded a pattern to make a heart and a star.  I'll give each a try and see if I like them enough to make some ornaments for the twig tree I have sitting in a sap bucket in the driveway.  Our birch tree out front sheds big branches regularly, and as I've picked them up, I stuck the larger ones into the bucket.  I might buy some plastic icicles at the dollar store to hang on it for the holidays.  Last year's bittersweet didn't stay intact long, so I won't go and collect any this year.  My red outdoor bow is still in good shape.  I hate to rush the holidays, but I'm trying not to eat between meals.  This is keeping my hands busy.  😉

Compost on my mind

Our retired life is rather simple, especially since we've been mostly sheltering at home since early March.  We live in a quiet, semi-rural area and keep busy with our various projects.  For me that means lots of quilting, reading, cooking, and knitting.  But for over two months now, I've been dealing with an annoying problem that just doesn't seem to resolve itself.  And it all involves compost.  I have had a compost bin most of my adult life.  I chucked weeds and clippings in with food scraps and, eventually, spread it on my garden.  Even at the B&B, we had a large plastic bin out back which served us well.  When we moved to a condo, we gave it to our next door neighbor, an avid gardener.  

Our home looks like a house but is attached to the one next door at the garage, so our "units" are shaped like an "L"  The backyard is common land great for neighborhood gatherings, including Friday afternoon croquet games and social time in summer.  This year we even had a movie night outside.  But that leaves no room for a compost pile or bin.  The lawn care guys are willing to pick up branches and clippings from bushes I prune.   But what about food scraps?    We generate quite a few now that we are trying to eat more vegetables and fruits.  I checked into a "green cone" which you bury into the ground with only a small bit sticking up, but they need lots of sun to work well.   Any garden spot next to the house is too small or too shady.

I hate to use the garbage disposal and dump something that could feed the earth into the sewer system.  Several years ago I got a 5 gallon bucket with a tight fitting lid and have been taking my compost about once a month to one of two sites in town.  Their hours are limited, prices vary, and it is a real drag to drive with a smelly bucket in summer or to wash it out in winter.  

At the end of August, feeling my age, I decided to treat us to home pick up.  One company charges $13.99 every two weeks.  Another charges $9.99 a month for bi-weekly pickup.   Over Labor Day weekend, I arranged to go with the latter.  I paid for September and waited for an introductory email.  Nothing.  So I sent an email with a list of questions (e.g., "what day will you pick up?").  I got an answer... eventually.  After three weeks, a bucket was delivered.  Then an email came, telling me that pick ups were delayed due to illness.  Then it was a funeral.  Then it was mechanical failures.  Then a personnel shortage.  Somewhere along the line, another empty bucket was delivered, but nothing has been picked up.   

I cancelled my automatic payment over a month ago and have officially quit the service twice.  But earlier this week I agreed to give them just one more chance after a sad email message from the company.   It's been two days since the last email promising pick up, and two heavy, full buckets of raw compost are still waiting.  I've lost track of the times in the past six weeks that I've taken them to the end of the driveway.  Today I start a new bucket, using my old one.   I'll try not to look at those other buckets and hope they won't be there next spring.

Blocks of the month

 Yesterday was a day to knuckle down and get some blocks of the month for November out of the way.  I want to get busy quilting a little scrap quilt before I start Bonnie Hunter's Grassy Creek Mystery at the end of the month.  

First up were the Sisters blocks for November.  I'm using blue scraps and various cream fabrics for these blocks,  There's a 12" and a 6" block which are similar each month, and now there is just one month to go before it will be time to put them all together.  I have a nice cream fabric with blue writing for setting the blocks.

Then I made some Rainbow Scrappy Challenge blocks.  This month's "assignment" was to use lighter neutrals or miscellaneous fabrics, but I couldn't help making one of a darker fabric (December's assignment).  I used scraps from a box I have marked "Wild Patterns," because everything in the box is multi-colored.  These are three of my favorite fabrics.   It's nice to put them together in a quilt.

For my RSC 20-21, I'm using gray scraps for the backgrounds and making some "Pop Star" blocks each month.  I'm making little blocks to tuck in here and there out of the little triangles I cut off while making the star blocks.

I keep knitting on the sampler scarf and enjoying the process while watching TV now and then.  I found a website that offers instructions for easy knitting stitches that I am using so much that I went ahead and ordered the book.  As usual, I have no one to give this scarf to, so it will go to the Salvation Army when done.  That's OK with me.  A former neighbor used to make them hundreds of mittens each year and became known as The Mitten Lady.  I don't think that will happen to me - two or three scarves a year will most likely be my output.  I do have another Lion brand Cupcake in greens and blues that will probably be used for a shawl soon.

"Winter" = mystery quilt time

A beautiful cardinal just landed on the bird feeder by our dining room window, but it took off before I could take a photo.  We woke up to snow yesterday and more fell overnight.  With winter officially here, we filled the bird feeders and hoped the bears are heading for hibernation.   I did see a cat roaming around under the feeder yesterday, but it will probably be foiled soon as the snow gets deeper.  We love to watch the birds who seem to have lunch at the same time we do.

I didn't sew much yesterday, but I did think a lot about joining Bonnie Hunter's 2020 mystery,  Grassy Creek.  Bonnie is one of the busiest quilters on the planet and always designs a complex quilt with weekly clues beginning on Black Friday.  Some years I join in and some I don't, but it is an intense experience when I do.  She'll have participants making thousands of tiny blocks that somehow fit together amazingly.  She encourages scrappy looks and shopping one's stash which I will try to do.  

This year's mystery calls for 5 yards of gray fabric (solids and prints), which I don't have.  So of course, I ordered a bundle.   I am not planning to go with all of Bonnie's colors; instead I'll use some combination of bright/dark green, red-purple, blue (light? bright?), and pink (or maybe aqua).  Today I'll rummage around in my stash to see what I have on hand.  I do have plenty of muslin, which I'll use for the neutrals.  I need to go to A Quilter's Garden on Thursday to deliver a quilt top to Marie for long arming, so I'll see what I can find in the other colors to fill in then.  I'll have to find something to keep all the fabric in and set aside some baggies for the components, too.  All in due time.

Yesterday I baked a loaf of bread, edited a story Paul wrote, worked on a crossword puzzle, took a walk, and finished a cozy mystery et in Australia - Miss Spelled, by Morgana Best.  I'd call it a "throw away," since it is quickly forgotten.  It is the first in a series, but I probably won't be reading more.  What I am reading now is the second in a series about a young writer who has a lot on his plate - a girlfriend trying to pass the bar exam, an autistic brother, and a libel lawsuit against him.  The Shadows We Hide, by Aaron Eskens, has very human, likeable characters facing difficult situations.  The first book, The Life We Bury, was set in winter in Minnesota and very relatable to anyone who lives in a cold climate.

I keep saying I'm not going to watch the election results tonight, but even though it's tension-producing, I probably will.  I am so hoping for a return to sanity after three-plus years of nastiness.  Fingers crossed all the way.

Some other projects

About a month ago, I finished the brown cardigan I had been knitting since January, but I really don't like the way it ended up.  The zipper I put in is too light and I can't find one the right color.  So it sits, waiting for me to remove the zipper and add buttons or something else.  As my mom used to say, "it's fine for around the house."  

I do like to have something to knit while I watch TV, so I made a gray scarf with leftover yarn and then a gray hat for Paul.  Both aren't photogenic, but my current project is.  I was roaming around Joann Fabrics one day and spotted some multicolored yarn on sale.  I decided to make a sampler scarf with different stitch patterns, and it's coming along fairly well now.  I also have a blue/green "cupcake" of yarn to make a shawl next.  

The current scarf and the last two I've knitted will go in my giveaway pile.  I already own four winter scarves, including two I knit, one that was a gift, and another I sewed of old cashmere sweaters.

Yesterday I made up a bunch of chapstick keychains.  These make great stocking stuffers and will also mail well.  It took me an hour to make 8 of them.  They only require a 3.5" x 9" strip of fabric, a keychain ring, and a chapstick.  It took me a while to perfect the "pattern" which I first saw online.

Today's project:  plaid flannel pillowcases for friends of Chris.   They seem to have adopted us into their family, so I have added them to my holiday list which I really need to get out and review soon.   

Photos at last

 We finally had a sunny day!  Never mind the fact that it was 16 degrees this morning.  We had to wait for a very heavy coating of frost to melt before we could go out and take these pictures.

Here is the trellis quilt I made out of 5" charms received in a swap with other squares from my stash.  

I quilted it on a grid which was very easy.  The borders were quilted with wavy lines.

I had been fretting about quilting the medallion quilt I've been working on most of the year.  It was a virtual round robin that I organized with an online group.  Each month, we'd have an assignment (e.g., squares, triangles, etc.).  

After the last border, I decided it was big enough, so I added some plain borders and then pondered how to quilt it.  Measuring 79" x 79" by now, it would be a lot to do on my home machine, even though I've found that medallions are easier for me to quilt than sashed blocks.   I do want to hand quilt the center which is sashiko embroidery, but my longarm friend Marie says she can work around that.  

It really requires two people to hold it, but Paul did manage to hang on to half for this photo.  You'll see the whole thing when it's finished.  The binding has been cut and sewn already and is in a bag for whenever it comes home from Marie's.   I told her there is no hurry, but she is very speedy so I'll probably see it back here soon.

We also took some photos of a little quilt I made for someone for Christmas, but I will wait to show it after it's been opened, just in case s/he sees this blog!

Back at it

I lost my sew-jo for a few days, which is OK.   I don't have a deadline for anything.  I spent that time reading and knitting mostly, and even washed a few windows.  But yesterday I pieced a back for the little blue scrap quilt top I made last weekend, and I hope to sandwich it soon.   I cut out several pieces to make chapstick keychains - they just take a 3 1/2" x 9" strip of fabric and a key chain ring - and I messed around with interfacing.  To use it or not?  It makes a more useful item, so I will fiddle around with placement today.  Slipping the ring on is the hardest part for me as I pry the end apart with my fingernail.

I have two Dutch nieces and their husbands that I like to send little Christmas gifts to.  One loves Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and I just happened to find ornaments at Walmart for her that I can easily mail with my Christmas letter.  But I can't send something to one without the other, so I'll send the keychains to the other niece and her husband who loves motorcycle racing.  She'll get a floral one while he'll get one that looks like tire tracks.

That leaves a few others to tuck into packages and Christmas stockings.   Other than that, I have to finish sewing down a hanging sleeve on a little quilt I made out of a panel for my friend in California.  It has been so gloomy lately that I haven't taken any pictures at all, either inside or outside.  Today it's supposed to be sunny so I hope to rectify the situation.

Gloomy days are good days for baking, and yesterday I made some apple donuts.  We delivered 8 to neighbors, including two men who had recently come home from extended hospital/rehab stays.  That left us with 4 which we enjoyed.  A perfect distribution of "wealth!"  Alas, they were gone before I could get a photo but rest assured, they were delicious.

Family history

 Over my 35+ years as a librarian, I tried to avoid genealogical reference work whenever possible.  But since I've been retired, I've been drawn deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole.  Now I run a genealogy club for people in the area.  It's basically a support group of very nice people, all doing our own thing.  Some like to keep expanding their family trees, while others are sorting through family memorabilia to discover clues to ancestry.  We even organized a genealogy "fair" for the community last fall to share what we've learned.  

It's been an interesting journey so far for me.  I've learned that 1/4 of my roots are firmly southeast Asian stemming from many Indonesian foremothers on both sides.  These ladies had no written documents beyond basic data.  Some didn't have family names; others adopted Christian names after marrying Dutch men, schooling or other life events (unknown to me).  It's very typical for people living in colonized parts of the world.   I have become accustomed to almost every branch of my tree dead-ending somewhere on the maternal side.

As a librarian and an amateur writer, finding more branches of the tree isn't as important as finding and writing stories of relatives anyway.  I started with a story about my great-grandmother who went around the world with her second husband, a journalist, back in the 1930s.

That was a lot of fun to research and write about, and my Mom especially loved that there were even newspaper accounts and interviews to include.  I then wrote a story about the summer my brother and I spent with my grandmother and great-grandmother in the Netherlands in 1960.  My brother added some memories from his six year old point of view, which made the writing especially fun.  Next, I tackled a brief biography of my grandfather, an entrepreneur and journalist who spent World War II in Suriname as a political prisoner of the Dutch.  My Mom added some valuable insight on that story, and I need to continue to capture more while I can.  She's 98, has a great memory, and wrote a detailed memoir of her early days.

Talking with my brother about various aspects of family history, I decided to write a biography of my stepfather next.  He was a generous spirit with very strong opinions about politics, right/wrong, cars, sports, and more.  Luckily for me, he had written some memoirs in a class and also given a long speech for his 85th birthday a few years before passing away.  I had also written his obituary before he passed away, making sure to check with him about basic facts.  More research has turned up facts about his life that could be included in what is now a ten page story.  Sorting through and scanning photos to include is the next step in the process before I share the draft with my Mom and siblings.

Who's next?  That remains to be seen.  

Pretty, but ominous

 

It's already blooming!  Is this the first sign of winter?  I love this Christmas cactus.  It was my neighbor's, and I admired it when I watched her house and plants every winter when she went to Florida.  After she passed away, her kids gave it to me.  It bloomed for many months last year but didn't start this early.  I have two other Christmas cacti, one pink and one orangey.  They bloom at different times, with one sometimes blooming at Thanksgiving and other years at Easter.  This morning, a former co-worker reported snow at her house just 3 miles or so from us, but luckily we only had rain.  Guess I'd better get out and plant those daffodils ASAP.  Guess winter is breathing down our necks.

2020: Endless Worry and Chaos

 The Green Mountain Quilter, newsletter of our state quilt guild, is planning to print a couple more issues this year since we haven't been able to hold a meeting.  I contributed the following to the upcoming newsletter and thought I'd share it with you.  

        This has been a weird year.  Almost everyone I know is looking forward to 2021.  Society around the globe is in turmoil.  Many of us have experienced illness, anxiety, and even fear in our lives and those of our loved ones.  Calls, emails, and Zoom aren’t great substitutes for our usual closeness.   We are exhorted to believe “we’re all in this together,” but we can’t be together.

            Looking for ways to cope (besides quilting more than usual and cleaning closets), I’ve read a bit about the angst we are experiencing.  One of the best and most succinct things I’ve seen has been by author Marie Bostwick.   She recently posted 9 Things To Do To Stop Worrying on her blog (https://mariebostwick.com/9-things-to-do-to-stop-worrying/), and it is solid advice:

      1.      Unplug – the news, social media, etc.  As Marie says, “how many of us really need news 24 hours a day?”

2.      Phone a friend – maintain connections with those who can give you good advice and help you stop worrying.  My wacky brother helps, as do regular emails from my dear friend Cindy in California.

3.     Take a walk – fresh air and sunshine will do your body good so you can calm your mind.  And maybe you’ll be able to sleep better and recharge.  Paul and I try to take a couple of walks a day, around the neighborhood.

4.     Say a prayer – I’m not religious, but I look for the things I’m grateful for, with living in Vermont being close to the top.

5.     Read a book – escape to another world or time, read about someone else’s troubles and how s/he resolved them.  Marie's books are good for this.

6.     Have a laugh – watch a funny movie or TV show.  Our neighbors got together this summer for an outdoor Marx Brothers film which was so-so, but we really enjoyed social distancing… with BYO wine and snacks!

7.     Get a hobby – maybe quilting is enough for you, but if not, you could knit, try a new recipe, work on genealogy, write your memoirs, etc.  My bread machine has gotten a real workout in the last few months.

8.     Bust a move – Marie turns on the music and dances.  I do yoga instead.

9.     Make a list – when all else fails, Marie suggests writing an action plan to deal with the things you’re worrying about.  I haven't done this, but I do keep a list of UFOs and finished projects which makes me feel good.

             Wishing you all the best as this “annus horribilis,” as Queen Elizabeth called the year Princess Diana died, comes to an end! 

A bunch of blocks

An organizer of one of my quilt guilds - the Heart of Vermont guild - who worked at my local quilt shop is moving over the river into New Hampshire.  We will all miss Paula's cheerful encouragement, good ideas, and sense of humor, so we're making 9" friendship star blocks for her to remember us by.  We like sending her a UFO!  

I appliqued the guild logo block to go with the star blocks.  My hands won't allow me to do much fine applique these days so I embroidered the heart in the mountains instead.  I see that red heart doesn't show up very well - sorry!  My blocks for Paula are ready to go once we figure out her new address.

My online group has been swapping 6" blocks this year in the color of each recipient's choice.  I chose purples and so far have received about 25 blocks.  Some of the members of the swap have had personal troubles or problems mailing, so they are dribbling in a bit.  But most have arrived so I can start sashing in a log cabin fashion with purples and creams to make each block 12".  I'm even making some crumb blocks to fill in the centers.  I'll see how it looks and may make a few more 6" center blocks if I want it bigger.   This is my annual purple quilt - it's my favorite color.

It rained steadily all day yesterday so I wasn't able to take a picture of the red trellis quilt I finished Sunday.  Maybe we'll be able to today.

Happy Saturday!

It's been a good day so far.  I finished quilting this little red quilt in a very simple grid pattern and cut out and sewed the binding pieces together.  I'll sew the binding on tomorrow, probably.  I ran down to the post office for stamps, the bakery for cookies, and the little grocery store down the hill for scallops for tonight's dinner.  I like to cook something special on Saturday nights, especially now that we rarely go out to eat.

It was beautiful weather this morning, so Paul and I took a couple of walks around the neighborhood.  We met the new neighbor kitty corner from us who asked for directions to the post office.  A young man came and cleaned out our dryer vent.  I bet it had not been cleaned in 30 years, and from the before and after pictures he showed me, we really needed it.  

I had put a post up on our local e-bulletin board asking for recommendations.   Several people responded, including this young man who recommends cleaning dryer vents about every five years.  I've been meaning to do it for about a year.  My dryer has been taking longer and longer to dry things lately, so I knew it needed doing... or we need a new dryer.  I would rather spend my money on fun things like fabric!  I love the e-bulletin board - people are so helpful.

We're expecting thunderstorms this afternoon, and it feels like it, so I'll stay inside and applique.  A friend from guild is moving, so everyone who wishes to will be making a 9" friendship star block to send her in her new home.  I will make one of those and am also making a block with our guild logo on it.  I designed it nine or ten years ago when the Heart of Vermont guild was getting started.  It's a 10" take-off on Moon Over the Mountains, and I have made several over the years.  I don't seem to have a photo so I'll try to take one of this version when finished.  

The squash that ate Barre

 Kabocha squash.  It looks a bit like buttercup but doesn't have the "turban" part.   It's also called Japanese pumpkin and is supposed to be very healthy.   Its size reminds me of the old song, The Eggplant that Ate Chicago.

Chris brought me one last year from his boss, and this year his boss harvested enough to fill a bucket loader.  Saturday, I was gifted with four of them.  After giving two away, I decided to work on one and leave the other in the garage for a while.  The result was a full Dutch oven of mashed squash, created by roasting first, then peeling and chopping, and finally boiling a while before mashing.  It felt like a full day's work!

Today I made some ginger squash soup to go along with bread baked in a wood-fired oven from the Rise Up Bakery.  It's delicious, and I'm sure I'll make more over the next few weeks.  I thought I'd try making a bread like pumpkin bread later this week, and Chris' boss recommends making a squash pie like pumpkin.  We'll see.   But we are definitely having squash with our Thanksgiving dinner this year.

It was a lovely fall day and perfect weather for putting flower beds to bed, doing a little reorganization of the garage, and taking the air conditioner out of the sewing room window.  Temperatures are in the 30s at night now, and leaves and pine needles are falling.   It's a beautiful time of year, but, as Vermonters say, "you know what's coming next!"

"Sisters" quilt along

Hope you are all enjoying this nice fall weekend.  We had a rainy day yesterday, and it's a bit gloomy today, but the colored leaves look fabulous against the gray sky.  

This is what I get for not printing the directions out.  I missed two small colored triangles across from the long sides of the big ones, and I also put the smaller set of triangles in an opposite direction.  This month's 12" and 6" blocks in the quilt along are "Old Maid's Puzzle."  My blocks remind me of butterflies and I'm not going to re-do them.  I actually kind of like them the way they are, and I sure like using up more blue scraps.  I have quite a few.

Today's project was making some Rainbow Scrappy Challenge blocks.  This month's color is yellow and I found some nice scraps for my two blocks.  I always cut the corners off when making the flying geese so have been making little bonus blocks with those.  This month's little blocks are 2.5" Broken Dishes, which is also the guild block of the month.

I'm reading Robert Galbraith's latest book, Troubled Blood, #5 in the Cormoran Strike series by the pseudonymous J. K. Rowling.  She can really put a complicated story together.  This book is nearly 1,000 pages and has been quite controversial.   Apparently transgendered people are up in arms about her portrayal of a male murderer who dresses as a woman to entice his prey.   But, so far, I'm really liking it as usual.  

That's what I'll be doing this afternoon before we go to the Grange Hall to pick up some items I "won" in an online auction (hankies and notecards).  I gave them a scrappy baby quilt for the auction, and it sold for $175!  After that, we'll head down to Sarducci's for dinner under a tent with a new heater with Pauline and Bob, old librarian friends.  

Lots going on, but no pictures

Early this week, I finished the October border on my Virtual Round Robin, a blue and white quilt that has now grown to about 72" x 72".  I have added 8" scrappy Jewel Box blocks all the way around to get to that size.  Then I cut out two plain borders and because they will be my last, I fully intended to take a picture before sewing them on.   But life's many choices got in the way.  I folded the top up and put it in the closet while I worked on a Christmas gift for a friend (no photos just in case she reads this) and some Halloween masks for my brother Axel.  He works parttime as a school bus monitor for kids K through 5th grade in Wisconsin.  I think these will be fun for him to wear in the next few weeks.   He is very popular with the kids and the bus company, and he loves his retirement job even though his health is not the best.  Guess I'll make him some Christmas masks, too.

I also wove in about 1,000 loose threads on the brown sweater I've been knitting for months and attached the sleeves.  It actually fits!  Paul said it looks professional, but I know where all the booboos are (and I'm not telling).  The knit in pockets were a bit bulgy, so I used a blanket stitch to get them to lie a little flatter.   I decided to put a zipper down the front rather than buttons, so now I have to wait for it to arrive.  Will post a photo after it's all done.  I started a little scarf because I wanted to try the Mosaic stitch using two contrasting skeins of yarn.  After that I'll knit Paul a hat and will try to stick to smaller projects in the future.  That sweater took eight months!

With the turn of the calendar, I used the random number generator online to determine the winner of the guild block lottery and mailed my block to lucky Cathy.  Then I posted October's block, maple leaf, and came up with November's block.  I'm making four blocks each month, one for the guild lottery, and three to add to the Dear Jen quilt I plan to work on in 2021.

Today I'll turn my attention to the "Sisters block of the month," Old Maid's Puzzle in 12" and 6" sizes.  Just two more months to go and this quilt along will be ready to put together.  I'm enjoying using all my blue scraps for it - and I just seem to accumulate more all the time.