Inventorying WIPs

Now that winter is waning (but not gone by a long shot), I find it necessary to assess what I have to work on before I start anything new.   Here's what I'm thinking about.

Job 1:  Susan and Arjan's baby quilt.  The baby is due June 6 and will take up to 6 weeks to get to the Netherlands.  Top is ready for sandwiching and quilting.  I have pre-washed some lovely red polka dotted flannel for the back.

2.  Dear Jane - I'm ready to start Row F or put blocks together to begin quilting Rows A-E QAYG style.  Decisions, decisions!    I have some charcoal grunge for sashing.  Here's Row E.

3.  Log cabin swap - I have all the pieces for 16 8.5" blocks cut and can start putting them all together.   I decided to use the 9 Manx blocks I have for the center of the quilt and surround them with the blocks I receive in the swap.

4.  Purple Barn Star quilt along - I am behind a month but hope to catch up soon.

5.  Knitted wave scarf - It's getting long and looking good.  It's almost time to change color combinations again.  I knit while watching TV on gloomy days (which we seem to have a lot of lately).

6.  Sweet Tea and Green Beans (Jen Kingwell) - I finished the 8 orange peel blocks on vacation and now have the hexies to put together into a block.  This is portable so I'll take it to guild on Saturday.  I have a long way to go on this quilt, but I'm enjoying the variety so far.

7.  There are several other projects on the back burner, including two quilt tops finished last year and the guild blocks of the month I won in January.   Should these become four table runners for gifts?  Stay tuned!

Seen while reading numerous blogs

 I've been trying to catch up on my blog reading after 3 weeks away and saw this at QuiltingGail...

This Quilty Ode was on posted on Facebook by Fons and Porter. It was written by Eileen Fowler, the editor of Quiltmaker and Quick + Easy Quilts.

We're home!

We arrived back in Barre a little before 3 pm yesterday (Saturday) after a rainy ride from Wilkes-Barre, PA, where we often stay on trips south.  It feels good to be home although there's a mountain of laundry, a bunch of obligations, and some grocery shopping to be done.  On the way home, we stopped at a Panera in Glens Falls, NY, for lunch and also bought a loaf of their Rustic Bread.  Our Panera closed during the pandemic, and I miss that bread.  We had tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner - yum!  Lunch lady meals can be very comforting now and then.

We wish we could move our house to Fairhope, Alabama, right by Mobile Bay although we know it would be extremely hot in summer.  Our bungalow there was small and a little funky, but it was right across the street from the Bay where we could watch the sunset almost every night.  We enjoyed nine straight days of sun, and only the last day was cloudy and humid.  Not bad!   On our last day, we returned to the library for a book review program, followed by lunch at our favorite Lebanese restaurant and a little shopping downtown.

Fairhope feels like the Cadillac of towns with helpful amenities everywhere.  Some of the drinking fountains offer bowls for people and for the many dogs that are walked along the Bay.  We enjoyed meeting the dog lovers and offering pets to many of their companions.  Vicarious living for us, now long dog-less. 

The park by the Bay held a nice monthly Saturday market with crafters, food vendors, and more.  There was a musical event Friday afternoon which also attracted a crowd.   A favorite restaurant on the pier is still under construction after last year's hurricane.  I missed their fried green tomatoes this time.

The library has a great auditorium for programs with a pass-through kitchen for refreshments.    The Friends have a wonderful, bright used bookstore, and they also have carts full of free books outside the store which is open a few days a week.    The library also offers a charging station for visitors' devices with various plugs visible.

We don't know if we'll ever return to Fairhope, alas, as the four day drive, especially around busy cities, is very tiring.  We were on the road 34 hours and covered close to 2,000 miles!  Next year we are thinking of flying somewhere as we did years ago when we visited Charleston.  On that trip, we flew in, took a taxi downtown, and walked everywhere for a week.  

Meanwhile, it's back to reality today with lots of loose ends to pick up as well as check ins with family and friends.  Have a great Sunday!

Lazy vacation days

We very much enjoyed the programs we attended at the Fairhope Public Library Tuesday.  One was a book review of Elliott Roosevelt III's latest and the other was a meet the author program.  Paul had read the local author's book before the program (he's a fast reader) and we had run into her at the bookstore.  The audiences for both programs were engaged and nice.

Yesterday was a more lazy day.  We drove to a pecan farm and then walked on the bike/foot path along the Bay.  We sat in the sun by a naturalized area set aside for butterflies (too early in the season but we did see one).   We had a nice pizza lunch and roamed around the history museum for a while.  They had an interesting display of blown up historical photos that were better seen with 3-D glasses.  This was fun. 

Our bungalow is across the street from the path, so we have gone out most nights to watch the sunset.   The sunsets here are just amazing.  The sky turns a lovely pink and the sun a brilliant orange.  But my iPhone cannot do them justice so far.  I'll keep trying.

I've been parking out front under a giant live oak with branches that spread out over the street.  Paul stood in front of it to give an idea of the tree's size.

Here's a view of the tree from across the street.  I copied this photo from the town's website.  And it really does look like this right now with all the tulips!

Alabama photos

We are in lovely Fairhope, Alabama, enjoying sun and warmer temperatures.  Walked without jackets yesterday!  After our first night, at Paul's brother's home in Montgomery, we visited Selma and walked the path of giants over the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge.  We met a couple of devoted volunteer guides and visited a small memorial park on the other side of the bridge from the town (below).

Later, we drive down to Fairhope and checked into our VRBO within sight of Mobile Bay.  And what a gorgeous sunset that first night!  

It has been six years since we stayed here, so yesterday we walked around checking out the changes.  

In our favorite bookstore, the Page & Pallette, we ran into a 91 year old woman who will be having an author's meet and greet at the library tonight.  Paul bought her book and has been reading it in preparation.  She's quite a character, walking around town 5 miles a day and chatting with visitors.  She had quite a sad childhood during World War II, when she and her younger brother, ages 9 and 7, were left to fend for themselves.  

Today we'll attend a couple of programs at the library and continue exploring.  We especially want to visit the historical museum to see their latest exhibit.  The sun has been shining since we've been here, which is a welcome change for us.  Tulips and daffodils are blooming everywhere!

For my Valentines

 

Super Bowl Sunday should really be a national holiday.  Everyone was at the grocery store at 7:30 am, and there were more men than women.  Most unusual for a Sunday!  

We picked up a few items for the next few days and, like everyone else, for our usual Super Bowl meal - pizza.  I didn't make the crust this year but, rather, bought a somewhat tough multigrain dough.  Next time, I'll make my own. 

Before dinner time, though, I baked some soft chocolate chip cookies for Chris and for us as Valentine's treats.  Chris came by with a box of candy for us and was pleased to take his cookies home.  This is really the best recipe I've found for chocolate chip cookies, and they keep well (if you are able to keep them!).  

It's too soon to pack for the trip - I'll do that tomorrow.  Today I'll do some hand sewing, run a few errands, and make chili for dinner.  I keep checking the weather because of the possibility of snow tomorrow, but it looks like Wednesday, when we leave, it will be sunny.  By the time we hit the snow belt, I'm hoping the roads will be clear and dry.

Sun almost the whole week!

Last night, the TV weatherman said we had no days of sun in January and very few during the months before.  So far this week, there's been sun every day, and we've been taking advantage of it.  Monday, Paul and I drove down to Bellows Falls, an hour and a half south, on an errand for the Barre Historical Society.  We didn't stay long but did enjoy a brief walk up and down the main street.  Former industrial buildings have been converted to stores, and the bookstore is especially nice.

Tuesday after my pedicure, we headed to Burlington for lunch with Pauline and Bob.  I gave them the eight placemats I'd made and was relieved that they like them.  (The photo shows them as WIPs.)  Wednesday, we were invited to lunch in Montpelier by neighbors Mary and Manny.  Both were delightful social events with excellent food!

Obviously, very little sewing has been done this week, although I have been pecking away at a disappearing nine patch baby quilt for my Dutch niece Susan and her husband Arjan.  Yesterday, I got some flannel for the back of the bright quilt top which I hope to finish today.  The top includes two packets of charm squares mostly featuring Minnie and Mickey Mouse.  These look great with red and white polka dotted fabrics, with little black accents.  

I'll wash the flannel today (it's red), but who knows when I'll start quilting.  I have packing and organizing to do for our trip which begins Wednesday.  The car's interior needs a good cleaning before we stuff everything in.  And there's a trip to the money machine and... and...