Sew Day

 

I'm at this weird point in my life.  I hope for snow days just like the kids in the neighborhood.  The kids get a day off of school and I get a day home.  

The weather folk mentioned possible snow on Saturday or Sunday but now it looks like that won't be much accumulation.

I'm out of the house every day spending  at least half of it at my mother's.  I listen to her stories while I am caring for her.  When I get home, I make a meal for hubby.  Then I listen to his stories about when he worked or his opinions of current events.  In between, I take my brother to doctor appointments, run errands, and get some housecleaning done.  Too often I end upafterwards on the chair taking a nap with the dog.  Does this sound familiar to any of you?

Anyway, I wish for a Sewday.  I miss being in my sewing room right now.  How is your sewing going?

Have a safe and happy day!

Flower Friday: January 9, 2026

 

My sister aunt gave me an amarllyis bulb for Christmas.

I'm happy she did.  It provided some sunshine in another bleak week in our country.

The Amaryllis is blooming!

And blooming!

I've decided what to do with the waterlily bloom orphan blocks.  Originally was going to do a full quilt of them with lily pads or something.  I can't even find my original sketches.  I must have used the green fabric I had put aside for it.  there was only about a half yard left.  I just want it all used at this point and am working on another ladder quilt:

I actually really love this design now.  I have just enough green to finish this top off!

Wishing you a safe and happy week!

Three Trays

 

Quilters have certain times of the year.  The New Year means cleaning up the sewing room, assessing UFOs and WIP, and considering projects we want to make.

I didn't really do that last year.  I decided I just wanted to have fun and I did!  A lack of sewing resolutions seems to make me more motivated because I feel more flexible about my options.

One of the things that happened last year was that I used up a lot of scraps in my project.  Particularly 2.5 inch blocks which I used for various quilts.  

I read this meme and then realized something:

Somehow, I developed a system for my projects.  I didn't mean to but it just happened.  It comes down to three plastic basket trays I keep on a tv tray table.  

The first tray is for one scrap project.  Another is for using a UFO or orphan blocks.  The third one is for a project that utilizes my yardage.  Because there are always three trays of projects, I can move to one or the other if I get bored.  

What surprised me was that this resulted in a more neat sewing room.  When one project is finished, I decide on another to fill the tray again.  

I never really thought about developing a system but for some reason this is working for me.  

The three tray projects for January are:

UFO or Orphan block:

  

 

Above:  I made 18 of these blocks way before Covid and then got tired of the project.  I want to use these up somehow!`

Scrap Quilt:

Years ago, when our local sewing shop was moving, they sold plastic bags of strips for thangles.  I think the baggies were kits for workshops they were doing.  I only bought some because they were 1930s reproduction fabric. The strips were thinner than 2.5 inch...and again, they sat in my drawer.  In December I cut more scraps (I'm nuts) to go with the strips and assembled some 4 patches.  I'll work on making blocks this month.  

Yardage:  

To be determined.  I haven't decided on which quilt to make!

By the way, hand sewing doesn't count.  The hand sewing lives by my recliner in the living room and in the travel bag I take everywhere.  Oddly, there are three projects in that category.

I know many of my friends have decided to just have fun with their sewing.  How about you?

Have a safe and happy day!

Wayback Machine: January 7, 2026

 

The most disappointing part of the holiday season was when you had to leave any of your new toys and go back to school.

My brother and I didn't grow up with legos.  We didn't even really hear of that toy until my much younger brother was born.  I wondered why that was and apparently legos weren't sold in the U.S. until after 1961.  This was our building toy:

You might think wow, parents were lucky because they never had to worry about stepping on legos.

But our parents had something else to worry about.  Stepping on Matchbox Cars.

My brother, uncle (6 weeks younger than me) and myself spent hours playing with matchbox cars.  Nana's persian rugs were a splendid highway system and kept us occupied for hours.

If you were around then--you remember the very cool boxes that packaged the cars.  We used the boxes for garages until after Christmas when grown-ups started disposing of the boxes.  

It didn't really matter about "boy toys" or "girl toys" back then.  I don't remember any of the boys playing with the dolls my aunt or I had but there were plenty of other things that we all engaged in.

Did you play with matchbox when you were young?

Have a safe and happy day!

Tuesday's This and That: January 6, 2026

 

How is your first full week in January going?

It seems strange here because the kids and lots of the neighbors are back to work this week.

I'm sick and bummed out because I'm going to miss the guild meeting tonight.  There is a bug going around and yesterday I didn't do much besides drink tea and sleep.  Hopefully I'll be better tomorrow.  This is annoying and I have things I want to do!

***

Lucky went to Jessa's for a grooming.  We had to cancel his last appointment because of the weather and he really needed a spa day.  His hair actually felt mildly tacky and that was from the salt that is everywhere here.  He's a much smaller dog than our others and being closer to the ground, he seems to be more suseptible to getting dirty at times.  Anyway, I went to pick him up and found him swinging in the hammock as Jessa finished him:

He looks great now and his hair is so soft again!  I'll take a photo of him when I am feeling better!

***

Speaking of Lucky, I'm happy to report that I did finish my Christmas Quilt binding before the New Year.  

Lucky gets annoyed when I have sewing on my lap and just stands and stares at me.  I thought he was saying, "You're supposed to be paying attention to me!"  But actually he wanted to be on my lap under the quilt!

***

Are you participating in any "Block of the month" or 

"Mystery Quilt" programs?  I'm not participating in those things.  I don't know but these things have never appealed to me.

But...I may do an embroidery/upcycle/EPP project.  It's a stitch along and doesn't require buying anything.  You can watch the video here.  

I was working on a hexie for this but one of the members said she was going to EPP squares instead of hexies.  Since I did so many hexie projects last year I may try the squares or rectangles for something different.  I like the idea of upcycling old embroidery and things for the project.  Let me know if you are participating!

***

Hope you are staying safe and warm!

Happy New Year!

 

Wishing everyone a happy new year full of sewing and joy!

New Year's Eve!

 

I don't want to brag or anything but I've already picked out the pajamas I'm wearing for New Year's Eve  😄

My husband gave me this shirt for Christmas and I love it!  It's really warm too!

We always stay in New Year's Eve but there are a lot of fun things we can watch on the tv.  Bethlehem is the home of Just Born Candies including the Peeps that most people know.

In Bethlehem they have a 400 lb. Peep and it drops instead of a ball.  This happens in early evening so kids can see it!

In Allentown we have the puck drop outside of the hockey stadium.  The puck is 20 feet long and has to be powered by car batteries because of the long fall:

I doubt I will watch the puck drop though.  That happens at midnight and I will never make it.  This is the joy of being a senior.

I'm currently cooking some of our dinner tomorrow at Mom's. 

 Wishing you safe and happy New Year's Eve!