Tag: Zoots

Turkey Tracks: Windjamming Days on the J&E Riggin

Turkey Tracks:  July 24, 2016

Windjamming Days on the J&E Riggin

The house is organized.

The garden has been weeded…mostly…and watered.

My bags are packed.

AND I AM OFF TO THE J&E RIGGIN windjammer later this afternoon for six days of doing nothing but what I absolutely want to do.  Hot weather, Jon Finger’s quiet friendship, Annie’s fun conversations and fabulous food, being with their daughters Chloe and Ella, sights to see, a clean wind to feel, the swish of the boat flying through the water, books to read, a book downloaded from the Maine State Library system, sewing to enjoy, naps to take, former travelers to see again, and an abundance of laughter and fun.

Last night, this…

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…turned into this…

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…as I tried to use up my veggies from Hope’s Edge CSA last Tuesday.

I froze half for the night I come home.

I also processed some kale and washed some sweet peas in the shell to eat with my picnic supper aboard tonight.  I weeded heavily this morning–HEAVILY–and treated myself to lunch out and a coffee from Zoots. So I want a lighter supper tonight.

I finished two more quilt-lets in the past week at night:

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I made up a few more to do on the boat, but mostly I’ll work on the lavender sachets.  I’m now thinking of green ones (balsam), rose ones (rose geranium or roses), and yellow ones (lemon verbena???).

Did you know that if you squeeze a lavender ball when it no longer smells that you will release renewed smell?

Hugs to all of YOU!

 

 

Turkey Tracks: Peonies and Zoots Coffee

Turkey Tracks:  June 28, 2015

Peonies and Zoots Coffee

My coffee/latte habit is a delicious event every day.

Usually I drop in to my favorite local coffee shop (Zoots) some time in the afternoon–though I have discovered a way to make “almost espresso” here at home and more about that later.  (Nothing really replaces the espresso that comes from an industrial machine.)

Peonies LOVE Maine.  They adore the cool spring.

Here’s an example of how lovely they are–from a vase on the Zoots counter while waiting for my vanilla latte of the day.

Look at the pale pink blush that suffuses this petals…

 

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And here’s a close-up of the fabulous center:  Nature in all its glory in one small place.

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Beauty and the treat of an afternoon latte means life is so good.

 

Turkey Tracks: Mid-March Project Update

Turkey Tracks:  March 21, 2015

Mid-March Project Update

Ironically, today is the first day of spring.

And it is warmer, but it’s also snowing outside.

Though it’s wet and dreary, my heart has been warmed by Kathleen Nixon’s visit for my birthday.

She was to have come yesterday, but the storm grounded flights, so she arrived bright and cheerful at noon today.  We had a sushi lunch at Mr. Wat’s, a coffee at Zoots, and will have what will be a wonderful dinner at the Hartstone Inn (thanks to Gina Caceci).  Tomorrow we’re going to a special showing of the uncut version of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA at The Strand in Rockland, Maine (where we’ll have some POPCORN).  Afterwards, we’ll have an early dinner at Mirandas in Rockland–a favorite place for both of us.  I have to let her go on Monday, but will take her down to Portland and will do some errands on the way home.

I have been working on the big quilt this past week.  It just needs one more border:

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Which is almost done:

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This is a VERY BIG quilt…

Here are some close-ups:

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AND this one, which shows how much of my focus fabric I’ve been able to use:

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It’s interesting and inspired by Kaffe Fasset’s low-contrast style of quilting.  AND by the American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine’s low contrast “quilt along” of last year.

This year their challenge is to work with four patches–and the above quilt actually uses a lot of four patches.  BUT, I am much more intrigued by the four-patches on point that Bonnie Hunter is making for her part in the magazine’s challenge.  So, these patches have become my current leader/ender project.

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I have no idea how Bonnie is going to set hers, and I’m hoping she will do a “reveal” on April 3rd, the end of the challenge.  If not, I’ll open my EQ7 quilting design program and get to work.

Here’s a close-up.

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I have 20 blocks done now, but truthfully, I could just disappear from the world and sew these fun blocks until I drop.

Remember that I have a whole box of two-inch squares that need using…

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Maybe I’ll do a marathon session and sew these into light/dark four patches…

Meanwhile, the chickens are out every day now and hang out at my quilting room windows where they try to talk to me:

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Barb Melchiskey challenged our group to complete one UFO for our May challenge meeting.  I have a handful of planned quilt projects all folded up together.  This one is at least nine years old:

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And it’s pretty fabric that I still like:

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It wants to be a quilt for a male person…

And I have one in mind…

So, I will start it when the big blue quilt is…quilted.

Happy spring everyone!