SNAIL SUNDAY (and A Sad Tale)

Joining Kathy at Slow Sunday Stitching...my "Snail" day...setting up the 2nd
set of side triangles for hand quilting....

You can see the 4 big triangles in the center are done....

I am sitting out on our deck for early morning coffee...ahhhh...
the air has finally begun to cool off and the humidity is tolerable...

I will be quilting in 20 minute segments out here today--until
1:00 Red Sox Game time...(we DO have NESN here* see below)

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Tonight's dinner will be bbq'd hamburgers on water rolls with cheese and sliced tomatoes (onions for Chef Thom) and I have  made my German potato salad 
to "go with" which is chilling right now...

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and now for your reading pleasure (?) :
                     "A SAD TALE OF WOE" follows 
                          (long story, be warned)*

As i say:          It is so great to be home! ;)))))
                       Herein lies the story why.....

 We had tickets for the Tanglewood Concert this past Friday night--and a reservation at Jimminey Peak Time Share to stay overnight 
and come home Saturday morning--a mid-summer treat...


                                          OR
                              SO WE THOUGHT:!!;(((
                      (File under "The Best Laid Plans")

When we got to the parking lot for Tanglewood at 6:00 to beat the crowds,
we were told to shelter in our car as we were in a severe weather threat...
we could not go in (even though we had reserved seats in the Shed 
for the concert, nor could we go to use the facilities;000...) 

So, we sat and sat in the heat and huge thunder boomers and chain lightning...for a whole hour....still no entry...;((((

and radar on Thom's phone showed storm after storm 
until after 10 pm....
So, sadly, we decided (like many others) to forego the concert 
and drive back to our lodgings...so depressing after a long travel 
day and much anticipation of a live concert....

But, hiking up our "doom and gloom" spirits........

We thought, well, we can sit and watch the Red Sox game in our
room --and have a snack and a beer....(and use the facilities!!)

Now, keep in mind this is Massachusetts after all--home of the Red Sox
.....And
nope--NO NESN  (their channel) --no game available...at all..........
Boooooo....

And so, we dejectedly
decided to just call it a night--and then--

found that the AC was SO LOUD and RIGHT by the bed; 
that 2 am found us up and wandering around--sleepless...
and not Happy Campers..(ya think?) 
SO...........
Right then and there we just looked at each other and began 
packing ourselves up and went home.

Thom drove in the teeming rain and foggy roads--and just exhausted 
and disappointed we arrived home--(of which it is said: "there's no place 
like home"-----and how true is that!!)

And so ends our travel saga-nightmare, ....
What a debacle...plus it wasn't $$$ a cheap getaway either....the room was
expensive and the concert tickets were front section!! gulp!!$$

No more overnights for us...we will be doing day trips for the foreseeable
future.......we are too old for this folderol!!
(If you read through this depressing tale, i commend you;)
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Hugs, 
Julierose, La blageuse (glad to be home-euse)

REBOUNDING

We are finally back from our journey; and this is what has kept me
calm....my Pomegranate piece....

Here is the lovely batik leaf-ey block before quilting
which I really love...

Isn't that just splendid? ;))))

BUT then........................

Just look what happens when it has been quilted...be still my heart...
Gosh I love how it emerges and morphs .

It has such a wonderful texture and looks so impressionistic...
I have 4 more to do and then the smaller triangles along the sides also

                               ...Here is the whole piece--

isn't it strange how some quilts you put together
just "feel" right?  This has to be one of my all time favorite ones...and I am  sure that I will be quilting light--to neutral batiks a whole lot by hand in
the future...they have captured my heart....
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Look what Jacky (no blog) sent me from our orange slab fest...

this adorable little Halloween piece...Jacky, this came to cheer me at my
lowest moments this past week...and it surely did ;)))) thank you so much for your thoughtfulness....
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For those of you not in the know, my husband had surgery this past week and I
got him home yesterday to recuperate. 

We had to  travel 1.5 hours (one way) to an out of State hospital where they could perform the needed surgery....this involved my driving alone (of which I am not fond ;{{{ on long trips...) but needs must...and it got better as I repeated the trek...

He is resting but pretty sore and very tired--as am I, tired that is ;}}}
....but I have him home with what we were told are good results....thank goodness....it has been a very stressful time and I want to thank those of you 
who knew, for your kind thoughts, support and prayers..
they really helped me...

So, I will be posting intermittently for the next few weeks, when I take off my Nurse's cap (lol);)))

I am staying close to home and only going out to stock up on the food he is able to tolerate....at least over the weekend...

My knitting in hospital (I will post some pictures of my work  later on) waiting rooms and my quilting have really sustained me...I am sure you all know what i mean....
"busy hands, calm hearts' "....is so true....for me, at least....that and watching some very inspiring youtube knitting videos during my long nights alone here
(See: "The Gentle Knitter" and "Kommebaria" [in Swedish, but with subtitles]
allowed me to stop over thinking this whole deal). 
Au revoir mes amies....

hugs to you all
I am gratefully 
Julierose, La Blageuse (quilting/knitting-euse)

COMING BACK....SLOWLY

Here's the hand work that has sustained me through many a long night since Mom's death...

Nine Pomegranates : all appliqued and..........

I finally figured out the side setting triangles....

All of the Poms and setting triangles are batiks from my collection that I have been Saving...

(Hoarding, rather ;--000)

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And here are the QAYG blocks for Fiona's Forest Fairy Quilt

(this is still a work in progress-- there was no way I could

 give Willa a Fairy quilt and not Fiona, too, right??))

I decided...for what am I saving all these gorgeous batiks??? 

And so I used them on the borders of her blocks 

Here are two of my favorites....

AND

I do love the texture that this QAYG gives...all that is left 

for the front are the side borders....

I have ordered fabric for those.

So, mes amies, I am still quilting and coming to terms with moving on with my life.

It is quite something to find yourself the "new" older generation.

So many memories, so many years......

I want to thank you all (hope I didn't miss anyone in my replies!) for all of your kind condolences and prayers and wonderful good thoughts winging my way... they really helped......

Hugs to you all

(P.S.  Now to begin catching up on my RSC light blues--and here it is already Red for July!!) 

;--OOOO

Julierose, La Blageuse , (je me souviens-euse)

POMS

I have been slow stitching mostly this week; while visiting Mom; and also to relax.....

My Pomegranates are not even--just like REAL FRUITS!! LOL 
                                                         Or so I'd like to think. 

My biggest problem is getting the base big circles precise....; did some research and have sent for Karen Kay Buckleys Circle templates--hopefully they'll make it easier (ask me how i know about burned finger tips!!) 

here are my two favorite centers:

I like the lilac-ey colors here against the 
deeper maroon....(be kind--I know it's not 
even on the sides)...it is what it is.....









AND

I like that gold/yellow batik...












All these are batiks....
I think for me, for now, the most important reason to continue working on these slowly
is to perfect my template ironing and my stitching.  It's those outer curves that get ME.
;--000

I think of Mom while stitching away quietly and slowly.....

I hope she will be able to see them made into little Pom-Pom flowers.....

I am going to hook up with Slow Sunday quilting at Kathy's Quilts. (or try to...)

Hugs on this humid Sunday afternoon from

Julierose, La Blageuse