RAINY DAY IN HEXAGONIA & POTATO LOVE

HERE'S MY LITTLE SHELF RIGHT OPPOSITE WHERE I SIT TO WATCH TV.  PHONE, CUPPA AND HEXAGON KIT--RIGHT AT HAND.  I AM WORKING AT THE LONG ROWS I HAVE SET UP FOR WATERLILIES. (Apropos in this rain, I thought lol)

SO FAR TODAY, WE HAVE ONLY HAD RAIN, BUT THE TEMPS ARE FALLING AND SOON I THINK IT WILL FREEZE.  UGH!

FOR ALL OF YOU WHO INQUIRED ABOUT MY FLU BUG AND SENT ME GET WELL WISHES I THANK YOU.  I AM FEELING A LOT BETTER TODAY.

In between sewing  on Monet's City (resting that hand), I am reading my latest quilt book--I just love THIS sampler quilt--and I am not a huge fan of samplers as a rule. (Although there are a whole lot of lovely ones out there)

But somehow, this has caught my attention. (Could it be that I love BUSY quilts [heart]!!

Elizabeth Hartman, author of one of my other books "Modern Patchwork" (I bought this hoping to find patterns for my modern fabrics) really makes a wonderful presentation of her methods; although the blocks look complicated, somehow her instructions make them look do-able (even for me!!).

She states upfront that this is to be a long-term project--not a fast quilt.  This appeals to me.  Working on one block and taking my time...I was SOOOOO tempted to rush out and get more modern fabrics, but decided that I should USE UP what I have...AND I already had Melody Miller's Faces fabric right in my stash!!  (Fabric diet and all ...still holding ) YAY!

Rainy Monday's dinner will be leftover roast chicken, served with leftover gravy, stuffing and my own oven fries.  (potato recipe to follow)..............

I make these by peeling fresh potatoes and cutting them into wedges (not too thin); then putting them into the fridge in a bowl of ice and water;

then, about 45 minutes before dinner, drain, dry in a towel and sprinkle with good Virgin Olive Oil (also spread a bit of oil on the sheet);
 place on cookie sheet and bake at 375-400 degrees until they crisp up on the outside. (In my oven, usually 45-60 minutes)

 They will still be chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside.  (And, of course, you HAVE to test for doneness--hopefully, there will be SOME left for dinner LOL--spoken by a true dyed-in-the-wool potato lover who has not eaten them in over a YEAR!!!!!)

hugs to you all, Julierose, La Blageuse

RSC15 SO FAR IN JANUARY

SCRAPPY SPLIT RAILS
(if you look on the lower left--you can see I've begun a quilt for a special little somebody...shhhh)

THIS BLOCK IS #10 FROM THE TULA PINK CITY BOOK....

I have been hit by a sinus/head cold, so this is as far as I have gotten
on --(and I have the...) January Blues (alright!) ! ;--000

hugs, Julierose, La Blageuse, 

CHRISTMAS ALL OVER AGAIN!!

And what to my wondering eyes should appear???

A whole package of goodies on my doorstep from DAWN ; THANK YOU SO MUCH ;--)))

I had mentioned in a previous post that I was low on middle-of-the-road blues and Dawn sent me this big stack of fabrics------:all big pieces, too.   (See her pretty card with Roses on it (she knows how much I love roses!!)
 AND:her homemade rose petal jelly--(yum), a cute kitty mug rug that Dunkin and Phoebe sewed up for me while Dawn slept..[.they snuck into her sewing room and made this--she has some amazing helpers!! ]
A cute Christmas list memo pad, AND crayons for the little girl in me to use when Willa Rose and Fiona come to visit.  Oh and also a leaf shaped pot holder which is in my kitchen drawer...

How's this for a pkg of FUN???!  I can see how she makes up her beautiful gift baskets--pretty awesome...
This morning I starched and ironed all those fabrics and you will see some of them in my RSC15 blocks...

It is SO  much fun to play with some else's stash...we all have such individual tastes and to be able
to mix it all up has to add a lot to a quilt.

Here's that rose petal jelly...
I've never had it before--
it is bodacious!!  Ummmmm.

thank you Dunkin and Phoebe--I will think of you each time I have a cuppa....

Hugsx2 out to Dawn--for such a generous gift...
Julierose, La Blageuse xxxx

A BOXED SURPRISE FROM LONG AGO

So I'm looking through my storage closet at old boxes of sewing stuff I really have never unpacked since our move some....er.... 10 years ago!!  (No comments, please lol)
AND..................You know, Life is Funny...

I come across one  BIG CARDBOARD ONE marked "Sewing Stuff".  I take it down, open it to find my Mom's crafts, some old needlepoint hanks of wool, a few partially made plastic needled coasters and.......

What is THIS in the bottom?  A cute plastic bin??? What had I stashed in there....my brain being the fuzzy thing it is today after sitting for 3 hours in the waiting room while my DH had a procedure (he's fine, by the way)  anyhow.............

I snap it open and there, Right before my eyes are a ga-zillion little freezer paper hexagons at 1/2" per side all stapled in batches that I had evidently cut up long ago--WHAAAAA.....????? One was labeled --hexie  pattern!! Made out of sandpaper--I used that stuff a whole lot when I began quilting.  
  Hoo--eeee
I guess I had begun a project with them because there also were these:

some little samples--ohhh, that's right--I do  recall sending for a bunch of samples from Keepsake Quilting---ohmygosh--that WAS  around 1986--or so, I'll bet. 
Being the frugal moi,  I must have thought --now what can I do with these (As you well know, I hate to throw any fabric out at all--)

Some were plain, some ready to baste and a bunch ready to be whipped together.  Darned if I can recall what I had in mind though...

I put a penny on top so you can see just how small they are.  So, I immediately got out my labeller and labelled that box !!  Also, I noticed that thee allowances are scant on two sides--well, no matter, I saw a lot basted, so I must have managed....


And right now, just  since Christmas, I have been  thinking of making my next hexie project in 1/2" size, but I was hesitant.......................

because I didn't know if my hands would be okay with such small pieces. 

I  had to whip a few together--(while DH slept on the couch) --they do go fast...and NOW
I think I need some graph paper and some research into patterns. 

BECAUSE: so far so good with my hands....actually, I find that  the tiny ones are easier to hold...

I would dearly love to make a "La Passion"--this  has set my mind awhirl with possibilities.... for fabrics...right in my stash (but of course mes amies--le diet fabique)....

I now have begun a small project with these  for a good buddy  (shhh it's a secret, can't show it yet--darn the blankey heck!!) . But it will be cute as the dickens....

Nothing like a little serendipitous JOY to make your day...
Hugs, 
Julierose , La Blageuse-Joyeuse...

FIRST SNOW

We had our first snow yesterday afternoon into the evening--followed by sleet and then rain.

So it's all gone now, but it was so pretty when falling.  

DH helped me put up this very old wall hanging that I made when I first began quilting. (Eons ago it feels--I had forgotten all about this one...)

The opposite side is an Autumn--into Winter design....(this coming Fall I will turn it over and disclose that side).  At the time, I couldn't bear to cut into this gorgeous fabric--so evocative and charming.  so i just used the small piece I had and quilted freely...

And here it is on the wall over my wine chest in our dining room...

(Ooops--photo Crooked--but hangs straight) The bands on the top and bottom are a Japanese 

print--they are  asymmetrical a la style Japanese; it is all hand quilted....I loved working on this little hanging...

Have a wonderful Sewing Sunday

Hugs, Julierose, La Blageuse (in the Winter Mode)

TURNING THE CORNER IN MONET'S CITY

I have finally set out my Water Lilies for Monet's City...I still am shuffling and re-shuffling rosettes and partial rosettes and strips and singles Ack!!  

Here is a closeup shot  of of the dark side water lilies

If you look closely you can see that the rosettes nest and therefore (because I had no graphed out plan--NOTE to SELF: make a plan!!) there are full, and partial ones...with places to be
filled in.  
And so.........

I have resorted to taking closeup pictures with my phone of each one--pulling it out a bit and pinning it so that I can remember how it goes together to fit in!!  

and here are the lilies in the sunlight

they all have the script centers.....

As far as the other two sides--I am still pondering (hahaha no pun there--"pond"ing!!) 
what to do--I'd like to add some kind of tree lines..we shall see...

I sewed three darkside rosette forms this afternoon and then my poor brain refused to do anymore (that is ahem! after unsewing a few mistakes:  those frogs in the pond make that sound you know only too well ,  lol: rip-it, rip-it, rip-it!!) .  

So that's where I am wandering around Monet's City while outside we are having our first taste of snow, sleet, rain etc.  

P.S.  I got my little 1/2" hexagon  paper pieces in the mail today for my next project--
oh, well thought readers--YES  I am a "hex-a-maniac" for sure" .

 (NOTE: The hexies in  my MC measure 1" per side--so these new ones are teeny- tiny, itsy bitsy...)

hugs to you all, stay warm and enjoy your weekend sewing, 
Julierose, La Blageuse in Hexagonia

RSC15 FIRST BLOCK

Here is the first block for RSC15 January Blues: It is called :"Scrappy Split Rail"
I feel it's kind of mushed colorwise; but I was able to cannibalize some old UFO's for a couple
more mid-blue strips...[Be unafraid--rip those seams!!;--))) ]

Even Mr. Moon is peering over his shoulder at those strange blue lip kisses....these are all Batik leftovers .....{I am quilter, see me roar}.....

Hope you are all having fun in the blues this first Saturday.  
Linking with RSC15...

Hugs, Julierose, La Blageuse