It’s been a cold Sunday – Molly spent the afternoon and she and Keeper were in and out the whole time – brrrr.
Nothing happening here. I’m working on the blue 9 patch blocks that surround the red stars.
I’m going to be able to make this entire quilt from fabric on hand.
And I changed the quilt by the porch door – another Brannock/Patek favorite.
Truly this is a blog about nothing. 🫤
I too like that Patek quilt. I go for my first real physical therapy for my knee today. We get six “included” with knee replacement surgery that we don’t have to pay for but we must go to a hospital for this. You can choose the closest hospital to your home which is nice. It’s about 20 min drive from my home. Can’t wait. It is improving daily and I was able to sew for over an hour yesterday. Isn’t that all that counts. Lol. I just have to put the blocks together for the preemie quilt and then I can layer and quilt it. When I’m done I will send a picture. Wish me luck! And I forgot to mention I’ve been able to drive again – freedom.
Nothing earth shattering. Just our everyday lives. I love fabrics, scrappy quilts and cannot throw the scraps away. I just remember Gramma saying ‘don’t waste it.’ When I start to straighten up the piles in the living room, I end up with a bigger mess, but I don’t really care. Been trying to use up fabric on hand and make a bit of progress, but not that anybody could see.
Pinterest quilting is so interesting with all the color ideas and patterns. My colored pencils and graph paper are so much fun and often turn into new quilt ideas.
I, too, enjoy everything about Mary’s blog. It isn’t earth shattering, just the good and bad stuff that we all deal with every day. It is also a window to the world – our world, which we love. Keep it up,
Betty in Rapid City
It’s going to be cold tonight my weather app warns.
Got out shopping today. My granddaughter visited
today. She turns 18 on Wednesday and I wanted her to pick up her package. The dog went crazy to see her.
I had fun watching football all weekend. I have been knitting a scarf while I watch.
PS I never have put a label on my quilts. But it’s been a while since I finished any. I’ve got one semi cut out so may get one done yet.
David Laskin’s non-fiction book, “The Children’s Blizzard”, is terrific, too.
I didn’t realize there’s a children’s novel of the same title, too.
forgot about that one… very good!
“All Creatures Great and Small” I’ve enjoyed immensely. On the recommendation of my aunt, I read the books when they first came out. This current series has a marvelous cast . . . and the scenery. The first series done several years ago was also enjoyable. Great TV!!
Marcia, my sewing room is also a mess as I’m revisiting every piece of material I have, getting ideas for using the stash more this year and better organizing what I have. Do I ever have a LOT of strip pieces in various sizes! Time for me to learn how to do a strip quilt! I hope by this time next year I will have made several string quilts.
Mary, you inspire again. The new quilt made from your stash of material – my exact plan. I have several on my list to do.
With all the quilt ideas shown on the blog, tips from you all in the blog family, and Patti’s mantra – more usage of what you have being greater than what you purchase for the year – I’m jazzed to make this a productive year for quilting.
Happy Monday!
Jan
Jan – I, too, own all the books – even several of the children’s books. Maybe we should make a challenge to sew a quilt from whatever you have – you can’t buy anything! Several readers already do this however.
Mary, that is definitely my personal goal!! I took quilts that used to be part of the Dirty Dozen – big and small, not finished – and assigned one to each month to complete in 2025 Time to get cracking!
Yes, I am also sewing from my stash. I am working on a 2″ strip quilt right now, and starting to sew the rows together…..completely scrappy! Everything imaginable is going into it. I have 2.25″ strips and 2.5″ strips to work with as well. It doesn’t hardly look like I have made a dent in the 2″ strips. Need to come up with more ideas. I cut my bindings 2.25″ so that is why I have that size. I wouldn’t normally cut that size.
I too have been a long-time fan of All Creatures Great and Small. You should read the biography of James Herriott written by his son, Jimmy. He’s also a vet and now in his late 70’s. First of all, James Herriott was a nom de plume—his real name was James Alfred Wight, and everyone called him Alf. The book is a fascinating look at his life and how he wrote. Oh, forgot the title—The Real James Herriott, A Memoir of My Father by James Wight. There are used copies on Amazon and I need to get one because I read my dad’s, which my sister took after he died. Dad actually wrote to Jim Wight and got a reply. In 2012 Dad, my sister Julie and I visited “Skeldale House” in Thirsk, Yorkshire, which is now a museum. So much fun! Thirsk is the actual town where they lived—“Darrowby” was fictional. Great book!
Sue – oh, how interesting!!
As stated by others, your blog is a high point of my day too! I often share highlights with Mom (102 yrs), and to give her a touchstone, introduce her to “the quilter with the chickens”…then she knows! You broaden her horizons!
Just read THE CHILDREN’S BLIZZARD by Melanie Benjamin. 1888 blizzard in Nebraska/South Dakota. Compelling historical fiction. Makes our cold spell seem not so bad!
Love the Patek quilt. So many quilts, so little time!!
Bonny – I have that book on my list to read!! I think I’ll order it from Amazon today! Did you enjoy it?
Enjoyed it very much! How anyone survived is amazing.
We were away this weekend in the Lancaster, PA area and stayed in our favorite B&B. We enjoy going there about four times a year since it not far from home. It was very cold but we took a tour of a wolf sanctuary that was very interesting that lasted around an hour and a half. We dressed warmly for the 28 degree weather. There was very little wind and the sun was out most of the time. Of course, I also shopped for fabric at the Old Country Store, a lovely quilt store that is only a block away from our B&B.
I am enjoying seeing the progress on your latest quilt, Mary. Can’t wait to see it when it is finished. I hope to finish my grandson’s quilt this weekend and take it to my friend to longarm. It has a 76ers football theme.
Oh Sue. When you are dressed warm enought it sounds like a perfect day.
Sue, it is nice to hear about the Old Country Store. I have ordered and received fabric online from them. I would love to visit Lancaster some day. In the meantime, Holmes county Ohio is closer for me.
Would you mind sharing the name of your favorite B&B?
Thanks
Happy belated birthday to Hazel! Love the picture of her with her birthday headband! Here in SW Ohio it’s still cold & lots of snow. Hoping temps rise enough to melt some of the huge piles of snow. We’re supposed to get more snow in a few days. Saturday began with a panicked call from my friend Ron who lives across the street. He said he had a disaster there. It seems with all the snow & ice his gutters & downspouts are frozen solid! Water had backed up into his attic & he had a ceiling with multiple water spots. The guest bed was soaked & on top of that bed laying his Quilt of Valor. The quilt was a mess & he was devastated! I brought it home & washed it in Dawn & 5 color catchers & it took 98% of the bleeding out. This quilt was a wall hanging & not meant to be washed, so I didn’t prewash any of the fabrics. 4 color catchers were bright pink & the 5th a gray blue. His son in law has removed as much ice as possible & stopped the leaking. Gutter & roof heater will be installed as soon as more ice melts. This prevents it from happening
again. Going to check a friend’s home here to make sure their ceilings are okay. They winter in FL for 6 mo & I check their home monthly. In spite of all this I was able to put the last borders on a quilt I’m finishing for a friend. It was hand pieced & lots of fullness & I’m concerned about quilting it, but she’s okay with my stippling it. Stay warm everyone!
Alice – poor Ron – glad the quilt turned out ok. If it doesn’t warm up what will he do about those frozen gutters? It must have warmed up enough to melt some of it if it got into the attic.
Mary – the sun is out today but the high is only 28*. Hoping it warms up this week . SIL chipped away at a lot of it & added a little salt to it. That gutter doesn’t get sun this time of year. Late last night it was flowing just a bit. Another problem is we leave for FL in 12 days. Hoping for a couple warmer days!!
Alice – oh dear! Is there someone to check on this when you leave? Maybe SIL can keep tabs on it. Ah, Florida.
Mary- yes his daughter who lives close will check on things. Unfortunately FL (Panama City Beach) isn’t warm either! So packing warm & summer clothes!
Love your quilt! I’ll always love the Primitive quilts! Downloading + taking multiple books to read, my knitting & some hand sewing to keep me busy for 3 wks!
Love your blog…even if it’s just about nothing!
I enjoy the “blog about nothing” and look forward to reading every day. I have been binding wallhangings . I had 7 wallhanging quilted, all on one background! All of them had been “hanging” around for too long…years! I wonder why we stack up tops and don’t get them quilted? I have been trying to set some goals and finish some WIP but can easily get sidetracked! I have tendinitis in my right arm so I can’t do anything for a few weeks. I’ve tried feeding fabric thru machine with left hand but it is so awkward. I’ll keep trying!
To the All Creatures Great and Small fans, season 5 started last night.
I’d like share what this “blog about nothing” means to me. My sister and I used to email about nothing and everything…dog/cat funnies to books to prom dresses. Her 6th passing anniversary is coming up next week so she has been on my mind. Before mom went to the nursing home, she emailed several times a day. Sometimes if she didn’t email in the morning, lunchtime or before bedtime, I’d run across town to check on her. I watch for Chicken Scratch emails like I watched for my sister’s or mom’s emails.
Sheryl – this moves me nearly to tears. Sometimes I think I won’t post anything because I seriously can’t think that anything happened during the day – truly. I know you understand. Just ordinary stuff. I talked to my mom every day, too, and I think I miss her more now than when she died 12 years ago. I watched All Creatures last night and Becky and I texted during it. We declared it the best show on tv! You have lost your sister and I appreciate mine being close by – I would feel lost without her being there even tho we don’t talk or see each every day.
I have to admit I was teary when I wrote that but I know my emotions are delicate right now. These anniversary dates are tough! Mom has been gone for 1 year now (the day after Christmas.)
Again thank you for your blog. It is everything I love….quilting, farm life, gardening, reading, dogs, cats and lots of visiting about everyday life.
Hi Mary, thanks for the Facebook greeting for my birthday! We celebrated it with our Christmas get together on the fourth so the hoopla is over 😂. It was a cold day and this morning it is -2 sunny and the trees are calm!! Yay!! When the trees don’t dance all is good, right? I love that new quilt you hung!! Wow!
I am worried about Patti in Florida and Jo in Wyoming!
Today I am going out for lunch in the cold! With my very special cousin who is like a sister! Maybe I have written this before but, our dads were brothers and moms were sisters and both were only a couple years apart in age so very close. We saw each other every Sunday and during the week most weeks! We are both farm wives and so have a lot in common to this day! She lives nine miles from me.
Mary I can just see Keeper and Molly having a great time running around! And I suppose Hazel is on her throne looking all regal and sassy! 😂
Have a great Monday!
Joy – I will contact Jo and I know Patti is recuperating but I’ll get her to comment on her condition, which isn’t that good.her back is in bad shape. She sent me a picture of her poor arm with an IV – her arm was black due to too many pokes – guess it’s a common problem with having an IV put in. I wish I had a friend like yours – somebody who lives a similar life as mine and lives close by. You guys who read the blog fill that need for me.
A beautiful full moon early this morning, now awesome sunshine that hasn’t been for a few days but only 4 degrees. Brrrŕ. From Dubuque Iowa. Have a great awesome day.
We must have been looking outside this morning at the same moment. The moon was spectacular under a clear sky. Great way to start the day.
Mary,
Good morning to you and all the readers!
Cold and windy in southeast Michigan. Several of the chickens said “no thank you “ to coming out into that wind when I opened the coop this morning. I got a call from the long arm quilter I use while in the coop. She’s 80 and a friend of my mom. She called to tell me one of their friends and neighbor had died and she wanted me to tell my mom. Well I guess her call shook me up because I got all the way home and realized I forgot to get the eggs!! So I had to go out into that wind and get the eggs. Having breakfast now and I hope that the rest of the day goes better!
I’m continuing to work on an appliqué snowman quilt. Cut the first border yesterday and also the tree and mitten pieces. Hope to get that border on today. Then an easy border after that.
I agree your blues are beautiful and will look great with your stars. Love your porch door quilt and those trees are quite unique.
We set up a hockey rink on our end of the lake. I will send a photo and am going to be skating again soon!
Have a great day everyone. 🌻
Sunflower – your own hockey rink!! I used to skate on a local rink – just think how strong your ankles will be after skating. Those trees are actually hand appliquéd from back in the day when my fingers worked. Hug to Biscuit!
Those blue 9-patches are wonderful! Isn’t that little log cabin quilt sweet?
Look forward to reading your blog. Breakfast and coffee are being enjoyed.
SW Ohio expected to be frigid temps & snow flurries tomorrow. Wouldn’t you know it, several appts are on the agenda for Tuesday. I try to put appts on one day to be more time and gas efficient.
Love your progress on your quilt and all from stash which is the added bonus.
I am continuing the string quilt blocks from bindings & leftover jelly roll strips.
That project started when I started to clean my sewing room and the container lids popped off. Hubby and I have made 180 blocks and more to do. I am sewing 80/quilt. Will make great utility quilts. I will use one for my granddaughter’s soccer games this spring. I am thinking a flannel back w/ no batting to keep weight down. Needless to say, sewing room is more of a mess. Sometimes a mess has to be made before it gets better. Great sewing weather👍👍
Marcia – when I’m in the middle of a project my room is really a mess, too, but it just has to be that way so I can concentrate on working. Since I’m doing this quilt entirely with fabric on hand and with a scrap look, I have piles of fabric everywhere.
Mary you say this is the blog about nothing , but it brings joy to so many!! It’s fun to just hear you chat and share your life – the good, the bad, and the ordinary!
Everytime I’m out, I look for bad parking and when I see one I think of you and all the pictures you’ve posted about it. Gives me a smile 😊
Love the Brannock/Patek quilt – those trees are adorable!
Thanks for blessing my inbox daily with your blog! Such fun to read the next morning as i sip coffee with my pup!
I’ll take a balmy 32 degree day when we got up to take dogs out. I don’t like the wind though, it can stop. Very uncomfortable blowing the dry snow in your face. Huge salt trucks are delivering to the salt barns for the highway depts as it’s going down into 20’s again this week with snow. Will do errands today as not slippery on roads with warmer temperatures, then in for the week.
You have such a good color sense that every time I see another one of your quilts, I’m envious how you just know how to put a plaid in a background to make it look perfect.
Kathy – high praise indeed. Maybe that ability comes from years of practice? And I never throw away scraps – some of these pieces are quite small but I’m so glad I saved them. It does take twice as long to cut from scrap. It would be so easy to make multiple 9 patches if they were identical!
This blog is wonderful! It is 11 degrees F a half hour west of Peoria IL-🥶 We had lots of sunshine yesterday and wind Sunday evening.
Mary, I love the Brannock/Patek quilt you just put by the door.
Take Care/Stay Warm, 🥰
I remembered it as a Jan Patek quilt also, but it turns out that it is in the book Red Wagon Originals by Gerry Kimmel and Linda Brannock. Here is where I found that information:
https://kyleredente.blogspot.com/2011/11/november-inspiration.html
Li – that makes it even older if Jan wasn’t with them
Your blog is inspiring always!! I read it early am with my coffee and start my day with you usually around 5:30-6:00. I’m retired but wake up early. Enjoy your day’!
Love your blogs! I haven’t seen that Jan Patek quilt before, I better look through my patterns.
Ellie – and I’m not sure I can remember!
Lori at https://humblequilts.blogspot.com/ called it Lone Cabin by Red Wagon.
Pardon me but I must correct you. This blog is about nothing but LOVE!
Always enjoy reading your blog. Here it is 32degrees Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) too hot to venture outside so I too am getting a little stitching done. Cheers Ros, Victoria, Australia.
Ros – I love getting weather reports from the other side of the world! Thanks, Ros!
You always have something to say and no matter how little I enjoy it. Happy belated birthday to Hazel. When ever I see that Jan Patek quilt I am amazed at the applique on those trees. I have this pattern or book but it would take me a life time to do just the trees at 84 I don;’t think I will attempt this quilt. I am doing a piece of rug hooking for now/ We are very cold here also. The kids here lost a whole week of school due to snow and cold . tomorrow they start 2 hours late; Carolyn b Shenandoah Valley VA.
Carolyn – can’t wait to see your hooked rug!
I think the blog is special because it’s about everything.
Your blog is never about nothing 🙂
I agree with Dorothy. I read your blog everyday. I don’t comment but I so enjoy all the pictures and quilts.