In deeply red Oswego County NY, the county legislature voted last night to keep using the name Lake Ontario on all of the signs, communications, publications, and other documents! They will use Trump’s bastardized name in Fed dealings, but it is on the record that it is STILL Lake Ontario! 👏

I said I wasn’t going to buy another sewing machine anytime soon 😬 but my local store (Jon’s Sewing Machines) has a 3 day tent sale. I stopped after work today. They had a used freshly serviced Baby Lock Regent sit-down 18” long arm with a table & built-in stitch regulation. I bought it! #quiltsky

My seedless Concord grapes are starting to get blue/purple. This is the first year I’ve had fruit! I’m looking forward to making grape jam w/ whatever the raccoons don’t get. 🦝🦝🦝🦝 Hopefully Toby’s proximity will deter them. The grapes are growing on the top rail of the 6’ cat yard fence. #gardening

Happy #caturday to all who observe. Zara is stationed under my sewing machine as usual while Toby is keeping watch on the neighborhood from the front screen porch. The sun is shining, the temps are cooler, and the long weekend is here 👏😊. We hope you have a wonderful weekend! Photos from earlier…

I finally finished hand sewing the binding to the Bear Paw quilt back. I started this project almost 3 yrs ago after a fall trip to the White Mtns (VT/NH). The assembled top sat for 1.5yrs for complicated reasons, but today, I am happy to say it is DONE & I’ve made peace w/it. #quiltsky 😻 Toby 😻

Summer vacation is winding down with the long 50+ hr weeks ahead caring for the grandkids 🥰🥰 as school resumes in NY. I’ve been working diligently on unfinished projects! Three are in the binding stage (1st photo set) & one ready to quilt. Of course my star quilt remains in progress. #quiltsky 1/3

I swapped my cutting & pressing surfaces adjacent to my machine a few days ago. Muscle memory keeps making me pivot to the old set up. My cutting mat had too much wear in SE &NW qtrs. so moving location lets me use the SW & NE qtrs. that are less worn. Its a small space, but it works 😊 #quiltsky

Toby is enjoying a patch of sun outside the back door in the cat yard. He has earned cat door privileges 😻 Zara is supervising my sewing upstairs, sun patch-adjacent. Zara is shedding all over everything! I worked on binding a quilt earlier only to find it covered in white fur 🫠 #catsky

I spent the past hour totally engaged reading The Sewing Machine Newsletter Substack! Cale Schoenberg (Walnut Creek CA) writes beautifully about the workings of machines, the family business, manufacturers & history, issues/repairs, etc. Check it Out! WOW🥰 #quiltsky sewingmachineman.substack.com

The Sewing Machine Newsletter | Cale Schoenberg | Substack

Welcome to the niche world of sewing machines. It's bigger than you think. Click to read The Sewing Machine Newsletter, by Cale Schoenberg, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers...

sewingmachineman.substack.com

I feel like I’m finally making some progress again on Star of Wonder. Row 11 of 20 is finally done 👍 It is nice to see the larger design take shape. I started this project 12mo ago l - expect another 12mo to complete the top. It is a serious skill-building pattern ripe w/challenges! #quiltsky

I finished the quilt binding today & it is washed, dried, & going to its recipient this weekend. Toby did his best to model for the quilt, more interested in attacking corners to wrestle with. 🤪 All batiks, the back has an on-point center medallion arrangement. Mostly stash fabric👍 #cats #quiltsky

I procrastinated & procrastinated cutting and piecing this M-F-er 8.5”x8.5” block for most of today. I finally started putting it together after pouring a generous glass of Cabernet🍷. I think I seriously dodged a bullet sewing under the influence tonight!!! Luck was with me 🍀 #quiltsky

Raccoons🦝🦝 threw a party with my sweet corn 🌽 last night! The first ears were just days away from picking 🤯🫠 They ate most of the 40 ears they stripped from the stalks. Only a few small ears remain. They left every cucumber on the vines though 😞 #gardening left: the remains right:a month ago

I pieced a quilt top over the past few days using a large border frame from a new book I bought on Tuesday. While I am not a ‘panel’ quilter, I was inspired by how the authors made borders interesting. Toby is not a natural ‘quilt model’ like Pete was 🥲Toby really just wanted belly rubs 😻 #quiltsky

My best friend & I went quilt fabric shopping in WNY and the Southern Tier. 👍 AND more tomorrow! Also played 18 holes of disc golf at Olean’s Gargoyle Park- great! We finished the day w/ a hike in Allegany SP & Rock City park- wow! Conglomerate monoliths 🥰🤪 great day! #quiltsky #rocks #discgolf

I picked bunches of white currants last night from a bush I planted just last summer. Aren’t they beautiful? I’m making strawberry currant jam later today with berries from my garden. I’m very curious how it will turn out. #gardening

I have learned that I cannot go quilt “shop hopping” without supervision! I visited 4 new quilt stores yesterday & 3 more today. The better part of 12 yards of fabric followed me home 🫤 Did I enjoy the retail therapy sessions? 💯 & I found 15 great little prints💕 for my Alice’s Wonderland! #quiltsky

My grand kitten Suvi (18!) caught a mouse this morning and proudly shared it with us 😻❤️😻 The old gal is a fraction of her once impressive weight, but she’s still agile, alert, and affectionate. Good work Suvi! #catsky

I have been having bunny problems in my garden this past week- eating lettuce & Swiss chard , tearing down & eating peas, nibbling bean shoots. GRRRR 😖 I just put a 15” chicken wire fence on my cat yard fence that forms one side of my garden. Last night Toby flushed out the bunny 🥰 1/3 #gardening

It has been a long 180 school days of caring for my grandkids, 4 & 2. I’m grateful to have this special relationship with them, but I am EXHAUSTED… Leaving home before 6am and getting home about 4:45 eats my free time. Quilting, gardening, exercise, and house repairs will fill my summer.

Happy #caturday from Toby & Zara. Both have been busy supervising quilting work & some gardening today. Toby thought that all of the fabric & batting when loading the quilt frame was THE BEST for kitty play, but settled for a cup under the sewing table after being put on the other side of the door.

Fruit trees and vines are starting to bear fruit… finally. Nectarines and seedless Concord grapes are the first of the lot to start fruiting. I’m hoping my semi dwarf apple trees ‘might’ start next year as well as my apricots. Pink Lady trees had blossoms this year! #gardening

My garden is almost all planted. I still need yellow sweet peppers. I picked strawberries this morning, asparagus is finishing up, lettuce is ready to start picking, & my first snap peas are on the vine! I need to clean up the drip lines so I don’t trip again 🤬😖 hard fall last week. Ouch #gardening

Guys, trust and believe me, this kind of mass public input MATTERS and we are nearing the June 15th deadline. Either way, you should officially put your name on the right side of history. 👇🏻

Amee Vanderpool@girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 3mo ago

According to new posts on the National Parks official website, Trump is moving forward on his grotesque monument, but now is the time to make your voice heard. Read my latest with links to making a public comment against the arch on the official record: shero.substack.com/p/submit-you...

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Good morning! The Milky Way captured in Tors Cove, Newfoundland. Photographed by Gord Follett..

My second order of positive words printed fabrics arrived yesterday (very fast!!!) from www.thefabriccobbler.com and these pieces are good quality and ALSO prettier - more perfect than I hoped for 🥰! I am imagining all the possibilities for making special gifts for special folks 😊 #quiltsky #sewing

I received my fabrics from www.thefabriccobbler.com yesterday and they are even better than on video. The colors are lovely and the MESSAGES! Oh, the messages! “I believe… in listening to the wise voice of my heart and doing the right thing even when it is scary” #quiltsky #sewing

Angela Walter’s is offering a FREE free motion quilting series focuses on feathers starting in July. I’m looking forward to having some time in my life again to improve my quilting skills over summer break. Register for free at the link below: #quiltsky quiltingismytherapy.com/feathers-bor...

The Genesee Valley Quilt Show in Rochester NY was impressive! 650 + quilts and the majority of them of quality that you might see among this at an AQS show. There was some beautiful free motion quilting that took my breath away🥰 I failed to photograph names… my apologies😞 #quiltsky