Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! One of my most favorite holidays, right behind Christmas. I didn't do much decorating this year, but I did put out the basics just on time for tonight. Hope everyone has a very safe and happy night! I miss not living in a regular neighborhood with houses and dressing up to hand out the candy. We don't have trick or treater's here and rightly so. I don't think I'd let my kids go door to door in a strange condo complex either. We have very few kids living here at all, so any that came wouldn't know the neighbors. It's sad that it's just not as safe as when I grew up. But kids today have other fun ways to celebrate and candy is still good today!

I just popped in to say a quick hello before I start the first load of fabric washing. I usually don't wash until I use the fabric, but these are new lights for civil war swap blocks and swap fabrics gets pre-washed...so washing needs to be done. Don't they just look yummy?

Don't mind the grainy-ness of the picture. It was either macro and a bit grainy or regular blurry this morning. I got these from Z&S just yesterday after waiting for them to restock and have the bundle again. I can just imagine all the little civil war girls in the dressing gowns made from these fabrics! So yummy! I'm off to get washing and finish cutting out for a new quilt!

Getting back to normal...

First, let me say thanks a million for all the wonderful vacation wishes and the lovely comments about the new wall hanging. I love Cheri's designs and they are so easy to make. The week flew by in what seemed like 2 days! We did absolutely nothing on the list of things we wanted to accomplish and although some really needed to be done...it's perfectly fine. Hubby got some much needed computer work done and I spent my whole week with him. So I'd say it was a good week. Most of the honey-do's got postponed due to hubby popping out his SI joint in his left hip. Don't know what that is? Neither did we, until we looked it up on the computer. Gotta love the internet. SO lifting, bending, and stairs were out...and still are for the rest of the week. He's doing fine now and after this week will be healed enough not to have to worry about popping it out as easily.

On the sewing front, I took a few stitches to finish off the crow for my Christmas Sampler. I started to pull fabrics for the next block and just got stuck in the decisions. I really need to move on this project since I want it up on the wall by December 1st. That got me thinking about how to pull myself out of the quilting slump that seems to be never ending and get to work.

To that end, I let some inspiration from a few blog friends do the trick. For months...or frankly as long as I can remember..I've watched several people get ready for retreats by pre-cutting all the fabrics and packaging them so they are all set to hit the machine running. Dawn has done this numerous times and gets loads done. So does Darlene! Since I seem to be having the worst trouble getting the decisions made about what fabrics to use, and getting all the cutting done, I thought...huh maybe doing that will work for me. So last night I started getting things cut.

I have all the pieces ready and packaged for one small doll quilt and the fabric picked out for a few others. I'll cut those out today.

Then I started copying the templates out for the holiday tree quilt. It's a very simple stack and whack sort of design using 10 FQ's in red, green, and cream. All I need are two more freezer paper copies and I'm ready to stack and well... start whacking. Then all I have to do is store them carefully until I can start sewing them back together.

I can't say this will help the slump, but it can't hurt. At least it's moving in the right direction and getting things accomplished. But first, I'm off to find some lovely combinations for my swap blocks and get cutting those so I can start sewing! Getting those out to my swap buddies is the first priority!

Embrace Each Day...finished!

A finish that is hanging on the wall. With that I bid you all good-bye for the week. Lots of sewing, lots of rest and lots of vacation with my sweetie!

Even more...

Well the presents just keep coming...can you really call them that when you have to pay for them? Okay, so goodies might be a better word. Two more things arrived this week...the book that's traveled the blog rings...Prairie Children and Their Quilts came to live here, and I got my wool from Dorr. These are patterned wool pieces prepared and bundled by the company for over-dying. I've never dyed wool before, heck never dyed anything before so this should be quite a fun experiment. I just know I'll have fun and if it all fails miserably I'll have some great weird colors of something to use for cool projects! Wool is all new to me, but working with it is so yummy. No edges to turn and it's very interesting when added to just the right piece. It should be a fun experiment.

Hopefully, I'll get my binding sewn down on the little "Embrace Each Day" quilt today and share a finished picture tomorrow. My right shoulder..the one I use for everything..got into a freak mishap only a clutz like me could produce and is still quite sore. SO I've babied it a bit with rest.

After that post, I'm also taking a one week vacation break from posting. My sweetie is finally taking a whole week off! We have plans for a few fun days and lots of housework chores to get done...painting, cleaning out the master closet, etc. Mostly just spending time together.

Christmas in October...

Yesterday was what I would call the best mail day ever! 4 packages in one day! I knew it was a good day when the mailman came and rang the buzzer, dropping off 2 parcels that wouldn't fit in our 3x5 tiny box. You'd think nothing would fit, right? But believe me, they can bend, shove and sometimes mutilate to get whole bundles of fabric in that skinny box. SO much so that it takes full force to get them out again! Luckily I tip my mail guy very well at Christmas and he rings the buzzer.

Hooray, my patterns have arrived from Cheri Payne! I already have several of her patterns and really love the way that she packages them. You can see the pictures for Flower Basket and Good Things below. Nativity can be found at her website if you are interested.Also arriving at the door was a priority package from an online quilt store..This "n" That. When I saw this quilt being made on Wendy's blog I was really taken by what an interesting color combination she had put together and I thought about it for a long time. Then the finished quilt turned up at Libby's door and I knew that must be a sign *G* that I should make one! After browsing the other day at the fabric site, I come across the blue fabric and it jumped into my cart! Couldn't help it..had to have some. Can't ignore a sign. My yellow is different but the intent is the same.

After getting these two packages I was quite pleased, so imagine my giddyness to hit the mailbox before getting into the car to hit the grocery store and seeing it packed with more goodies!! My patterns arrived from Lynda Hall!!! I actually won something..shocking to me, but I did! I guessed right and won copies of all the new Summer and Fall patterns. I had my copy of the girls, but having the "official" one is icing on the cake. I love them all Lynda! She even signed the Me and My Shadow pattern. I feel so special. I'm thinking Buckeye Queen is just the size for covering my tootsie's this winter on the sofa.

Last but not least was the final installment for the Pinwheels Ping quilt! Sadly the packages have been tucked away lately and left for another day to finish, but I'll get back to it soon. I got all the fabric pieces for the borders, their applique pieces and the binding..all pre-cut and pressed! What a treat. Pre-made binding ready to sew on the finished quilt. Hooray for that!

So all that in one day's mail, not mentioning the 3 bills, 4 cc offers, Trader Joe's flyer, Pottery Barn catalog and an inch thick Instyle magazine.

I told you that guy can stuff a small box, right?

Sunday..

I have a few tiny parts to sew on the new quilt and then the words to embroider, but I was taking a break to eat lunch and look at house prices in other areas of the country. I want a nice place... cooler, with 4 seasons preferably, and a decent housing market. I was looking in the area of Quilter's Station out near Lee's Summit, Missouri and couldn't help drooling over the BASEMENTS!! Oh to have a basement. I'd love an older small town with low housing costs too. Any suggestions?

You may not remember that I have been searching for the perfect duvet cover that doesn't cost $300 for several months. It's hindered by the fact that I have no idea what color I want the room to be painted. Small detail. So I had forgotten that I lent an old duvet cover to my niece about a year or so ago. She returned it the other day so I put the new duvet inside and on the bed it went. the comforter was seriously looking horrid, so it was time. The cats are having a field day with how puffy it is. Forgive the wrinkles. I swear I spent 20 minutes ironing that thing and after one night they were back! Noodle loves to jump from the cat tree and start running all over it chasing the color squares and "pouncing" on them. He's also discovered that it has a row of buttons just ripe for the tasting. I checked to make sure they are all sewn on tightly. It's more a summer cover, but it will work for now. I really would like to make a quilt for our bed but that's one big quilt to plan and quilt. Maybe one day. Until now, the cats have a new toy.

Off to finish and start quilting!

Embrace Each Day...

Not a bad title for a quilt pattern..or a slogan to live by. Embrace Each Day is a new pattern from Cheri Saffiote-Payne . I've been a fan of Cheri's patterns for about a year now and I keep ordering more! I'm impatiently waiting for 3 more to arrive soon!! It's her Christmas Quilt Sampler that I'm working right now. I even ordered the BOM sampler for her Sweet Land of Liberty pattern the other day from Homestead Hearth and can't wait for the first month to arrive.

The other day I found another source for her wonderful patterns and boy do they have tons! The Country Loft is the neatest looking quilt shop and I have it on good authority from Libby that it's every bit as great in person as it looks from the web! After going around the site and seeing all the wonderful shop samples I focused in on one pattern that caught my eye. Since I'd just ordered 3 new patterns from Cheri I thought I'd try this one without the pattern. Scraps are great that way! It was fairly easy to see how it was constructed, so I just figured out the sizes that worked for me and got to stitching right from my scrap bin.

I love that it has wool on it. I'm still new at working with wool, but it's so yummy. All the wool applique parts are cut and today I have to stitch down all the wool pieces, quilt it and write the words along the bottom edge. I just couldn't wait to show you how it looked so far!

Happy Quilting! and make sure to "embrace each day!"

Details...

Should have included this yesterday, so here you go. A better-ish picture of the quilt pattern and the hand quilting stitches. It was a mini quilt that I decided to size up so it was easier to work with, but I plan to make one some day in the mini version. The stitches go from the upper corner of the light x section and make a small V pattern. I actually laid down quarter inch tape and made one long line to make a very skinny long X pattern.

The pattern is by Kim Diehl and was free in the October 2005American Patchwork and Quilting magazine. I love Kim's work and I seem to be making more and more things from AP&Q these days. Great magazine!! Hope that helps answer some questions.

UPDATE QUESTION> Kathie needs to know from any ladies who have the Oct. 2005 AP&Q issue...what appears on the cover? I kept just this pattern and tossed the rest so no help from me. Anyone keep all their issues and can leave that info? Thanks a bunch in advance!

Finally Pictures...

Remember back when I was immersed in a swap piece that I couldn't show? Well my swap partner finally got my little quilt and she posted a quick picture for the group, so I thought I share it here. It's not the most clear picture but since I totally spaced taking my own pictures, I am grateful for anything. I will try and get a close up from the magazine where the pattern came from and re-post later. The quilting pattern in the light X pattern is really neat, I'd love for you to see it up close.
When we took our trip this past June to Missouri for the Primitives of the Midwest retreat I walked into Quilter's Station and immediately fell in love with their huge room of homespuns. Not to mention the wonderful gals who work there! Ever since getting home I have been doing an order about once a month and letting them pick out several fabrics for me. Last month they sent me the backings for one of Lynda Halls quilts. This month I sent in my order for 6 orange FQ's, 6 purple FQ's, and 6 light FQ's. I was thrilled again to get such a great bunch of fabrics.

Lastly, I actually have been sewing lost of things here and there...swap blocks and new projects, but mostly still plugging away on the Christmas Sampler blocks. I finished the Holly berries block last night. The pieced holly is pretty primitive, but I think that's why I liked it so much.
I've got a new scrap quilt that I'm almost finished with and I'll promise to post more frequently in the future. It's just been hard to think of things to write about. Happy Quilting!

Puttering...

I seem to still be wandering from thing to thing, but I am getting little things accomplished so that's a good thing. I knocked out the Noel embroidery block for the Christmas Sampler one day and finally pressed it.

It will wait to be trimmed and the final outside outline done when it gets added to the section. I also made the pieced section for the holly blocks and will add the red berries after I get them pressed. They get added to the block with wording after it's finished. In all I have about 4 blocks in Section 2 prepped and ready for sewing...but I have some late swap blocks to finish for my swap partners tomorrow, so I'll start on those first thing.

Mom is still in the hospital which is the best place for her at the moment. She's much better than she's been in weeks, but still not eating hardly anything by mouth so after coming home it shouldn't take long before she's run down again, so we will have to see if she learned her lesson and starts working with us a bit. I appreciate all the helpful suggestions and warm wishes and hugs.