Lucky me!

As I opened the front door today, there, inside the screen door, was a parcel from my Crazy Exchange friend Joke. Somehow she thought that she owed me an exchange and so she sent me the most amazing stitchery. It is the Alphabet in Fraktur. For those of you who know about these things, it is a Chatelaine Design, with silk and beads.











This all makes my little efforts seem rather paltry. Oh well, as a friend used to say, 'that is why there is chocolate and vanilla'. So here are a couple of little gifts I finished yesterday:











The little sayings came as a panel - just cut it apart and add some borders and there you are. A Christmas tree for a friend's very little apartment. It is just so very nice to have little things to share.

Blocks finished

I have finished up my Buggy Barn blocks. Now just to finish square-ing (how do you spell that?) them to 11.5 inches. Notice how the fabric for the flower petals on one block, are also the background on another. And then that same fabric is a flower center, in one of the blocks.

Great Learning Day

Wednesday was the presentation at my Quilt guild from Pam and Janet of Buggy Barn. Really amazing AND they must have brought 40 quilts for us to see. Incredible display of considerable skill. They are such fun and homey, as well. Then yesterday, Thursday, was a 9-4:30 workshop with them. We were to choose any of their "Crazy" patterns and then yesterday was spent in learning how they choose fabric, stack fabric (critical to the entire process), cut fabric, shuffle the stacks of fabric and then begin to sew. I was able to complete one block (I know, I know, one block in an entire day????)

(red background flower on the left is mine)







The main part of the day was learning the process and then proceeding to execute it with lots of help. Janet and Pam just roamed the room answering our pleas for HELP. I don't think anyone had a total disaster except for the gal who didn't read her pattern correctly and didn't bring large enough pieces of fabric. Most of the patterns require fat quarters - but lots of them. My pattern called for 30 fat quarters - but I made it ALL FROM STASH! Yeah!




















The two on the left (the cats and fish) and the crazy courthouse steps, are quilts they brought to show us as samples. I loved the cats and fish - it is a part of a series named for children's games. This one is "GoFish". Cute, huh?

It was a great day. Last night I finished up all my "A" blocks and my "B" blocks. Just to finish up with "C" and "D" and I can assemble them. Many thanks Janet and Pam.

Much Excitement

I have been waiting for November for some time now - tomorrow Buggy Barn will be the featured speakers at our Quilters Anonymous meeting. Yeah. And then on Thursday I will get to spend the day with them working on one of their "crazy" quilts. Oh great fun. I'm excited. Details to follow.

Perfect Weather

for sewing and quilting! Grey and cloudy just really lend themselves to burrowing down in my little "den" and producing.

Here are the last couple of day's efforts:
Just add the last of the borders and now ready for a backing. This will only require some 'stitch in the ditch' and some outline quilting and viola!









I did not quilt this, but it is very nicely machine pieced. I have organized a back and will ship it off to Alayne for machine quilting, and then bind it. Christmas for my brother and wife [King size is so doggone big!]



Dolly bed accoutrements being produced for Sunday's party. Isn't this a grand invitation to fall/winter? My "christmas cactus" always blooms for Thanksgiving.

Sewing Retreat

My Clothing and Textile Advisors had a sewing retreat this past week-end. 22 of us gathered at Camp Huston, owned and operated by the Episcopal Diocese. It was a great time of visiting, sewing and delicious meals, I didn't have to prepare. :-) The camp sits in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and outside the dining hall are spectacular vistas of the mountain tops around, including some new snow on Sunday morning. There were the requisite quilts and table runners, but also sewing of everything from new panties to umbrellas.










I achieved my goal of completing all the machine work for the unfinished Christmas projects left from last year. They may be coming to you, so I can only show you the one for the grandkids,

This is a sweet panel and border fabric I bought over a year ago in Ft. Langley, BC. Always helping the local economy!



While my sweet grandson was in the hospital, his mom brought his pillow from home and he had the Halloween pillowcase I had made. Folks notice what you make, so be sure to keep producing. :-)

Long Time Gone

[Long post - sorry]
I haven't actually been gone, but life has been right up there with frantic for the past several weeks - not all bad, just incredibly busy. So apologies for being gone so long and hopefully I can get caught up.

The second week of October was all sorts of things: have the carpets cleaned, Stone Soup, haircuts, take the RV out for service, lunch with a friend and pack as 5:30am on Monday morning the shuttle arrived to drive us to the airport. We were off to San Antonio, TX. The national body of our women's RV organization was having their national meeting. Now 97 and 97 (heat and humidity) was just a bit too much for this web-footed girl - that was Monday through Thursday. However by Friday it cooled down to a very comfortable 77` with a bit of breeze.

BBQ buffet -either brisket of beef or chicken. Pretty tasty.


Pretty lake, but watch out for Water Moccasins - snakes!

















Got home and had the early part of the week to do some catch up and pick up the motorhome. Tuesday night we got a phone call from my SIL that my daughter and grandson (6 y.o.) had been taken by ambulance to a childrens' hospital about 30 miles away, as they suspected that he had appendicitis. Nana stayed with Mama and the little guy until he went up for surgery at 1:30am. Turns out that his appendix had burst, so he was on several days of heavy antibiotics. Thursday we left for Rockport, WA - on the North Cascades Highway. A very nice campground right on the Skagit River. As I have been the president, this past year, for my Washington state Women's RV group, I really had to be there for the last meeting of the year and election of next year's officers. My cellphone didn't have any reception but bless the gal right next door and with her service I got regular updates on how the little guy was feeling.

> Old cabin located on the grounds.




Cascade Foothills




Skagit River







Returned home as early as we could on Sunday and Nana went to spend the night at the hospital (Mom was home with the other 2 kids and dad was working). Now it is not a surprise to many of you that one cannot possibly actually sleep in a hospital. Either the alarms on the machines delivering the medications are sounding or the nurse is coming in to check on the patient, as well as the respiratory therapist and the gal doing the blood draw. And the vinyl chair/bed provided was well. . . . . . less than desirable. But we did make it and he was finally released about mid morning, with 2 more weeks of antibiotics at home, plus one tired Nana!

However, I have also managed to find a bit of time betwixt and between to do a few sewing projects. YEAH:
Wim finally has a nose and eyes. I started him at Caroline's in March and at last he is 'whole'. Don't you love the little sweater that Caro's mother made?


These are stitched (I have made 4) and then backed and stuffed and made into a little hanging pillow. Very cute - again thanks to Caro for directions.











A little something (wall hanging?) for the "grands". I had bought the one panel with several grandchild sayings and then have used scraps from friend Ronda for the borders and bindings. Use it up!

And on Friday, big hurrah, I am off for 3 days of sewing. The CTA gals are having their annual sewing retreat - this time at Camp Houston, in Gold Bar, WA (if that means anything to you). I believe there will be 30 of us. And my plan is to attack (with vigor) my collection of Christmas things. I have been keeping them together ready to finish up. So several table runners and a wall hanging, at least, should come home completed. (I hope)










With luck, all will now begin to slow down. I have also been preparing a couple of things for an exchange partner but cannot show you that, just yet. Hope that fall is treating you well, all are healthy and it feels like life is under control. Life is good!