I forgot

[lots of photos]




























Well, I was so busy thinking about my fabric and thread projects I forgot the lovelier events of this week. And now that it is being "misty/moisty" I am reminded to look again at what we could see earlier this week.

I really am being forgetful. White chocolate (my project for over a year) returned from the long-armer this week. Isn't it just the most beautiful? I am still totally in love with it. Now just to add the binding and it will be good to go.

Getting a few things done

Well, yes, that family room is looking much more livable. We have found homes for most of the stuff - although we did discover that two of the space bags we hoped to use have somehow lost their "oomph" and don't keep the air out any longer. I will have to see if I can find them somewhere on a good sale.

My dear friend Christian will turn 50 in a couple of weeks, so I must finish the quilt that he and I started (for him) over a year ago. It's kind of "goofy" but exactly what he said that he wanted.




Don't ya just hate it when you aren't paying attention and the bobbin runs out? My big machine, with the bobbin empty light is headed to the service department, so I'm using another machine and there is no warning. Of course I had sewn more than one side of the binding without any bobbin thread. DHHHHHH! But it should be ready to go for his big day.

Also finished up the pillow for dear GS. He is moving away from Thomas the Tank Engine, in his bedroom, and into airplanes. So this seemed just the perfect decor item for his room. Big sister and little sister are both getting small bed-sized quilts; this is so he doesn't feel left out.


Now just to finish up another Christmas table runner for youngest GD's school fund-raising auction (before I see the kids on Saturday) and I will be about up-to-date. [with some of my sewing that is] As I will be with them all day, I'm working on a chicken and wild rice soup to have ready when I get home. Makes life easier. I don't have a recipe so I can't share one, but it sure is tasty.

Enjoy!

It looks like a bomb hit!

So it is the end of the camping season and time to empty the caravan (motorhome) to put it away for the winter. We must remove everything that might get damp and moldy. While I may not have been the most tidy, I got everything inside and was preparing to look for homes to keep all this stuff through the winter. However, I forgot and called the cable TV company to come and fix my TV that was misbehaving. So then I really had to just scoop things up and try to get them out of the way, so that he could repair/replace/boost our TV reception. Well, you can see the result. CHAOS! I also had to empty an entire bookcase so that it could be moved, upstairs. I have that back together, but haven't finished with this. Alas!

This next week-end there is an RV Lifestyle school scheduled for a local technical college. I will be one of the presenters on Saturday, about our women's RV group. We are rather unique - that's for sure. So today was spent reviewing the powerpoint presentation, so I don't sound totally idiotic. I think that is all set to go.

Friday the church is having it's Harvest Tea - a fundraising event. I committed to making little tea sandwiches. So the chicken (it will be alright - although it might not look too appetizing yet) is cooked and I will mix it with finely chopped walnuts for one type of sandwich. Also was asked to do cucumber sandwiches - don't know if I can get watercress this time of year. But something will be prepared. As long as I was at the stove, I went ahead and made a large pot of swiss steak (a la my mother's recipe). I will just freeze most of this, but it will make a tasty and quick dinner one or two nights.









Thus. . . . . virtually no sewing this week. I gave away the one completed Christmas table runner, so now have to get another done rather quickly for youngest GD's fundraiser, due Nov. 3.

We continue to have some sunshine and that is so cheering. Although I did notice that my little weather girl continues to have blue sky behind her, even when it really is gray here. Hmmm. Onward.

Stashbuster quilting retreat

[Quite a few photos] Saturday my quilt group, Stashbusters, had an all day retreat. Actually we began with Friday night set up and potluck supper and then promptly at 9am arrived and "got right to it". I worked on a couple of different table runners - some are Christmas gifts, so if one arrives on your doorstep, act surprised!

The rest of these photos are either what folks were working on, or recently completed work, for 'show and tell'. I am quite impressed with what these folks can do - and besides they are really nice people and we have lots of fun.

















































And finally, for my little 'show and tell' for today, I happened to stop at a local Hancock's Fabrics store for some thread and bobbins for sewing class tomorrow. And look what I spied for sale for a very good price. I brought it home and gave it a good try and it is just fine. It only weighs 5 lbs and the little foot pedal is about 4" x 4".

It doesn't have a light and it is fairly noisy, but the stitch is quite all right - actually it has 8 stitches and reverse. And there is some variability in stitch length, so it's perfect for an 8 year old grandaughter for Christmas. Shhhhhh! Don't tell, but this Nana is so excited. Ho Ho Ho!

October marches on!

I am so anxious that we will never see the sun again, that I'm thoroughly delighting in the few peeks that we get. There are even a few things blooming in my garden. So we will start there:












I suppose you could argue that I should make more of an effort working in the yard (I hate yard work) but alas. . . . I just enjoy what's there (when it's there). :-/

I have also been doing a bit of "fabric play". Two other women in my RVing group are quilters so we have decided to try a block swap. I made blocks all yesterday afternoon - blue is our color this month. These are quite easy. After this (picture) they are squared up to 5 inches. We are to give each other 8 per month - actually I made myself a few extra. Not sure how it will all go together, as I don't expect we will have a whole quilt's worth, but it is fun. I'm thinking green next month.

I also bought some flannel for my friend Amy's new baby, due the first part of January. I'm not convinced that buying fabric to immediately use, turn around and give away, actually counts as 'adding to my stash' - that's my thought and I'm sticking to it!










I'm working on a couple of new crazy exchanges. I haven't heard that my autumn exchange has arrived at it's destination and it should be there by now. Hmmmmm. (I can't say because she sometimes stops by here.)

Enjoy the gifts we get this time of the year, even if they seem small. Stashbusters retreat on Saturday, so I should be able to get some photos to show you. Life is good!

Do you know a name for this block?

I saw this block on a blog and loved it. So today I tried to make a copy. I'm not sure this is true to the original - I think it had a bigger size differential between the inner blocks and the outer blocks. Do you know a name for it? I'm hoping to find out something about the order in which to piece it. Lots of partial seams. Not really all that difficult, but it would be easier with some guidance - me thinks.

And as mentioned the other day, I managed to finish up the Christmas Stars by Maaike Bakker. Obviously it still needs some borders (the original had three) but I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Her strip piecing book has lots of great patterns. Check it out.

Saturday has arrived

When I was working, I spent so much time looking forward to the week-ends. I still love them, but they aren't quite as memorable, as my time is really "my own", all the time, now that I'm retired. Yeah!!!!

This has been a fun week:
Alice (4 years old) made me a gift, when she kept seeing her mother making things for our crazy exchange. She has seen me on Skype and referred to me as the lady who doesn't talk like we do. [Alice lives in the Netherlands.] These now happily reside outside the sewing room.









Friday when I got home (at the end of a truly grueling day) I found a parcel on the front porch from my autumn exchange partner. She lives in Iceland and the parcel arrived in less than a week. Imagine. (Hers was shipped last Monday, but I haven't heard that it arrived as yet. ) Here is what she sent me - simply marvelous:










Apple fabric, candies, tea, and a simply exquisite biscornu and fob (and scissors) all stitched with a lovely varigated thread. Oh my - wonderful!

I have finished the quilting and binding on both granddaughters' quilts (you've seen them before) and now to make the pillow for GS and I will be caught-up with those little projects. I do have one or two things still awaiting attention, but I'll get there. I did start cutting out a Christmas hanging designed by Maaike Bakker , "Strip Pieced Quilts". Should be fun. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Have a great week-end.