First Frost!

As the weather has turned beautifully brisk, I have felt better and better and more energized. Last night we had our first frost! Today was the last Tuesday of the month, so I enjoyed my two bees on one day.

Bev and Sue were hard at work tuning up a new to us sewing machine at The Sunshine Club at the Alton, New Hampshire Senior Center.

As for me, I poked along on my binding for my Nurture quilt that has been neglected when I felt too ill with that coughing cold. I seem to be mostly over it now, and thanks for all the sympathetic comments from you all.

When I got down to The Evergreen Quilt Shop in Milton, New Hampshire, owner Camille, seen below, had show and tell to see. Look at this pretty miniature! Those flowers are actually small maroon buttons, cute! You may click on any picture to enlarge it.

Camille was also working on a table runner done in three parts. Here is the unfinished center section.

There are crescent shaped embroidered panels that will be attached to the shorter ends.

Sue was doing one of her very pretty applique pieces. Good job!!

Earlier in the week, on Sunday, I took a big UFO project in to Ellen Peters' Cat's Whiskers Studio to quilt it myself on the rented longarm quilting machine. Here is where we were just getting it loaded.

This is a floral 16 Patch with sashing stars that was a design of my own invention. It pre-dates my current obsession with Civil War reproduction fabrics, as you can see.

It is poppy orange, light yellow, and garden greens. Many of the fabrics are older Robyn Pandolf creations. If you look at the picture above, you can catch a glimpse of the backing on the upper roller. It is a Florentine scroll printed green flannel that I'd been saving just for this quilt.

In the spirit of happy summer flowers, I quilted it in my free hand hearts and loops in a pale green thread.

It is a big 85" square queen sized quilt with big green borders, so I've picked out a nice green binding fabric.

The photo above is true to the colors of the quilt, but the photo below is not and was taken without the flash to allow you to view the quilting pattern better.

It was an hour and a half to get it quilted and I was tired and happy to go home and get an iced coffee!

My big rosemary plant needed to be brought indoors due to a predicted frost. This is the plant that is blooming from a full summer of sun-drenched deck living, wheee! And that is nosy Mr. Tipper looking on and all curious as to what was happening.

Lastly, I wanted to mention that I sold quite a few tickets to the raffle quilt on Saturday out in front of the Iron Works Market, with permission from the owner. Tickets are 3 for $10, and 10 tickets for $20. Please let me know if you'd like to use Paypal to participate in the November 18th drawing.

Proceeds are to benefit the Senior Center, thank you!!

Linking up to Busy Hands. Link.

Easy Things

Although I'm still a wee bit croaky, I'm well enough to enjoy sewing again. I went to Friday Quilters at The Golden Gese quilt shop on 22 Liberty Street in Concord, New Hampshire.

Maureen was there working on her sashing stars patriotic quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Company.

Those stars are a solid blue, not black and they look terrific!

Sue, below, was celebrating a birthday this week and was putting the finishing touches onto an adorable Halloween wall hanging. So cute!!

I cut, laid out, and pinned a pair of Sausage Roll pillowcases in some fabrics that came in from Hancock's Of Paducah, seen below. That's a Judie Rothermel floral from her Dressing Gowns line by Marcus Brothers Textiles and the pink is a Karen Styles called Loire Valley.

When I got home, I did do a few more red and brown quadrant units for Starstruck from the Bonnie K. Hunter free patterns tab. Thank you, Bonnie! Link.

This is what a block would look like, but I'm not assembling them yet.

Of course, that meant pinwheels from the bonus triangles, wheeee!

Lastly, I wanted to share with you an idea that's only semi-quilty. I took a vase of hydrangeas and bachelor buttons to my neighbor but the vase seemed a little blah. Sewing up a width-of-fabric two inch wide ribbon and top stitching it for a bow made all the difference!

Now if I could only get my Fall bittersweet wreath finished, too!

Linking up to Busy Hands. Link.
Linking up to Oh Scrap! Link.
Linking up to Em's Scrapbag. Link.
Linking up to Love Laugh Quilt. Link.


Happy sewing!

Monday Musings

Yesterday we bid a fond farewell to our temporary house guest, Miss Fiona, the stray dog who's owner, Marla, was visiting her elderly grandmother in New Mexico.

Oh, the joy and rapture of their reunion was priceless! Miss Emma Lynne, my own dear lady black labrador, seemed sorry to see her playmate go.

They sure were funny together!

As for  me, I'm recovering nicely from this heavy chest cold, but I still cannot smell or taste anything.
Felix's always-delicious home made pizza was lost on me. I think that I could taste the pepperoni.

I did go downstairs and sew a little bit on my Starstruck quadrants. Link.

And, of course, I sewed some of the bonus triangles into a pinwheel block.

Sunday was the last day of the three day "Yard Sale" at Keepsake Quilting's retail store and I did NOT want to miss it.

After all, I had this cool 3rd Place Prize of a $50 gift certificate from their Quiltfest Celebration back in August.

This is my quilt that won. Thank you all for voting for me!

When I got there, there were a bazillion bolts at which to poke through and gape.

It was such fun to wonder which ones to choose!

My personal preference for Civil War reproduction fabrics helped me to filter the choices.

But there was a pretty floral here and there that jumped into my armload of selected bolts.

Soon I had brought 12 bolts to the cutting desk!

With all my discounts for the sale, plus the gift certificate, I wrote a check for $9.50!!! Whoo hoo!!

Now if I can just convince my outdoors-only kitties that it is safe to come back home because Miss Emma Lynne loves them.

Linking up to Em's Scrapbag. Link.

Linking up to Love  Laugh Quilt. Link.

And to Oh, Scrap! Link.


Stay well and sew on!

Too Sick To Sew?

Yesterday morning I felt well enough to sew my two week old binding onto my little squares quilt and to begin hemming it at The Sunshine Club over in Alton. My cold drags on.

Our venue got moved to the local church so that the voting machines could be set up at the community/senior center. Here is Sue, below, sewing more "Hip Clips" for her granddaughter's business.

 

Sue also held up her Black & White Strings flimsy, but I think that she said that she's not sure what she'll do next with it. It certainly is beautiful and graphic!

Bev, seen below, continues to amaze us by threading those little tiny hand-quilting needles with, get this, NO NEEDLE THREADER!!! You go, girl!

 

 

Her stitches are stacked three or four deep on those little needles and then she pulls the thread through the layers. The quilt is beautiful!

 

 

It was good to get out of the house, but after two hours, I came home exhausted and slept. We voted, too, in our local primaries for state reps & US senate/congress.

 

 

Then home to sleep again. Poor kitties, I haven't seen them all day but the food disappears so I  don't worry.  Maybe I'll be feeding a skunk like that near sighted lady on the lens crafters ad. Miss Fiona is better at housetraining than she is at NOT chasing kitties. Sigh. It's a process.

 

 

Got Felix to go minor grocery shopping for both Nyquill and Dayquill. So now I'm  addicted and still coughing and sniffling but not nearly as badly as before.

 

I was so desperate to breathe that I even smeared generous amounts of Vick's Vapo-Rub all over my chest at night and it did help me.

So I'm too weak to sew but I'm glad that I cannot infect any of you, Dear Readers!

Please wish me happy snoozing and stay well!

The Gazebo Quilt

"Make new friends, but keep the old;
One is silver and the other gold!"

So goes the pretty musical round that I learned some 60 odd years ago when I was in the Brownies. It still rings true in my life.

Now, with the internet, sometimes my old and dear friends are far flung, yet so treasured. So it is with Ila, who just sent me a huge box filled with quilty booty. Just look at what she sent me!

That is a two-handled quilty project tote already filled with sewable goodies!

After my friend, Ila, had invested in a new Accuquilt Go die cutter, she had most kindly offered to do some production-cutting for me. I sent her some of my beloved Civil War era reproduction Fat Quarters to work on cutting up for me. These are the bazillion HST's, all light to dark, right sides together, and ready to sew that she returned to me! Thank you, thank you!

She also included lots of Civil War gift fabric from Boline's, an outlet for fabric near her location. Oh thank you, those are so welcome here!

In the bottom of the large box was a mysterious black plastic bag. I opened it to find THIS!!!! OMG!

OMG! It's a 90" by 90" drop dead gorgeous queen sized quilt! I love it!! It is The Gazebo Quilt.

The colors are so romantic and dreamy in the "Gazebo" line of Rosemont by E. Vive for Benartex.  I love the stars! I love the colors!

Ila has her own longarm and just look at the beautiful quilting panto that she did! I took this photo without the flash so that you could see the beautiful quilting better.

The backing on this is a fabulous Robyn Pandolf floral that is so pretty that this quilt is definitely reversible.

This quilt just thrills me every time that I look at it, THANK YOU, thank you, my very dear friend!


Meanwhile, I had told you all about taking custody of a stray dog in our community as Felix and I are the local Animal Control Officers.
Since then I have learned that her name is Fiona and she is 8 months old. Miss Fiona is waiting for her owner to return from a mission of mercy.
The owner had to go to care for an elderly grandmother who fell, but was out of state.  But, Miss Fiona cannot be released until her appointment with her Rabies Vaccination is completed next Saturday. In the meantime, she must suffer in our captivity, hard time as you can plainly see here below.

Miss Emma Lynne, seen below, and whose shots were just all updated in August at our veterinarian, is now the old lady hostess.

As for me, I have a roaring chest cold and I am staying busy as the Chief K-9 Concierge here at Puppy Kindergarten.

And yes, we still leash-train that rule, "Kitties May Not Be Chased!!!!"

Miss Emma Lynne and Mr. Tipper already know that rule. They are old friends, too!

Sing it out:

"Make new friends, but keep the old;
One is silver and the other gold!"


Linking up to Em's Scrapbag. Link.
Linking up to Oh, Scrap! Link.
Linking up to Love Laugh Quilt. Link.

Stay healthy  and sew on!