Binding and Applique

The binding is machined on the giterdun. Now just to get it hand sewn on the back, and it's outta here! It's going to take forever!

I did a lot of applique this weekend, but nothing I can show yet. I did work on Piece & Plenty, and also a little bit on Strawberry Hill. I'll be prepping the next All Things Christmas block this week, as well as a pumpkin block.

It is so beautiful here. I just turned the A/C on just to cool it down a tad. Didn't get much done on the house cleaning front, but it was more important at this point to get the machined part of that binding done, and also to just relax after a long and stressful week. I went over to the quilt shop this afternoon so I could use their tables to support the quilt while sewing on the binding, and had a chance to visit with one or two ladies I haven't seen for a while, so that was fun.

And flight reservations are made for Alex's retreat next month! I'm so excited to get to see Mar and Deb and Cheryl and Holly and Carol and Sylvia and all of my other friends. Jane and I will be flying out on 11/8 and home on 11/11. I can't wait to see all the new applique patterns that will be out then. In Between Stitches and Thimblecreek, here we come!

Gratitudes:

~ Chatting with Mar today

~ Cantaloupe. Daisy gets nibbles and she loves it!

~ Giggles and laughter with Jane. She cracks me up!

~ Falling leaves

Fabric Alchemy's Hand Dyes

This doesn't happen very often. In fact, it almost never happens. But I was totally speechless when I opened a package that was on my doorstep last night. This package of hand dyes is from sweet Teresa at http://fabricalchemy.blogspot.com/. I mean, I just stood there with my mouth hanging open!

She's been blogging about her experiments with dying fabric. These fabrics are gorgeous! I have purchased hand dyes from time to time, and none I've ever bought from the pros are as gorgeous as these. I think I see a new career in the making here! Oh, my!!

Over the next couple of weeks I'm going to search for the perfect pattern for them. I hate to even think about cutting into them, but perhaps the biggest compliment we can give a fabric designer/dyer is to actually use them! It's going to be hard to do, though!!

Teresa, thank you so much!! I'm still speechless!

I hope everyone bookmarks her site and visits often. You'll never meet a sweeter, more upbeat lady!

Will Be Fall Decorating Soon

I've been digging things out and collecting little pumpkins. So this weekend I plan to get some fall decorations up around the place. I bought the cutest wreath yesterday that has, you guessed it, pumpkins on it. Might put it over the mantle. I'm getting in the mood for fall. And judging from the amount of leaves on my patio, it's very near! I'll get some 'after' pictures up this weekend.

I'm up to my eyeballs in alligators closing out the quarter and getting the reports done. One more day without the boss in town, so I hope to get a huge portion of it finished up tomorrow. My shoulder is really aching. I've been on the calculator too much today.

Kimberly at The Fat Quarter Shop has another new BOM up called Raspberry Truffle. I really wish she'd just stop it! LOL! This one uses Judie Rothermel Civil War fabrics in yummy pinks and browns. http://tinyurl.com/yonsab Is it just me, or are quilts even more tempting when they have a food name? (sigh) I'm deciding whether to poke the button or not....... of course, I know I will. It just makes me feel better when I pretend to ponder it a bit! :)

I know I'm supposed to be busting stash, and I've done a fair amount of that this year. But I had a couple of years of obligation quilts and helping out friends with things, so it feels really good to work on whatever I want! I've almost finished the first applique block of the Piece and Plenty BOM. I have fallen totally in love with Moda's Madreira line of fabric, so that makes working on the block such a joy. I'm waiting for the next block of All Things Christmas to arrive, and I'm going to prep another pumpkin block this week. I think I've got another BOM 'fixing' to start -- I need to start writing all these things down! LOL

I'm really jealous because Jane is going to market! But it's probably a good thing I don't get to go. Heck, I'd be like a kid in a candy store! (There we go with that food thing again!) I keep watching for teasers about new fabrics and patterns. I just love oohing and aahing over the new stuff when it hits the stores and online shops. This one has me just drooling all over my keyboard ... http://tinyurl.com/2zo597 My all-time favorite colors! (another big sigh)

The car is doing great. I'm getting used to driving it, and it doesn't feel quite so gigantic to me now. But I sure wish I had my camera with me when Jane and I went to a quilt shop this weekend. I put that one teeny tiny bag in the back of that BIG vehicle, and it looked so pitiful back there! ROFLOL. That's a LOT of space to fill up with quilt shop bags!!

Gratitudes:

~ Cooler weather
~ Pumpkins
~ Autumn scented candles
~ Changing leaves
~ A surprisingly delightful skateboarder in the parking lot of the market tonight, and his sweet offer to help me with my basket.

Beth is Having a Give-Away!

My friend, Beth, is having a give-away on her blog of a beautiful quilt kit! Wait a minute! Why am I telling everyone about it?!!! LOL

http://bethknits.blogspot.com/

Beth and I live VERY near one another but have not yet met in person. Hopefully we'll be able to meet up at the local quilt shop really soon!! Hear that, Beth? :)

Thanks for having a super give-away!! Good luck to everyone! (But not too much luck, okay?)

I See the Light!

The light at the end of the tunnel, that is! How does the saying go, "There's the tunnel, the light at the end of the tunnel, and another tunnel"? Well, the binding on this big puppy is all that's left to get it out of my life forever! One more tunnel, and the light is getting brighter!

Get your dancing shoes ready, because there's going to be a happy dancing fais-do-do when this thing is done!

The Boo Banner

This is the gorgeous Halloween Boo banner I won at http://the-latebloomer.blogspot.com/ Pardon all the nicknacks on the mantle. I'm planning to do a fall mantle, but just haven't done it yet. Look closely and you'll see a beautiful star ornament that Elizabeth also included in the package, as well as a Late Bloomer bookmark!

Thank you so much, Elizabeth! The banner is beautiful! And thank you again to Jack!!

Today was just one of those days. I'll blog about it in a couple of days. I'm just trying to erase that memory tonight. Ewww....... Besides, this blog is about quilting!!

Also today a box came from Judy. And in that box is the GOTITDONE formerly known as the giterdun! I haven't opened the box yet. I'm going to take it upstairs and lay it out on the bed, and have plenty of Kleenex handy when I open it. Almost exactly one year ago is when I decided on the pattern and started digging in the stash for fabric. The quilt that I hated so much will now be the quilt that I love the most - and won't want to give away. I'm going to be making miles of binding. This thing is 120" square, so I'll be binding it for the next few weekends.

Judy, you came to my rescue and finished this thing up for me, and for that I will be forever grateful. I'll post a picture of it tomorrow when I'm not so tired. Tonight I just want to cry a bit over it. I don't even know what to say except thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Also, I was able to bust five yards out of my stash tonight for the backing on a group quilt. That won't make a dent, but I'm happy that I was able to help out! Gee, I wonder how they knew I could probably find something that would work up in my stash room!

Gratudes:

~ Elizabeth Scott and Jack! Thank you!

~ Judy Laquidara! Thank you!

~ The police department in the town where I work! Thank you!

New BOM and New Car!

It's been an interesting couple of days. I've been car shopping. My seven year-old BMW has been a wonderful car, but there comes a point where you wonder if it's worth it to keep spending a couple of grand on it a year. I really wanted to get something that would last me a long time. My CEO has been pushing the Toyota Highlander for a while, so I decided to go look at them on Sunday. His final argument was how much room I'd have in it for my quilting stuff. LOL. Kimberly at The Fat Quarter Shop made a bet with me - and I was sure I'd win. I was just going to look. She said one would follow me home. One did. I owe her a dollar!

Anyway, this huge SUV is parked in my garage. I didn't get home with it until late on Sunday, so my first real driving test was Monday morning freeway traffic. Jane's husband told me to be careful until I learned where the four corners were on it. I was scared to change lanes on the freeway. LOL. Coming home Monday was better, and I was an old pro at driving this hunking thing today.

Yesterday the long-awaited Piece and Plenty BOM finally arrived. I'll probably make it next weekend. If the first block is any indication, it's going to be a beauty! This one I'm really excited about!

I started the quarter-end stuff today. Not a fun task, but someone has to do it. I guess I've been annointed the lucky one! LOL.

And last but not least, I was the winner of the drawing at http://the-latebloomer.blogspot.com/. I absolutely adore that Halloween banner! Thank you, Elizabeth - and Jack! If you've never looked at Elizabeth's patterns and fabric, you must check them out! Gorgeous stuff! I buy a ton of her patterns every year at Thimblecreek and In Between Stitches when we go up for Alex's retreat in November. I can't wait to see all the new ones that will be out then!

Gratitudes:

~ New car smell

~ Fun packages

~ My new assistant is working out nicely

~ Remembering to stop at the market last night

~ Daisy hugs