The "finish" line.

With an overcast sky,

 perhaps the colors seem dull.

 However the pale yellow binding shows up well enough,

 as well as the baptist fan stitching.

In the background you can see just a bit of the vast yard work waiting for me.  Vines, briar patches, and leaves must be burned before it turns any warmer. 

Unfortunately, my bronchitis is back with increased congestion and more rest is required.  Thankfully there are seed catalogs to look through in anticipation of this year's garden.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . . 

Oh baby, it's cold outside!

 The wind chill is 19.  I've taken hot water out to the birds twice so far today.  And some fresh peanut butter.

Sixteen days is a long time for me to be ill,

  . . . but quiet stitching time ensued, allowing me to finish the binding on the 1993 pineapple.

The potato soup, home made bread, and chocolate chip cookies are ready.  Now it's time for a bit of sewing with Dolly in her favorite spot right behind my sewing machine.

If you have to be out and about in this brrrr chilly weather, please dress warmly and carry an emergency kit in your car.

Oh, and of course, check on all of your outside critters.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

It's midnight Sunday, a new week is beginning.

 Get a cuppa, let's chat and catch up shall we!

Recently, the problem-child quilt top was finally fixed.  Several lines of quilting were removed, the turned block was corrected, the top unpinned, and new lines were drawn on.  Now it's re-pinned and I'm ready to try again.  (Note to self:  Sometimes the free hand method is NOT the way to go).

 The Butterball was finally roasted today.  It's been in the freezer for a year, so I figured it was time.

 Has anyone ever used this particular seasoning?  It looked interesting to me.

Certainly not the prettiest bird on the table, but the oven bag method was used.  Next time we'll try the brown bag baking method with butter.  My pal Paul does his that way and it's always tasty and browned to perfection.  This one will make great soup later in the week.

Marcie, this photo is for you.  I remembered to put a pan under the strainer when transferring the gravy from the roaster.

Awhile back, Marcie Patch told the story of making gravy during a busy family holiday meal.  In order to remove the lumps, the gravy was poured through the strainer sitting over the sink.  However, someone forgot to put a bowl under it, and there went the gravy.  I still laugh every time I stir gravy, so thank you Marcie.

 Here's Dolly lying directly behind me as I carved the turkey, patiently waiting for "her share".

After discovering that dear friends had a baby girl, I pulled out one of my "seed cans" and put this top together.

Seed cans are tins I've had for years which hold various pieces that can be assembled quickly.  In this case, 2" pink and light squares.  Perfect for 9 patches.

The child's last name is Rose, so a tiny rosebud print was found.

There's the recap in a blink.  Now we're off to join the holiday rush!

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

Home, home on the range.

Today is my day off, yeah!

 Time for rest, relaxation, and a bit of blogging.

Thought I'd share some of the color sequence going on both inside and outside this part of the country.

 "One Patch" was begun 5 years ago, fully assembled 4 years ago, and patiently waited in the closet.

 From the big cupboard, 3 different pink floral prints were pulled for backing, 11 yards total.

I need to raise the pinning table even further to ensure the top stays off the floor.  It's a BIG quilt.

 An early morning appointment took me to a new local where this lovely

 example of nature captured my attention.  Morning mist was rising in the background with the heat of the sun.

 A long-awaited finish.

 Trying to capture the couching done among the border cables was tricky.

 All the while changing my ISO as the sun was going down.

 But you get the idea.

 I hope.

I'm still not sure if I'm going to keep this one or sell it.  Time will tell.

That's all the news from this side of the mountain.  Where ever Fall finds you, be sure to go outside to enjoy some of the sparkle of it.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

Definitely blue.

Deciding on the binding color was easy.

 A deep purple blue stops the eye and contains the multi-color 25-patches.

For the first time, I tried an idea suggested by Rahna of Blooming in Chintz.  She recommended finishing the quilt edge with a zigzag stitch, washing it to shrink, then adding the binding to create a cleaner finish.  I'm very pleased with the results.

When it cools off a bit more, there'll be time to sit down and hand sew the binding down.

Other colors await us outside, just a short hike away.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

Capturing sunlight . . .

 And shadow

 across a pattern of prints.

 This quilt required replacing at least 8 squares,

 Until I got the colors just right.

 I love this quilt and

am already planning the next one

while patient Dolly waits for supper to finish cooking.

Tonight's menu is simple.  Cheesy hashbrown potatoes baked in an iron skillet and foil wrapped pork chops.  Done in 40 minutes.  Stop in if you're hungry.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

After the rain.

Finished about 2 months ago, this baby quilt began as a few left over pieces in a baggie.

In the background, right, you can see some leaves that are already brown and ready to fall.  It seems very odd to have leaves changing color quickly while the temps range in the 80s.  It got rather hot today, until the storm passed through.

The starching project is coming to a close.  All fabric needs to be put away this week so I can move on to other things.

I'm almost done my Christmas shopping.  How about you?

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

A tiny Lilliputian top.

This project was inspired by our blogging pal Carolyn of the famous Knot Garden blog.

 There are 83 fabrics and 49 blocks.  The process is as follows . . .

Starch your fabric well, cut 3-1/2" strips, then 3-1/2" squares.
Sew a 1/4" seam on each side of a light and dark block unit.

 Cut diagonally from corner to corner.

Trim each unit to 1-3/4".   The Bloc-Loc tiny triangle trim ruler helps a lot.

It takes a wide variety of small prints, but throw in some larger prints too.  The background prints are in the very light range for good contrast.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

A tiskit, a tasket

a blue and yellow basket.

 With every other color in the rainbow.

This is an Edyta Sitar pattern; however, I made my basket using 2" squares.  The finished block measures 14" x 15".  It's very unusual for me to try such a large design.

A dear friend taught me how to do bias handles.  Imagine that, 45 years of quilting and I'd never made a handle.  There's no stopping me now.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

Yes indeedy, it's a top!

 Blocks were slowly worked on.

 Then put back in a box,

 while I prepped pieces for a few more squares,

and put them back in the box.

Finally, all the blocks were completed and it's now a top.

Yes, indeedy!

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .