Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart

 

 

 

It is time to stop and Give Thanks.

 

 

I'm pondering this past year, that has flown by so quickly, and I am reminded how blessed I am.  
All-in-all, it has been a good year. I'm healthy and I have all I need for life and happiness.  

 

 

Considering I didn't sew even ONE stitch on either of last month's projects....I'm not even kidding.... I seriously considered just giving up on the UFO lists for this year and regroup in 2026.   But, I decided to plug on ahead.  I still have two months and now that the weather is turning cold, thus staying indoors more, I think I can make some progress.

The APQ  UFO Number is 3  and the
River's Edge UFO Letter is "J" 

APQ's:  November's number is 3.  Stirling's Applique Car quilt, Road Trip.  This was originally on the list for April...
click HERE.   I had to go back and see why it didn't get finished then...oh, that's right...a Tornado and a case of hives....that'll put a crimp in anyone's plans.

 It actually looks like fun and I like applique.  Imagine Sterling's face when he sees it!

 

 

 

I'm going to get all the fabric together TODAY! 
Picking fabric is the hardest part for me. 

 

River's Edge:  November's Letter is "J" .  Summer Soiree, a Quilt-Along by Pat Sloan.  As UFOs go, this one is not too old...started in 2021. (It has come up on a UFO list only 4 times....hardly even worth calling a UFO.)

This could be an easy finish...I just need two blocks, then assemble.  AND, it would be a good project to try QAYG*.   Remember Pauline Rogers from Australia?  Remember I paid good money to buy her whole QAYG kit?  

NOW is the time and THIS is the project!! 

  

 

 

All my fabrics are ready to go.  There are four projects on this table....Let's dive in!!!

 

 

*QAYG = Quilt As You Go 

Zipped

 

 

 

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah  

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Zip Line

 

(Auntie Nyla in Jamaica some years back.)

  

 

 

  

 

Zippered up

 

  

 

 

 

 

  

That is exactly what happened to October...it zipped on by!  HOW?! 

And, what do I have to show for it?  ZIP!!  
Well, I did give the studio a good dusting after I finished Ana's pull-over, but that is it for the whole month!!

...Bob Bob Bobbin Along

 

 

 

 

Click HERE for a happy tune! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back in April, at the AQS Paducah Quilt show, I purchased prewound bobbins.  
Well, I'm here to tell you THEY ARE A GAME CHANGER!!  
So far I LOVE THEM!!

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the time I sew on a Janome 5200.  These bobbins work perfectly!  I've been told not all machines can use prewound bobbins, so, you'll have to decide whether or not to try them.  This package was $30 and that is not an insignificant amount of money for a TRY.   Honestly though, I'm glad I took the chance.

But Wait, there's MORE!!! (This line is from a song I used to sing with my kids, "Bats in my Belfry."  HERE)

Prewound bobbins for Miss Ellie!  YES!!  Purchased from The Featherweight Shop, they are flawless in my 1951 Featherweight!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I'm about to make a blasphemous statement... This Wonderfil Efina Cotton thread is so, SEW nice!  (Sorry, Auntie Nyla.)

My Quilting Auntie, Nyla had her ideas about quilting.  As far as she was concerned HER ideas were the ONLY way to do things.  And, in her mind Aurifil thread was THE ONLY thread to use when quilting.

Well, I think Wonderfil just might give Aurifil a run for their money. 

As any Featherweight owner will tell you, as cute as these machines are, the bobbin area can be temperamental.  This thread - prewound bobbin combination was absolutely PURRRRRFFFECT!

Miss Ellie hummed along with NO bobbin thread tangles or breaks or skipped stitches.  I'm in LOVE!!

I took a chance on these Featherweight prewound bobbins because I trust The Featherweight Shop.
Find them HERE.  Had I seen these "in the wild" I may have passed them by.  But, I'm hooked now!

My only niggling thought is the waste....the empty bobbin....you just toss 'em in the trash.  I was told that the bobbins are good quality and can be reused, but if I jump over to the prewound side, why would I need so many empty bobbins?  I would like to send them back to Wonderfil to be reused.  (I know it's a teeny, tiny piece going to the landfill....but it all adds up...) 

 Give prewound bobbins a try!  You just might fall in Love!! 

And Sew It Begins

 

Hard to believe, but here it is .... The Beginning of the End of 2025!  It is just a couple of weeks to Halloween 👻, followed very quickly by Thanksgiving 🦃and right on November's heals is CHRISTMAS 🎅!!!

And, October is getting off to a slow start.

While I've lost some momentum in completing UFOs, I am still plugging away.
Here is the lineup for October.

The APQ  UFO Number is 2 and the
River's Edge UFO Letter is "F" 

APQ's:  October's number is 9.

Cat Panels:  I have three cat panels, per se and a set of six cat blocks.

 

 

I remember buying this book and making these blocks.  What I don't remember is what year that was.
I remember I was with Aunt Nyla and we were at a quilt show.... 

 

Uncle Neil (Auntie's Husband) painted the faces.

 

 

 

I also have these three CAT panels...wonder if I can combine them into one something??? 

Lou is checking them out.

We shall see how the month progresses.  I have two quilt tops done now that need quilting and binding.  
Two finished is better than one more started, right? 

River's Edge:  October's Letter is " F ".

A Box-O-Random Blocks.  Left over blocks from past projects or "just because."   They could be assembled into a quilt.  I saw a video on this quite a while back....Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts.  Click HERE to watch the video.

 

Again, I would not bet the farm that this will happen NOW, so late in the year.  I'd rather go back and "mop up" some of the others started this year and not yet finished.  This would be a good one to start with in January! 

 AND the Prototype for Ana's pull-over shirt is done....finally.

It does not hang well on the hanger.

 

     I'm really happy I made a "draft" of the 
     real thing....I'm rusty in clothes construction. 

     I do now feel more confident cutting into 
     the "expensive" piece of fabric we bought
     LAST Thanksgiving.

     One Year, that's not too long to be on a UFO list. 

     It was mailed off to her today to try on and
     give me feed back as to what should be changed. 

 There you have it....October has begun. 

That's All Folks

 

 

One way to finish the month with a smile.....

A trip to Hamilton, Missouri!   

 

YES !!!  THAT Hamilton, Missouri!!! 

 

 

 

Every year (most every year) about this time I go to Lincoln, Nebraska for a software conference.  (Look back through the posts and you'll see.)  This year I decided to drive rather than fly...it just made sense.

Stopped in Kansas City to fetch Arita, another conferee.

 

While in Lincoln Arita and I visited the National Quilt Museum, which is always a pleasure.  Arita is a knitter but she enjoyed the Museum.

 

Driving back home, I dropped Arita off in Kansas City (Thank you, my friend, for the lovely lunch) and it was off to Hamilton!  After all, I was only one-hour-and-a-bit from Kansas City, so why not?!

 

 

And, it was a "Special Weekend".... I think it was the Birthday weekend?  I honestly don't remember.  It wasn't too crowded, though, and that was nice.  I visited every single store. There was a lot to see. (There are about 30 store fronts in Hamilton....I'll bet 20 of them are MSQC.  There WAS a Dollar General!)

One "store" was dedicated to the husbands....

 

 

 

 

AND, I did acquire a few Flat Chucks with my purchases.** 

  

I've said it many times and I'll say it again...MSQC has a GREAT marketing person!  I hope they are well compensated because they deserve it! 

 

 

Even with all the wonderful shops and give-aways, I must say my favorite site was the Quilt Museum and the Giant Spool.

I did add my little piece to the Giant Spool.

This was not so much a Quilt Museum as it was

a museum of all things sewing.  I enjoyed it sew, sew much.  
(See what I did there....)

Especially all the old sewing  machines!   
I am a sucker for old sewing machines....
If I had more room..... 

 

 

 

 

 

AND the miniatures!  Just, WOW!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was such an enjoyable weekend.  This trip sparked my interest in small, regional museums.  
My next trip will be searching for and visiting the various museums in Kentucky.

 

**You would have thought I'd go crazy with the credit card....there was A LOT of beautiful fabric and SO MUCH inspiration!  But, it can be a bit overwhelming, too.  I only spent about $50.  My recommendation:  when you visit, have a plan...what do you need to finish a project, or what quilt idea do you have floating around in your head? 

 

 

Progress

 

I remember playing with Barbie when I was young.  I wanted to BE Barbie!!
I had dresses and shoes AND the Barbie Dream House ... The Original Dream House.

(Photo plucked off eBay)

Now I have a Barbie Quilt and the top is done.

65 X 73

 

 

 

Three borders and binding will be added which will make this quilt 94 X 103  
...big enough for a bed quilt. 

 

I'm preparing to take a short road trip to Nebraska so it will have to wait until I return. 

 

And, I will have a BIG surprise when I return!! 

And Here We Are

 First Fall

The weather has been beautiful....warm days, cool nights....but we have not heard the last of Summer, I'm sure of it. 
Even so, I love Fall and I will take what has been handed to me!

I'm taking a break from the UFO clubs for September.  There are two things I just MUST do THIS month.

Finish Barbie 

I did start the  Falling Charm quilt using Barbie Fabrics....sewing on Miss Ellie.

It has been a pleasure the past few days.

 

Designed in EQ8...I even imported the fabrics from Riley Blake's website.

 I've numbered each of the blocks and will follow this layout....

As simple as this pattern looks, it can get confusing, especially if you're using directional fabrics, as I am.  

I'll admit, I'm only a few blocks in and Jack and I have already had a date. But, you know the saying...It isn't really a quilt until Jack shows up.

 I'm taking it one-diagonal row at a time.

 

The other item I want to finish for September is Ana's Pullover. 

Ana asked for this a year ago when I was in Seattle at Thanksgiving....It's going to be pretty easy.  My hesitation has been cutting such a beautiful piece of fabric...and messing it up.

I will do a "practice piece" first...using some inexpensive fleece, which I've already purchased...so no excuses.

 

I've been wanting to get back into garment construction....have been following a couple YouTubers, and purchasing vintage patterns from Etsy and eBay. 

 

Did you know the four big pattern companies, Simplicity, McCalls, Vogue and Butterick will no longer be producing clothing patterns?  Here is the latest scoop.  While sad, it kind of makes sense....with fast fashion being as cheap as it is and fabric being as expensive as it is....not as many people are actually sewing their own clothes...too bad.  It will certainly be a lost art if it dies out.