Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays!  I hope all of my previous readers are well and happy.  I have three grand kids now, two boys (5 and 2) and a girl (almost 5).  Last year I separated from my husband and moved to an apartment closer to my office.  I am not quilting much these days, but I still love it and haven't given it up--I'm just taking a break for awhile, making new friends and doing things I've not done before but always wanted to.

Over the course of the past year, I've gone kayaking a few times and camping.  I joined two wine clubs, and the craft beer movement interests me (although I don't think I drink alcohol as much as that may lead one to think!).  I've joined some meet up groups through an app--social groups, brunch and food groups, hiking groups, gaming groups, etc.  I have a few new close friends and many new acquaintances.

The Wild Child moved from Portland to Reno this summer, so she, her husband, and my two grandsons are much closer than they were and I get to see them all more often.  Soccer Son continues to coach soccer and is currently at university, with the goal of getting a degree so he can coach at a university/college level.  He, his wife, and his daughter still live close by, so I enjoy spending time with them whenever I can.

I'm on Facebook often since I don't blog anymore.  My Facebook page doesn't have much quilt content--at least not as much as my blog did--but feel free to send me a friend request, and Facebook message me so I know the friend request isn't from a bot!  To find me, search Facebook for Kim Powers (Kim Cardona) in Sacramento.

Happy Holidays!

Boy, it's been a LONG time!  It's hard to imagine now how I found the time to blog nearly every day as I did a few years ago.  I guess priorities just change, although I don't feel like my everyday life has changed greatly.

These days, I'm on Facebook more although I don't post very much--if anything, I might comment now and then.  After the recent presidential election, I was pretty disgusted with all the Facebook posts that were coming into my feed, so I stopped following a few people and joined several wool and applique groups, so my feed is a happier place to be now.  For now, I've buried my head in the sand.

Hubby and I just got back from a trip to the Portland area to visit the Wild Child, her husband (as of this past July), and their child, Roman.  We went up there about a week after Thanksgiving and were there to help put up their Christmas tree.

At each step of the decorating, Roman would stand back and whisper "Wow!"  He's just a little over two years old now, so this will be an exciting Christmas for him.

Little Mia, Soccer Son's daughter, will be two in January.  She's a real cutie too, but then what grandmother doesn't think her grandkids are cute?

Soccer Son's pretty good with photography too!  Isn't that a great photo?

While I was up in the Portland area, I was able to attend Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe's Homespun and Holly event--a full day spent with five designers including Stacy West of Buttermilk Basin, Kathy Cardiff of the Cottage at Cardiff Farms, Sherri Falls of This and That Pattern Company, Brenda Riddle of Acorn Quilt and Gift, and Debbie Busby of Wooden Spool Designs.   All of the designers were great and they had some really cute projects for us to work on.

Now I'm on my way to Trader Joe's to get the ingredients to make my grandmother's applesauce cake--a Christmas tradition.  And that's why I decided to pop in and say "Hi" to all of my blog buddies--the easiest place to find my recipe is here.  See?  Some things just don't change.  I hope you and yours have a very merry holiday season!

Happy 4th of July!

Friday was a work holiday, so after some quality sleeping-in time, I got my house cleaned and my other "chores" done--now I have the rest of the holiday weekend to look forward to.  We're going to some friends' house for a 4th of July barbecue, swimming, and fireworks.  I'm bringing dessert.  Want to see what it is?

Strawberries and cream cake.  This isn't MY photo, but I hope mine turns out looking just as good!  I'm adding blueberries along with the strawberries on top.  The cake was baked and cooled last night.  Now I just need to get off the computer and make the frosting.  I hope you have a fun-filled holiday!

Happy Canada Day!

Getting Into Summer . . .

It's been super hot here in Sacramento this past week--over 100 degrees a couple days and not much cooling down at night.  But I think we've settled back to the norm for this time of the year, which means temperatures in the 90s during the day but cooling off a bit with the Delta breeze at night (the breeze comes up the delta from the San Francisco Bay and along the rivers that lead to Sacramento).  And wouldn't you know it?  Just when we're at our hottest, golf's U.S. Senior Open tournament comes to town--welcome golfers!  I haven't been following it, but I gather the final round was today, so I guess the Goodyear Blimp will fly away now.   I just feel sorry for the golfers and spectators who had to endure this heat wave.

Hubby's 60th birthday is tomorrow, and we're having a family party at a friend's house.  I'm bringing the side dishes, so at least part of the weekend was spent at the Farmers' Market, grocery stores, and my own little kitchen.  I have a batch of beans going in the crockpot in the morning before work, and I'll bake up a pan of cornbread, but otherwise I'm ready.

On the quilting front, I've been slowly quilting a chicken quilt.  I made the quilt top several years ago from, if I remember correctly, a Buggy Barn pattern--it's one of those quilts where you stack up the fat quarters, cut, and then swap pieces around.  I made this one using red, black, yellow, and cream, and while I really like it a lot, I'm just not sure where a chicken quilt belongs in my home, so I've delayed quilting it.  But I'm sure I'll find a place for it.  I'm kind of thinking it's summery looking, so maybe I'll hang it in my entryway after the 4th of July quilt comes down--assuming I get it done by then, of course.

I thought I'd let you know that I found someone who was willing to part with their Christmas Memories booklets that I posted about last time--I'm just waiting for them to arrive in my mailbox.  Here's what the quilt looks like--the one I really want to make from the booklets:

I've seen a version posted online where the quilter didn't do the appliqued border (just used a nice striped fabric) and I think it's almost as pretty, but we'll see how it goes once I get to that point. I just love Blackbird Designs books, but for some reason, I don't seem to buy them when they first come out; it's always AFTER they're out of print that I find I need them.  I remember when Women of Grace and Charm came out, I looked at it and thought about getting it but didn't; now it's not really available anymore unless you want to pay a small fortune, and I don't, but maybe I'll come across it someday, somewhere.

I took time out from food shopping and cooking tpday to make a quick trip to a vintage/antique faire, of sorts.  There weren't too many vendors but the event was put on by an antique-mall type of shop that I hadn't been in before, so between one thing and another, I came home with a couple of finds.  Outside in the back of the store, I found a beautiful blue casserole dish made by Halls for Montgomery Wards--I've admired them for some time but I hadn't come across one in my price range until now.  I also found two "project" pieces--an old decorative wooden two shelf unit - the kind that used to be found in bathrooms or other small spaces - and a long glass-fronted cabinet door.  Yes, just the door.  No idea what I'll do with it, but it has promise.  I think I'll probably chalk paint the shelf.

Lately I've been fantasizing about re-doing older small pieces of luggage and perhaps selling some of them at some point, so I've been "collecting" train/cosmetic cases and the smallest size of suitcases.  I told myself I need to stop buying any more until I actually start doing something with them, but I came across one today that I couldn't pass up.  It looks like this one--

It still has the key, and the inside looks almost like new, with an adjustable mirror and a plastic tray that sits in the top part.  Perfect for a sewing case, right?  And just $15.  I didn't even try to negotiate a lower price!  If you look at my Pinterest board called "Train/Cosmetic Case Wizardry" you'll see I've been "collecting" ideas.

I hope you've had a good week and are looking forward to a happy 4th of July.  I'll be back again . . . hopefully soon!

In Search Of . . .

I'm looking for this set of four booklets by Blackbird Designs called Christmas Memories to buy or borrow--it takes all four to make the quilt.  Please email me if you know where I can find them.  Thanks!

Where Have You Been?

I was reading a blog the other day--actually I was looking at something on Pinterest and linked over to a blog to see how the woman had repurposed something--and I wondered what she had done more recently.  Nothing, it seems.  Her last post was MONTHS ago, and that post came out of the blue after another absence of months.  And I wondered whether something terrible had happened to her.  And then I thought about the fact that I hadn't posted anything FOREVER either.  It occurred to me that there are some of you who are wondering whether I've had a devastating illness or death even.  Nope!  Just lazy.  Or busy.  Or something.  It's funny how our priorities change over time.

I'm still working out, dieting, and trying to lose weight.  I stopped doing CrossFit in December because our "class" had dwindled down to two and I didn't feel our trainer was all that interested anymore.  I tried another program in January called Kaia Fit--it's similar to CrossFit or boot camp but it's just for women--and I strained my Achilles on the third evening.  So I had to wear a walking boot for seven weeks.  Between the holidays and lack of exercise, I found by spring I had gained a little bit of the weight back, so I started exercising on my own, at home, around April, and I got back to really watching what I eat, so I think I'm about where I was last year at this time.  My Achilles still hurts a bit and I have shoulder problems, so I'm not sure a gym workout is right for me anymore.  I've purchased a FitBit to track my activity and I log my food on My Fitness Pal--I think both are excellent tools for anyone out there trying to do what I'm doing.  There are apps for my smart phone too.

Speaking of which, I was probably the last person in the world to get a cell phone.  I hate being on the phone and I didn't really feel I needed one.  When the Wild Child was pregnant, she thought it might be important to get in touch with me at some point, so she bought me a used cell phone and added me to her plan.  That phone was okay for emergencies, but it was damaged and didn't hold a charge, so she recently upgraded to a new phone and passed on her older phone to me--and it works great.  I still don't like to talk on the phone, but I DO like to message.  A few weeks ago, Hubby and I traveled to Portland (where the Wild Child, significant other, and my grandson now live) and being able to use a GPS/map program made a big difference in traveling.  So I've finally been dragged kicking and screaming into the current century, and I've found it's not so bad after all.

That also brings me to Facebook.  For years I didn't "do" Facebook because I didn't think quick "snips" or brief comments on life were very meaningful--not like writing and reading blogs.  I still believe that but I finally succumbed and started a Facebook page.  I don't write a whole lot on it though but now and then I post something.  You know:  quick "snips" and brief comments.  If you'd like to "friend" me to make sure I'm still alive, leave me a comment here and I'll add you to my friends list--be sure to give me your full name or link to your Facebook page so I can find you.

When Hubby and I were in Portland, we visited Hippo Hardware and I brought home an old window.  Recently I started decorating for the summer patriotic holidays.  I saw this idea on Pinterest, so I can't take credit, but I purchased a cotton flag and coffee dyed it; then I put it behind my "new" window on the fireplace mantle.

Here are a few of my other recent patriotic projects--most copied from or inspired by Pinterest; in fact, you can access my Pinterest boards HERE to see what's inspiring me.

And yes, I'm still quilting.  I finally finished appliqueing the border of my Country Houses quilt--it's what I worked on at the applique retreat I mentioned in my last post.  I don't think I have a photo of it to share though.  But it still needs to be quilted, so maybe I can share that next time I pop up with a post.

Today is Father's Day and we have a couple of new fathers in our family to celebrate, so I'd better get off the computer and get the festivities under way.  It's also the first day of summer--happy summer everyone!

What Am I Doing?

I know, I know--it's been a long time.  And as usual, I can't stay and chat right now, but things are going well, and the grandbabies are great!  In fact, we plan to visit the Wild Child and Grandson #1 in the next month.  In the meantime, though, I'm doing this:

And BOY could I use a retreat!  It's been a long time!  Are any of you going, by any chance?  (If any of you semi-locals didn't know about this applique retreat and are interested in attending, I think there are a couple of spots left; or there were the last I heard--click HERE for Kit-n-Kabodle's Facebook page.)

I'll try to be better and tell you about it after we get home--maybe share some photos too!

I hope you're all doing well.  We'll need to settle in for a longer visit soon.  Happy stitching!

Happy Superbowl Sunday!

I see it's been a few months since I posted.  A friend recently mentioned my blog and so I thought I should check in to see where I'd left off.  Yes, there have been more changes in my life - because that's how life is, right?

In December I quit CrossFit because there were only two of us left in our class group and the trainer seemed less interested in training us.  I really enjoyed CrossFit, but at that point, I decided maybe I could better use that money doing something different.  So in late December, I came across Kaia Fit--kind of like a CrossFit or boot camp exercise program for women but with a diet and nutrition component and a lot of support via several Facebook groups both public and private.  The first session, a six-week session beginning on the first Monday in January, was called BRIK and we were to work out on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings, with a flow/yoga session on Friday evenings, and an hour long walk/run at the crack of dawn (7 a.m.) on Saturdays.  The second or third evening of the program, I strained my Achilles tendon doing sprints as part of a beginning physical assessment, and I've been wearing a walking boot ever since.  ARGH!  Needless to say, I haven't been able to participate in Kaia Fit this session, but I think it's a really good program, so I'd like to try it again one of these days--I just need to remember that I don't have the body of a 25 year old anymore so I need to be a little easier on myself.

The Wild Child is getting ready to move to Portland.  She, baby Roman, and I took a few days to travel there to look into renting a place for her little family, but without jobs in place for her and her significant other, we weren't able to find anything.  But we were able to get more familiar with the city, take a look at possible areas for them, and look into the public transit system.  The plan now is that we will keep the Drooling Dog for them for a few months while they move into some type of residential hotel in the Portland area and look for work.  The Wild Child's ultimate career path will hopefully take her into publishing, but for now, she'll probably keep waitressing and/or bartending, an occupation that put her through college and one where she can work evenings while her significant other works days--or vice versa.  Little Roman, who is not quite so little, is now over three months old and is a sweet little guy.  As you can see here, he's all dressed up and ready for Superbowl Sunday.

In early January, Soccer Son and his Lovely Wife had a baby girl, Mia, so now we are the proud grandparents of two new babies!  We haven't had a chance to get to know Miss Mia very well yet as Hubby had a nasty stomach bug during the first few weeks and we wanted to make sure we weren't going to pass anything on to this precious little girl.  She's a real cutie, though!

On the quilting front, I've mostly been working on a few different small projects, along with the larger Grandma's Kitchen applique quilt I talked about before.  Next weekend is a baby shower for my best friend's daughter, and I'm working on something for her too.  Oh, and I made a baby quilt for little Mia, but I haven't downloaded photos from my camera for awhile--I'll share a photo when I do.

I saw someone posted on Facebook that they had taken down the last of their Christmas decorations--I sure wish I could say the same!  This has been such a busy month, I still have a few things left to pack away.  All of the trees are down and most of the Santas and such, but I've barely touched any of the decorative plates and odds and ends in the kitchen, so that remains to be done, and I have no idea when I'll find time to get to that.

What are you doing for Superbowl Sunday?  I don't have any particular interest in either team, but I'll probably turn the game on while I work on the baby quilt--at least the commercials are usually pretty entertaining!  Whatever you spend the remainder of the weekend doing, I wish you joy!

A Little Update . . .

I've been away for the last week, spending time with the Wild Child in Eureka as she gave birth to my first grandchild, little Roman.  Or not so little, actually--8 pounds 4 ounces.  I made the almost 6 hour drive to Eureka, thinking all the way that I would be too late to witness his birth, but I needn't have worried at all because I was there in the birthing room for 25 hours before that happened!  Poor Wild Child, it was a long, hard labor and delivery, but the doctors, midwives, and nurses were terrific and everyone was fine in the end. So Roman arrived on October 30th, just before 8 p.m., and he was dressed up in his first Halloween costume the next day.

Due to one thing and another, I haven't managed to do very much quilting, but while I was gone, I did manage to get the binding on a Halloween quilt . . . just a couple days after Halloween!  I'll take a photo and show you just as soon as I have a chance.  In the meantime, I can share with you two of the Country Homecoming quilts--unlike me, these ladies have been able to get their borders done, and I know you'll enjoy seeing them.

First is Tina's quilt top--

It's so pretty it makes me doubly anxious to get going on mine!  And I know you'll enjoy Nancie Anne's quilt top too.  Just click on her name and it will take you to her blog post.

I never did get photos of my Halloween decorations to share this year, and now it's time to take them down.  But I'll leave the fall decorations in place for another few weeks, and maybe I can get a photo or two to post soon.  Thanks for stopping by!

Are You Going?

 

I'm taking the day off work tomorrow and heading out in the morning for a couple hour drive to Santa Clara, where I'll be taking a class at the Pacific International Quilt Festival.  Will you be going to the show this weekend, by any chance?  It's been several years since I've been to this one put on by Mancuso, and it's huge, with classes each day, tons of eye candy in the form of quilts, and a whole lot of vendors.

The last time I went to this show, I took an applique class and the only chance I had to visit the main rooms was spent zooming around to the various vendors, looking for materials for the class during our lunch break with almost no time to admire the quilts.  I think, if I remember correctly, our class was a two-day class, too, and we were filmed for Simply Quilts--I think this was near the end of Alex Anderson's TV series.  I've been told I show up in the episode, although I've never seen it!

Anyway, this time I'm taking just a half day class that's directed primarily toward learning a technique--needle felting using wool roving on wool applique.  And we're making sheep.  Here's a photo of the teacher's finished project--

Oh, yeah, and there's embroidery involved too--it looks like quite a bit, right?  I've never done needle felting and always wanted to try it, so this is my chance to learn.  If you'd like to see a little more of this process and the thought behind it, check out Debora Konchinsky's blog--she's the instructor.  Just click HERE.

I've booked myself a room and I'm looking forward to an early evening spent in solitary splendor, with a good book, a stitchery project to work on if I feel like it, and a new pair of jammies.  On Saturday, I'll head back to the show and hopefully I'll get to spend more time viewing the quilts than I did the last time I went.  And, of course, I'll take a little time to check out the vendors--after all, I'll have all day before I hop back in the car and head home.  Maybe I'll see you?

Show and Tell

I've pretty much finished the fall/Halloween decorating, but along the way, I did a little crafting too, and I thought I'd share my ideas and efforts with you--these really are super simple to make, so I hope they will spark a little creative interest in you too.

 Here's a little bling pumpkin for those of you who prefer your decorations to be a little bit elegant.  I came across the adhesive trim in the $1.50 bins at Michael's--it took a little over one roll to decorate a medium-sized pumpkin.  The trim comes with a peel off backing, so I just cut strips to length, and then I peeled and stuck each strip on the pumpkin.  I added a sparkly black ribbon to the stem end.

 My friend Imelda gets credit for this next idea.  Another friend of ours moved last year and asked Imelda if she wanted a small artificial Christmas tree she didn't want to pack across country; Imelda said yes, she would indeed like the tree.  A couple weeks ago, Imelda pulled out a can of matte black spray paint and sprayed her tree black.  And oftentimes, whatever Imelda does, I end up copying.  A trip to Michael's with a 50% off coupon netted me a small Christmas tree, and a rummage through the garage turned up a can of matte black spray paint.  After that, I picked up some of the scrap book type Halloween trims, also at Michael's and on clearance right now, and crafted up a few paper ornaments.  A bracelet of skulls and cross bones was deconstructed and restrung, and then the pieces were tied to the tree branches.  And I found a bat for a tree topper.

 

I've always wanted to try a gourd project, so when I made a trip out to a country farm stand for this year's pumpkins, I picked up a couple of gourds.  Let me tell you, gourds are NOT the quick and easy project that I mentioned at the beginning of this post because they take some soaking and scrubbing, but it's really not that terrible either.  I gave Imelda a gourd and the two of us got together one evening and did a little painting.  Have you ever tole painted?  I haven't but my friend has, so she helped me out with mine by showing me a couple paint techniques.  I still want to paint a second gourd to look like a pumpkin, but I thought I'd make a black cat for the first one--I found a picture of a similar gourd on the internet and the idea appealed to me.  We used painted wool for the ears.

 

Remember I told you about my sister-in-law's decorated pumpkins?  At that farm stand I visited, I picked up a couple pumpkins for friends and decorated them.  Imelda (yes, her again!) hostessed our recent stitchery gathering, so I decorated a pumpkin for her as a hostess gift.

I also made one for my other sister-in-law . . .

 

and my good friend Lisa to thank them both for all they did to help with the Wild Child's baby shower last month--I still need to post some photos from that party and tell you about it, but that's a post for another day.

Finally, I decorated a pumpkin for myself.  All of the pine cones that look like roses that I used in decorating were found on my lunch time walks.

If you'd like to decorate a pumpkin, scroll down a couple posts to the link to Mumzie's blog--there are instructions there about how to prepare the pumpkins and how to add the decorations.

Happy creating!

The Ugly Truth

I don't think I've ever showed you a "behind the scenes" glimpse at my decorating process, have I?  Be forewarned--it's not pretty!

First I tour the house to make sure I've taken down and put away everything from the previous season's decorating efforts, including all of the decorative quilts and bedding.  Then I pull out the next season's quilts and decide where they will go.  Normally I do these things, in order to set the stage, more or less, the weekend before the big push to change things out.

Once I'm ready to really dig in, the next step is to comb through the garage storage areas for the various boxes and bins that hold the decorations.  I pull some of the boxes into the house and then I start unpacking.  Before long it looks like this:

Kinda like fall vomited all over the kitchen, right?  All of the available surfaces are covered with foliage and "stuff" (my husband would tell you "stuff" equals "junk," I think!).  And these were taken AFTER I'd already sorted though everything and put the mostly-empty boxes away.

I should also mention that we're stalled out on the kitchen cabinet refacing because Soccer Son is super busy right now and we haven't found cabinet doors to match the refaced "boxes" anyway.  As a result, I spent a lot of time last weekend trying to make the kitchen shelves look a little more "decorative"--kind of like the open shelf thing was the plan all along.  And, of course, that took a bit of time.  One of the things I did was to cut a curtain panel and then I re-hem it to cover the opening under the sink--you can see that in the photos.

And then somewhere along the way in the fall decorating, I found I was missing some of my favorite items, like my Halloween dishes, so I made another search of the storage areas in the garage.  Waaaaaaaay up in the rafters with the Christmas decorations, I spotted a box marked "Halloween."  Soccer son came over on Monday to get that box down for me and found four more boxes.  So the decorating continues this weekend, and I hope to have some photos to show you soon.

It's always still fairly warm here in Northern California through most of October, and true to form, our highs have been running in the high 80s/low 90s, so it feels a little odd to be getting ready for fall.  But cooler temperatures are due to arrive a little later this week, and the leaves in the trees are just beginning to turn.

Today it's still going to be pretty warm, but it's fairly cool and breezy this morning.  Now it's time to pour myself a second cup of pumpkin spice coffee and get back to the decorating.

It's Decorative Gourd Season!

This weekend, I'm getting ready for fall.  Are you?  I'll show you what I've been up to soon!

So, There's a Story . . .

You may recall that a few years ago, we had an uninvited house guest . . . a FURRY little uninvited house guest.  But maybe "uninvited" isn't quite accurate since the little guy definitely WAS encouraged to visit by our tuxedo cat, Stitch.  Remember the mouse guest?

Not long after I finally escorted the little guy out the door, bag and baggage, a few months later, I decided to decorate a small Christmas tree using mice "ornaments" in memory of his stay with us.  Here's an old photo--

The other evening, I started thinking about Christmas--yes, TOTALLY TOO EARLY, I know, and don't judge me--but I wondered if there were any new mouse ornaments out there that I could add to my mouse tree when it was time to decorate this year, and I found a couple on eBay.  So into my eBay shopping cart they went.  But then I started thinking, "Do I really need more mice?  Do I really want to pay that much or should I wait and see what I can find locally?"  I figured I'd sleep on it--by then it was pretty late and time to get to bed anyway.  So I shut down the computer and headed toward my bath.

Stitch was waiting in the bathroom for me; he's funny that way.  He totally knows my routine and anticipates my every next move.  But what caught my attention was the fact that our other cat, Spike, was also hanging around the bathroom--normally she's in bed by that time, or off in the living room doing cat things (whatever those are).  My suspicions raised, I inquired, "Okay, kids, what's going on here?"  Stitch simply looked up at me, blinked, and turned his gaze toward the bathtub.  Dare I look behind the shower curtain?  Ah, but the real question was dare I NOT?  So I did.  And yes, you may have already guessed what I found:  a mouse!  A LIVE mouse!

I must say, it seems I'm getting pretty good at capturing mice and escorting them to freedom.  A little maneuvering with a flat piece of cardboard and a smallish box, and before Stitch knew it, I had his little friend out the back door and onto the patio.

The next morning, I fired up the computer and placed my order for one of those eBay mice.  I think it was some kind of cosmic fate and obviously meant to be.  The little guy arrived today.

Time Flies . . .

It's hard to believe it's been over a month since I last posted!  You all know I love fall, and fall has arrived . . . and you know I love Halloween, and that will arrive before long too.  So, having woken up to the first rainy morning of the year today, and having spent at least part of the day thinking about the season, I thought I'd share something with you that will get you thinking about fall too, if you aren't already.

Hubby and I made a little trip about an hour and fifteen minutes south to visit my brother-in-law and sister-in-law on their "ranch"--they've lived there for two years and this was our first visit.  What took us so long?!  My sister-in-law, "Mumzie," is a very creative person who decorates for the seasons beautifully, and one of her specialties is pumpkins.  Before we left for home, she gifted me with the raw material (i.e., a PUMPKIN!) to make a creation of my own--she has grown her own pumpkins in a big pumpkin patch for the last couple of years and they're beauties!  How lucky am I to get one?!!

Mumzie told me how she creates her masterpieces and showed me some of her decorating supplies, and because she has described her process on her blog, I can share her methods with you.

Here are a couple before and after photos.

 

In a series of posts, Mumzie shows us how to clean and prepare the pumpkins and then how to decorate them.  Take a look a the first one HERE and then continue on by clicking on the related links at the bottom of each post.   Once I've had a chance to transform my pumpkin, I'll share it with you.  Happy Autumn!

Stopping in for a Visit . . .

It was a busy weekend of chores, as so many of my weekends seem to be.  I feel like I used to have more play time.  I know working out has cut into my time, as has meal planning, so maybe that explains it a bit.  Nevertheless, I've done a little bit of stitching last week and this weekend, so I thought I'd share with you what I'm up to.

A friend and I have started a new applique project, Grandma's Kitchen.  The pattern is by Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet.  Here's a photo of the pattern--

I finished my first block, the apron block.  We've decided to use mostly 30s fabric/colors for our version.

Next we'll start on the block with the pitcher of lemonade.  The other project I completed is a version of a pattern by Kimberbell called Too Fa-boo-lous.

Also in the last week or two, I've prepped the applique for the Country Houses quilt, but there's still a lot of actual sewing to be done.

So that's what I've been up to.  How about you?

There Goes the Neighborhood

I'm happy to report that home construction has come to an end for some of us.  Yes, I'm talking about the Country Homecoming quilt blocks.  I'll give you a peek at all 12 of my blocks up on the design wall:

And here's a look at blocks 11 and 12 made by three of us--first up are Tina's houses:

Sheryn's houses 11 and 12:

And finally mine:

You'll also want to check out Tanya's blocks over on HER BLOG. Tanya also shared a photo of Paulette's quilt and I'll show you Anna's.  Paulette and Anna were part of the original blog group who inspired the rest of us to make this quilt.

Just a reminder:  This quilt is one of the patterns in a book called Primitive Gatherings:  Quilts and Accessories.   It will be a couple months before you see our tops finished--we're allowing ourselves extra time to get the sashing and all of the border applique done.

Here's another little project I recently finished--it's a monthly Buttermilk Basin pattern for August.  If owls are showing up on our quilt projects, can fall be too far away?

It's hard to believe that summer is almost half over!  Happy quilting!

Addendum:  Check out Nancie Anne's houses HERE.

Hard to Believe, I Know . . . .

But I FINALLY have a finished quilt project!

Remember Scrap Basket Sunday?  This was my ongoing project over the past year or so.  The pattern is called Pie in the Sky and it's from Kim Diehl's book, Simple Graces.

There were all sorts of stops and starts on this one.  I went along making four blocks a week okay for quite awhile, but then piecing it all together took some time, partly due to the size of the quilt top and partly due to other personal distractions.

And then there was the quilting.  It was hard to decide what color thread to use, but the backing of the quilt is a purple fabric, so I decided on purple thread.  This is a king size quilt that I quilted on a domestic machine, and the weight alone made it very tiring to quilt.  And once I finished quilting the main blocks, I ran out of gas for a couple months until I made up my mind to just jump back in and get it done.  I had to fill in a some open areas in the sashing and block intersections with a quilt pattern, and after looking at what I'd done so far, I ended up quilting a couple of different sized circles in those spaces.

Deciding what to pick for my binding was a no-brainer:  I pulled out my bag of random leftover sashing pieces and pieced quite a few together for a scrappy binding that matches the scrappiness of the rest of the quilt.  I love the finished quilt--it seems like the perfect scrappy, happy combination of colors to dress my bed through the summer months.

Now onto the next project . . . .