Putting My House In Order

I haven't gotten as much sewing done on Sunday as I'd like.  In fact, as I'm writing this around dinnertime, I have to confess the only "sewing" I've done it to switch out my Bernina for my Juki in preparation for quilting the Schnibbles quilt, and cleaning and oiling the Juki.  What have I been doing instead?

Well, sometimes you just need to take care of the details of life, right?  That's what I was doing.  Finishing the fall decorating, paying bills, tinkering with this and that, doing a little house cleaning, and sorting clothes--bagging stuff for donation, packing a few summer things away (although it's a little early to pack everything up just yet), and getting some of the winter things out.  I was super surprised to find a box of winter clothes that included three pairs of slacks that were apparently too small for me when I put them away, but they fit now.  Same with a couple sweaters and tops.  Oh, and doing laundry, because all of the winter things I took out needed to be freshened a bit.

So I don't have any quilting to share just yet, but I mentioned before that I'd show you some of my fall decorations, so I'll do that today.

I haven't been able to locate a few of my Halloween boxes--I think they're up in the garage rafters, and Soccer Son hasn't been available to climb up there.  And, despite the CrossFit, I don't feel I'm quite fit enough to climb around the rafters; I'm not sure I EVER was!  So this year I just made do with all of my fall decorations along with the Halloween things I was able to locate.

One of the things I'm missing is Cacklin' Rosie, the witch.  Remember her?  Also missing is her wig and shoes, but her hat and broom turned up as did the sign that says, "The witch will see you now."   Her spot is ready for her if she shows up.

When I pulled out my framed fabric Halloween panel this year, the glass in the frame was broken, but no matter--it looks just about the same without the glass.

Here's a close up of the Halloween arrangement my friends and I worked on at Pismo Beach a year ago August.  We found the pattern and directions in the Spooky Threads book by Need'l Love/Renee Nanneman (on sale now for only $10; click HERE).

I thought I'd show you another floral arrangement.  I love those orange lantern "pod" things, especially when mixed with a little blue and purple.

Come on in and have a seat--we can have some coffee.  Did you know that Sunday was National Coffee Day?  Yep, I had mine!  By the way, my exercise bike is parked just to the left of where I'm standing with my camera.  Hubby says when I ride it, I need to play the music from the Wizard of Oz when the Wicked Witch is riding the bike.  I think he may be having newts and toads for dinner tonight!

Martha Stewart's glittery paper crow cut outs found a home near the bird cage on the shelf.  And a Halloween stitchery is on top although you can't see it very well, can you?

I'd like to show you the rest of the house, but it's time for me to go quilt something now . . . unless I find something else that needs to be done around the house.  I'll show you more this week.  Thanks for stopping by!

There Are Plans, and There are Plans

Some work out and some don't--not exactly.  As I planned, I DID get some sewing done on Saturday, but what I did wasn't anything I planned to work on.  Isn't it funny how it sometimes goes that way?  I was just about to leave for the office when I remembered this was the last Saturday of the month, and a couple of my friends get together on the last Saturday of the month to sew--this takes place at the house of one of them, just about a mile from my office.  I thought how nice it would be to go by and visit with them for a little while after I finished work, so I grabbed the Bunny Hill Postcards for Cuties project and worked on that a bit while we visited.  I have more to do before I'll show it, but I continued to work on it after I got home.  As soon as I have the top row done, I'll post a photo.

Tonight, though, I thought I'd better get busy on my scrappy strips for the Pie in the Sky quilt, and while watching the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, I stitched together another 26 sashing strips.

Tomorrow I plan to quilt last month's Schnibbles quilt.  I wonder if that's what I'll end up doing?

How about you?  Did you work on a scrappy project this weekend?

I Meant To Write . . .

I know I said I wouldn't be writing as much because of the fitness routine and lack of quilting time, but I didn't mean that I'd go all week without a peep.  But then again, I didn't think I'd go all week without setting foot in the Sweat Shop or doing anything else I usually do either.  But this week has been crazy with working overtime.

You know I'm NOT a morning person, right?  Well, this week's been so crazy I've been up at 6 a.m. most of the week and out the door to work between 6:15 and 6:30 a.m.  Yes, I've still been going to CrossFit, but then I've gone back to the office right afterward and worked until around 9 p.m. just about every night.  Then I've gone back home for a bite to eat, spend 40 minutes on the exercise bike, pack a bag for the next day's CrossFit, pack another bag with my make-up and hair "stuff" (because the whole traffic thing works better if I finish getting ready AT the office), take a bath, and go to bed.  But I think I'm done now--except I need to go into the office for a couple hours tomorrow--actually, by the time you read this, it will be "today," Saturday.

Why has it been crazy?  Well, I was asked to work for another attorney and we hired a new secretary to work for the young guy I'd been working for.  And most of us secretaries usually have a backlog of a few days worth of less urgent tasks to be done.  So I've been trying this week to get everything done, including keeping up with my normal daily tasks and rushes, so I can turn the desk over without dumping a lot of stuff on the new gal.  It's hard enough to learn all of the new computer programs and routines without facing a pile of "old" work someone's left.

So, when I go into the office tomorrow, it will mostly be to move everything from one desk to another and get everything set up so I can hit the ground running again on Monday--because there's always a lot to do and deadlines to meet.  But I hope I won't be getting to the office on Monday while it's still dark, and hopefully I can head home after CrossFit.

AND yes, I plan to spend Sunday sewing--and probably some of the day Saturday too.  Which brings me to Scrap Basket Sunday.  Here's Mister Linky for those of you who have posted something about your scrappy projects on your blog and want to link up--just add your name and copy your blog address from your computer address bar.  "See" you tomorrow, and I hope to have something scrappy to show.

Sunday Sewing

After a busy several days, I was looking forward to a day to relax and sew, and Sunday was the perfect day.  Our high temperatures had comfortably lowered after the storm that came through on Saturday, so all of the doors and windows were open, letting in what felt like the start of the fall weather.  Wonderful!

First up--or I should say UNDER--my sewing machine foot were several pairs of pants that needed to be taken in.  Yes, the CrossFit, exercise bicycle, and diet are doing what they're supposed to do, and taking in pants is fairly motivating, but taking time away from the fun sewing is not!  Still, it had to be done because despite the exercise and diet, I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that NO ONE wants to see my pants fall off me just yet.

Remember last month's Schnibbles quilt?  I plan to put it up for a silent auction at the office to raise money for the local breast cancer walk about a month from now, so I sandwiched and pinned the quilt top this morning--working on the quilting will be my project in the evenings this week.

And since it was Scrap Basket Sunday, I pulled out a couple more piles of 2-1/2" squares to sew more sashing pieces for the Pie in the Sky quilt (Kim Diehl's design).

Twenty-three more sashing strips were added to the pile.  Then, because I hate glass/ceramic coasters that stick to the bottoms of glasses, and my Christmas-themed fabric coasters just weren't blending into the autumn decor . . .

I made a stack of coasters from a few Halloween fat quarters--eight for my house and one to take to work for my desk.  And I finished the day in the spirit of Scrap Basket Sunday by making a small tabletopper/wallhanging from the scraps leftover from the coasters, a few more miscellaneous scraps, and some border fabric pulled from my Halloween stash.

It's been awhile since I made a small quilt to add to my horde of small Christmas-gift quilts, so this might join the others once it's quilted.  Or it might stay right here.  Hard to tell.

It's back to work in the morning for me; the weekend is over and I'm off to bed.  Happy quilting!

Fixated on Pie!

I haven't worked on my scrappy Pie in the Sky quilt yet, so I have nothing to show you tonight--I plan to spend a little time sewing blocks for sashing on Sunday, so I'll show you what I get done then.

In the meantime, on another "pie" front, my two friends and I got together Friday night to work on the third pumpkin blocks for the Pumpkin Pie quilt by Bunny Hill.  Today, between my nephew's Eagle Scout ceremony and my friend's daughter's wedding, I finished adding the embroidered vines.  Here's a look--

One of the pumpkins doesn't have a leaf and a vine--that's intentional and is part of the pattern.

I hope you'll join me on Sunday in working on a scrappy project.  If you do, post your photos to your blog, link up, and leave me a comment telling me you'd like a chance to win the next box of scraps--if you don't know what I'm talking about, take a look at yesterday's post.

Finally, I'll leave you tonight with Launa's stunning scrappy project, Confetti batik runner from the book Set the Table:

Scrappy Giveaway!

Well, you know I promised to announce a winner of my BIG BOX of scraps tonight, right?  Right!  But first, let me share with you a photo sent to me this week by Darla.  Darla saw the pattern in an American Patchwork and Quilting magazine published in 2008.

She said it isn't scrappy, but it could be, couldn't it?  Those flying geese lend themselves to the use of scraps, don't they?  Doesn't this put you in the mood for autumn?

Our weather is changing this weekend; it's supposed to cool down quite a bit and we'll get rain tomorrow--just in time for my nephew's Eagle Scout ceremony and the wedding of my best friend's daughter!  Isn't that always the way?!  Still, the cool down is welcome.

Anyway, I randomly drew a winner to receive the box of scraps, and it's Colette, who linked up the first weekend and commented:  "I sewed until late, and had enough time to create a post and link up! Yippee!" Colette, please email me your mailing address and I'll get the scraps in the mail next week.  And for those of you who didn't win this time, don't despair!  I'll be doing this again soon, because my scrap bin is still overflowing with the leftovers of recent quilt projects!

Finally, Mister Linky is just below--please join us this week and post your scrappy project on your blog.  Once it's posted, enter your name and blog address in Mister Linky.  After that, please leave me a comment letting me know if you're interested in winning the next scrap box--I'll start "collecting" entries now but it will probably be a few weeks before I'm ready to draw another winner.  Please only ask to be entered in the next drawing if you have a US mailing address AND you've linked up with a scrappy project (or send me a photo I can post on my blog if you don't have one of your own).

Happy weekend and happy autumn!

Another Scrappy Quilt

Thank you all for the suggestions for filling my Halloween/Fall jars.  When I was in the dollar store, I also found a bag of those big, orange cheese puffs.  Perfect for something at least vaguely "Halloween-y."  Of course, those are something I WOULD eat, except I wouldn't eat them when I first got them into a jar, and by the time I'd be tempted, they'd be pretty stale, so it seemed like something I could take a chance on.  I was also at Trader Joe's and found a couple bags of inexpensive sunflower seeds that were darker than average--another good option.  Of course, I also purchased a few of the things you all suggested, and my friend Missy suggested black beans, so I have those too.  Now I just need to find time to fill those jars!

In the meantime, Susan sent me a photo of her scrappy project to share:

Nice, Susan!  Thanks for sharing.

Eye Candy

I wanted to show you Ronda's postage stamp quilt project--she made it out of scraps using Bonnie's leaders and enders idea.  All of those small squares are made from scraps cut to 1-1/2".  Yikes!  Nice job, Ronda!

Ah, speaking of candy, maybe some of you can help me come up with an idea.  Normally at Halloween, I fill jars, big and small, with candy.  It's really just for show in the kitchen, but some of the better candy eventually gets eaten; even some of the not-so-great candy gets eaten if the cravings are strong enough!  This year as I was pushing my grocery cart around loaded with a big bag of candy corn it occurred to me I probably shouldn't be putting that kind of temptation in my way--I'm not sure I'm strong enough to stay on the diet and resist day after day!  Can you think of any ideas for filling my jars?  I need ideas that aren't too expensive and would look well with the Halloween/Fall decor.  I was thinking maybe some nuts in their shells might be good.  Popped popcorn might be fun too--can you think of a way to make it colored?  What else?  Any other ideas?  Thanks for your help!

That's a Start . . .

I finally, FINALLY started getting the fall decorations out today!  In fact, I made some good progress on the house, but nothing to show you yet--it's just what I consider the first layer.  First, of course, I had to get the summer "stuff" down, boxed up, and put away and all the quilts folded and, if necessary, washed.  Then I did some of the housecleaning--mostly dusting and waxing and cleaning all the surfaces off that needed to be cleaned.  (To finish my housework, though, I still need to clean the bathrooms and about half the kitchen--those surfaces haven't been addressed yet.)  Then, it was time for the first layer of decorating:  the quilts!  Or at least the soft coverings, including all of the bedding, table toppers, and wallhangings.  I still have a small stack of fall quilts I haven't placed yet, but most are in position.  So, it's started . . . .

I started something else too.  For my birthday, a good friend gave me much of what I need to make Bunny Hill's Postcard Cuties for Winter using the Primitive Gatherings fabric line, Snowman Gatherings.  I just needed to add a jelly roll, and it arrived in the mail on Friday.

Two of my friends are planning to make it too, and there's been some talk of getting together this week to work on it, so I started on the prep work--I still need to finish prepping the cotton applique pieces (the wool pieces are cut and ready, "as is").

Cindy, who doesn't have a blog, wrote to me today and wanted to share her scrappy project.  She said her scrap quilts are starting to all look the same because she's been using all the same old scraps; she's hoping to win the giveaway so she can add some new scraps to her stash.

Pretty, isn't it?  The colors are so soft and remind me of spring.  I love seeing how four half-square triangles can be put together to create patterns--funny how the eye is tricked into seeing pinwheels even though they are made using all different colors.  Nice, Cindy!  Thanks for sharing.

She's So Cute!

I love Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, don't you?  Lately I've been ordering the PDF versions of her Schnibbles patterns, but this month I decided to order "the real thing" via snail mail--I knew I wouldn't start making the quilt right away anyway.  And when it arrived?  Here's the front of the envelope:

I think it's beyond nice of her to remember who I am, don't you?  As I've said before, I think she's the nicest designer I "know."  And here's the back--a nice big sticker commanding me to "QUILT"--just in case I ever need permission, right?

Hubby:  "Why aren't you cooking my dinner?"

Me:  "Because Carrie Nelson and Miss Rosie say I have to QUILT instead.  See?"

So that's probably not going to happen, but it COULD and now I'm ready, right?

On Saturday I got together with my stitchery friends and we went to a quilt show, had lunch out, and then we spent a couple hours shopping at cute little vintage/antique/reproduction shops--I'll have to show you my "haul" later.  In the late afternoon, I left them and drove straight to a barbecue/birthday party for an in-law/friend where I joined Hubby for a lovely evening.  In other words, it was a long, but very fun day!  When I got home Saturday night, after I did the exercise thing for awhile, I pulled out my scrappy squares and started making the sashing for the Pie in the Sky quilt.

Twenty-two made.  I really wanted to write this post last night, but by the time I had these sewn together, I was so tired I couldn't even keep my eyes open long enough to press them!  So I did that this morning and here they are.  Will you join me in some scrappy sewing today?  If you post your scrap project to your blog, please link up below so we can visit and see what you're up to.

Thanks for stopping in!