Hello October!

 Here we are once again welcoming in a new month. My, how fast they arrive.

I sorta' fell off the blogging wagon last month; I can't promise I will do any better this month, but I do promise to try. I just don't have the verve for it like I once did.

I took time to make my September collage. The highlights of the past month were mostly getting together with family and friends - not so much quilting, in other words. Let's take a look.

TOP ROW: I was gung-ho to quilt 2 quilts for my niece as the month began, and I got the blue Double Irish Chain done straight away. The benches I got in my trade with this niece have been put to great use around our firepit. We have had several bonfires, one of which is shown in the third photo in this row.

MIDDLE ROW: DH and I got really brave mid-month when we took both granddaughters to the Columbus Zoo. Our dear Cate loved the cheetahs most of all, and had a big time exploring. Get-togethers were plentiful; besides those bonfires, I also celebrated with friends from the HHS Class of '75 at our 50th Class Reunion. The two gals with me in the center photo were among some of my dearest high school friends. The next picture is my Frienzie group - we are reduced to 5 now, as we mourn the passing of our friends Lyn and Kay. They died within 9 days of each other this summer.

BOTTOM ROW: One impromptu project involved two orphan blocks joined by a center setting block for a fall-themed table runner. I am hand-quilting it currently. I changed course on niece Abby's second quilt; rather than give her a red quilt guaranteed to be pink after the first washing, I quilted this red Ohio Star quilt. I finished off the binding late last night, so I will hand it off soon - today, perhaps. And last, but certainly not least, our sweet Reagan celebrated her first birthday yesterday, September 30. She is such a cutie. She loves to patty-cake and wave and play peek-a-boo. We got some pretty smiles on our FaceTime call.

We are starting off in October by being on the go. Today we will visit my 96-year-old great uncle. Saturday is Greenfield's annual History Day at which I will demonstrate hand-quilting. We'd love to host a couple more bonfires in the next couple of weeks, so I'm sure something will be in the works to that end.

For sewing and quilting, I will load the long arm with another quilt with the goal of quilting two or three more before the end of the month. 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Hello October!

Well, we blinked our eyes and now it's October! Gosh, how is that possible!?

We had a fun and productive September, and just like the leaves that are accumulating around the yard, my mind is swirling with projects and plans for October. I will share the September collage tomorrow, and then soon I will also share some of those ideas for future projects.

Today, though, since it's Slow Sunday Stitching day, I will take a deep breath and work on some binding. I quilted two quilts this week (!) and now have plenty of stitching to do whenever I feel like taking a breather, or when we watch television.
 

Both quilts have the binding stitched on and are ready for tacking down. The one with the blue border is the larger of the two; I am currently stitching the smaller jelly roll quilt with the tan border.

This is a new experience for me as a quilter. One of several, actually. Quilting two quilts in one week is rare; having bindings ready to go for both quilts is rare. I like having the next step ready to go; preparing binding is one of those tasks that I am likely to procrastinate about. Perhaps a new leaf has turned!

I made this quilt in conjunction with Sew a Jelly Roll Day back in the middle of September. In a matter of two weeks, it is now (nearly) finished. Another relatively rare occurrence - finishing a quilt promptly. I'm surprising myself every which way, aren't I?

I will link with the fine seamstresses over at Kathy's Quilts and her weekly slow stitching party. The ladies always keep me motivated to continue stitching. Take a peek at some of those projects and perhaps you will be motivated, too.

Happy October! And Happy Quilting, Friends!

Hello October!

 

Good gracious! It's October! Can you believe it? It really has come much too fast, in my opinion.

Here we are, though, and I am ready for a new month of quilt making. Plans are coming together for a few finishes, and I can see me approaching that Tin Lizzie quilting machine with more and more confidence.

But before we approach October's projects, let me review September with my monthly collage. My goodness, September was a whirlwind. I had two vacations and still had a couple of quilting finishes, I am proud to report. Let's see the collage.

First Row: I made a mesh bag, then took it for my beach bag to Myrtle Beach when I vacationed with the girlfriends. On the way home, I finally worked on the sewing I took, and stitched a few EPP flowers.

Second Row: On the second vacation, Kevin and I took a scenic tour of New England. We saw Lake Placid, NY, and the bay at Bar Harbor, ME. In the middle, I feature the feline nursery in our garage - the pregnant stray that showed up here in August had 8 kittens. They are being cared for and will hopefully be 're-homed' soon.

Third Row: Moss Glen Falls in Vermont's Green Mountains was a pretty roadside stop to enjoy. Back home, I finished my jelly roll quilt and quilted the pumpkin quilt I made earlier in the summer.

See what I mean about a whirlwind month? Summer vacations have been immense fun. Each month from May through September, we have taken some sort of vacation. From a brief one-night getaway to the big 8-day New England tour, all were so memorable.

I will be back tomorrow with full details on quilting that pumpkin quilt. It was not in my plans to do it, but I sort of had an impulsive moment, and just went for it. I am getting more and more at ease with it, I am happy to report.

Here's to a great October!

Happy Quilting, Friends!