Welcome October!

Ahh! I simply cannot believe we are already welcoming October! 

It's a big birthday month in our family - my mom, my husband, my granddaughter, my twin nieces, and more. With all that celebrating, the month will go fast.

So what might I accomplish this month? 

First, I need to get the long arm going. Again, I am having trouble. The top thread breaks after just a few stitches. Last time this happened, I changed the needle and that made all the difference; this time it is not making things better. I have a baby quilt halfway finished, and I would really like to get it done and put some more quilts in.

Also, I have borrowed a pattern from a friend, and I would like to make a couple of these bears for the 2 grand babies. In addition to making a fun 'stuffie' for each of them, I would also be able to use up a couple of bags of polyfil that I've had around here taking up space for about a decade.

 

I have checked my 2024 goals list and see that I still have not worked on several things. Maybe it is actually time to do something with my Winnemucca fabrics? It's been on the list for more than just '24! I also would be happy to work on All The Blues or Cheddar and Navy. Of course, I have a few UFOs to remember, also, most especially Lake Effect.

 

This Saturday is History Day in Greenfield. Once again I will be demonstrating hand quilting. I have a quilt loaded on the frame from last History Day (shame on me!) and I will work on it. Perhaps it will give me incentive to keep going and actually finish it!

Of course, I will drop everything in a heartbeat and head to Columbus to see the granddaughters! We have 2 now to love on, and the girls don't live just steps away from each other any more. Emma is out in Westerville while Erin is still downtown. We will adjust! Where grand babies are concerned, we will make it happen!

I hope your October is blessed and productive.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Welcome October!

October is here! What a pretty month it is, too, with fall color and crystal blue skies. I bemoan saying goodbye to summer, but October in Ohio is wonderful.

I'm a day late in welcoming the new month, but I have a good excuse. Yesterday was History Day in Greenfield, and after a 2-year hiatus (pandemic, ugh), I was back to demonstrate hand quilting.

I am embarrassed to admit this next part. The quilt I worked on is the same one I was working on in 2018! Yikes! I worked on it again in 2019 - here's that post - and it has collected dust in my sewing room ever since. I've not taken a single stitch on it since that first Saturday in October 2019. *shaking my head in shame*

The pattern is called Fall Foliage by Lynette Jensen of Thimbleberries; it is featured on the cover of her 2001 book September Morning. After extensive searching, I found that I made the quilt top in 2010. It is aging well, isn't it? *hah!*

Since I hand quilt so infrequently, I am often simply stitching in straight lines, and this quilt lends itself quite nicely to a gridded look. I used the outer surround of blocks with the gold centers as my guide to stitch straight lines diagonally across the quilt. I use the seams, tape or a lightly drawn line to keep lines as straight as possible. 

I am keeping this out in the family room for a week or two. I hope to make myself work on it in the evenings while we watch Guardians baseball - they are extending the 2022 campaign into post-season action be claiming the AL Central Division crown. We are sure hoping for a lot more baseball out of these young men!

I'm joining Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching link-up today. It's not all hexagons! ha-ha! This is more than a one-pony show over here!

Coming up this week: the September collage; a foray into making a baby outfit; apple-picking; long arm quilting. Come on back and see what I get into!

Happy Quilting, Friends!