Happy Halloween - Family Photographs

Nephew all dressed up.



Birthday girl with funny uncle.




Birthday girl's big sister with funny uncle.
(do you think it's genetic?)



FYI:  My sister's older son and her younger son's two daughters.

Bloggers Quilt Festival Entry

Amy from Amy's Creative Side http://amyscreativeside.com/2010/10/29/bloggers-quilt-festival-fall-2010/  is again hosting a Quilt Festival for bloggers, and one of the nice things about it is there is no competition.  I've been thinking about which quilt to enter, and decided to go with this quilt because of the complete turnaround I did after most of it was finished.

I joined a scrap quilt along with the Erik Homemade Ezine website.  When I had completed the quilt top without the border, I wasn't happy with it at all.  I went ahead and finished the top, and after the borders were added, I loved it.  The outside borders framed the blocks perfectly and subdued the mix of colors so that it wasn't the jumble I thought it was at first, but really came together nicely.  What did I learn?  I think that in quilt making, every facet counts.  Each area of design compliments the others.   The fabric, pattern, measurements, number of blocks and borders and their sizes, quilt design, binding and sewing, and the quilter's choices in each area, all fit together.  It's a big puzzle that's fun to put together. 

Thanks to Amy for this Festival and to her sponsors.  It's great fun to view the quilts and read about them.  What's even more amazing to me is that a year ago I wasn't a blogger and was relatively new to making quilts, and here I am posting on her Quilt Festival.   How nice is that?

God Bless Everyone!  

Simplicity Has Much To Say For Itself

Inspired by other bloggers, I wanted to put a finish to some projects and not have UFO's building up.  Also inspired by other bloggers, I wanted to make the backing for my table runner a little bit jazier than just simple fabric.  And, like other bloggers I hope, I got carried away.  My intention was to do some nine patch blocks and add them to the back.  But once I started, it seemed I couldn't stop making blocks.  Now the backing looks like a totally new top.  I guess if I get tired of the good side, I can just flip it over, but I created more work for myself by trying to be creative.  And it still isn't finished.  I have been practising free motion machine quilting, so I'm going to let myself continue to stagger down the slope I'm on with this runner and quilt it by  FMMQ.  This should be interesting.  Stay tuned for the results. OY!

I'm trying to keep up with Christina's free motion lessons, but I find some of the designs are challenging. I still do the capital L's well, and the capital C's so that may be what I use to start with. The problem I have with meandering is that I don't seem to able to keep curving. There are spots where instead of curving I sew straighter and it's obvious.

 

This is a little bit better.

I'm going to get to it.  God Bless Everyone.

October Cross Stitch

This little owl is the pattern Sylvia gave us for the Heart to Heart Cross Stitch Along for October.  It's incredible to me that there are only two more blocks to fill.  I feel as if I just began this sal, but there it is.  Oh well, at least I'm up to date on it.

I did add a spider to one of the witchtowels:

It's a black yoyo with yarn for legs.  The next one I make will have 8 legs.  We'll see how that looks.

I won a giveaway from Shelley at http://www.redquilts.blogspot.com/  back in September.  I received an adorable pin cushion that Shelley made.  It is beautifully sewn and very pretty.  I haven't stuck a pin in it yet because it's so cute.

The big pillow behind the little pin cushion is the resized down pillow in a case I made to match my slipcovers.  That pillow is so soft and lovely;  it's nice to lay back on.

I've also kept up with the Christmas QAL I'm doing with Erik Homemade, and I put one border on the Fruitcake quilt I'm making from Sue's Christmas QAL.  Last week was a week when I didn't get any sewing done, and this week I really feel like sewing.  Does that happen to you?  You really want to do your crafts, and it is satisfying when you are working at them. 

Why didn't I get any sewing done last week?  My prayer intention for this week tells all. 

Tomorrow morning I'll be at my parish's school helping to make pierogi for the Chrismas sale.  When I get home I hope to tackle the tough stuff, which to me is to make the quilt sandwiches and quilt them.   The free motion machine quilt along is giving me confidence, and I hope to experiment, probably on the table runner.
 
God Bless Everyone and take care.

The Winner of My Fall-Into-Fall Giveaway

The Random Number Generator chose number 75.  Unfortunately, I didn't do a Save as soon as the number was chosen so I can't post the generator.  I think there's a secret to that thing that I haven't learned yet, but that's for another day.   Number 75  is Quiltaholic.  She left a very nice comment and I hope she enjoys my giveaway items.  I will email her as soon as this post is published.

I want to thank everyone who visited my blog during the hop, left such nice comments, and even in some cases became followers.  This has been fun for me, too. 

There are many more drawings taking place today, so good luck to the rest of us who have our names in the other hats.

God Bless Everyone.

Christmas Quilt Along

3.15 p.m.  I'm done for today, but I did finish the runner.  It is very simply sewn.  I'll do the backing and binding later. 

Whenever I participate in the Christmas QAL, I'm surprized by how much I get done.  I've completed two projects, and almost completed two quilt tops in the three Saturdays I've taken part.  I'm very happy about that.  Thanks, Sue.

12:50 p.m.  The first Satruday of the Christmas QAL I was working with preprinted squares, and didn't really get far with them.  Today I pulled them out again to make the runner.  I'm keeping it simple.

 I think I'm using the green for the outer border.  Hopefully, it'll all pull together nicely.
I'm listening to a Reginald Hill mystery, and that's what's keeping me going today.   I'm going blog visiting now.

9:31 a.m.  I have a progress report form the last Saturday's Christmas QAL.  I sewed the pieces together.  It only measures about 37 by 41.  I'm checking my stash to see if I have fabric for a border that will measure about 6 inches, and then I'm thinking of using my other charm pack to sew around as another border, than the ouside border.  That will make it a better size. 

Question to those good in math.  How do I determin how much fabric I will need for the border?  What I originally thought is wrong, so I need prompting.  Thanks a bunch.

I finished the polar bear and need to add a hanging pocket.  I think I was supposed to do that before finishing, but I didn't.  Anyway, that's done.

Today I hope to work on Makin' Friends or make a table runner from a star pattern. 

Halloween Witchtowels

I've been wanting to make the witchtowels that Bev from Flamingo Toes gave a tutorial on a few weeks back, but I couldn't find the right black dishtowels. I finally settled for microfiber towels from Home Goods Store that I bought yesterday, and I made three witchtowels.

Bev had a little more bling on her design, but I used lace instead of two rows of rick rack, so I think that's enough for a witch.  If you're of my generation or older, you know the expression "There's snow down south."  The fluffy white stuff being referred to is not the cold kind, but the silky kind.  It's a way of saying "Your slip is showing."  (Yep, I'm that old.)  I wanted my witchtowels to have their slips showing.  I might try putting a spider on one and see if I like it. 

The towels don't have a gathered top, although you could do that, and I think it would look nice.  I just liked the way they looked together for the picture.  I'm giving these towels as Treats to my sister and and her son and daughter-in-law.  The next one I make I'll give to my brother.  They are cute, and they make me smile.   Bev's blog is http://www.flamingotoes.com/.    She has very good tutorials and is very creative. No more sewing witchtowels for me today.   I'm witched out.

Thank you to all who have visited my blog for the Fall-into-Fall Blog Hop.  Ive been trying to enter the giveaways, too.  I've already discovered some new blogs that I will visit again.

The quilt top that I made for the Erik Homemade Coffee Break eZine Mystery Scrap Quilt Along is now posted on his website with a few of the quilts others made.  There isn't a voting going on, but there will be a drawing for a Gingher seam ripper in December.  That's pretty nice.   This is my top with all of the borders on.  I intend to quilt and finish it before the holidays.   I did not like this top when I first finished it and now I love it.

I am going to participate in his Christmas Mystery Quilt Along, and it begins next week.  If you are looking for a qal, you might consider this, because it's done at a comfortable pace, maybe even slow.  

Hope everyone is well and happy.  God Bless You.