BOO!!

 Boo!

Happy Halloween!

I received this cute Halloween card in the mail from my sister.

Chess

 Chess

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love games. I love card games, board games, dice games, all games ...

Recently I saw an event here locally on the first Wednesday evening of the month, Beginners Chess! As much as I love games, I've never considered myself "smart" enough to play chess. Well no more, this coming Wednesday evening I'm going to this offered event and learn how to play chess.

I purchased this beginners guide and I've been reading up on the rules, placement of the chess pieces, and the directions that they move.

I love learning how to do new things but when that new thing is a GAME!

Totally WINNING!!!!

Sock Knitting Goal for 2023

 Sock Knitting Goal for 2023

As you can see, my goal for socking knitting this year has been to knit 5 pairs of socks. Trust me ... this has never really been a problem ... until I made it a GOAL!

Presently, I am failing miserably BUT I still have two more months to get 3 more pairs of socks knitted!

I had to go to Joann's for quilt batting for my hand quilting project Thursday evening and decided to get these 3 skeins of yarn to motivate me.

2 months + 3 skeins of yarn = (hopefully) 3 pairs of socks.

While I was at Joann's I also purchased these white (tone on tone) end of bolt pieces of fabric for my red/white quilting endeavors. End of bolt fabrics are always discounted.

Social Bowling League

 Social Bowling League

It's that time of year for sign ups! There are 4 - 8 week leagues ... Fall, Late Fall, Winter, and Spring. Our team, the Lucky Strikes, is all signed up for the Late Fall league. Each league we select a different color t-shirt. As I was putting away my last league t-shirt, I realized that I have been bowling since January 2019!

WOW!!!

In 2020 there is only 1 shirt as that was the year of COVID and obviously there was no social bowling (or anything else social) going on.

As I begin our team online, during the sign up process each league (season) I have been the one who picks out our shirt color. 

OBVIOUSLY, I NEED TO DO BETTER!

hahahahahaha!

Ultimately, I plan to make a T-Shirt quilt out of all of my bowling t-shirts.

Hand-Quilting

 Hand-Quilting

I decided to pick one of my finished quilt tops for hand-quilting. It's been a couple of years since I hand quilted a quilt. The last quilt project that I hand quilted was my Modern Maple Leaf quilt in several of my amazing "cat" themed fabrics.

THIS POST has information on my Modern Maple Leaf quilt.

This year I decided to hand quilt this red/white string pieced quilt top that I finished piecing last year.

RED/WHITE STRING QUILT 

This quilt is made up with 10 inch blocks. The strings are placed on the diagonal to give this block a half square triangle look. I love the designs that you can make using half square triangles.

Red/White String Quilt

70 x 80 inches

Years ago, I took a class by Pepper Cory at an AQS quilt show on big stitch hand-quilting. Big stitch hand-quilting is a technique that uses pearl cotton floss and I think the results are stunning. Big stitch hand quilting is my preferred method of hand-quilting. Hand-quilting any quilt takes time but I'm looking forward to having this project at the ready to work on this winter.

Denim & Lace

 Denim & Lace

Finally getting myself together and moving forward in my sewing room. This is the second quilt project that I completed this past weekend. 

This quilt pattern and kit is by Amanda of Westwood Acres Fabris, the pattern is written beautifully and the fabrics in the kit were amazing. I started this quilt in October of last, completed 6 of the 12 blocks needed ... and then got in my head about my quilt life.

UGH!

2nd of several unfinished quilt projects that are now complete!

WINNING!

Once the 12 star blocks were completed, completing the quilt top went very quickly.

Amanda writes a beautiful pattern.

Quilts in the Wild

This little privacy fence in my backyard is about to fall down. It is on my list for Spring of 2024 to have it replaced. It is well past being repaired.

I care! I love making things! It makes me very very happy inside!

Red/White Churn Dash

 Red/White Churn Dash

This year has been a weird one for me in regards to my sewing room activities. I think I let people get into my head about sewing so much. About all the sewing supplies, fabric, and notions that I have. About all of the quilts that I have ...  and so on. Whether meant negatively or not, that is how I took those comments and it managed to stop my creative energy and sewing mojo dead in it's tracks. I have wrestled with these thoughts for almost a year now. I have finally decided that I LOVE QUILTING, I love all things quilting and I need to stop letting what other people think about my quilting and sewing room activities and do what I LOVE ... make quilts!

This past weekend I managed to finish two quilt projects that I started last year. The first is this Churn Dash quilt in red and white fabrics.

I started this quilt project last year ... I had made 35 of the 42 blocks before I got into my head.

It feels good to be back in my sewing room doing what I love.

42 - 12.5 inch churn dash blocks

This one is more than my design wall can handle.

Red and white quilts just make me happy. 

I can't really explain my fascination with them.

To me, they are simply beautiful.

Blue skies and a beautiful fall morning. Such a beautiful back drop for a traditional quilt pattern as the churn dash.

Quilts in the Wild

Saturday morning was a beautiful cool crisp morning here in East Tennessee.

Fall 2023 Quilt Retreat - Finishes

 Fall 2023 Quilt Retreat - Finishes

Spooky Darlings

Hot Mess - The 2023 Mystery Quilt

My 2nd Wash Your Paws quilt kit

Fall 2023 Quilt Retreat

 Fall 2023 Quilt Retreat

Presented at the 4-H Camp in Crossville, Tennessee

Quilting On The Mountain 2023

The Mystery Quilt project ... 

The entrance, in the top right hand corner is where the old barracks (bunk houses) used to be. There is still one standing that is used for storage. 

The camp hasn't changed very much all. There are new (to me) bunk houses. The ones that we stayed in were old WWII barracks type buildings. 

Crossville is the home of my birth. Born and raised there. I went to this camp as a young girl and it was so sweet coming back here as an adult and enjoying my love of quilting. I made new friends and enjoyed going to this retreat with a friend who loves quilting as much as I do.