Bits and Pieces

The last few weeks have allowed for some fun sewing in between the hectic life schedule.  There have been so many SALs/QALs floating out in blogosphere and it is so easy to get sidetracked.  I’ve joined in on several of them.  

There is the Fat Quarter Shop’s Sewcialites 2.  I’ve managed to keep up with this one, using my bin of solid fabrics.

Then there is Project Quilting Challenge with a new suggestion every other week.  This week our inspiration is 54-40 or Fight.  I’ve always loved this block.  I went with some wild colors and will use the block as a small table topper or a large mug rug.

Over the weekend Ivory Spring had a SAL Crockpot Weekend.  Other than fun recipe links, we created a nice sized small quilt top using HSTs.  I had a stack of green charms and made a table topper for St. Patrick’s Day.

Then there is the Bonnie Hunter Chilhowie Mystery quilt.  I am down to my final borders.  I decided to add some navy stars to mine, but I’m not too sure about the new shape that I created with the sashing.  I hope the borders convince me.

We took off for a little vacation in the Sierras.  The amount of snow they have gotten this year is incredible. The trip up was like driving in a snow tunnel.  The little ones had a blast in the snow.

I'm not sure that I am overly thrilled with Mr. Groundhog's prediction of six more weeks of winter.  How about you?  

October Happenings

 October has arrived and fall is definitely in the air for us.  We've had cooler days and a few chilly nights.  The colors that we do get are making grand appearances with the changing season.  We've managed to escape - so far - the terrible Santa Ana winds that are so common in October.  I won't complain about that.  We've even had a few rain showers, one including a thunderstorm this month.  I hope this is a sign of more moisture for us this year.

I've managed to get some sewing in this month.  Connie from Freemotion by the River  had a cute tutorial for pumpkin mug rugs on her blog.  I had to dig into my oranges and make a few for friends with October birthdays.  The orange ones were so cute so I made a blue one too.  They went up so quickly and look so festive.  

One of the younger granddaughters has been over for a bit of sewing.  She's doing such a great job as she works on some Log Cabin blocks.  Her 1/4" seams are great.  We are working hard at sorting lights and darks, but I think she will be pleased with her finish. 

I resurrected my Small World quilt last week while searching for something else and managed to complete section 3.  I'm looking forward to section 4 next. 

I also decided to join in on Sewcialites 2 this time around.  It just started last Friday so it's not too late to join in if you are interested.  This is my first block.  

We have lots of October birthdays in our family, but our daughter celebrated a special one this month.  Her husband arranged a surprise party for the family at our home with two private chefs.  The food was absolutely amazing, all five courses.  Their two oldest children assisted and served us.  It was indeed a special event. 

In the garden, the pomegranates are bigger and better than ever.  Our tree has been loaded and we can't give them away fast enough.  One can only use so many!

Now that the weather is cooler, I've encouraged my daughter and granddaughters to start on a sourdough journey.  We've had so much fun sharing photos of our loaves among the group each month.  They are all making amazing loaves with nice rises and great crumb. 

It's hard to believe that we are nearing the busy holiday season.  I'm sure everyone is ready by now....right?  How many days do we have left?