Baskets for traveling

Here is the peak at what I was working on in spare moments on the airplane or sitting around at night. I used the adorable little basket pattern from When the Cold Wind Blows, but of course I had to change it. I created a pattern in which the handle was part of the basket. Why have two pieces if you could have one? Then, I used light baskets on dark background, and dark baskets on light backgrounds. I'll probably change the setting of them too. There are lots of options. The more traditional four square....

or this foursquare.....

or offset.....

or just random which is more like the original pattern.

 I also have thought of using a large applique block from the book as a center, with the baskets surrounding it. There are so many options. For now, I'm going to cut some more and leave it as my travel work. I always need something quick and easy to work on when I'm away from home. These little things barely took any time at all and a couple dozen fit in a gallon baggie for travel. I'm hoping it will be a stash buster, except that I had to go buy a lot of shirtings because my stash is mostly mediums and darks!

I did manage to visit two little quilt stores in PA. I drooled over the new fabrics, but due to the fact that I was living out of a carry on bag, and my husband's bag was already 50 pounds I only picked up about 11 yards in mostly fat quarters that I could stuff into all the nooks and crannies of my carry on. Hubby rolled his eyes at me everytime he had to stuff that suitcase into the overhead bins because it was a bit puffier than when we started out. I might add that I'm too short to get anything in those bins,or I would I have done it myself and skipped the eye rolls I got!  Then on the last leg back to Phoenix, after we were stuck in Atlanta because of Tropical Storm Ida, I also managed to stuff my lined rain coat in that bag!  He really had to shove and push then! Even the flight attendant (I almost called her a stewardess!) asked if  I had been shopping!

Charleston, South Carolina

I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, but I was away for ten days! It took me most of the morning to catch up on my blog reading, because, although we had a computer with us my husband was using it for the stock market most of the time, and I guess I was truly on vacation, thinking about other things. We started out in Pennsylvania where my mother still lives, and after visiting friends and family, and setting her up with a new computer we went down to Charleston, South Carolina for a conference. I'll post about PA. later because it's more of a Christmas post, but I have to show you a few pics of the Kiawah Sanctuary resort near Charleston. I had the absolute best meal I've ever had, five courses, formal, and two amazing buffets, breakfast and lunch that the resort put on for our conference. I should scan that menu because, I'm sorry, I don't live the life that millionares do, and I'd never seen anything like it. Most of the speakers at the conference and many of the people there are very rich. I was totally out of my element. The reason that we were there is that years ago, hubby bought a lifetime subscription to the newsletters these financial gurus write. It was an experience. We had an ocean view room, chocolate on our pillows, the works. At dinner we sat next to a guy who was wearing a cast because he had just been mugged in Argentina for his Rolex. Sheesh, okay, I don't aspire to that lifestyle, I'm just hoping to be secure in my retirement. Isn't that staircase resplendent? and there were two of them in the lobby area. Check the second picture, waay in the back you can see the other one. The pics are dark because the flash just wouldn't carry that far. I got a total kick out of the Alligator sign. I never really thought of the low country as alligator country although I had been there before.. don't feed or tease or harass the alligators. Okay, not likely on my part! I did take some handwork to do in odd moments, a new project. I'll take pics and post it soon too.

October Charming Girls quilt projects and pumpkin patch

October has been a busy busy month, but I have managed to get the binding on the 3 quilts and my table runner quilted and bound. The amazing part is that I did it by the 21st! So my Charming Girl projects are DONE! The pink and brown quilt will be in my new Etsy shop as soon as I get it open. That is taking longer than expected, but it will happen in the near future. Oops, I just realized that I left out a picture, but you can see the quilt to the left of the pink and brown one. It's pink and white. They are hanging on the balcony to my quilt room/loft, which is a total disaster right now. It really needs a good organization - or perhaps finishing some projects will help the mess clear itself.

I also managed to get a knitted hat and sweater set finished for granddaughter number 1 and given to her when we went to her house for granddaughter number 4's first birthday. I think I took her more things than I did the poor little birthday girl! Not to spoil her, but I know when I make or buy her things that 3 more little girls will wear it eventually too.

The picture shows granddaughter 2 and 4 in the pumpkin patch along with 2 of my kids and son in law. Quixote, the Akita /Pit Bull mix enjoyed himself in the pumpkin patch too. The only downside to the day is that in the middle of October it was 100 degrees.. tooo HOT! Way too hot! Do they look hot in the picture? Sunglasses and hats are the norm for us. I'm lucky if I ever get to wear any winter clothes.

Now I have to decide what projects I want to start and or finish for November. This is a big decision!

I still have those prairie points from back in the summer to finish, so that is on the list - and I need to work on some Christmas projects. I have a feeling that the holidays are going to sneak up on me.

Happy quilting folks!

Okay, I admit it, I'm an old hippie.. I go around in Clarks slipons everyday, although in my younger years at work I wore the 'cute one' shoe. I have never worn heels, and the last time I was in a dress was over 6 years ago at one of my daughters' weddings. At the other daughters' wedding, I wore pants. I'm pretty low maintenance, and although I have a lot of shoes, they are all the comfy kind. I'm really short too, so one would think I'd go for a little height, but really only models wear heels and jeans right? Not me. Ouch! Comfort all the way.

I'm working away on my October projects. I started the binding on the 3rd quilt today, and then I will move on to quilting the table runner.. perhaps I'll even finish early and move on to other projects! I have 4 more red applique fleur de lis, and then I only have to do the setting triangles.. stay posted, I'll be excited to finish that one. And no, I haven't been able to find any more fabric so I'm going to have to squeeze it out of my last yard. I hope I can, I hope I can!

Bloggers Quilt Festival

For the Blogger's Quilt Festival, I wanted to show a redwork Mother Goose/Nursery Rhyme quilt that I made my daughter. First I picked the fabric, then I went looking for matching floss because it isn't a true red. It took forever to pick the style of block that would compliment the embroidery. I had to add in some flowers because at the time I didn't have enough nursery rhyme blocks, but I have since seen several more in magazines. I seem to be drawn to embroidery and quilting because I'm in the middle of a little pumpkin wall hanging right now, and I just bought a pattern of cute little houses to do in black.

This quilt is hand quilted and truthfully, I never let my daughter use it! How sad is that? Never used or washed and I'm sure it has cotton batting in it. Hope you all enjoy it!

It's finally cool here and I felt like getting out the fall decor. I haven't done too much yet, just got the quilts out of the cupboard. I love the cat and pumpkin quilt, made years ago. I had found the perfect background with little cats and pumpkins on it that set it off perfectly. The tablerunners are my own concoctions, one made around the large square of Halloween print in the center. The little ghost embroidery just sits on a side table. I like redwork, orangework, blackwork, in other words doing embroidery in just one color. Maybe this weekend I'll get down the tubs of pumpkins, silk leaves and old fashioned figurines that I picked up at Michaels last year.. It's fall! It's finally under 100 degrees! This week the highs are only 80! Time to decorate!

Charming Girls Quilt Club

My October projects for the Charming Girls Club! I just got these three quilts back from the quilter - she did a fabulous job, and now my job is to trim and bind them. Plus my tablerunner (shown on the chair), which I am going to machine quilt myself and bind. It's little, I think I can get all this done!

The second pic is a little bit washed out, but it is the peachy pinks from Moda's Wuthering Heights line from several years back. The tablerunner is leftover scraps from a queen quilt I just put together. I think you can tell that I like pastels a lot from the pinks and greens. The second to last quilt is half square triangles from Kashmir IV put together with pink and sea foam green scraps I had. Just leftovers in my own pattern. The other pink and green is a Jacob's Ladder variation. There you have it, I will finish these 4 quilts! Yay!