I've been busy - honest I have

I know I haven't posted for a couple of weeks , but I have been busy.... both quilting and non-quilting.  Quilting wise ( actually sewing wise), I hadn't touched my sewing machine since I finished the challenge quilt for our guild's picnic, and really didn't feel like it so, to get myself back into the 'groove', the weekend of July 25th ( while 20 of the guild members were upnorth on retreat) I made this mouse pincushion.

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Since the gals were upnorth on retreat, I declared that I was having a retreat here at home and I proceeded to get back to working on my Dragonfly Dance quilt top.  I stitched 12 of the 16 blocks together with sashing in between each block.  I didn't like the 16 block layout, so ended up with 4 extra.  I also got started on piecing for the border.  ( Ignore the pink plaid at the bottom of the pic - that's backing for a bedrunner that's waiting it's turn on the midarm.)

Then came the hand stitching part again... I didn't get it all done until this past weekend.  I even took the top with me to work on while on  a  'row by row shop hop' trip with my cousin, Cathy, and another member of the guild last Wednesday.  I only got three blocks finished though - Michigan roads are not condusive to hand sewing :(.

The shop hop trip was fun, but I got carried away and spent way more than I should  have.  We went to a cute little shop in  Pinckney first where I bought some cuts of Spartan print fabric and a pattern that I'd been looking for - and the main fabric for it, too.  Then it was on to Ann Arbor and a wonderful quilt shop that just about left me gobsmacked.  I bought four patterns and a yard of a beautiful gray fabric.  The patterns were for cute owl potholders ( future Christmas gifts), a little girl's dress with matching doll's dress ( also for Christmas gifts), a pattern for a Monster Trucks quilt and, at checkout, I spotted and bought an adorable Dogs vs Cats wallhanging pattern.

At the third quilt shop ( in Saline), I bought more cuts of Spartan print fabric and the patterns for a Dog Park quilt designed by McKenna Ryan.  I think I'm using the Spartan prints to make a picnic 'basket' (pattern bought at  quilt show in Jackson earlier this year) which will also be a Christmas gift.   We're going 'shop hopping' again on the 13th and Cathy hopes to hit SIX shops this time.  I'm really going to have to put a lock on my wallet this time :).

On Thursday, I sat down and started picking out stitches from the quilt that's on my midarm machine, but didn't get very far because one of my brother in laws called to let us know that  my husband's other brother was in the hospital and it didn't look good.  We dropped everything to go to Kalamazoo both Thursday and Friday.

Saturday, I took the four 'orphan' blocks from the Dragonfly Dance and stitched them together (no pic yet)....  hand stitching took up the rest of the weekend for the most part.  I also tried this little cutie....

Yesterday was spent unstitching on the mid arm and  making the Dogs vs Cats wallhanging... so cute! Can you see why I couldn't resist it?  

 I think I'll be making one or two more for a donation and a gift.

Today, it's back to Kalamazoo to say our final goodbyes to my husband's older brother.  We got the call yesterday that he was being sent home from the hospital and is expected to only live another two or three days.