Of course, we couldn't do a road trip without stopping to eat and shop. The four of us checked out a quilt shop in Battle Creek where I found a few bargains, but managed to hold myself back by buying two fat quarters and a cloth book 'kit' about a dragon. The next shop was the Marshall House where I probably spent more than I should.... I bought two yards of fabric ( a gold print and a solid black) to go with the other fabrics I need for the table runner for the oldest daughter ( yes, she's getting it even if she doesn't remember what it looked like online) and a few more fat quarters for the bowl holders. Oh yeah, and a pattern for a smaller version of the Christmas tree that I just completed ( will make good Christmas gift next year). I started right on the book and one set of the bowl holders that night - finished them up the next morning.
great grandson will get the book
Being the 'skinflint' that I am... I cut my squares at 9" instead of the 10" a lot of patterns call for; that way, I could get 4 squares from each fat quarter.
Here's the first dress completed... I started it Friday night - finished everything but the hem yesterday - that I finished tonight while watching tv. It still needs the buttons sewn onto the back ( the back ends of the straps button onto the inside back of the dress), but I want to wait until she can try the dress on and I can be sure where to place the buttons. I'm going to make a dress for her doll out of the same fabric - just trying to decide on which doll dress pattern looks the most like her dress.
Below is the second dress - started last night and finished today. It's not as "easy peasy" as the designer claims... somehow I didn't get the pleats on the front the right size despite my measuring & marking and even pinning; I had to take a couple out and re-do them. It was going so well in the beginning that I thought I'd have it done by noon today.... well, noon came & went and it was almost dinner time before I finally finished. The doll's dress was hard, but easier than the full size version ( I did that one yesterday before starting on the larger one - if I messed up badly, it wasn't a major loss of fabric).
Even hubby appeared to like them... he chuckled when I showed them to him, which is a sign of approval.
Tomorrow I'll start on dress # 3 along with a second doll dress... and, hopefully, Tuesday will see the 4th and final dress done along with two doll dresses. That's my goal anyway since Wed. I have to run errands, do some more Christmas shopping and buy a few groceries and Thurs. I'm taking my final group of guild members to the museum to see the art quilts.
I'd like to have all the Christmas gifts made/purchased before Thanksgiving - that's my goal anyway. I'll start working on making more of the bowls in between working on the table runner and also the weiner dog for my step-son starting on Friday- that will give me six days... if it's not enough, I still have the rest of the month to get them done .... but they have to be done by Nov. 30th because....
Dec. 1st starts the YUCKKY housecleaning... I'll have two weeks to get it clean before we leave for Texas to have spend Christmas and our 21st wedding anniversary with two of my kids, two grandsons and my three 'greats'. The gal who's cats I watched while she went on vacation last summer will be coming in daily to take care of our cats and I really don't want to be embarrassed by an unkept house - yeah, she's a quilter, too, and knows that quilting comes before housework... but, remember, I've seen her house and it's spotless! Besides, it will be nice to come home to a clean house. :)
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