Closer to a couple of finishes

First project was taking the quilt off from Mo'e so that I could unstitch all that I had stitched about three months ago. It took a few hours over two days to get all those stitches out, but it's done and now it all sits on my table while I decide what to do with it. Do I load it back onto Mo'e and try again or do I sandwich it together with pins and quilt it on my domestic? Can't decide. Next up was actual quilting...on my domestic. The final three blocks of the sunbleached/appliqued are done.

Then, on Friday and Saturday, I worked on getting caught up on my two block of the month challenges. I needed to do two blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge...

and, on Saturday, I made up the final three blocks for the current fatcat patterns BOM.

Now that I have the fatcat blocks complete I need to decide on sashing and border fabrics. I'll shop through my stash first...should be something there...if not, I'll just have to look elsewhere won't I? :). I still have one more crossbody bag set to make and may do that this week. I'm also trying to load backing fabric onto Moe so that I can get a quilt completed but just haven't been up to standing long enough to do it... will keep trying this week. I was having a terrible time with my domestic machine this week. First, I thought I had broken the needle threader because I couldn't get it to work and couldn't see the little pin that goes in the needles eye. Tried calling the local dealer to see if they had a replacement in stick and if they could replace it while I waited there in the store...this was Wednesday and when I called, a recording informed me that they are closed on Wednesdays (news to me). So I went back to my machine and threading the needle myself when I noticed the little wire was indeed there where it's supposed to be. Tried using the needle threader a couple more time when I finally noticed that the needle was bent! Changed the needle and the threader works! Imagine that! The next thing was that I was having trouble seeing my stitching as it was going under the foot and needle (hard to explain). I had just had my eyes checked a couple of months ago so couldn't believe it was my eyes even though that's what it felt like. I checked the light that's under the arm of the machine and it was working so the only thing I could figure was my aging eyes and moving my Ott light closer to the machine. Then, all of a sudden (probably the next day lol) I remembered the light that's inside the machine and shines down on where the needle and foot are. Yep! Burned out bulb. Well, I know that the last time I needed a new bulb it cost me something like $10 and that was several years ago so figure that it's more now. then when you add in the cost of gas to get there and back...so, I went online and found a dealer down in Tennessee who sells the bulbs for $3.99. I ordered 2 ( always good to have a backup). With shipping, it was still less than $20. Ok, I guess that's probably it for me this week. But, before I go, I'll share a couple of pics I took of local fall colors...

take care

I've been quilting!

After spending about half an hour typing all this out on my little phone I went to add a picture and I lost everything so I had to start all over again this time I'm going to try it I'm talking and my phone is typing or Google is typing whoever - but I still have to go back and edit it.

These are the last two crossbody bags that I finished for the preteen and teenage great granddaughters and I have one more left and that will probably be for the teen granddaughter . See that pink stripe across the bag? That's a zipper but without a zipper pull - I goofed and I wasn't going to take it all back out again. There are still three pockets that can be used.

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Last Saturday, I went to a quilt show with two quilting friends. It was okay - it was crowded but I don't mean by people. It was kind of a cramped space; it was in a elementary school you're going  down the hallway and there's vendors on one side and then you get into where the quilts are and that was smaller half of the gymnasium and I'm not sure if there were even 20 maybe 24  quilts by members other than the president  - she had her own section (that's another story) I did see one quilt there that I really liked. Well, two of them that I liked -  one I took a picture of because it's so reminded me of my brother and his wife and I had to take the picture and send it to him immediatel; I think they got a kick out of it.

Now this next one is one that both my cousin Cathy and I liked. I've been trying to find the pattern and haven't been able to but I'm going to keep looking.

 Then in the next 'room' (the larger half of the gymnasium) was their garage sale tables with different fabrics and patterns and quilt related or sewing related items that members have donated to sell I only went to two of those tables - one had fat quarters for a dollar each ( I bought 10) and then the next table was quilt patterns and quilt books for $0.50 each unless otherwise tagged - I got an Edyta Sitar book and a small pattern for a barn scene that you transfer onto fabric and then color it using crayons.

Then on Monday I met up with two other quilting friends for lunch in  Battle Creek -we didnt eat here but I got such a laugh out of it and had to take a pic. - Youngest daughter and I agreed that we'll have to go there the next time she comes home.

After lunch we went to a local quilt shop where the owner is retiring and apparently no one wants to buy the business so she's closing. I spent way too much - on patterns and a canvas panel.

I made this next one right away because I needed something for my front door.

Yes, this is one of the patterns I bought on Monday...started it on Wed. and finished it the next day. After I finished the door hanging I went and pulled out a UFO  - something I had started with three quilting friends, oh my gosh must have been at least 10 years ago, where we laid leaves out on black fabric - then we sprayed a bleach/water solution around it, let it set in the sunlight for a few minutes and then dunked it into another solution so that the bleach would stop working.

 I found some tie-dye type fabric that would work for the leaves themselves so I stitched the leaves on with invisible/clear thread and then they sat because I couldn't decide what to do with them.  On Thursday, I pulled them out and as you'll see, two of them are now placemats - there is a third one that'll work here on my desk as a place mat.

I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with the remaining three. I've pretty much used up the scraps of the fall themed fabric that I was using for backing and binding on the placemats (and the door hanging).

Well I think I've got you all caught up for now.

Take care.

Slow but successful

I'm slow in posting...mainly because I haven't had anything to post. But I do now. It's not alot but it's better than nothing at all. I have completed two more crossbody bag gift sets and another one (#5) is almost completed. Well, actually none of the three are 100% complete...but they should be finished either by this evening or tomorrow. I'm waiting on slider bars to lenghthen/ shorten the straps that I've ordered from Amazon. They were scheduled to arrive today but I just received a message saying there's been some sort of delay. Oh, and I'm calling them gift sets because each one has a coordinating change purse and at least one, if not two, scrunchies along with a bit of cash. #3 

and #4

No pics of #5 yet...still have to finish the bag then make the accessories. I'm trying to use faux suede and or faux leather..not having a whole lot of success with the suede...I've used it, but it can be frustrating..it seems to move while Im trying to cut it and I've ended up with a couple of kinda wonky rectangles. I haven't tried the faux leather yet (oh,I have cork,too,but haven't tried that either) - I think I'll try those in some form on the next two (or three) bag sets. Arghhh! In the time I've been away from blogging...what, 2 weeks?...Google appears to have changed things so that I'm having trouble finding my photos that I want to share and then when I do find them and want to add them to my blog, they are entered as a bunch of symbols, letters, whatnot. In order to see if they are the right pics in the right place, I have to switch over to 'preview'. What's up with that?!?! ok, I'm really getting frustrated with this. I may be back, I may not. I have enough frustration as it is without getting it while simply trying to blog. 

 take care

P.s. arghhh again...I just tried my Blogger icon on my phone again ( it wouldn't work before) and it's working again.

This is success #2