OMG and SSS!

My One Monthly Goal for November has been finished for a couple weeks. I hand quilted Palmateer Point with a clamshell design. It went pretty fast! 

After reading this post at Completely Cauchy (warning--some of her posts are not for the faint of heart!), I'm embracing my quilt stitches and will not call them big stitches or utility stitches--they are what they are.  The gold binding was just for fun. And since I finished my goal so early, I was able to get one new project squeezed in...

...a cute table runner from Cotton Tales called Autumn Gatherings. I picked up the kit at our guild "garage sale" this summer and have had it on my cutting table in hopes of getting it done for this fall. I'm going to go ahead and get it quilted so it's ready for next year---lol! 

Today I'm chilling out in front of the television and doing some Slow Sunday Stitching: basting hexies. I'm totally wrapped up in the Weeds marathon on Showtime and haven't accomplished a thing all weekend. Good thing today is the last day!

Linking with Elm Street Quilts HERE and Kathy's Quilts HERE

Aaahhhh!

It's really all about the little things for me this week. After climbing the walls for 14 days (and averaging 4 or 5 hours of sleep each night) I am finally at the end of my Prednisone nightmare--lol! 

I wish I could share the aroma of the tea I am drinking right now--TAZO Butterscotch Blondie! Mmmmm...not my usual brand, but sure is good!
I have lots of Slow Sunday Stitching today. I'm finishing up my third Primitive Garden border by adding a little embroidery detailing.....

My November UFO will be finished as soon as I get this label written out and sewn in place....

And then I hope to get some eyes on these little guys. I was going to do tiny buttons, but I think maybe beads will look better. We'll see. 

Then it will be on to the layering and quilting--I'm really happy with how this is coming along. There are lots of adorable versions on the Quilts by Cheri Friendship Group Facebook page. I love how everyone changed things up a bit--so fun!
Have a great day and I hope you have time to do some Slow Sunday Stitching of your own! 

Linking with Slow Sunday Stitching HERE

Sunday Stitchin'

Today I'll be appliqueing a copper roof (a little change from the original pattern) onto the bird feeder for my Primitive Garden  border three. It's thrilling to be so close to the end of this project. I can hardly wait to see it all together although I am kind of dreading doing the quilting. 

As I was appliqueing the white pumpkin on border 2 last month, I noticed my thread was collecting tiny globs of dark lint. I had just prepped the border, otherwise I would have just figured it was dust from sitting idle like a lot of my other projects--lol! It took a while, but I finally solved the mystery. 

I love using my felted wool mat for pressing my applique and piecing, but while at one of my October retreats, I began to notice I was doing a lot of sneezing. I do have a wool allergy, but as long as I'm not wearing the wool, I am usually okay. Sometimes, if I am doing a lot of wool applique, my eyes get itchy too, but not enough to deter me from my wool-y therapy!
Anyway, yes, my wool mat was the culprit. Upon close inspection, I could see my white pumpkin was covered with wool fibers. Probably all the other applique was too, but it's not so apparent on the darker colors. I had been using a press cloth on my wool mat whenever I would use Best Press or sizing just to keep it clean, but now I have made a little "pillow" case for it--super simple since I used the selvage edge at the opening, so no hemming!  Problem (and mystery) solved.  

Friday I was invited to help present some Quilts of Valor to a group of WWII veterans at the Brainerd High School. A couple of quilts that I had donated for QOV's had been chosen to be given out at the ceremony. so I was extremely honored to be there at the presentation. There's  a short video HERE of some highlights. Marcia Steven's organized the quilt presentation and did an awesome job! If you ever have an opportunity to particate in a QOV presentation, do it! 

Yes, tears were shed! 

I'm hoping my Slow Sunday Stitching today will calm my nerves. I'm pretty hyped up due to a course of Prednisone from an allergic reaction to a laundry detergent switch. My usual brand (that we've used since the early 1970's!) has been taken off the market and it's been a struggle to find a replacement.
 If it's not one thing it's another--yeesh!

Linking with Kathy at Slow Sunday Stitching HERE

New Month, New Goal

My One Monthly Goal this month will be to get this little Palmateer Point quilt finished.
I'm toying with the idea of hand quilting--maybe I can handle something this small?

The main reason I want to get that little quilt off the design wall (where it's pinned up to avoid being lost!) is so I can start to play with these Little Boys Britches blocks. I got these made up at the Keepsakes Cabin retreat last month. 

I also got the Mrs. Billings Coverlet Borders 11 and 12 sewn up.
Well, almost.
 Some of the background triangles needed for Border 12 were missing. I was hoping that I would locate them when I got home, but no luck. And apparently no more of the Jo Morton Toast II fabric is to be found either.
I guess I am having another "make do" moment! Sigh. 

This is what I got done at the Green Lake retreat.
I spent the entire time making the hourglass blocks and tiny stars needed for the sashings on my Primitive Garden quilt. A bonus was getting them all sewn together along with the blocks--lots of crazy partial seams, but easier than I expected. Whew!

Finally my Patches of Blue book by Edyta Sitar has arrived--it's beautiful! I pre-ordered it months ago and didn't think it would ever get here--lots of eye candy to drool over.
I couldn't resist showing my new book with some of the lovely gifts I received for my birthday in October: a bundle of gorgeous fabrics from my friend Miriam and a fun Edyta Sitar nail file (it's also a lint remover on the back side!) from my cousin Barb. She also made me the adorable mini Lucy Boston block pin cushion--awesome and adorable!!!

I guess I better get to work on my November goal before I'm distracted by something in my new book--ha-ha!
Check out more One Monthly Goal's for November HERE