Getting ready for U.S. Thanksgiving

We get to celebrate two Thanksgiving Days every year - does that mean we have twice as much to be thankful for?  I think and hope so!

I took time out today to play in my sewing room and managed to complete a couple of tea towels for Thanksgiving.  One for me and one for a hostess gift.

And my blocks are sewn, now trying to decide how to set them?  These are the 6½" squares that my Wednesday Diva group exchanged beginning in 2010, finishing up in 2011.  We chose fabrics that were in our stash that we no longer were in love with, cut squares (lots and lots of squares) and exchanged them for about 6 months? 

I showed one setting idea last post have since played with two other ideas.

I think this last one of x's and o's will win out as the preferred setting.  I still have another set to add the white corners to, the lighter squares, and will figure out how it will be set after they are sewn.  I am getting close to being Queen on my UFO group so need to get busy and get this put together and quilted and bound so I can have a 'finish'. 

Mid November



 

I made some steering wheel covers for our quilting group's table at the craft show this Saturday. 

 

I was given a bag with instructions and some covers all ready cut out and ready to sew.  I added in a couple of my own and still have more to stitch for the Spring craft show if these ones are a popular idea and get purchased.

We have been busy in our garden here in Arizona.  It seems funny to do fall planting of flowers but it is too hot here in the summer to have spring/summer flowers.

This is our bouganvilla shrub that we planted last spring and it was as high as the second row of bricks on the wall when we left in April so it grows quickly in the summer. 

We had planted another bouganvilla at the same time as the one above but it didn't survive the summer heat - probably not quite enough water or it was a sick plant.  Anyway, we have replaced it with another plant and have dug a trench to make sure it gets watered weekly on the automatic system.

Our pomegranate tree.  I had to google pomegranates to find out how to eat these things... very different but supposed to be very healthy for you.  You can see one of my planters with geraniums against the wall. 

More plants... I need to remember to water them daily!

And... finally... am sewing a little bit.  This is a hidden wells or majestic mountains quilt block.  The instructions are available for free from 3 Dudes Quilting and I made these to demonstrate to my Monday Quilt group.  Easy and simple way to use up strips of fabric.

I really need to work on my UFO... my name is getting close to the top of the list in my UFO group and so this has to be finished in order to move my name to the bottom and not owe a penalty. 

Cloudy here today so hopefully I can sew for an hour and accomplish something? 

November in Mesa

Here I am, settled into my winter home.  My sewing machine has been serviced and I must say that I was really happy with Mulqueen's in Mesa - great service!  It is once again back on my sewing desk and I have been going through my various projects that I have here to work on.  First on the agenda is making some steering wheel covers for my quilting group's craft fair in a couple of weeks.  And, I have a fall table runner from early October that needs quilting.  It got layered today, ready for the next step. 
Pictures next time!  I promise!!