This is crazy that it has been over a month since posting here but, lots to show you.
After my October binge on finishing the quilts for Survivors, I took a bit of a break and made lots of small things like mug rugs for Autumn and Halloween.
Then, I decided that it was time to get my quilt tops off hangers and turned into finished quilts. I had to put together a prize package for our guild's annual Holly Jolly Bingo game and decided that a 'quilty' pillowcase was a good choice. Once I dug through my fabrics that were quilting themed, I made more than one to use up some of the stash. These will all be used as door prizes at guild meetings or gifts for quilters.
My autumn table runner got finished and put on display.
I dug out this kit from Dragonfly fabrics that came in one of their surprise boxes and got it cut and ready to sew. The pattern is Snow Ruby from Villa Rosa. Easy to cut, easier to sew!
The rainbow scrap challenge for October was lights/neutrals but I chose to use brown fabrics since my bins are overflowing. Most of these scraps are from backings that I have used to finish quilts.
Strings and plus blocks are made and now it is time to dig out the blocks made all year and complete some quilt tops in November and December but I think I will end up with the blocks as Works in progress in 2024.
The patterns by Jen for October was blue and I have been making two blocks per month with lights and darks reversed. So these got finished.
I did make some Quilt of Valour blocks for my monthly guild challenge but sadly, after getting them done, they will have to wait until 2024. Our guild meeting is late this month just because the second Tuesday isn't until the 18th and I won't be able to make it on that day or in December so hopefully, January?
This is finish number 1. A friend of mine in the modern guild, Barbara, donated a stack of fat quarters to Quilts of Valour. As I was putting them away, I stopped and thought, why not just get a top made? I found fabrics to cut up into 12 fat quarters and stitched up St. Louis 16 patch blocks. I only needed 20 blocks for the quilt top so have 4 blocks leftover, the start of the next quilt? Then, why not just get it quilted and bound and finished!
I bought a Moda 'leftover scraps' bag many years ago and in it were 3" strips of Halloween fabrics. They were various lengths with most being 22" long. This idea appealed to me and I did have to add in more strips from my stash and used a gray background for the blocks. Again, I decided to just get it quilted. The idea was to finish it before Halloween and it was done by the 31st but not in time to gift or use it.
Cozy Quilt pattern: Simplicity II. These blocks were made from a Tonga Treats set of gray, black, dark blue strips. I added in the reds and a few more grays and kept stitching until I had enough blocks. Yes, in the finished quilt, there is a block turned the wrong way... I knew it but left it as my 'humility' block since no one is perfect. Another finish for Quilts of Valour.
Every month I made Rainbow scrap blocks and these were blocks leftover from previous years that were sitting in a container and they were in my way all summer long. Finally, some inspiration happened along with some gray borders on the blocks and a top got completed. While doing my quilting marathon in October, the quilt top became a finished quilt. Number three for Quilts of Valour.
Kimberley by GE designs is one of my 'go-to' patterns for layer cakes. This was another, well aged, Tonga Treat of 10" squares and again, I added in a few of my own to get enough blocks for a finished Quilt of Valour.
Using the block idea I saw many years ago on Facebook (and didn't write down where I saw it), I made these blocks from fat quarters. A floral assortment but I think it works for Quilt of Valour and it is also another finish for October.
The St. Louis 16 patch is always an easy, mindless block to sew from fat quarters and I had a bunch of them sitting in a container that was left over from making a couple of quilts for friends of my Wednesday Diva quilting group. I made a few more blocks to have enough to complete a quilt and this is going to be given to someone who is crafty and deserves to be wrapped in a quilt but it will live here, finished, until that happens.
The Snow Ruby quilt at the beginning of this post also got stitched and quilted and binding is on... yay! Another finished quilt!
This is my stack of leftover batting pieces and the next time I get the urge to finish quilts, I will be making a 'frankenbatts' from these. Waste not, want not!
Some beautiful sunsets in October that I love seeing. Such glorious colours.
It is always fun to go to a monthly sew in with my friends in the Modern guild. This was me working on my Halloween quilt blocks. I did a few hours of power sewing that day.
A perfect room for chatting, sewing on your machine or doing hand work. We get lots of visitors checking out what we are working on.
My steps for the Meadowland mystery for October got completed. Now I am ready for November.
We had a prediction of frost for a few nights in mid October so the tomatoes got picked and they are slowly ripening in our dark, cool bunker.
It is fun to decorate for Halloween even if we only get a few trick or treaters. I kept it simple with my decorations and then to hustle to put them away on November first as torrential rains were predicted. I didn't need wet 'stuff' to pack in containers.
The views, when we get a nice evening, are spectacular of the valley.
And, end of October, all is now packed away and the house looks very empty and sparse but, also dusted and clean.
Hopefully, I can take more time to post a little more often but how often do I say that? sigh. This month is going to be no stress with only my patterns by Jen blocks to make and my mystery steps to complete. Time to tidy up and look at the potential UFO's and WIPS for next year as well as the many kits from mystery boxes that are waiting patiently and of course, the 3 yard kits that I cut up the fabrics for so that I would have simple, mindless projects for Sew In days.
