Plugging away slowly

 I finished another one in the pile of donation quilts.  Pat put this top together.  I backed it with a soft pinwale corduroy that I had.  It is a nice bigger quilt which will be great for a teenager.

My quilt holder is temporarily out of commission with a torn rotator cuff so I draped it over the couch.  Hopefully he'll be able to have surgery soon, and on the road to recovery.
 

The corduroy posed no problems with the quilting, and I have more to use for backings that was donated to us.  I used a pantograph, Quills, which is a design with good flow. 

I started on a top for my daughter's friend who is expecting a baby in December, using this great pattern.  

    

Early rising

I wake up too early.  Most mornings I'm up around 4:30 because I just can't sleep.  It's always more difficult for me to adjust to the time change in the fall because then I have to convince myself that I can't get up when I'm wide awake at 3!  

But getting up early has its rewards.  Especially at this time of the year, when the skies are rich with clouds and colors.  True, the sun is just barely rising at 6:30, but I'm ready to get out to the sewing room and finish the quilt on my longarm, after pausing to enjoy the sunrise.  

Winter feels just around the corner...

The temperatures have really cooled here, enough so that Dale cleaned our heat stove and lit the pilot.  In fact we already used it yesterday afternoon.

The full moon was visible through some virga.  We weren't too disappointed since we recently had over an inch of rain.

Today I'm warming up the house with baking.  I finally tried the pecan cranberry whole wheat bread recipe Dr. Kaufman gave me.  It's a wonderful bread that saved me when I was in the hospital for my total knee.  

We can still see the fall colors in the mountains.  I doubt they'll last much longer.  It's already been over a week since we drove up to see.  

 

 I'm not in a hurry for winter.  Fall could last longer than three months if it were up to me.

Quilt finishes

I finally got some quilts done.  Thanks to all the friends that have donated blocks, tops, and or fabric, I've had quite the queue of quilts to be quilted.  I had to finish the twins' quilts and bears, and have made a second chenille bear, as Jackie chose that one versus the wool bear, though she wants to keep the wool bear as well.  She first tried to get another of each bear!  I forgot to photograph the finished wool bear.  

 This quilt that Cathy made just needed the borders quilted.  I did a freehand feather design.  Still trying to stretch outside the pantograph box.

I first tried using the Gammill workstation on Sharon's stack and whack blocks, but it proved to be too much work.  I think it would be easier to do with two people, and maybe when Pat's here, we can use it together on an appropriate quilt.  After the first block, I just did a freehand design.  

I opted for a pantograph on this fall quilt also from Cathy, as I really couldn't think of a freehand design for it.  I still have a half dozen quilts left to quilt.  Back to the sewing room! 

 

Twin quilts done

I finished the twins' quilts, and the matching bear quilts with the leftover blocks.  I did a dinosaur pantograph on all of them.  The flannel backing features dinosaurs.

I made the first bear out of chenille from an old bedspread.  I wasn't really in love with it, but went ahead and finished it, but not before cutting out another from felted wool.  I think that one is going to have more body, but I will finish both of them and let Jackie decide which fabric she'd like for a second bear.

 

I didn't really read the pattern directions closely--just followed the pictures and sewed the back halves together the first time...not the way to do it.  You sew a back and front together, at the side seams then sew on the arms and legs on each half before closing it all the way around except for a small opening to turn it right side out, then stuff, and close all the openings that you stuff through.  I've made a number of these before--used to dress them with Route 66 tapestry fabric vests and sell them at the motel.