Apple Picking Time

It's apple picking time! On Wednesday, which was an early release day for my little cousins, I went with my cousin Kristin and her two girls, her friend and her two girls, and her friend's mom to  Honey Pot Hill Farm in Stow, MA. It was a gorgeous afternoon and a good time was had by all.

Yesterday at our Herring Run Quilt Guild meeting my friend Edith showed this adorable quilt, and I asked if I could share it with you. The pattern, "Grow Up Tall Giraffe," is available from its designer at Bean Counter Quilts where you will find many other cute patterns. I might be sticking my long neck out, but I'm betting the new parents will be beyond thrilled.

Autumn color is quite sparse here south of Boston. We need a few cold nights to start the change. These photos are from my garden.

This past week I've been new car shopping and have test driven many possibilities. Since I only buy a car about every ten years, I study up, watch all of the youtube reviews, and read everything I can on each model. Car buying can be stressful, so I like to be as prepared as I possibly can be. I am pretty sure now what will be my next car. Also, this week I am excited to be attending a two-day fiber arts workshop taught by Betty Busby from New Mexico. The workshop is through the Quilters Connection guild in Waltham of which I am a member. Yes, I am a member of three guilds; Crosstown Quilters being the third. If interested, I believe each of these guilds has a few spots open for new members.

It has been a week since we learned of the unspeakable mass shooting in Las Vegas with so many lives lost and so many lives changed forever. It's difficult to stay positive when we are continually bombarded by news that makes us sad, angry, and disheartened.

I wish us all a week without stress and days filled with simple pleasures.

I Love My Retirement!

Don't get me wrong; I totally loved my job as an eighth grade English/Language Arts teacher, but this retirement gig is tons of fun! Since this blog acts as my journal, let me tell you about my week.  On Monday, I had lunch with a group of friends at the Common Market in Quincy. The conversation is always lively when this group of former teachers gets together. On Tuesday, there was a meeting of the Crosstown Quilters. On Wednesday, I had a flute lesson and dinner with my quilting buddies. On Thursday, I headed north with three friends to pick up our quilts at Dancing Crane Quilting in Contoocook, NH.  Contoocook is close to Henniker, so of course, we visited one of our favorite quilt shops, Quilted Threads, where I picked up a pattern and some wool for an upcoming project. 

This is a Stoughton quilting weekend, and I spent my time prepping a Halloween fused applique wall hanging with, I swear, a zillion pieces. Some ladies laughed when I said that I hoped to get it done in time for Halloween. They wondered which year I intended that to be. On Friday, my friend Laurel and I had gone to Lincoln, RI to Ryco Creative Sewing Center where there was a fabulous selection of fabric, and I found among other things just the perfect candy corn fabric to back my Halloween quilt. My credit card was smoking by the time that I left :-) We also enjoyed a yummy lunch at a new restaurant for us in nearby Cumberland, RI. When you visit Rycos be sure to stop for a bite to eat at Davenports.

This brings me to today. I attended early Mass, but returned after the 12:00 Mass for a blessing of the animals. Emma, wearing her game-day shirt, happily greeted all the other dogs and their owners.

She was curious about what was happening, but here's the amazing thing . . . she didn't bark even once; if you know mini schnauzers, you realize just how amazing that was! She seemed to enjoy the whole brief ceremony even when she was sprinkled with the holy water. :-)

 Then it was time to settle in and watch the game.

Emma's attention quickly waned and a nap was soon underway.

As soon as the game is over, I'm heading over to Stoughton where our group quilts to use the large tables to layer my Halloween quilt.

It was quite a week; I wonder what's on my schedule for this week? I hope the week ahead is full of happy moments for you.

A Few Moments of Sunshine

The last three days have been wet, chilly, and definitely 'un-springlike."  So, when the sun made a brief appearance this afternoon, I took a quick shot of these grape hyacinths which have begun to naturalize in my backyard. The daffodils have been beautiful, but now most are mud splattered and wilted from the rain. If you are new to my blog, I think you would really enjoy reading the backstory of these daffodils, Full Circle, which I originally posted in 2011. It's a great story,  and if it hadn't happened to me, I might not believe it myself!!!

On the quilting front, today I finished all the quilting for my new art quilt based on a photo of my friend's parents. There were a few spots that still needed a bit of work, and then I attached a false back. Now I just need to get the right shade of fabric for the binding. I had considered doing a facing but felt this piece called for a regular binding. I'm also sewing down the binding on a patriotic  quilt for a veteran. This quilt will be ready to turn in at the next guild meeting of the Crosstown Quilters.

On another quilting note, I have added two new blogs to the side bar. I follow both of these blogs and love them . . . they are always day brighteners as both of these bloggers are positive, enthusiastic, happy, talented ladies - my kind of people!!! Bonnie Hunter of (Quiltville's Quips & Snips) is a rock star in the quilting world; sometimes I get tired just reading about all that she does! She is extremely generous with patterns, tips, and tutorials posted on her website. She teaches at guilds all over and posts about her adventures. She shares her fondness for antiques and if you love scrap quilting, she is definitely your lady. Anna at Woolie Mammoth offers wool and quilt tutorials and videos of her RV travels with her husband and faithful dog, Enzo. I particularly enjoy her videos of quilt shops that she visits. Quilter or not, check out both of these blogs, but be careful as you might just become hooked.

This and That

I spent the weekend quilting with friends at a local hotel. With my foot issues, this was my first time back since September. I finished this little piece. Among many other things, members of Crosstown Quilters make covers for isolettes and incubators at a Boston hospital. It was wonderful to see all the quilts, coverlets, preemie quilts, pillowcases, and comfort cushions that members donated during the show and tell portion of today's guild meeting. Quilters are a giving, generous group.

The rest of the weekend I worked on preparing pieces for the applique project I am going to attempt. (Heaven help me.)  I also attended my cousin's fifth birthday party. They are all growing up way too fast. :-)

Have you heard of knitting done with PVC pipe needles? I hadn't heard of this, but one of the ladies in my quilting group this weekend was working on this piece using five foot long 'needles' and a huge ball of fleece strips which had been sewn together. It was the darnedest thing I ever saw. Of course, I googled it, and there are many, many sites dedicated to this process.

You may recall seeing this little improv piece that I recently made. Lyric Kinard, a well-known art quilter, says that no matter how much time and effort you put into a little piece, some people will think it is a potholder. She suggests giving a small piece more presence by mounting it on a canvas, and so I did. First, I used acrylic paint in a coordinating color to cover the canvas. When it was done, I sewed the mini quilt to the canvas. It was easy to sew through the canvas, but next time I may try something else that I found online. Someone suggested using velcro with an adhesive back which can be purchased at hardware stores. You put a strip along the top and bottom of the canvas.  I'll also be mindful of the sizes of canvas mats available. I would have liked to have a bit wider borders, but the next size up would have been much too big.

Have a great week.