Happy Halloween! (Taking Donations)

It seems wrong to label this post Happy Halloween and then start with Christmas Stockings, but..........

Here are some genuine Carhartt Christmas Stockings!

My tub of old jeans and denim was no longer closing, so I decided it was time to do something.  These are going to nephew Jackson, his girlfriend, Carmyn, and the dog, Tucker.  They are big Carhartt fans and they like buffalo plaid.  Now that I have it somewhat figured out, I plan to cut as many as possible from the jeans I have.  One pair of jeans has been laid aside to make David a corn bag to pick sweet corn in next summer.  This was an idea that was floated around at the quilt retreat and I am waiting to see if someone else makes one first to get all the tips and tricks.

My farmer has been in the repurposing mood too.  

This is his latest creation.  He has been scouring the garage, sheds, barns, etc for any old metal containers.  It's something to do while he waits for it to dry up so he can get back in the field.  

And BIG NEWS!  Someone has moved into the dog house.  The cold temps made Friday realize that sleeping in the doghouse might actually be a smart thing to do.  And we caught Harry Potter curled up beside him.  The boys must stick together!

Of course, Harry and Mabel make it inside each morning to search for extra food (like we don't feed them).  The bar stools make a nice place to curl up for a nap.

Cici was trying for some southern exposure now that the rains have stopped.  She needs to keep her furs golden you know.

So I should have titled the post Taking Donations since we seem to need old jeans, metal cans. etc.  We'll see if I actually get all the jeans I have used first.  Well the longarm is running.  I'll get my updated list in tomorrow's post.  Can you believe it's November?

Christi

Spring?

Yes, those are lilacs blooming in October!  We have been having cold wet, dreary weather.  No, the beans are not all out yet, but with the wet weather, he hasn't been harvesting.  Maybe by Friday he'll get back to it.

Yes, the monster quilt did get finished.  It was a little over 12 hours of run time for the longarm.  I started at 6:30 am and when the last stitch was done just before 7 pm, I clipped threads, and shut the machine off and just left it there.

I have to admit that I think it's beautiful.  Here's a close up of the quilting.

And the back side..........

And, of course, Esme had to test it out.  

I'm currently working on the binding.  I'm not quite half way around but am close to the halfway point.

Quilt retreat was lots of fun.  I didn't win any prizes with my witch hat or machine cover, but that's ok.  I like what I made.  And while I took 6 projects to work on, only 2 were finished.  I did make some blocks for another quilt.

I spent some time crawling on the floor to lay out these blocks.  It would have gone faster if I had calculated what I needed better, but I got it to work out.  I then spent all of the first day sewing rows together.  I had to finish sewing the last 2 seams on Saturday morning of retreat.  It was good to get it finished.

Then I did this adorable wall hanging.  I had cut it the night before retreat and it turned out great with fabrics just from my stash (actually, the leftovers from cutting Heaven and Nature Sing which I didn't work on at all).

And here is the other top sewn together.  My holder doesn't have long enough arms to hold it out.  I'm calling it Saltwater Taffy since it looks like I spilled a bag of saltwater taffy on it.  

A wide back flannel backing has been ordered for it, so it should be getting finished soon.

Well, a new to do list needs to be created today.  I have a quilt of Mom's loaded so maybe will quilt this afternoon.  We'll just see what the day brings.

Christi

Quilting!

We're in for a long day of quilting.  After getting more thread yesterday, I started quilting early (6:30 am) this morning.  This monster quilt for my sister will take all day.  After 4 hours I was a third of the way done.  I have made the binding so that when the quilting is finished I can apply binding before taking it off the longarm.  

Before starting, I checked on my pets.  Harry had somehow gotten shut in the garage last night so missed out on the opportunity sleep in the heated cat houses.  I let both he and Mabel in.  Unfortunately, the amount of quilt batting draped on the floor for this quilt was just to much for them to resist, so they were returned to the great outdoors.  Mabel had quite a lot to say about this.

Please can't I come back in?  

While the longarm has been running, I finished cutting the Hash Tag quilt and then cut the Heaven and Nature Sing quilt (it's the scrappy Christmas tree quilt on the cover). 

I also finished the rug that goes with the quilt on the longarm.

I finished up a load of laundry last night and placed the soybeans I had washed and dried by my farmer's lunch bag so he could put them back with the others today.

I'm sure he'll have some more for me to wash.  The new combine ran smoothly yesterday.  We have discovered it's secondary purpose this morning.............

$150,000 rabbit trap!  This little guy's name is probably Stu............Stewy?  Sorry for that, but I couldn't resist.

So checking in on the sewing room to do list for the week.........

1.  Witchy Sue Sewing Machine Cover  DONE!)

2.  Finish the Rug (DONE!)

3.  Quilt either Deb's LARGE quilt or one of Mom's (happening as we speak)

4.  Finish cutting the Hash Tag quilt (DONE!)

5.  Decorations for my retreat table (DONE! photos to come from retreat)

6.  Cut Heaven & Nature Sing (DONE!)

7.  Pack for Retreat (definitely thinking about it)

Well, that's all for now...........

Christi

Aches and Pains

 Well, I did something Saturday which lead to some really sore arms on Sunday and Monday.  I'm starting to feel "normal" again.  I know what I did, but won't share it with you.  You wouldn't believe it.  

This little pig has been my friend.  He actually belongs to my farmer, but I have borrowed him the last 2 nights.  I just put him in the microwave for a couple of minutes and then snuggle him under my arm and sleep the night away.  He emits a lavender fragrance (why can't we get all of our pigs to do that?).  I think this is upsetting Esme though.  She usually spends a large portion of the night curled up by my legs but I'm not sure she likes Pig.  She hasn't been on the bed and I found pig pushed off in a heap on the floor yesterday, so maybe she's upset.  Of course, if she would just spend a couple of minutes in the microwave and snuggle up next to the parts that hurt, I probably wouldn't need Pig.  

So, most of Sunday afternoon was spent in the recliner watching the Chief's WIN!  This was our halftime entertainment.............

One kitten plus one laser light equals hours of entertainment.  Mabel did her best to comfort me as well.

Obviously she was exhausted by her efforts.  

The extra recliner time allowed me to make some progress on a cross stitch project.  This might actually get finished before Christmas!

Monday morning I spent time cleaning in the sewing room and servicing the longarm.  None of my adult cats like the sound of the vacuum, but Harry was not bothered enough to relinquish the sunny spot in the cat tower.

I also loaded the really big quilt for my sister.  My arms had loosened up, so I was able to get it loaded.  Of course, directing bell choir last night really REALLY loosened them up.  I am seeing the chiropractor this morning.  I'm thinking Harry might need to go as well after sleeping like this.

I also managed to get Sunbonnet Witchy Sue quilted and finished into a machine cover.  She'll be going to retreat with me later this week.  I'll scratch that off my list!

I was planning to quilt today, but after loading the quilt and picking the thread, I am in danger of running out of the preferred thread color before the end of this really really large quilt.  So, I will be calling around later this morning and probably making a trip somewhere to get some more thread before I start.  This will push quilting off until tomorrow.  So, it remains a mystery what the day brings.

Speaking of mysteries, the mystery of the combine has been solved by simply trading combines and getting a new (to us) one.  I finally braved it and asked just how many places to the left of the decimal point this was costing.  Sadly, I was correct in my assumptions.  That's really really really really (I could keep going here) going to cut into my fabric buying budget for 2026.  I foresee a lot of scrap quilts in the future.  So, I'm declaring 2026 the year of the scrap quilt!

Christi

The new list

 Well, the rain held off, but it started thundering shortly after 6 this morning so this happened...........

We only had a very minor shower, so Friday and Willow have made it back outside.  It didn't seem like I accomplished much yesterday, but I guess when you factor in some house cleaning, cooking, and taking my father-in-law to the hospital to get a shot in his hip to help his back pain, that is to be expected.  I did work on turning Sunbonnet Witchy Sue into a cover for my sewing machine.  She is on the longarm now waiting for some quilting.  And I did finally make a list.........

1.  Witchy Sue Sewing Machine Cover

2.  Finish the Rug (not that there is a rush on this, but it's kinda in the way)

3.  Quilt either Deb's LARGE quilt or one of Mom's

4.  Finish cutting the Hash Tag quilt (in cleaning/straightening, I found this tub where I started cutting this way back in August)

5.  Decorations for my retreat table

6.  Cut Heaven & Nature Sing (this is a Christmas quilt for Sarah's bed)

7.  Pack for Retreat

I kinda stopped the list at 7 since there is a retreat coming up, but if there is a #8, it would be to quilt another quilt.

So, that was the MAJOR (minor) accomplishment from yesterday.  

We'll see what the day brings.  If the farmer can go to the field, I will spend some more time in the sewing room.  Otherwise, I think a trip to Sedalia with the farmer might be in order.

And lest you think the combine is really fixed, I should tell you that the part he went to pick up did NOT solve the problem, so he has traded combines and the new (to us) combine might be here as early as Monday.  So if you think we were making any money, think again.

Christi

Time for a new list

But first.............

I love that Harry Potter feels so close to Willow.  Friday would like to share the love but just can't sit still for any length of time.

And the view from the window this morning..........

You know I wanted to let them all in.  But I extended love and treats through the window.  We're due to get rain and storms this evening, so they'll probably be inside then.

If you were expecting photos of new yard art, well, the farmer actually combined some beans yesterday.  (Yields are excellent, price is crap.)  No, the combine is not exactly fixed, but he thinks he knows what part he needs now.  Ag Power, our local dealership has 4 of the parts in stock, but they are for emergencies only and apparently we didn't qualify as an emergency.  So he's off to a different dealership in Salisbury this morning to get the needed part.  (I mentioned there was a quilt shop in Salisbury, but wasn't invited along for the trip.)

In between piano lessons and a little cleaning yesterday, I did manage to finish my witch hat.

I love the hat, but you can definitely tell why I don't take selfies very often.  And, yes, I'm standing in Sarah's closet because that's where the mirror is.  

So, it's Friday and time for a new list.  Let's see how we (I mean me) did this week.

1.  Finish binding the potato chip quilt  (Done!)

2.  Quilt one of my mom's quilts (there are at least 3 hanging in the tbq closet)  (Done!)

3.  Quilt my friend's quilt  (Done!)

4.  Finish the borders on the proposal quilt, make binding and backing and cut batting  (Done!)

5.  Work on the witch hat (Done)

6.  Work on a Sunbonnet Witchy Sue block  (Done!)

7.  Jelly roll rug  (Worked on it)

8.  Bags (Made 9, but I have ideas for so many more!)

Not bad for a week's list of projects.  I'm off to make a new list.  I know top of the list will be to transform the Sunbonnet Witchy Sue block into something.  I'm thinking a sewing machine cover which would be perfect to take to the guild Stitch Witch retreat next Friday and Saturday.  

List-making awaits!

Christi
 

Checking things off!

 

Well, obviously the combine still isn't fixed.  My farmer has been entertaining himself in the shop again.  I found these in my flower bed at the end of the day yesterday.  He said he needs to get some green paint for the stems.  These are/were lids of some sort.  I like the shadow the jack-o-lantern is casting on the concrete wall.  The pumpkin reminds me of the Charlie Brown movie "It's the Great Pumpkin" for some reason.  I dug out the bag of Halloween carving patterns for him and also showed him some ideas on Pinterest (for other holidays).  We'll see what happens today.  It'd just be nice if he could combine some beans.

I have been checking things off my sewing room to do list.  Yesterday, I cut out the witch hat pattern pieces and "created" my fabric for it.

I quilted about a yard of black fabric in gold thread with this motif.  I think it will make a very nice witch hat.  I also worked on Sunbonnet Witchy Sue.............

Isn't she adorable!  The block size is 10".  Now I just have to figure out what to do with her.  I have always wanted to make this block.

And I finished up 3 more zipper bags.  These were made from an old curtain, so the fabric was heavier to give the bag a little more support.  I did line these with this fat quarter of fabric.  I have used most of the curtain scraps and almost all of the fat quarter.  I didn't box the bottoms on these.

So here's the weekly list update............

1.  Finish binding the potato chip quilt  (Done!)

2.  Quilt one of my mom's quilts (there are at least 3 hanging in the tbq closet)  (Done!)

3.  Quilt my friend's quilt  (Done!)

4.  Finish the borders on the proposal quilt, make binding and backing and cut batting  (Done!)

5.  Work on the witch hat (Made the fabric and cut out the pattern)

6.  Work on a Sunbonnet Witchy Sue block  (Done!)

7.  Jelly roll rug  (Worked on it)

8.  Bags (Made 9, but I have ideas for so many more!)

So (or should I say "Sew") I'm doing very well on the list.  I need to make the witch hat now and figure out what to do with Sunbonnet Witchy Sue because Halloween is coming!  Probably I was able to get more done because my "help" took a long nap.

Christi

Ooopsie! Missed a day!

 Well the daily blog streak is broken!  I just really didn't have any good photos or stuff to share.  Not to say that nothing good happened, but I didn't think you'd get the same good vibes from really clean floors, clean laundry, freshly scrubbed spots (from Cici upchucking on the unfinished basement floor.......did you really want to see that?), balanced checkbooks, etc., that I was getting.  

I did make it to the sewing room yesterday afternoon AND I took some pictures!

I quilted this log cabin quilt of my mom's.  Actually it's for a friend of hers.  It turned out ok.  She brought me some high loft polyester batting to use, so it's very puffy in places.  But it's done.

And, I worked on some zipper bags with lots of help.

I was cutting pieces from a deliciously soft old quilt.  The challenging part was finding the spots I wanted to cut.  Usually, they were UNDER THE CAT!

And when Mabel got tired of "helping", Harry took over.  She's trained him well.

Eventually, 6 zipper bags were finished.

These were relatively easy to do.  They were already quilted and didn't get lined since the backside of the quilt was cute fabric.

Still, it seemed to leave some members of the team exhausted and in need of a nap.

And for those wondering, No!  the combine isn't fixed.  So the farmer has been entertaining himself in other ways.

Doesn't he do good work?!  I asked if the paint was Allis Chalmers orange or Kabota orange and was told that it was just orange...........but it's a perfect match for my pumpkins!  

It's raining this morning, the combine still isn't fixed, and he has 2 more cans.  I have been doodling suggestions all through breakfast.  (I do what I can to help alleviate the combine repair situation.).  

First up though is a trip to someplace northwest of Waverly to take one of the grain trucks to be worked on.  He's driving the truck but needs a ride back.  I'm starting to think we just need a direct money funnel from the grain elevator to John Deere and other places that work on equipment.  Just cut out the middle man (aka farmer) and save time.

Food for thought!

Christi