Always a Glitch

 I have got a lot of quilting done this week plus the regular stuff. However, there is always a glitch somewhere.   I wanted to get the binding done on two quilts and was doing well until I ran out of bobbin thread.  When I installed the new one, the thread tangled when I started sewing.  I took all the bobbin area apart, cleaned it and, made sure everything was threaded right.  Tried again.  Same result.  Changed bobbins. Same result.  Gave up and changed machines.

I can see what is going wrong but am not sure how to fix it.  I have another machine of the same make so will trying to exchange the part where the bobbin sits and see if that makes a difference.  For now, though, I am going to finish that binding.

This one is going to a senior's home so I did a self-binding which will help make it will be nice and sturdy.  This pattern is my own design.

This wall hanging is for a craft sale.  I am working on the hand binding now.

Our new cat, Ally is still spending the majority of her day sleeping on the spare room bed.  She hasn't warmed up to Heidi yet either much to my little dog disappointment.  Heidi is beginning to slow down a lot as to be expected from a 14 year plus dog so, although it may be some time yet, I am trying to prepare myself for the inevitable.  I really don't know how you do that, but I do know I have many good friends who will help.

Blessings,

Craft Sales

 The sun has been shining all day and the weather guru promised that we are going to have a few days of warmer than normal weather. I still have some outdoor work to do so warmer will be welcome as long as it isn't too hot.  I spent most of yesterday afternoon working on one of the small shoulder bags.  I made one, did it wrong, unpicked the stiches, did it wrong again, repeat unpicking.  I will have another go at it now.  

I have been trying to get more done in a day and the only way I am going to accomplish that is to lessen my computer time.  I get a lot of news links and I am just deleting everything without even checking to see what they are.  If I can manage to not play any games, I will gain a couple of hours a day.

Our ally cat is adjusting quite easily to her new home.  She hasn't decided if she wants to be friends with the dog yet but at least they aren't fighting.

Are you going to any craft shows this year?  Our art club has one in the November, and I am getting items ready for that.  I may go to another but haven't decided yet.  It is a lot of preparation without any guarantee you are even going to cover the table cost.  I have to admit that I hate just sitting there all day.  The art group one doesn't have tables.  Our coordinator sets up the items, so it looks just like a regular store.  There are tables but small and they will have a few similar items on it-pottery, stained glass.  There is one person who collects the money and then a cheque is given to the seller at the close of the 2 day event.  Easy peasy.

Blessings,

Off to the Publisher

A lot of our leaves are now on the ground so I will need to get busy with the rake and get them into our compost bin as well as onto the flower beds.

Our Ally Kat is adjusting well.  She is starting to wander around the house and definitely loves to be petted.  I am saddened that she doesn't know how to play.  I have a couple of toys for her and, so far, she is ignoring them.  

 This quilt top was made by my friend and scrappy extraordinaire, Marie.  The pattern is mine and she was doing a test for me.  I think she did a fantastic job and now I can get this pattern sent to the publishers.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Blessings,

A New Pet.

 We have a new family member.  We have, for a long time, discussed the idea of getting a cat.  I love kitty cat's and still miss our Tascha that left us when he was 18 years old.  There were a lot of reasons why we shouldn't get one.  We have a dog.  Hubby is allergic.  I didn't want cat hair on my quilts.  Cleaning up kitty litter is not fun.

Then I saw this lovely ginger cat advertised as being available at a rescue.  He was a senior (12) and as we are also, he wouldn't cost anything.  We filled out the application, were approved and made an appointment to pick Tigger up.

When we got to the shelter and I went through all the do's and don'ts, I took the carrier back to see our new cat.  Turned out Tigger was a long hair and not very friendly.  He bit me and drew blood. After looking at a number of other cats, I found a little female who was a ginger with white paws and bib.  She is now our kitty and learning to adjust to her new home.  She is very friendly.  Our dog loves her, Ally is a bit more reserved about her feelings but doesn't try to scratch or bite. She hardly sheds at all.

I am so looking forward to being able to cuddle with her and spoil her with lots of toys.  She doesn't seem to know what to do with the one that I have given her, but I am sure that will change.

So, now in addition to seeing photos and stories about our Heidi, I will be adding Ally to the blog.

Blessings,

Two More Shoulder Bags.

 I have had a busy morning.  I made two pumpkin pies, apple sauce (for the ham) cranberry sauce (for the turkey) and a large apple crisp.  We are expecting 10 family members and friends tomorrow, so I wanted to get as much done ahead of time as possible.  Hubby has peeled a large pot of potatoes and they are waiting to be cooked.  Ham has also been cooked and sliced.  We will reheat that Saturday.  The oven isn't big enough for both the turkey and the ham.

We are hoping the weather will be nice but rain is predicted.  I started going down the driveway with Heidi but didn't get far before we were hit with cold raindrops.  We scurried back up the hill a lot faster than we went down.

I finished two more shoulder bags yesterday.  They are addictive.

I am doing each one in different fabrics.  The purple bag view is the back and it has a pouch.  I think I will make the pouch deeper on the next one and maybe add a snap closure.

I hope all my Canadian readers have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We have much to be thankful for living in this wonderful country,

blessings,

New Member

 We had a new lady join our quilt group on Monday.  We don't usually admit more members as we have just over a dozen which is a nice number for interaction. However, we have been going through a period of deaths and illnesses, so we decided to add one or two women.  The lady that joined on Monday fit in perfectly.  It may sound cliquish, but we are such a close group that we are concerned about anyone joining that would change the dynamics.  We really care about each other and often will visit in between meetings.  We celebrate birthdays, commiserate with concerns and generally everyone is treated with respect and caring.  We have only had one woman join who just didn't fit in and she left after a few meetings.

I believe it is rare to find a group of people who share the same passion while also truly being friends.  Perhaps it is a quilting thing.  I had a group in Edmonton who was also very close although not to the same extent that this one is.

I hope that whether you belong to a group of quilters, knitters, hikers or whatever, you know that these are people you can count on.  It is something for which we can be truly thankful,

Blessings,