It is time to link up One Monthly Goal for October at Elm Street Quilts. I continue to appreciate this monthly motivation and many thanks to Patty and all that she does!
My One Monthly Goal for October is to quilt this quilt top for my sister for Christmas. I meant to do it last year, but then my husband started failing and it got put in the UFO pile waiting to be quilted.
Thanks for stopping by!
Three weeks ago I was working on some projects for the I'm Falling For You Blog Hop, which I finished.
ek, in one of my Cricut classes I cut out this pop-up card for my step-daughter Dawn.
I also made her this pillow cover. This pattern was from a quilt along last year with Partner's in Design and was designed by The Inquiring Quilter. Dawn likes sea turtles I found out several months ago. And I found the perfect fabric for the back.
Check in on what everyone else has been doing in the Hand Quilt Along below.
Hand Quilt Along Links
This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.
Kathy, Margaret, Deb, Nanette, Sharon, Karrin, and Daisy
What I will be working on this Sunday for Slow Sunday Stitching will be this quilt for the quilt guild. Someone else made it. They had bags of quilts that just needed the binding on. So I am going to sew the binding on and hand sew it down.
Be sure and check in at Kathy Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.
Today is my grandson Keaton's BD. We are celebrating Sunday night at Spaghetti Factory as today he had a soccer game and tonight is his prom. He has always been such a handsome guy, and I love him to pieces, like I do all of my grandchildren.
His dad took him to Universal Studios this week and he got a Harry Potter sweatshirt.
I had a tough time this morning looking through old pictures, and missing my John. I cried most of the morning. I think my problem is that my birthday is coming up and it will be the first time in 49 years I will not be with him. Around lunchtime daughter Katie came over and we looked through more photos.
That top picture was our reception and I was 25, but I sure looked like a baby!
I have something weird to admit. Back in March I made this little wall hanging. I was searching around on all my walls for someplace to hang it because all of the walls in my house are full. I usually rotate things on the walls. I finally hung it up on the wall right beside John's hospital bed. He would usually tell me once he really liked things. But this quilt he kept looking over at it, and would tell me how much he liked it.
Yesterday I was up at Hobby Lobby and when I came back out to my car there in the parking lot were these two blackbirds. One was eating something off a fast food wrapper. The other would pull his wing and then snatch the paper away. Then they would switch and the other one would pull his wing and snatch the paper away.
I guess I'd better end this, before I get anymore gruesome. Thanks for stopping by!
It's time to link up finishes for One Monthly Goal @Elm Street Quilts. Many thanks to Patty for the continued motivation!
I stated my September One Monthly Goal here, which was to finish a UFO and other projects for the I'm Falling For You Blog Hop. This was a quilt-a-long by Buttermilk Basin several years ago. I had the 4 leaves done and the 4 flowers when I set it aside. I was able to get the top of this done, plus some other projects for the blog hop. I got my machine to finally cooperate for free motion quilting, and I am happy to say this is done.
I'll be linking up with Elm Street Quilts for One Monthly Goal.
Thanks for stopping by!
It's been another busy week with a lot of driving around. The good news is my loan went through and I got my $$ wired into my bank account on Wednesday. I was also able to get my solar panels off on Monday, in preparation for the new roof. The disturbing news is that the roofers didn't start this week. I had heard last Friday they would start working on my fireplace dry rot on Thursday. I told the solar panel guys I needed the panels off because the roofers were coming this week. I didn't hear anything from them on Thursday, so I called and found out they took on a some new jobs as they were waiting for me. So it might be a week or two before they start. Meanwhile my panels are off, and I will be paying for more electricity instead of creating it, and our weather is still in the 90's.
Otherwise my youngest grandson John turned 11 on Wednesday and I picked him and his sister up and we went and got slushies with boba after school, and they liked that.
He had requested a special sweatshirt for his birthday which I ordered. It must be coming from China because even though I ordered it the first part last of August, it won't be here till the second or third week of October. So I decided to embroider him a sweatshirt to give to him for his BD too. He requested a tuxedo cat design. He had a cat named Max that died several years ago that was a tuxedo cat.
On the last color, which I think was the nose, the needle broke and my machine started showing a picture of gears. I looked in the bobbin case and there it was. I decided to drive it down to the machine place because I couldn't reach it. They actually took it in the back and the technician said there was no needle. So I took it back home. Next morning I plugged it in and there was an error message about a machine malfunction. I took it to my local shop where I had purchased the machine and the lady at the other place that was helping me put the bobbin case back in wrong. They are the same company, and the other place does all the repairs. So I did a lot of driving around for nothing.
My day for the I'm Falling for You Blog hop was here. These were a couple of my slow stitching projects. The first one I didn't show on the blog hop.
I also knit this pumpkin. I think I should have knit tighter as the stuffing is sort of showing through.
What I will be working on this week for Slow Sunday Stitching will be back to my Kathy Schmitz that was set aside for my fall projects. I will be linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching. Head on over and check out what others have been working on.
The other thing I have been working on this week has been a online course to learn about the things my Cricut can do with Jennifer Maker. I have been taking the Cricut College course. I have only gotten as far as the introductory kickoff project, which was to make a certificate that I cut out both sides and printed on the one piece of cardstock. I had to redo this three times as I hadn't attached things right or something. I still have section one to do, with three projects, and section two has come out, so I need to get busy. But the videos are available for me to watch anytime.
Thanks for stopping by!
The I'm Falling For You Blog Hop started Monday, Many thanks to the hostess with the mostest Joan @ Moosestash Quilting. This has been a great hop! There have been some great projects so far. The entire schedule is below.
I was excited when I heard about this the I'm Falling For You Blog Hop. Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the colors, I love getting my Autumn decorations out. I don't know if it is because I am an October baby or what, but I love the colors and love making fall projects.
I have a little folder named "Fall" and I apparently had several projects I didn't finish last year, so I planned to finish those up, but then several squirrels lead me astray.
One the items in my Fall folder was some cloth pumpkins I had cut out last year, so I sewed these together and finished them up. The pattern for the three sizes I found here @Birch Cottage.
Last year, Buttermilk Basin had a fall quilt along. I got to steps 1 and 2 and then quit for some reason. I finished up the top too. I had hoped to have it quilted before this hop stop, but I have one machine in the shop, and another one needs to go in as it has a piece of a needle stuck in a gear. It should be pretty easy to quilt once I get a machine back!
One of my squirrels was when I decided last Thursday night I wanted to do a fall pillow for the loan agent I have been working with for a reverse mortgage. I found I was supposed to sign papers last Friday. So I got up Friday morning and made this before she came over in the afternoon. She loved it, and sent me a picture of the chair she has it in. I cut out the letters on my Cricut.
My mind has been whirling around with Fall ideas these past couple of weeks. Then Carla @ Creatin in the Sticks made this little gnome mini quilt that can be found here. The squirrel carried me away again and I made this as a pillow cover for my step-daughter's BD that is coming up the first part of October. I changed the sign a bit.
I have been on a bit of a gnome kick recently. I just can't get enough of them. I made this little guy . There is a video and tutorial @Ruffles and Rain Boots . Another squirrel led me off this direction until I finished him.
I also knit a pumpkin. The pattern can be found here.
Be sure and check out the other bloggers below, and thanks again Joan!
Monday September 20
Tuesday September 21
Wednesday September 22
The I'm Falling For You Blog Hop started today, hosted by the fabulous Joan @ Moosestash Quilting. The entire schedule is below. I am looking forward to seeing everyone's projects!
Monday September 20
Tuesday September 21
Wednesday September 22
Thanks for stopping by, and be sure and come back on Thursday for my projects!
This week has flown by with a number of activities. I can't believe it is time for Slow Sunday Stitching again!
I had grandson John here until Wednesday and he was able to go back to school on Thursday. He never had a positive test for COVID, but they made him stay home until 20 days after his mother's diagnosis. Klara, his sister did have a positive test, a few sniffles, and was able to back to school after Labor Day.
Wednesday I attended a local quilt guild meeting for the first time, and joined, plus one of their mini groups. I have always wanted to join, but they meet in the mornings, and when I was working I was not able to. And then after I retired, I was John's caregiver. I had planned to go, and then hesitated as I was getting a lot of calls about the status of my reverse mortgage. and was going to postpone until next month, but my daughter encouraged me to go, so I did. I did get several calls while I was at the meeting and I had to step out, but that was OK.
A lady checking in behind me volunteered to be my mentor and showed me around, and is keeping me updated via email of activities. I took home a couple of charity projects to complete. I had a really good time and was glad for the interaction IRL with other quilters. They even have a group for single women, and get together for lunches.
Anyway after all this I had to go take care of some business with my mortgage company. They were giving the reverse mortgage people a hard time about giving information about payoff, mainly because John's name was on the trust deed, not mine. The house was in the Hurd Family Trust. I had an affadavit that had been filed with the county reporting John had died, and that I was the trustee of the Hurd Family Trust. So I had to go up to my mortgage company, take a copy of John's death certificate, the affadavit, the trust information, and have them fax it to another number.
So I was really discouraged, thought for another week, I would have to wait to sign papers. But apparently my doing that helped, and they were able to get information because Thursday my loan agent called and said I could sign papers on Friday. So Friday a notary and my agent came over about 4:45 and we got to work. There were 190 pages. I didn't have to sign every page, but we had to go over everything. Because this is a reverse mortgage you have to sign papers with the lender, and the HUD in duplicate, (US Department of Housing and Urban Development). There is an insurance policy with HUD that you pay for, if the lender has problems, my loan is guaranteed. Anyway, notary lady was here until 7:20 last night going over everything. So the loan should be funded next Wednesday or Thursday.
I think the stars were aligned right this week for me. First the loan papers were signed. Next I called roofer people and told them I would have my funds next week. And they are ready to start next week, before our rainy season. I have to have the solar panels taken down first though. So called solar people and they said they are working 1 month to 5 weeks out. I told them the roofers were coming next week, and all of a sudden the service guy told me he had a fall through on Monday, and they would be out on Monday to take them off!
So the night before my papers were signed, I thought I should make a little something for my loan officer I have working with. She has gone above and beyond trying to get this thing in the works, with difficulties all over. So I got up Friday morning and thought I would put together a little fall pillow for her. I cut out the words on my Cricut machine and ironed them on. I quilted around the leaves. She was so thrilled. She said she usually gets wine, but no one has never made her anything!
Today daughter Katie, granddaughter Klara and I went to the annual local begonia show and sale. We have gone to this for 11 years now. Last year there was cancelled because of COVID so we were quite happy to attend again, and I think went a little crazy. When we first started going, plants were about $5-7. Two years ago they were $9. This year most were $14 except the ones on the sale table were $10. We went a little crazy. I need to pot mine tomorrow. I tend to go for the Begonia Rex the ones with the beautiful leaves. Katie and I learned that we can attend the meetings monthly and they usually have a speaker and a sale table. I know I want to start going.
We usually get the casualties during the winter if it freezes, and in the summer when it is so scorching hot. I think I only had 2 casualties last year. Katie and I used to go to a little French Restaurant after the show and have lunch, but apparently they closed in 2020 after the owner had a stroke, so we were disappointed, but ended up having a great brunch at a place I used to meet with friends before work to have breakfast before work.
I am still working on secret projects this week, to be revealed on Thursday at the I'm Falling For You Blog Hop. I need to finish stitching these words so I can complete this project. This is what I will be working on for Slow Sunday Stitching.
