Halloween Sewing

Just started another book that is a true story and interesting.  Really nice outside so I caught a few chapters out there.  Hope to get out there again today.  I have a Zoom workshop online in a bit so that will take up some of my day.  

Last year I made myself a Bonnie inspired table runner while she was sewing up pumpkins for her quilt.  She later came out with a cooler pattern so this year I made a HUGE one for my mom who has a huge table and one for my sister in law Ashley because she saw a picture of mine on my table and asked about it.  So much fun sewing up pumpkins. Quilted them myself and am really tired of tracing out pumpkins!

I decided I could not send a box and not send something for my sister so she is getting the other table topper.  So many fun Halloween fabrics in it.  It is Rock Candy by Jaybird Quilts.

 

Halloween Sewing and Reading

Finished reading David Copperfield and opened all my gifts.  I enjoyed the book more than I thought I would though sometimes I had to reread to figure out what the old language meant.  I also watched it on BBC and it was actually a good representation of the book.  Interested to see the new one that is in theaters now.  Also read the August book (finished last night) and opened the gifts.  Really an even more fun way to read than normal.  I am super excited for the next box and the fun Halloween boxes.  We are really trying to not spend much since I am not working much but I have to have these boxes for now!

This book was good--sort of a puzzle to figure out that kept me guessing.  Out big excursion on Saturday was to the public library.  Got cards and already hooked myself up with Overdrive for audiobooks! 

I finished the top for a pumpkin table runner for my mom and for my sister in law.  Here is a picture of mom's.  Ashley's is smaller.  Mom has a HUGE long table so this will be perfect for it.  I do not have Bonnie's actual pattern so I had to use the quilt direction and her picture and it is not exactly the same (and this one bigger and the other one smaller) but I like them all the same.  I made one for me last year but it has only five pumpkins in single file on it.  If you do want the pattern you can find it at Quiltville.

Last year Barb and I sewed up these cute little Ring of Coffin quilts.  This year we Skype sewed and made them into pillow covers.  Mine has the red center and hers has the black center.  SO CUTE!  If you want this pattern--it is paper piecing--you can find it here.

 

A Stitch or Two

 We had quite a turtle  um tortoise adventure yesterday.  We were on the way out to drop off my car for an oil change before Weight Watchers (yes still at it, up a few pounds overall but still down over 110) when I spotted this guy in our yard.  Kathy had already left and we were running late so I called her and after dropping the car came home to throw this dude in a box with some water and food.  We posted his picture on a local site which finally led to him finding a foster home while the owners find him.  The gal that took him thought he was hers and just as she got to our house hers was found at home.
Later we were near Fry's when Kathy found someone's credit cards and driver's license.  We drove it to the address, no one was home and the neighbor said they had moved.  We drove it to the PD and dropped it all off there.  So much for a chill day.  Out karma better rock!

I sewed for a short bit today since my life is all about teaching high school right now.  I have been SO busy planning four preps (while teaching six classes a day with no prep hour) and even though I have tons of stuff to tap into it is still alot of stuff at start up and changing from college to high school and the different times for the classes at each.  Anyways, the first week with kids went well.  Better than I remember from my last time around teaching high school!

So here is my 35th Ave. BOM.  Happy to have it ready for next weekend.  It is the first I have sewn in July at all I think...or at least since I found out about this job.  I also cut out the stuff for Pat Sloan's BOM.  No time to sew any of it and of course this month is a doozy...all the rows in between instead of just one block. UGH.

 I still have the Rainbow Scrap Challenge BOM to cut and sew two of.  Not sure it will be happening before the new color comes out.  ACK!  I have two weeks off in October so I may be catching up then!  The good news is the number pulled for the UFO Challenge I am doing is one I accidentally already made!  YAY.  So that is caught up.
Bonnie's pumpkin pattern came out in Quiltmaker...love hers with the grey.  I made mine last year and like it too!

On a Roll!

 Ros quilted up my En Provence this week!  I need to pick it up and get a binding on it.

Here is a close up of the quilting she did.

 Here is my Bonnie signed label.  I have to right my name on it.

I also was on a roll this week--I quilted up this Bonnie inspired tablerunner.  I was super excited to see Bonnie's pattern will be coming out in Quiltmaker but here is what I came up with after seeing her pumpkins! I may be keeping this one.

Barb gave me this tablerunner and so I finally got it quilted. It will be gifted to someone soon.

I also finished the piano key border on the Betty's Choice and Amy's alternate blocks.  I made a backing and this one is ready to go to the longarmer.

Linking up with Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Angela's Blog!

The Garden Party Continues and The Pumpkin Party Begins!

 Last weekend I made more Garden Party blocks and cut more. 

 I have all the blocks cut now and about 22 to go of the flower blocks.  I did not take any pictures of this weekends though.  I am going to sew at Barb's tomorrow so they are all packed up to sew there.

 

Bonnie's new book is out so I had to get it and her new ruler and playing cards.  Now to get it spiral bound.  So excited to have this new book in my hands.  The next picture is from Quiltville.blogspot.com. I took a screenshot of Bonnie's tablerunner and decided to just see what I could make without a pattern.  First time for everything! 

I started by sewing orange strings together and trimming them up.  The one pumpkin was made from the trimmings of all the other pumpkins.

 My first happy pumpkin.  These blocks just made me smile all night!

 It all went together amazingly well since I was just eyeballing what Bonnie did and making a smaller version of it.

 The green stripy fabric is not attached.  I like the checkered border on two sides and may just put more black around it all and do the binding in the lime spiders.  Gonna sleep on it.

It was nice to get in some sewing time.  I had a migraine all weekend but triptan made the weekend bearable for the most part.
I am almost back to my 111.2 down too.  I set a goal to lose one pound a week time mid December so that I can get to ONEderland by Christmas.  I have managed to lose five pounds in five weeks since I wrote that on paper. Every time I want to eat something I remind myself I want to see that pound gone more than I want whatever it is I am trying to eat.  It really seems to be motivating me again.  YAY!