September is here

September is here--9 months into 2016.  Hope you all had a happy and safe holiday weekend.  I know folks think of it as being the last summer blow-out but officially we have till the 22nd till fall begins.   It has been a little cooler the last two mornings giving some hope for cooler days ahead.  While the afternoon highs are still in the low to mid 90's, I'll take cool mornings anytime!  The yard is browning up and getting crunchy again as little rain has been had at my house anyway, in spite of the weather situation in the Gulf recently.  The kudzu is flowering and DJ always felt that its days were numbered when you saw that, less growth.

I'm still hobbling a bit from the banged up toe incident but can at least get my shoe on if I wear thinner socks.  Oscar and I have been avoiding the hills on either end of the lane still but we are getting out there a few times a day for the abbreviated version.  Walking on the trail is suspended for the time being.

It was a quiet weekend here.  I sewed a bit on my challenge piece listening to Piano Guys, Secret Garden, Peter Hollens, Home Free or whatever is in the You Tube mix.  Read a bit, watched some of the Downton Abbey marathon on PBS even though I have seen the episodes and have the DVD's  (still love the show and will miss it!).  Finished the last dishcloth I was working on while watching the Bama-USC game over at Paul's with the gang on Saturday.  I cannot just sit and watch TV, ever. I could have taken some binding to work on but I knew lighting might be problematic as we could not have glare on the TV screen!   We went out to a local BBQ place for the rib special but I got BBQ and then went back to his house to watch the game.  I took some sheet cake I made experimenting with recipe a bit from the standard Tex-Mex version I always make.  Verdict:  I like the other better but this was good too.  I'll probably take the leftovers to one of the quilt gatherings as the leftovers hit the freezer.

Shifting gears:
Here are some photos of the No Bake Jolly Bar.  I wanted you to be able see the lovely quilting Jennifer did on it as well as the fabrics close up.  This corner has some of the add-on's I tossed in to go with the Prairie Line.  I had to put something else in besides all those stripes though I will use them in something else down the line---like bowtie blocks probably.  I think you can see past the kitty who finally got to lay on the quilt!  Actually he got to sleep on it the other night though I bailed for the other bed after a few hours!

I moved the hooks up a bit so the table cloth won't be dragging as much on the floor. At some point I'll probably hang up my Halloween and/or Kitty City quilt in that spot.  I really like how this quilt turned out!

There is, of course, something back on the design wall once I took the quilt down after the photo op.   The Good Karma challenge but I cannot share that till it is finished.  An extra charm pack is in the foreground.  Being a bit mathematically challenged at times (or lazy!)  I did not stop to calculate just how many packs I might need but really I was not entirely sure what I wanted to do when the order was placed and said "get me two" just in case and then ordered another later for the same reason   Some prints are duplicated, some are not.

That pile of rulers has proved necessary for squaring up along the way which is not something I normally do at all.  It is taking longer since I am taking this step, that and starching a bit. Normally I cut the pieces for my quilts using the same rulers and mat throughout rather than use die cuts.  Well, not so much lately but normally.  I like those jolly bars, LOL.   I am finding that the charms and mini-charms of the same line are a bit off by an 1/8 of an inch short.  That might sound a little like a fuss-budget but those 1/8ths add up.  I have to adjust my sewing line a bit to maintain accuracy and sliver cut.  When you can see a visible difference, it is automatic for me to question "which one is right?"

So I'll keep plugging and playing with the bright colored fabric.  I think I am going to like the results.  Right now I am going back and forth on that, LOL.

I've just received word that the newest great-grand for my family is here, a little boy and my sister's 4th grandchild--3 granddaughter's and now a grandson.  Since her birthday was yesterday, I thought it might be kind of cool if he came on her day but he only missed it by a day!  Congratulations to his parents and praise God for his safe arrival.

Think I'm ready for a bit of lunch so I'll thank you for stopping by and hope you are having a good day wherever you are and whatever is keeping you busy.