WIP Weds, wk. 44

Time for another addition of WIP Weds.

I am stitching on the October Halverson Calendar quilt block---just a little lettering to go and the rest will become part of my quilting the piece.

Below (or to the right) is what I WAS trying to work on over the weekend, before the cat had its button eyes attached. Pam and I were chatting on IM on Saturday and she asked what I planned on working on that day. Stitchery, I thought but that is obviously not what happened.


Turns out that I had just received the fabric order so I could make a sewing machine cover for the older Singer I had bought from Lois' mother who was moving to a long term care facility. Pam had one on her list as well. Even though it was not what either one of us envisioned sewing that day, we were off and running.

Everything was going well to this point when I took the picture; I just needed to purchase some green buttons for the eyes and raid my buttons stash for some smaller sized black ones to overlay that on my next Wal-mart run.

BUT Monday I struggled with attaching the rounded ends to the larger straight edged front/ back sections to this thing. It is sort of like doing a sleeve cap, I guess---some gathering needed to make it fit. I finally got the lining pieces together without too much pleating but had to rip out the same place 3 times and finally ended up hand stitching that problem spot. Then when I tried to do the nice striped sides to the front/back---disaster hit. Ripping ensued, I cut new sections but the project was not going to get done. Pam, of course, finished her project in record time and offered to bail me out and finish up the top stuff. I think she knows that I will give up on this out of frustration. I mailed it off to her yesterday. I can handle it from there---stuff one inside the other and bind the raw edge. TIA, Pam.

Oh, it was not the problem with the pattern, it was purely me. Pattern source: Cotton Ginny. If you DO click on that link, you will spot the wall hanging that I want to do---looks just like Skyler! Maybe once I get the Pumpkins 4 sale done that will be next but the calendar quilt blocks are first. I really would like to be able to hang the November and December ones at least.


Lastly, look what came in the mail for me from my sister-in-law Jan. She emailed me this weekend to tell me that her local quilt guild in Wilson Co., Tennessee was in charge of the quilt show portion of their recent Oktoberfest event. Apparently there were not a lot of entries so Jan went home and grabbed many of the quilts from home. Turns out Beth's Indiana Puzzle that I made a few years back was one of them and it won a 1st place ribbon. All this booty was the prize I received.

The honored quilt can be seen HERE. Pattern source: Marsha McCloskey's Quick Classic Quilts. Doesn't it look pretty on my bed? I should make another, LOL using some of the leftovers I still have. Oh, and Jan told me that one my mother had made for my brother won a 2nd place ribbon plus another she had taken was also recognized with a ribbon.

There are 15 fat quarters of fabric, most of it patriotic though that teal one will work for the wagon of that aforementioned "Pumpkins 4 sale". The little zipper case full of fats is apparently from the Eleanor Burns as it says "Eleanor Burns made a stripper out of me" on it. Then there is a barn pattern, heart yo-yo maker, quilt journal and ruler holder. That kitty on a sewing machine you see is a music box! And I don't know if you can read Jan's note on the envelope or not but it was supposed to be a gift certificate for $25.00 from a Nashville area quilt shop. Jan swapped it out but it has to be spent on something quilt related.

This is my first 1st place ribbon! I have 4- 2nd place ribbons and 5- 3rd place that I have received over the years but never a first. Oh, one I entered was so honored but it was a gift to me from a quilt list that I used to moderate and I sent that on to the lady who assembled and quilted it. Much like what my sister-in-law did for me. I guess I do know a little about sewing/piecing even though that machine cover made me feel like I didn't, LOL.

No problems spending the money on something quilt related either. DJ and I are going to make the Boaz run tomorrow to pick up my Daisy chain quilt, Lois' quilt for her daughter and possibly one of Aline's if it is done. I have enough cash set aside for most of the anticipated costs but this will offset the remaining amount I will owe. Talk about good timing!

I had planned on making the trip today, either with my friend Marilyn or with DJ if she couldn't go but the weather was still unstable. We had lot of tornado warnings, watches and severe thunderstorms yesterday. Sometime after 6 this morning the sirens sounded again. Tornado warning for our county. Lots of periods of heavy rain but we need rain--whole state has been under a no burn order for a month or so now because of the drought conditions we are under. While it was okay off and on in our country this morning, who knew what might pop up driving two counties away? Thursday's forecast is much better so why risk it?

Guess that's it for now-----thanks for stopping by!