Halloween Cat Potholders

    I was going through my stash of fabric and I decided to make some Halloween potholders for me, daughter and a friend so I could get rid of some of this pretty fabric.  I put solid black on the back and bound them with black and cream homespun fabric.  These potholders have two layers of cotton batting with a piece of Insul-Brite in the middle. 

Halloween Table Runners

Yes, Halloween was yesterday.  I now have two Halloween table runners.  The pumpkin table runner has been done for weeks but I forgot to put a picture here.  I finished the black cat table runner tonight and it will be ready to use next year.

Halloween Black Cats

    So I made myself cut the sashing for my table runner and I actually put it together today.  I started early this morning before I had to leave for work and got the rows put together.  Then tonight I sewed all the rows together with sashing.  What a quick make.  I love all the different poses of the black cat.  He/she is wonderful.  I just have to sandwich it, quilt it, and bind it.

The First Afghan I Ever Made

   I made a black, white and grey acrylic granny ripple afghan for my big brother in 1983.  I bought the pattern and the acrylic yarn at my local JoAnn's Fabrics.  I had not made anything as big as an afghan before and I always forget about this one when I think about old projects.  I asked my brother to take this picture the other day so I could document my first big project with a crochet hook.  He loves this afghan and I love him for using it and loving it all these years.

Latest Quilt Finished.

   I was able to get the back pieced and the quilt sandwiched by Saturday afternoon.  I quilted it on Sunday and Monday, finishing the binding yesterday.  Here it is.

    Front:

   Back

    I did simple straight line cross hatch quilting on this one.  I tried to free motion quilt it with my new Janome 7700 but it didn't turn out very well.  I did two blocks before I decided to remove that quilting and use my walking foot to straight line quilt it.

    I need to practice free motion quilting on this machine so I can get the speed of my sewing coordinated with the movement of the quilt under the needle.   The next time I try to free motion quilt with this machine, I think I'll do a simple stipple and see how goes.

   I've already cut 5" squares of pretty floral fabric for my next quilt top.  It will be a simple design with the floral squares framed by green fabric strips.  I haven't started sewing it yet.  I'm taking a break for a few days to look at my to do list and get some other things done around the house.

Disappearing Hourglass Blocks Done And The Rest Of The Quilt Is Planned

  I have 41 black and white disappearing hourglass blocks done.  All pressed and ready to sash and set into a finished top.  I'm planning a top with 5 blocks x 7 blocks.  The rest of the blocks will go into the back.

   I also finally decided on the material for the back.  I bought a solid light royal blue by American Made Brand.

    That material will go nicely with the blue starry material I'm using for the binding and cornerstones.

   This top and back will be fun to put together.

New Chapter, New Project

    My life has changed in the last couple of months.  I left my job of 27 years and I'm taking some time off before I look for work.  I've been thinking about what I want to do for the rest of my life and taking care of some things around the house.  It has been very nice.

      Last year I purchased a low end DSLR  camera and I've just gotten around to taking it out and trying it out.  I took pictures of some of the flowers in my yard.  I have lots of knock out rose plants, drift rose plants, and marigolds in pots. The last picture is of the yellow knock out rose and the fragrance on those yellow blooms is amazing.

    I have started a new quilt top.  I'm making a disappearing hourglass in black and white.  The black fabric is actually a polka dot which I love.  You can get a great video tutorial on the pattern from Missouri Star Quilt Company on youtube at this link.   I love the MSQC video tutorials, they are so much fun.  Here is a picture of my first wonky block.  My measuring and cutting needs some work to get this block to look nice.  I'll be more careful with the rest.

   The work on the quilt top is going slowly, but I'll have more to share soon.