I have been really busy today. I got the binding machine sewed to the big Mariner’s Compass, it is about 107 inches square, I started to do the hand stitching and have one side done! only 3 sides left to go. Maybe I will get it done on Tuesday, I’m sure I will put some time in on it tomorrow. I hope to have it done this week so that I can take a photo of it at the church on Friday at my quilt group. There is a stage there where when two people hold a quilt up it won’t be drapped onto the floor or if that doesn’t work there is a balconey that we can hang a quilt over to take a photo. While I had the sewing machine out I got the backing pieces sewed together for the Scrappy Irish Chain. After drawing the quilting design on the open spaces I got it all loaded onto the 3 roller frame and it is ready to start quilting. I do not plan to take as long quilting this one – but one can never tell 
The next quilt to go on the frame is the first Dear Jane Quilt that I made that I call “Insanity”.
Here is the quilt on the frame:
Here is a photo of the design for the white areas – it isn’t real dark maybe you can see it good enough to get an idea of what the swirly design looks like:
Well I am done for the night! I got a lot done today and even got my sewing table cleared off and everything put away earlier so that I could use the table.
Continue reading about Another quilt on the frame – ready to go
Finally I took the last quilting stitch a little while ago and took the big Mariner’s Compass quilt off of the quilting frame – it has been on the frame since January – I was rather lazy with it once I got it on the frame and didn’t work hard on it, I was preoccupied with other projects, but I really got busy on it in the middle of October and put as much time in on it quilting the last six weeks as I did from January through September (of course we weren’t home part of that time) but still, did a heck of a lot of work on it the last six weeks. Now the binding. This is almost a king size quilt so I need to cut a bit of binding and then get it all stitched. Which means I need to get the sewing table out and the sewing machine and while I have the machine out I will get the backing sewed that is needed for the twin size Scrappy Irish Chain that will go on the frame next. (I guess I should mention that I wasn’t really lazy about finishing this quilt, from Jan. to Sept., I made and quilted two twin size quilts for the grandchildren and I made a couch size quilt also – and of course always working here and there on Dear Jane and Dutch Treat and got the piecing done for the quilt that will next go on the frame and the applique project that I have shown pictures of now and then) — If I stuck to one at a time I could get done with things but that wouldn’t be any fun would it!
I do have a mess on my sewing table that needs to be cleaned up before I can start with the binding so first thing tomorrow I will start on that. I also have to trace designs on the Irish Chain in the large white sections there will be a flower of sorts in those spaces before I can get it on the frame.
And now I think I am taking time off from sewing/quilting and computer and go read my new book that is waiting for me – Patricia Cornwell’s newest book “Scarpetti” one of my favorite series.
Well I got my front door area decorated for Christmas, I still have not gotten my outside Christmas lights up, I wonder if I will this year! It is too cold today, my fingers froze just doing the little bit outside that I did do.
I have received a link to a quilt store that is going out of business and ordered some fabric from them for a very deep discount. I do not know if they ship overseas but anyone of you here in the states might want to check them out. I have not had any experience with them, but for 6 yards of fabric I have paid $20.00 plus shipping so it was worth it to me. I ordered fat quarter batiks and a fabric that I have in my stash called Fairy Frost which they had in two different colors. Here is the link: http://www.gonequilting.com/ if you put “guild” in the special code area you get another 10% off. With the shipping and handling the cost came to around $5.00 a yard.
I have had several people ask me about the movie “Australia” and if it was good. Well keep in mind this is just my opinion! I thought this was supposed to be a very serious epic type of movie and it really started more as kind of a comedy – weird, but really it seemed like a comedy for almost the first hour of the movie – which is not bad, just not what I was expecting. The last half of the movie was more of a WWII epic and showed the destruction of Darwin Australia and how the government took away mixed race children from their families. The chemistry between the two stars – Nicole Kidman and Huge Jackman was off I thought – they didn’t sizzle all of this is my opinion! y’all might like it, I did like it – it just wasn’t quite what I expected I guess. Sometime when it comes on HBO or whatever I might watch it again, but it wouldn’t be high on my list.
Today at my small dear jane group I got done with one block this one is the Rising Sun E-5.
I have not worked on Dear Jane – or “Insanity Revisted” in sometime, I have been busy on my other quilts in progress and Dear Jane and Dutch Treat always take a vacation now and then as working with tiny pieces sometimes needs a break I think but I always come back to them I have been blogging a lot lately and have been amazed at how much all around the world people are working on Dear Jane – I had no idea at how many countries have quilters making Dear Jane – she really is popular isn’t she!
Today looks like it will be a rainy one and in the 50’s not very Chrismasy but then again in Arkansas December isn’t always known for cold snowy weather, in fact there have been times when we had a picnic in December and then others when we were shoveling snow off of the porch. We are going to go see the movie “Australia” today and get a little shopping done. If we get back early enough I will do some baking, I really need to get started on a little bit of that.
Tomorrow I have two quilt groups to go to, one in the early afternoon – we meet to work on our Dear Jane quilts and then another group meets on the first Thursday evening of the month and they work on anything they want to. I go to that one sometimes but not always – if I’m not tired I will run over and see the ladies for awhile and bring my applique top to work on – two borders are almost complete.
We have been busy today putting up some of the Christmas decorations. I took out the xmas wreath thinking I would go straight to the fireplace to hang it up only to be dismayed by the condition it was in, parts had fallen off and other things were sagging somewhat. I decided to take most of it off and off I went to Hobby Lobby to get new decorations for it and also to get more glue for the glue gun and florist wire to wire some items directly to the wreath. Got back home and got the wreath put together. Then it was time to take time out and get supper cooking. After supper Mike helped put the tree up and get the lights strung up and all the decorations on the tree. Here is a photo of the tree:
I do not like to put too many things on the tree and prefer just to mainly have candles hanging on it and all the pretty lights. Plus over the years we have collected an odd assortment of decorations that we use year after year. Over the fireplace hangs the wreath that I originally made about 10 years or more ago and just remodled this afternoon. On the fireplace itself is the nativity stable and little statues. The stable was made by my grandfather John Marlow back in 1953! and it is still all in one piece – talk about carefully packing it away every year the large angel that is hooked to the roof of the stable and the tall angel standing towards the back belonged to my parents and is from the same time period.
When the kids were small I would have already made several batches of Xmas cookies and we would be eating cookies while we all decorated the tree, the last 5 years or so with it being just the two of us and knowing that there will be more cookies than we really need for the season I don’t do that part of the tradition any longer. Tomorrow or the next day depending on the weather we will hang some lights up outside and put up some decorations on the porch. I need to toss the Xmas wallhanging and tablecloth in the dryer to fluff up a little and then they will get put to use also. Sometime soon I will get some xmas type of flowers to decorate with a little also. I also need to get the Xmas tree skirt put out, that needs to be shaken out a little as well.
What kind of traditions do you all have? Anything special that you would like to share?
Wow, fall really disappeared fast, it is chilly outside and snow flurries yesterday. The last two days were under 40 degrees. I have spent a lot of time in the house the last couple of days and I’m starting to go through cookbooks thinking of Xmas cookies. What to bake this year, how much and should I really when you think of all the calories I have second thoughts! I have been busy working on my quilts – the one on the quilting frame is coming along nicely and I might have a picture of the finish product to put on here in a couple weeks. Most likely about 10 more hours of quilting and it will be finished and then the binding of course. Also the applique is coming along on the smaller quilt – 1 1/2 borders finished. I have been spending too much time on the computer and not enough time quilting.
