I hope to get part 2 of the Bonnie Hunter Mystery completed, as I know I will be behind next week as I am traveling for work. A friend is coming over tomorrow to borrow my embroidery machine while I try to fix hers. She says it is skipping stitches. I plan to kit up some hand work to take with me on my trip.

Jackie

No quilting for me this weekend. Rehearsal tonight and performance on Sunday afternoon for our chorus. And I have only four of my nine cookie batches done. So, when I'm not singing this weekend, I'll be baking cookies. I want to have them all done so on Thursday I can take a big tin to Denver where we will celebrate Christmas with my step-kids and grand-kids at Copper Mountain ski area. No skiing for me with my shaky knees, but it will be a great family time.

I'll be quilting the Leddy quilt. It's a 73x73 quilt my daughter asked me to make for her MIL. I also hope to finish 4 stockings for my other daughter.
Darlene

Lois, tonight is our night off from music. LOL. I had rehearsals Mon., Wed and Thurs. We have performances at 5 and 7 both Sat and Sun. So, not much sewing time for me, either.

I've started on part 2 of Celtic Solstice, but I'm not enjoying the cutting and I really hate having to draw a diagonal line to sew the angles. I'm hoping the markings on my new Espire will let me sew them without marking them,

Donna

I need to... the person I'm making a poject for has a birthday on the 11th and I haven't touched my machine in 3 weeks except to wipe the dust! I did get around to clearing off the ironing board and picking up fabric scraps from the middle of the living room floor, but that's where it ended!

The lady who hosts the sit and sews I used to attend (been working every time for the last few months so I haven't been in months) is hosting an open house tomorrow with a bunch of people selling stuff and I thought about going, but an hour drive when I need to do so much sewing is not a good idea....

Linda, sorry you've been sick, I just got over it myself a couple weeks ago!

Donna I hope you're continuing to enjoy your Baby Lock!

I need to sew...but I'm not sure if I'll be able to or not.

I'm working hard on finishing DD's Christmas stocking, so will be stitching away on that. I also realized that Monday is the guild Christmas party (I've not been attending meetings for many months so forgot) when my small group of friends usually exchange gifts. I have some of them, but had planned to embroider tea towels for each of them.... Haven't done that yet!

Have a Girl Scout gingerbread house building party on Saturday and a potentially major ice storm coming on Sunday! So we'll see how things go.

I would like to do some sewing. Between going here and there for DH today, I did manage to get 3 pillowcases cut out. Would be nice to get them sewn. DGS and his girlfriend are coming over Sunday afternoon. He can visit with the Geezer and watch football while I show Crystal how to make a pecan pie. :-) She has never even eaten a home made pecan pie. Boy is she in for a treat! :-)

SharonG/FL

I can't believe how fast this week flew by! I didn't have time for any quilt fun all week. I hope to squeeze a little in this weekend.
I would be happy if I get the miters tacked down on 3 quilts and their labels stitched--work I can do when we lose electricity during our ice storm -- really hoping we only rain! I would also like to get the binding made for a quilt from retreat 2012.
Today, I am behind in my laundry and need to look at food needs....just in case. I don't panic shop when they call for bad weather, but I do 'think' about what I can prepare for a few days.
Everyone - take care of yourselves and your loved ones - stay warm and dry!

Wasn't going to quilt, but now we're not sure the company can get here. So maybe I'll try finishing the "Christmas Quilt". It's only about 10 and has at least that many versions of my ability to machine quilt on it!
LindaB/CA
can't get the rest of the driveway pic, guess I'll post another under the same heading??

can't get it to post

No quilting here until January. The sewing table comes down in order for the Christmas tree to go up, so December has become my time to take my machine in for cleaning and service.

I do have two quilts that I'm hand-sewing the binding down on, and then I am still working on hand-quilting the two feed sack quilt tops I found. I'm about 3/4 done on the first but have put it away since the first of July, so this will be a good time to get it out and work on it again.

Karlene

Nope..........not sewing. I succumbed to pulling out some possible fabric combinations for my next quilt, lay them out, and decided I didn't like it. That was enough to sate the quilting withdrawal. I am, however, scrubbing the walls in the sewing room and painting. Of course that means some little bit of plaster work here and there. I hope I like it........it's a bit darker than I'd planned, but still pretty. It is what it is. I ran into some old photo albums and got side-tracked. I found a picture of my hubby when he was off work, getting major leg surgeries, so he grew that beard he was NOT allowed to grow when he was working and it had a grey streak right down the middle of it, and I had to bring the album downstairs, because he didn't believe me it looked like skunk pelt.

Last night I cut out the 5" squares for the falling charms quilt I decided to start for DD for Christmas. I need to go on Monday to buy the strip fabric. I'm finishing #4 apron today. Yeah! If I feel like sitting anymore, I'll continue to make depression blocks. I hope everyone makes out OK with the storm. We are going to get some snow tomorrow night, but nothing dangerous.

I practised my FMQ yesterday. I don't think I have the patience for it
I get the top looking good but the bottom is poor. Then I make adjustments and the bottom looks great but the top stitches look too tight. I have fiddled with tension and foot speed and everything else that I can think of, but I'm not making much headway. Is there a special secret to FMQ? I have read the hints, watched the videos but can't seem to get the hang of it.
I will take a break from it. I just looked at the cute owl quilt posted by Jayne and it gave me inspiration. I am going to try some owl hotpads.

Hope everyone has a great day.

~Geraldine
What size needle do you use for FMQ? Thanks.

Wow Quilthen, that picture looks like a Norman Rockwell Christmas card to this FL native.... I'm sure it's not as glamorous and whimsical as one would imagine if you have to drive and live in it.... Hope everyone is safe during the storms....

I got the side borders put on my project, but stopped there... the thread bunched up and the bobbin ran out in the middle of the seam and I just had to walk away for a bit.... I usually have more tolerance than that, but not this time....

Sounds like a lot of us are in the same situation with needing or wanting to sew but not getting around to it!

Mid-week the ballast burned out in one of my laundry room lights where my sewing desk is, but all laundry room lights are on the same switch, so I did not get lights back on until Friday afternoon, so did not get any sewing done during last week as I had planned. Friday evening I did laundry and helped my son start his science project. Then Saturday finished laundry, helped my son finish his science project, decorated the Christmas tree and decorated the house for Christmas. Went to church this morning. Now am fixing to start making 1 of the 2 saw tooth star pincushions I have left to make for Christmas presents. Hoping this week to get organized and fill out Christmas cards. I also have my brother's scarf about 25% done so depending on when my side of the family gets together I may be able to finish his scarf for this Christmas, we'll see, if not I will put it away until next year. Still have a little Christmas shopping to do, not looking forward to being in stores packed with people all in a hurry. M-I-L flies out of town right before Christmas and she normally prefers to do all the cooking, so I am trying to get meals/cooking organized for me to do while she is gone, simply stuff like tacos, and steak/rice/gravy, pizza, etc. I am feeling a little last minute and rushed this Christmas season. And the house has a draft to it with all this freezing weather, luckily we did not get any ice, but the highs are only like low 40's ... brrrr! And I am trying not to get sick, though am reaching for kleenexs a little more frequently than would like, really hoping I am not sick over the holidays. Quiltnhen the snow looks beautiful, something we have not had since 2010. Hope everyone is safe and warm this week.

Best to you,
Sandra

This post was edited by quiltingfox on Sun, Dec 8, 13 at 15:43

Vacuumfreak we're really lucky. This usually happens only once a year. My garden was so confused this year I had two blooming iris before it snowed. Except for frozen hot water pipes this am we were lucky. No power lost and a four wheel truck to bring our guests up the hill. Great visit, but no quilting done.
LindaB/CA

Most of today was shot because we had friends over to watch the Broncos game & have dinner. I managed to finish the 4 tea bag wallets I needed to make and have been hand sewing the binding on a t-shirt quilt I quilted for a friend. (She pieced it). I need to get some stuff together for my church quilting group tomorrow and might try to sew a few more crumb squares tonight.

Stay warm, Linda! It is frigid here in Colorado ... 15 for our high today!

Sue

Well, I feel a little accomplished...

~I got some of my vertical strips sewn together for my bargello (they were more than one strip set that needed to be sewn together to make one long strip). So, I actually turned on my machine!!!

~I had to move things around a bunch, and they put it all back together, so I could bring my new sewing machine cabinet into my room. Had to make room elsewhere for all the Christmas storage boxes.

~cleaned the family room so the Christmas storage boxes could be brought out from storage.

~Mostly, I've been working on DD's cross-stitch stocking...Almost finished!!! only 2 years of work, and 5 years late! hoping to have the stitching done this week, so time to sew it into a stocking next weekend.

~also cooking, watching 2 hockey games on tv, watched the ice collect outside, started a new book (shouldn't have done this!), and shopped Barnes&Noble for a few Christmas presents.

Sure didn't seem like that busy of a weekend!!! Wheew, glad it's Monday!

After what seems like a very long spell of not sewing, (health etc.) and even though I should be shopping or otherwise preparing for Christmas, I started back at DGS's wedding quilt. Thank goodness there is not a date set yet, but I so want to get it finished.
Pulled it out on Thursday and have been doing a bit each day. Even did 10 blocks this morning. Matching star points is a challenge.
Theresa

Sue .Wow. Glad our extreme weather is usually temporary. Colorado is so beautiful, but it's got "real" winter.

Not quilting, but making pillow covers. I've purchased pillows and I am making removeable covers. One is Christmas theme and one in "matching" colours to their living/family rooms so they can switch them out.