Mini-shop Hop!

No not for miniatures- though that would be fun!

So your second guess would be for fabric and that would be correct!

After dropping Miss Quinn off at camp for the day I headed north for an hour and a half-give or take some minutes!  (Missed having Quinn next to me in the truck!)

First I went to Crossroads Quilting in Cameron, MO.  I have been there before and its a nice little shop but nothing fell off the shelves and into my hands there!  

Then if was off to - wait for it. . . 

Yep, Quiltown USA!

They have several buildings-one for wools, one for batiks, one for brights, 

you get the picture.

So I wandered about and bought these:

Two fat quarter bundles and a piece of blue.

The bundles for projects that will be gifts.

The blue is an alternative for the blue I have now run out of for Brayden's Trip!

Oh, NO!

A closer look at the fabric in the fall bundle.

And here are the holiday ones.

I bought some bits and bobs as well-they have really cute things!

It's fun to go there but I don't go often as it's a bit overwhelming as well.

There's the "Which shop did I see that print in again?" thing going on.

After lunch, where I had a nice chat with some folks from Grand Prairie, Texas.

(I really must be a Hickam as I will chat with most anyone-as will most any other Hickam!)

Then I was off to Chillicothe!

The shop there is called Cuts and Bolts, fun name.

These also fell into my hands and also have projects they are needed for!

Then, I nearly did cartwheels!

I went on this little jaunt looking for a specific blue stonehenge fabric,

They had it!

Why was I so excited?

This is the last square of this fabric in Brayden's Trip-which is almost 2/3 complete.

I really didn't think I'd find it so I was thrilled!

I had another shop on the list for today, but with the late start and all the fun I had shopping and chatting plus driving on back roads the store would have closed before I could get there.

Oh well, another trip!

Succulents have taken over!

I can't seem to stay away from the tables holding succulents at my garden nursery!

These two arrangements are residing on my desk.

There are several others in individual pots near the window.

Then there's this beauty.

It does seem a bit confused though~it is a Christmas Cactus!

All but one plant seem happy as can be sitting where the morning sun hits them.

I didn't realize that succulents would bend to follow the sun but I have to give the pots a quarter turn now and then.

Fall has finally come,

At my last house the neighborhood was full of trees, oak trees.

They just turn brown in the fall.

This neighborhood is full of maples.

There are some oaks as well but there are several varieties of maple.

Some are VERY red.

Mine are yellow.

I never noticed before but the trees turn color from the top down.

There are also lots of these laying on the ground around the neighborhood

~ Hedge apples, fruit of the Osage Orange 

The things you see and learn while walking.

Quilting, reading and other stuff

First up Quilting.

I thought I'd show you my set up for sewing rows without messing up the order of the blocks.

Beginning on the back left.

 The clipboard holds the design.

Each fabric has a number and that number is entered on the design sheet in it's proper place.

I use the pick highlighter to mark off the rows I've finished.

The sheet leaning against the clipboard has samples of each fabric beside it's number (also the number of squares I cut in this color.)

Then there are the five piles of squares waiting for me to lay them out.

To the very far right are strips cut for binding.

 (Forgot to do that for Kolby's Trip! Had to buy fabric.)

In the front are the square sets for the next blocks.

Three are already sewn together.

Just above the first set is a sticky with an arrow on it.

That tells me which way to press the seams so that they "lock" when they are sewn.

That's really important because even though I PIN like a fool they can shift and I want all of those four corners to meet perfectly~ I don't always get perfection but it has to be close.

Also shown are the oh so necessary tools of the craft.

Scissors, seam ripper, thread.  Other tools not shown-sewing machine, OTT light, and iron.

Using all that I get this!

Only seven more strips to attach before heading onto the next row.

See the orange sicky note?

Another reminder of how that row's seams need to be pressed in order to lock.

Tonight this row will be finished, tomorrow it will be on to the next.

I still have to unsew sometimes~ not nearly as much as on Kolby's.

Last night I attached the group I'd finished and found I'd left two strips out!

 Had to fix that.

Most of you have likely noticed that I read a great deal.

That's probably an understatement!

I finished this one a couple of days ago.

It's about the Mann Gulch fire.

 I wrote a bit about it August 27, 2016 (in spite of my best efforts I can't seem to link to that post.)

The Mann Gulch fire was  the greatest single loss of life in Smokejumper history-13.

It's a hard book to read.

Well, the subject makes it hard.

The writing is exquisite.

Lyrical.

Which is totally explained by the fact that the author taught English at the University of Chicago.

Romance poets and Shakespeare to be exact-guess that rubs off on you.

You might recognize the author-Norman MacLean.

He also wrote A River Runs Through It And Other Stories.

Yes, the one the movie was made from.

I've added it to my reading list.

This fire year has been so horrible.

It seems it will never end.

I learn quite a bit about fire behavior from this book.

Things they didn't know at the time of the Mann Gulch fire.

Scary stuff forest fires.

Other things on my "To Do" list-some of which I actually do!

Prepping the trim and walls in my bedroom for paint.

 (a project made more complicated by the fact that the previous owners painted over a wall-paper border. Thank goodness it was only a border!)

Walking most days.

Stretching most days.

Practicing Piano and Guitar.

I'll never be truly capable on either but I am happy with my progress and I love doing it.

Practicing taking pictures.

Much harder on manuel but even if it takes multiple attempts I'm still trying.

Again, I may never be truly capable.

I've even done some cooking.

And managed to keep the kitchen fairly orderly along the way.

Fall and finish!

Fall came!

It won't last just yet but. . .

I'm enjoying hot tea with honey 

and oatmeal.

Maybe even soup, who knows.

I'm even wearing a sweater.

I love FALL! 

And in other news~

"H" is finished!

I am so glad!

It looks okay and will keep me warm

BUT. . .

I'm not really very happy with it.

I will not let flaws keep me from a finish though!

Today, I have some paint prep work to do.

One more doll outfit for Nora to sew.

(To anyone thinking of sewing American Girl doll clothes just let me say this~

it's like sewing an outfit for the 8yo girl in miniature! Painful!)

Then I can mail that off for her birthday on Friday.

Will also make the backing and batt for Kolby's Trip

to sandwich tomorrow!

I'm on a roll!

Quilting Catch-up

After last week this one has been blissfully quiet!

I have reworked my daily chores to where most all are on Mondays.

Leaving me more time for 

Stitching

Knitting

Quilting

Photography

Research

Which was the goal of the upheaval!

So the photo above is the beginning of Brayden's Trip.

I love the colors!

(Hint-my favorite color-blue!)

It looks blurry in the photo but when I looked at the strip again it really looks like that!

The other quilting catch up?

The "H" quilt.

Which now only needs binding!

Thank goodness.

It's the biggest quilt I've done on Bella the Bernina and I think I would have been okay if I hadn't decided to stitch in the ditch and then about 3/4" outside that "H".

Much twisting, and turning of a whole lot of fabric.

Add in the fact that the calendar may say it's October and time for the cool but the thermostat has said nearly 90F and thus the air conditioning has come on, makes holding all of that on your lap kinda HOT! 

Anyway, I should get a completed quilt photo on here soon.

I need to finish the doll clothes I have cut out and get them in the mail to Miss Nora as her birthday is on the 14th, so that's next.

I continue to make blocks for Brayden's quilt.

Cut fabric for Ethan's.

And Sandwich Kolby's quilt.

Still stretching, doing some exercises I learned in Physical Therapy and walking.

Practicing both the piano and guitar as well.

I'm managing to stay busy!