Finished. . . Finally!

Nora's Stocking!

I think I worked on this for 3 or 4 years!

So much blending filament, I hate that stuff!

It really makes the icing sparkle though.

It will join the others on my stairs in December.

The first stitches have been taken on this:

Ethan's stocking.

No blending filament in this one!

On the Janome I've been building red and blue rails.

All the blocks are finished and I'm putting together the rows.

I started a new English Paper Piecing project.

I think there will be several thousand 3/4" squares in this project.

The little pink four patch quilt is

under the needle being quilted.

There's something hinky I need to fix in the border first though.

It's been raining lately so there's been lots of time in the studio.

Speaking of the studio,

I'm off to work!

On Fall

This once was a pepper plant!

Fall is coming.

Thank Goodness!

The sun no longer shines in my North facing windows.

The days are shorter.

That does not mean it is much cooler.

In the 80F's instead of the 90F's 

and quite humid.

We officially had 4 1/2 inches of rain in August 

that's at the airport far north of here.

The weather changes every 20 miles or so.

South of the Missouri river is different from the north (where the airport is.)

South of I-70 the same.

I live nearly into the next county I'm so far south.

I don't think the airport is much of a match

 but it's the "official" site for measuring such things.

At any rate we are still down 3 inches for the year.

Fall is typically dry but these days

 I don't think there is such a thing a typical weather.

One of many piles of tree branches dealt with.

While there was rain the fly population went into hiding.

It has returned and I am back to being a mass murderer.

I'm also dumping the potted veggies.

They look pretty sick.

Then, I'm turning the pot upside down in the Hosta garden

to keep little miss Quinn from digging and lying in the dirt.

She had unearthed part of the roots of one plant!

 No more of that!

I have several maple trees here,

It seems that their branches grow out a long way

 and then take a sharp turn 

towards the ground.

The one in the front had gotten so bad

 that I was ducking tree branches walking to the mail box! 

 Not to mention the branches caught in the door of the truck!

So last week,

I took the little chain saw on a pole out and cut down

branches-at the tree.

(Discovered I have a couple of more that need it since.)

Then I hauled the branches to the backyard.

I've been going out for a bit each day

Clipping off the leaves and smaller branches into yard waste bags.

I finished that this morning.

I still need to cut up the bigger pieces and tie them into a bundle for pickup.

Then I will deal with those that I missed.

Soon there will be leaves to rake.

Grass to rake and overseed.

Every season has it's own chores.

Fall chores have begun.

Still,

FALL IS COMING!

Catch up!

Finished this table runner last week, 

Just couldn't manage a photo!

 Rain, camera battery and just plain forgetfulness all to blame.

I've been working, long hours every day, on Nora's Stocking.

I got such a lift finishing the big black and gold quilt

 that I decided I'd finish it this month.

I think I'm going to make it!

Only a bit more finishing up on the bulk of the sock,

Her name

and assembling into a Christmas stocking.

In other areas,

I've spent hours working on sorting out all the "Hickam" stuff!

I got quite a bit off Ancestry

and Family Search.

Now I'm checking, fixing mistakes as I find them,

 deleting, merging and printing out clean copies.

I have one family that's giving me fits!

Will go back to them next week.

Soon it will be onto the Weddles (my Grandmother Hickam).

It will take longer!

We've had rain, though not enough to end the drought.

Cooler weather for a few days (once I even put on a sweater!)

But, the heat and humidity came back!

Now we are under a heat advisory, so must stay inside.

Only a few more weeks of horrid heat.

I hope!

A little sewing!

 First up.

Orange Granny Squares for Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

 Then Catch up!

Red Granny Squares for Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Last Month's color.

Had them cut out for weeks

Finally got them sewn up.

Finished top of what I'm calling the Pink 4 patch.

The blue hanging beside it will be the back.

There may be some yellow added if needed as I have some left.

I've already cut the binding strips.

Unless I have to buy batting

(really hope not but haven't looked)

I've only bought the yellow border fabric,

All the rest is from the stash.

I've also nearly finished the quilting of the fall table runner.

All in all a great week sewing!

Makes me so willing to go into the studio to work!

Speaking of the studio. . .

I had to clean up a bit.

Needs still more tidying.

Perhaps today.

(Only if I can't find something!)

FINISHED!

As you can see,

Tanya's Black and Gold quilt is finally finished.

I decided that having it hanging around

 was negatively affecting my energy so I finished it!

There are two more rows of blocks behind 

the hangin quilt.

It's a BIG one!

Making it was simply one issue after another.

I try to remember that perfect is the enemy of done.

I did learn, too late for this one,

That I should use a 6 foot table to quilt big ones.

Or perhaps all of them?

Now that it's done I feel more like stitching again! 

Housework-be gone.

Stitching to do!

Mass Murder!

The patio door has become a killing field!

There are now enough fly guts on the glass that a proper wash-up will soon be required.

In the past two days I've killed at least 20 flies.

I have no idea where they are getting in.

I didn't have this problem last year.

I think that there's at least one  I haven't managed to kill though.

Maybe more.

Now you know, 

I 

Am

A

Mass

Murderer!

Exciting times!

Yes, that's my driveway!

They cut away a big section and jack hammered away the cement!

All to repair a water line that was leaking.

Leaving a constant puddle and runoff on the street.

They dug a VERY deep hole and replaced the pipe under the street,

then filled the hole in with gravel.

Tomorrow they will pour concrete on the torn up area.

In two weeks my drive with be useable again!

Such excitement!