Pay It Forward Sign Ups

I now have three participants for the PIF I posted earlier this month. Mel, Beth and Paula. If you are still interested in playing, click on over to one of their blogs and sign up. Let's keep the fun going.

This morning, the local quilt shop, The Quilted Cottage called to say there had been cancellations for the Friday night sew tomorrow. Looks like both Connie and I got in so we'll be eating out and working on those churn dash blocks again.

There's been no sewing here this week, but I have been cleaning and clearing things from my sewing room. It gets so cluttered that I can't even work in it. -- One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. --A.A. Milne

I've been adding feeds to my Bloglines in hopes it will shorten the amount of time it takes to check my favorites. Is it correct that I still have to go to the Blogline page to check for new entries or can I be notified by emails? This part is still fuzzy to me.

This is my 96th post. I'm getting close to that 100 number and will have a giveaway or two for those that comment on my 100th post. Be sure to check back.

End of November

As the last days of November are upon us, I am so looking forward to a new month that will hopefully bring some sunshine with it. November has been a very gray and gloomy- looking month outside.

Did everyone have a nice Thanksgiving? I'm still hungry for pie. Simone served the big turkey meal on Thursday to nine of us. Her sister, Katarina, was visiting from Germany and ate her first Thanksgiving meal in the U.S. Craig, Kari, Abby and Ian brought this pretty centerpiece from Wisconsin. It looks so nice on the table. We had a ham dinner on Saturday with them, my parents, Mike, Simone and JJ.

I wanted to show the huge room we had to sew in at The Farmstead Inn during our Dear Jane Retreat in Shipshewana. This is only a portion of it. Plenty of room to lay out projects and pile up yardage. Friday night is always Show & Tell. This time I was able to share my Dear Jane top with the other Janiacs.

I was able to take my new Featherweight sewing mat that I bought from Tazzie's Etsy shop. It received many compliments. You can also see one of the little churn dash blocks that I worked on while there. I need 32 more and then they will be stitched into strips that alternate with applique strips.

There are still two openings for my Pay It Forward. Don't be shy.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone who celebrates a very Happy Thanksgiving! Don't eat too much pie!

Pay It Forward

I signed up on Linda's blog for her Pay It Forward offer. If I understand this correctly, I will make a gift in the next six months for the first three people who leave a comment on this post requesting to participate. They in turn, need to post the same promise on their blog. Who wants to play?

More doll quilts

Just a quick post with a few more of the doll quilts that were exhibited at The Quilter's Hall of Fame in Marion, Indiana.

SSCS Partner

I would rather not see my gift before Christmas. I will TRY to be patient when it arrives and not open it until Christmas morning.

Monday - back home

I love the sound of the buggies clip-clopping on the paved streets. This picture was taken at E & S Bulk Food Sales. It's a must stop if you are in Shipshewana, IN in addition to Lolly's Fabric Shop, Rebecca's Antiques, The Bread Box Bakery, Jo Jo's Pretzel's, Wana Cup and The Blue Gate Restaurant. In these places you'll no doubt run into a fellow retreater.

What a wonderful time was shared by everyone these past few days in Shipshewana! The time goes by so quickly and soon we are counting the days until the next retreat.

On Thursday, two cars carrying eight Janiacs traveled to Marion, Indiana to see the exhibit of doll quilts belonging to Judi Gunter and Phyllis Twigg-Hatcher at The Quilter's Hall of Fame. This building was the home of Marie Webster who wrote the first book on quilt history. There were 100 years of doll quilts on display. Our group was excited to see the double handled basket quilt that inspired Jo Morton to make it.



The next two photos show the room and the desk where Marie Webster wrote her book, Quilts: Their Story and How to Make Them.



I'll post more pictures soon. There's lots to catch up on and Thanksgiving is only three days away. It's good to be home.

Off to Shipshewana, Indiana

Tomorrow morning I'll be heading south to Shipshewana, Indiana for the semi-annual Dear Jane retreat held at The Farmstead Inn. I'll be sewing, socializing, shopping and eating the Amish food until Sunday. There are more than 75 people signed up for this gathering and it's always a fun time. I'll miss reading all of your blogs, but will catch up next week.

Clothesline Club & Four Seasons Quilt Swap

Yesterday was the first meeting of The Clothesline Club at The Quilted Cottage. We were told that we are the first club in Michigan. Stacy, our leader, gave us some history about feedsacks and aprons. She also brought aprons from her family to share with us. We enjoyed a cup of tea and muffin while listening to the outline of what to expect each month. Our free pattern this time was a pillow with a teapot and a needle card with redwork on the cover. For purchase, we could buy a kit to make a tea cozy with a fan design and a pattern for a reversible apron. You can see by my picture that I opted for the whole caboodle this month. The kit included the tea cozy pattern, fabrics and a ruler. The red and yellow fabrics towards the bottom are for my reversible apron. I have a whole month to finish the two projects.



It's time to sign up for the winter part of the Four Seasons Quilt Swap. I think there are at least 50 already committed to this swap. Don't miss out.

Birthday, wallhanging, & more

Today is Jim's birthday. I won't say how old he is, but next year there will be a zero in his age. We ate dinner (roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, & rolls) at home with Mike & Simone topped off with banana cake and cream cheese frosting. Here's the birthday guy opening one of his gifts. He received phone calls from Kari and the grandkids and JJ so his day was perfect!

After our church service on Sunday, we attended a Harvest Brunch at St. Paul, our neighboring church. They had the cutest decorations on the tables made from different sizes and shapes of gourds. As we were about to leave, one of the ladies asked if I would like to take one home. They also had pumpkin men made from four little pumpkin gourds. The gourds were stacked like a snowman with stick arms and a painted face.



Monday, my friend, Jane and I pin basted eight quilts, four of each of ours. It was good to make some progress and get them closer to being done. They are folded onto hangers with the batting cut to the appropriate size waiting for their turn at quilting.



While looking for backings and battings, I found this old UFO that I had appliqued many years ago. Doesn't look like it will be hanging on the wall this year either. I really liked this pattern and how it turned out. So, why don't I finish it?

Friday night, Connie and I spent six hours sewing at the new quilt shop, The Quilted Cottage. We were served a hot dinner of chicken enchiladas plus other goodies to eat. We each had our own table for sewing with a cup holder, waste basket, candy bars and an ironing station at the end of the row. At the top of the hour there were door prizes, too. This opportunity to sew and socialize is offered every other week and needless to say, they are already booked through the end of the year. We had a fun evening, met some new people and managed to sew quite a bit, too.

Tomorrow I'm heading back to the Cottage for the first meeting of The Clothesline Club. We're supposed to bring a favorite teacup and our machine. It promises more fun.

Another Lesson Learned

My children heard me say, "Be sure to double check your work" more times than they would like to remember. Apparently, I wasn't practicing what I preach when I attempted to make a Detroit Tigers fleece blanket for a former teacher from my parochial school and his wife who are both very loyal fans of the Tigers.

Jim set up two additional tables in the kitchen and we put the extra leaves in the kitchen table in preparation for the project. He helped me lay out the two pieces of fleece and we made sure there were no bulges or ripples before cutting them to size. Next I carefully cut out five inch squares from each corner and cut five inch slits along the first side, tying the double knots before moving on to the next side. This process took awhile, but I was getting more excited as I knotted away.

Finally I finished and made arrangements to deliver it. A photo was needed so I snapped a couple of digital pictures. When I looked at the pictures, I noticed the Tigers were coming out of a backwards English D. In fact, all of the letters and words were backwards. Did I buy a second? What was wrong? The light bulb finally went on and I couldn't believe that after all of the careful planning and preparation, I had put the Tigers fleece wrong side up! I spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening untying and retying the fringe while the double check phrase kept revolving in my mind over and over. The blanket was delivered, they really liked it, and I have learned another lesson.

The Fall, Y'all! Bloggy Giveaway

JJ sent me this link for a huge list of blog give-aways. There are almost 600 prizes to be won. You can add your own give-away, also.