HALLY HAPPOWEEN!!!

 

May The Worst Trick You Experience Is A Momentarily Tongueled Tang!

 

Here's A Treat For You From Me!

One of My Favorite Old Videos...

 

 

~ Nancie Anne...& Her Broom

 

I'm There In Spirit!

Several months ago Lynn Wilder let me know she was planning a quilt retreat at Snowflake Lodge which is near their cabin,
"Wilder's Last Resort". 

I whimpered a bit, knowing a trip to California just wasn't in the cards this year. 
We have too many things going on...the arrival of our new Grandbe'be' in September, long overdue projects to complete around the house and preparing for our daughter and her husband to come home for Thanksgiving...the Autumn/Halloween decorating has pretty much gone by the wayside and we'll begin hanging garlands soon because we'll be celebrating both Thanksgiving and Christmas when the kiddos are here visiting.

Setting these cute little salt and pepper shakers that we found at Pier One by my little rooster and egg crate is about as far as I got!

Lynn has just posted the first pictures of the grand gathering on her blog, Sew'n Wild Oaks...great food, great company, and in that fine tradition, I've decided not to sit around feeling sorry for myself, but to join them in spirit!  Looking at the photos Lynn posted this morning I was taken back to the cabin and those warm fuzzy feelings of great food, laughter, fun and friendship. 

I have my projects pulled together for my virtual participation in this retreat.  I tripped across a great sale on orange bell peppers yesterday so there are stuffed peppers in the crock pot which promise to be sweet and succulent this evening, they'll look more appetizing when I top them with grated cheese later on!  I'll mix up some biscuits to go with them later this afternoon.  Tick good food off the list!



I have good company in the form of Maecee, my warm napping little lump of furry love cuddled in the desk chair with me, when she's not asking for a belly rub!  She never comments when I have to stop and pick out a seam...sometimes she does roll her eyes though!





 

Last night I finally cut out the August block for Country Corners and after plugging in the crockpot I got it sewn together.  The September block is up next...after lunch!



 

 I also have an after hours project that I prepped over the weekend and can stitch on in front of my imaginary fireplace in the evenings!

Bertie's Winter! 

Easy fused die cut appliques and whip stitching with perle cotton. 

It feels like cheating...and I LOVE IT!!!

I've taken a little artistic license with one of the blocks...those of you who are also working on Bertie's Winter will probably spot it quickly. 

I have a very opinionated daughter who looked at the patterns the other night when I was starting to prep the blocks and she felt something was amiss in one of the blocks!  Yes....I've added a snowman ornament where a frosted cookie was intended to be!



 

I think I'm progressing pretty well with my virtual retreat!  Won't you join me?

 

~Nancie Anne

It feels Like Fall...and Home...

In the wee hours this morning Country Homecoming officially became a flimsy! 

It's been awhile getting to this point, and I've stitched on nothing but Country Homecoming for weeks now.  Keeping my focus and determination to finish wasn't difficult on this project that I love so much!  My thoughts went to the planning of the next project to finish at times, but my needle never strayed. 

I know!  Astonishing isn't it?!?!?!?!?!?

 

It's a blustery day here and I'm waiting for the wind to die down and the light to get a little better before taking Country Homecoming outside for a photo session...so meanwhile, I'll write and share some photos of the work in progress.

 

Of course there have been a few distractions along the way.  A new Grandbaby to cuddle, a daughter who is fine, but whose car is totaled.  A husband on vacation with a big to-do list, New kitchen/laundry/bath flooring that didn't arrive when promised so we had to work double time with the days off we had left when it did.  A new work schedule and four legged babies who demand need Mommy time, but in little snippets of time between all this flurry of activity I was able to stitch around a leaf here and a few berries there.

 

I'm not sure where everyone is at this point in their sewing schedule...we did check in a couple of weeks ago by email via Kim at Kim's Big Quilting Adventure and it seemed that everyone, including me, was in need of more finish time than originally planned.

Phew!  I wiped a bit of nervous sweat off my brow!

 

Here's where things stood at that point...assembled and getting ready to applique.  I pinned my favorite homespun green plaid vines in place and as I often do, photographed it to get a different perspective on the lay of the land...or in this case the placement of the vine.  Sometimes things jump out at me from a photo that I don't see with the naked eye...or even the spectacled eye!

That's a lot of pins poked in there!  The vines were cut on the bias and sewn together lengthwise, wrong sides together, then using a 1/2" bias bar the seam was centered in the back and pressed open.  I love manipulating bias strips...I'm not sure why I haven't made a Celtic quilt yet...especially considering that I have that daughter who loves all things Irish.

 

Then I went on a field trip...into my limited stash of wool and off to a couple of quilt shops to see what other treasured little chunks of wool I might be able to add.  Greens & Reds & Golds, Leaves & Berries & Stars...OH MY!

 

I love my soft woven green and black check outer border fabric, found in the clearance stash on a day trip to Stitch n' Snip in Garden Valley!

I also love handsewing and I used a beautiful variegated skein of Caron Wildflowers single strand floss around my berries and leaves.  The color name is Fiesta.  I added this skein to my stash for a someday project a couple of years ago just cuz it was so darn pretty and now I know why I did!  I don't think the shop I found it in survived it's first year in business & and was concerned about access to more while sweating whether or not one skein would do, but it did with some to spare.  It was just meant to be.  I love how the greens, golds, teals. rusts and ambers enhance the berries and leaves in warm autumn tones.  I would compare this "floss" to perle cotton by any other name.  Its a bit heavier that DMC 8 and a little lighter than Valdani 8.

 

The stars are circumnavigated with Valdani O 154 (8)

 

 

So all this brings me to a huge Thank You to Kim for rounding us all up and keeping us marching on to our destination!  A Quilty Finish!

 

Here it is! The Ta-Da Moment!

One thing I haven't done on this flimsy that I still may do is to do a little work on windows and doors to make panes and give them a bit more life...or that might occur in the quilting process...still on the fence about that .

I have no idea what I want to back this quilt with...and am open to suggestions...

I do know that I want to get it to the quilter sooner rather than later, not just because of the raveling nature of the border, (yes, it's stay stitched) but because I just love this quilt and look forward to enjoying it for years to come!

 

Oh yeah...just a little more sweetness before I sign off.

Our baby girl at 3 weeks & 2 days old!

Just can't get enough...

 

Adding some Warm Fuzzies To Autumn...

 

~Nancie Anne