Yes, Autumn has arrived, my birthday is only a few days past, and I am LOVING the crisp air outside in the early mornings. This is the first year that I tried my hand at canning, thanks to my mother's guidance and inspiration via phenomenal pear conserves, ginger and muscadine jelly she sent to us. We are still experiencing a bumper crop of delicious peaches here in Georgia, so I've decided to preserve their summer loveliness for the long winter months ahead, and will also be including them as gifts this year. If you know me, you will be astounded with this pre-planning for the holidays so far in advance.
Below are some new fat quarters that I will be making into a simple *squares* pillow for myself, as two of the fabrics were a birthday gift I won at Red Hen Fabrics during their 'Sew-In' last Friday. Yay! Gifties!!!
Another first for me is joining their Block of the Month club, which I am THRILLED to be a part of! Below are the starring fabrics for the first star- pun intended- and will be called 'Stars Over Marietta' when all of the stars are assembled. The first star is pictured after the next photo. All the squares will be stars of some kind, and so I will be getting loads of practice for this favorite style of mine.
The Sew-In was truly lovely-- an amazing opportunity to sit and sew and visit with like-minded women who are warm and funny and love what I love-- quilting. One of the ladies who works there, Bo, made delicious Chinese noodles, there was pizza ordered later by Jan, Mary Anne, who is the owner of Red Hen, regaled us with hilarious stories of wedding weather, and through it all we were quilting and admiring each other's efforts. The warmth of company was wonderful, and I did not want to leave! (Alas, I did eventually have to go...) I also received tips from my mentor, Alta, about how to tame the issue with my sewing machine. Lo, it will be a great and fantastic thing if I can continue to free-motion with it and not WAIT until I have to purchase a replacement. I'll keep you posted.
Until next time, thank you for your patience between posts. I will also put up progress on the 'Hallow's Eve Harmony' quilt next time, as I have been working on it with a vengeance. Happy stitching, and warm blankets for everyone!
