November Schnibble.. Done!

Have I mentioned that I don't like basket patterns. No? Well maybe it was because I really didn't know I didn't like them until I tackled this month's Schnibble project. At times I asked myself why not stars? It was my birthday this month! I would have loved some stars!
Needless to say, it was a learning experience.

I had all the fabric for this one because I had been collecting 1930's Reproduction fabric for a while but I had no real interest in the project. Then I started cutting the charm squares and drawing my sewing llines on the back of the charms and the whole thing just went together smoothly.

Thanks Carrie, for the best instructions a gal can have! 

 

 

The problem really popped up when I was putting the baskets together. Those little 1/2 square triangles can twist on you when you least expect it and then it's 'seam ripper, here I come'. 

I hate re-sewing. 

If you see any basket that might have a triangle pointing the wrong way... don't tell me! PLEASE! 

 

 

Anyway, I finally finished the piece and I'm happy with it, but I don't think I'll be revisiting baskets any time soon (maybe when I forget this traumatic experience!)

Onto the next Schnibble adventure!

November is here! It's a Birthday month!!!

Yup! It's my birthday. Come next Tuesday I will be a year older. I wish I could say wiser but no such luck. Another thing that November brings is less time... less time to work on pending projects and less time to get ready for Christmas. I love thinking about November in terms of Thanksgiving, Macy's holiday parade, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (we love re-watching the Thanksgiving episode) and Black Friday shopping but there is no forgetting that the month is also too close to Christmas for comfort.

So I have to start thinking of backup plans in case all the quilts I want to give as presents don't get completed. While I think about that...

This month I plan to tackle the November Schnibble which is called Picnic and will be my first venture into making baskets.

I decided to make this one out of repro fabrics which I had been collecting for a while

so it will be a bit of a stash buster.

I am also going to wrap up the Gobble Gobble top. I know I have been a bit vague on this one but there was not much to say. I'm using Sandy Gervais' Gobble Gobble print to make a Disappearing 9-patch quilt.

What is a disappearing 9 patch? It's a nine patch block that gets altered to the point that it no longer looks like a nine patch.

You start with a nine patch - which I made with 5" charms.

You then cut the sewn block twice across the center

Rotate two of the resulting squares and sew them back together.

The resulting block are charming.
I'm loving the blocks I've completed (10 so far) just 6 more to go and 

then I can add the sashing and it will be complete.

I'm using a similar layout that Rachel used on the table topper quilt she designed for the Moda Bake shop but I'm making it a bit larger so that it will be a lap size quilt.

Those are my two goals for the month. I would love to get some quilting on the Red White and Blue piece but I'll not commit to it since my future son in-law will be here for Thanksgiving and with guests coming around my weekends won't be too free.

BTW: I'm a bit excited about a couple of new patterns I picked up to add to my stash. I was lucky enough to win the Fit to Be Geese rulers Carrie from Miss Rosie's Co gave away last month. I love flying geese patterns but they always end up wonky but with the method used with these rulers they end up easy to make and precise in the piecing so I was loving that I won both sizes for these rulers! Of course I had my eye on one of Carrie's pattern (Opening Day) and picked it up as soon as I won the rulers. I also picked up a few other patterns that I was drooling over as well as the Tri Rec rulers that should make cutting Summer Rental a breeze (hopefully)

These will probably be projects for next year. 

Hey, it's never to early to increase that TBM (to be made) list!!

Trick or Treaters? What's that?

I admit I have been a bit on the snobbish side of Trick or Treating in the past years. I blame it on my daughter who picked up her bags and went off to college right after a traumatic Halloween experience. She didn't need to go off to college! The trick or treaters that did not get a treat in the last few years can blame it on her!!

Any way to recap... during her senior year my daughter got all dressed up and decided to have a last halloween horrah and invited her best friend / my quasi-daughter (she's almost my other baby), Lindsey to go trick or treating in the neighborhood. For severeal years Dre was in charge of the distribution of goods at the door during the craziness that is called Halloween. So that year, I was left to fend for myself.... what a disaster!

My small dog, Pepper who now resides at my sister's house would not let me open the door without her racing to 'welcome' the guests. It was quite a feat to open the door, keep Pepper in the house and give out the candy to the aproximately 200+ trick or treaters we typically get. It might not have been so bad if I just stood next to the door / locked the dog up / put the candy out, but I did none of that. By the time my daughter came home to categorize her loot, I was about to throw in the towel. Needless to say that was the last year my trick or treat light was on during halloween.

Fast forward 4 years later, I have moved from New England (where the door had to be closed since it was so freaking cold and the ToTrs had to ring the door bell) to Texas and my daughter has graduated college taking temporary residence back home. When halloween rolled around there was hemming and hawing over handing out candies. My younger sister was all gung ho and edging on the graduate. After some resistance on my part, it was decided that we would hand out treats this year and we went off to prepare for the event by buying candy we would not eat during the week that preceeded the day (what's the use of buying candy we liked if we woudl be compelled to eat it all before halloween? so we got stuff we woudl not eat).

Halloween rolled around and that sister that was instigating the graduate to rebellion picked up her bags and headed off to a party with her friends and I was left alone, hoping Dre would not be delayed at work and would be home before the rush of kiddies arrived.

Yes, she did arrive in time and we learned that in Texas you don't stay indoors waiting for the ToTrs but you pull out a lawn chair and sit in the front yard with your stash and a beer to see the parade of kiddies walk by. It's such a community event that we almost missed out on it. We had decorated our tree and turned on the light but no one was knocking at the door. When my daughter peeked out, our house was being ignored. She was a bit upset so she stood by the door and was calling the kids over. When the parade of kids noticed that our place was a legitimate stop we started getting the kiddies in droves. It was funny seeing her all dressed up with nowhere to go. She was determined to hand out the non-edible candy that was at our house!!

We handed out candy until 8:15 and then had dinner and watched Cujo (we needed a spooky movie that would not give nightmares). All in all, it was a fun Halloween and restored my faith in future halloween's potential.