Indian Summer seems to be done... the temperatures dropped and we have had a trace of snow a few times since Thanksgiving. Which is what has inspired this mini-quilt, #47/52. Winter is my least favorite season and if it has to be cold, I would prefer to have snow. ❄️
The snowflake was machine appliqued into place and then hand quilted around it, as well as some hand-quilting following the movement of the words "let it snow".
When it gets cold out, I tend to do more cooking and baking. As I was planning dinner for a busy day, Dave asked me why I haven't made any of the freezer crockpot meals lately. I told him that I had grown bored with the variety of them.
I pulled out a few of our favorites, made a list and did a quick shopping trip. Smothered chicken, Chicken and wild rice soup and Creamy chicken tortilla soup would be on the menu.
And just in the nick of time since I traveled to meet a friend that gave me shirts for a custom quilt and to visit with the giftshop manager at Bent's Fort about selling my Pieces From the Santa Fe Trail book.
Visiting Bent's Fort was like taking a walk back in time... As I walked the 1/4-mile path to the fort, I recalled one of my first school field trips. It was in the early 1970s, prior to the restoration of the historical site. All that remained were small mounds from the adobe walls that melted over the decades since being abandoned. I recalled the excitement of the restoration of the fort and the big celebration and dedication in July of 1976. I recalled the filming of a movie at the Fort, the call for extras, and my begging my parents to allow me to participate.
Sorry about that rabbit trail... There was interest in carrying the book in the gift shop, and the possibility of a book signing event. Knowing that dinner was taken care of, I enjoyed the day and didn't feel rushed.
Knowing I had a few other meals on hand I was able to then focus on the quilting of the most recent t-shirt quilt. No Guilt::Go Quilt! It is ready to be trimmed. soon the binding will be done and then I'll spend some time hiding the thread tails.
The backing is pieced, allowing for the overflow of the small t-shirt logos to be included. And since it is red fabric, I will be including about 6 of the color grabber sheets.
That is at the top of my To-do list. Followed by a few more mini-quilts, sending out Christmas cards from our business and compiling our annual family newsletter to send to the print shop.
We have discussed with our girls the idea of not doing a gift exchange for us, just the children. Dave's family, for 7 years now, have made a family contribution to a charity or organization. The choice has been made by a sibling in descending order of birth. Since there are 8 siblings in the family, the "baby" will be making her choice next year, and then start over.
None of us really have a need for anything and if we do, we usually NEED it immediately. I think something small for the Christmas stockings would be fun to do. We'll see...
It is now time for this week's Sew & Tell feature! Karen, from Karen's Quilting shared her progress on three projects... her hand quilting caught my attention. I am always in awe of those that hand-quilt larger projects. I have done only one large throw quilt... it took me a year to complete it.
I do find it very relaxing, but I like to finish a project, admire it for a short time and then start a new one. I have very few UFOs... In fact, I don't have any. I DO have a works-in-progress - Our Camping Journal quilt. Though, I have to admit that I am beginning to get anxious about getting enough blocks completed to get it sandwiched for quilting. I digress...
Be sure to head over to Karen's Quilting to see her hexie project and her Christmas pillows.
It is time now for the party to begin. :) Join the fun by sharing a link to a blog post or a public social media post. But before you go...
What is the longest on-going project you have worked on?
Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you!
Keep Piecing,
Melva
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