Taa Daa

Here it is, home at last... a new sewing table, handmade by my Dad.  A couple of months ago, I moved my sewing room into our great room.  My Dad says, "Your sister has the perfect library table for your sewing machine."  So here it is, made in the style of an old library table my sister has at her house, and made by Dad.  What a gift, it's a beauty!

Also on the list for the weekend... put the binding on the Christmas Quilt... (look on the table above), finished that up today, now just need to hand sew it to the back.

and I took my Granddaughter Nadin for her first trip with me alone to visit Great Grandma and Grandpa... as her Uncle Cort says, Grandma has good toys!

Nadin on her first visit to Great Grandma's.

Looks like both Nadin and Grandma Kat were spoiled at Great Grandma and Grandpa's house!

Thanks Dad, a new family heirloom.

Onto the week...

October was a BUSY Month!

Welcome if you are visiting for the first time from Lily's Quilts and the Fresh Sewing Day and Small Blog Meet, a fun way to visit new blogs... here's a run down of my busy October.  First off, I worked on finishing my "They're All Dalmatians" cow quilt, a 72nd birthday present for my Mom!

 

Also worked on my FMQ with this old project.

Started a new project (or two) as usual!

and slowly working on a Hexie's.

And the biggest news of all, my Granddaughter Nadin arrived in the states from the Philippines on October 10th!

Welcome to 'Merica Nadin!

Here's the links to the other blogs in the big Link Up!

Phew, hope I copied and pasted all that correctly!

Have a great Sunday.

Those cows are staring at me!

Every day a new excuse, not to begin the quilting on the cow quilt...  seriously, I'm glad to have taken the time to practice away on this chistmas quilt.  I am gaining confidence and trying a few new designs. 

 Here's a block.

 Stars

Swirls 

A simple wave goes gives movement to the stripes.

Not really satisfied with the stitching, but love the overall look of a checkerboard.

A meandering geometric pattern.

A few things I have learned...

1.  Although I'm not yet satisfied with the stitching quality, overall, when looking at a completed block, it looks just fine.

2.  FMQ opens many creative doors, sometimes it's just tough to walk through them. 

3.  "Traveling" is a great thing in FMQ. (Not in basketball tho.)

4.  I need an open foot... mine is plastic and although it is clear, it's tough to see when quilting a small area... for instance the checkerboard pattern.  It's also tough to see behind the foot! 

5.  The old adage "practice makes perfect" applies to FMQ.

Off to close our cabin... winter is on it's way.



Nadin Comes to America

She is here!   All the way from the Philippines, 12 hours flying time... about an 23 hour trip total adding in the car ride home. Nadin, Mom and Dad all arrived safely on Monday.

Nadin! (Her quilt in the background.)

No sewing in the last couple of days, however, here's a few shots of my FMQ on the old Christmas quilt I have had sitting partially quilted for a couple of years.  I am slowly getting the hang of it and  happy that I had this to practice on.



A star and swirl pattern, good for beginners.

Working on consistent stitch length.

Also following fabric patterns. Sorry about the lint.

Hope your having a great week, we are enjoying beautiful fall weather.