Fall is finally here!

Let’s see what’s happening.

Y’all, I am so grateful for autumn. It’s my favorite season because it’s finally a smidge cooler and it’s the most colorful! A few leaves have fallen and the puppies are going nuts over them…and the acorns. The Hubs and I figure they’re getting more fiber.

Fall is also my muse for quilting. Projects are filling my head and sewing space and I think this is the time of year when I break rules like the stupid one-project-at-a-time rule. There, I said it. Without further ado, here’s what I think I’m doing soon:

A baby quilt for a new great-grandson that is due on my birthday next April! I'm doing a modified Peanut Butter Quilt by Then Came June. I found a piece of Debbie Mumm fabric that's close to 30 years old and it will be the primary fabric in the quilt. I'm cutting the fabric this week and taking it to a retreat next weekend.

A quilted coat. Cindy and I have been talking this up a lot and she already made one! I think I can talk some others into it, too. My pattern is an old New Look pattern that I’ve never used (imagine that), but I’m still thinking about what I’m actually going to quilt for it. I’m considering the Mini Plaid-ish quilt by Erica Jackman at Kitchen Table Quilting. But that’s only one of my ideas. I purchased 5 yards of muslin at Hobby Lobby a couple of months ago for my test sew, threw it in the washer on a hot wash, dried it, and it shrunk to a width of 37”. 

But also, I’m in an embroidery digitizing class with homework. I don’t know how many things I’ll have to make for this class, but I’m committed to seeing it through. 

The Sierra log cabin quilt designed by Jennifer Sampou. I can’t get this quilt out of my head. 

And here’s a random thought. I’ve mentioned many times that quilting is my crack—and it was very apparent the last couple of weeks of working on the last secret project. I was in such a state of euphoria that I lost track of time…and days…when I declared the quilt finished and sat there for a few minutes and thought about maybe taking a break from (gasp!) quilting to focus on…IDK…housework? Paperwork? Laundry? Oy. I know I need a little bit of structure and this season may see me getting it together. But I also realized that a lot of my projects in the last few years have been deadline-driven, and I want to stop living in that mode; i.e., it’s starting to turn into work. Nope. I need to let that go. But…

Two weeks away from the studio was tolerable but I was feeling the itch for it just before we started the two-day trek toward home. We returned home just over a week ago. This past week I have:

Made a baby sleep sack with matching hat and a baby wipes case for my daughter-in-law’s new nephew that was born Monday;

Finished the shorts I made for the Hubs (previous post); 

Discussed with Accuquilt issues I’m having when I attempt to run a Go! Strip die through my Studio cutter (more about that in another post);

Talked to my health insurance provider regarding coverage and my out of pocket expenses and determined that I was due a lot of reimbursement while also determining I needed a better and less expensive plan; 

Saw friends for Pokeno and met with Stitch & Bitch friends (LONG OVERDUE!!!!); and 

Other mundane items that are necessary but take time away from my happy place. And I feel better about it. 

Combining quilting with my return to garment sewing expands my opportunities for creating, but I will attempt to slow down and enjoy the journey. Quilting the secret project gave me a wake-up call for physical limitations (mine, my space and my machines’), and I may address those issues in future posts. There will always be projects that need to be completed on time if they’re gifts for special occasions, but I’m letting go of crazy ideas like a quilt for each family member for Christmas. And as a result of that, I’m breathing a little bit better.

And gardening! We have a yard again and we are beginning the planting of our pollinator garden. Now that it’s cooler I can actually do that and we have purchased plants. We will include a water feature for it and I get excited just thinking about it. Hubs is working on the watering system and I keep thinking about the plant layout and where to put the fire pit. 

So posts may be less frequent but I’ll be back from time to time. I still need to take the glamor shots of the Tattoo Quilt and post them, so hopefully that will be soon. I’m also going to attempt a handwork project to work on the evenings if I have enough light to see what I’m doing—I purchased two pieces of linen at a cross-stitch shop while we were at the beach, and I’m excited to start that again. 

I hope you’re enjoying the season—I find that it gives me a break before the whirlwind holiday times and am grateful for it. In the meantime, go make!