Catching Up, Stitching and Vintage Sewing Machines

I've been busy, even though I haven't been blogging.  I'll play quick catch-up for you.

My son loves to give out the candy on Halloween.  He always dresses up.  We even dress up the dogs for the kids to see.  Despite the snow, we had lots of kids come by.

my son and the dogs on Halloween

I taught Curved Piecing at my little quilt guild last Monday.  I demonstrated on Radiant Sun blocks and Drunkard's Path blocks.  I even taught faux curved piecing (applique a circle onto a square, then cut the square into 4 pieces).

16 Drunkard's Path blocks

I've been stitching those orphan Drunkard Path blocks into something.  I'll show you soon.

Between stitching those things, I've been working on a wedding quilt for my niece.  I'll show pictures of it soon.  It's almost a quilt top.

I did get some of my leaders & enders blocks made.  I've made another 50  9 patch blocks.  Only 350 more to make ; )

50 more tiny 9 patch blocks made

On Friday, I drove to Rockford, IL to meet up with Anne & Bob.  They are helping with taking vintage sewing machines to new owners (Pony Express).  I handed over 3 machines to them.  One is headed to Florida, another to Texas and the last one to New Mexico.  (sorry, I didn't get a photo of the one headed to Florida).  All three of these machines were given to me in the last few months to find new homes for them.

heading to Texas

heading to New Mexico

Yipee!  I can now see my fireplace again!  Now to clean up and re-home some of my own machines.

Of course, we met up at a quilt store to exchange the sewing machines.  We stopped at Quilter's General Store in Rockford.  I've been there many times, but it was a new shop for Anne.  I didn't know that they had a basement, and I found a few things down there.  Then we toured the first and 2nd floors and we both found some fabrics.  I found a pattern for an upcoming Round Robin, but they only had a kit, and I just wanted the pattern (I found it online and ordered it).  When I got near home, I stopped at Sewing, Etc. in Yorkville, IL, and found more fabrics for pillowcases.  Kelly, the owner is a friend of mine.  I found even more fabric at the Caring Hands Thrift Store in Yorkville.  A fun, fabric and sewing machine day!  That evening, my son and I attended a book signing event for Christopher Paolini, for his newest book, Murtagh.  We've been to every book signing for Christopher Paolini at the Anderson's Book Shop except his first (discovered him after his first book).  If you click on his link, you will see the exact event we attended.  We were way up front, on the far right side, just out of the photo.

Meanwhile, I finished hand stitching the binding down on 12 of the 16 Turkey placemats.  I'll pack up the 12 later today and get them in the mail to Alaska, for my grandkids.  Hopefully they will arrive before Thanksgiving.  The other 4 are for me, so I'm not worried about finishing the binding on them yet.  If I'd thought about it (before I'd cut the binding strips) I'd have made faux piping binding and stitched them on the machine on both sides.  Oh well...

Turkey placemats

Now to get back to stitching.....