Another Mini and a few more things. . .

This very cute quilt arrived yesterday from Jana, my (secret) Simply Mini Quilt Swap partner.  Boy, was I bowled over–I love it!  I had to take it outside to my back fence photo studio today to get a good shot of it and I love the pinwheels and the colors and that perfect binding. Thank you so much, Jana!

This too-light, too-washed-out, picture doesn’t do the blocks from the Traveling Threads Bee justice.  They are a collection for Marci, who is making a sampler quilt.  As always, I tried to look at the quilt to see what it needs, not like I’m some quilt-whisperer or something, but just every once in a while, it can just pop into your mind.

And since she specified she wanted a sampler quilt, I decided it needed some curves, as in a basket block and a Dresden plate block.  I cleared the Dresden with her, and just threw in the basket with that curvy handle.  I set it on some of Marci’s favorite fabric: the clothespins.  I think I only have one more to go until I’ve finished making for my bee-mates.  The regular delivery of these treasures seems to have bunched up somewhere; hopefully it will arrive before Christmas!Some more sewing. . .I had fun sewing on the various badges and rank achievements for four Scouts: my eldest son and his three boys.  It was like deja vu to an earlier time.
I clipped this out of the New York Times style magazine this past Sunday, as I loved all the texture shown, both in architecture/design and in fashion.  We who are doing the Millefiore quilts are right on trend!  Which reminds me that I need to get back to that. . .

. . . right after I finish up my Four-in-Art quilt, which is posting this coming Sunday, November 1st.  This is the last post of our literature theme, and I look forward to seeing all the creations of those in my group.

I did finish up my Quilt Abecedary project: a way to teach myself how to make quilt letters, in preparation for the 2016 Spelling Bee, a group who will make quilty words for each other.  I hope I’ll improve in my lowercase k skills in the future.  That one was tricky.

We think we are finally turning the corner on summer and finding our way to fall, which means get our fall garden planted: spinach, cabbage, lettuce (2 kinds), a Glacier tomato plant (trying it for the first time), oregano, chard, cauliflower and broccoli.  Some of these are new to me; we’ll see what survives.

Another sign of fall is the scheduling of my Fall Frolic trip to Orange County with my former colleague/now friend, Judy.  We hit the usual: Roger’s Gardens, ‘lette Macaron Shop, Wafu’s Sushi, South Coast Plaza, Din Tai Fung Dumpling House, Crystal Court, and IKEA.  This year we found something new and whimsical: a pocket park of sculpture next to the Newport Beach Civic Center and Fashion Island Mall, from where these bunnies — almost waist-high — were photographed.  They’ve been nicknamed Bunnyhenge by the locals.  I loved them.

Lastly, I have actually filled in some plans on my calendaring book.  This is revolutionary.  I often would rather write down what I did, then cross it off, than make plans that will never be achieved.  You can call me a goal-setting wimp.

Happy Halloween!