Okay, I love giveaways but I hate choosing the winner. So many of you had the best Christmas wishes, from fabrics to new sewing rooms, to visiting your left kidney (thank you Allison in Alabama), to the all-time favorite: visiting with family and friends with Covid no where to be seen. But I decided to play it straight, enlisting Google’s random number generator:
I don’t want to argue with you whether or not I should have put a one there. I always feel sorry for whoever is #1, because Random Number Generators never choose them (and I’m always that person, just so you know).
I won’t bore you with how I figured out who should win between the IG and the blog commenters (some of you figured out you could do it in both places–good for you), but there is a paper with calculations for proof: the winner is Susan, of Patchwork N Play in Australia. Congratulations!
Thank you to all who wrote and who made my day with your comments. I would have to say my Christmas wish would be seeing family again, so many of you really touched my heart. My husband wanted me to choose Allison of Alabama, but because it was too hard to choose, I had to do the number generator.
Please don’t hesitate to get yourself the book on pre-sale, if you really want one. You will use it a ton. I remember being somewhere when Barbara Brackman was speaking, some years after the publication of the book I have. She said she’d give up an awful lot to have a case of those early books in her closet, but they went out of print really quickly and if you wanted one, you could get it on Amazon:
Only 80 bucks for a used one, and over $200 for a new one.
In other news, I finished my bee block for Lisa, and sent that off. And before I turned my sewing room upside down and dumped it into boxes, I also made November’s block for Allison:
I love the first one of November’s with the use of ombré fabrics, which — as you know — has been on my mind lately. I usually link you over to our #gridsterbee home on Instagram at this point, but apparently they’ve removed all “recent” tags from Instagram because of the election in two days. I don’t understand how the bots thought that quilt blocks from one to four years ago were “recent” but I do hope they come back. We have lots of good blocks we’ve made! Chalk it up to another 2020 weirdness.
I started the Pumpkin-a-Day Challenge with Carol G, and so far have been able to make one per day. Sometimes I was finishing it late at night while I watched Judy Woodruff on the PBS Newshour, a comforting end to our anxious news days. Carol has done machine appliqué but on that first one I was too tired to figure it out, so have been doing hand stitching.
I’m using the older Voysey line from Moda fabrics, a line that uses designs from the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collections. You can still find some of on ETSY, if you are looking.
I’d been saving it to use for this project, and when Carol saw my photo of the packed bathroom (we put a lot of sewing room stuff in there), she circled my pattern in red so I could find it again. It’s by Laundry Basket Quilts, if you want to jump in.
This Apple Galette was our Halloween treat.
Since I’m finally unpacked and most of the house is put away after our home renovation project, I am feeling like myself again. We still need to find shelves to put in that closet, or build some, but for now, they’ll rest there, and not in our bathtub.
Thank you again for all your entries. I want to have you all to lunch when we get back to normal. Please say you’ll come!
Happy Quilting!
OccasionalPiece--Quilt! 
I’ll come for lunch
What a great post! I really couldn’t get over Allison and her kidney!!
About the machine blanket stitch- I had done it on an earlier quilt that Hayley actually washes quite a lot and she says it’s held up really well. I couldn’t remember what number it was so I googled it and came up with a tutorial on Bernina on how to make it look like a hand blanket stitch. On my machine you can pull up a particular stitch and edit it. What they did was made the spacing inconsistent, made some of the lines longer than others, and tilted the lines one way and the other – all things I’m trying so hard not to do when I am doing hand blanket stitch!!! So, I just stayed with the regular, consistent stitch. It soothes my accountant mind.
I have been in a state since Friday. I saw a news item where they showed the graphic the NYT had up the night of the election, where the needle would go from probably Trump to probably Clinton, and the progression to definitely Trump and I could picture myself so clearly sitting at my desk staring at it. I simply can’t imagine what we will do if he wins again. Hayley speaks seriously of leaving the country.
And on a more pleasant note, we watched Madagascar out of Africa last night and they had a scene where all the animals were on the Savannah and they said where are we? And someone cried “San Diego”! Maddy looked at me and said “San Diego, that’s in sunny California!” Wishing we were joining you for lunch, can’t believe it’s been nearly a year. James and I were supposed to be off to New Mexico in September. I don’t really miss eating in restaurants or shopping, but I sure do miss travel.
Anyway…. so much fun doing these blocks with you!
X
C-
Carol Gillen
216.798.3784
I had to laugh at your fabric in the bathroom! So far, I haven’t had to resort to that! LOL I love your pumpkins. I am looking forward to seeing your progress.
Yay, Susan! Congratulations. She will enjoy it. I LOVE your pumpkins. The fabrics are so pretty. Your Bee blocks look great too. I hope to get mine done today. Wouldn’t it be fun to have lunch with all of us in attendance?
I’ll happily be there for lunch and congratulations Susan!!
The ombre fabric used for the background on the starblock made it really lively!
The photo of your pumpkin blocks brought back a memory of seeing a beautiful version with a collection of Morris fabrics at the 2019 Fallbrook Guilld’s Show.
I’m so looking forward to the day of being able to meet up with my quilty girlfriends and go to shows again. Stay safe, stay well.
I don’t have a bit of problem being #1 in your giveaway comments! I had already pre-ordered the book, and didn’t answer your giveaway question, so I had no expectations of winning. And I’m absolutely thrilled that you drew Susan’s name! She’s very deserving. Good for you to share block-making, and a pumpkin-making challenge with friends. I’m only sorry that you can’t have some or all of them over for lunch. These continue to be very trying times. Keep your chin up! Everything is acceptable and doable with faith in the Lord.
Another lovely post. Lunch would be so wonderful. Instead I always feel as if we are sitting having tea together when I read your posts. We are visiting after all! Congrats to Susan for the win. I, too was hoping Allison gets to visit her kidney. Lovely that the Reno is done and you have your tub back! Saying a prayer for your country for better control of the pandemic and the peaceful results of a fair and honest election. Love your blocks. In the words of our Dr. Bonnie Henry “Be kind. Be calm. Be well”. Above all wear a mask and be safe.
I would like to visit my right kidney which is actively engaging in mutiny by making stones. Can I take a jack hammer with me?
I’m so down for lunch. I will bring the baby! Let’s just hope he’s not 5 by the time we can go outside.
I’d love to have lunch with you!
I am so excited about Barbara’s new encyclopedia. I *may* have spent too much money (but not as much as your screenshot shows) ordering a second copy on Amazon, so I could have one here in Tokyo. It hadn’t made the cut, when we packed, and I regretted that decision! That’s how much I use it! Will be thrilled to have the new book, and thanks for the tip to pre-order! Can’t wait for this election to be over and I’m a bundle of nerves, remembering the stress and shock of the last one. Glad your quilts are out of your bathroom, ha ha. Loving your pumpkin blocks!
Oh, I wish I could fly across the country to lunch! Maybe some day. Tomorrow I’m meeting a few neighbors for a socially distanced outdoor lunch in the cul de sac. We’re each bringing a sack lunch and a chair and a mask for when we’re not eating. I’m going to put my chair and lunch bag in a wagon, and walk there. It will be cold – about 53 degrees – so I’ll cover my covid-gray hair with a stocking cap. I haven’t seen them since March.
In happier times, I would have flown to California for lunch, and to pick up my giveaway prize! What fun we would have…..you struggling to understand my thick Australia accent and me pinching myself that I was actually there! I imagine you are relieved to have the carpet down and your home back in order. Thanks for picking me, and , for once, not listening to Dave.
Yes, indeed, I have ordered the book on pre-sale and look forward to getting the new Block Base as well when it comes out.