Four Finishes at the Guild Retreat!

Last weekend, I went to the Oxford Guild fall retreat.  Three days of sewing, chatting with friends, sewing, eating good food, sewing, and some sleep. I brought along several projects that just needed to be finished as well as one new project.  The first few projects have a decidedly bird theme...  This little bird coin purse was a free taster weekend project taught by Jo Avery at the Threadhouse Academy in the spring.  Christine and I both watched the videos and started our birds...and then we stalled at the stage where the zippers needed to be added.  We both brought our birds along and got them finished at the retreat.  Here is my coin purse and the next picture shows both of our bird purses. 

At home this week, I worked on my counted cross stitch project.  Just a bit more to do...maybe it will get finished this coming week. 

Over a year ago, I finished the cross stitch for this Funky Rooster designed by Satsuma Street.  It took 30 minutes to put together.  I am not sure why I waited so long to assemble it.  This the second finish at the retreat.  

This potato chip I spy quilt has been put together since the summer and has been waiting patiently for quilting and binding.  The baby was born this fall and I needed to move this to the finish line to gift it.  I quilted it with my walking foot at the retreat and did the binding at home this week. It will be gifted shortly. This is finish number 3.

The back is fun--I did not have enough of the green fabric so I added the monkey fabric.  The monkey fabric was not quite wide enough, so I added the red strip.  The label is from a panel of Canada themed labels I bought earlier this year.

Over a year ago, Diann at Little Penguin quilts had a draw on her blog and I won four Christmas fat quarters.  They have been out in my sewing room where I could see them while I figured out what to make.  I decided the runner needed a circle in the middle (made with my set of Drunkard's Path rulers) and then stars seemed like a good idea for the other two blocks.  I made the background look like a red and white checkerboard and really like how it turned out.  The backing fabric was in my stash and was just long and wide enough for the backing.  The dark green binding was made from the fourth fat quarter.  This runner will go on my dining room table when I change the decor from fall to Christmas/Winter.  Finish number 4!

 

My sewing this week has mostly been mending/repairing.  My daughter's university quilt is over 17 years old and some of the seams were coming apart and some other parts of the quilt were threadbare.  I used a mending stitch on the threadbare parts and did wavy line quilting on all of the seams.   This took a few hours but I think it will hold everything together and give the quilt a longer life.  She still loves to use this quilt and I am very happy about that. 

I finished reading this book this week.  A great read about an older woman who was convicted of murder as a child.  The story unfolds chapter by chapter, flipping between her childhood and her life in current times.  

Our Japanese Maple tree was glowing in the sunset when I got home one day this week. 

I took this picture of the Canada Geese on my morning walk one day this past week. 

Our Clethra bush is beautiful right now. 

When doing some fall clean up this week, we came across several  Earthstar mushrooms.  I had not seen this variety ever before.  Very interesting!

More sewing from the retreat.   This first quilt top was a rainbow scrap challenge quilt for 2026.  I had the three rows done at home and just needed to add the striped horizontal sashing to put it together.  Four seams...not sure why I waited so long...  I already have the backing and will get this one pin basted soon.  I will be doing the quilting myself. 

I'm still making blocks for my last two RSC quilts for 2026 and sewing these ones at the retreat.  

Phew!  That's it for now.  There won't be this much to report next week but another retreat is coming up soon...

Finn is showing off the fallen leaves and his new hair cut as he and my daughter were out for a walk this week.  

 I will link up with Kathy and the Slow Sunday Stitchers, Frederique and her gang as well as the Rainbow Scrap Challenge folks.  See you next week. 

Hand Stitching Progress

 I am on the home stretch of hand quilting my improv round robin quilt.  I made a cardboard template of one of the triangles in the outer border and used my Hera marker to draw the lines on the green border.  I have quilted two of the corner sections and only have two more to go.  I also added more orange sashiko stitching to the blue border and only have two more of those to go as well.  I am  hoping to have a finished quilt to show here next week. 

The Fall cross stitch also received some attention this week.  It is also getting close to the finish line.  I have a pattern for a cross stitch Christmas ornament that I would like to make for my next project. 

My Uncle Fred passed away in August.  He was in his 90's and had been unwell for some time.  My cousin gathered up his clothing and made everyone in the family a scrappy teddy bear--she calls them "Fred Teds".  This was quite a production as he had 8 great grandchildren, and several grandchildren and 4 children.  I thought my readers would enjoy seeing her handiwork.  I though this was a great idea!

We had our guild meeting yesterday and I handed in four placemats. I still have binding to hand stitch on two more so I will hand them in at the next meeting.  The log cabin block was found in a bag of scraps from a quilt I made 39 years ago.  The block has been put to good use and the scraps have been put away in the scrap bins.  It's funny what you find when you go looking in the dark corners of your sewing room. 

These two placemats were made with leftover strips from a jelly roll purchased for a class in 2021.  It was time to use them up too.  All of these placemats have winter themed fabric on the back and will be donated to Meals on Wheels at our December meeting. 

I am participating in a Swap Mystery quilt at the guild and handed in my red nine patches at yesterday's meeting.  In December, we have to hand in our pink blocks.  I finished making my pink blocks  this week. It's good to be ahead of the game on this project.  

The quilt got changed on our bed this week.  This quilt was the 2009 Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt--She called it "Carolina Christmas".  I changed the colour scheme and called mine "Creamsicles by the Sea".  I finished the quilt in 2010.  It's fun to see my older quilts on the bed as I rotate through my quilt collection. 

Finn went to his favourite place this week--the pet store!  He knows the way there and walks very enthusiastically on the way there as he knows there are treats.  The trip home is considerably slower as he wants to go back to the pet store for more treats.  

I will link up with Kathy and Frederique this weekend. 

Two Projects Finished This Week!

I've had a very productive week!  This donation quilt had a deadline--it had to be done by today so it could be delivered to the auxiliary at the nursing home where my MIL lived for 4.5 years before she passed away earlier this month.  They are assembling their baskets for the fundraiser raffle this week so they can start selling tickets.  I hope that whoever wins the quilt that I made uses it and enjoys it.  I had to buy the border and backing fabrics.  It was quilted with my walking foot on my DSM.  The binding is the same fabric as the outer border. 

My second finish of the week was my farm cross stitch on perforated paper. I got all of the beading done and added the sunflower button.  I will buy a frame shortly and get this out on display. The perforated paper was easy to stitch on...the beads were a bit fiddly but I like the way they look on the finished project. 

My improv round robin quilt got some attention this week too.  I finished quilting the pieced border and started quilting the blue border.  I am using a sashiko needle and  pearl cotton in the blue border.  The stitches are larger -- the sashiko class I took last week inspired me.  This project is moving closer to the finish line.  

We have been having beautiful Fall weather and I've been enjoying lots of walks outside with friends and family.  Yes---another squirrel photo!

Fungi on a log. 

A family walk in the woods 

This is one of my SIL and BIL's dogs...he also loves a walk in the woods. 

Lots of mushrooms in the woods too. 

My daughter had to get up really early one morning this week for a breakfast meeting at work.  Finn was not a fan of getting up so early and made the most of having the bed to himself. 

I volunteer at our local hospice once a week. The views out the window were gorgeous this week. 

 

I will link up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching and with Frederique as well.  I will be working on my fall cross stitch this weekend.  Happy Halloween!  

Donation Quilts--one done, and one in progress

I finished quilting and binding the donation quilt for Camp Kintail this week.  It has been delivered to someone who was attending today's auction/dinner fundraiser and I hope it goes to a good home.  I had just enough of the backing fabric to use it for the binding.  I quilted it with straight lines using my walking foot and navy blue thread. 

The second donation quilt is for the Christmas Raffle at my late MIL's nursing home.  The auxiliary at the home are very active in supporting and providing programs for the residents of the home and I am happy to support their raffle with a quilt.  I made a quilt for the raffle last year too.   I have purchased border fabric and a backing for this quilt and hope to get the borders on and the quilt finished this week. 

The Oxford Guild offered a Sashiko class today and 21 people participated.  The teacher did a mini trunk show of her projects and then got all of us started on a small stitching project.  I still have a bit more stitching to do to finish mine.  

I made some progress on my hand quilted improv round robin quilt this week.  I should be able to finish the pieced border this week and then I will work on the blue section as well as the outer border. 

I saw this on Instagram this week and thought it was very true!

The next three pictures were taken in our garden.  The burning bush is almost fully red.  The birds love eating the berries in the winter. 

For some reason, the pink thread leaf coreopsis is blooming. 

The sedum is putting on a show too.  We just had our first frost this past week.  

The squirrels at the park where I walk continue to be squirrelly.  

One day, it was warm enough for the turtles to sunbathe on the log in the pond. 

Finn continues to take his job as supervisor of my daughter very seriously.  He likes to keep her in his sight at all times. 

I will link up with Kathy and Frederique as usual.