November Progress Check

In some ways I have made a lot of progress, in other ways, I have not. I have declared myself done with canning for the season, after putting up a bushel and a half of apples made into applesauce. I highly recommend apples from Ottanola Orchards in Hendersonville, NC, if you can get them. I found a new apple this year called the "Arkansas Black." (New to me at least, it is an older variety.) I swear it made a pink tinge to my applesauce. I also bought a "vintage" [read well-loved second-hand] Victorio Strainer from a co-worker, which made applesauce-making so much easier than last year! But I digress....

After two summers of "putting up," I am pretty sure now that I understand why our pioneer ancestresses quilted in the winter- they were too busy during the summer to sit down! I am ready to get back to quilting, and because I need another quilting project like I need a hole in my head, I have signed up to get the Downton Abbey quilt-along emails. I am not sure that I will actually make it, but I am going to print them off and save them. My local quilt shop is having a roll-out tea in December, so I am curious to see what comes up. I have been making very good progress on my Mill Girls quilt- I am on track to finish a club quilt top in the same year for the first time ever! My progress on the Bible Studies quilt is hit and miss- I set it aside for a long time because I got burnt out. Or, as my friends at Historic Club say, I put it in "Time Out." Now I have picked it back up and catalogued what I have done (the Pentateuch, Wisdom literature, and most of the Major Prophets) or not done (large swaths of Minor Prophets and virtually the entire New Testament). It's a long story, but I had some unexpected time on my hands about a month ago and was able to catch up a bit.

Our local quilt shop had an anniversary party back in September, and I bought some raffle tickets. Lo and behold, I actually won something! I got a goodie bag of fun patterns and an Andover charm pack and a "Boondoggle Ruler." I am looking forward to trying it out. I am also planning ahead towards making a hexagon quilt. I have been drawing Swim Taxi duty lately, and it has evolved that I may be traveling more for business in the coming year. I would like to have some handwork to occupy myself in my hotel rooms and on the bleachers at the pool- stay-tuned.

Quilts in Progress, as of November 10th, 2013

1. Teal Single Irish Chain (hand quilting)
2. Mill Girls by Nancy Rink
3. Bible Studies
4. Champions of the West (blocks finished, but not stitched together- I got creative block when it came to the border)
5. Civil War Sampler "cot" quilt by Karen Witt (haven't finished all the blocks yet)
6. Liberty of Londons sampler quilt (I honestly can't remember where this is in the process, but I definitely haven't got the quilt top finished)
7. Golden's Journal quilt (haven't finished all the blocks yet)
8. Peggy Martin-technique sampler quilt (ditto)
9. Crazy quilt (not your usual crazy quilt, but it is crazy! Quilt top finished, but needs sandwiching/quilting/binding)
10. Roses for Shiloh quilt by Painted Pony 'n Quilts (haven't finished all the blocks yet)
11. Amish with a Twist (haven't finished all the blocks yet)
12. Not quilting, but alter my dirndl to fit my new, smaller, self, and finish the heart-ruching trim for it.

Quilts in the "Some Day" Stage, as of June 2nd, 2013
1. Olivia the piglet quilt
2. A Baltimore Album quilt
3. A hexagon quilt
4. A chintz panel quilt
5. A quilt with the Metro Blues fabrics that I got in New Braunfels and Belleville
6. Various Rosemary Youngs Civil War Diary and Civil War Anniversary quilts
7. Barbara Brackman's Civil War Sampler
8. Barbara Brackman's Grandmother's Choice women's suffrage sampler
9. A botanical album quilt that I've had designed in my head for a long time
10. Away from Home by Nancy Rink (postponed indefinitely)
11. Mimi's Bloomers quilt by Erin Russek
12. Just Takes Two quilt by Sentimental Stitches
13. The Hazel Ilene quilts by Prairie Moon Quilts
14. Path to the Civil War: Aurelia's Journey Quilt
15. A Dear Jane quilt
16. A bed-runner designed by one of my kids
17. Miscellaneous quilts that I've downloaded from quilt-alongs and free patterns from textile companies.
18. Downtown Abbey quilt from Lovebug Studios