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Two years ago, at Christmas, I spotted a Benartex jelly roll called Arboretum. Of course I thought I'd have enough time to do a jelly roll race quilt for Sarah and Winnie, and of course I didn't. Sarah and Winnie work at the North Carolina Arboretum, so I thought it would be a great gift. I did get the piecing finished, but that was it. I gave them the quilt top in a box and then took it back, promising to finish it.
I quilted it with organic lines earlier in the week. Today was finally the day it was finished. I sewed on the binding and washed the quilt to get it soft and crinkled and sewed on little labels from some of the edges.
It looks just like I hoped it would.
How cozy is this? Yesterday the baby quilt group was having lunch at Don Pablo, while the rain was pouring outside. I could hardly keep my eyes away from this cozy space across the way. You can see the water as it pools at the edge of the awning.
The light, the colors, the rain . . . perfect for a transitional October afternoon. A week ago, it was summer. And now, it isn't.
The folks sitting across from me had a different but still wonderful kind of view. Rain on the deck, gray sky, gray river.
I was deleting pictures on my phone when I found this one that I really liked. I snapped it after last Sunday's game when I was trying to get a position to take a picture of the kids running the bases. It almost looks a little quilty, guess that's why I like it. I wonder where that guy got the Johnny Bench jersey.
Strange, last Sunday it was summer and this Sunday it is fall.
There was lots to finish last week, including embroidering these soccer blankets for Newport Catholic's seniors. The opposite corners had names and numbers. I didn't knot and cut the fleece, thank goodness. Those blankets were BIG.
I wasn't there, but I enjoyed the tales of the kids at Kings Island yesterday. Especially the ones about when dark came and the Halloween folks appeared. I'm thinking that I'd enjoy going next Saturday, just to see the goblins.
It was a wonderful weekend to be at the ballpark Saturday and Sunday. Unless you were a Pirates fan who travelled from Pittsburgh to see your team win the division this weekend. Then probably not.
It was a great day on Sunday to see Johnny Cueto get his 20th win and his go-ahead RBI in the 8th. To see Aroldis Chapman strike out those Pirates. To see "Reds Win" on the field-level scoreboard.
At the end of the game a long, long, long line of kids waited inside the stadium to run the bases at the end of the season's last game. If you look very closely, you'll see Steph and the grands in the parade, but mostly just take my word for it.
The weather was great, and lots of fans just milled around afterwards, soaking it in. I loved that some fans thanked the ushers and told them, "See you next year."
This afternoon the stars lined up just right, and Nora and Aaron had games at the same time, adjacent fields. For me, as a spectator, time time passed really quickly with two games to keep track of.
Someone pointed out that Nora's team is the Purple Dragons
while Aaron's is the Dragons. Of course, I'd completely missed that.
It was hot for the end of September, very dry. There were little puffs of dust everywhere a ball came down. We've had blue skies for three days now, unusual for us. I hope they hold out as they are supposed to, for one more day when we go to see the Reds tomorrow.
Since the All Star break, there has been little to celebrate for Reds fans, but it's hard to not feel a little energized when they won this afternoon in the 10th inning with a walk off home run. For sure, baseball will break your heart, but now and again it makes a heart happy too.
I can remember the feeling when I bought my first entire bolt of Wonder Under. I can remember walking out of the store feeling about ten feet tall, feeling like I had arrived as a fiber artist.
And then the other day, I looked at Melody Johnson's blog, and she had a picture of the TEN bolts of Wonder Under that she had just purchased. Along with her thoughts about why she likes Wonder Under the best. You can read her blog here. The post is a few days back.
Having said that, my most recent bolt of Wonder Under is the best ever. It's amazing. The paper peels off well and leaves a lovely film on the fabric. Perfect.
The basement cleaning continues. Things are off the floor and there is space on shelves. I'm happy. But I'm not quitting yet.
If there is an Obi-Wan Kenobi action figure in my sewing room, it must mean that Halloween is coming. I have a pair of khaki pants from the kids' resale clothing store and some khaki fabric from Hancock, greatly reduced. A rust-colored v-necked tee would be a good next find.
It's hard for me to get back into my sewing rhythm after being gone a couple of times. This is surely the day when that will happen.
The good news is that my basement is slowly getting cleaned up. I want to put two resin tables there so I can easily lay out fabric and batting for quilt sandwiches. I have a spot on my bedroom floor for that, but it's really too small and I have that big unfinished basement. Actually, I have enough space there for the tables, it's not that bad, it's just the idea of having things neat.
Last week I put together some basement shelves that I've probably had for a year or two. And now I have a big chunk of cardboard for enlarging the back garden bed just a little. It's why I never get much done - there is always one thing more.
