One Quilt Top Started and Finished

Being the Route 66 fan that I am, I have many Route 66 themed fabrics and ideas for several quilts.  I am working on one quilt that has embroidered blocks - that will take a bit to finish.  I have another idea for one that will feature actual pictures I have taken along the Mother Road.  That one will take a bit to make.  And then there is the special one with the rusty old trucks along Route 66...and that one will take a bit to design. 

So two weekends ago, I got tired of having the "perfect" place on my living room wall for a Route 66 quilt wallhanging and decided to piece one.  I cut it out and started piecing it that weekend and finished piecing it this weekend.  And here it is ....



 

TaDa !!!  Done.  Finished.  Finally.  Oh crap, I still have to quilt it.  OK - almost finished.

~ Kat

There Is A Time For Everything...

...and that time is not now for me!  Nor is this a season for every activity under the heavens, for me!  I have been really struggling with migraines (sinus or maybe other), my back being out of alignment, and catching every cold that I come into contact with - I have been exhausted!!!!   Thus blogging had been put on the back burner - didn't even have the strength to say "Be Back Soon".  


And of course with this being the season for every activity under the heavens (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Christmas parties, church pageants, open houses, making Christmas gifts, baking goodies, looking at twinkly lights), I am trying to do what I can to enjoy the activities, but not doing so much of that I am not resting and healing.  This "season crash" usually happens to me every Oct - Nov, but it is definitely dragging out this year.


I am going to put up a few Christmas decorations this weekend to help us get in to the spirit at home.  Trans Siberian Orchestra CDs are in the car, in the CD player, and in the house putting their special spin on this wonderful time on year.  A few simple decorations are going up on the mantle and the walls, including some of my quilts.  Went to a Church Christmas pageant last weekend with our friends in Choctaw - wonderful!!!  Hoping to go to Korn, OK tomorrow for their Barn Home Christmas Tour - Korn is a German Mennonite town west of OKC.  Bet they will be selling some beautiful homemade things.  But it all depends on how I feel. 


Started getting out my Christmas quilts this morning.  Here is one...

I much prefer Father Christmas to Santa Claus!

But, with all the festivities, Christmas frilleries, and lights and food, please do not forget the real Reason for the Season.

Quilt made by me for my Mom in November 1999

Have a very blessed holiday season !!!!
Kat

Short and Sweet ...

Friday night - ready for the weekend.  Have a few days off next week, so I am looking forward to some creative time.  I will finally be able to finish up my simple living room makeover and work on a few art quilts - really happy about that.  Just some quick pics for today.  First, trees are starting to turn to their Fall colors here (the ones that still have leaves on them after this summer!)


Oklahoma Cottonwood



Sweet Gum

I finished my circle wreath and hung it up above the fireplace.

And thought I would introduce Rascal and Sissy, since I found them both in the same place, relaxed, and looking at me (a one in a zillion probability!).  Rascal is on the left, Sissy on the right. 

Blessings,
Kat

Finally... Fall...

I just can't stand it anymore.  The temps have cooled down to a "Fall-ish" 85 to 89 degrees during the day (OK - remember, while that may be summer temps for some, that is 20 deg cooler than our highs just two weeks ago and all summer - 3 months - long).  Leaves are turning colors (OK - they just dried up over the summer as a defense mechanism against the extreme heat).  

I officially declare that early Fall has arrived in Oklahoma - Fall is by far my favorite season.  I try not to rush this season by starting to take all my Fall stuff out in July or August or March (ha!).  You can't appreciate things if you have too much of them.  But it is time now.  The other sure sign that Fall is arriving?

YES! - the Fall issues of magazines are arriving in the book stores and candy corn can be found at most stores.  

So, I was inspired to start on my Fall quilts.  Here is just a tease of the hand-dyed Autumn Leaf quilt ... pulled it off the UFO shelf to see what was left to do on it.  It WILL be completed this month!

And I pulled out fabrics for my Autumn Wreath quilt and started cutting the circles out.  

This week, the boxes of Fall decorations and quilts come out and I start to decorate.

I SIMPLY love Fall...

Blessings,

Kat

Relaxing Sunday (uh, Monday)

Not that I don't appreciate a holiday, but it really does play havoc with my inner clock - even just the one added day this weekend.  I guess I tend to think I have extra time, so I can get a LOT of extra things done.  Wrong!!!  

And of course with the cold front coming in Saturday and our temps dropping to a nice Autumn-like range, I felt invigorated - invincible - insane.  I was a whirlwind of activity and ideas Saturday (and, yes, even Sunday since it also felt like Saturday with being off Monday).  I became a crazy woman thinking about all the Fall projects I would like to do (and all the handmade Christmas gifts I could make - but I will save that for another blog). 

Whooooaaaa!!!  Put on the brakes, put the car in park and turn off the ignition.  I do this every year, and THIS year is supposed to be different. So, I made a thoughful, much-less-than-previous-years LIST for my Fall projects, and even PRIORITIZED them, because I just can't do it all.  (Quick, get the smelling salts for my hubby!  OK - he came to, but is wondering who I am and what I did with his wife.)

So just to prove it to you (and me!!!) - here is a sneak peak at my list and pics of the two patterns for the quilt projects at the top of my list...

Designed by Nancy Halvorsen from her book Bittersweet

So, you can see that even though I am SIMPLIFYING my life, I still have my work cut out for me.  However, I will get done what I get done and not worry about the rest (oops, my hubby just passed out again).

Off to some relaxing hand stitching as usual on a Sunday (uh, I mean Monday) night...
Blessings,
Kat