Fall Has Come to Tennessee

Well, I know it may have seemed as if I dropped off the earth to many of you. I've been hearing by way of the grapevine that some of you keep checking my blog only to see the same post day after day...after day....:( sorry....I've just been so busy.

We went on a wonderful car tour with S and M the beginning of October and saw lots of country in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. It was called the "Little Tour on the Prairie" with the CHVA Sunflower Region as hosts. (CHVA = Contemporary Historical Vehicle Association) What a great time we had! All the old cars and young-at-heart people made it a vacation to remember that's for sure! Sister S and I did our best to make it a tour of quilt shops on the prairie! Here I am at one of my favorite stops!

This was just the beginning of many stops along the way, in Winterset, Iowa. Our husbands were very considerate and although they wanted to look at beuatiful restored cars such as this one...

and my DH wanted to stop for a closer look at precious gems such as this...

We all got along just fine because we were so tolerant of each other. It made for a wonderful trip. Everyone should get out and go on the side roads and by-ways of our country. The interstates are fast and convenient but you miss the local quaintness of small town America when you always stick to the interstates. We met such nice people everywhere we went and found some fantastic restaurants along the way as well. This is an absolute must for anyone living in Kansas!

The Brookville Hotel has the best food that anyone could ever desire! Yum! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

Since we've been back, we needed time to recover from our trip. Of course, I had to get back to the sewing machine and I was a week late getting a gift made for DIL B's birthday. I made her a bag from the Charm Party pattern that was featured in McCall's Quilting magazine Aug 2007 issue. I think it came out pretty cute. And B said she really liked it, too!Then our good friends from Ohio, S and D came by for a few days. We had a fantastic time with them. Just love getting together with old friends!!
Next time, I'll post a picture of my latest quilt and matching table runner. I love how it came out and it really gives a fall look to the living room.

She's Home!

Just want all of you that have been keeping tabs on her progress and mentioning baby Sarah Grace in your prayers, that God has seen fit to heal her enough that the cardiologists and the NICU staff have all come to the same conclusion...Sarah is well enough to come home!!
We received this good news last Thursday...exactly 3 weeks from the day she came into the world, she was allowed to come home. How much we owe to your prayers and the great mercies of our God! Praise HIM !!
After speaking with Sarah's mama today, I was told that she has been doing just fine. She is still alternating her feedings with the bottle and nursing, but she is getting stronger all the time and M says she seems to be acting just like a normal little infant. She is our little miracle that is for sure! We are hoping to get over to see her soon. Grandma can't wait to hold her without a nurse hovering nearby!
Now to totally change the subject....
My sister S and I spent the latter part of last week going to the American Quilt Society's annual show in Nashville. Wow! We had never been before and it was just fantastic! More than 300 vendors with oodles of gorgeous fabrics, tons of patterns, quilts on display, workshops to learn new techniques, designers and quilters all over the place! It was heaven. I even got to meet my all time favorite quilting teacher, Eleanor Burns (from Quilt in a Day)! She signed one of her books for me and I got my pic taken with her..I'll put it up on here when Sister sends it to me...she needs to download it off her cell phone! Eleanor was the nicest person...just as genuine and happy in person as she is on her TV shows. I was so glad to see that. When I came home from the show I was really inspired to start quilting so I have started working on an autumn wallhanging using fabric from Benartex designed by Nancy Halvorsen called Acorn Hollow. I'm using a pattern from Eleanor's Still Stripping book which uses mostly 2 1/2 inch strips to make up the body of the pattern. It's coming together so nicely because of her great instructions. When I get it finished I'll be sure to post a picture.
My quilting time is going to be interrupted more now with the beginning of fall activities. I'm working as a children's teacher in our local Community Bible Study this fall. We have been having training classes for the last couple of weeks. It is a wonderful group of ladies and I am making some new like-minded friends that are great prayer warriors and that really have a heart for the lost and searching. We are so fortunate to have this great organization in our little town of Livingston. Last year we had between 40-50 women from all different denominations that came together each week to study the Word of God and pray together. It looks as if we may have even more this year!
Well with God, who can be surprised? Is anything too wonderful for Him???

Home Again

We got back home again yesterday after a quick trip to visit two of our boys and their wives in NC. We had a wonderful time seeing son B and wife J and our grandson E.

B is recovering from knee surgery that he had in July. He is doing pretty well-as long as he doesn't over do it. In this picture below, you can see that little E just loves caring for Daddy! They have some extra bodies living with them these days--their cute little Shih-Poo, Faith, is a mama! She had 4 puppies and they are hoping to sell them soon. They can make quite a racket when they get excited! They are just adorable though as you can see from the picture! All of them look like this. How can you resist a bundle of fur as cute as that!!We were also privileged to sit in on a marvel of our techno world--a 4D imaging session of an ultrasound of B and J's baby! It was pretty much totally confirmed that we will be the grandparents of another little girl! Baby Sarah will have a girl cousin close in age to her! The 4D thing was phenomenal and NO WORDS can describe the experience. But it is the most beautiful and miraculous thing ...to see that tiny one alive and moving within the womb! She was even sucking her thumb! She stretched her little arms and grabbed her foot, she yawned, and at one point she even raised her arms as if praising the Lord. I will never forget that image as long as I live. It is the greatest argument against abortion that ever was. Don't you agree? Let me please introduce to you, our newest grand-daughter!

After seeing this miraculous picture, one just has to marvel! And recite from the Scriptures found in Psalm 139.......Verse 13-16 "For you formed my inward parts;you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret,intricately woven in the depths of the earth.16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book were written, every one of them,the days that were formed for me,when as yet there was none of them." Thank you, Lord!

After 2 days with B & J we drove to Asheville to K & B's new place. It is an older home in a lovely neighborhood. They have furnished it eclectically--as only those two could! It has a unique charm and they are very happy there. They surely have a lot more space than their little apartment in married housing at college! I made them a small "housewarming gift" of a retro print table runner. B really liked it and I was so happy about that. It fit their table just right. We also got to meet their cute little schnauzer-terrier mix, Osito, who used to be a circus dog! He is so sweet and the love of their lives. (He doesn't really have yellow eyes--just the camera!)

We were introduced to K & B's favorite haunts in their new city and then spent one afternoon and evening trying to dominate the world in a never-ending game of Risk. No one ever really won but we all had a chance to own our own continents--for a few minutes! I will tell you that mine were the red guys! Aren't you impressed? Don't think that dear L is thrilled about it though!

After leaving Asheville, we stopped off in K-ville to visit our sweet baby girl Sarah who is still in the hospital-but doing MUCH better. I even got to hold her!! She is alternating drinking from a bottle and getting milk from a feeding tube. And growing stronger everyday. Isn't she beautiful? Please continue to pray that she grow strong enough to drink exclusively from the bottle (and eventually to nurse). Once she can do that, she should be able to come home. I got to meet one of her cardiologists and he seemed to think that Sarah was doing quite well--even saying that it was a possibility that she might not have to have surgery until she was a teenager! He said, "it just depends...on how her heart responds." Well, time will tell. But we all feel that God has definitely been "perfecting that which concerns you." (Psalm 138: 8) He is the Almighty and He can do wonderful and mighty things!!

Quilt for Sarah

I could not believe the timing! I called my local quilt shop today to see when the quilt that I had made for my grandbaby would be finished (I had taken it in to be machine quilted right after finishing sometime in May). I was just thrilled to hear my favorite quilt shop owner tell me that she had just finished it! Once again, God's perfect timing. The "Garden Tales" quilt was actually quilted on Baby Sarah's Birth Day--how special! I will be taking it over and presenting it to my dear M tomorrow. We are going over to see them and our little Sarah and also to help out with the children and other household duties. I will be staying for awhile-not sure how long at the moment. But, I wanted to get the pics up on the blog of the quilt. The Sunshine wallhanging that I made for M and B earlier in the spring also got finished today @ the quilt shop--right when I walked in! I think it is so appropriate to give to them at this particular time as they need some Sunshine in their lives. Hopefully seeing this hanging on their wall will remind them of how much they are loved by so many people. Thank you so much for all your prayers and the many reassurances I have received from you in your emails! I know you are praying and God is blessing.

Close up of Garden Tales

The Sunshine quilt to brighten their home and their hope!

Latest Sarah Update: After speaking with the pediatric cardiologist today, the kids found out that Sarah has a condition called "Ebstein's Anomaly". There is an excellent explanation of this form of congenital heart defect at the Mayo Clinic's website. Sarah continues to breathe with the help of the ventilator but M said that she is improving. Only time will tell how soon she can come off the ventilator. But when she does and is able to nurse OK, then she will be able to come home. We are hoping and praying for this to be soon. M and B are really doing well emotionally through all of this. It is a tribute to their strong faith and I am so proud of them! They are an inspiration to me that's for sure...and their spiritual strength is a result of all your prayers. Keep doing what you're doing!!

Trusting God

Yesterday we received news from our dear son-in-law, B, that our daughter, M, had given birth to an 8 pound baby girl! Mama was doing fine and had the shortest labor that she has ever had. This being her seventh child, she has had quite a few to compare it to! But, this birth was different in another way also. This little one was born with complications. It was obvious from the very start to the experienced eyes of their competent mid-wife, D, that this baby needed extra care, including oxygen which was immediately administered there at the home. We were awakened sometime after 4:00 in the morning that they were on their way to the hospital. Baby and mama in the ambulance and daddy B following behind. The sound of B's voice over the phone showed uncommon control and strength in a very stressful situation. It was obvious to me that he had, at some point earlier, relinquished the circumstances to the Lord, and that He was working in B to bring calmness and control in the midst of it.

At the end of the day we are looking at these facts: Our little grand baby, who has been named Sarah, is currently on a ventilator in the Neonatal Unit of Children's Hospital, the cardiologist has informed us that she has a rare heart condition that will require at least one open heart surgery in the coming months to correct; Mama is doing exceedingly well physically; and , as always, GOD is in control.

This last fact is the one that I want to comment on as I get acclimated to the new situation that has arisen in our family with the birth of Baby Sarah yesterday. I know God is showing me more of Himself through this experience. I was blessed with a good night's sleep but awakened around 5:00 AM abruptly and was immediately reminded that we have a crisis in our family. M and B have another child and she will require an extra amount of additional time, care, love, prayer, anxiety, and whatever other noun you care to put to it, to a couple that already has a VERY full plate with 6 active children that are being home schooled.

I cried out in my heart, "Oh, Lord, how will they manage? I can't believe this is happening! I want it to go away and for Sarah to be miraculously healed, right now!" Any one with a grandmother's heart for her children would call out in the same way, I know. But I was drowning in emotion and I had to get out of bed and talk with God and call on Him to give me strength to deal with this and here am I, once removed! How can M and B handle all this??? As I allowed my flesh to take over, I got more and more panicky within my soul, I was feeling so overcome! Then that beautiful... still...small Voice crept into my heart..."Didn't you, just a night or two ago, at mid-week Kinship, share with your brothers and sisters in Christ the main points from the article in In Touch magazine? Remember what it said. Are you one who can only talk the talk and not walk the walk?" I had to agree, I had gone on and on about the truths in this article by Dan Schaeffer (The Bush Won't Burn)about the will of God. He had brought up 4 different "myths" people tend to believe about God's will and being in it. Myth # 1 was foremost in my mind....The will of God ensures smooth sailing, and smooth sailing indicates God's will. Baby Sarah is definitely not experiencing smooth sailing right now...but, as pointed out in the article, neither did Joseph when he was thrown into an Egyptian prison for a crime he didn't commit--yet he was in the will of God; as was Daniel when he was thrown in the lion's den. He was, however, in the will of God. Or Peter and John when beaten and jailed for refusing to deny Jesus and cease preaching. But they were in the will of God. And, of course, our Lord Himself, when He was crucified on the cross for our sins. Definitely, in the will of God. These things were brought to my mind and I allowed God to speak to me. This situation has been allowed and His Glory will be shown somehow in it.

I thought of our baby's name and I read in Genesis 17..."but Sarah (Princess) her name shall be. And I will bless her....Yes, I will bless her." And again, in Chapter 18, when Abraham's Sarah heard that she would have a child and laughed, "...and the Lord asked Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I really bear a child when I am so old? Is anything too hard or too wonderful for the Lord?" That last question really made me ponder..and, of course, the answer is NO--NOTHING is TOO HARD or TOO WONDERFUL for the Lord!! Baby Sarah and M and B are safe in His very capable Hands. I know it and I will believe it and I will trust it. I went to the morning devotion for today called Early Light and read 1 Peter 2: 9-10:

9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

And then the commentary said, "Today's passage calls believers 'a chosen race,' 'a royal priesthood,' and 'God's own possession. ' And our purpose is to 'proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called (us) out of darkness into His marvelous light.'

How encouraging it is to know that we've been called into God's 'marvelous light.' Yet unless we have help, we are unable to escape the "darkness" of our circumstances. As believers, we're empowered by the Holy Spirit, who enables us to overcome disheartening situations and Satan's manipulative tactics.

When circumstances seem unbearable, remember the Lord purchased you with a price (1 Cor. 6:20). Wake up each morning with the knowledge that you are valuable to your Father. Trust in His Word, not your feelings, and allow the Holy Spirit to change your self-perception."

That is where I shall stay...trusting in Him and continuing to pray. Please join me.

Over the weekend I finished the top for Nursery Rhyme quilt that I was making for son B and DIL J's new little one that will be arriving sometime in November. J wanted something bright and cheery and I think that I fulfilled the bill with this one! Bright colors are not my natural tendency, as I love the pastels and jewel tones. But I think this will really catch the eye of the children. It was a challenge for me to make as I had no specific pattern-just a basic idea to begin with. Then the thing kind of took on a mind of it's own as one thing led to another! Of course, being the novice that I am...I didn't buy enough of the plaid companion print...figures, right? So, it got a lot more scrappy as I went along...(note the border!) But, all in all, I think it turned out just fine. See what you think.

This is a close up of one of the cute nursery rhyme blocks from the original panel. (Sorry for the fuzzy photo) But I think you can get the idea. Hope our new baby will enjoy it all through her childhood!

We are off this morning to take DH to the eye doctor. He has been having quite a time with his vision lately. They are going to dilate his eyes and see what the trouble is..I am needed to chauffer him home. We pray it is nothing too serious...I'll keep you posted.

Long Time, No Post!

I know a few of you have mentioned to me that you have checked my blog and it's still in Memoriam for Rocky...well, it's time to move on! Not that I've been mourning this entire time, though we still miss him terribly. It's just not the same around here without our doggy!

We have had a busy July starting with the first week when two of my grandsons, D and J came to visit! We enjoyed having them so much and they seemed to have quite a good time, too! They brought their bikes and rode them up and down the lane a thousand times, helped Grandpa with chores and just generally had fun as all boys do in the summertime.A few days later all the crew came to take them home. What a van full! Six adorable little urchins!

And then their Mom and Dad, of course! We'll soon be having another little one in our family as I'm sure you can tell! M is doing great and is a model mom. B is the best of dads, too!

We have such a good time when we are all together. I'm so thankful for a family that loves one another!

After their visit, DH and I were off to visit my sister and B-I-L in AL. (Of course, I forgot the camera!)We had a great time down there, but it sure was hot and muggy! We spent most of our time in doors in the sewing room working on quilts and a table runner I had started as well as a purse I needed help with. The guys spent their time looking for a car to replace one of our older ones. And, PTL, we found one! I just love it!

It's a 2001 Impala LS and is in pristine condition! Inside and out!

Thanks, M, for helping us find such a great car!!

Well, on our way home from Alabama, we stopped at a really nice fruit stand/BBQ restaurant/gift shop called Peach Park in Clanton, AL. We bought some yummy peaches and I have since made cobbler and pie from them. There are a few left but I'm sure we'll finish them off soon. It's just not summer without peach pie! This week, I had tons of peppers coming in from the garden, but the tomatoes weren't ready yet so DH went to the Farmer's Market and bought tomatoes. I made some pretty tasty salsa that has quite a kick! The peppers, especially the hot bananas really gave their all for it! They were even hotter than the jalapenos this year. We enjoyed it the other night on our Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas.
Other than the day I canned salsa, I've been quilting. The cherry table runner is finished now and in use. I used the pattern found on The Happy Zombie's blog. It is a great pattern and easy to follow. I love the 30's retro prints as they are so happy and colorful. You can see that I'm new at machine applique when you see my cherries! They are a little large for the space, I think! This is the runner before quilting...
Here it is at home on my kitchen table. Isn't it happy looking? It just makes me smile when I come into the kitchen first thing in the morning for my cup of coffee...:)
As you can see from the close up, my appliques is still in "novice" stage!
But, I still love it! It is a gift to myself and my little wobbly table that is now feeling dressed and cheery!!
Of course, once finished with that, I had to move on down my list of quilting projects to the next one waiting. The baby quilt for another "new addition" that will be coming soon to our family. My oldest son, B and his wife J are expecting a little one in November! Big brother E is so-o-o excited! We now hear, after the recent ultrasound that we will be having a girl! But, B said that E was "supposed" to be a girl, too....so, guess we'll just wait and see! As far as the quilt goes, it won't matter because I've chosen a nursery rhyme panel to make it from. I've really had some "hair-pullin'" moments with it because I just couldn't find a quilt pattern that suited me. So, novice that I am, I decided to make up my own! Which of course, gets me into unknown territory as far as measurements, block sizes, yardage, etc. But, I always have been the type of person to just wing it, and once again, that side of my personality kicked in and off I went! (pictures coming soon) I think I spend more time in prayer that way...asking for the Lord's guidance and wisdom to help me figure stuff out. He's also blessed me with an engineer for a husband so Friday when I was all frustrated and strung out about what to do with this quilt, DH came up to my sewing room and helped me figure block sizes and pattern plans. Not that I went with all his ideas, but his input really helped me, and talking it out helped me to think more clearly as well.

This part of my marriage is so endearing to me. My husband, especially since he's retired, has really become my best friend. We talk everything in our lives over with each other and truly respect one another's opinions, even though we are, generally speaking, total opposites. God has brought us together in such a way (knowing our personalities from before the womb), that we are like "iron sharpening iron" even in our mundane everyday lives. (Prov. 27:17) His thoughts and input are always for my good (even when I can't see it and want to do things 'MY' way), usually I find that it ends upthat his way is the better one!

In my relaxing hours this week, I watched a most interesting docu-movie/reality show that had been on PBS a while back. I got it at Netflix and it was called Frontier House.
The families were part of a living history experiment and went back to the Montana Territory as homesteaders in 1883. Boy, watching that really makes you appreciate our modern day conveniences! But, in another way, it was so sad...I watched a woman totally de-masculate her husband and raise herself up as head of the household. She did not realize what she was doing to him, I don't think, but you could see the pain in his eyes as she derided him in front of the children for all his shortcomings. Of course she was very capable and did have strong opinions...but she could have made her point in such a kinder and gentler way. The thing that hurt me most was she proclaimed to be a Christian...she just didn't see or understand the role a Christian woman has in the home and what it means to honor your husband. This show was so interesting to me as I saw the toll that modern life takes on the family. These people living in the 1880's needed to depend on one another to survive, they saw a reason and a purpose for living in unity and grew to respect the world that God created, and saw the harshness and the reality of living without. And yet, living without caused them to appreciate the little things we so easily take for granted in our day and age. When these families came back to the 21st century, they found that they missed the closeness, they missed the fulfillment that they had found in such things as chopping wood to keep the fire going that would heat the room and bake the bread...they missed the dependence that they had on one another and you could see them seeking to once more find purpose in their existence. The major thing that was left out of the docu-movie was anything spiritual or Biblical. I can't imagine going through something like that and not having God's Word to help me through it! Possibly these people did, but it was not shown at all. I would encourage anyone to watch it though as it is extremely interesting. I have ordered a similar one for this week called 1900 House. Can't wait to "experience" this family!

In Memorium: Rocky....May, 1998-July 1, 2007

I can hardly believe I am writing the following......

Our dear beloved faithful and loving dog ROCKY has passed away this afternoon after succumbing to what we believe was a fatal snake bite last week, most probably a copperhead. He passed away in peace in one of his favorite spots ...beneath the van.

For the last couple of days, he had really taken a turn for the worse and yesterday he had stopped eating. Earlier this morning when Lamar got up to take his morning walk around the farm, he went out and couldn't find him right away...but upon further exploration, found him sitting out at the nursery under the giant oak tree...a place he could always be found as he would sit and vigilantly, patiently wait for Lamar as he would go about his daily nursery chores. But today, this morning was to be his last visit to the nursery. When Lamar was finished with chores, he called to him as he came up to the house, and Rocky obediently came...but, oh, so slowly...he was so weak. He had to stop midway to the house and rest. Lamar, in his compassion for his beloved friend, took a bucket of water to him and Rocky did take a last drink. From that point on, he haltingly managed to get to that favorite spot under the van on the cool concrete pad and then never moved from it again.

Rocky had such a personality! Whether it was going out and "helping" Lamar corral the cows, helping the cows eat their grain, chasing Junior down the driveway, giving me that sorrowful "look" that always meant, "Don't you think I 'need' a Meaty Bone?", he was one in a million, that's for sure. After being away from home, we would always be greeted with his own doggy voice that would "sing" and "moan" to us as we would get out of the car. He could go on forever like that if you would keep talking to him!He was SO HAPPY to see us and would "tell" us so in his own special way. Many times I would look out the kitchen window as I was doing dishes at the sink and see him sitting very alertly on the front lawn watching for Lamar to come home from town. At a certain point, his ear would cock and he'd stand up. He'd heard that familiar motor coming down the lane. When he'd see the truck, he would just be overjoyed and run along side out to the nursery to greet his favorite man and be his helper once again.......we will truly miss our dear, dear ole' boy...what a special friend you were.... We love you, Rocky.

Rocky showing Kevin all his love and attention !

Some More Pics

Had a fun time with my camera a few days ago and thought I'd share the results! I just meandered around the house and aimed and shot! I'll start with my sweet kitty, Sophie. She loves to have her picture taken!

This is a shot from my

living room looking out

to the back deck.

My favorite picture above my favorite

piece of furniture--

the piano!

You are now in the guest room.

The Amish dolls are sitting on an old original 1930's quilt made by my Great-Aunt Clara, or possibly by my Grandma Sockman, I'm just not sure as there is no label. After talking to my aunt, I have a notion that it may have been made by my grandma as my aunt said that she remembers her mama making quilts during the 30's and this definitely has the look of feedsack fabric.

Looking out the guest room window

to the pasture across the lane.

I'll share some more on another day...Come back again for the rest of the tour!

Show and Tell

I've not posted for a few days as I have been so anxious to work with some 1930's retro prints that I recently purchased in the form of fat quarters and a charm pack (Aunt Grace 25th Anniversary Collection). I thought I would make myself a table runner. I had seen the cutest pattern for one at "Happy Zombie's" blog a few weeks ago (she's in my list to the right). So that's what I've been up to. I will post a picture of it when it is finished. I have the top almost completed but I need to applique some cherries on it and then quilt it before it will be officially finished. I really like the looks of it so far though. It is so colorful and cheery!

In looking over my blog tonight, I realized that I haven't posted many pictures of the quilts I have finished. So, I'm giving you all a little Show and Tell to look at!

This is the first quilt that I ever did..technically it's a wallhanging. My sister Sandy helped me with it and it hangs now in my living room.

It is called Folk Art Flowers. I think it looks a little Celtic which is fine with me because of my Scottish heritage--it just seems appropriate!

This is the second wallhanging that I did. It is from the Flower of the Month club by Northcott. This is February's pattern. I call it "Teacups and Violets"

This is where "Teacups" spends the day. I think it looks cute spread out on our bed!

This cheery "Sunshine" lap quilt is one that I made for my daughter, Mollie. This is just the top. It is at the shop now being quilted and it should be done in a few weeks. It was quite a challenge for this novice! The fabrics are mostly from the Sunshine collection by April Cornell for Moda. The pattern was a jelly roll one by This n'That Patterns called "Wagon Wheels"

There is another that I have made for our soon-to-be-next grandchild called Garden Tales using Beatrix Potter prints. But I forgot to take a picture of it before it went to the quilters! I'll be getting it in a few weeks and will post a pic then. That's the end of the show for today!

Really Finished!

I am really finished now with the table runner for Aunt Betty and I'm off to the post office to get it mailed as soon as I post the pics to Quaint & Cozy. I was very pleased with the outcome considering it's the first I've ever made. I know it won't be the last either as I can think of lots of reasons to make table runners...all the different seasons, holiday gifts, using up scraps, it is just endless when you start to think about it! The one thing that I wasn't sure about-after not being sure about the stitch in the ditch stuff, was doing the binding. It seems there are several methods and after searching the web, magazines, books laying around in the sewing room, etc., I finally decided on the method shown in my latest copy of Better Homes & Gardens Quilt Sampler magazine + a tip from Eleanor Burn's book Still Stripping after 25 Years. I cut my strips 2" wide and then sewed them together at a diagonal, trimming to 1/4 ". When I came to a corner, I stopped stitching at about 3/8" from the edge, pivoted the needle to head down the next side of the runner, then backstitched to the edge of the fabric, then cut the thread and did the common mitered corner. I think it looks very good as evidenced in the pictures. Now I just hope that Aunt Bety will like it!

Gotta run so it gets to MI before Saturday!