Happy Thanksgiving

My Turkey Leftover Quilt this was made using the fusible interfacing with the grid, the squares and half square triangles were arranged on the grid, fused then sewn.  Everything stayed in the right spot.
the menu for tomorrow:

10 pound Wild Turkey on the grill 

and 

Domestic Turkey Breast for Gravy

Blue Mashed Potatoes from the garden

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Wild Rice Dressing 

Steamed Broccoli

Fresh Fruit Plate

Cranberry Sauce with Clove and Cayenne Pepper

Cranberry Sauce with Fresh Ginger and Onion

Dinner Rolls and butter

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Crustless Apple Pie aka apple crisp

Ice Cream

Chokecherry Wine and Zinfandal Wine and Coffee

I have dinner rolls to make and pumpkin cheesecake bars to bake today and a few housekeeping chores.  Happy Thanksgiving!! --Ann--

on the needles

All the ribbing is finished!!! and so are socks for kids for Christmas!!!!  I started the green and purple socks in August on a road trip and have only worked on them in the car until the last 2 inches.

Recent yarn purchases and the carrot in front of my nose to finish Christmas socks.

 To celebrate I started this sweater for me. It is just knitting in the round so goes rather quickly.  The pattern is Breakwater  I'm using Malabrigo sock yarn on size 7 needles.

 I have spent way too much time watching movies on weekends while the guys are off hunting.  I placed a marker at the toe and one at the heel so I didn't have to count the stitches between increases in the sole and decreases on the upper part.  I had it down to knitting one slipper in less than the time it took to watch a movie and I was knitting on size 11 (8mm) needles.  Next to felt them. Click to  link to earlier post with finished slipper and link to duffers pattern.

 New project for knitting in the car.  More reading mitts in sock yarn, I love this yarn I will definatly be buying more and there were so many colors to choose from so why choose.

This is a nice place to sit! Linking to Judy's OTN  --Ann--

Machine Quilting

Some time well spent in the sewing room and a good start on machine quilting second son's quilt for his big bed.  I'm just quilting in each design element and keeping it simple I want the quilting to enhance the piecing.   I was looking back for a post with the completed quilt top and I didn't find one so here it is.

Our sunny warm days have come to an end here.  I wore my peddle pushers on Sunday afternoon and soaked up some vitamin D while I sipped my coffee and wondered if it was the last warm day of fall as I have on several other perfect days. I believe Sunday was.  The last couple days have been overcast and windy, very windy, good days for sewing and knitting and reading.  --Ann--

On the Needles

Two by two ribbing on all the needles, socks and another pair of reading mitts.  DD took the first pair of bright colored mitts, I did weigh them and the left over yarn on my little scale and there was enough for another pair barely  so I knit them smaller for a girl so she can do the texting while her mom drives. linking to Judy's OTN  --Ann--

Machine quilting

Thunderstorms rolled across the prairie one day last week.  They were more like spring storms than late fall.  I looked to the northwest and it was dark, I looked straight west and there was blue sky,  I looked southwest and it was very dark, it was very clear to the east and to the southeast there was a partial rainbow.  I don't believe I have ever seen a rainbow in November.  It was a good day to quilt.

This quilt has been sitting by the machine for weeks.  I needed a change of pace and I can glance at what is on the design wall while I quilt then jump up and rearrange blocks.  I mostly needed to empty some bobbins so I can machine quilt another quilt that I need to finish before Christmas.  The last quilt show I went to I was really looking at the quilting on the quilts.  The quilting whether by hand or machine can enhance the piecing of a quilt and really say WOW or it can say its quilted and its done.  I'm using my templates and rulers for smooth curves and straight lines so it is very slow going.  I'm trying very hard to do more than my favorite  click , click, click  concentric tear drop free motion quilting that I can empty a bobbin in less than 30 minutes.  I'm spending hours trying to empty the bobbins.  Another change of weather here, its a good day to stay in and quilt.  --Ann--

Bow tie quilt top

Once I found the method and scheme for sewing the bow tie blocks they fell into place.  I grouped them by color and value to bring some order to the chaos of so many different plaids and prints. I purposely used the darker blocks for the outside for a border.  One flimsy done!  I will sew a couple more quilt tops before layer them for machine quilting.  It looks like another beautiful day on the prairie.  Better enjoy some sunshine.--Ann--

On the needles

 Lots has been completed on the needles in the last 2 weeks.  The legs of son-with-the-skinny-calves' socks have been re knit with a 2 by 2 ribbing. All socks for him in the future will be plain vanilla knitting with a 2 X 2 ribbing.

Reading mitts have been finished DD took the bright colored pair so I didn't get a photo.

A good start on socks for someone's Christmas sock.

These slippers  duffers click are so much fun to knit.  I made a pair for myself to see how they fit and felted and they are my new favorite and didn't take long to knit.

 Happy feet! Happy knitting and linking to Judy's On the Needles. --Ann--

One thing

 I woke up early yesterday morning because it was light out with the promise of a beautiful day.  The time change does that to me even though I stayed up too late reading the night before.  The day started out with the usual non blog worthy chores then I went to my sewing room and studied the design wall and the mess on the work table.  I was in and out of the room several times and still didn't do anything.  Too many projects in too many stages of not done.  Ever have days like that?  I thought to myself I have to complete one thing today,  just one thing so I sat in my chair to ponder the one thing I wanted to accomplish.  Just one thing it had to be worthy of the day, I  could finish knitting the slipper but I should save that for NCIS in the evening,  I could finish the reading mitts, save that for after the slipper.  I sat and the next thought was I could use a nap.  Just a little nap,  I heard the clock chime a quarter past, then half past, then a quarter to, and then the hour.  The nap didn't count as the one thing.  I ate a late lunch on the patio, it was a gorgeous day here on the prairie.  Then I made a cup of coffee so I could sit outside a little longer,  it was a gloriously beautiful day on the prairie.  Drinking a cup of coffee didn't count as the one thing even if it was on the patio in November and I might get sunburned with my fair Irish skin. So I went to my sewing room and arranged all the border block parts for the bow tie quilt.  The one thing!  That accomplished I walked downtown to get a prescription for hubby dear.  It was a gorgeous day.  Then I repotted my lettuce leaf begonias, that little item on my list was becoming a nag project but now its done and I could do it outside in the sunshine of the spectacular sunny warm day in November on the prairie.  Then I picked the last of my tomatoes, they were too green when I dug the potatoes on Monday. Its a wonder what a little sunshine will do. Then I picked the nicest of the calendula blossoms.  I did my one thing and a couple more it was a great day to be on the prairie.  --Ann--

Bow Tie blocks Design Wall

I finished sewing the bow ties for the center of the quilt now to sew a bunch more with medium and dark backgrounds for the borders.  Scroll down to previous post for how to sew a bow tie.  It is a super nice day here I really need to finish cleaning out the garden so bow ties will have to wait.  I also have son's dog for the week so much more time than usual will be spent outside this week and when the sun is shining and the sky is blue and it is almost 70 F outside in November I better spend some time outside.  --Ann--  Linking to PatchworkTimes