Love making progress

It often takes a retreat weekend or a very determined effort to carve out 30 minutes here and there over a week or so to see me make progress. I had the former although the weekend was a tad short. Couldn't get there until 5:00 on Friday evening, and left early on Sunday to get home before a winter storm worsened with high winds. But I'll take what I can get.

Friday night I warmed up with some small projects, like laying out and pressing the Celtic Cat hanging. Alas not enough black fusible 'leading' to do the seams, and the store adjoining the retreat center did not have the plain black.  Saturday I put the major elements together for my Gaggy 30's bed top. Here it is so far:

There are white panels to each side of the center 'window' and I may add more white all around to get it to twin bed size. Then I'll add some of those rose type of flowers with vines and leaves going up each side of white and overlapping some of the top arch window. This is the design I wanted, and now it will serve double duty in hiding some of the piecing patching I had to do to get that arch to fit level on the body.

I am really liking this. While it is the dreaded 30's fabric, at least they aren't the overly sweet prints.

Then my other big project I did on retreat focused on the Tom's t's quilts. One I machine quilted with 'e's and o's' and the other I pin basted. Now to tackle the binding on the former (with label) and the quilting on the latter. Good thing there is a holiday vacation in the offing.

Photos are here

I finally snapped some photos of the two UFOs I finished in November. Here is the final Kitty in the Corner wall quilt, about 35" square. I took the time to try some freehand feathering in the center and border. I didn't like the way the corners turn on the small white outer border. I see these kinds of projects I do for myself as times to experiment. Sometimes I'm pleased (the quilting) but other times not so much.

Sorry for the funky angle. It's on my wall at work and it doesn't hang the best floating away from the wall.

Then here are two pictures of the purse I did. I'll need to post the pattern source later. I love the light weight feel, and no I didn't jettison extra stuff when I switched from my canvas purse to this one. It has the necessary outside pocket for my phone and everyday key, and look-there is an interior zippered pocket too! Not shown are a series of smaller open pockets on the other side of the interior. I'm going to like this purse. Now that it is done, I'll use if for a couple of months and then decide how to tailor it for a spring look. Another outside pocket? Sturdier handles? Firmer bottom (can I have that on the purse and myself please)?

Ok-that's it for now. I'll take an in-progress photo of the Celtic Cat quilt soon and report back. Sometime in here I need to attend to holiday decorations. It is December 1 and we have a couple of items to hang that count down the days. And then there are cookies to plan for and bake! Not to mention making time to satisfy the quilt muse in me. Sure will be good to have my DD on holiday break in just 16 days because then my evening homework on-call time will be suspended. Unfortunately that is just too late if we want to get in the holiday spirit.