The theme of the past week has mostly been relief to have Carefree Highways done! I tried hard to finish my other patriotic quilt for next year but didn’t quite make it.

All the houses are done– it appears I did too good of a job mixing up roof, star, and stripe colors, because for the life of me, I couldn’t get them arranged so no two matching blocks were next to each other. I finally got one I was happy (enough) with.

If you needed a laugh last week, you should have been with me while I lifted these from the floor to the sewing machine– because I just could not sew them in the right order. Carol Duffy, Master Quilter, right?? I did pick out one row and redo it, then after vowing to be more careful, the situation worsened. I’m just going with it– here’s where I am:

In studying it now, the force must have been with me, because it looks to me even better than the arrangement I planned. I just need to add the middle sashing and then the same gray strip all around the edges. This thing is massive compared to what I imagined, so I may as well add another big border to get a bed size quilt out of it. It should be a manly print– it’s for my son– and I’m just going to put it away until all the patriotic collections come out early next year and there will be a lot of choice. Did you know you can view the Moda and also the Riley Blake catalogs of future collections on their websites? Tons of red, white, and blue is headed your way.

A bit of cleaning is going on here for a change. I never have the guts to show you a “before” picture of my messes– but here is a “during” picture– you know, when you wished you had never started!

I learned a few things about myself in this process. Apparently, I frequently decide to make bean soups, but never do. (Note bottom right shelf.) And I must have a recipe for something that calls for tahini– I have three unopened jars, so let’s hope I remember what that recipe was soon.
Here is the “after” picture.

All this cleaning is going on for the holidays, of course– and I’m hoping to get some gifts stitched up as we all do at this time of year. Here’s my first one– it’s on the website today.

It’s a quick stitch out, with just two colors– or just press the button for the second color change without changing the thread if you’re really in a hurry– it will work!

My handmade Christmas gift strategy is just to make as many things as I can, and then I kind of allot them to a recipient when time is up and I need to mail. So you could be getting this– lol.

I took a break for a couple of days and went to see my sister near New Hampshire. She’s lived there for over a year now, but it’s the first time I realized how close she is to this!

I really enjoyed this store– as tiny as it was, they have a ton of Kaffe Fassett, Rifle Paper Company, and Tula Pink, but I came out empty handed. It made me realize I don’t really bond with the more modern vibe. I’ll be back though. With all the cleaning, I wasn’t eager to add more to my stash right now.

Here’s a few snaps I took of the harbor– can you tell how bitter cold it was by the sky? We had flurries on and off, and big gusts of chilly wind.

A cup of clam chowder with a view really helped things!

Since it was Veteran’s Day, there was little fife and drum band playing bright tunes in front of this building. Isn’t that quaint New England at its best! I should make an embroidery of that building for next year’s Fourth of July. It said North Church on it, but it isn’t Paul Revere’s North Church. The “real” North Church burned down, I believe. Isn’t it great my time in New England provides me with a bunch of random facts for the Semiquincentennial next year?

When I got closer, the little band was all kids! What a comfort to see some talent– not all of them are playing video games, after all! How hard is it to get a boy of that age in a costume like that, I wonder? Mine would have done it, but gave up piano after three years for video games. ❤ At least he admits to his mistake now!

Back at home, the next up project is to finish the little reindeer quilt, then make the Holly Horse stocking into an actual stocking! I’m hoping to make more Christmas gifts after that– every year, I think I am going to make everyone a patchwork stocking and this year is no different.

So that’s all I have for this week, and the sewing is definitely going to be mixed with cleaning until Thanksgiving. The big day is late this year, but lots of company is headed our the way.

Here’s the meadow with flurries last night– so cold and dark–
I think I’ll just go make some bean soup next!

xox
Carol