The Week in Review

 Besides adding a few stitches to the quilt I'm currently binding in the evenings, I haven't been doing any sewing although I did drop off 6 quilts with my longarmer on Monday. That ought to keep me busy through the winter.

Apples have been keeping me busy in the kitchen

The last of the apples simmered for apple sauce while DH was off checking our cows.

The chickens got a clean coop earlier this week. DH installed some panels over the nesting boxes because we've had a few chickens want to nest there at night instead of sleeping on the roost and that makes the nesting boxes nasty. We just flip the panels up in the morning so they can lay their eggs. 

DH captured this shot of the little jungle family the other morning when he went out to feed horses.

And the never-ending fencing project continues

After all these years, I still marvel at DH's work ethic and ingenuity

Every post is square and level

When it's just the 2 of us, it's a challenge to take pictures because I'm helping, but I told DH I want to document our days

The fence is coming along, and we're a long way from completion, but we did bring a few heifers over from our lease country.

We've still got old grass, but we've had a really dry summer here. We had a good May, but have just had 0.4" since then.

We even thought our bees might leave so we started feeding them.

The garden's still gifting us good things 

We also picked up 4 more fruit trees from the White Oaks nursery. Jaimee had grafted 3 of them for us earlier this year and then gifted us a 4th.

It was a busy week. No time to twiddle thumbs, but plenty of time to be grateful and thank God for His abundant blessings

And as we do so, we also bow our heads in remembrance of 9-11 and of the lives lost and families forever changed. 25 years...it doesn't seem possible.

Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning

Questions Answered

 Occasionally I get questions from readers and I try to reply back, but they are almost always from anonymous comments and I have no way to answer. Lately, I'm even having trouble replying to comments if you even leave a name. I type something out and it comes back immediately telling me the email is undeliverable. Alas, technology is not my forte.

So, I'll try and answer your questions in a post.

1. Unknown asked: what are the dimensions of the 2 cuts you made on the 10" blocks?  

 I posted about that quilt here 

Farmhouse Flannels Quilt

I cut two 2" strips from each square. I made a 2nd one, using different fabrics, but it is waiting for me to bind it.

2. I receive a lot of questions about this pattern in this post. That's a horribly blurry old photo - I apologize.

Pony Tales

 As far as I've been able to tell, it is no longer available. SO many people are looking for it, but I passed it on to a friend who is making it. I'm also unsure of the copyright laws (which I probably already broke by passing it on), about making copies and sending them out. If I got it back, I would not be surprised if I got 50+ requests and that would get spendy on my end. 

3. To hand quilt or not to hand quilt...

A few weeks ago I posted about this quilt top.

Cowboy Log Cabin Quilt

Many of you chimed in and shared your advice and suggestions - thank you! I really appreciate your input and your thoughtful comments helped me think things through as I've continued to mull over what to do. I'd love to hand quilt it, but the fact that it's 102" x 118" has kept me from comitting to that many stitches so I think I'm going to settle on a backing and have it machine quilted. I hand bind all my quilts so I'll still enjoy some slow stitching with it.

Edited to add that my FIL called just as I was about to post this and said that my MIL was hyper-focused on a quilt (she didn't know which quilt) that someone (she didn't know who) had, that she wanted. He called to ask if I knew anything about it. I'm guessing it's this quilt so I offered to return it and will take it back as soon as possible to give her peace of mind. I may ask her if she would like for me to finish it, but the answer will vary from day to day so I'll just let it be. Alzheimers and/or dementia is heartbreaking, but we are doing our best to be supportive without overstepping.

4. Texas Cross Stitch

I've received at least a dozen requests for this pattern and I'm sorry to say, I no longer have it and I haven't a clue where you might be able to find it. I finished this in 2013. I found the pattern in a little shop in San Antonio years ago. I don't even know if that shop's still there. I just remember that it was on 1604, right where it intersects with Interstate 10.

I think that wraps up this round. I'll try to do a better job of keeping track of questions I am unable to respond to via email, and post answers here periodically.

Apple Season

 'Tis the season!

This is now a tradition!

I can't wait for our little orchard to begin bearing fruit, but until then, we can be found in an apple orchard in Cloudcroft on an August morning.

I picked up 1 40# box for my SIL and then we picked 100# for us.

The dehydrator will be going non-stop for at least a week...apple cookies are in high demand around here.

As is applesauce

Baked apples have already made multiple appearances

I cooked lunch for my in-laws on Monday and baked apples were served with a special request for apple pie next week.

Apples  will be taking over the kitchen for the next 10 days. The temperatures are still summer hot, but it absolutely smells like Fall in my kitchen this week.

Under the Needle: August

 These monthly Under the Needle posts really help keep me on track. I still sew what I want to sew, but I don't feel so scatterbrained and I often start writing them at the beginning of the month, giving me something to aim for. Shall we begin with the mess in my sewing room? I really need to address this. Sigh.

I made all the blocks for my Americana 250 quilt last month, but I pieced it into a top, pressed it, made the backing and binding this month and the victory laps have been completed.

I cut everything out for this Saddle Ranch quilt this month. I made the binding, but have yet to sew the first stitch for the top

I got sidetracked by this Tres Leches project that I posted about HERE

The result of that rabbit hole is that this Country Christmas top was cut and pieced

As was Open Range

My Don't Fence Me In quilt top was pieced last month, but I pressed it well, and made the binding. It's getting a Minky backing.

My S'mores quilt is up in the binding que and I just started adding stitches to it in the evenings with Skeet's assistance.

I also added the binding to this Teriffically Tilda 2x4 quilt, making it a finish this month

And this Safari Stars baby quilt is now beginning it's adventures with a sweet little new arrival.

A busy month that had me moving lots of projects closer to a finish and that's always a good thing.

Tres Leches Quilt Project

I don't spend a lot of time watching television or scrolling through social media, but I do watch the girls at the Fabric Patch and a few weeks ago they mentioned this Tres Leches quilt pattern and they casually suggested folks whip one up and they'd do a show and tell on October 1st for fun. Sure. I can do that.

Simple pattern. Easy stitching. Plenty of choices in my fabric pantry. And yet, I struggled. I could not settle on what I wanted. I could have made 10 quilt tops in the time I spent choosing and discarding options. Silly.

I finally settled on a panel of squares but had to re-figure math so that the fabrics would line up with the squares and then my quilt ended up ridiculously long and I complicated everything by piecing borders on the side and I didn't like it at all. Then when I snapped a picture of it off the deck I thought, "Well, that's kinda cute." 😄

Then I felt like I ought to make another one to prove I could follow instructions. 😉 So back to square 1. I opened this bin of western fabric that I've had for probably 20-30 years...long before I made quilts.

And I pulled these 3 fabrics for plan B. The selvedge on the horse fabric says 1996 so it's well-seasoned.

And before I knew it, a quilt top was born...and I just so happen to need a little western quilt.

Lessons learned?

Keep it simple. (Work in progress) 

Don't overthink it. (Long road ahead) 

Follow instructions. (Eventually) 🙃

Enjoy the journey. (Absolutely!)

Safari Baby Quilt

 A friend of ours and his wife had their first baby a few months ago. He is an avid hunter and was our Safari Club chapter president for a few years. He's also the service manager at the Ford dealership and I laughed when we took our truck in last month for a recall issue and DH and he poured over maps of an area where DH drew a tag for an Orex in January before they even checked in the truck. 

Just that morning, I had thought about hunting down some safari fabric to make a baby quilt for J & T. I went to look at emails and there was one showcasing this new fabric line and it included a 25% off your entire store purchase.

It could not be more perfect and the timing was serendipidous

I usually have a hard time settling on a pattern, but this time it was clear. I chose the Scattered Stars pattern

I scaled the blocks down from the original pattern when I made my Love You S'more x2 quilt and I thought it would be perfect for this project. I think this pattern is a fun way to showcase the fabrics

I backed it with Minky because Minky backed quilt seem to be the ones that are always reached for first. This is the first quilt Jackie or Sandy didn't quilt. We have a very small quilt shop about 55 miles from us and I thought I'd give them a shot. The owner does the longarming and she did a very nice job. She quilted a pattern called Animal Crackers that has safari animals in the design.

It finishes at 45 x 55

I hope this little quilt will be loved and dragged on many adventures!