October Quilt Update

 Any links that you click in this post will open in a DIFFERENT window, allowing you to continue reading this without losing the page.

The previous 2016 monthly update links are located at the end of this entry.  I hope that you make it that far.

Goals:  I am no longer even attempting to comment on those that were not touched.  They'll just stay on the list until they are achieved, even though life jumps in front of them now and then.

Easy Street (ES) - quilted, bound -
Old Tobacco Road (OTR)  - Clues 4, 5 - 

Allietare (A) - Scalloped and bound -  YES
Roll Roll Cotton Boll - quilted and bound -  
Chasing the Sun (CTS)  - scrappy quilted and bound -  YES
Mad City Mama (MCM) - set, label/backing/binding made, quilted, bound - Set, Label, Backing, Binding Made
Razzle Dazzle (RD) - quilted and bound

1st -  I am starting out the month RIGHT!  I have another day of class at Fabric Fanatics where Eileen Urbanek is the teacher.  Please check out this  LINK to read all about our fun.

When I get home, I discover that Mister has been working on day on some foot pedal helpers (he calls them DPH's - which cracks me up.  Doug's Pedal Helpers but they are also his initals and the logo for his photography) for friends that have requested them.  He's such a good man.

2nd -  Today is the Cottonwood Art Festival and I simply love going there.  Mister obliges and we are off for a great day.  I don't really spot anything I'm dying for but do find a painting that calls out to me with inspiration.  After asking permission for a picture, Pam Spika obliges.  The rest of the day is spent grocery shopping and blogging.

3rd -  I am once again caught up on blog posts (Can I get a hooray?).   I scallop the edges on Allietare and you can read about the steps to that HERE,  It requires a bit of creativity to get the label to work, but the brain cells kick in and somehow it all works out.   After that, I finish drawing owl parts for our November group project and get the panto for CTS Scrappy drawn.  Amongst all this, life comes in and hits me with a brick hard. I wind up cancelling the October retreat after many frantic calls, go to bed and pull the covers over my head for a good cry.  Ugh.

4th - It's a new day and I wake to find my friends have come to my rescue and we are in the midst of repairing yesterday's disaster.  I meet Lydia for a lovely lunch and then it's back home to finalize a new plan.  The retreat is back on and going forward with both excitement and apprehension as we will be at a new location.  Breathe Deb, breathe.

5th -  My super big achievement for the day is to attach the bias binding that I have made to my Allietare quilt.  Let me just make this crystal clear.  I DO NOT like bias binding or scalloped edges.  Yes, I am learning but at what cost?  Now, back to bed.

6th - I'm in a funk for sure.  Life has hit me hard this week and for some reason I am just not functioning well.  I really need to crawl out and move forward but the bed feels dang safe right now.  Gilmore Girls binge continues.

7th -  The Chasing the Sun Clue 7 is out and you can find in in this POST.  Are you playing?  Are you having fun?  I sure hope so.  Allison is over today to help me come back into the real world.  It works. Enough with the pity party.

I get Mad City Mama set along with the back, binding, and label made.  Okay, I'm back.

Allison has brought her Chasing the Sun Quilts over to share and OMG, I love them so much.  Here they are mixed in with my constant one:

8th -  It's Saturday and I'm trying to devote the day to my sweetheart BUT one of the local quilt shops is having a grand opening sale and several friends are going.  I need to drop something off with one of them so it seems like a good time to do so.  I'll only be a few minutes, I say.  Hahaha.  While there, Elisabeth and I decide to head down to Harry Hines together for retail therapy and because I need charms for the October retreat.


My evening is spent with my sweet Mister on an anniversary date night at Rise.  Oh yum.  You can read all about it at my personal blog HERE.

9th -  I'm back binging on Gilmore Girls and hiding.  Ugh.  One would think I could manage to find some umph this month.  Now in all fairness, I don't go down often.  However the opposite side of that is when I do go down, I go hard.  Yes, it's an ugly truth, but I'm just keeping it real here.

10th -  Still hiding

11th -  Okay, okay.  I've had a long talk with myself and realize that I am not doing myself any favors.  It's time to put everything behind me and move on.  I've done all I can do and with a lighter heart, I head out to the studio to try and quilt up my scrappy version of Chasing the Sun.  Wouldn't you know that the machine would choose not to cooperate, just to test me if I really mean it when I say, I'm good now.  Do I let it get me down.  Not this time.  Just keep quilting, just keep quilting rings in my head.  I manage to finish and will save that dang mess for another time.  I can fix it on my domestic when I'm in the mood.  With a quick trim, this moves to the 301 to attach the binding.  Enough for today.

12th -  I am packing for retreat AND binding my CTS.  I plan on doing an early reveal there and it would certainly look better for the designer to have hers finished wouldn't it?  TA-DA

And the back --- yes the mess is still there at the bottom.  I'll fix it later.

13th - Our retreat at Briarwood is underway and we are having an absolute blast.  You can read all about it in this  POST .  I also manage to finish my Allietare and if you didn't click on the link about it on the 3rd of this month you can do so now with this  LINK .  I have to say -- I LOVE this quilt.

We are also having a Chasing the Sun reveal party tonight and it is simply wonderful to be surrounded by so many people that I love so dearly.  I do, indeed, feel special tonight.

14th - We are still at retreat and having so much fun.  My accomplishments for today include a mug rug and a beautifully staged photo.  Chasing the Sun's final episode is today as well and you can click on this  REVEAL POST to read all about it.

15th - Another golden day at retreat.  Briarwood is simply wonderful and I am at peace.  I am finally sleeping again and it is heavenly indeed.  Today's finish?  Five Beads of Courage bags and a book for my littles.  Yep, I'm spending more time here having fun and RETREATING than I am sewing.  It's all good.

16th - Oh dang, we have to go home today and back to reality.  It's all good though.  This weekend did exactly what it was supposed to do.  Let's go face the world together.  Even the mushrooms are happy today.

17th -  I am spending time with Mister today and working on the computer doing basic organizational crap.  Too boring to even talk about.  I'll spare you.

18th -  Today's goal is to get the future retreats under some sort of control AND begin to weed my way through over 500 pictures taken this past weekend.  I seriously did not think I had my camera in my hand that much.  Well, if the truth be told, I didn't.  There are others (cough, cough, Debi, cough cough) who steal it and take some definitively insane photos.  Again, I'll spare you.

19th -  I am finding the studio AGAIN.  How DOES this happen?  I also clean the living room  and get all the crap from retreat put away.  I can't come up with a single reason to have my camera out to share this with you.  You've seen my messes before.  Someday I shall overcome these too.

20th -  The studio is back under control and I have Easy Street loaded and ready for quilting.  Now, I do believe I would like to spend some time in the kitchen today.  No, I am not sick.  I really do love to cook and today feels like one of those days.  I put a pot roast in the oven (if you want my recipe, click HERE) and whip up some sangria to go along with it.  That recipe can be found in this POST.  While the roast cooks and the sangria mulls, I walk down to the PO to mail a package and the finally get ahold the center to pay for the retreat we just had.  THAT was an experience in itself and better kept to myself.

21st -  It's an Allison day and I'm thrilled we are able to squeeze one more day in before I go to Utah.  You can read all about our day in this  LINK.

My big accomplishment for the day is that I have completed the pillow that I wish to take to Utah with me.  Woot woot.

22nd -  Mister and I are spending the day together and we start out at Davis Street Espresso before heading down to the Dallas Zoo for the morning.  There is a special "member" event going on and we've been invited.  I don't care too much about that but am really hoping to get to see the new baby elephant.  I am not let down.  I love the way the giraffes want to check him out too.

23rd -  We are on the road to Abilene today for Jen's bday.  I can't believe my daughter is 40.  For some reason I'M feeling a bit older knowing that today.  I take stuff to work on but forget needles and scissors.  WTW?  Back to looking out the window.

When we get there, I am starving and want to go get food so Mister and I treat everyone to lunch.  While at the restaurant, this sign is behind me.  I think there is some truth to it after the past two days.

On our way home, the sunset is absolutely glorious.  I don't think I'll ever tire of chasing the sun.

24th -  I am off to Utah today and start out with a moment to watch the sunrise over Dallas.  My view is not the best and it is already partially up by the time I find a window that will allow a decent picture.  My time on the plane is spent working on my new planner.  Please let it help me stay organized.

When I arrive in Salt Lake, Cassie, Ophelia, and Ava pick me up and we are off to the Scarecrow Festival for some fun.

25th -  Day two in Utah involves Ophelia's dance class where she gets to dress up in her costume and grocery shopping.  Nap time is spent sewing the openings in the owl phone stands I made at retreat and really still can't show along with ironing the owl parts I drew on fusible web to wool and then cutting them out and kitting them up for November retreat.  Whew, two things finished that are a bit pressing.

I do manage to catch Ophelia coloring in the afternoon light and cannot resist the picture.  Photography is art too.

26th -  Day three in Utah and we are off to the Witches Festival up in Salt Lake.   Stopped in at Pine Needles Quilt Shop  and you can share in the wonder I found there by clicking on this POST.  What a great place.

I did say witches festival right?  Well here ya go --- at least one witch managed to get her picture taken by me.

27th -  Day four in Utah and we are having an at home day.  Baking cookies in the morning and working on my owl sample during nap time.  Yep, nice to have those down days now and then.


Yes, we have pumpkins of various colors and yes, the cookies were mixed in the garage so as not to wake the baby.  You do what you gotta do to make things happen.

A little time with Ava always makes the day better and I even manage to finish the stitching on my owl.  Now to get him embellished when I get home.  Also, Bonnie's mystery colors and yardages were release today.  Dang that it wasn't yesterday while I was at that darling quilt shop.  Oh well.  I will make this a top priority when I get home.

28th -  Day five in Utah and basically my last day here as I travel tomorrow.  We are off for a fun day at Cornbelly's.  Ava has her other grandma sitting since she's getting a cold and we have Ophelia all to ourselves.  Let's go play.

Ah, love this one.

29th -  I'm on the way home and am spending my flight time doing some calendaring.  It needs to be done and this is as good a place as any.  All those little bits of paper are now contained in the planner.  Yep, I do have trash for the attendant.

30th -  I am home and ready for a day with my sweet Mister,  We go for coffee in the morning and then just plan a quiet day.  I make a run to Lowe's to get paint chips for Bonnie's new mystery entitled En Provence,  I am so excited for it and pulled fabrics instantly.  You can see my choices by clicking on this LINK.  Also, while I was gone, my chairs that I ordered forever ago arrived.  It's time to get them unpacked and see what we've got.

Ooooh, I love them.  The best part?  I got both of them for less than $50.00 with free shipping.  Yay me.  Now we have good chairs for the sew days here that are starting in November.  Every Friday during the mystery is a sew day at my house.  What do you think of my new chairs?

31st - Happy Halloween!  While I was in Utah, Valerie invited me to a sew day at her house today.  These are the most fun so I rearranged a few things with Mister and made it a plan.  Today I am having such fun with Valerie, Allison, and Janet while working on my tree skirt sample for November retreat.  Please take a few minutes and read this Fun Post all about our day.

What a great way to end the month.  Thanks for checking in with me again this month.  I appreciate it more than you know.  Did  you Chase the Sun?  I sure hope so.  Please email me with pictures of your completed tops at mystery@dhayter.com.  See ya in November.  Check back in now and then and please check out the link to OUR QUILT BLOGS at the top of the page for many of the quilt groups are starting to restrict the posting of blogs into the groups.  If you want to still have a long monthly read and time for your tea, join the group.  Thanks for sticking around this long -- I appreciate all of you who read each month.

Links to Previous 2016 Monthly Update Posts:

January Quilt Update

February Quilt Update

March Quilt Update

April Quilt Update

May Quilt Update
June Quilt Update
July Quilt Update
August Quilt Update
September Quilt Update