Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates!

I love the classic Charlie Brown holiday cartoons, don't you?

Today was a working day for me. People still need their Starbucks on their way to family & friends :)

I have so much to be thankful for this year---my family and friends, all you wonderful bloggers out there in blogland, my job, my faithful truck, and my lovely, clean, soon-to-be-someone-else's-house, but I'm especially thankful for my wonderful husband and four furry cats out in Santa Fe.

Rainy Day Progress

The storm that blew through Santa Fe found it's way to Georgia yesterday and we had a dreary, cold, rainy day.  It was my day off so I stayed in, sewed, and watched Doctor Who.

I decided to work on a quilt I started back in March.  The blocks were done but it needed to be sewn into rows.  The pattern is "Lincoln" from Miss Rosie's book Another Bite of Schnibbles and I'm using Fig Tree's Avalon line.  I need to dig around and find the inner border and rest of the border strips.

I also cut out an entire quilt and started working on another UFO.  Yes, I really enjoyed my day off. It was like a little mini quilt retreat.

In house selling news, I have a contract on the house.  I am optimistic but it's not done until it's done and the keys are turned over so I won't be celebrating until I'm on my way west.  Let's hope it all works out and the closing is set for the beginning of January.

I need to have Mr. SBQ (I'm sure he loooooooves his new name ;) take more photos of the cats for their fans out there in blogland.

Here is a great one of Gomez, Edgar and Stella trying to adjust to the cold sleeping.  This photo shows how looooooong Edgar's whiskers are.

And here is Remy in his box.  Yes, this box traveled all the way from Georgia when we moved because it was his favorite.  You can tell from all the bite marks that this is a multi-purpose sleeping-biting-playing box. He has a little blue blanket and a bunch of toys in there too.  The box is near to the wall heater in the bedroom and according to Mr. SBQ, this is Remy's favorite spot.

It Snowed in Santa Fe without Me

I think we're going to need a snow shovel.

Yesterday, Mr. Stella Bella Quilts texted me this photo of the overnight snowfall in Santa Fe!  They received 6-8" of snow. WOW!

I was so envious because that looks like so much fun....
....for about a day.

Mr. SBQ and the cats were snug as Southwestern bugs in the house. I think Remy stayed curled up in bed all day and just ventured out to the kitchen for food.



Not only do I not have clothes for this kind of weather anymore, my friend Pat reminded me that I'm going to need some BOOTS!

On this side of the south, I finished "Second Hand Clothes."  This was a quick, easy, and big quilt to finish up.  I am enjoying all the floor space in my cleaned-out, minimal-furniture living room.  I did lay out all the blocks and rows so the colors and patterns were evenly distributed throughout the quilt.  There are some less-than-lovely fabrics in this kit in my opinion but I think it all plays well together.  I sewed up the solid red binding and will get the backed pieced this week.

On to the next UFO!

Second Hand Clothes Quilt Half Way Done

Today was an overcast, dreary day (and my day off) so I decided the weather called for an all day marathon movie watching and sewing day.  

I am zipping right along on "Second Hand Clothes." I have half of the quilt sewn together already.

It's odd to lay out blocks on the floor without having them rearranged by a cat or four ;)

In Which I Remember How to Sew

I cannot tell you how happy I am to have a respite from painting-cleaning-packing-and-moving.  It seems like a zillion years since August when all the big changes started here at Stella Bella Quilts.

I did keep a few projects here in Georgia to work on while the house is for sale, and it was way far past the time to get back into the sewing groove.  Spending an evening cutting fabric has got to be one of the best ways to un-stress and focus on the present moment.  A nice cup of tea with honey adds a extra dose of calmness.

Because of the crazy-busy holiday season at Starbucks and knowing that I would have to pack up and stash away my sewing stuff every night,  I decided to start on a new project that didn't require a lot of complicated piecing.  This great kit from my Silver Thimble Quilt Club fit the bill perfectly.  The pattern is "Second Hand Clothes" by Red Crinoline Quilts. I think I got this kit last year or maybe the year before.

Best thing about this kit is there are 110 different fabrics already cut into 6 1/2" squares and strips and after a short evening of cutting the solids and strip pieces I was ready to go.

[To address the obvious: yes, I'm sure I had more than enough fabrics to make up this quilt out of my stash but sometimes a girl just needs a kit, ya know?  Cue: everyone reading this nodding in agreement.]

 This is my little temporary sewing set-up in my bedroom.  Because the house is "staged" for selling and the only TV is in the bedroom, I carry this table and chair into the bedroom for sewing then carry everything back out again at night or before I leave the house.

I also was deathly afraid of dropping the iron or anything on the new carpet in the living room so this keeps everything manageable.

[P.S. careful observers will notice I'm watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I love watching movies that I've already seen while sewing.]

It's really weird sewing with no cats around to "help" and "supervise."  I'm pretty sure that I'm doing it all wrong....

Here's some blocks.  Better email this over to the cats to make sure I've got it right.

Tip Toeing Around My House that Doesn't Really Seem Like My House

Well the house has officially been on the market since last Friday.  In case I haven't mentioned, this is the first house I've bought and therefore the first I've sold.  Needless to say, the whole staging-a-house-and-pretending-that-you-don't-live-there-while-you-are-really-living-there is a new experience for me. It's more enjoyable than going to the dentist---but just barely.  I'm sure some of you can relate to the following:

I spend a lot of time Swiftering.

I spend a lot of time straightening the nice new towels (that I don't use) and hiding the old everyday towels that I actually use in the washing machine or empty drawers in the vanity.

I spend a lot of time stashing everyday things like mail, a wall calendar, books, magazines, coffee grinder, coffee canister, bananas, bread, dish scrubby, stapler, salt & pepper shakers, and remote controls in various places--some of which I may or may not remember by the time I get home from work.

I tend to hermit myself away in one room (my bedroom) because the rest of the house is big and empty and doesn't look like my house and I'm afraid to get fingerprints on the windows, a smudge on anything, or get dirt on the the brand-new carpet. Not to mention mussing the pillows or moving the artfully arranged magazines on the coffee table.

I do not spend time thinking about strangers rambling around my house when I'm not there because this would make me neurotic more neurotic.

There is not a speck of fabric anywhere to be seen.

I spend the vast majority of my time missing S. and the cats.

With the power of modern technology, at least I get daily updates and photos.