Shop Update and Two Finishes

Hello Everyone! We’ve had a busy week cleaning up the basement, which is where my sewing room is, so we can install new floors and paint after Thanksgiving. We also went to the VT vs. GT football game on Saturday and I have a few pictures at the end of this post. After two years of losing to Georgia Tech, it was nice to win, although I felt bad for GT for losing so badly (45 to 0).

If are still looking for something quick to make to use this season, I’ve put my Holly-Daze pattern on sale in my shop through Dec 3. This pattern uses a layer cake and some extra yardage and is great for showing off some of those larger prints. It is also a great pattern for any time of the year.

I’ve also put my two Holiday Vinyl Front Project Bags on sale until Dec 3 if you need one for your holiday and winter sewing. Please note that if you purchase a bag between Nov 24 – Nov 28, I will mail them by Nov 30. The rest of the items in my shop will go on sale during Etsy’s Black Friday sale Nov 26 – Dec 3 for 20% off.

I finished the Dot N’ Dash quilt from Christa Watson’s book “Piece and Quilt with Precuts.” I used a petite roll of Tula Pink Pinkerville by Free Spirit Fabrics that was in a Sew Sampler Box from Fat Quarter Shop. The quilt measures 48″ x 60″, a smaller version of the original quilt, but that’s all I could get out of the petite roll. The background fabrics are Bella Solids, also from Sew Sampler Boxes, and I thought they were the same color. As you can see in the next picture, they are not.

You can really only tell when outside that they are not the same. I used Moda Grunge Ocean on the back. I bought this to use in a T-shirt quilt, but it was too dark. I really like the quilt and am calling it The Princess Quilt. I gave it to my guild to donate to the local Sherriff and Fire departments. They carry quilts with them and give them to people as needed.

The next finish is Give Thanks Turkey cross stitch from Teresa Kogut. I finished this small into a pillow and it resides on my kitchen shelves.

Full shelf display

It looks nice with my Thanksgiving knick knacks. I bought the Publix Pilgrim People salt and pepper shakers the first year they were released. I think they are so cute. I need to get a tapered candle to put at the back of the shelf to balance that shelf with the others.

I want to talk a little about the colors in this chart. This is a wonderful chart and perfect for Thanksgiving, but what drew my attention to the pattern were the turkey feathers and leaf colors. When I ordered the pattern, I ordered all the called for colors, too. I was very disappointed when I started working on it that the called for colors did not look anything like the cover photo.

These are the called for colors and original fabric I was going to use. Where’s the oranges and yellows?

I was going to use a darker fabric, but the colors just blended in. I changed the fabric to Luminous Fiber Arts 32 ct Lugana Macchiato. I loved working with this fabric. It is so nice and soft.

I did a little research on the chart and found out that the pattern was originally published in the Cross Stitch and Needlework magazine in November 2014. Maybe the colors have changed since then or the original colors were not available any more. Whatever the reason, after looking at a close up picture of the original on Teresa’s Facebook page, I don’t think they are the same colors. I changed the colors the best I could with what I had on hand. I’m really pleased with the results. If you are interested, here are my changes:

• Leaves – GAST Burnt Orange, Fragrant Cloves and Bittersweet, Weeks Whisky
• Pumpkin – Weeks Sweet Potato
• Feathers – CCW Fallen Leaves, Weeks Daylily and Bright Leaf
• Border – Weeks Bright Leaf

I stitched the turkey body in the called for colors. I used a homespun fabric on the back and made the little pillow. I had thought about adding a trim around the edge, but liked it how it is.

Saturday afternoon was a perfect for football. This was our third Virginia Tech/Georgia Tech game. We try to go when VT plays in Atlanta. This was the view from our seats on the upper level of Bobby Dodd Stadium. If you follow the ACC, you’ll know that VT started the year off with a few losses. I think GT has only had two wins. There were a lot of VT fans, but there usually are. We met our friends ahead of the game and had a chance to catch up and have lunch which was a lot of fun. Like I said, I felt bad for GT. VT had a loss earlier in the year that was a blowout for Duke.

This is the first game that we’ve been too where it was cool. I had to search for it, but I found my letter jacket (swimming) from back in the day and wore it when the sun set. I had a few comments on the old logo. Showing my age for sure with this one, but it was fun to be able to wear it and it still fit!

Just one more picture and I’ll be finished! This has been my view for the past week out my kitchen and basement window. It’s really pretty in the afternoon with the sun shining through the leaves. The yellow maples are the last to turn and they like to put on a show for a few days. This picture was taken several days ago before they had completely turned.

I’m off to finish quilting Merry Mini before I have to move all my sewing things. Thanks for stopping by and have a great rest of your week.