Is it Tuesday already?

 September is nearly gone, and I just checked my list of goals to see how I've done so far. HMMM - not as well as expected, but I have been able to check off a few things so I guess it's all OK.  

I'm working on blocks this week for ongoing projects - Farmers Wife Sampler, Summer Soiree, and the orange house block for RSC.  

Checkered Stars will be one of my continued projects this week again.  The parts are all on my big design board, so I can just move it around as needed.  All of the white and grey pieces are cut, but I still need to cut some of the colored pieces from the second charm pack for this one.  Maybe I'll have the top done by Christmas!  LOL  

The Halloween Party blocks are all assembled into a top, and I went with the diagonal layout after lots of deliberation.  It's 48 by 60 without borders, which would be an OK size for a good couch quilt.  But I really feel like it needs borders. There is plenty of the background left to put on a narrow or medium size border all around.  And then I will decide whether or not to add a final outer border.  

Last Friday I got in the car and drove to 5 of the 7 quilt shops on a regional shop hop.  And I'm quite proud of myself for NOT spending a lot of money.  It's so easy to go crazy on a shop hop because every shop has unique samples made up to tempt us.  Each shop was giving away a mini charm pack and a pattern for something to use those little pieces.  One pattern used the minis to make a 16-patch block that was then set on point inside a churn dash block.  Such a simple, cute idea.  

One granddaughter wants a bag to carry her lesson books to piano lessons, so I was on the lookout for some musical fabric.  Rhythms & Hues (3Wishes fabric) jumped out at me.  It is so pretty with the splashes of colors, and all of the musical instruments.  I bought enough for a bag and a pillowcase.  

On a side note - We are going to a wake this evening for a lovely lady who was our nearest neighbor when we lived on the farm back in the 1970s and 80s.  She raised chickens and always brought us 2 or 3 fresh chickens when she butchered, as a thanks for being careful not to run any chickens over when we drove by every day.  Yes - free range chickens!!  And the year that Laura was due in early January, we had been snowed in already so many times. She called to reassure me that her husband would help us get to the highway if I went into labor and were snowed in - OR she would help deliver that baby.  She had one of her 9 babies at home.  Luckily I went into labor between blizzards just before Christmas!  She also babysat our youngest one school year.  We were blessed with wonderful neighbors in those years!!