We Resume Our Normal Programming*

*for awhile, anyway -- Hurricane Sandy is Near Philadelphia and blowing and storming and we don't know if we will lose our electrical power or not!

This has been the longest unplanned blog outage since I began this little venture, and I don't even have a good excuse (like two weeks in Scandinavia, for example!). We've been in an unsettled state at home -- our guest room was the last room in the house to still have the hideous mottled brown shag carpeting that was in the house when we moved here, and in this room it had been further "enhanced" by a cat who thought we shouldn't have acquired a dog. So after a false start or two (don't get me started on contractors who won't return phone calls -- Chris Horst, I'm talking about you!), we finally got a guy who said he would like to do the job and it would take three to four days. We're into the third week now, and it is finally finished and we can move back in. Everything from the guest room has been in the morning room all of this time, and that is where I do my blogging. So that's the short answer.

So, what else have I been doing all this time? Working on a secret project, for one thing, and it is ready to go to the machinist at last.

Do you remember when I made a Mazed quilt a few months back? I can't remember if I ever posted a picture of the finished flimsy (if not, I'll remedy that soon). Anyway, I need a non-gender-specific baby quilt sometime soon for a shower and Mazed came right to mind and the photo above is the flimsy for this little babe. I used assorted scraps in warmish tones and a sweet minty Kona and it went together so quickly and easily!

The pattern designer for Mazed is Kristy Daum, and and after I'd written to tell her how much I liked the pattern, she contacted me to see if I'd be interested in testing her next pattern. Silly girl, would I be interested? Of course I would. And I did. Please come back tomorrow to learn more about that experience!

Then last week I discovered a free pattern for the cutest little table runner right here. Friends, I tell you, this is fun to make and takes -- like -- no time at all! It calls for Moda candy 2-1/2" squares which I didn't have on hand, and besides I was thinking batik and black, so I cut me some squares and used this as a leader-ender project and am very pleased with the outcome. Those pennants are three dimensional, i.e., they lift up at the point. I already have my second table runner in the works. And this one does use those little Moda squares, because someone gave me some.

Finally, for now, here is my project from Lori's Quilt Along! I just loved making it. It is all hand-quilted, and that took many evenings. You can go here to see other versions that people have made.

This was my first Quilt Along, and I am so happy that I did it!

It feels so good to be back. Hurricane Sandy has picked up the pace while I've been writing, and we just might lose our power. If that happens, I'll be back on Wednesday. Whether my next post is tomorrow or Wednesday, know that it will feature "Index," Kristy Daum's new pattern!