A Few for Friday - #33

I have been parked behind my sewing machine all week, but I don't have anything finished to share. I was going to do a craft fair in October, but when I got the information the table fee was quite high. I thought it over and over, and under and over and around and decided not to do it. I did buy some seasonal fabrics just in case I was going to go for it, so I've been busy this week stitching those up into some whole cloth quilted table runners. I've got a half dozen quilted and almost totally bound--just have to hand-stitch the bindings to the back so they can be reversible if so desired. When I started I was looking quite forward to some simple straight stitching. Now I feel completely knackered (but also quite accomplished). My to-do list for others, as well as myself, has exploded, so I've set myself some serious goals to stick to. So far, so good.

My pics are few this week, and were taken at my sewing table (I sooo need to get out more :)

See that wee length of thread? I put the last stitches onto this table runner, and that is what was left in the bobbin. Don't you love when that happens? I quilted this diagonally and was hoping I'd have enough thread to finish--is there anything more annoying than winding a bobbin for a two inch line of stitching? 

 Really, Joann's? This pumpkin color is what I was using for my bias binding on my fall table runners. And right in the center was a lovely flaw. Thank heavens it was only bias binding and I was able to work around it. But this is the second time recently I've had an odd cut come from Joann's.

I have had this fabric for a while. I bought a bunch of different colored stripes for quilt bindings and haven't been able to find much time to quilt to use them. But for one of the Christmas runners there is no fabric that would be quite so perfect (unless maybe it was green). I can't wait to finish so I can show you. I went a little crazy with the bias tape maker, so I have a ton left over. It's so perfectly Christmassy and candy-caney I'm going to offer it up in my shop as soon as I get a chance.  

So I went to Joann's the other day to get some things I needed. One of the things was corduroy for a bag I was asked to donate to a fundraiser. When the lady unrolled the bolt to cut it, about a half yard was all squinched and scrunched and looked like it had been dragged across the floor. I asked if she could please cut that off and give me a clean, usable cut. I'm not sure how I would interpret the facial expression she made (it had tinges of annoyance combined with thinking) but she cut off way more than necessary and then gave me my cut. That's when I realized they're going to wrap that bad-boy up as a remnant and sell it. So if you go to the Joann's in Fairless Hills and end up with a wrinkly, dusty remnant of tan corduroy--sorry, that was my fault :)

In news from the idiot files, this trip to Joann's occurred during my lunch break. Usually when I run out at lunch I grab something from the caf and wolf it down at my desk before heading out, or I head out early and grab something on my way back to my desk. For some reason I completely neglected to do either, so on my way back to work I realized the caf was closed and I would have nothing to eat. The term 'hangry' (so hungry you get angry) could have been coined just for me, so this was a dire situation. I didn't pass anything where I could stop and grab something until it was too late (I was passing the one place I could have stopped, and was several lanes over in heavy traffic so it wasn't going to happen). So you know what I had for lunch? Sour cream and onion potato chips and a Snickers bar. It cost me a buck. Sort of a win-win, I suppose.

So now I must trot to bed so that I can get ready for a weekend behind the machine to make a bag. I'm so ready for fall, but it will seem quite odd to be making a very fall/wintery bag in August. Hopefully I can knock that off the list this weekend, because the bag after that will be quite the doozy that I've never attempted before. Good thing I bought extra fabric :)