Nearly finished!

After my trip to the store with the "clunking" sewing machine, I loaded it up with the new cotton thread I'd purchased and tried again to do the quilting on Tessa's quilt. This time everything worked perfectly--almost.  There was a bit of clunking when the needle swung to the left as it made the wavy stitch I'd selected, but no thread was broken and the stitches were absolutely perfect!  Better than any I'd ever done with my old machine.  So I kept working on it and today, at noon, I had finished all the quilting. Here's a glimpse:

When I realized I couldn't begin the quilting on Wednesday as I'd planned, I went ahead and worked on this bag that I'd had cut out and waiting for me for a few weeks. And I got this finished Wednesday evening.

One of the Guild members had been to Keepsake Quilting in Maine and brought back a remnant of Downton Abbey fabric since she knows what a HUGE Downton fan I am.  As soon as I saw it, I knew it would be going into a bag.  There are 8 pockets inside and it's plenty roomy but not too big for my needs.  So, thank you, Becky.  The rest of the fabric will be in the Sister's Choice quilt I'm making as a leader/ender project.

I also finished the quilting and put on the binding on this Halloween table runner that will be going in my Etsy store, Jolly Ruby.  When we were driving around the Stillwater MN area last night, I realized that it's time to get the Halloween items into the store--people are beginning to decorate!

I had hoped to get a Halloween throw/lap quilt finished and in the store but now I'm not sure I'll get it done in time.  I have to finish the binding by Oct 1 on one of the quilts the Guild has made for our charity cause, and I have to stitch the binding on Tessa's quilt before Oct 31 as well as quilt up and bind the challenge quilt (that's only about 15 x 25) that I made for the Quilt Tour challenge and that needs to be submitted by Oct 31.  So I'll be a little busy.

As well as doing s bit of yard work--fall weed and feed on the lawn, cleaning out the garden plots, and hopefully, planting some tulip and daffodil bulbs for a little color in the yard next spring.  And that's where I'm headed to now--outdoors!