CRAZY for HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday was Halloween. The weather has been bizarre with the remnants of Sandy and there was lots of discussion about whether the kids would be out or not?  I bought candy at the last minute and by 6:30 PM, I had FIVE kids stop by. OH BOY - I hadn't bought nearly as much as in previous years - enough for 90 kids. Things fortunately picked up and we had about 70 kids pass through. Lots of cute princesses, super heroes and others.

I didn't go crazy with the decorations like I normally do - M wasn't home and she usually helps and it was raining and I didn't want everything wet. But Berke and M carved pumpkins the other day - they are so cute.............

Berke's pumpkin

M's pumpkin (it's a witch - should have been in the cold to prevent those tiny edges from drying out!) but LOOKS AWESOME regardless

Both pumpkins - we had so MANY comments on how nice the pumpkins were (and after seeing my neighbour's this morning - yes we had AWESOME pumpkins). Next year -I'm just doing pumpkins!!!!!!!!!!!    Have to get the kids home from college/university to do that!!!!

I am happy to report that ALL the Halloween quilts are DONE DONE DONE DONE.   OK - some of the binding may have to be stitched down, but they are done as far as I am concerned.

Here is a recap of the insanity and what has taken over my life for the last 6 weeks. We started them on September 9. I cut TWELVE kits, six people came to sew. One kit was disassembled and added to THREE others to make those ones bigger. So ELEVEN kits to deal with...................

I started with this HUGE basket of Halloween fabric

And this pattern - Hopscotch by The Quilt Patch

Number ONE and TWO - Mary got her quilt top complete on the workshop day. She made a wildly pieced back and chose to quilt her own quilt. She also bought one of the other kits - I have no idea whether it is complete or not and at this point - I do NOT care!!!!!

Number THREE - Katheleen's quilt 

Number FOUR - Ronda's quilt -

Number FIVE - Linda's quilt 

Number SIX - Elaine S quilt 

Number SEVEN - Ronda's second quilt (she also bought an extra kit)

Number EIGHT - Marian's quilt

Number NINE - Flo's quilt (more on that in a minute because Flo wasn't' here the day of the workshop)

Number TEN - Mine

Number ELEVEN - a spare!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The binding is on the spare - and it is in the TO BE BOUND pile

The last bit of binding - that went into the scrap binding box

And I will be retiring the ENTANGLED spider web pattern for a while!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's just say that NEXT TIME (and I am sure there will be a next time) that I decide to do this - the RULES will be different. Holy cow - I volunteered to finish piecing the tops if necessary, put on the borders (three per quilt), quilt it, make the binding AND stitch the binding on - ready for hand stitching. Let's just say that I sewed on a LOT of borders. I didn't mind doing it - it was fun, but was a bit more work than I estimated I would have from that fun day!!!!!

I would so much prefer to do this kind of thing with my stash than just give it away. I also wanted the quilts DONE instead of becoming a UFO and I know it would have been a UFO for some of those who got one. This way - they just need to be bound. And if that doesn't happen - well I am OK with that. This is part of my philosophy on Pay it Forward - do things for others and hopefully they will do something nice for someone and so on.


Let's get back to Flo's quilt. Flo really really wanted to come that day, but unfortunately she had other plans. At our big dinner a couple of weeks ago, Flo won a door prize. She won a book on Crazy Quilts. I knew that the book had been donated to our group and I was thinking "how could I rig the draw so I would win it!!!". Well I didn't do that, BUT Flo won the book. Hmmmm - now I have something that Flo wants and she has something that I want.

Book on Crazy Quilts

It seemed like a no-brainer and I told her to come to a recent Monday with just her sewing machine.   The very last quilt had NOT been sewn together yet - the blocks were made, but not together.

Flo - sewing her Halloween quilt. 

Speaking of crazy - this is a block that I bought (from Mary) at a garage sale we had at the Halton Hills guild last month. There are two sets of initials on this block - one of them is WI which we think stands for Women's Institute. No other information about the block.

Crazy quilt block

When I was quilting these quilts - three of them got quilted with minkee/plush on the back. I thought it might be challenging to use, but it was quite nice. Takes a bit of thought before hand and I stabilize it to make it easier to handle. Anyway - mine has plush on the back and I think I will be using that quilt for a long time. Who cares that it is Halloween themed. OK - better work on a Christmas one I guess or a neutral one (don't worry - it is already in the works).

My reading chair in the living room. Although this chair looks comfy - it is NOT a good chair to sleep in. But there is my plush backed quilt. I think this is the FIRST cozy reading quilt I have for myself. The other ones in this room were no where near big enough to be called a cozy quilt. Cozy means you can move and stretch and NO PART of your body pokes out. I like to make generous lap quilts - 60 by 72 inches or in that range. They are the BEST!!!!!!

Let's not forget this quilt as well.................

While this was quilted during this Halloween insanity period, it was NOT part of the exercise. The top was already done.

Let's reflect here for a minute - ELEVEN quilts (minimum  60 by 72) were cut from that laundry basket of Halloween fabric, backings for FOUR were also taken from the basket (I happened upon a bolt of VERY INEXPENSIVE Halloween fabric that I used for the backings of three of them, plush went on three more and Mary did something herself for the last one). So have a look at the basket.................

Before

After - (yes I had that orange bolt of fabric before, but did not add it to the before picture). At least it isn't heaping any more????????

I only have one thing to say - My name is Elaine and I have so much fabric - I don't know how to get rid of it fast enough!!!!!!!!!!!!     WAIT - BEFORE you offer suggestions - it is MY fabric and until I am not around to figure out what to do with it - I will come up with new ways to have fun with it. Let's just say that if I EVER EVER EVER even contemplate purchasing something Halloween again - just SHOOT me. Then you can fight over the stash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Oh - now I am back on track again. Got this customer quilt done yesterday and one more lined up for today.

Customer quilt

Got a LOT to catch up on .................



Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!