Veterans Day Sewing!

 Last night I arrived home to a box full of goodies from Jennifer for my Santa Swap Sack exchange!  I can hardly wait to open these goodies!  Feels like a long wait yet!  I have her gifts all made, but need to get to wrapping and boxing them up.  I have a blog post showing all the goodies but it won't be posted until she opens them!
I have a guild meeting tonight and we are supposed to bring apple themed food.  I found a Weight Watchers friendly recipe on Spark Recipes and since I worked late last night, Kathy baked it for me!  I am hoping to get a piece and find out if it is as good as it smells!

Since today is Veterans Day the college I work at is closed.  I picked up a short shift and my phone interpreting job but don't have to go in til 3:30, so I have spent my day sewing!  So nice to get my Traditions BOM done for November (one more block to go!).

 I also got my Rolling Stone block for the Classic Meets Modern Quiltalong done.  I loved her example block with the chevrons, so I went with that and tried to find fabrics that worked with the only chevron fabric I think I have (okay the only one I saw when I did a quick search)!  Only one more block to go with this.  I sure hope Erin has something else up her sleeve to sew together when this one is done, because I have really enjoyed it!  I know I am still following a pattern, but it requires me to be a little more creative than I normally am and I LOVE some of these blocks so much.  I still want to make an entire tiny top of just leaves.  Why, I have no idea...but I do!  Go see what the others have been up to with their projects so far--Sew at Home Mummy's blog has a linkup!

 I have also been crocheting some Packer scarves for Christmas gifts when I get a sit down minute!  My left shin is improving, but no more hiking yet.

Happy Veterans Day to all our vets, and thank you for your sacrifices big and small!  As an ex military wife I know what some of those sacrifices are and am ever so grateful for our freedom.  Here is one of my favorite pictures of my ex with our daughter before his deployment some years back.

Just for fun I am linking up with Free Motion by the River!

I about went BATTY!

 Started off the day by putting Heidi Powell's white chicken chili in the crockpot, then Kathy and I ran to 35th Ave. to get our BOM.  Two months to go on this year's quilt!

 I then sewed up block number 13 and 14 of City Sampler for the Chooseyourownblockalong!  Each one I make is my new favorite.  LOVE # 13 right now best!

Linking up to Choose Your Own Blockalong!

 Then I tackled Ooh Rah!  This is my BOM Quilt of Valor.  I wanted to change it up and add red and I was going to have two different blues.  I realized quickly that it was enough with to get this block right without changing up the blues.  I am happy with how it came out though it was labor intensive!

Then I decided I should tackle this Halloween project that I had printed out and selected and cut fabric for--TWO YEARS AGO!  I really don't have too many UFO's and only a few things that I have not even started like this.  Really, after reading the directions I thought it was too complicated for me--and I might have been right!  The tutorial is over at Oh Fransson!  Her tutorial is great with lots of pictures, but I have trouble with angles!

So here are what I think are bats (but someone else described as fat barn cats!).  Luckily I did not sew the rows together til after Kathy came home to help me with the angles.

Also, I cannot count one row has one too many bats!  Seriously, this was after I had had my coffee!

 So in the above picture, I think I have this right but I wait to sew the rows.  (I do NOT have it right!)
 Kathy then helped me  to stagger the rows like I was supposed to (I struggled with this part of the directions and knew I was not understanding quite right).  We stepped back and I thought, NOW it is right.  It was NOT!

 Kathy realized I had the whole thing angled wrong--what a surprise.  LOL, so below it finally is starting to look like bats!

 Finally the top is sewn together and I love it!  This is for my son Mac...he is going to love it--think it will become a pillow.

Tomorrow morning Kathy and I are going on our first hike of the the season!  I cannot wait!  I lost .2 this week despite working hard and eating right.  I am still .4 from a 60 pound loss...UGH!  Kathy reached 60 (YAY for her!) and I am hoping to get mine this week.  I did get into a way smaller size this week (thanks Becky for the clothes!) and that sure helped me to not completely go batty!  I think I need to change up the workouts some and up my game!