Fall Pumpkins

Despite not blogging recently, I have been actively quilting over here.  A couple weeks ago, our family lost my Mother-in-Law, Jennette, after some health issues and a week in ICU.  She was a wonderful person and we held a great celebration of life where 5 pastors of hers shared about her life.  It was a beautiful testament to her life and faith in our Heavenly Father and it just seemed right to take some time off and spend some quality family time together.  It is often hard for me to find a balance between creating and living life and it was time to do the latter for a while. It was a time for rest and reflection and of loving support from our family and friends and very healing. Now it is time to jump back in the rat race with both feet again.

My oldest daughter is having a birthday this coming week and I decided to make her a table runner after seeing the wonderful tutorial by Amy Smart for a pillow cover and a table runner.  If you missed it you can find it here over at her blog Diary of a Quilter. I started making two right away and within the week, I had hers done and mine just waiting to be quilted.  It was the first time I so heavily quilted a project and am very pleased with how hers turned out.  Hoping mine turns out as great and finishes as fast.

I loved Amy's pillow cover and wanted to just use that pattern to make three of these pumpkins into my daughter's table runner.



 

The picture above is the current state of mine

 



I love how the quilting on Randi's turned out.  I used a walking foot and went for some straight lines but I love the result!!! Love the diagonals on the center pumpkin.

 

 

Yesterday, was a beautiful Fall day and the Portland Oregon Zoo's annual free day at the zoo.

We took the opportunity to spend the day with these three lovely ladies and their brother seeing all the animals, enjoying lunch and checking out all the changes at the Portland zoo. We had a blast exploring all the zoo had to offer despite the huge crowd.

 

 

 

The lion family is getting much bigger.  Here is dad with last year's offspring. Three young cats born on my grandson's birthday last year.  This year they had another set of lions.  Four this time but one had to be euthanized due to a wound.  Mom was inside with the little ones and although we couldn't see the newest members of the lion family it was great to see all of these guys.

 

 

One of the buzzard's has a mouse in his mouth

 

 

These two obliged me in comparing how big they were compared to the bears.  The littlest one refused to stand in front of the bears. Jayda was very aware of where the animals were in their cages and kept a close eye on them and at times was a little spooked by them.  But she also loved every minute of her time checking them out with us despite getting very tired by mid afternoon.

 

I also have to start planning what to do with these lovely goodies I won from Barbara from Wont to-be- Quilter.  I want to make Christmas table runner's this year, also but the flower prints she snuck in as extra goodies really have whetted my appetite to play with them.  Not sure what to do next but need to get to work on some of my BOM projects that are wrapping up for the year.  Thanks so much Barbara, I love the fabrics you sent my way!!!  I adore them all.

 

 

Keep Stitchin'