Happy Trails

Hello from snowy Wisconsin!  This was officially the snowiest Halloween on record here.

Here's the view out my front door Thursday morning.

And out back.  Little Buddy's chair and tractor were practically buried.

But his snowsuit still fits!  So we went out for a little while.  Honestly, I am not a fan of playing in the snow.  I'd rather quilt!

This is what I was doing Sunday--marking the border on my Wagon Trail quilt.  I cut and marked the Golden Threads paper with a stencil, and pinned it on.
Doing this is well, a pain.  It reminds me of painting a bedroom.  The prep work takes way more time than the actual painting.  Getting this border ready to quilt took forever, but the quilting was relatively quick and easy.

And now it's done!  It's quilted and bound, and on the bed.

I started this quilt in January of 2018, as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilt, using my 1800s reproduction fabrics.  (Click HERE for the first post.)

The quilt was made in two sections, quilted separately.  I had been procrastinating on the quilting, ever since I finished the sections and joined them.  I was afraid the motifs in the middle would be very tough to quilt on my domestic machine, but it wasn't as bad as I thought.

The binding is a black and brown plaid, and came from my stash.  I sewed it on by machine, which is a thing I do now.
So that's that.  It's a big one, 89 in. x 99 in.  Another quilt done, courtesy of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I think I'll call it Happy Trails.  If you're as old as I am, you might hear Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing right about now.
In other news, applesauce.

From a half bushel of Cortland apples, I got 17 pints of applesauce.  They're made from local apples, local honey, and cinnamon from far, far away.

I'm using the cores to make vinegar again.  Doesn't this look fancy?  The rag I have covering the crock is part of an old pillowcase.

Here's what it looks like inside.  In a few weeks, it'll be vinegar.

Last week's zigzag quilt posed on Little Buddy's nap bed.  After lots of ripping and re-pinning, I got the rows to line up right.  Now I just need to quilt it!

Happy November to everyone this week.  Let's stay warm and quilt!
Cheers for reading,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:
Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday
Sarah at Can I Get A Whoop Whoop 
Angela at So Scrappy
Cynthia at Oh Scrap 

Harvest Home

Hello, and welcome!  Are you ready for Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  The meaning is right in the name--giving thanks, which I know I should do more often.  The family will gather at our house for a big meal and lots of love and laughter.

I'm trying to get food planned so I can make some dishes ahead of time.  Refrigerator space is always a problem, but I think we're going to put some things, like the pumpkin pies, in the trunk of my car Wednesday night.  (It's good and cold in the garage, but above freezing, and I'm not going anywhere then.  I'll let you know how that turns out!)

Meanwhile, I'm still working on the wagon trail quilt, one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts.  I'm auditioning this border, which strobes on the screen but not in real life.

I've also decided that I need another row of blocks.  It was going to be square, which is wide enough but too short for the bed.

So back to making blocks, and using up more scraps!

These are my leaders and enders--rail fence blocks.  I think I'm going to set them like this, on point.

As I give thanks for all the blessings of my life, I'm also mindful of the people devastated by the fires in California.  Right now I'm sending money to help, but maybe later there will be a need for quilts as families rebuild their lives.  My donation is going to the California Community Foundation's Wildfire Relief Fund, but there are many other places to send money, including the American Red Cross.

Today I will close with one of my favorite hymns.  Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Come Ye Thankful People, Come

written by Henry Alford in 1844

Come ye thankful people come,

Raise the song of Harvest Home

All is safely gathered in

Ere the winter storms begin

God our Maker doth provide

For our wants to be supplied

Come to God's own temple, come

Raise the song of Harvest Home.

Linking up today with:

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Can I Get A Whoop Whoop) 

Myra at Busy Hands Quilts
Angela at Soscrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap