Little projects and big plans

A couple more little projects from this weekend to share with you (besides the pleated pouch). The first is another mug rug, again made (mostly) from my scrap jar:

And the second is a table topper for one of the end tables in our living room. I love the layout of the room as it is, but under the front windows are a couple club chairs with a table in between. I discovered recently that the furry girls have been using the table to get from one chair to another – usually to get a better view out the front window. So the topper? Functional, mostly. It covers the scratches until I decide if it’s worth repairing the tabletop, plus it keeps them from getting worse. We’ll see how it works out.

After all the quilts I worked on this summer, I’ve been feeling a little stuck. At least on the really big stuff.  But the October quilt retreat is next weekend and I’m so excited. I love these weekends for so many reasons, not the least of which is how motivating and productive they are. It’s a 72-hour quilting marathon, full of fun and laughter and very little sleep.

Retreats take some planning to be successful. Something big to finish, a couple small projects, and perhaps a project that needs starting. Then there’s the sewing supplies: notions, rulers, mat, pressing tools, extension cord, cutting tools, marking tools, task light, sewing machine….you get the idea.  Forgetting something (other than the power cord for the sewing machine) is seldom tragic – someone is always willing to help out.

I know what the big project is this trip (hint: it’s purple), but I’m still deciding on the rest. Probably bee blocks since I’ve still got 3 left to make for October. No projects to start this trip – I’ve got way too many QIP (quilts in progress) to start another.  Want proof? Each one of these boxes contains a quilt project, and every one of them is at least 50% complete or better – clearly lack of organization is not what’s getting in the way of finishing:

So nothing new…..unless, of course, I find the perfect fabric for a baby quilt. Which could certainly happen, since a trip to Bayside Quilting is absolutely mandatory on retreat weekends.

It’s a sickness.