a little bit done

I skipped out on exercising yesterday - I'll do it today after work, I swear - and headed home to get into comfy clothes and start sewing.  I puttered around my sewing room, not doing a whole lot.  Every time I looked at my list it seemed that everything required either cutting or hand work ... nothing was ready to be sewn.  So I did some straightening up.  You know, you may think I totally flaked on the Farmers Wife Quilt-A-Long because I haven't even mentioned it since July ... but I haven't.  First, my aunt died, and then the kids came, and then I started focusing on Christmas project timetables.  But the fabrics sat in my big basket next to the cutting table, then at some point were dumped on the hearth to make room.  So I sat down and organized them last night so that they would be ready when I had more time again, maybe in January.

That little woven rag rope basket is one of the things I "inherited" from my Honey's ex by moving into a house that she had vacated.  I love its versatility in my sewing room.  It's just the right size and has held so many different parts of projects as they've been in progress.  Sometimes it's the unexpected things that make you happy.

After doing some straightening, I went up to the TV room to watch Eat Pray Love as I sewed some more of the bias strip onto Kaleidoscope.  Being 41 and having gone through my own midlife crisis awakening, I could relate to the story, but it did remind me a lot of Under the Tuscan Sun with Diane Lane.  I enjoyed it nonetheless.  And the bias strip is about half on the quilt, so another movie or two should finish it.

Work has been slow this week so I finished the October Fab ShopHop.  In doing so, I came across a great little Halloween fabric line by Alexander Henry called The Ghastlies.  I realize that I'm a little late to the party here, since the Ghastlies is in its second printing already.  I began wracking my brain to figure out a way to use these fabrics, which have a pretty large scale scene, and then bought some today.

 Aren't they just adorable?  Apparently the table on the left is 12.5" wide, and the tallest witch on the right is 10" tall.  So I've got to design something that uses them well.  One will be backing fabric.  The other I'll cut in 12" blocks and alternate with pieced blocks.  They remind me so much of Edward Gorey's art, which my Honey just loves: 

Speaking of my Honey, one reason he's a Halloween adorer is that his birthday is next week.  I've been trying to brainstorm what to get him, but what do you give a man who has everything?  I'm going to have to do a little shopping while he's away with his girls this weekend and see what I can find him.

For now, I'm headed out for a sushi lunch with a colleague.  It's the first time all week I've left the office for lunch and it's sorely needed.  Plus, I'm famished!  I can't believe that I never had sushi up until about a year ago ... what did I spend so many years missing!?