I went to the quilt shop down there before the show because they carry all the Kona colors...or they used to. There was very little selection left. I guess since Missouri Star purchased Kaufman it's been difficult to get the fabrics. They did not have either of the darker colors of Kona I was considering for the binding for Range. None of the Confetti Cottons they had matched. I bought a piece of Grunge I thought might work, but once I got it home, I did not. So I'll be using my original piece of Royal blue for the binding.
Friday afternoon I was trying to finish up the binding on Jeri's quilts, but the tension and bobbin winding were really bad. It was to the point where I needed to rip out the binding stitching I'd done. (Plus side, with no tension on the back side, it was easy to remove the stitching.) Then the power went off. Again. I don't know why the power in our area has been so finicky lately. Anyway, I did this one 1.5 times
and this one twice.
There's one more I had to rip out part of, but I guess I didn't take a picture.
My daughter arrived just as the power went off. I couldn't find the directions I had for hooking up the backup battery, but with her help and instructions over the phone from my husband, we got the backup power running. The power came back on just as my son was arriving home. He was a little cranky because he just missed the bus to the parking lot from his dorm and the next one was very late. Then he had to swing by the pharmacy and wait there too.
Saturday we went to a wool and fiber show at the fairgrounds. All the yarn was beautiful, but I wouldn't know what to make with it. My daughter was thrilled that she could pet an Angora rabbit and an Angora goat. I did make a purchase. One booth had samples and kits that I really liked. The poncho is close to my skill level. I had to order needles because of course I had every size but that (and couldn't buy locally). I hope the needles get here soon because I'm eager to get started. The hat is above my level, but I can learn.
We dropped the kids back at home and then went to drop off my sewing machine for repair. The check engine light came on and threw a few codes for sensors. Ugh. I think those are now taken care of. Too much oil residue everywhere still despite washing and a trip through the car wash. We attempted to test drive a RAV4 hybrid. They only had one on the lot and it was already sold. We were allowed to sit in it, but no driving. I understand that, but we also don't want to buy a car without driving it. Oh, I guess I should mention here that we have decided to trade in my beloved Highlander for a new vehicle. We were looking at used before, but they are priced nearly the same as new but with a good amount of miles already.
It's been a bit demoralizing. We have to have something that can tow the utility trailer and I really want at least a hybrid. Our budget is a concern as well. I was sort of considering spending a little more and perhaps getting a Rivian R2 fully electric SUV. I could easily power it through our solar panels. However, there are very few dealers/service people and also the car's roof is all glass with no available shade. And there is no radio antenna (deal breaker for me) and no Car Play or whatever the Android version is, only streaming through I Heart Radio and one other app I'd never heard of. Those two things combined with the higher price and somewhat quirky reliability ruled that one out. I'd love another Highlander, but those are also beyond the budget. Most of the other hybrids cannot tow enough weight to haul our utility trailer. So it's looking like the RAV4 is our best bet. We were able to find one to test drive about 75 minutes away, so we drove last night. I even got a meal out.
Back to sewing, the machine repair guy hasn't been able to replicate my issues. I'm having him do the regular cleaning and service anyway. Maybe he'll find something when he's torn into the machine. Luckily I have my backup 430, so I pulled that out and repaired the last binding on Jeri's quilt so that I can send them back to her. Then I started working a bit on Ghostie Girls because I need a break from my reality. Ta-da! I need to do black borders and then a set of print borders before they are ready for quilting.
I have made no additional progress on BOOtiFall. We have determined our path forward for the Jimothy pillow other than a quilting plan. She wants floral on the floral, but I'm not sure how to quilt the actual raccoon. I have made no additional progress on the chicken cross stitch. I've not had a chance to start on the fitting process for the dress.
I have managed to get a few more quilts done. It feels a bit miraculous because I have been feeling very down with everything going on (drama with aging parents too). This first one belongs to Cindy. We decided on Outside In for the quilting. The quilt pattern itself is called Spruce and it's very striking. 
Next up is Shirley's, quilted with Rosemary.
Then I quilted Stars 'n Banners on Carol's quilt. 
Jae picked Cobblestones.
So far this week I have quilted two of Cathy's quilts. These both took me two days to complete. The first one is quilted with Slick. This is a large quilt at 111" square.
We went with Baptist Fan on this one. She hand-pieced the interior of the quilt. This is actually very stark white, but the lights give it a yellow tint.
Beyond that, we got the apples canned this weekend. We had a peck of apples and got four quarts plus enough for two small bowls of applesauce. Pricey, but tasty. And zero sugar required.
One day I looked out the window and saw Nugget up on this platform in the garden. The big hens are much more adventurous than the silkies have ever been.
I took a rather dull picture of my not-so-dull artwork print purchases. I'm looking forward to getting them all framed. The pelican is by Maren Devine and the other two are Katherine Carney. The pink crab and flowers were rolled for shipping, so I tried to flatten it the crab with some rocks and crystals for the picture. 😄 Side note for Maren's art: you can buy $$$ needlework kits of her artwork. If I had spare money and knew how to needlepoint, I would totally try this.
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