‘Tis the season…

The holidays are here! The days are getting shorter and the “to do” list is getting longer.

I’ve done a few things on the quilty side but not a lot to blog about and I’m not expecting to get a lot more done before the first of the year. I’m okay with that.

I had a bit of sticker shock when the batting I’ve been purchasing on Walmart (sold and delivered by them) doubled in price. It’s been $40.99 for the nine yard bolt I like to buy for about two years now.

Imagine my surprise when I went to buy more and saw the price is now $81.47!

I did find a similar batting at Walmart for $46.06 so I ordered several bolts of it. When it came I did a side by side comparison and couldn’t tell the slightest difference between the old and the new. I have 54 yards now so I’m stocked up for about a year … just in case the price on this one goes up too. The shipping is free with my Walmart plus account so as I finish one bolt, I’ll replace it with a new one as long as the price remains the same. (If not, I’ll be researching a new source.)

I posted this before. It’s 4 bolts of the batting on a bar my husband attached to the long arm. We just split the cardboard bolt in the center and slip the bar through it. I move the frame away from the wall when I want to quilt behind it so I don’t like storing anything underneath it.

I really wasn’t sure where I’d put those extra two bolts of batting I ordered this time. I woke up the next morning and had an epiphany. I could put a Closet Maid type shelf under the long arm on the back side, behind the batting bar. I shared the idea with my husband. He made a quick trip to Home Depot and by lunch time I had a new shelf installed. Yay!

He bought the heavy duty 16″ wide shelf which has an extra support down the center of it. It also has a lip on the front edge. We flipped the shelf upside down so the lip is facing up and toward the back. That will help to keep from sliding off the back.

We couldn’t put the batting bar on the backside of the frame because of the extra center support leg (you can see it in the photo below) but, it worked great for the shelf and even added a little extra support! The bolts of batting weigh just over 5 pounds each so the shelf can easily support them. The shelf might look likes it’s bowing a little bit in the photo. It’s not. It’s just the way the light is reflecting.

And, I even have room on the other end of the shelf to stage a few more tops & backings ready to be quilted. I don’t know why I didn’t figure this out sooner.

We decorate for all the holidays but my neighbors have already begun putting up Christmas decorations so my husband added something new this year.

Last year he made a few turkey protest signs from discarded political campaign signs. The neighbors love it. Just today a couple of students walking home from school thanked him for celebrating Thanksgiving. Then laughed when they saw the “fat boy” sign and stopped to take a picture of it. 😉

I made a new little turkey banner for the inside.

to go with my other Thanksgiving things.

I also made some new seat covers with leaves to use on the couch from Halloween through Thanksgiving. They’re reversible so I can use for Christmas too.

This week, I’m working on a quilt to be donated for a quarter auction. Next, I have a few things I’d like to finish for Christmas.

Hopefully, I can get back to my patriotic string/scrap quilts after that.

In the evening I’ve been working a bit on a cross-stitch kit I bought in 2020 (and never made). Plus, I’m thinking a lot about my plans for 2026.

I have several quilts on my bucket list I’d really like to focus on. I’m committed to helping the guild get the tops finished that have been in storage way too long. My plan is to help quilt those and work on my bucket list quilts the rest of the time. Once those are finished, I’ll have time to make some more of my own quilts to be donated. I have ideas and fabric, just not the time to do it all.

Maybe I’ll number my bucket list quilts and pull a number every month or, take a calendar and plan the order I’d like work on them. I really haven’t decided yet. Luckily, I have about 6 weeks to think about it.