Linking up with Slow Sunday Stitching.  I really enjoy my Sundays even though I'm no longer part of the working world.  There is just something about a Sunday that instills peace and quiet into my life.

This past week was fun and frustrating all at the same time.  I've been working on the Carry On! Travel Bag and it has been very slow going as I've ripped and sewn, ripped and sewn which makes for a lot of frustration.  The directions don't seem real clear to me in places and I have a directional fabric which is a challenge all in itself so I had to do some more ripping and add extra pieces to have it turn out right.  It is being gifted at Christmas, but I can post a picture here as the recipient doesn't follow my blog.

I've also had an email from my grandson with pictures of him and the quilt I sent him for his birthday (12/8) and Christmas. I evidently deleted from my phone and hope my daughter has them and can send them to me.   I also found out this week that he and his girlfriend are now engaged and hope to marry before they leave on world travels this coming July.   Congratulations Cole and Callie.  They are in Mexico celebrating his birthday so I'm waiting for them to return to Colorado for them to decide on a wedding date and figure out how we'll be able to attend since we will be traveling back east starting in January and had planned to be gone for about a year.  Those plans may be a changing.

I have been learning some embroidery stitches and have joined up with Sandy from Quilting for the Rest of Us for a Crazy Quilt Stitch Along.  Check it out here.  Once again I'm taking a Craftsy class on Crazy Quilts by Allie Aller which, by the way, is excellent.  I'm enjoying the different ways to create the Crazy Quilt squares and learning the embroidery stitches.  I haven't practiced too many so far, but working them in some evenings after a day of working on that "bag".  Here is what I've done so far.

I received the fabric postcard from my blog friend and it is gorgeous as I'm sure you will agree.  It says "Deck the Halls..." on it and it is now decking the wall behind my sink so I can enjoy it often.  It truly brings a smile to my face thinking of my friend who created it.  Thank you Marsha of Quilter in Motion blog fame.

I have pieced together one of the large blocks for the December clue for the Midnight Mystery Quilt from Meadow Mist Designs.  I am loving it.  Thank you Cheryl for this lovely creation.  Can't wait to finish the other 7 blocks and 2 half blocks.  I'm anxiously awaiting January's clue now and hope to finish it before leaving on our trip east.

A biggy this week was the getting Stella, a Singer Featherweight 221 that I purchased on eBay and I'm so happy to have her.  I've been looking for one for quite some time and I finally found her.  Her case has one broken fastener and there are a few scraps which the seller had pointed out, but she is beautiful.  She was born August 19, 1947, so she's just about 6 months older than I am.