Busy days...

...and an occasional night!  Last night's Parks & Recreation Commission meeting got me home after 9 pm.  I was too hopped up to sleep, so I got up and read until midnight.  This morning, I got up at 6 am, fully intending to walk in the town forest, but it started pouring.  That was fine with me, as I am feeling a little lazy today.   I have been busy doing everything but quilt lately.   The foliage couldn't be more beautiful, and there are lots of fall events calling to us.  Chicken pie suppers - walks in the woods - plays and concerts!   I did make 5 potholders and finished a table runner for the craft sale in November.  I think that will do it for me - I have a lot of things all ready to sell, and I'd like to concentrate on finishing a few things now.  That includes:

• the Austen Family Album block of the month by Barbara Brackman - I plan to have 9 blocks for this one which is a sew-along for reading/discussing The Jane Austen Quilt Club,  by Ann Hazelwood (a terribly written book which claims to be a "mystery" but is as lame a mystery as I've read in a long time).  Here's this week's block, King George's Crown, since he was king during Jane's life:
  
• A very traditional log cabin quilt set in a star pattern for Paul's great niece Tori, who's graduating from high school this coming spring.  I want to send it to the long armer, so I need plenty of lead time.
• An off-white cardigan sweater I've been knitting for two years.  This may yet be the year I wear it!
• A batch of nine patches in fall colors.  I have some lovely batik to put between the blocks - to snowball or not to snowball, that is the question?
• A guild challenge piece.  I'm hoping to make a mini this time, and we are to make the whole thing out of half-square triangles.  My personal challenge for this will be to use only orange fabrics since that is my least favorite color.
• A guild mystery quilt starting soon - I have lots of Civil War fabrics set aside, but will they be OK for this?
• And ready to quilt are a granny square throw, my "ocean" quilt (turquoise scrappy with appliqued borders), and a little house wall hanging.  I have the batting, and am waiting for one piece of fabric from Connecting Threads for one of the backs.
• Finally, the longarmer let me know that the two quilts I took to her at the beginning of the summer are ready to pick up and then, of course, bind.  Phew!