Back To This -

The October Quiltvillians departed yesterday morning making their way home from whence they came - some planning to shop hop all the way.  Good for them!
I may see these folks once a year, but I love knowing they stay in contact with each other and make plans to do fun things together even when not on retreat at Quiltville Inn.
Connections and Friendships is what it's all about - and I love to see it in action!

In amongst all of the laundry flipping and getting things ready for our one and only November retreat that starts today - I sat down to work on my X-Plus blocks.

There were already block kits waiting in a box - so why not?

By the time it was time to come home, there were only two block kits left - so guess what I'll be doing today?

More cutting and kitting.

With the quilting machine on the blink, there is not much else that I can do. And that's okay.  I'm hoping that if I keep making cute blocks that I'll fall in love with what my plan for these blocks was.

Before I got waylaid into so many other things.

Back at home - just me, two dogs and two cats who can't be in the same space as each other - (Yes, that continues!) I am happy to report that thanks to so many suggestions I was able to get the TV sound bar back working.

It seems that if you completely unplug things and then plug them back in again, they just MAY kick back in and start working.

This is me stitching on a hexie border section as Zoey snoozes against my leg.

What you can't see or hear is Mabel in the crate snoring away as I watch Grace on Britbox.

This is what is happening with the side border section. It needs a little completer aqua hexie to finish the design at the edge of the quilt, and then a floater neutral row. It will need some more at the top and bottom too, but I'm not sure what to do there yet.

I'm NOT planning on hand quilting this one so I need to leave a bit of margin that will be trimmed off when I trim it straight to add a straight edge binding.

I've done enough of the knife edge finishes on my previous two hexie quilts - and then the one I quilted and bound for my mom to know what I want to do this go around.

In all of my clean out and reorganizing over the past 10 days I also made a switch in my little sewing corner.

I snagged this hexagon tin from bedroom 3 at the retreat, because - what's better for a hexie project than a hexie tin to hold all of the pieces?

Isn't the ballerina girl on the lid just darling?

Evidently this was a candy tin as the label is still visible as to what the contents were at one time.

"Grannie? Why does your sewing box have toffee in it???"  LOL

And I really would like to know what Paradise Fruits are.  Sounds intriguing.

I googled Edward Sharp & Sons LTD and saw that they had so many beautiful tins over the years -

I also learned that Edward Sharp & Sons Ltd was a prominent English confectionery company from Maidstone, Kent, famous for its fudge and toffee. Founded in the late 1890s by Edward Sharp, the business was acquired by Trebor in 1961 and later by Cadbury in 1989 before eventually discontinuing production in 1998. The brand was revived as Sharps of York and is now owned by Tangerine Confectionery.

The company began as a grocery business in Maidstone, founded by Edward Sharp. His wife started making toffee, which he began selling in his shop in 1878, leading to the formation of the confectionary business. They eventually became the largest toffee manufacturer in the world.

In 1961, the company was acquired by Trebor, and the two merged to become Trebor Sharp. Cadbury then acquired the company in 1989.

Sharp's toffee was discontinued in 1998. The brand was later relaunched as "Sharps of York" in 2004 and its products are now marketed under the Taveners name by Tangerine Confectionery.

The original factory in Maidstone closed in 2000, and manufacturing was moved elsewhere.

Today, Edward Sharp & Sons Ltd. is known for its vintage tins, which were made in England and are popular collectibles.

And I have one. A hexie tin perfect for my hexies.

This also arrived yesterday!

We are off on our Germany/Austria Christmas Markets adventure right after our Thanksgiving here in the states.

This is one of the reasons why we are starting our Lupine & Laughter Mystery a week early with Part One being released 11/21/25.

It also allows us to get all of the Parts released in good fashion as I also leave for Morocco in January.

Are you coming with me?  With as cold as it is getting here in Virginia now (in the 30s this morning) I am looking forward to being somewhere warm over my birthday in January.

If you haven't checked it out lately, we've got new listings of where we will be and when! Click HERE to see and come with us!

It's a foggy misty morning on the mountain with intermittent rain predicted over the next couple of days.
Perfect weather for something yummy in the crock pot, a fire in the gas stove, a candle burning for ambiance (And a lovely scent) and spending some time cutting up block kits for an ongoing X-Plus quilt.
And I'll be watching for the arrival of the November Quiltvillians.
What plans do you have for today?

Introductory pricing: I've placed the Lahinch PDF pattern at 25% off - no coupon needed -through 10/31/25. There are still a few days left and save!

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

This is the best advice I have ever received.

Just Begin!

It applies to so much more than just quilting.

Where will you begin today?