Traditional Tuesday - Block 7

Jenifer has posted a Hallowe'en themed spooky block for this week's Traditional Tuesday sampler block.  I've elected to go with an alternate, not because it's applique, but because I am making my sampler in browns and pinks and want it to read as a sweet repro style quilt.  Although I don't want anything spooky in it, I thought a couple of calm kitties would be just fine, almost Hallowe'en in theme, right?

After I admitted to my...shall we call it what it is?... terror ... of applique in yesterday's post, Elzaan of Huisvlyt Blog sent me a couple of email links to introductory applique tutorials.  Thanks Elzaan!  I read through two tutorials on the Applique Today Blog, one on needleturn applique prep, and another on needleturn applique stitching.  Both seemed fairly straight forward (and, admittedly, not too scary) so I will give the appliqued spooky skull block for Modern Monday Block 7 a try.  I think it's a must-have block for my Hallowe'en fabric sampler  Will post a pic of my attempt whether success or dismal failure.  I'm sure everyone needs a good laugh...

The fabric requirements for Bonnie Hunter's Orca Bay Mystery Quilt-Along were posted today and this caused me some considerable consternation.  I don't have any black stash.  The few black fabrics I do have are in my Modern Monday sampler project box and they are precious few.  Depending on what size strips she uses for the red fabrics, I may be hooped there too.  I used up most of my red 1.5" strips making the Carolina Crossroads pattern.  I guess I'll just have to wait until November 18th to see what strip sizes she'll be using of the various colours and make my final colour decision at that time.

I have a confession to make.  I am weak.  Yes, weak... very weak.  After making my declaration of no more magazine purchases nine days ago,  I already caved.

How could I resist?  It says right there in the upper right hand corner that this year's issue contains 23 Stash Busting quilts!  There I was, shopping for a few necessities and innocently passing by the magazine shelves when my eyes beheld it.  (In actual fact, I had to shimy sideways past a cardboard display into the magazine section and wouldn't have seen it otherwise.)  And the necessities I went there to purchase?  Well it's November 1st today and that means the Hallowe'en candies were on sale (they have to make room for the Christmas goodies).  And I went there to pick up a bag of molasses Hallowe'en kisses.  I know I'm in the minority here, but I absolutely love those things.  I have a wonderful childhood memory of making la tire (pronounced teer, french word meaning taffy) around the time of the feast of St. Catherine, in my grandmother's kitchen, so maybe I love them for nostalgic reasons.  Anyway, they were in the $1 bin and I had to dig to the bottom to find them.

I also found these great little clear plastic containers.  Good for scraps I thought.

The fact that they were full of snack-size chocolate bars, also for $1, didn't influence me in the least.

I did mention that I am weak, right?