Shaking My Head...

Here it is, the last day of this year...and I am still wondering where September went!!!  Oh dear me.  Time certainly never stands still.

So.  This post contains a lot of photos...you may wish to sit back and relax with a cup of coffee/hot chocolate. 

First of all, me Mum is holding her own. We are very happy with the care she receives at the nursing home.  She still recognizes us and sometimes still gives 'the look', but it is difficult to converse with her for any length of time.  She is often living in a world all her own.  But, she seems content...doesn't throw things or shout out in anger, she doesn't fight the assistance she receives from the nursing staff, she eats well and is getting good sleep.  She is 88 years old.  I miss her so much...she is here, yet she is not.  I still often half wait for her evening phone call.  But, it doesn't come.  So much has changed since her stroke in May.  The hip fracture (with surgery/anesthesia) did not help at all.  She is not aware of the passing of time, yet it is very important to me that one of us visits her every day.    

Christmas Eve 2018

As for the Stitch kitty.  He is now 8 months old and growing fast!  I had a bit of a problem with him biting...more than just the normal kitty 'I wanna nibble on you' biting.  I reached out to a cat behaviorist (no, not Jackson Galaxy) and worked hard at doing what was recommended.  It definitely worked, as Stitch is more mellow and not so reactive.  Carole (cat behaviorist) did tell me that he would calm down as he got older, and he has.  whew.  I mean, there were so many sweet moments but then he would bite me...unprovoked.  Not nibbles, either.  Bites that hurt, though he never broke the skin.  Anyway.  We keep a pretty strict schedule with plenty of playtime.  I also started clicker training, which is fun!  A few of my dogs were clicker trained and I am surprised at how well he is responding!!  He is very smart, but he is a cat, so I wasn't sure how it would go.  

Here are a few photos...

Loves to watch me brush my teeth and wash my face.

He still does this...throws his front legs up over his head.

Not one to dress my animals in clothes, but for a free nail trim?
Heck, yeah!  I made the chef's hat and red scarf for him.  

He loves to snuggle.

  

I now have magnetic catches on all of my cupboard doors!!!

There.  That should be enough Stitch photos to satisfy you!  He amuses me greatly!

As far as my sewing and other crafting goes, I have not done too much in these last few months.  And, though I made some Christmas gifts, I neglected to take photos of them!  duh.

But, here is what I have done (and photographed) since September...

Cloth napkins.

Quilt top for sister Julie.

2 X 4 quilt I was working on in my last post.

Finally putting these blocks together that I made last year...
the City Sampler Modern Quilt Blocks.

I am still working on the Vintage Postcard stitchery I showed in my last (?) post.  And, I am working on a counted cross stitch that is looking like this...

I guess that is pretty much it.  I have a bad cold, so won't be doing anything exciting to welcome in the new year.  Not that I normally do, anyway.  Just so ya know.

Wishing a Happy and Healthy New Year to you all!  
Jacque.




"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Okay...so, WOW!

In my last post, I had started on a new quilt...the Choose Your Own Adventure one.  At that time, I only had the first two rounds done.  But, hey...now it is finished!  The quilt top, anyway.  And, I am really liking it (what's new, right?)!!

Here it is...not a great photo because I don't have 72" of space anywhere to lay it out.  I am not a big fan of anything pink, but I think it adds a bit of drama to this quilt top.  What do you think?

And, I finally finished a quilt I started in 2012.  I have an 'almost' birthday twin...Lindy's birthday is the day before mine and she is a few years younger.  We met on the Wool Snippets message board and have been friends for several years.  To the extent that we exchange birthday gifts.  Cuz, why not?  Back in 2012, Lindy gifted me with the fabric collection of Curio by Basic Grey for Moda.  The project sheet that came along with the quilt was the quilt I made.  Back here is when I finished the top and backing.

Here it is now, all quilted and laundered...

The details...

Curio by Basic Grey for Moda

64" square (before laundering)

Quilted by local longarmer PJ 

with Feelin' Groovy pattern.

Love, love, LOVE this quilt!  Thank you so very much, Lindy!

In other news, me Mum is doing better.  Awake more often and eating more.  Still delusional much of the time, though. 

Stitch Kitty is growing by leaps and bounds.  He was neutered a month ago...went through it just fine.  Do I have photos?  Why, of course!

And, the best thing of all happened...my son, Paul, came to visit!!!  Not only that, he surprised me with his visit!  I had no idea he was coming and all of a sudden, there he was.  I cried, of course...it was so great to spend time with him.  It has been a year since my visit to Wisconsin...and it will be another year before I go again...so seeing Paul was wonderful!

Stitch was completely in love with Paul.

Having a heart-to-heart talk with Stitch.

Paul & his Gram had a nice visit.

Yesterday was 3 years without Tag.  That's all I can say.  

I am working on the sewing room.  PURGING!  Feels good to let go of some stuff.  Seriously.  Moved it here from WI and it's been almost 3 years...do I really think I will get it done?  Quite a few things fall into that category.  I am tossing some stuff, donating other stuff...and giving away lots.  Trying to lessen the load, ya know?  I want to do what I want to do, not what others think I should do.  Working toward that end. 

One thing I want to do is to start sewing clothes for myself.  It has been several years since I've done anything like that, so I am looking forward to it.  In fact, I just ordered two patterns that I can use in multiple ways to make multiple pieces!  I am excited about that.

Well, I think that is it for this post.  It is a gorgeous weekend here...and I plan to relax and enjoy it.  


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Time to Catch Up...

It is March already!  I sound surprised.  Right?  Well, sometimes I have difficulty remembering which month it is.  Not because I'm having memory problems, but because the weather is so different (read great!) here as compared to the weather in Wisconsin.

I joined a gym!  Anytime Fitness!  So psyched to get this body into better shape.  I also belong to Weight Watchers.   It's been good and bad...mostly good.  Slowly, slowly.  But I am not giving up.

Mom is feeling better and better...in fact, she joined Anytime Fitness, too!  She rides on the recumbent bike to strengthen her leg muscles and she works on the hip abduction machine.  Her difficulties with walking - due to her Parkinson's - should improve as she continues to work at it.  

Those of you not on Facebook have missed seeing the photos I post of Mom, so here are a few of the most recent.

Walking to get my mail...

Out to lunch.

At my table eating a huge hot fudge sundae!  (Yes, she ate the entire thing!)

I have gotten the embroidery piece almost finished...should really take the time to do the rest.  Any ideas on how to finish it?  The pattern is printed relatively close to the edge of the fabric, so I added strips to help keep it in the hoop.  I may do more stitching.

I have been knitting, also!  Face cloths.  I love them made with Cotlin, a blend of linen and cotton. These two are knitted with the color Harbor...a deeper blue/green than it shows here.

No pattern...just garter stitch with a few rows of purling here and there.

And.  Yes.  Sewing.  Not as much as I would like, but quite a bit since I last posted. 

I made a quilt for Tony (nephew) and Sabrina's soon-to-be-born baby boy.  Just a simple patchwork. The red/white striped piece with the dotted binding in the lower right corner are a just a little bit of a nod to Baby Alexander's parents...Sabrina was in the service and Tony is currently in the Air Force.   I think this measures about 42 inches square.  

2 cat quilt pallets for donation to the Humane Society of Fremont County. 

A  baby quilt I made a few years ago with fabric from Cathy that I just finished.
Measures ~38" square.

A soft gray for the backing with a scrappy binding in Kona solids.
I quilted it with straight lines on each side of every seam
and diagonally down the center of each block...both ways.
   

I have more to show you, but I am running out of time.  Mom and sister Julie are coming for lunch and to play cards.    

Have a great weekend!


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

A Look Back...and Looking Ahead

First of all, I want to wish each and every one of you a very Happy New Year.  I trust that your holiday season was happy and bright...and that the year ahead is, as well.

Second of all, I feel the need to show off you what I made since my last post...or that I wasn't able to show you before because they were Christmas gifts.  

Okay, I did not make these spoons, but I ordered them custom-made!  I love them and will definitely order more in the future.  To see others, click HERE.

12 x 16 pillow cover for me Mum...notice the pintucks?  So cute.

A sweet tote/library book bag.  Measures about 13 x 12 x 3 inches.

These are grocery/tote bags (folded in half).  They are so useful to have (and to have more than one is even better!) Get the pattern HERE.  They are loved by all!!

                 

 A 16" pillow cover for sister Julie to go with the one in the last post.

Here's the back...all I had left of these fabrics (that match the pillow cover made previously and shown in the last post).  I messed up the measurements of the buttonholes...:(

Another small tote/library book bag.

A small pillow...it's an odd size (10 x 14, I think), so I also made the pillow insert.

Another 12 x 16 pillow cover...again with the pintucks.

I did not make this, either.  My friend, Claire (from Stoughton, WI...friend, vet, former landlady) made this for me.  It is absolutely beautiful...especially in person.  With the frame, it measures 12" square.

You didn't think you were going to make it through this post without seeing that I made more cloth napkins, did you?

These cloth napkins are for a 6 year old boy...must have smaller ones for little hands.

So.  That's the last of what I did in 2016.  One of these days I will have all of the links in the 'finished in 2016' page.

It was a good year...mostly.  The best thing that happened was that me Mum and sister moved here. More family is always a good thing, yes?  

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As usual, I have a mile-long list of things I would like to accomplish this year.  I think that 2017 is going to be a good year for me, though...especially craft-wise.  And, I am still trying to purchase only fabrics that I need to finish what is already started. Instead of buying just because I like the collection and want to use it for something someday.  Ya know?    

Well, that's all I have for now.  I really would like to blog more often...we shall see how that goes.

Wishing for you a happy and healthy year.  Thank you for reading.




"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11