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

What I'm Working On Now...

There are a lot of pieces to the quilt I am working on now.  It's for sister Julie.  Can you tell that she likes really bright colors? 

I have been working on this for about a month...cutting, piecing, and pressing.  For now, that is all just to get the individual components of each block ready to go.  Next, I need to get those components together to make the blocks.  After that will begin the process of laying everything out and making rows.

But, first...company is coming and I have a few things to do to get ready.   




"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

Blogger's Quilt Festival

Well, I decided to jump on the bandwagon this time.  Hosted by Amy, of Amy's Creative Side, this is the third Blogger's Quilt Festival!  It is so much fun to visit all of the blogs to see everyone's entry and to read all the stories...and comments! 

Click on this button to find out more about the festival...

Besides, I like to show off.  Most of you have seen this quilt before...I blogged about it here.  I am rather proud of the work I did on this.  I made it for my sister, Julie.  Being relatively new to quilting, I had never done anything 'on point' or this large (81" square before washing/drying).  Quilting it was a challenge because of the size, but I think I did a pretty good job with my free-motion quilting.  Of all the quilts I have made, this one is different.  Special.  I think, perhaps, because it looks fancy.  I don't know.  Doesn't matter why.  I love it.   

Now, I need to go visit some of the blogs of those who have entered their quilts.  I'm so happy that this festival runs for a week!  There are a lot of blogs to visit!

Quilt Received!

Julie's quilt arrived at her mailbox in Durango last Saturday...so I can finally show it in all its glory here!  I think it ended up to be about 76 inches square after washing.  

She called me while she was opening it...and cried.  I liked that.  When giving gifts to my sisters...my goal is to make them cry.  {grin} 

She also received the kitty blankets I made way last fall...see them here...2 pillowcases (one is shown on the photo above) and a matching kleenex cozy.  She was very happy, which made me very happy.

I'm Still Here...

and I have lots to show you, but not tonight.  It's too dark now to get decent photos, so will take some tomorrow and post them.  Photos of what?  Well...fabric, of course.  Lots & lots of fabric!

I've been busy working on Julie's quilt, but she wants to be surprised (actually, she wants to cry like a baby when she receives it...like Joyce did when she got her quilt.  {grin}) so doesn't want to see any more in-progress photos.  I am not even going to tell you how much I have done (or yet to do).  

But, I will share this photo with you, since 3 of my favorite people own this breed of dog.  This is Avery...and that's about all I know about the photo.  I don't remember where I got it or even who Avery belongs to.  I do know that I've had the photo since 2003.  

Avery...basking in the snowstorm.  Isn't he a handsome dude?

This is my 493rd post.

Looks like my 500th post will fall

around the time of my birthday.

That will make it even more fun!

Workin' On It...

Haven't shown you these...

Here's me beautiful Mum

with her Iced Mocha quilt. 

(My sisters posed her & took the photo.)

A simple holiday table runner for my Aunt Bev.

Measures ~12 x 40 inches.

The back of same table runner...

Merry Chrismas printed all over it.

Julie's quilt top all pieced. 

Sad to say, she won't be getting it until January,

as it isn't yet basted/quilted/finished.

Mostly cuz I'm not sure how to quilt it...

and I don't want to rush it.

The backing/binding will be the same fabric as the border.

Couldn't Help Myself...

had to cut into Julie's fabric.

Made one block.

She loves it.

First Day

My sister, Julie, got here late yesterday afternoon. This is her cute little rental car...a Dodge Caliber. Isn't it a lovely color? Actually, she does not like blue, so I thought it was very funny that they gave her a blue rental. Cute little car, though.


Didn't do much last night...I showed her all the projects I have going on...and coming up. Watched tv, visited, and played with the pups. Went to bed at a decent hour. Here's Julie at 8:00 this a.m....while I had been up for well over 2 hours. Okay, actually, she had been awake, but decided to get a bit more sleep. She did not know that I took this photo. {grin}


Went to my LQS today. Got all the fabric for Julie's quilt...and it'll be much larger than a lap quilt...my biggest venture to date! Got some really nice compliments from the owner and one of the workers at the shop...about how far I've come with my quilting...{sigh}...there are times when it's difficult to be humble.


Well, anyway...here is the fabric for Julie's quilt. The large green piece is the backing and a border. The paisley and gold and green are for blocks. It's going to be an awesome quilt!


We'll visit with Claire & Curt later and will have another easy evening. It's so great to have her here. I have missed her.