This Long Weekend...Almost Over.

Finally got my larger whirlygig quilt basted...woohoo! 

That's about it for the day.  I may finish hand-stitching the binding on the irish chain challenge quilt.  I'll wait until tomorrow to let you know about that...though I know you may not sleep tonight not knowing!  

If you go here, you'll see how much I have accomplished this long weekend.  WOW...I am impressed!  {grin} And, very satisfied.

It is now time to take a shower and put my pajamas on (it's early evening somewhere in the world, isn't it?).  I have some hand-sewing to do and that's all I'm even going to think about for the rest of the day.  

Back to work tomorrow, but at least it's only 4 days until the weekend.

Sunday's Stuff...

I talked on the phone with my BFF Janer for 3 hours this afternoon.

And, I finished my nephew's wedding gift!  Here are the photos...

pillow cover 1...

pillow cover 2...

the backs look like this...

After I redid the one pillow top this morning, I decided that I wasn't going to quilt them...that not all things need to be quilted.  Right?  

So.  To cover the raw edges of the inside seams, I lined each pillow cover with a piece of muslin.  Then, I continued on as I normally would.  Made an envelope back (each half is a piece folded in half, so a double layer), and decided to round the corners.  I sewed around each cover twice, then trimmed the corners, zigzagged the edges (my serger isn't working), ironed them and they are done!  woohoo!  Size:  18" square...I am very happy with them.  I'll get them into the mail to Joyce in Alaska...she's getting the pillow forms to insert.

I got my slacks hemmed, too.  I may get another postage stamp quilt block done tonight.  (update:  YES!  I did...10 down, 6 to go!)  

There's still tomorrow to get more stuff done!

Have a good night.

Rearranging...

I was bothered by this pillow top.  Kept looking at it and it wasn't making me happy.  Not sure why.  Maybe because the colors don't flow...perhaps because the lightest strips stick out like sore thumbs.  Whatever. 

I tore it apart and re-did it.  Here's the old...

And, here's the new (sorry, it's laying on a pile of other stuff)...

I feel much better about the way it looks.  It's okay if you don't agree with my thinking. 

Okay...that is enough thinking for the day.

ta-da!

It's always fun (and time-consuming) to follow links from one place to another to another.  The other day, I was following links and ended up on Kathleen Tracy's blog and then her website.  

I saw a button on her sidebar - 'SmallQuiltTalk', so I followed that link, read the information on the group...and I joined!  The button is on my sidebar...go ahead and click on it to see what this group is all about.  

I jumped right into the quilt challenge that's running right now...an Irish Chain quilt.  There are specific instructions for size of blocks and overall size of the quilt.  Here's what I put together this morning...

It's about 19" square.  Each block is 3 3/4" square, and each little square you see in those blocks is 3/4".  Yes, that is less than an inch!  WOW!  I so enjoyed making it, though.  Strip pieced it, so it went really fast.  I am not sure how to quilt it...a lot of the women do hand-quilting and I really don't want to do that.  The deadline is July 8, so I have time to figure it out.  I have loved the Irish Chain quilts forever, and was so excited to have a chance to do one...even if on a very small scale.  

That was this morning's sewing.  

This afternoon, I started on the wedding gift for my nephew, Tony.  He is in the Air Force, stationed in Anchorage, Alaska (where my sister, Joyce, lives).  Tony is Jill's son (she lives in Wausau...about 2 hours from here).  Tony is getting married in June, and I had no idea what to do for a wedding gift.  Well, John of Quilt Dad and Julie of Jaybird Quilts recently put some nifty pillows together.  What a great idea for a wedding gift!  So.  I made two pillow tops...they need to be quilted and backings made, yet...but here they are.  They'll finish at 18".

I'm done sewing for a bit.  Want to watch my movie and eat supper.  I've had a roast in the crockpot all day...smells sooo yummy!

Perhaps I'll get more sewing done later tonight.

Hope you're having a good day!

This Long Weekend...

I am rejoicing the fact that I have 3 days off.  Yeah, I know, I always have days off.  That's the best part of my job...6 weeks vacation time.  woohoo!  Anyway.  My family/friends are going to be busy working on their houses or cleaning out their garages or working on their gardens/yards.  Some are going camping.  Some are just going to hang out and relax....and then there are those who need to work.  

Me?  I'm going to sew!  (are you surprised?)

Here's my list:

*wedding gift for nephew Tony  DONE!

*sew irish chain challenge quilt top, baste, quilt, machine stitch binding - for SmallQuiltTalk (more on this later)   DONE!

*bag for Alyssa
*hem 1 pair of slacks  DONE!

*sandwich/baste larger whirlygig quilt  DONE!

*2 blocks for postage stamp quilt DONE!

Not sure if I'll get all of this sewing done.  I do have other things to do...the usual tasks of some light housecleaning, trimming Tag's nails  DONE!...stuff like that...my list is long.  But, if I get 3/4's of the items checked off my list, I will be one happy girl!!  

Plus, I have a movie (Extraordinary Measures) to watch and (update:  watched the movie...was good...I enjoyed it.) a book (Things Worth Remembering) to read. (update:  read the book...great story!)  Won't be wondering what to do, that's for sure!

What are you doing this weekend?

Goings On...

I took today off.

A friend was going to stop by...

visit with me &

drop off 2 of her collie girls

to stay here for a few days.

Well, as we all know,

plans change.

She's not coming.

So, here I am with a day off and nothing to do.

Yeah, right.

Actually, I had no plans to work on anything specific.

I was planning to finish a long overdue rughooking pattern order.

(And, I did that...YAY for me!)

But, other than dishes and maybe laundry...I had no plans.

So.  

I was bored.

Okay, I was not bored.

Just looking for something to do.

Something I didn't have already started.

Or in my head.

Something new.

I looked through my fabric.

I found something to work on.

(big surprise...BIG!)

 

Except, I made a mistake in measuring...

you know the old adage...

measure twice, cut once? 

huh.  Apparently, I did not do that.

I needed fabric for the backing,

but now I need to get a little more.

Guess I won't be finishing this today. 

Just so ya know, this is much more beautiful in person.

(aren't we all?)

Before I go...I must include this photo.

This is one of the collie girls who was going to stay.

I took this photo last summer, when she was 8 weeks old.

She is now just over one year old...

What an adorable puppy face she had!

Her name is Alyss.

That's all for now!

Surprise in the Mail...and a Tag Story!

So.

You all know how I love getting packages in the mail!

You must...cuz you keep sending them!  {grin} 

I'm not sure if you remember Erin of 'why not sew?' fame...

from the 'We Double Rock Swap' last year.

Just the two of us.

Swapping doll-sized quilts.

I blogged about it here and here. 

Yup, she's one of my blogger BFF's.

For sure!

Anyway.  I received a small package from Erin in today's mail.

No clue what it was.

ohmygosh...

She sent me a needle case that she made and blogged about here!!!

(I really hope you all are checking these links out!)

 

...it's now MINE, ALL MINE!

ohman, I love it and I needed it soooo badly!!!

BUT, wait!  That's not all she sent!

She also made this little half-square triangle

(hereafter referred to as hst)

mini quilt for me!

I love it!!

Look at all those bitty hst's!

Finished size of each hst is 1 1/4".

The mini quilt measures roughly 9 x 10 inches.

It is A. Dor. Able!

Don't you think?

Thank you so very much, Erin!

I love, love, LOVE them!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And, now...the Tag story!

As most of you regular readers know, Tag E Butt is one smart boy.  He is my service dog.  Not officially, but in reality...yes, he is.  He picks up whatever I ask him to.  Paper, phone, remote, fabric, shoe, sock, pen...the list goes on and on.  Being a retriever, this all comes naturally to him.  He has such a soft mouth, too.  When he picks up paper for me, there is not a tooth mark on it.  Not all wet and sloppy, either.

In addition to being the quintessential brown dog, he also has a huge vocabulary!  I have always talked (LOTS) to my dogs, and I think that they develop a better vocabulary from that.  And, the word recognition game is an ongoing process.  He has recently learned 'food bowl'.  So, now, it's up to him to bring his food bowl to the kitchen when it's time to eat.  As I walk to the kitchen, I say, 'get your food bowl'...he grabs it and brings it to me in the kitchen.  


Course, he thinks it's great fun to bring it to me at other times to see if I'll fill it up.  I don't...unless it's actually mealtime.  Which, sometimes, it is!  His inner clock and all that.  




Okay.  Here's the story.  It was suppertime for Tag.  I didn't say a word to him...just walked to the kitchen...didn't ask him if he was 'hungry', if it was 'time to eat', I didn't say 'get your food bowl'...nothing.  He followed me out to the kitchen, being the ever hopeful food-driven boy that he is...he knows what time it is.  (really)  I opened the cupboard door, got a pill (phenobarbital) from the bottle, and stood there looking at him.  Put my hands out, as if to say, "well?"  but I didn't say a word.  He looked at me for a moment, sat (a very nice sit on the slippery floor, too) and then you could see it...the 'aha' moment!  He ran out to where his crate is (his food bowl sits on top of his crate between feedings), grabbed the bowl and brought it to me.  

5/25 edited to add:  Apparently, I should have given a more detailed explanation of the 'feeding Tag' routine so that you would better understand the 'aha' moment.  Tag gets a pill (anticonvulsant because he has idiopathic epilepsy) with each meal, so opening the cupboard door to get one is the first thing I do once he brings his bowl.  So, to just stand there...I didn't have his bowl to put the pill in...that was the 'aha'!  Tag connected those dots and got his food bowl.


I praised him BIG time and we were both happy that he had figured out what I was doing.  What a good boy!  It is always so exciting to see it happen...when he figures out what the missing piece of the puzzle is.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DWTS is tonight!  Two dances...one a freestyle!  Cannot wait!

A Bitty Doll Quilt...

I was kind of restless last night...

didn't want to read,

didn't want to watch tv,

didn't want to do anything that I  

should have been doing...

so this is what I did.

It's about 9x9 inches...each square is 1 1/2 inches.

Made with the same fabric I used for this doll quilt.
It's not been washed, yet, so it's not all crinkly.

I really like making little quilts.
Like you couldn't tell, hey?

It's an (almost) instant gratification thing,

I'm guessing.

And, besides...they're just too dang cute.

Have a great week!

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!

My Friday Night Sew-in Results!

I didn't get as much done as I thought I might, but I am very pleased with what I did accomplish.

You saw this yesterday...another tote bag. 

You didn't see this...a doll quilt made with scraps that were in the giveaway box I won from Cathy of Quilting on Turtle Hill .  This sweet quilt measures about 15 inches square.  I love this color combo! 

I spent some time trying to get this perfectly matched.  This is the backing for my large whirlygig quilt.  I wanted the backing to be one huge gorgeous piece of floral fabric.  Not pieced.  As you can see, I am just a teeny tiny bit off.  I think that once it's quilted and wash/dried, it won't be at all noticeable.  (click on photo to enlarge)

That's all, folks!

Have a great weekend!

Sew Far...

I've been working my little fingers to the bone.

I took time out to run a few errands.

I need to eat lunch...

BUT, I have my list and will continue to work

until I drop from exhaustion late tonight.

Not kidding.

I have much to do!

 

For your viewing pleasure...

What are you doing tonight?

Friday Night Sew-in...

Tonight is this month's 'Friday Night Sew-in' 
(click on the link for more info...and to join in).

Because I have the day off,

I decided that I would

get started early and sew all day!

(Other than the bit of time spent running errands, that is.)

I have more than enough projects to work on, for sure!

It's rainy and dreary, here...so the perfect day for

Naomi Janome & I to spend together.

Pizza & Movie...

(barbecue sauce/bacon/chicken/green onions/pineapple)

What could be better than this?

Tomorrow is a mandatory furlough day

for most of us at the vet school.

That means I have a 3 day weekend...YAY!

Iced Mocha in a Bag!

okay...now.

Me Mum has read my blog approximately

6 times in the 3 years I have had it.

(OH...which reminds me...my blogoversary is coming soon!)

Back to me Mum...she usually reads this blog only when I ask her if she has.  Gosh, you'd think she would want to see what I'm up to.

Ya know?  

So, now that I don't want her to read it, she will.

Isn't that the way things work?

If you are my Mother...STOP!  EXIT my blog! 

(is she gone?)  

Okay.

I showed you the tote bag I made for my Aunt Bev.

(Refresh your memory here.)

It's a combo Mother's Day/birthday gift.

I was telling me Mum about it

and it sounded like she thought it 

would be a nifty thing to have.

So.  I made one for her!

For Mother's Day.

(yeah, I know...late!)

I used up some scraps of the Iced Mocha fabric

that I had left from her quilt.

The lining is the fabric I backed Janer's quilt with.

Here it is...

I'm not sure which one I like better...

Mum's or Bev's.

I think I like them both.

I LOVE My Grandkids...

That should go without saying, I know.

I don't see them often,

so every single time I do see them,

I am reminded of how precious they are to me.

Here are some photos from today.

My son, Paul, with his daughter, Kaylynn.

(I love this photo!)

Devin with the neighbor's cat, Nugget.

He (the cat) used to live here and 

walks over every time I have company.

Jasmine was very impressed with this very tall dandelion.

By the way...Kaylynn adores her cousin, Jasmine.
She imitates her every move...

it is so dang cute to watch.
Fortunately, Jasmine loves being adored.  
{grin}

 Conlan.

 

Tag is ecstatic that his kids are here...

he's very tired tonight, though.

50's Dance...

My son, Matthew, with his daughter, Jasmine.

They are going to a Father/Daughter 50's dance tonight.

oh, how fun!

I wonder if they'll actually dance???

I can't wait to hear all about it.

From both perspectives...{grin}.

 

Lookin' good!!!  Have fun tonight!

Show & Tell...

I took 1 lap quilt, 2 snuggle quilts (the ones for Joyce's grandkids), 1 doll, 1 doll quilt, 1 tote bag and my placemats from Sylvie in France to work today.  I had told everyone what all I got done on my time off and they all wanted to see.  So.  I obliged.  Wanted some praise and adoration positive feedback...and got it!  Everyone was so nice.  You should know that there are a ton of people who walk through the medical records department, and I hang my quilts where they can be seen the moment anyone walks through the door.  It was nice to hear all the comments.  I may even get a few commissions out of today.  That would be sweet!

Here is Janer's quilt...all done...all soft and crinkly.

Then, on my way home, I stopped at the quilt shop to show off my stuff to the owner...who is the one who convinced me (soft sell) to do the BOM last year.  She was amazed at the quilts...and the quilting!  Proud of me, she was.  That made me feel very, very good...as she must see tons of quilts!

So.  It's Friday.  YAY!  The grandkids are coming tomorrow for an overnight.  In the meantime, I have things to do.

Have a great evening!

All Done.

I had a nice quiet day at home...got a few more sewing projects done and out of the way.  Feels good!

For this month's Bee Addicted 3 swap, Nichol wanted log cabin type blocks.  She sent a lot of different fabrics, and we were free to add from our own stash.  I ended up adding 2 pieces of mine.

I made this dotted tote and will probably give it to Kaylynn.  It's about 10" square with a long enough strap to go diagonally across the body.  I thought she could keep her doll clothes in it (that I am going to make soon).  Dots...what could be more fun?

That's it for today.  I'm going to sit and do nothing but watch tv.  Back to work tomorrow.