Sunday, February 15, 2015

Spring Hopes.....


For all of those growing little weary at this winter's weather.  Our motto in the U.P. is, " If it were easy-- everyone would want to live here..."
But even the faithful grow tired of the frigid temperatures and even colder wind chills.

Our days are getting longer with three minutes of sunlight gain daily.  My sewing room needed cleaning up after Chelsey's quilt before I could get back to another quilting project.  Too tired, I grabbed a piece of Aida cloth and embroidery thread.  So nightly, I made a few x-stitches with a free Pinterest pattern. I really wanted to use linen. Linen projects will have to wait until March when I can get new glasses.  The contacts just don't focus my eyes well enough to see the threads.

I have three or four of these little pieces printed out to complete and sit on a shelf -- just to remind me Spring will come....



Sunday, February 08, 2015

Strawberries

While I did not get to stitch on these this weekend -- here is the project I want to work on....


My Strawberries.  Photographs don't do the fabrics justice.  I even moved the blocks outside trying to get the lighting bright enough to let you see how much I love them.  I read journals of other people who made the quilt who talked about not having the fabrics work together.  Kind of made me weary of trying different fabrics outside a fabric line.  I just didn't want to waste fabric.  But I also realized I didn't want a cookie-cutter quilt this time - It was mine and I wanted it different.  I chose fabrics I loved and decided I had never see a bowl of strawberries all the same color...

The plaid is going to be the binding and backing and the green piece is a half yard print being auditioned for a border.

Heading into the week with the right attitude.   Work sponsors the fun on weekends.


Saturday, February 07, 2015

In Honor of Bertie, Dinah, and Penelope

Chelsey turned 25 and my Eric and Carolyn got a new Puppy -- Awesome, pup,  Don and I have just been so excited to meet her.  Chelsey - still at 25 -- the baby of the family responds --" You never got this thrilled over my cats..."

Truth be told -- we're dog people.  Don and I both have grown up with dogs and never had cats.  I'm even a little afraid of them.  But when you love Chelsey-- it means loving all of her.... including her cats.

When she first moved to a new town, she was incredibly lonely.  Her apartment did not allow dogs. So while selling an ad campaign for the local animal shelter she rescued a cat that has 7 or 8 toes on each paw.  Bertie was an uncommon cat but loved Chelsey implicitly ---so she's ok in my book.  Tempermental --yes --- anti-social -- definitely-- but she and Chelsey made the odd couple look normal.

Chelsey realized with her long work hours that Bertie got lonely, so enter stage left--- Dinah.  A charming little calico that made Chelsey's home a darling threesome.  Life rolled on and Chelsey's Heart murmur started acting up.  Coupled her best friend getting married (a.k.a. her brother) Chelsey was just really struggling.  She took out her trash to the apartment dumpster one day and her a small voice and founded muddy Penelope four weeks old, wet, and cold. Chelsey called the shelter and they had picked up the Mom and six other kittens  found in the dumpster earlier.  They must have missed one.  Chelsey said she would bring her in on Monday.  She nursed on her all weekend and despite our saying, "Chelsey, you don't need three cats.." Chelsey's response was, "We're both in really bad places --- we need each other.""  Truthfully, she's my favorite....

So accepting her cats... I made her birthday gifts.   A Mug and Mug Rug along with Cross-Stitched picture I adapted to fit her three loved ones.


Chelsey had seen a  quilt similar to this one on Pinterest right after Christmas.  Making it for her was the only way to shut her up--- literally.  Instead of a Jelly Roll, I used 3.5 inch strips. The Pinterest one did not have a border either.  I wanted it big enough to keep someone warm.  Her living room is cream and black.  I googled 'cat silhouette' and printed out pics for the appliques.  

The appliques really intimidated me.  I was afraid they wouldn't look like cats.  I cut the pieces out and ironed on thin interfacing to stabilize them.  I'm not a 'needle-turn' applique fan  so I ironed under the edges and glued them down with a little elmer's glue stick and then machine appliqued them with a button-hole stitch.  I was going to do them by hand, but had procrastinated so with the dread of working with them so it was the logical choice.  Plus, I feel like they are really durable for tons of machine washings.  This is a quilt to be loved on---   Through naps and movies and bowls of popcorn.




Pictures don't show you -- but there are some really great fabrics in this piece.  I pulled from my stash, because of lack of time -- and because it's there to be used.



My favorite cat  and block -- Penelope.  Oops -- I need to cut that thread.


I brought it to her today.  Funny thing about being raised by a quilter.  The first thing she said was, 
"What did you put on the back???"

It reads:  
In Honor of Bertie, Dinah, and Penelope and the lessons they've taught you.
1. No one should ever be lonely.
2.  Everyone needs Friends.
3.  Sooner or later Everyone gets down in the dumps (ster)... but that doesn't mean you have to stay there.

Happy 25th Birthday.