Lynnie's 10th Birthday

Saturday, November 3, was Lynnie's tenth birthday!  That's a big milestone for a boxer!

We celebrated with a special Busy Bone and I let her wear one of my "tiaras".  

She is such a good girl and I love her dearly.  Every day with her is a gift.

Happy Daylight Savings Time to all who change the clocks.  We had snow yesterday and today, but luckily nothing major.

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

Callie

Callie

?/1997 to 8/14/2012

So long, my friend.  I miss you terribly--the house is so quiet without you.

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

The Cat Made Me Do It

Or more accurately, wouldn't LET me do it.  Blog that is!  With all the hot weather and mugginess, Callie's been resting on my leather office chair.  Since the computer is on the desk, and it's easier to type sitting down, and I was too tired to fight with her, there was a gap in posting.  It's all Callie's fault.  Don't believe me?  Take a look at those eyes!  (I DARE you to try to make me move!)

At any rate, I have been busy with teaching and getting classes set up for fall and all those good quilty things. I've restarted (I think this is at least the fourth time) my Cotton Candy yarn sweater.  Could everyone keep nice thoughts for me as I try this again.  The yarn is so pretty and I'd like the sweater to wear in the fall--which keeps creeping up on us!

For those of you wondering where to get Nevr-Dull, I got mine at a tack and feed store, but I'm sure it is available more widely.  Here's the website so you can find more options.  www.nevrdull.com

That's it from my side of the world tonight.  Remember to smile so people wonder what you are up to!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to And Justice There Is None by Deborah Crombie.  She's a new-to-me author and so far I like her writing very much. 

The Princess and the Pea

Otherwise known as Callie and the pile of quilts.

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

For Your Enjoyment

These were taken today.  Enjoy!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon


P.S.  Many thanks to the Susquehanna Valley Quilters Guild for making me feel so welcome Thursday night!  What a great group of ladies--wish you could have seen the show-and-tell.  One piece brought the house down!

Binding Help...

or not!  Because this quilt was a bit bigger, I needed to move Callie's fleece nest (which had been enhanced with cotton batting scraps) off the sewing counter--temporarily.  She was not happy and proceeded to jump into my lap and then onto the quilt where she promptly made herself at home.

What do you mean, I'm impeding progress?

Drats, I think she means it.

Yes, I did  make her get down!  It's really hard to rearrange a quilt with a cat lying in the middle of it!  The binding is on by machine and has the clips holding it down for hand sewing.  I absolutely, positively must have this done by January 11.

I haven't forgotten that I need to show you pics of my finishes--I'm just looking for a good place to hang them for that purpose.

Interesting guesses on the significance of January 1's post--I'll be back on Tuesday with the correct answer and the winner!  Stay tuned!

After the holiday hugs (hehe),

Sharon

A Little Help

Have you noticed how cats love to be near you when you are sewing?  While trying to finish the binding on two pieces this week, I spent more time moving Callie off the pieces than actually sewing.  So I finally found a piece of fleece and put in on the counter.  She, of course, has to inspect the progress by climbing over the piece in question, but she then goes to the fleece where she is close enough to supervise but not be constantly moved.

The duck quilt you see above is a baby quilt for my best friend Cindy who is a first time grandma.  Can we just say that the baby turned five months old recently and Cindy will get the quilt soon.  I will show you more pics of this when the binding is finished--if it ever is!  I only have one more corner and part of a side, but it seems to be moving at the slowest pace possible.  I'm sure it couldn't have anything to do with my attention being sidetracked onto lots of other things.


Hope you are enjoying the last few hours of 2011.  Big plans for New Year's Eve?


Holiday hugs,
Sharon


P.S.  I am reading Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich and listening to Dick Francis's Gamble by Felix Francis.

The Eyes Have It

Callie wanted to send along holiday greetings of her own.  I think she looks way too stern.  Probably not enough catnip!


Still with the holiday  hugs,
Sharon


P.S.  Apparently the winter-lovers united--we now have high winds, almost 0 degree wind chills and a bit of snow.  So come on, winter-not-so-fond-ofs, we need to battle back!

Knock Knock

Callie was feeling a bit neglected because she hadn't been on the blog in quite some time. Needless to say, she's got her eyes on you!

Cold, rainy weather. But Thanksgiving is coming and then the mad rush to Christmas. Thanksgiving seems to get pushed further and further to the background every year. I swear they started playing Christmas carols in the malls right after (if not before) Halloween. I was going to try to get some errands done before Thursday, but who knew that Black Friday would last all of Thanksgiving week?

Gotta run for now. It's late and I am trying to get a few on-line things done...like the blog!

Hugs to all,
Sharon

It's In the Details

As I was deadheading my Martha Washington geranium this afternoon, I had a chance to take a really good look at it. The patterning of the colors and the delicate details are just amazing.

The stamen is almost star-like.



But apparently starts out as a straight shoot. Can you believe those colors?


And Lynnie said she hadn't been on the blog in a bit--so here is her too cute face. I just love her to bits.

Perhaps tomorrow will see something quilt related here. Unless I get distracted yet again!

Til then...

Hugs,

Sharon

Monkey Business

Nothing beats a quick baby gift for just pure piecing joy. The baby in question was actually born in March, and I did have the top pieced before that. But...life intervened and it was just Tuesday when I finished and gifted this.

Made from flannels, Mountain Mist batting and tied with pearl cotton. Hard to see in the pics, but the "not monkey" fabric is a pale white and yellow stripe. I like to tie to the back so that the top is not as busy. You can see the ties at the top of the picture. Monkey fabric was the backing.

Here's Callie --aka "Inspector 12"--making sure I did a good job.

And, to complete the gift, the book Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. It's a fun book--even for adults!

So there you have it--another finish. I actually have two more finishes which I will share soon. And I am working on a little something for my best friend, who is soon to be a first-time grandma. I cut the top tonight and have about 1/3 of the blocks pieced and on the design wall with the alternate plain blocks. I think it will be really cute--okay, no bias there!

Spent most of the day working in the yard. Did some mowing, trim mowing, weeding and weedeating. Didn't get finished because it started to rain, and I bent the blade on my trim mower. Bummer...especially since I didn't hit anything hard that would have caused it. Dee dee dee dee!

That's all for this time. Are you remembering how special you all are?

Hugs,

Sharon

Brrrrr

Greetings from the frozen north! It's hard to find anyone who is still excited about winter. Shivering, shoveling, snowblowing--the trifecta of winter weather.

Here are a few snaps of the icicles outside my sewing room window.

And this is a teaser for someone who shall remain anonymous--at least until I do the reveal. Stay tuned for updates!

Lynnie is doing better. Callie is fine. And I have a sock past the gusset decreases. Also a quilt top in progress for another day's viewing. Believe it or not, I actually went through and straightened out most of the stash on Friday--and even have several pieces to give away! Plus I found a bunch of pieces I just love for various reasons--but had forgotten about. So I pulled them out, plan to wash and press them and display them prominently.

All those in favor of ending winter on Monday, February 14, 2011, at 12:01 am, please signify by saying "Aye". I'm sure the vote carried. Those of you who voted "Nay" can come shovel my drive!

Hugs,

Sharon

P.S. I am listening to 61 Hours by Lee Child and The Athena Project by Brad Thor. Reading The Man Who Listens to Horses by Monty Roberts (non-fiction). All are excellent!

Second Finish and a Surprise

The plan was to post this finish a few days ago--when I really did finish it. But Lynnie has had one full seizure and the precursor symptoms for the past two days. Lynnie trumps the blog. It was January 17, 2010, when she had the only other seizure. At the first symptom I shut off all the lights and anything that makes noise. Except for the first one this time, it has been working. Knock on wood. The vet said we may have to put her on anti-seizure meds if this continues.

Have I said lately how much I hate winter weather? Not so much the weather as trying to determine if classes should run based on a weather forecast. Trying to decide at 10 AM if we can all get home safely at 10 PM is tough. My psychic weather forecasting powers apparently have become dormant. Today, based on the dire predictions of at least five more inches of snow and the possibility of sleet, I postponed my evening class. Only to have, at least at my house, absolutely nothing. For those of you reading the blog and wondering about First Tuesday, it will be on Wednesday, February 9, still 6-9. (If you didn't understand that, don't worry--you probably live too far away to be affected.)

Okay, on to funner stuff! My second finish is All Points. Hand appliqued and set in 2008, basted in 2009. Hand quilted and bound in 2011. My original papercut design. And, no, the inner border points do not touch the binding. I wanted it that way so that the entire design floats. The spaces are, I assure you, very evenly away from the binding.

A detail of a corner. You can see a bit of the quilting design.

And the center. The backing is the same pink batik as the background. Hand quilted with 30 wt. Sulky variegated thread.

Is "unexpected surprise" an oxymoron? If not, it should be! Yesterday when I got home I found a package on my porch. When I opened it I found:

The Sara Gruen books are among my favorites and I was recently thinking about reading them again. I had been getting them from the library--now I don't have to! And quilting and knitting magazines to boot! Thank you, my friend, for your thoughtfulness. I miss you lots.

Janet asked about a marker for light fabrics: I use the Prismacolor Verithin pencil in #753 Metallic Silver. Used with a light hand and a sharp point, the marks are usually gone as you quilt over them. I've been using them since the 1980s! You can find them at some quilt shops or at art supply places. Just be sure they say Verithin on them. The other Prismacolor pencils have too much oil to come out easily (in my opinion).

That's all the news that's fit to print for now.

Hugs,
Sharon

P.S. I am listening to Lying with Strangers by James Grippando and just finished My Third Husband Will Be a Dog by Lisa Scottoline (non-fiction!). I'm reading a Monty Roberts horse book.

Using the Newly-Acquired Stash, Part 3

Sometimes the most obvious solution is staring you in the face and you just don't see it. I had purchased the larger chicken print for a border for this piece. Unfortunately, the print was way too big for the size border I had anticipated using. MONTHS later...I realized I could set the block on point and use the chicken print as the corners! Voila!!!!! The black print (newly-acquired) has a swirly, feathery design to frame the center.


Here's a close-up. See the chicks on the background? And the chicken feet on the yellow? And see how the design sort of resembles chicken feet? (That was not intentional.) Too funny!

The piece's name, you ask? Chicken Scratch!!!! (The original design was done in red on a yellowish background and looked much different. It wasn't until I had the center block done that I realized the corners do resemble chicken feet. And the even funnier part of the story? I had the chick and the feet fabric in my stash and simply pulled them out when I needed to start a piece for a class sample! Serendipity!)

Here's a look at the fabric for the back--also a newly-acquired piece (Timeless Treasures). So you see, most of the fabric I bought in August was to finish things! More surprises to come!

Lynnie said she hadn't been on the blog in quite some time. She posed very nicely a couple days ago, and I promised I'd make sure she was included.

Other than that, it's been a paperwork day, although I did do a bit of hand stitching on a binding late last night.

Hugs,

Sharon

P.S. A new saying from Daisy Sour Cream: "A kind word can be as refreshing as a spring shower."

P.P.S. I just updated my website: Just the Facts, Workshops/Lectures, and, most importantly, Schedule, in case any of you live close enough to get here for a class! I hope you can join me!

P.P.P.S. I think AQS is going to discontinue my book on CD (Dresden Plates of Distinction), so if you are interested go to their site (www.americanquilter.com) and I think it is only about $10! Going, going....

It Started with A Dog...and Ended with a Cat

Remember this hat? I posted a picture of it back in December. It was made for a friend, who was thrilled to receive it.


This is what the hat looked like today...alas, not exactly the same. The recipient's dog decided to literally "take a bite out of it". In just a few seconds, hours of work was destroyed. Bad dog!


And a closer look, just in case you were not horrified enough by the prior picture! I brought the hat home and have decided to try to crochet around the opening to at least keep it from unraveling any more. I thought about inserting a lifeline into the untouched area and then unraveling down to that and knitting toward the edge again. But...the hat is being returned to the same dog-infested house, where it may meet the same fate! (Remember, I love dogs and the dog in question is still only about a year old and the owner feels really, really terrible about the hat.) So, I think a bandaid approach is in order. No, I didn't throw a hissy fit; I didn't even weep a few bitter tears. I gave the hat freely and I know it has been worn every day since its gifting. You can't beat that.



To add insult to injury, after taking the pictures, the hat was on the cutting table and when I looked up from doing something else, there was Callie, rubbing herself all over the hat and then taking a bath. That's how the story ended with a cat! (At least she didn't eat any of it!)

And so it goes, this Friday night. As an aside, my downloads take so long on dial-up that I have now put a sock I am working on at my computer table. I can make some serious inroads on knitting while waiting.

TaTa, my quilting friends!

Hugs,

Sharon

Catching Up Again

First, many thanks to all of you who asked about Lynnie. She seems to be fine--apparently (and hopefully) it was a one-time event. She has never had this before, nor had the other two dogs. She is getting a bit better about being out of my sight, but she is still a bit nervous--I think I would be too. Here's a picture of her I took tonight. What a cutie!

After giving my dad a haircut this morning, I got right down to work. In an attempt to empty tote bags and cases from classes that have now ended, I came across a group of blocks I had partially pieced and then left. So I finished these five, plus two more not pictured. These five are 8 inches finished and the others are 6 inches finished.

I also put a sleeve and binding on the 5 pointed star. Love those binder clips!

Also prepped for two classes tomorrow. And am plotting two new projects--okay, probably more than two--one appliqued and one pieced. It'll be fun to see how they pan out. Next step is fabric selection. Here's something I ponder quite frequently: I have an extensive stash and yet I go out and buy fabric for new projects! Except for my extensive collection of batiks--I never get tired of them. But I do love those novelty prints--I just can't help myself! Do you think there is a 12 step program for novelaholics?

Callie was feeling a bit left out, so she asked to be included tonight. She was actually giving me the evil eye just in case I didn't quite get the message!

Be safe and be well. And thanks again for all the kind words and thoughts about Lynnie. It meant a lot.

Hugs to all!

Sharon

A Bump in the Road

Last night, after I published my blog post, I was surfing the web when Lynnie staggered into the sewing room, hit a bunch of stuff and stumbled back out. She hit stuff on both sides of the hallway and then proceeded to demolish most of the smaller freestanding stuff in the parlor. She was having a seizure. I finally got hold of her and held her while frantically dialing the vet. I rushed her to his office and he confirmed what I had suspected. Nothing really to be done except keep her in a darkened room and comfort her. Back home we came and went directly to bed, where she cuddled next to me most of the night. Today she has been like glue--not leaving my side for very long. So I have spent a good part of the day comforting her and giving her lots of TLC. Right now she is lying next to my computer table asleep.

It was very scary. Today when I checked in with the vet, he said two other dogs had had seizures yesterday! That seems really odd, doesn't it? I just hope it never happens again.

Lynnie wants to remind all of us to take time to smell the flowers--you just never know what will happen next.

Stay safe everyone!

Hugs,
Sharon

P.S. If any of you are interested in learning to hand piece at a leisurely pace, and you live in driving distance of Ithaca, you might be interested in my Monthly Bliss - Hexagons class. Once a month, 3 hours each class for eight months, starting January 19. If you are interested, please visit www.e-quilterscorner.com for more details or call the shop at 607-266-0850 to register. Thanks for reading this far!

Cross Stitch and Callie

Here's a picture of what I did Saturday and Sunday.


I had started stitching with the lighter green accent and decided it blended too much with the background. So I had to rip (just like in quilting!) and start the dark green over and re-do the accent. I think it was well worth it. Now all three samplers are done and I can get them framed. I had forgotten how relaxing it is to do counted cross stitch--I kept picking it up about every five minutes and finally decided to just finish it!


I have also quilted on the 5-pointed star and done my ironing and started prepping for classes this week (weather permitting).

There was an empty envelope box on my cutting table and Callie kept sitting in it. So finally I put her fleece in it and she is just beside herself with satisfaction. She is in it most of the day and looks out to supervise whatever I am doing. If it looks too interesting, she hops out, plays with my floss or thread, or tries to help while I'm rotary cutting. In the last instance, I put the cutter down (closed, of course) and play with her until she goes back into the box for a snooze. Lynnie keeps eyeing the top of the table as if to say "Why can't I be up there too?"


Time for the big dig-out in a few hours. It's been so bitterly cold that I haven't been able to force myself to do it. Now it HAS to be done.

Stay warm and toasty.

Hugs,
Sharon