Pets on Quilts 2013

It's that time of year!

I have waited for a whole year, largely because I missed the deadline last year.

Thanks to the hubby, we have two quilt testers in our house.  They've both grown to compete over who gets final approval.  Most of the time the cat wins.  (She is currently Cyclopean again and will be visiting our vet again tomorrow...third eye scratch/injury this summer.)

Here is a picture of our dog winning at the quilt game.  We mostly refer to him as Stinky.  (He was skunked the first time I ever visited my husband's home in the woods.)  He also answers to SMOOSHBEAST!!!

I'm not really a dog person, but one of my main motivations to win the lottery is to clone this dog.  He is part Muppet.  He is my "dog on quilt" entry.

Vi (aka The Kraken aka Peanut) is often angry, and, much like a teenager, skimpy in her signs of approval.

All quilts will be snuggled on....sometimes forcibly.  Nothing like an angry cat snuggle to make your day more special.

*blows a kiss to y'all*  I'm trying to get back in the blogging habit.  I'll be around again once my classroom is clean.  I've got some more quilt tops done and some completed pattern testing!  Pictures coming soonish.  (and my bday is next week!)  Cross your fingers for me that this vet visit won't cost as much as the last one.

More finishes! and an August Goal for ALYOF

This past week, I finished my scrappy trip along.
It's baby quilt sized.  I need to find a friend with a new baby girl to give it to.  My BFF is supposed to have a boy...and I'm not allowed to make the quilt for him until he's born.




I decided I needed a break from scrapping and put together my red/purple quilt blocks.  It is now quilted and bound.   (I haven't washed it yet because I'm out of color catchers.)  I love it.  It was intended for another purpose, but I think I may have to keep it.  It's my two favorite colors.  I love the Madrona Road I used for the backing.




I pieced together one 60x60 scrap postage stamp throw.  I have most of a second of the same size pieced as well.  That means my postage stamp bin is pretty much empty.





I pieced a CRAZY big scrap backing.  I am thinking of using it as the back for my Penny Sampler quilt, but I'm currently a bit undecided now.  I think I'm going to add some borders to the Penny Sampler design and make it big enough to be a bed quilt for the bedroom.  Right now I'm just collecting fabric.  It will have some Tula and green.  It might mean having to repaint the bedroom, but I think I might be ok with new curtains and new paint.  (I say that now.  I truly HATE painting.)  I put pics of the back up on instagram, but I have to put them up here still.


Oh, and like I needed ANOTHER project....I started a new EPP rainbow quilt.


....AND I have another project in my head.  I have to make a quick fabric run for it tomorrow.

I have a bunch of stuff in my head that needs to get done this week in the house and project-wise.  Which is kind of stressing me out because I also need to clean out my classroom.

The plan for Sunday is finish my overdue Heal Circle blocks and to thread baste the big piece of the Hexy MF to the base...and to start hand sewing it on.  Ambitious, I know.

Oh, I also need to put up my August goal for ALYOF.  It's still scrappilicious.  (Yes, that is totally a word.)
I want to finish up my string blocks and sew them into a throw.  I think I have 12 blocks so far.



It will mean one more box of scraps cleared.

That's it for now.  I need to get my butt in gear and finish crap up.  Also, I'll be 39 in 15 days.  Eep.

Some finishes...

I have had to put some hand sewing on hold.  I pulled a tendon in my hand, trying to force a stuck knob.  Lameness.  If only because I cannot take any anti-inflammatories (allergic allergic).  Yes, I'm praying I don't get arthritis when I'm older.  That means moving the appliquing of my Hexy MF to next week's to do list.   Which is a bummer.  I want to get it done and sent out to a long armer.

 (Of course, I still have to find one....if anyone has a recommendation, I'm all ears.)

Here's what did get done this month...my Halloween Spider Web, aka my July goal for the Lovely Year of Finishes goal, posted here.

I finished it mid-July, but I've been apparently feeling blog apathy.

Anyway, I love it.




Here's a bit of the back:


I hand quilted it, using perle.  I had a bit of an issue with bearding, but it seems to be minimized once it was washed.  Any tips on that anyone?

I have been on a scrap using bender.  I got tired of boxes of bits.

I used up almost all my Malka bits in the green and blue colorway.

Front:

Back:

I'm going to keep doing fronts and backs as I have lots of friends having babies.

I signed up for the Penny Sampler camp (my pre-bday present to myself) that Rachel at Stitched in Color is teaching.  I love her online class.

I think I'm going for a scrap back.  So I'm clearing out more scraps for that:



I still have to work on my postage stamp (bin cleared) quilt.  I'm 2/3 done with that.

Of course, I've barely touched any of the projects I have on my FAL list.  I'm working on a back and binding for the scrappy trip.  I *did* make pillow cases, but the octopi both face the same direction, which means that my pillow is upside down.  I may need, in my OCD nature, to make another one.  I don't know that I can bear upside octopi.  It makes me sad.  I have pics of those up on instagram, but I haven't uploaded them to flickr yet.

I will post this week.

I took the Aeroplane bag class (designed by Sarah from SewSweetness), taught by Allegory (AThousandNeedles) over at Fabricate in Atlanta.

I made an Echino version:


and a QAYG version using scraps from the Halloween spiderweb:



My zipper install wasn't perfect on either.  I have spatial issues with it.  I think I need to find more pics of that process for me to follow.


Also, we finally installed the FLOR tiles we bought pre honeymoon.  I'm still getting used to it, but I love the idea of more pet friendly carpeting.  (Please excuse the obnoxious leopard sheet...my dog has a licking prob and the couch underneath needed protecting.)




Cross your fingers for me that my hand/wrist will stop hurting.  I need to offload the carload of school supplies to my classroom, and that will mean a LOT of carrying.

2013 FAL, Q3

I have a ton of unfinished projects, but I haven't really been starting a lot of new ones.  Most of my projects last quarter had a wedding deadline, so....my list is short this time, at least for me.

1.  HST Project Linus quilt


2.  Sewing Summit Mini


3.  Tula skirt


4.  Halloween Spider Web quilt


5.  Red/Purple quilt


6.  Hexy MF


7.  Mom's quilt


8.  Converging Corners


9.  String Block quilt


10.  Scrappy Trip along


11.  Wonky Star quilt


12.  Retro Rubies (from the QAL, but I pooped out with wedding projects instead)


13.  Pillow cases (which were supposed to be a homecoming gift to the hubs, but never got done)


14. Figure out what to do with this orphan block.


Other ongoing projects:

Sisters Ten BOM
Skillbuilder from Pile of Fabric  (uh, yeah...I have bits for some of the blocks cut, but nothing is put together)
Marcelle Medallion quilt (fabric chosen)
Tula block QAL


I'm feeling like I've lost my sew-jo.  I haven't even set up my machine since I've been back.  And, I've been back a week and a half.  (UNHEARD OF!)  The fact that we're on a low sugar/no carb diet isn't helping so much.  I wanted to stab someone for a bagel with nutella today.  On the up side, I lost 3 lbs already.

Linking up!

Plea to the health gods....

I'm still not feeling 100% from the bug/ick I got on the honeymoon.

This week has been a health rollercoaster...but mainly for the animals.
They feature in my banner (which I really need to redesign) *adds to "to do" list*.

Both were due for checkups.  The Kraken (the cat) for her annual Mon.  The Smooshbeast (the dog) for his biannual "senior" dog visit on Tues.  (Shut up...he's never going to die.  We're going to win the lottery so I can clone him.)

Anywho, the cat had something in her eye that was to be monitored.  She's scratched an eye before, so I wasn't all that worried.  The doggy has been pee dribbling, but we weren't sure if it was a submissive thing since he was kenneled for a week and a half, or what.  Thankfully, I asked if they could check him for a UTI.

Fast forward to Wed.  The cat is now winking one eye almost closed.  Yup, the eye that we were "keeping an eye on."  Shit.  Which, of course, she didn't show signs of until Wed night.  It seemed to be less painful Thurs, so I didn't take her to an emergency vet.

So, today....I end up back at the vet again.  Yup, she's got an eye infection.  Yup, the doggy DOES have a UTI and needs to go on antibiotics.  So, they're both on the mend, but I'm feeling a bit frazzled...and a LOT more broke than I was on Mon.  (I'm only half heartedly complaining about that.  Our vet office is fabulous and much cheaper than ones I've used in the last decade.)


So, please make a plea on my behalf to the health gods.  I need to be back in fighting shape (and back on a diet plan), and not to be inundated with animals that either feel like crap and are needing extra love or having to chase animals that do not want their meds.  Eep.

I'm including a cute photo because all posts need photos, right?

Seriously, you'd want to clone this, too, right?

July Goal...ALYoF

I have a goal for July that I think I can manage.


I'm kind of feeling a loss of sew-jo post honeymoon.  I messed up my workhorse Janome machine before I left for the wedding.  I've got to get some sandpaper and try to clean up a burr.  I'm praying that fixes things.  It's not a super expensive back up machine.  My Walmart Brother isn't great.  I had planned on keeping that one at school to use with kids.  Here's a question for you.  If the machine isn't super expensive (like around $150), as what point do you just give up repairs/cleaning and just replace the machine?  I hate the idea of throwing things out/replacing things a lot, but cost wise, at some point, it has to come to that, right?

Anyway.....back to my goal.

I want to finish hand quilting my Halloween Spiderweb quilt.  I've got it partly done, but I have a lot of border left to do.  I'm thinking a spiderweb-ish straight line thingie.  We'll see how it goes.

Q2: 2013 Finish Along...what got done...

Okay, so my FAL list for Quarter two might have been a bit Cray Cray.  Because I wasn't, maybe, trying to finish my school year or, you know, plan for a wedding.

It had 33 items on it. I blogged about it here.

Surprisingly, I got more done on it than I thought I would.  I apologize in advance for the crappy photos.  Some were from my iphone and, since the finishes need to be posted individually, I've had to enlarge bad photos.

Here's my report:

1.  Must Dash Quilt--Completed and gifted to faculty member for new son!
I finished it at the Stash Bash.



2.  Star Block bag--Done!



3.  Orbit Quilt--I got the top done before Stash Bash.  Love this one.  Sad I missed the QAL deadline.



4.  HST Project Linus quilt--yea, not really sure why I haven't finished this one.  Maybe because an older Project Linus quilt (which I think used some of the same fabrics) bled when I washed it.  (Even with color catchers)

5.  Bag #1 (khaki Irish chain)--



6.  Bag #2  (batik)



7.  Bag #3  (white Irish chain)




8.  Bag #4 (grey/black)


9.  Bag #5  (Red/black drunkard)



10.  Bag #6 (B/W/Green)



11.  Bag #7  (Malka)



12.  Bag #8  (B/W pinwheel)



13.  Bag #9  (B/W swirl)



14.  Bag #10  (red/black block)



15.  Bag #11  (Orange Hope Valley)




16.  Bag #12 (blue/green)



17.  Sewing Summit Mini--Yeah, didn't do it.

18.  Tula Skirt--gained weight.  Since I can't comfortably wear my other frog or the spider skirt in this pattern, I'll wait til I drop some weight to finish this one.

19.  Halloween Spider Web--got all the blocks done (and back).  It's got the binding on and part of the quilting done, but I decided to hand quilt it, so it will be done in July.  Progress, though!

20.  Red/Purple Quilt--on hold.  Still waiting on blocks.  Will hopefully finish this one in the next quarter.

21.  Heal Orange March quilt--done and delivered by Nicke!



22.  Hexy MF--I've got this on my summer plan.  I really want it done.  I can't start another EPP quilt until I finish this one.

23.  Mom's Quilt--Still hanging in the closet.  I have to look it over.  I don't think it's mom worthy since I made it so early in my quilting career.  I question how good my seams are.

24.  Converging Corners--Not feeling it.

25.  Bridesmaid Clutch #1--Done!  and delivered.  I even made her a second one for her bday.



26.  Bridesmaid Clutch #2--Done!  and delivered



27.  Best Woman Clutch--Done!



28.  Infinity Scarf--Done!



29.  String Block quilt--Uh, the supply box is still sitting in my car from Stash Bash

30.  Scrappy Trip Along--top done and the rest not.

31.  Wonky Star Baby quilt--still in bags from not getting it done at the Stash Bash.

32.  Secret 80s swap--Done!



33.  Pouch for Stash Bash...which I apparently forgot to take pictures of.  Elena over at Hot Pink Stitches got it.  (I swear.  I did it.  I was just trying to organize stuff and forgot the pic.)


So, 22 out of 33.  Not bad.