Another One Bites the Dust

The best way to describe today's weather is "raw". It is not that cold, around 34°F but the humidity is 100%. As it is not actually raining we have fog.

This brief tropical interlude mid-winter has caused much of the snow to melt, into slush, mud interspersed with sheet ice. Cold + damp = raw. Very British.

So, what bit the dust? A UFO bit the dust, the first 'finish' of the year... Here it is:
Click photos to enlarge

This was a kit bought on sale for under $50 from Connecting Threads. I can claim no credit whatsoever for the fabric choices.

The fabrics are from their own line of batiks (which are incredibly well priced) and the pattern is called Fabric Dance by Grizzly Gulch Gallery.

It uses just five fabrics pieced into four patches and alternating five inch squares set on point. This would be a wonderful first quilt project and I had fun with it too. The backing, shown below, was off a bolt I bought a few years back.

It was quilted and bound by Lori. The pantograph is "Flowing Feathers" by Australian designer Hermione Agee of Lorien Quilting.

I used to be quite snooty about quilt kits, I mean, who needs a kit? Well I was wrong wrong wrong. What a quilt snob I was!

Quite often kits are a bargain. You get just as much fabric as you need with a generous fudge factor for cutting oopsies (in most cases) and, when you add in the pattern and the convenience it is a no brainer, literally.

A word to the wise. Most kits assume you will use straight grain strips for the binding and calculate fabric quantities accordingly. I prefer bias binding. The binding gets the most wear on a quilt and bias binding is strongest. I always order at least an extra yard of the binding fabric.

Have you ever made a kit?

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Butterflies

I don't know if it is a symptom of aging or lack of focus, or both, but I am increasingly unable to start something and progress through until it is finished. I have always been a 'small bites list' person but these days I don't even get around to making a list, then not much gets done.

The number of 'works in progress' is becoming alarming, and they are not progressing. Butterflies in the brain, that's what it is. Is there a solution? I am working on it but there had better be!

The halfway point seems to be the slipping point. I start out with tremendous enthusiasm and about half way through "Oh look! That's nice, I want to make that!" and I am off in a completely different direction. So far I seem to be running at the rate of about one stalled project a month.

My White Christmas Amaryllis in bloom, snow outside. Click picture to enlarge This is a butterfly moment. Not flea brain as some people say, butterflies, much prettier. Oh look there is a flower! Isn't it pretty?

Step one, make a list. Step two, kill Lori when she helpfully points out the omissions.

Happy New Year to all!

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Sandy Claws

Blue and Iggy have gone to their forever home to live with Janet, Shadow the dog and Oliver. It was traumatic for them at first but they have settled well and are busy eating her out of house and home. Iggy is particularly concerned about his next meal, this is common with strays. Blue amuses himself by tormenting Shadow and pestering Oliver.

This is Sandy, he is about 12 weeks old in this picture and was named (before the storm) for the color of his paws and tummy. Click to enlarge the picture.

The first time I saw Sandy I thought he was a rat. He was living in the storm drain across the road from my house and he was tiny, much too young to be away from his mother. It took me weeks to catch him, unlike Bella who was too sick to run. Fortunately he was not truly feral, just scared and once trapped he transitioned to pampered inside cat very fast. He is still shy with other people and disappears under my bed the minute he hears a knock on the door.

I am told that cats are considered disposable in South Dakota. Unfortunately the same is true in Hawaii. That doesn't make it any easier for me to accept.


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A New Year's Wish 1940

Seventy three years ago, on December 27th 1939 the Kansas City Star published a new quilt pattern submitted by Mrs Clarence Welker of Millersville, Missouri. Shown at right.

Back then we women generally didn't get to have an individual identity unless we were spinsters (Def.#1 & 2) but I digress. Della Welker's pattern is shown below.

As you can see the pattern is a simple one and Della called it Thrifty because she was able to find "the three kinds of print and the one-tone pieces required for it" in her scrap bag.

Equally as interesting as the pattern to me was another snippet in the same paper entitled "Our wish for 1940" Bear in mind that there was a war going on in Europe at the time although America would not go to war for another year, until after Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941.

All things considered that would be a good wish for 2013 too.

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My Design Wall This Monday

There is more going on at my sewing machine table than on the design wall this week but the meme at Patchwork Times is design wall so here it is!

On the right are the 'leaders and enders' stamps made with fabric from Lori's trashbox. This now will have an additional row of squares around the outside. Row 4 is waiting to be pressed. The plan is for seven rows of five blocks.

On the left, one row of Winter Rose. This is a variation of the Rosebud block and the pattern I am using is by Country Threads. I have wanted to make this for some time. It calls to me.

The fabrics are all Moda, the reds from Three Sisters Papillon line and the tan is called Seeds from Meadow by Blackbird Designs, all bought online in closeout sale at Hancocks of Paducah


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Bella and Sandy

Click to enlarge

This moment of sweet tranquility did not last long. See Sandy's sandy colored paws? His tummy is an even paler shade of cream. All that fur between his front and back legs belongs to Bella.

Bella did not seem to mind him using her as a cushion but pretty soon he couldn't resist the temptation to bite her toes. That turned into a wrestling match. All Bella wanted to do was sleep so she left. Maybe that was what he really wanted. With katten who knows?


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A Little Tree

My friend Lori loves Christmas decorations and every time we go shopping these days we spend an inordinate amount of time in the seasonal decorations aisle.

Personally I have been pretty "bah humbug" most of my life, despite selling large amounts of Christmas stuff for years. Maybe I am getting senile but this year I am not as bah humbug as usual.

First I fell for a reindeer with a sweetly goofy face.

Click on the little ones to see the big ones

Then about a week later I found a three foot tall pre-lighted tree at 50% off, AND a bunch of shatterproof or katten proof ornaments, also at deep discounts.

I get plenty of knee bend exercise now. In addition to picking up Boysie's toys I get to pick up and rehang the ornaments several times a day.

Dottie pretty much ignores the tree, at a year old she is far too grown up and dignified for such nonsense. Her idea of a good time when she is not eating is to stretch out in front of the infra red heater.

Sweet Bella decided after being sprayed once with water from the ironing spritz bottle that she wasn't that interested either. She was far too busy washing the water off herself to bother any more.

Sandy Paws the storm drain kitten is made of much tougher stuff. When I sprayed him the first time he climbed up the tree. That was interesting. Now he just shuts his eyes and hunkers down, never letting go of whatever ornament he has grabbed.

When he is not playing destructo cat he likes to sleep close to the tree. On my chair. Not on the lovely new soft blue geometric animal bed. I guess he thinks if I like it so much I should use it. Yah.


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