I'm taking a break.....

Other than making a duplicate Charley Harper quilt for a commission, I haven't been sewing a stitch.  I did draw something up which has to be fine tuned yet (see below) and I am anxious to start it, but until the holiday is over I think I will be taking a break.  I have company coming both Sunday and Monday for supper and it's time for Toby to be groomed again, so I just can't seem to squeeze everything in lately.  Thankfully, I did clean my house yesterday (finally) and went to a movie with my hubby this afternoon which we haven't done in an age.

Crazy drawing yet to be fine tuned:

I told you it needed work!!!  

There is something though that I found recently that you might enjoy.  I have been having such laughs looking at it.  Below is one of the pictures.  It is a dog shaming blog.  See below:

One picture is funnier than the next.  Go see for yourself:  http://dog-shaming.com/

Enjoy and I'll be back next week!

Triplets and other stuff

The other day when I was thinking of something small to make for some friends, (just as little surprises), I checked my own flickr pages to see if there was something I could duplicate.  Surprisingly enough, one mug rug popped out as the clear winner!  I adore this mug rug!  It is SOOO me!  Lots of white, wonky colorful seaming, fun quilting, buttons and tiny binding.  You've seen it before:

Now, I must admit, that I have never used a mug rug for a mug.  Oh.....I've taken pictures with mugs, and glasses, but for me, especially with a portrait style, my mug rugs get hung on a tiny little spot in my kitchen right by the back door so I can smile every time I let the dog out and in.  I sew an O ring on the back in the middle top and I'm all set.  I wondered if my friends might do the same, so I got to work and pretty soon I had triplets:

Too bad they're all a bit different!  I guess that's what happens when you sew wonky without patterns!

On another note, my partner received the (not so cool) quilt I sent for the QT swap.  We had to do quilts containing items starting with the letter of our partner's first initial.  Here is the one I sent to Amy:

You'll note I did it in the crayon method.  I didn't have a clue how I could get all that stuff in there any other way without working for a week.  Hopefully, you've spotted the alien with an afro in the airplane, astrology, arrow hitting an artichoke, arch, address, alarm clock, anchor, ant, alligator, apples dotted with lots of asprin and the "A".  Quite a challenge, I must admit!!

On another note, I must show you the most precious picture I have seen in a long time.  I met a lady from my area on a forum recently, and after talking to her and becoming friends, and having the Havanese breed in common, Wendy has been sending me pictures of her new "baby" named, Harvey.  He is only 4 weeks old on this picture and it'll be another 4 weeks until he comes home to live with Wendy, but I've been having such fun going through this journey with her.  Isn't he a absolute doll?

Every Monday, Wendy and her husband go visit him at the breeders and get just a bit of lovin' until they can bring him home.  How cool is that?  I LOVE puppies!   I couldn't stand it so I, too, contacted that breeder and my hubby and I are going to visit her (and see Harvey in person) in about 2 weeks.  Perhaps I just might consider getting another puppy someday too, who knows?  Harvey's litter is all sold!  What would really be ideal, is for us to visit every litter she has when they're about 6-8 weeks so I can get my "puppy fix" without actually buying one.  Wouldn't that be cool?

Oh, one more thing.......and this is to the reader who asked me what that red thing was on the white twig on the Charley Harper cardinal quilt from last time, but who has a "no reply" blogger and can't receive answers.  (One of my pet peeves, I must admit, especially when asking a question.)  The straight red lines are his tiny legs and the red circle on the white twig are his little feet holding on for dear life!  Go back and look!  It'll make sense when you see it!

Until next time, happy sewing!!!  I'm on #2 Charley Harper cardinal.  Seems I can't just make one of anything lately.  lol

Sewing away!

I've been having such fun!  My house looks like a mess and we have been eating some strange meals, but who cares?  Sometimes it's better to feed the soul and creativity within!  (At least that's what I tell my hubby! And then he just looks at me funny, shakes his head and walks away with his car keys, probably on his way to some fast food joint.  lol)  Seriously, I sometimes just "get in the zone" and can hardly pull myself away.  For the person who works in a studio that wouldn't be bad, I suppose, but remember, I sew on our kitchen table, cut fabric on the kitchen island, and set up the ironing board in the space between.  Often, I just push the sewing machine to the side when we eat.......it's at hubby's spot, so what do I care?  I used to love it when he worked and traveled for business.   I'd even keep the mess around while I was working.  Now, I basically have to clean up my schnibbles everyday.

I finished the Charley Harper quilt.  It turned out a bit narrower than I wanted at 11 1/2 inches, but that's okay.  I had a ball making it and I LOVE the way it turned out:





Did you notice?  I even got to use some buttons on it!  Wow!  I love buttons!  The only thing I wasn't crazy about was burying those threads from all that straight line quilting.  Ugh!  Usually, I cut them off but decided to do it the right way for a change.  Now I know why I cut them off!  lol  I don't have patience for that kind of thing!  Besides, it's a wall hanging, who's going to see?

Yesterday I made two more of this:



I loved that mug rug and I needed a few little gifts.  The new ones didn't turn out exactly the same, but that's what fun.  One of a kind is the best kind of gift anyway!  I have the binding and buttons on one of them yet to finish and then off to the post office and the quilt shop.  I have a new project....and I have to go shopping!  Awwww.......!!!   Hope you're having fun too!

It's okay, but no cigar!

Hmmmmm, not so good, I don't think!  And after all my hard work too.  I think this quilt took me almost 2 days to quilt with my contemplation of what exactly I should do.  In the end, I was mostly pleased with it, except for the bird and to this day, I still wonder if I should take him off and make a new one a bit more contemporary.  I'm not so much for making "real" looking birds you know.  Wonky and whimsey are more my style.  But, right now it's done and I was going to send it to my partner until I re-read her likes and dislikes........uh duh.......where was my brain?  She doesn't like pastels.  I don't know if you can really call the pink a pastel on this quilt.  You decide:



The bottom is neat though, dontcha think?



To be honest, unless I see my partner finally say something (anything at all), I just might send this to her anyway.  So far, I haven't seen her comment on a thing.....and not just from me, but from anyone!  You know, it kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?  Why bother to join a swap unless you want to play a bit?  I don't get it!  In the meantime though, I am in process of starting another one (just in case).  So far, I'm liking this one too....but we'll see!  At least I'm staying busy.

First things first!

Remember when I told you that my tomato bushes are going nuts this year?  Well, I wasn't kidding!  I bet if you stretched out the vines, they'd reach to the clouds and then you could call me "Jack".  Sara wanted to see.  I think she thought I was kidding.  Ahhhhh.......not so much!  This is two bushes, Sara.  One big red one and the other is a cherry tomato bush.  Can you believe?

On another note, remember this pic that I showed you last time:



Well, it turned into this:



I think it's just as much fun as those giant paper clips I found among my old patterns and things.  Perfect for clipping on my fence for picture taking without making holes in my quilts, wouldn't you say?  The finished quilt measures 18 1/4 square with 100 different polka dotted fabrics and is ready to be hung with sleeve and everything!  I called it, "Lotsa Dots".  (I'm so clever, huh??  Duh!!)  Here's a close up:



So far, I think I will be keeping that quilt.  It makes me smile!  Besides, it's not my partners taste at all, I don't think.  Well, you know my motto, try, try again so I'm already at work on Number #2.  Check this out:



Now I'm wondering about this one.  I think I got her style, but I'm wondering about colors.  Eikes, this partner stuff is hard.  Sometimes I think I'm right on and then again, I wonder.  In any event I will continue.  Yesterday I got this far:

I'm using #30 weight variegated thread to do some straight line quilting.  The fun is in burying the threads.  Ugh!  I figured if I did a section at a time, I wouldn't be so frustrated.  Note that I got a bit off center........thus the tape.  I'll fix that in no time flat!  (Hopefully???)  Now to continue!  Hope you have a good day too.  Looks like I'll be doing some sewing.