Abby gets new jammies

I recently gave Abby a haircut. I try to keep my dogs shaved since we live on five acres with lots of dirt, stickers and bushes. I don't want stickers to get stuck between their toes or in their fur. Plus their furry feet track in so much mud. But, poor Abby was so cold at night that she wanted in our bed and wanted to burrow under the covers. She usually is so good about staying in her own bed at night. So, I decided to crochet her some jammies. Here is Abby modeling her new jammies. This was made using scrap yarn I had.

I found a great tutorial that shows you how to make this for any size dog. It was very clear and easy to follow using any type of yarn you want and any size needle. It is based on your dogs measurements, so gauge is not important. You crochet until each section reaches the measurement you need. Here is a link to the tutorial: any size dog - sweater tutorial. I am now making the jammies for my other dog, Molly.

Crocheted Christmas Tree

My quilting friendship group was having our annual Christmas get-together and gift exchange. Everyone brings one gift and each draws a number to see the order they get to choose the gift they want. The gift can be stolen three times before it is frozen. I decided to crochet a Christmas tree and decorate it for my gift. I have been making these trees for over 20 years and had not made one for a few years since crocheting hurts my wrists. When finished it was obvious that I had crocheted very loosely (I guess to keep the pressure from my wrists). The tree was double the size it was supposed to be. Oh well, a nice big tree isn't so bad! However my 12" styrofoam cone was way too small. My hubby had to put extensions in it to make it fit. Thank goodness he could retro fit it - I couldn't find a larger cone. They were all picked over since it is so close to Christmas. Here is the finished and decorated tree.

The tree went to a good home. They asked for the pattern, but I had this pattern for over 20 years and didn't have a clue where I originally got it. So, I searched the internet and actually found it at Michaels.com. Here is the link for the crocheted Christmas Tree pattern. Here is a link to the pattern: Crochet Christmas Tree  It calls for two colors of yarn, but I used a varigated green yarn for the whole tree. I think it turned out just as nice, if not nicer, than when I used two colors. And, it was sure much easier and quicker to crochet without having to change colors every few rows.  

Christmas cheer: A homeless quilt and an elderly homeless lady find each other

I started making these batik 9 patches a couple of years ago. I finally sewed them into strips but didn't like how it looked.

So, out came the seam ripper and back to the drawing board to figure out what to do with them. Gosh, so many wonderful things to do with nine patches. You can't tell from the picture, but they all have the same neutral blocks - a golden dimples. Mixing dimples with batiks proved to be challenge for me to find a setting that I liked.

I finally decided on a pattern called Paris Flea Market Find by It's So Emma. Here is a link to the pattern: Paris Flea Market Find quilt . I adjusted the pattern and made a full bed size quilt.
And, here is the finished quilt.

I think I ruined the quilt by using tea dyed for the sashing between the stars. It was too dark and harsh with all the batiks. Since I was not real happy with the end results, I decided this was a good opportunity for me to practice free motion quilting. I am comfortable with using pantographs, but not doing free motion. I learned a lot from this experience so it was not wasted time. One thing I learned is that I need to stitch in the ditch around the blocks before free motion quilting the blocks. I was in a hurry to finish, so I skipped this step and the finished quilt lacks a nice clean finished look. Lesson learned. Here is a close up of the quilting.

Soon after I finished the quilt my daughter told me a story about an elderly homeless woman that hangs out by her workplace. Each morning the homeless lady would great my daughter with a smile and say good morning. One day the homeless lady was crying. Someone had stolen her cart with all of her belongings. She was devastated. She has never asked for anything in all the years my daughter has seen her. This touched my heart and I decided then that I would give this quilt to the homeless lady. It was meant to be. I had just finished this UFO quilt that wasn't made for anyone in particular. I have never made a quilt that wasn't intended for someone, so I knew this quilt was meant to go to her. A homeless quilt for a homeless lady. I quickly crocheted up a scarf and beanie and found a pretty plastic tote bag for the goodies. I packaged them up for her and sent them off with my daughter to deliver them. For three days my daughter didn't see her. It was raining, so we guessed she was somewhere protected from the weather. When the rain finally quilt she appeared again and my daughter presented her with the gifts. Here she is holding her bag. You can see how happy she is! She was so surprised and excited!

The homeless quilt now has a loving home and hopefully helps to keep its homeless owner warm. I know it warmed my heart to see her beautiful smile. 

Chevron Zig Zag Quilt finished

Wow, can't believe how longs it's been since I last posted. I was busy with getting ready for Christmas - finishing up gifts and decorating. Here is the finished Chevron or Zig Zag quilt I made for my niece for Christmas. The backing is tie dyed fleece. I used a pantograph called Posies to quilt it. Finished it up the day before Christmas!

Chevron Zig Zag quilt progress

I got all the 2 1/2" colored strips and white strips pieced together and cut them all into 4 1/2" squares. Ready to start piecing the rows together.

Rainy Day

Today I figured out how to add the tabs at the top of the page. I added the tab "Finished Quilts" and I have started adding photos of some of the quilts I have made. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of the earlier quilts I made when I first started quilting. My quilting buddies clued me in on that. What a blessing my quilting friendship group has been to me. Wonderful ladies and such an important part of my life now.

My job at the school district required me to have extensive computer knowledge.  I have been retired for three years now and realize my computer skills are slipping  - so, I thought blogging would be a fun way to keep those skills alive. And I certainly need to keep my mind working and sharp!!!

Today was a rainy day. My hubby seems to feel neglected when I hole up in my quilting room all day. So, today I brought one of my Pfaff's downstairs and set it up in the livingroom where he was watching TV. He was pretty happy to have me join him. The two dogs were a bit confused though. They kept trying to jump on my lap and kiss my face. Or, were they just bored because it is raining outside? We live on 5 acres and they have free reign to run as they please, but the they won't go out in the rain.

Here they are as puppies. Abby on the left and Molly on the right. They are 3 years old now. They are Cocker Spaniels (with tails). They are considered field Cockers - more of a hunting dog, not a show quality dog at all. They love chasing all the squirrels and rabbits on our property. They keep me busy cleaning up after them all day. I call this time of year "Mud Season" since I am constantly mopping the floors from their muddy footprints. My kids and grandkids are gown and now I am cleaning up after dogs instead!

Zig Zag Quilt - Fabric Selection

My niece posted a picture on her Pinterest page of a zig zag quilt in blue print fabric and solid white. She said if she could sew she would make herself the quilt. Well, with Christmas right around the corner I thought I would make one up for her. I tried to find blue fabrics similar to what she posted. Here is what I ended up with. Not sure if I really  like all these together, though.Will see how it looks when I start sewing it together. I will use Kona White between each blue.zig zag.  I cut out all the blue 2 1/2" strips today. Hopefully I will have time to cut all the white strips tomorrow. I am using the Moda Bakeshop free Zig Zag quilt pattern.

Which one do you think doesn't belong?

Click here for the free Zig Zag quilt pattern

This pattern uses 2 1/2" strips rather than making HST. No bias to deal with!! I didn't have any precuts as the pattern calls for. So, I had to calculate what I would need. I decided to use five different fabrics and will have three rows of each blue fabic. .I need eight 2 1/2" strips of each blue fabric and 20 strips of white, plus some 5" squares of white.

Summer Porch

I didn't get any sewing in today. I took my mother-in-law shopping and then to the doctors and in for a blood test. By the time I got home it was dinner time and DH wanted to go for pizza. Our treat once in a while - we have been trying to eat healthy and have both lost a good amount of weight since July. DH blood pressure went down to normal and I have so much more energy.

I did spend a little time in my quilting room this morning to measure a quilt top I need to put borders on. It is called Summer Porch and is a pattern from Quilt in a Day by Elenore Burns. I worked on it this summer while at the beach cottage, but didn't get the last white border on it yet. I bought white winter fleece for the back. Here is a close up picture of the top before quilting it. I haven't decided how to quilt it yet.The fabric is from the Lario line.

I made this to go on an old iron antique bed frame that we refurbished. We had it sandblasted to remove all the rust and then painted it a glossy white. So, I wanted a quilt with white sashing. I will post a picture when the quilt is completed and resting on the bed. 

Starry, Starry Night

Today I finished a flannel quilt top that I started last winter. It is made with Woolies flannel by Bonnie Hunter for Maywood Studios. The pattern is called Starry, Starry Night. I also pieced the back and got it loaded on my Avante frame. I decided to use Quilter's Dream wool batting to make it extra soft and warm.

This is a close up shot of the top - unquilted.  The stars are more scrappy than they look here. The quilt is 64 x 88. I decided I will use a pantograph called Cotton - it actually reminds me of clouds - thought it would be nice with the stars and will add some nice curves to the quilt. But, oh what color of thread? Do I want a dark thread to blend with the background, but then show up on the stars, or a light thread to blend with the stars and show up on the background? Hopefully back to that after taking my mother-in-law to the doctors and shopping.