Working here and there

I've been around.

Working here and there on different projects, most of them being Christmas presents that I can't show here. Well, I can't show here yet.

But this one is for a beautiful baby girl in Washington, DC.

I learned how to make these maverick stars here. They're quite addictive, so consider yourself warned.I put said stars in the "middle" of wonky log cabin blocks, and outlined them in orange. And, as usual, I had a supervisor, ready to step in should I need assistance.

I hadn't made sleeved pillow cases before, but it was a cinch, and I got to use up two blocks that otherwise would not have had a home. They were just a tad too big for the quilt, and I needed fronts for the pillows anyways, so I quilted them and attached a bright orange backing.

And now it's back to more Christmas sewing!

If you want to eat some apple crisp...

Then you've got to buy the apples. Preferably at the Farmer's Market.

Where you'll see a bike you've just GOT to have, because of course, everything you buy would fit in that perfect little basket.

And there will be bright and sunny flowers that would look great on your table...

But remember that you came for apples, so go buy your apples and go home. But buy a pumpkin and cream cheese muffin first, because it's going to be de.li.ci.ous.

And when you get home, try out the cute little bowl your mother just picked up for you, because it looks so lonely when it's empty...

It's not that Duncan loves apples or new bowls, he just loves to scratch his chin on anything nearby, in an attempt to distract you from a certain "too much apple crisp-eating coma".

Remember that your Husband is helping you to take pictures, and stop yelling at him for taking ones of you, because you can just delete them later (ah-ha!).

Wash the apples...

Peel the apples...

Cut them up and pour them out...

And this? Well, you can just ignore this:

Yes, it's a potato masher. So sue me. I thought that just maybe it would work. That just maybe it would cut up my not-soft-enough butter and I wouldn't make a mess. *sigh* I don't think I have a picture of the part where the Husband cleans up the kitchen as penance for taking pictures of me...

Meanwhile, someone has be patiently waiting for you to stop baking and play with him...

"I brought you my tiger toy 15 minutes ago and it still hasn't moved."

"Puh-leeease?"

I think in exchange for not getting to play he may have had some ice cream. Oh wait, of course he had ice cream, or else he'd stare at you as if you'd just informed him "dogs don't eat ice cream anymore".

Mmmmm... enjoy your apple crisp-eating coma.

Summer Goes Too Quickly

Summer is winding down, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. I think there are too many things that I wanted to do, but they never really happened. I didn't get to enjoy my back porch nearly as much as I wanted to, so trees are starting to turn shades of bright red, as the flowers continue to bloom and disappear.

August means the hibiscus are slowly fading away....

And that soon the dahlias will have to be dug up and stored for winter....

But then I will have more time to make whole wheat blueberry pancakes....

And I'll have more time for sewing, which is always a plus for me. I've decided my winter project is to learn how to knit. Now crochet, crochet I can do. Granted, there is a lot of cursing and frustration associated with crocheting, but for some reason I still want to pick up a ball of yarn and just make it work.

Do you knit? Is it easier or harder than crochet?

Finally Finished

This is the face of someone who has been banned from my work area:

I think I'll call it his "I like this box better anyway" face. Being a typical cat, Duncan has a tendency to sit on any piece of paper, scrap of fabric, or article of clothing you may be trying to read/sew and/or wear. It's a never-ending battle that I lose on a daily basis.

Somehow though, I can sometimes scoot him away long enough to take a picture or two.

Yeah, or one. Make that one picture without his fuzzy butt. Outside, however, things are out of his reach, and I can stand on my tip-toes while Husband takes a few pictures for me (I could only find one clip, so please pardon my hand, and the neighbor's fence isn't exactly my favorite place to take pictures, but I'm trying to make do).

TAH-DAH!

It is finally, finally, FINALLY done! How many needles did I break on this one? Probably about four, and I don't even want to recall the amount of swearing that came from my mouth, along with cave woman-ish grunts, squeals, and "ah crap" comments. I decided to stipple quilt the entire thing, and I'm not quite sure why I ever thought it was a good idea. Now don't get me wrong, I love the way it looks and feels, but geeeeezzz. That was a pain, and I don't know how much recovery time I'll need before I considering doing another large quilt. I think it might be like recovering from a hangover. The next day you say "I'm never going to do that again", but give it a few months and you'll say "hey, let's go out again and drink amaretto sours/buy more fabric".

I did hide a little something special in the border.... can you find it?

All-in-all, I'm in love with it. It has the perfect amount of wavy, crinkly goodness I was looking for. I wish I could have made it bigger, as it just fits over the edges of our queen-sized bed, but I didn't have enough fabric.

I had a crazy dream during one of first weeks we slept under it. I had eaten a little bit of a serrano pepper, and apparently they make me hallucinate. No, I'm not joking, and it was not a fun night for me. I mention it because I woke up to find myself frantically checking over every inch of this quilt, because my delusional dreamland, it was torn to shreds. Of course that night I also thought the lights in the house wouldn't turn off, and that the dog needed to go pee at 1:30 AM (he was really confused), and that Husband had driven my car off a pier.

I think I'll stick to peanut butter and smaller projects for a while.

How does your garden grow?

I LOVE my "Elsa Spath" clematis. I have to say that it was one of those plants that was growing like a weed (oh wait, everything was) when we bought our place, and I had no idea what it was. A neighbor told me "oh, I think that has flowers on it or something". I decided not to rip it out of the ground and let it grow.

I'm really glad I did! There's nothing quite like a giant bouquet of purple flowers to welcome you home.

And I actually have pictures of quilt I finished! Of course I finished it in the car on the way to the baby shower, but that doesn't matter, right? And the pictures were taken at the shower after giving to the recipient, but I don't think she minded.

I've decided I'm quite a fan of the wonky long cabin blocks- I liked not trying to make them "perfect". I tried to make something neutral, since we don't know the sex of the baby, so I chose orange, yellow, green, and gray.

Now if only I could finish a project of my own!

Peonies

*Sigh*

I know I've been gone for far too long. So sorry.... I think about writing here all of the time. I take the pictures, write the stories that go with them in my head, but then I sit on my back porch with Duncan, or take a bike ride with Husband instead of posting all of it. Not that I'm using those things as an excuse to leave this space unattended to, but really, I am. I can't resist summer, what can I say?

What do you do when you have these beautiful flowers opening up all over your yard?

Or when your dog wants nothing more than to roll around on dead worms in the dirt pit that (was) your backyard?

I promise it's all green and lush and beautiful now.... if I can find another "before" picture, I'll happily post an "after" one too!

Yep, I think it's time for someone to go on a walk....

Playdate

It's always entertaining to watch Dax and his best friend Charlie play together...

There's a constant need to steal toys from each other so that somebody can be chased...

And then there's Charlie's tricks, that he's trying to teach Dax how to do.... unfortunately, his legs are just a bit too short...

And Charlie hasn't quite figured out how to run while wearing his hula hoop.

He looks like a circus dog instead...

I promise there's been work around here, and not just puppy-lovin'! I'll post a few pictures of quilts and other handmade projects next, okay?

Mail Time!

My mailbox has been getting quite the workout lately. AND. I. LOVE. IT.

I received a package the other day from the one and only Sandi Henderson! It was a lovely prize of patterns, fabric, a cupcake pincushion kit, and tiny baby set of crocheted cherries! I am so excited to dig into all of this:

Here are those teensy-tiny cherries up close:

*Swoon* If I ever thought I had the patience to try to make my own, I totally would. But I totally don't. At least not today, after getting soaked by a sudden downpour during my walk with Dax.

During "I'm and Ginger Monkey's" Fabric Swap, I won another wonderful prize from Amy, of Seven Stitches. It came with four yards of beautiful Japanese kimono fabric, and a host of cute bookmarks. I couldn't resist giving two of the pieces of fabric to my co-worker, as she is of Japanese lineage, and had been looking for this exact thing!

I know exactly who's getting this postcard, but I won't say who... hehehe ......

And last but not least, I finally, finally, finally, have a walking foot. I felt immediately relieved upon seeing it in it's tiny box.
And who else happened to be cleaning out their stash? My wonderful neighbor Gayle, who not only lets my pup have an occasional (hilarious) romp in the backyard with her dog, but who also used to love to do needlework.
Now I know the rules here. If I'm going to get this much great stuff, I'd better be ready to pay it forward! I've got quite a few things in mind for another giveaway soon, because I know you love mail just as much as I do!