WIP Update Without Rest

 Books of the Bible is looking good! I'm still enjoying every stitch. This stitch has inspired me to acquire a small daily devotional and spend more time with God. I chose A Little God Time for Women. It has been a joy so far! It has also given me a little nighttime routine to help me fall asleep...

...because...we've hardly slept for a week. After 15 years, we got a new bed. An adjustable bed. It's so different! Every night gets better but this has been a journey in itself! Molly is the only one that the new bed didn't affect. It's no wonder my pillows smell like dog.

For those wondering about the quilt, I posted about making it here. 

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

New Stash and Old Stash

I went and spent a good bit of my piggy bank savings money on some fat quarters, a bit of Christmas yardage, clearance buttons and a roll of patriotic trim.

I was frugal and still have money left over though!

Nothing was tickling my fancy in the cross stitch pile that's labeled "want to stitch" so I dug through my stash and unearthed this great Trilogy kit called Frightfully Fun. It comes with fabric, a 32 count Natural Belfast Linen, Week's threads, and JABCO button. I seldom stitch with overdyed threads so I'm having fun with the changeup. 

The Dresden blocks are now sewn together and waiting for borders to be created.

Lastly, Miss Molly hasn't been featured in a while. We've been spending a lot of time with the undercoat rake, covering the neighborhood in dog hair. Adorably gap-toothed.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Can't Keep Up!

I'm running about 12 days behind on my blog reader. I've only made four posts so far this month. I haven't finished or finished-finished either of the two cross stitch pieces I showed you on Tuesday. My studio is in disarray, as happens when I create. Dash and I spent hours at the Apple Store getting the batteries in our phones and my iPad replaced. They broke my phone when they were working on it so I got a brand new one and a new iPad as well since they don't replace the batteries in those on site. This had me spending hours getting everything set back up, remembering passwords and waiting for updates and all that. I got to have lunch with a friend last week and we sat in Olive Garden for four hours talking! I get a little ahead on some things and way behind in others!

I did get the little quilt basted:

I set up my 8-foot folding table in the front room, clamp everything tight and pin the layers together. The quilt gets shifted to pin the sides, careful to not get the layers wonky.  A little quilt like this doesn't take long at all. The tool you see helps close the pins. Lots of people hate basting. I don't mind it at all. I've quilted all the ups and downs on the long rows and I'm ready to do the short ones, maybe today.

Miss Molly is still ornery as ever. Sometimes I stay up late and craft and Molly keeps me company. She will happily chew her bones or nap. Unlike while watching TV she's pestering constantly to play fetch! But often, late at night as I'm stitching and it's quiet, Molly lets out a long, low, snarling growl behind me for possibly thinking of stealing her bone! OMG! You crazy dog!

Mom! Stop coveting my bones!

I get a couple years of life scared out of me at least twice a week.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox 

Merry Christmas!

Don't let my title throw you, spring is still here even though we keep warming up, then falling back into cold winter. It's been lovely here this week and I'm sitting at my desk drinking Lady Gray tea after a nice lunch.

I thought my lunch was pretty so I snapped a pic. My dinnerware has seen better days though. Is it cheating making your tea by popping a tea bag into a reusable K-cup and running it through the Keurig? Oh, how lazy!

But I didn't title this post Pretty Lunch and Cheaters Tea, did I? Here is Merry Christmas:

Design ~ Merry Christmas

Designer ~ Nancy Boyarsky of Glory Bee

design from the JCS 10th Anniversary Collection book

Fabric ~ 32 count Lugana, tea dyed

Fiber ~ DMC

I did something different when finishing this, after I sewed it up I thought it looked awfully nice, just the way it was. Instead of stuffing it, I added a piece of cotton quilt batting that I put iron-on interfacing on both sides of to stiffen and trimmed to fit inside. I hand-sewed the turning space and trimmed the seams with cording to match.

The result was this flat, but still soft ornament. I probably won't make many of these because usually I need to stuff them to hide imperfections, but this one looked great. I love everything about this ornament, the design, with the crammed together "MAS" to make it fit and the smyrna stitches in the border and I love the unusual finish. 

I leave you with a picture of Molly and her tongue tip poked out. She goes about like this ever since she lost those three little front teeth, it's much worse when she sleeps, an inch or more. My conclusion is those three teeth were a key component of the tongue retention system...

  

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Totally Useless Luck o' the Irish

Yesterday, (St. Patrick's Day) was the New Moon, are your ORTs ready for the Totally Useless Stitch A Long? I am late because I spent the day with my parents and didn't even turn the desktop on! I should have planned better and written my post Friday night but I didn't. Phhht!

All the thread ORTs I've saved this year are really filling up this jar! The stitching is another Christmas Ornament I've started. Looks strange now but this will be a water pump and bucket soon...

My sewing/finishing ORTs are good too:

Since I was gone all day Miss Molly was extra snuggly and sweet. Can you see the gap of her missing teeth? You can't see in the photo but she has purple stitches that will eventually dissolve. She's back to regular kibble, and didn't care one whit that it wasn't canned-food-treat any more! We have a vet visit in the morning and hopefully she can have the cone off and get toys back! She's been terribly polite about wearing the cone. She took it off twice that first full day and after being admonished that it must stay on she has left it alone.I wish she always minded so well!

=^..^=

Now it is YOUR turn...we want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your March TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Mayhem Mishaps

Take one easily excitable Border Collie, add a very sturdy, and nearly invisible screen door...toss in some people playing with their dog outside and you end up with mayhem. 

Molly didn't see the screen door was closed and smashed, full speed, right into it Saturday evening. Dash and I could see she had a mouth wound and hurried her in to the emergency vet where she was admitted and given pain relief until they could get her a CT scan. Luckily, her jaw wasn't fractured but she ripped out three of her little nibbly teeth on the bottom set, which they removed and stitched closed. It was pretty scary for all of us.

She got to come home this evening. Molly is pretty doped up!

She now wants all the snuggles. She is usually too busy for cuddling. Often, one thinks one is fixing to get a cuddle but it's usually only a ruse to get one to play fetch.

We cannot tear mouth stitches as that tissue is very soft and easily damaged so this horrid cone is required for two weeks. We are also not allowed any toys for two weeks! The vet gave us tranquilizers which we hope will lessen the toy/fetching/chewing withdrawal symptoms. The poor girl has already searched the house for toys several times. (I washed all the toys and put them away.)

On the plus side, Molly thinks it's one big dog party with canned food and peanut butter! Dash and I are relieved to have her home again. And I will be sewing some ribbons into the screen door once it's repaired!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

I Can Sew!

I can! I can sew just fine! I have no stamina, but with lots of breaks to rest my very tired arm, I can iron, cut and sew!

I had great news at the doctor's visit on Tuesday, my x-rays showed the bone was healing very nicely and I was instructed to go about sling-free and to move my arm as much as possible. I am free! Well, almost! I can't lift my arm very high and I have little strength but I start physical therapy next week to help with that. I spent the last three days happily pottering about in my studio.

I got all my strip sets sewn and cut. 

Before I knew it I had the first clue all finished! The second clue came out this morning and can start cutting those pretty peachy fabrics and sew flying geese. Lots and lots of flying geese.

The weather has been mild enough for me to leave the back door open and let Molly pretend to be an indoor/outdoor dog. She mercilessly teases the four little neighbor dogs and you can see some of them lined up at the fence,  begging for her attention.

"Sorry, Mom. I can't help it if those little yappy dogs bark like mad every time I run laps!"

Dash has been out of town all week for work and Molly has been quite worried. She will be so happy this evening when he returns! I still can't play fetch correctly, my aim has disappeared! Molly cheerfully fetches whatever object she's brought me to throw even though it went wonky. Probably good practise and exercise for me, as my hobbies are. All this cutting and sewing and moving...I think I can already move a little easier even though I'm pretty sore!

I am off to start more cutting and sewing. Flying geese, here I come!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

A New Beginning

I am starting a new chapter in my life...for health and sanity reasons I have quit my job to become a Lady of Leisure. After a crazy couple of weeks of getting a replacement "me" trained, it is done! My coworkers got me a cake and they all chipped in and sent me off with a hefty Joann's gift card!  I cried, but already a huge burden is off my shoulders. Here is to a happier, if poorer me! Cheers!

This morning, I took Miss Molly out in the backyard to give her fur a good brush out. She had to run away to bark at a father pushing his kiddo in a stroller across the street. They stopped and waved and then stayed and watched as Molly got brushed and waved again as we went back inside. I must remember to dress nicer and wear a bra next time we go outside if the neighbors are going stop to watch!

Here is my new start, another Blackbird Designs pin pillow. This has been nice to stitch so far. I really enjoy the dense motifs stuffed into the small area. I'm stitching with my usual DMC, loving the tweeded colors! If you look close, you can see two different colored threads in my needle. Very pretty!

Now, I am off to stitch and maybe even clean house a little. I do hope no one stops by...I am still braless! And enjoying every minute of it!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Totally Uselessly Late Again

I ORT to be on time. I am the leader of this stitch a long, after all. It seems I can't get with it this year! It's the New Moon again, time for the Totally Useless Stitch A Long, and I have loads of ORTs to share. In my bowl I have bits from the tote bags I finished up last month and some empty spools from the quilt I started this month.

In the bag are tons of triangle ORT bits from starting said quilt. Lots and lots of triangles.

Wait, I started a new quilt? Yes! As an anniversary gift the end of July, (our 30th!) Dash semt me off to a quilt retreat at Prairie Quilt in Hennessey, Oklahoma. Since I didn't have any projects going I had to start something. The retreat was so much fun! I sat for three days and snowballed the corners on  2 1/2 by 5 inch blocks. Lots and lots of them!

The photo above is at my table during the retreat. You can see my stack of snowballed blocks in the corner. 

This picture is parts of the quilt in progress. The plastic box is full of the  2 inch scrap fabric squares I'm using as leaders and enders. Those little squares will eventually become a postage stamp quilt...all sewn while I'm working on other projects.

Here are the pieces that go in my current project. Pieces on the right are the base and the left side shows what they get sewn into.

Here are the pieces laid out (not sewn together yet!) how they will look when finished. Pretty!

Just this morning, Miss Molly helped me make a mini ironing table out of a TV tray table. I just need to get a teeny iron to use on it.

=^..^=

We want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your August TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Sew A Crinkle Flying Disc Dog Toy

There were so many questions and emails after I posted about sewing Molly some dog toys I decided to do a tutorial to show exactly how they were made. These toys have become Molly's all-time favorite fetching object. My favorite too, as they are soft and don't tend to break stuff in the house when you've made a bad throw or the dog misses her catch. These are also machine wash and dry so when they get all dog-spitty and nasty - into the laundry they go. You should see how excited Molly gets when I take them out of the dryer...it's like brand-new toys!

Supplies needed:

2 pieces of fleece, a few inches larger than your desired finished circle.

A sheet of plastic, you can use the clear inner liner plastic of a boxed cereal or crackers but I've been using extra-thick drop cloth plastic because it holds up longer.

A piece of cotton batting.

Matching thread.

Basting spray.

Pins.

Scissors, use your craft scissors not your good fabric ones because you will be cutting plastic.

A dinner plate or some other round object.

A marker or pen.

Sewing machine.

Cover your work area before you spray! If you are taking pictures with your cell phone, cover your iPhone too. TRUST ME! Basting spray is nasty on your phone.

Layer 1 piece of the fleece pretty side down and give it a dusting of the basting spray. Put the plastic sheet on. Spray the plastic then stick the batting on. If you are worried about the basting spray harming your dog just wash the toy before use. If you are REALLY worried you can skip the spray and just use pins. I use the spray because the fleece and plastic is really slippery and the spray makes it so much easier to sew.

Now center the round object on the batting side and draw your circle.

Put your 2nd piece of fleece pretty side up and put the sandwich you made on top with the batting part up. Pin these together around the outside of your line. Don't trim yet! It's much easier to hold all the layers together while you sew the circle if you trim after it's sewn.

Now sew around the circle you drew leaving a 3-4 inch gap and backstitch at the start and stop. Don't worry how neat your sewing is, this is a DOG TOY after all!

Trim off the excess. I leave a good wide margin for extra strength. I have to put my scraps up up high since now Molly knows I'm making toys and she will fish the scraps out of the trash! I guess they smell the same.

Carefully turn it right side out, try not to stretch the fleece out of shape. Make sure you get it all smooth and flat(ish) around the edges. Fold the edges on the open seam inside, mimic the curve as best you can. Feel free to pin it closed. I don't pin, I'm making a DOG TOY so I'm not too worried...

Next, top stitch around the outside, close to the edge. This closes the gap you turned it through and makes it lie flat. Feel free to do some fancy quilting in the center. I never have time because someone is usually whining at me to hurry up...

Finished! It's all soft and floppy with that delicious crinkly sound dogs love.

You can give it to someone who will love it. Molly grabbed this one, gave it a furious shake and spit it right out for me to throw it.

Molly often naps beside me while I sew, but if I am sewing a tog toy she is sitting, watching, and waiting. I can't resist making these for Molly...she loves them so much.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Molly Approved

Long time readers might remember me posting a year or so ago about sewing a dog toy for Molly that she ruined in 6 minutes. Last weekend I found the fleece I had bought to make dog toys with and decided to try again. I sandwiched fleece, quilt batting and cracker sleeve plastic and sewed crinkle Frisbee discs to make easy-to-throw toys. They were an instant hit. She loved them! Molly will play fetch until your arm falls off. The day after I sewed the toys I couldn't figure out why my arm was so sore. When I realized why I could only giggle.

Yes, my bed is covered with a sheet. Dog hair. Muddy footprints. 

She hasn't torn them up yet!

They crinkle as she bites and shakes them!

Yup, Molly approved dog toys. Go Mom!

I sewed a few extra for gifts and I have plenty of fleece to make a lot more...in between stitching and quilting projects.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!!!

xox

I Basted My Quilt With Sticky Plasters...

...and other random/ridiculous thoughts by a new quilter.

It takes 45 35 minutes to open 600 597 safety pins and if one is OCD you spend another 10 looking for the 3 pins you dropped into the box before opening them. I ended up buying another box of 300.

OMG I own 900 safety pins.

The person that invented this Kwik Klip tool is my hero.

One obviously needs a few different projects on the go, in different phases...it's impossible to close *that many* safety pins while bent over, even if you are pinning your quilt on a table. My back is killing me! My fingers are sore! I'm having a blast!

Here my quilt is about half-pinned. I clamped it to a big table in the basement instead of taping it to the floor. My knees were very happy about that. Note: that table is 8 foot long by 3 foot wide! Quite a bit of the sides is tucked up under the clamps.

I know you are thinking, "She said she used sticky plasters to baste her quilt...those are just quilting pins, liar!" 

No, seriously, they truly helped me finish pin basting this sucker. My finger got so sore in the spot I use to push the pins with I could not pin for days. But I was anxious to finish basting. I tried using a rubber thimble but it made it too clumsy. Ha! A sticky plaster to the rescue! Those little dot bandages worked like a charm. I could still feel the pins but I had a little cushion to help with the initial push.

Now, I am American. In real life I call these band-aids, like everyone else here. But Brits call them sticky plasters. I thought that was so much fun I had to buy a box when I was in London.

Now my quilt is basted. I can start quilting it! I've adjusted Fern's tension, put on her walking foot and loaded up a few bobbins. Then I had to run to Walmart to buy a card table to put behind Fern to support that ginormous wad of fabric & batting. 

I have discovered quilters "see" quilt patterns. Walking through the hallway of our hotel I explained to Dash the carpet was a rail fence...

Irons that shut off automatically are a pain.

Speaking of irons, Molly spent a week flatly refusing to enter my craft room after I set up the ironing board. She didn't even want to go down the hallway it made her so nervous. Border Collie theology prevailed, "If you can't beat 'em - herd 'em!" Now, I have to lock her out of the room when I iron as she tries to "herd" the spray starch.

Nothing is so frightening as being charged by a snarling sheepdog while holding a flaming hot iron. One of us will get hurt! Idiot dog also wants to herd the salad dressing bottle. Have I ever told you how bored Border Collies invent stupid games? Oh, just did.

There are stray threads everywhere. On the floor, glued to the ironing board cover with spray starch, in pockets, in the dryer, the shower and I've even found one in my dinner. Stitching ORTs are much more containable.

If I would quit blathering more stitching could be done!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!!!

xox