Insanity has set in.

I can’t even begin to count the swear words on this one.  It looks simple enough and honestly I think it is.  The problem is me.  So, let me explain how this went, after the top was finished.  “Hey Mom, shouldn’t the dog part on the top have a leg also?”  Son of a nutcracker.  Ugh.  “Oh, and doesn’t the dog need a tail?”  You have got to be kidding me.  Yep, no top legs and no tail.  What is going on? I have totally lost my mind. Even better after I made the leg section and finished the top, post mistakes, I found a leg section that I had made.  It was not like I made it a long time ago and forgot, we are talking one day to the next.  I think that quarantine is eating away my brain.  This project is  My One Monthly Goal.  My intent is to finish it.  We will see.  I am supposedly heading back to work next week, so I am not sure it can happen.

So, when/while I got frustrated with this quilt top, I made some pillowcases.  For me, it is 20200504_195345something I can see being completed.  This stack has 22 pillowcases.  This brings my total pillowcases for charity to 44.

It also means that my stash has lost 44 yards of fabric.  Trust me there is more where that came from.

So, I had the chance to look at my next charity quilt kit.  Good God.  It is equally as ugly (maybe more) than the last one.

Could the fabrics be any uglier?  Yes, they can.  See my last charity quilt.  The picture on the right is the pattern I am supposed to use.  On the plus side, all the 2.5-inch strips are cut. and it should be quick to put together.  But, I do not like working on quilts that are not something I would ever put together.  I know, charity, someone will love it.

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Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Stay Safe

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It’s Done…..ugh…

Done, quilted and bound.  Just did a simple meander.  The thing that bothers me about the quilt is the dark brown.  It just looks wrong to me.  I have another quilt top I made and I have a similar project with it.  There is a color that looks all wrong in it.  I can’t be to blame for this one, I did not choose the fabrics.  I am sure someone will like it.   I have not even opened the other charity quilt.  I will get to that later.  I am trying to work on the Weiner dog quilt top.

The problem I am having is that I started it a while ago.  I wanted it to be big enough to 20200421_140325put on a twin big, so I started making it bigger, but I did not write down my notes or can not found where I wrote my notes.  So, I am spending a bit of time figuring out what I did, which is annoying.

I think it is a great way to use up scraps though.  It is cute and I am the crazy dog lady.

So, I am on a two-week furlough from work.  Hoping it is only 2 weeks.  Hard to tell right now.  I hope you are staying safe is this crazy world.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

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One Monthly Goal…It is truly a miracle

I am not sure how I managed to finish my One Monthly Goal, but I did.  This is the quilt WaterMark_2018-04-21-19-28-17top given to me by Nanette.  I love it.  I quilted dog bones, free-handed it.  That was a bit scary, but it came out all right.  I used a festive multi-watermark_2018-04-21-19-26-10.jpgcolor thread.  I love multi-color threads.  I don’t know why.  I am weird.

So, the back, come crazy dog fabric.  I had a friend give me whole bolt of this stuff.  It is sort of odd, not exactly fleece and not exactly flannel.  Just weird, but perfect for my dog quilt.  Yes, this is my dog quilt.  I have already used it while lounging on the couch.  Warm and cozy and extra special since the top was made by an extra special friend.  I have plan to make another quilt like this and donate to a dog rescue so they can hopefully raise some money.

Seems that family is on the mend.  Kev is getting better and my sister’s prognosis no longer seems as bleak as it once was.  A long way to go, but there is light.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

 

My One Monthly Goal for April

March is over.  Yeah.  So, I am going to get the quilting done on my special dog quilt for my one monthly goalmy one monthly goal.  I have started, but have a long way to go.   My intent is to have it completely done, binding and all.   I decided that I would do an all WaterMark_2018-04-03-20-19-19over dog bone pattern.  So far, it is going OK.  I don’t hate it.

I have multiple projects going, so I am hoping to get a few things done.

So, in my March month of hell, there was a very bright note.  My 13-year-old eighth grader passed her entrance tests to college and actually gets to start this summer.  Helping her prepare and running to the testing center, was one of the many things that sucked up my time.  I am very proud of her.  I would like to take all the credit for her smartness, but I can only take full credit for her smart a$$ness.

Wonderful thing here in Ohio, kids who can pass the tests can get up to 2 years of college credit totally free, including books.  If all goes well, she can start college after high school as a junior.  Also, her college classes count as her high school classes, so she is not doing double work.  I might have enough money to fund those last two years.  She does not understand how important it is, but I was fortunate to leave college without any loans (thanks Mom and Dad).  At the time, I did not realize the importance, but there are people my age still paying back college loans.  Yikes!  I don’t want that for my daughter.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Brought a tear to my eye—Happy Pi Day! – Hand Quilt Along and Ruler Work

So, I feel like it has been forever since I have posted anything.  I have been working on a few things (therapy) and practicing with my rulers.

So, the beautiful dog quilt in the photo was sent to me by me dear Friend Nanette Chopin Cook of Chopin – A Passionate Quilter.  We talk and she knew it was a rough couple of weeks for me for a host of reasons.  She sent me this beautiful quilt top.  I can’t wait to quilt it.  It will be all mine.  I have not stopped smiling since I opened the package.  It is certainly going to be the next thing I quilt.  A perfect top for the crazy dog lady.  Gosh I love her.  She is awesome in every way.

My daughter’s school sells Pi day Shirts and every year we get one.  So, Happy Pi Day20180314_063442_resized.jpg from the Nerd squad!  Cow Pi’s bahahaha.

I have been working on my One Monthly Goal, but have changed the direction I am going.  I was going to practice my scalloped border, but instead lost my mind with the new rulers.  Not sure I 20180313_194211_resizedactually like it on here, but it’s too late now.  I am already committed.  It doesn’t look to bad, but I will have a later post on my additional learnings as I continue to figure out ruler work

Epic fail on hand quilting for the HQA.  So sorry.  I will try to get on the path of straight and narrow again.  To see all the beautiful work of those that are not slackers, click on the links below.

LoriMargaretKerryEmmaTracyDebConnieSusan, JessiscaSherryNanetteSassyEdith, and  Sharon

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

I have a dream…To Make a Dog Quilt

Sometimes I sound like a total fruit loop.  However, there is some truth to it. For quite some time I have had an idea to make several dog quilts.  They needed to be my own design and I wanted to be able to make some that can somehow raise money for rescues.

I have been involved with rescues before and rescued quite a few dogs.  I don’t really foster much any more, because I end up keeping them and sometimes the Rheumatoid 20170904_191741_resizedarthritis gets me, so I have to find an alternate way to help.  I do have three dogs.  currently only one is a rescue.  Snibble was rescued from a farmer who’s dog had 13 puppies,  She was the only girls and all the boys were biting her and not letting her eat.  My late husband Derrick brought her home to me.  She fit in the palm of his hand.  She is a Chihuahua/Pug or a Chihuapug as Haley used to say.

This quilt will be mine.   It is to honor my beloved dog, Koko. We got Koko for my daughter Miranda, and because I think she knew I was not a “dog” person, she picked me.  She did not want Miranda, but wanted me.  I quickly fell in love with her.  She was my best friend.  She licked away my tears through the death of both my husbands and both my parents.  She was Haley’s biggest protector.  The only time she did not sleep with me was when Haley was a baby.  She mostly slept under her crib.  Koko was a Chocolate Lab.  She was very dark in color and unless she stood next to a black lab she was often mistaken for one.  We referred to her as Semi-Sweet Chocolate because of her color and protective nature.  I miss her dearly.

So, my quilt will have the dog appliques.  I used a technique that has no waste.  You cut image_1the applique out in one piece and then use both pieces.  It worked really well.  So, I have actually designed the entire thing and am slowly working on getting all the pieces together.  Funny thing, there are flying geese in this quilt and as I was drawing it, I realized that I had never made flying geese before.  I actually had to look up a good way to make them and how to get them just the right size for my quilt.  This quilt uses 8.5 inch blocks.

I like the applique.  It reminds me of my Koko.  If this quilt turns out well, I will make another that I can hopefully make for a rescue to sell raffle tickets for or auction off.

You can see from the princess crown she is wearing, that Haley dressed her up and made her wear crowns.  We sometimes referred to her as Princess Koko.  I did not think it was possible for me to love an animal as much as I loved her.

 

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

A Dog Quilt for my Great Nephew

So, on Saturday my great nephew was born about 5 weeks early.  He is perfect.  However I had to hurry and finish his dog quilt.  This was fun to make.  The most time consuming part was the cutting out of all the pieces.  I don’t really see it being used as a quilt to cover up with.  More of lay the baby on the quilt kind of thing.  I made it all from flannels so it is very soft.  This was made from Simplicity 4993.  It has a dog, bear and cat patterns.  Since I am the crazy dog lady, this is quilt that would definitely come from me.

My daughter had not ever remembered me making a “rag quilt” before and insisted that the back was the front and I put the face of the dog on the wrong side.

Now to get a couple more items for Ethan and his big sister before mailing the package off.

It always feels good to complete something.

Happy Sewing.

Happy Quilting.