Kittens again!

 

 Due to an emergency at the shelter, I have kittens in the nursery again- after assuring everyone I was done fostering.  Who could say no to this??? (click here if the picture above isn't actually a link to the video!)

So, yeah- it's been a month since I even tried to write a blog post.  I think of it a lot- which is a bit like an absentee father telling you years later you were always in his thoughts.  Big deal, right?

 In truth, I just don't have anything to show.  The only sewing I've been doing is the Telephone Line game the ArtCGirlz are doing (Oh, crap- there's another blog post to write...)  And I can't show that until the big reveal in October.  This project is kind of kicking my butt, in all honesty. Trying to figure out what the original theme might have been while looking at a single piece of the chain of work- always from the same person- is intimidating to me.  Kathi- who I get things from- is SO artistic and fearless in her work, than I often feel like my piece will be a big let down by comparison.  I know, it's not about comparing or competing.  But in the end I don't want to be the one who "clearly didn't get it" when we reveal all the pieces in each person's group.  Hopefully I have made something that not only reflects the piece I was given to work from, but also reflects the tastes of the person who will receive it.

So here is what I can show you from the last month---

I bought a very cool Hawaiian dress at the thrift store, which was way too small for me.  (I didn't take a picture of the dress before I cut it, so here's what's left of it)
















I picked coordinating fabrics for it, the same way I would pick fabrics for a quilt,   and used my design wall (the floor in this case) to decide which one went where on the dress.
















Here's the finished product.  The pattern is Carribean Breeze dress by Stephanie Kimura.  I'm not sure it's still available.  I've had it for years.

 My step-granddaughter got married.  She's the one I made the beautiful blue and white quilt for. 

Lucas and I took the kids to the zoo,sort of for my birthday.  I used to take my kids there all the time, but it had been a while since I took the grandkids.















This is us on the new tram to take you back to the entrance.  We were all too hungry to hike way back.  (I had forgotten this zoo is a long skinny space, rather than one you can go halfway around and run to your car for the food)

At work, we "enjoyed" the whole  "Welcome Back" assembly where they introduce new people and the president gives a sort of state of the college address.  As you can see, the speech was riveting.  I hadn't done a zentangle in a long time!

We've had some rather intense thunderstorms the past week or so.  I got home from work one day to find this sky off to the east.  I don't think this storm hit my house, but clearly someone was getting some rain! 

I was given a generous donation of scraps of yarn for my creatures. I needed a little bit of yellow, and got two whole skeins.

 So I decided to make one of the Monsters in the other book.  I don't particularly care for this guy.  It might be the color, but I think he looks like a tooth.

The kittens are from a situation where they were neglected.  This sweet baby is 8 weeks old, but weighs less than half of what she should.  (She climbed into my slipper and posed!)  So far, her name is Bitsy.  But I'm going to try and find her a warrior name.  She shouldn't have survived, but she did.  There might be a lesson in that. 

I am grateful for:
Any time I can spend with the kids.  They are the light in my life.
A bit of a vacation while my hubby is away (shh, don't tell him I said that)
Cool nights sleeping with the windows open enjoying the summer sounds.
Beautiful skies.
The people who know me, and put up with me anyway.

Sing for the Day

I'm trying to enjoy the summer, in spite of the heat and how weedy my gardens are.  So I take what pleasure I can in the small moments.  Like this toad who was sitting on my dragon's nose one morning last week.  I couldn't have imagined anything that would have given me as much joy as this did when I noticed him.










Where there aren't as many weeds, there are some beautiful flowers this year- probably due to all the rain. 



 The bee balm was blossoming like fireworks on the 4th of July!












And the new portulaca plant I got at Palmiter's in Avon is spectacular!










The bottle tree garden, just outside the garage, is my favorite this year.  I kind of dug it up and started over this year, but really I decided not to let the calendula take over this year.  This is the best pansy bed I've had in a long time.  

 I accidentally planted onions in the one garden when I dumped my compost bucket out there.  Are these the blossoms? They're very cool!
















The Nasturtiums are assimilating my little fairy, which seems kind of perfect!







School is out now, so when I do my regular visit to see the kids, Kiara is there now.  I wanted a picture with all three of them together, but they didn't cooperate. 


















It was 90 this week when I was there, so the boys are "naked".  Everett is growing so fast- soon he'll be crawling!















I'm still working on smaller projects.  The most recent creature is a bushy tailed squirrel.

























The only sewing project I finished this week is this little cat "purse".  I've had it for years, but finally got the wool to make it last year. 
 One side is George, and the other is Marigold.
Cute, right?






















 
The pattern is perhaps the most poorly written thing I have ever encountered.  There were pages and pages and pages of written instructions- repeating themselves for different combinations of fabric and methods of appliqué- and NO assembly diagrams whatsoever.  I had to guess how to put the handles in and ended up getting them in crooked, and too close together, or something.  The pattern says it's perfect for a phone (maybe back when phones were smaller) or a pair of glasses.  You can't get a pair of glasses in through the opening as I have it.  It's pretty much for decoration only.  I just can't understand why they would not include a few simple diagrams for the final assembly- especially given how detailed the rest of the instructions were.
     You can still buy this pattern here, and I gave some thought to emailing to ask if they've released a newer, improved version that a beginner might be able to assemble.  But that would accomplish little, so I didn't bother.  I am certainly not going to make another one.  I'm pretty sure the pattern is headed for the recycle bin.


My husband went to the store the other day to buy a some milk and a couple other small things.  The cashier asked if he wanted a bag.  He said yes, since he couldn't carry the eggs safely with the other things.  He ended up with three bags for three items.  I will admit it is possible he misheard the question- he has a pretty bad hearing deficit.  But why on Earth does any store spend the three or  five cents a bag to put things like milk into one?  I am counting the minutes until the plastic bag ban goes into effect in New York, and the stores are forced to stop handing them out.  I am hoping it will also force people to reassess their shopping habits.

I am grateful for:
The frequent reminders of how lucky I am.
Random acts of beauty all around me.
Bits of sewing time when I can just play.
The smell of freshly popped corn.
When it cools down enough (and doesn't rain) at night to leave the windows open and not run the AC.

I'd Love to Work at Nothing all Day!

So it's been a month again.  I swear I make notes to myself all the time to pop in and make a short post.  Then.. well you know!  As it is, I have been trying to write this post for three days now!

So here's a bit of what I've been up to-



On May 31, I took a class with the amazing Maria Shell.  I bought her book last year and, with great enthusiasm, built up a stash of solids to play with.  But I was stymied by where to begin.  I have no fear of color when pulling for any quilt- it's my favorite part of the process.  But putting together a palette of solids left me frustrated beyond belief.  So I was thrilled to be able to spend a day with her- thanks to the Genesee Valley Quilt Club.

 One day was not enough (is it ever when you take a class with a teacher of this caliber?)  But at least I have an idea of her process and how I can play with her techniques.  I guess I still need rules even in this kind of quilt/ art making.







After her lecture, our assignment was to make a traditional quilt block using two high contrast colors, then "Riff on Tradition" by using elements of design to alter the block.

So the upper left block is my traditional "Shoo Fly" block.  The one upper right was the first alteration, using line.  My strip sets came out weird, which is why the outer corners are different.  But it makes it more interesting, right?

The third element was shape.  I decided to add more squares to my block, and this is the result.  I am very pleased with the progress so far.  I don't know what these blocks might be other than learning exercises.  (Maria calls these "Sketches")






The next challenge is Modern Solids, so if this shows up in January, pretend you didn't see it here. 

I finished Jon's "Jake the Pirate" quilt for his birthday.  In fact, he came over to play a few days before and I had decided if he asked for it, I would give it to him.  He even asked me to wrap it so he could pretend it was his birthday and open the present. 

He wasn't happy until it was laying out flat on the floor, so he could look at it. I'm happy to report I have seen it being dragged around his house and on his bed. 






















Everett is 6 months old already, and has learned how to smile for a selfie!















I'm still knitting little creatures from this book.  The bat has a fun story-

I made theblack one first using a yarn that turned out to be fussy and not much fun.  But he came out so cute, the kids were fighting over him.  Then, he disappeared.  Kiara said Jon hid it so she couldn't have it. Jon couldn't remember where.  I searched and searched after the kids left, but never found it.  Weeks passed.  The kids were over again and I tried to get them to search for him, but they weren't interested.  Finally, I decided to make the purple one. 











Then, as you have probably guessed, the next time Jon was over, the black one appeared out of nowhere.  I think it was folded up in a blanket- which we had used at least once during the time he was lost!!  Jon now has the black one. 

Personally, I prefer the ones that are just creatures.

The most recent one is a robot. You knit around a pipe cleaner to make his antenna.

 

                                                Aren't they too cute all sitting together??

I finished the quilt for my step-granddaughter's wedding with a month to spare!  I did not quilt it.  I wanted the quilting to be wonderful, so I had a lady in my guild do it.  I know Amy will appreciate it.

  My design wall was getting full, so I decided to try and finish some of the WIPs.  My most recent finish is the collage  I started at the ArtCGirlz meeting in February.  The collage technique is from a book by Melissa Averinos.  The quilt itself was inspired by "Judith I" by Gustav Klimt.

I'm happy with the way she came out, but have no idea what I'll do with her.  I think I would like to try a more intricate collage- maybe try to do my cat. 









I don't know if you can see the quilting on the back.  I flipped it over after I stitched her face to see if my machine spat out anything unpleasant (I think all quilters flip their work over as soon as it comes off the machine, don't we?)  I loved the way her hair looked on the back. 





I bought recycled paper toilet paper today. (Saying recycled toilet paper just sounds awful, doesn't it?) My husband will probably not like it.  I don't care.  After reading an article from the NRDC, I decided I needed to put my money where my, um, mouth is.  How "green" is your toilet paper? check it out!

I am grateful for:
A perfect summer weekend spent doing my favorite things!
Jon asking if a person was small when observing the 9 x 12" quilt I was making.
Everett always smiles when he sees me.
The baby robins have fledged, so I can use my porch again.
The nights I can sleep!

Only a Moment Ago?

Here I am again, playing catch up.  In all honesty, it hasn't felt like I have much to write about.
Since last I wrote.....

I've been in for another three months check-up with the oncologist.  At the first one, I was feeling very anxious.  I was so lucky not to need any treatments after my surgery. My family- and some of my friends, I think- all heaved a collective sigh of relief and say "Thank God that's over!"  But for me, every three month is a reminder that they are still looking for it; it could be hiding in another spot, waiting.  And I don't think I will ever feel like it's over.  But my doctor gave me some ides to cope with it, and I have done a fairly good job of putting it out of my mind between the checks.  In fact, Sunday I was working in the front garden.  My gardens are all a disaster this year- the worst they've ever been, I'm afraid.  And I pondered what the heck I was doing last fall that kept me from making one last pass around to get some of the weeds out?  I actually had to stop and think for a minute before I remembered- oh, yeah, I had cancer surgery in September.

I haven't been doing a lot of sewing lately.  I get bits of sewing time here and there and most days I just don't feel like going up to the sewing room for 20- 30 minutes.  Plus there's the fact that some of the projects I'm working on can't be shown yet.  Have I mentioned the "telephone game" we're doing in the ArtCGirlz??
But I did get a new skinny quilt finished for my office.  I'd like to have one for each season.  This is by "Patch Abilities". 

A month or so ago, Cait mentioned Jon had asked her for a "Jake the Pirate" blanket.  (It's a Disney channel show)  I had been asking Jon if he wanted a new quilt for his big boy bed, so I told her I was on it!  She had looked at fabrics, and shared the website with me.  The big print is Jake, the rest are from a Riley Blake collection.  The pattern is the Big EZ.  I used this pattern for my step-grandson Jake's graduation quilt some years back.  Nice coincidence, isn't it?  My machine has been playing nicely, so I got a lot of the quilting done saturday and hope to have this done by Jon's 4th birthday in June at the very latest.  He has asked for it twice already- he saw it in progress when he came to sped the night a few weeks ago.

Mostly I've been knitting little creatures from a book by Rebecca Danger, called 50 Yards of Fun.  It's meant to use up leftover yarn, so of course I had to go buy yarn. 

This was the first one.  I didn't get a picture of it before Jon decided it was his.
 He and his sister looked at the book and put in orders for about a dozen of the ones pictured in the book.  so far I've finished these...























(this one's baby safe so Everett can play with it if he wants)

This one isn't in the book, but I managed to figure out how to make them.  Supposedly the pattern is available on her blog, but the page won't open, so I improvised.  She calls it a bunny nugget.

I spend lots of time with the grands!  Jon got a dress up cowboy hat for Easter, so he and Papa modeled their hats together.

Everett was at Oma's house for the first time ever on Easter, and celebrated by rolling over for the first time just as  tried to take his picture!

Kiara came  for a sleepover and we made an awesome blanket fort.  She wanted us both to sleep in it, but Oma has a hard enough time sleeping in her comfy bed, so we settled for reading and watching a movie. 

Everett is finally getting to the age where he will look at you and smile for a picture!  Aren't they handsome boys??
                                          

I got this very cool thing (I have no idea what its original purpose  might have been!) at the thrift store and decided to give her a crown when I spotted this little cactus at the garden store.

I just saw athis on facebook:

Really brings home the big difference that can be made with small choices!!  I carry a straw in my purse (thanks to Penny!) and always tell the servers NO Straw in restaurants (many bring one anyway, sadly).  It's just a matter of making new habits. 

I am grateful for:
Perfect spring days!
All the pretty birds at my feeders!
Good sewing days.
Interacting with the students at work.
My wrist isn't hurting after gardening anymore.