French Farmhouse progress and Christmas Lights

Well here is my week's worth of sewing with no progress until it is completed. Luckily I took lots of pics!

I love the look of the taupes and creams. They all blend into a slightly masculine look.

Lots of strip piecing. Sorta mindless but I did have to concentrate on what fabrics went where.

Here is the pattern from the Fons & Porter May/June 2009 issue.

Strip set #1

Strip set #2

And my progress on GFG piecing. I love the results!

And my progress on Christmas Lights pattern by Bonnie Hunter. I am in two more exchanges for 4-patches.

More patches. MaggieMae is always near me when I sew.

Lisa's quilt on the frame. I use the frame to pin the quilt for DSM quilting.

Ready for quilting. And it is all done now. Pics to follow.......

And three of my kitties watching the chipmunk steal birdseed.

Sheena meets Macy

Boy! The body language going on here is priceless. Sheena is curious and Macy is cautious face to face.

As soon as Sheena turns around Macy has her nose up Sheena's butt. This is not a cat!

Sheena matches the backing on DD#1's BD quilt! So, quilt is no longer a surprise but does have Lisa's approval on the fabric choices.

I have lots more pics to post but must get to making supper for DH.

Thursday sewing marathon-White Chocolate

This is the second quilt of this same design I have made. With the first one I tried a quilt as you go method. The results were nice but the process was not. So this quilt will be for DD#1's BD in July. I plan on quilting it with cross hatching on my Janome6600P. I finished the backing today. It is all Wizard of Oz fabrics. Lisa has wanted something made with those fabrics since I bought them a couple years ago. I bought the sepia toned collection of panels and yardage. It was like making a puzzle to get it to fit the White Chocolate's measurements. But I did it!

I am in two other 4-patch swaps this summer. Actually I was in three. That first one is completed. The next mailing is the end of June. A totally scrappy swap. The last one I am doing with Bingo Bonnie at HGTV. These will be for Bonnie Hunter's newest mystery quilt. I love Bonnie's quilts. Lots of pieces and stunning settings. If you have never tried one of her quilts you are missing a great sewing adventure.

Anyway I wanted to show you all the 2" drawer. It is so full I can barely pick a strip out. I swear they multiply during the night!

And here is the stack of drawers I keep under the cutting table. I feed the drawers as I cut for other projects! The blank drawer is full of odds and ends...some strings and odd block pieces.

When I assembled the White Chocolate quilt I moved my "Big Board" into the livingroom so I could reduce walking through the house. I can only do this when hubby is at work. I really am taking over the entire house!

Here is the pattern I am using. McCall's Quilting August 2007 page 68. I assembled the block sections way back in 2007. So after I found the plastic box with all the pieces all I had to do was assemble them. I still have enough left for a third quilt. Can you tell I love neutrals??????

This is old news. The Pink/Brown is all done and has been claimed by the kitties of course.

I really love the Accufeed foot that was an additional accessory I had to buy for the Janome6600P. Best investment I ever made!

And a kitty picture of course. This is the back of Baby. She is so very fat. But such a sweetie. A gentle giant. I bottlefed her. I stole her from a feral cat colony when she was real young. So young that she needed me to be her mommy. Now she weighs 20+ pounds and is still my BABY!

FOUND PUPPY

Thanks to all who sent their positive thoughts our way.
Sheena was found a few doors down inside a garage. She was frightened but warm and dry. She was missing for 5 hours on a rainy day. Daughter and children were soaked.

This makes me wonder what kind of "trip" this little bundle of fur will bring to my DD home and family!

What a beginning!

LOST PUPPY

I need some prayers and positive thoughts.
My daughter's Shiba Inu puppy arrived today. After a short drive home from the airport she set her down to "wee" in the grass and she ran off. That was 3 hours ago. They cannot find the poor little frightened puppy. It is raining and my daughter and grand children are frantic. She has the neighborhood rallied including the mailman.
We need your prayers and positve thoughts please!!!!!!!

Rainy Monday in Indiana Doggie quilt done

All quilted and bound. DD#1 came and picked it up today. Well...she brought GG AnnaMarie to stay for a few hours while she went to work. AnnaMarie worked on her hand sewing while I machine quilted the larger pink quilt. She will be 8 this August. That is how old I was when I began sewing.

I love the backs of quilts. It makes it easier to see the quilting lines.

I just joined a Yahoo group who exchange 1 1/2" squares. Here are mine all ready for mailing. There are 50 different fabrics in each of the 25 stacks. You know I had to banish the kitties while I was doing this task. I could see them running through the stacks and messing them up. And MaggieMae (who I also call Magnet) would have had the squares clinging all over her....thus the name Magnet. My kitties hate having a door shut. "Do not deny me this room." I could hear them complaining.

Ruler that rules-Marilyn Doheny Wedge Ruler

I made more blocks than I needed. So I have the extra 4 blocks for a doggie cage pad. My oldest daughter is getting a Shiba Inu puppy next week. This will be my way of welcoming Sheena into their family.

The quilt turned out to be 40" square. A nice size for my kitties to snuggle on. DH even likes it despite it being very PINK!

After taking to Elaine Adair I know what I failed to do. I need lots more fabrics and will use values instead of color to make my wedges.
I am so ready to start another one! Yes I am a glutton for sewing!

Trying Marilyn Doheny's ruler and some kitty pics

I am on a pink streak. I am not complaining just observing! Here are two of the blocks using Marilyn Doheny's 45 Kaleidoscope Ruler.

I broke down and bought another speciality ruler. I am such a gaget girl. But this one I am actually using with ease! I was only going to make a couple blocks but now I have enough cut for the entire quilt. I thank Elaine Adair for blogging about this ruler.

Check out these two kitties. They NEVER get close to one another. Macy (the one on the left) must be heatseeking. She gets so very cold and I think she joined Pearl to siphon heat from her. No one but my hubby would get a kick out of this picture. Most people's cats seem to cuddle together. We have five cats who all want to be the only cat in the house. No one cuddles except with the humans.

GFG update and of course some kitty pics

I was working on this catbed for my Secret Pal. I left the machine for a moment and when I returned Macy was trying the bed out, pins and all. Guess it has her kitty approval. She loves all the cat beds she has in the house. They are not spoiled. I use that wooden spoon to stuff the stuffing into the sections. Works great.

My blue/white hexies in progress. I have both of these little containers stuffed full now. I cannot get another hex in there if I tried.

Another view of my pink/cream quilt. It is still on the wall. I have hurt my back and have not been able to sew very much at the machine.

Maggie poses all the time. And she follows me like a little dog. Just has to be able to see me at all times.