A UFO finished

I just finished another quilt!  This one had been waiting to be quilted for a longggg time!  I just couldn't figure out how to quilt around the folded fabric.  The folded flying geese blocks are easy to make.  Just one seam.  But a pain to quilt on a frame.  The machine's foot gets caught up in the folds and that causes all sorts of headaches.

I tried placing tissue on top of the quilt and stitching through that.  It worked out great for the first few minutes.  Not only didn't the foot get caught up in the folds, but because of the difference in the colour of the tissue paper and the thread, I could easily see how the stitching was going.  I loved it!  Until the paper started tearing and getting jammed in the machine and wrapped around the foot.  Not going to try that method again soon.  But I do have a lot of tissue paper left over for wrapping gifts....

So I moved on to the centre portion of the quilt.  Got it quilted with some free motion quilting.  Then using the frame, I pinned the borders with the folded blocks, removed the quilt from the frame and finished it off on my domestic machine.  Nothing fancy, just echoing the straight seams on the borders.

So that's another unfinished object out of the cupboard, ready to be given away!  And a lesson learned regarding folded fabric piecing and getting the quilting done on this type of top.

Another quilt finished

After my rant about quilt kits, I got busy and started working on the quilt.  I started on Thursday, and after "life happened" I finished it today.  So five days from start to finish.

DH likes it and that's the main thing as it's for him.  I wish I had done the binding differently.  And I'm sure there would have been more appropriate patterns for the quilting.  But it was fun to piece (great instructions) and fun to quilt.  I'm hoping it stands the test of time.  It probably will as a wall hanging.  Fewer washings.  But if it gets used as a quilt I wouldn't count on it!

Saying good by to our kitty

We said good bye to Tina today.  Yesterday she was in the flower bed, batting at the cat nip plants then sleeping on top of them in a sun beam.  This morning she didn't want to eat or drink, and could not stand on her own.  She's been failing for a while, but was enjoying life.  It was time to make a difficult decision.  There is a feeling of sadness along with relief.  I'm sure it will hit me when I unexpectedly come across something that she or Ba'el played with when I'm cleaning the house.  Or when I listen to the Harry Potter books read by Jim Dale.  Both cats loved his voice and would move to what ever room the stories were being played.  But for the moment DH and I are handling it okay.

Tina had some health issues.  A stone in her bladder.  When it moved she had to pee...right now!  And arthritis.  An xray done when she was only four or five showed arthritis that older large breed dogs usually get.  It was that bad.  But she didn't let that get her down.

It wasn't until these last few weeks that she gave up going downstairs to the litter box.

We told her vet that we used puppy pee pads for her and that we had put dishes of dry food where ever we didn't want her to have an accident.  He was surprised that we knew to put the food down.  Cats won't soil where there is food.  Even if it's food they don't want to eat.

He was even more surprised that such an old gal would adjust to using the pads.  He's going to suggest that to other owners of senior cats.

It's going feel strange now.  Not making sure a cat got outside when they weren't supposed to.  Not having a cat "supervising" me when quilting (or doing anything they found "interesting".  Checking to see if the person in the kitchen might be eating something a kitty would enjoy.  No night time visits for a purr session.

A quilting rant

On Saturday my husband, Mom, best friend and several other quilting buddies attended a local quilt show.  We enjoyed seeing some wonderful quilts and of course doing some shopping from the vendor booths.

DH found a quilt kit that included a panel picturing the type of machines his company rents.   When he asked me if I would make this quilt, I of course said yes.  He's buying the fabric, I get to play, and he gets the quilt to take to work.  Good deal!  The kit was $99. 

Turns out the fabric included in the kit was not what was suggested in the pattern.  It was very busy themed fabric in the same fabric line as the panel.  There would be no place to rest your eyes if I used it.  So I purchased the perfect fabric from the LQS when I was at volunteer sewing. 

Last night I started the quilt.  The first to be cut is the solid black fabric which was included in the kit.  This is for the binding and sashing.  Enough fabric was included for the binding and to cut ONE of the four 1.5" strips for the sashing!   

I can understand wanting to get rid of the fabric line if it's not selling.  I can sympathize even.  I'll piece the themed fabric for the quilt back.  It won't go to waste.  But to charge that much for a kit, then not provide the fabric measurements listed in the pattern? So disappointing.  And not something I've experienced before. 

The ladies at my local quilt shop are so generous when making up kits.  I think they add extra in case the quilter wants to individualize the pattern in some way, or makes a mistake.  To be shorted by 6" in width on one fabric....there is no excuse that I can think of.  Just for "fun" I might measure the fabrics that I won't be using to see if the quilt could have been done with the intended fabrics. 

Okay...my rant is done....for now.....