Clue Five

Whew, I didn't think I would make it but I did get clue 5 finished--yippee!  Lots of folks mentioned they thought the blocks looked like little houses and I did too.  So I dug through my stack of works in progress and found my Happy Scrappy Houses stash and pulled one out to include in my village.  The colors in the house block worked purrfectly with Easy Street. 

Now back the the sewing machine to finish up a bit of clue 4 as I didn't get all of those geese sewn together.  I'm looking forward to the next step in our mystery and you can too by visiting Bonnie on Easy Street.

Flying Geese Again--Clue 4

Oh dear, pesky flying geese again!  Surprisingly the geese I have completed actually went together much easier than the last time.  I still have about 25 more to do but there is just too much to do right now so they will have to wait their turn.

Meet our non-flying geese.

There is still time to get flying if you click Here and join us all on Easy Street.

Cheers!

Debi

Wordless Wednesday

Clue 3 of Easy Street

Does anyone else feel like Sherlock Holmes or Dr. Watson while working on Easy Street?   All of the clues and the mystery is just so exciting!

I was able to work on Clue 3 of Easy Street this weekend and all went fairly well; however, I really must read instructions and not just glance over them and assume I know what I'm doing.  You see, like a couple of other folks that are working on the mystery I used both rulers and was surprised when my turquoise/teal triangle didn't match up with it's other half--what?  It ended up working out just fine though as this is probably the first time I decided to make a sample block--see I did actually read some of Bonnie's instructions.

Here are the results of my work this weekend after I reread the instructions--LOL!

After posting this photo I realized I didn't do a great job at lining the little blocks up so they all faced the same way, oh well you get the idea.

Whenever I sew I always have a cat or two supervising my activities and this time was no exception.  Guinness loves attention and wants to sit on my lap when I sew so I tried to get a photo of him helping me with my blocks.  It is really hard to try to take a photo at such an awkward angle.

As you can tell I love cats and quilting and I always try to incorporate some type of cat print in my quilts.  This time I was able to use several prints as my grey constant is a fabric called "Fur" and I've used a few other novelty prints as well.

Tonight's our quilt guild meeting and it will be interesting to see if anyone is playing along with Easy Street.   Are you still just thinking about joining the fun?  Take the plunge and join us on Easy Street .

Cheers!

Debi

Easy Street Clue 2

Whew, finally got those flying geese cut and sewn and here is a sampling of my collection of approx. 135 geese.

I normally avoid making flying geese because they can be so fickle.  LOL, notice I said they are fickle and it has nothing to do with my skill and patience.

For the first time ever I tried the Easy Angle and Companion Angle rulers which  were pretty easy to use.  The rulers did slide every now and then  but that could have just been me and my inexperience with using them. 

Did I have any other problems?  You bet, but the problems were nothing compared to previous attempts at making flying geese.  Do I have some wonky geese?  Oh yes, and I am sure that some of my geese will have their beaks cut off once they take flight.

Want to get in on the mystery?  Join us on Easy Street where there is still plenty of time to get started.
 
Cheers!

Debi

UR Priceless Coin Purse Revisted

Every now and then I cat sit a kitty, Bizzy, for a friend.  I thought I might attempt to make her a little coin purse with some cat fabric that reminds me of the Biz.  Once again I struggled with sewing the purse into the frame and I decided to glue a little trim inside to help cover my stitches since the fancier frames are shorter on the inside so I'm not sure if there is any way to hide stitches with this type of frame.

Meet Bizzy, the wonder cat.  He is so sweet and friendly and I just love visiting with him.

The adorable cat fabric that I used to represent Bizzy.

Luckily I still had some orange fur fabric in my stash and I used it for the sides as well as the lining.

Here is the inside which I stuffed with lots of chocolate candy.

And a final shot of the Biz.

I still have plans to make two more coin purses but you know how those best laid plans go. 

Now I'm off to work on Clue 2 of Bonnie Hunter's mystery. 

Cheers!

Easy Street Clue 1

My first Quiltville mystery and I am loving it!  If you would like to join the fun check HERE to find out all about Easy Street.

Step 1 was really easy and I am so happy to report I have 199 little four patches bagged and I am ready for the next step.  Here is a sampling of my blocks.

MiniMe was one of my helpers with the four patches and he couldn't resist checking each block to make sure I twisted those seams so they would lay nice and flat.

Here are my twosie's all stacked up waiting their turn at the sewing machine.

MiniMe not only checked completed blocks he wanted to make sure I cut each and every one purrfectly.  He must have fallen down on the job though as a few of my blocks are a little wonky so it is a good thing I made a few extra.

Mini and I both are ready to take a break and relax for a few days so we will be ready for Step 2.

Cheers!

Easy Street

For the first time I've decided to join Bonnie Hunter and her Quiltville Mystery this year.  When Bonnie announced the mystery was going to be easier than the last couple of years, and showed the fabrics she was using, I thought I'm in.  Today the first clue was presented and I'm pretty excited to get started working on Easy Street.  Here are my fabric choices although I am not sure about my grey and have a substitute piece of fabric just in case it doesn't work out as I think it might be a too little light.

If you want to join in the fun be sure to visit Bonnie's blog.

Cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has a great and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family or friends.  Not a lot of quilting going on around here with holiday preparations so I thought I would share a photo of our turkey, cleverly named Mr. Turkey.  Mr. Turkey has a couple of turkey friends as well and they are such fun to watch so meet Mr. Turkey!

In case you are wondering he is a family pet and will not be joining us for Thanksgiving dinner.  His turkey friends are safe as well as they all love running around the farm keeping the chickens in line.

Some day I really should make some sort of holiday wall hanging representing our turkeys but that will have to wait as there are just too many other projects waiting in the wings.

Finally, I wanted to include one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions--listening to Alice's Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie, which just makes me laugh.

 I hope you enjoy it too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cheers.

Sample Jack Attack

I spent the weekend working on a sample block of Jack Attack.  I am sure glad I did because I didn't follow the directions as closely as I should have.  First, I used a directional print and didn't pay any attention to which direction it should be going, oh well.  Then I made a few sewing mistakes and had a block that just didn't go anywhere except in the trash.  And I had to re-sew a few seams but in the end I did get one nice big block done.  I guess I should feel pretty good about getting it actually completed because I am feeling a bit sinus-y today and I am sure that affected all of my goofy decisions--LOL!

I plan on making a few more blocks soon, but I really need to sort through some stash to find fabrics that I think will work a little better.  This block is destined to be a quilt for the kitties as they always need a quilt of their own and it will work out well on the back of my couch too.

Interested in making your own Union Jack?  Lily has all of the instructions posted here Jack Attack.

Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday

Skyfall and a quilt

Tomorrow we are going to see Skyfall and I can't wait as I love Bond films and Daniel Craig is the best!  A friend went to see it yesterday and she said it is just fabulous.  I thought I would try to include the movie trailer just to see if I could--I love trying new things in blogger especially when they work.

I also wanted to share the small quilt that I call Yellow Brick Road Goes to London.  It is pinned and ready to be quilted as soon as have some time and get a little more practice quilting the design.  My thoughts are to quilt it with a baptist fan design but we'll just have to wait and see. 

November certainly has had a British theme!

Cheers!

UR Priceless Day 5!

Yippee!!!  Today is my day to share coin purses with everyone and as a new blogger it is just a little more than exciting to be able to participate in such a fun event.  I am totally amazed at what everyone has created as they really are priceless.

As always, a huge thanks goes to Madame Samm for setting up all of these fabulous hops as well as providing a terrific and easy pattern.  Thanks also to to our cheerleader Katherine of Sew Me Something Good who kept all of us purse peeps informed.  By the way, the Chaka Khan song Tell Me Something Good keeps popping in my head every time I think of Katherine--LOL!  I also want to thank Corrie at Quilt Taffy and Kelly and the elves at IHAN for their help with those special supplies.

I made two coin purses and they were inspired by my love of travel.  Last month I visited London for a week and had a blast so naturally I wanted to make something to remind me of one of my most favorite places on the planet.

Here is what the back looks like--fit for a queen.

And who wouldn't love the London Tube map fabric used as the lining.

Guinness thought the fabric I selected for my purse pocket was purrfect and it even holds his Petsmart savings card which he really appreciates.

The second coin purse was made as a reminder to save my pennies for Paris which is also one of the best places ever.  I can't make up my mind if I like London or Paris best so until I can figure it out it looks like I'll have to visit each city over and over again.

Thank goodness I have a coin purse for each city so I can save all my pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, tons of dollars for my next trip. 

Overall I had fun making the coin purses and never dreamed I would complete one, let alone two.  The handles were a bit of a challenge at times as well as a corner or two but the good news is I still have a few handles left and so I will get a chance to try again and again.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog.  I know all of the other bloggers are anxious for you to visit them as well so here is a schedule for today.

Day 5 - Nov. 9th

Polka Dot Classic
Geta's Quilting Studio
Busy Bee Free
Briarside Lane
Quilts and Dogs
Blueberrymoon
Debbie R
suebee's World
Englating
Les passions de Cliodana
Colorpoint Quilter
On the Go Quilting
Personalized Sketchesand Sentiments
Freemotion by the River
grannygoodstuff
Scrapbook-ChickADoodle

Visit my side bar, Got Coin Purses?,  for a complete schedule of the UR Priceless blog hop.

Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday

UR Priceless Blog Hop

Tomorrow is the first day of the UR Priceless coin purse blog hop and I can't wait to see what everyone has created. 


It sounds like some folks have gone coin purse crazy over the past few weeks.  Madame Samm shared a few coin purses she created last week and all I could think was Oh dear I think I'm in trouble because those purses are so darn creative and cute.

Although I'm not allowed to share my purse ahead of time I do actually have two to share on Friday, November 9th.  The whole coin purse process was pretty easy but I've never been a fan of fusible anything as it never seems to be that easy for me.  As you can see I had to clean my iron after attempting to use the fusible and an applique sheet--LOL!

The complete UR Priceless coin purse schedule can be found HERE as well as on my sidebar.

I know I'll be visiting each and every blog and I hope you will to.  Enjoy the hop!

We Have A Winner!

Spay and Neuter Abandoned Cats and Kittens, Inc, SNACK, had the drawing for their raffle quilt this morning.  The quilt was a year long project for the volunteers of SNACK and one lucky winner had their name drawn.  Click here to learn more about this wonderful organization that helps cats, kittens, and caregivers in Central Ohio.

Yes, I did help make the quilt and met some new quilting friends along the way.  It was so exciting to see the project from start to finish and I look forward to working on future projects with SNACK.

Okay, I've tried to change my time zone at least a million times, well, maybe a couple, but it never seems to work--any thoughts?   Grrr, as I need to be a little more accurate for the blog hop next week.

Remembering French

Wow, where has the time gone?  I still haven't gotten around to doing much quilting but decided to make a polka dot puff bed to donate to Small Paws Rescue  in memory of my beloved French.  French was surrendered to a rescue due to unfortunate family circumstances when he was nine years old.  I adopted him and he lived with us for six and half wonderful years.  French has been gone since 2007 and we still miss him each and every day.

Here is the bed I made and donated to the auction.   Click here to go to the Small Paws auction page and you will see some amazing items that have been donated.

Crazy for Catnip

I am working on kitty crafts this week as the items are needed for a craft show on Saturday.  Catnip mice, puff beds and kitty kick pillows are the items I must get done and I am making good progress--whew!  Catnip grows all around my yard and I try to harvest some every year and Sunday I took one of my large bunches down from the barn rafters and stripped it so I could use the good stuff in my crafts.  Here is my catnip bunch before I stripped it.

And here is what it looks like now that I am ready to craft.

MimiMe is such a helper when it comes to making catnip mice and he wants to be right in the middle of all of the action.

All of the mice are completed and now I just need to finish the kick pillows and stuff the puff beds before the end of the week.  Once the crafts are done I hope to get back to some quilting.

Quilt Poem

The following was read at our September quilt guild meeting and I thought it was too funny.  I don't get much done as it is and if I follow these "rules" I'll never get anything done!

FROM 1949

Prepare yourself mentally for sewing.  Think about what you are going to do . . .Never approach sewing with a sigh or lackadaisically.  Good results are difficult when indifference predominates.

Never try to sew with a sink full of dirty dishes or beds unmade.  When there are urgent housekeeping chores, do these first so your mind is free to enjoy your sewing.  When you sew, make yourself as attractive as possible.  Put on a clean dress.  Keep a little bag full of French chalk near your sewing machine to dust your fingers at intervals.  Have your hair in order, powder and lipstick put on.  If you are constantly fearful that a visitor will drop in or your husband will come home, and you will not look neatly put together, you will not enjoy your sewing.

Twinkie is checking to see if we are getting any visitors because he knows I am not neatly put together to accept visitors!

Tea and Meringue

My travel friend and I spent last week visiting London and had a wonderful time.  The weather was a bit rainy and it did hamper some of our planned outdoor activities but it didn't interrupt our tea time.  We did get to the Orangery and once again the raspberry meringue eluded me as the kitchen is undergoing a major renovation and the menu was limited.  But not to worry as I eventually found a pile of meringues at the Borough Market and was able to satisfy my meringue need.

We also took a couple of hours to have a lovely high tea at The Sanderson Hotel where they have an Alice in Wonderland theme.  It was fun but I'm not sure it was worth the price as it is quite expensive.

My favorite place ended up being Maison Bertaux as the pastries were beautiful and so tasty.  I had a wonderful raspberry tart that was the best.  Now if I had remembered to take a photo of it I could remember it forever but sadly I must have been too distracted by the tart to remember to get my camera out.

All in all it was a great trip and I would do it again in a heartbeat.  I am happy to be home and now I have to get busy working on some kitty crafts for a craft show in two weeks.

Sweet Dreams

Sweet dreams of high teas in London.  I loved the high tea at Fortnum and Mason and The Orangery at Kensington Palace when I was there last.

I really want to try one of those raspberry meringues at The Orangery so I hope they are still on the menu.  You might ask if I am going to London and the answer is Yes, yes, yes, I am going soon!

Dreaming of London

A Challenge

My raffle quilt block was turned in at quilt guild along with about 34 other blocks so it sounds like we have a great start on our quilt.  We are also having a quilt challenge and kits were passed out.  February is my challenge and the fabric provided will give me lots of options.

I have started thinking about what I want to do and right now I'm thinking about wonky LOVE letters with perhaps some flowers as a border.  Who knows what I'll come up with in the end though as there is still tons of time left to work on it.

Yesterday was my niece's birthday and I sent her a birthday cake!  What a delightful and fun pattern this was to work on and it went together so easily.  It looks a bit wonky here because I laid it on the ground to take a photo but it really does lay nice and straight.  The pattern is called Cake Walk and is from Bee In My Bonnet.  The pattern also comes with a wonderful lemon cake recipe and I made that as well awhile back and it was delicious.

Raffle Quilt Block

Our quilt guild has started working on our raffle quilt for our July 2013 show.  The quilt is a sampler and the guild provided fabric as well as a variety of patterns to chose from.  Tomorrow night we are to turn in our blocks and it will be exciting to see what everyone has done.   Today I worked on my block, Hour Glass III, and I was pleased how it turned out. 

As always, I have a helper and today Cheddar curled in his bed and watched me lay out the block as I got ready to sew it together.

So Confusing!

Well it has been almost a month since I started this blog and I haven't posted a thing.  I've been trying to figure out how to add things like badges to my blog and it has taken me forever!  Finally success, but in the meantime I've added things and I have no idea where they are or what they have done to my blog--LOL.  Perhaps I'll now be able to share some of my quilting or cat adventures.

I love to read quilting and cat blogs and for several years wanted to start one myself and finally decided to give it a try.  I also realized I needed to be a blogger to participate in many fun blogger activities which has brought me here today.  Stay tuned as I learn more about blogging and share a few stories of my quilting adventures and my cats.