The Twelfth Cow in Black and White

Well, here she is...
the twelfth cow... in black and white.
A black and white cow??? How RIDICULOUS!  Who could imagine a black and white c...oh...wait...

She's a non nonsense kind of gal. She is a linear thinking, she likes order in her life. She wants to know when it's time to eat, and when it's time to give milk. She likes simplicity. She knows life is not all black and white, that there is lots of gray but she doesn't like it. She knows which cows in the herd are full of it. She knows which farmers have warm hands. She knows she gives the best milk. She. Knows.

Here's the thing... she was never named. She may be straight laced but she longs for a name.

decision made, the layout works for me

I made 11 cows with the rainbow scrap challenge  (superscrappy ) this year, from scraps in all colors. Then this month there was no color given. I needed a twelfth cow.
Okay, I do love black and white fabric so that's MY chosen color this month. I will eventually do black and white flamingos and dishes all from the scrap pile <==

I have made each cow with floral print fabrics and this one was no different. I just love this herd. It will take a minute to set them right, and make the decisions needed to honor them the best way possible. This is a hard part for me.

Paring down the possibilities and choosing one.
Forgive me for not showing you all of them until they are done.
Please  help me name this girl.

In progress...Christmas edition

This cute little 15 inch square came from a pattern I purchase at now closed Seminole Sampler. I thought, cute! And I can do it quickly! 

Have you met me? Do I ever take the simple route? Why make it simple when you think of all the cool possible settings? First of all, this is choc-a-block full of teensy little fused fabric pieces cut from a pattern. 

What was I thinking?! It's really cute but all that fusible adds up, and I am sensitive now to the chemicals release in ironed fusible web. I put this together two , count them, two years ago, and it gave me a headache, and I let it sit in the Christmas projects box to think about what it did. 

This is the year I want to finish it. I plan to build borders that look like a window with a curtain. Can't just border it. Then quilt best I can through many layers of fused fabrics with my titanium needle and sturdy thread. I'll show you when it's done. 
 

this is a small section of the kaleidoscope I've been working on. The one that caused the chip eating fiasco of '15. The top is done! The center is mostly still square! The borders are even! It's big! 

oh... nearly 50 inches square, just a bit big to fit in my family room display area. I admit this has been another pattern that nearly did me in. This one from the free demo Ricky Tims did on the Quilt Show recently. I would watch a little, run to the studio and make a section, run back to the computer and watch a bit more, etc. It was not fast. It required a lot of thought, and care with bias, and fitting together, ripping out, pinning, etc. I had a hard time choosing borders that complimented the center bringing your eye back to it. 

I think I am going to love it when quilted if I can figure out how to quilt it and not stretch the bias while quilting it. A lot of the fabrics are vintage from my Christmas collection gathered over many years. I was given this fabric...
 

I think it was from an abandoned project of making a tree skirt as it came with precut sections of muslin that looked like a tree skirt. I have painted those. This was large enough to use for the back with a slim section pieced in. The motifs are enormous and the colors spectacular. 

I have a really hard time using pretty fabrics on the back of wall quilts, do you? I mean, using this makes room in the stash, and it goes perfectly with the top. I had a large enough piece to almost cover the 47.5" top. Still, it won't be seen when it hangs. 

Why is fabric so darn precious to me? 
Do you use pretty fabric on the back? For binding when most of it won't show? 
Are you like me and make seasonal quilts in the season instead of looking ahead? 

I mean, I do not want to make a Christmas project in August. I want to use fall fabrics in Fall, Christmas fabrics in December. Ah well, planning isn't my forte, creativity comes with it's own demands! 

Open house?

Open house?
Not really but the weather has been so warm... what? Cole says, "the more the merrier! Come over!"

Um, Cole doesn't worry about the messy house.

As the ornament says, we want Peace, hope and joy.
And a cleaner house.
And a bigger studio (santa are you listening? )

I did not buy this glass "balloon" poodle but how funny!
Maybe it's not a poodle...


I did buy this fancy dog-lady at a craft show...

She's adorable, no? What's your story girl?
Fancy dog, pedigree and all, used to be a show girl. Got used to the good life, furs, pearls, expensive caviar breakfasts.

 She's beyond her ingenue status now, but she has memories.

And the trinkets earned over the years being a good dog...why she even still looks good from behind!

It's getting to be the time of year where I evaluate my word from last year... and my word was connect/ connections. Of course I did not keep a running list of the connections I made, and what I learned. That's not my way (organized) (I tried to keep a list but lost it)  I am in process of thinking of the word for 2016.

anyway, remember...

buy this at Twisted Sisters in Annapolis

linking to a party at Thankful Thursdays pet parade

gift exchane needlebooks

I came up with the grand idea to do a gift exchange in my bee for Christmas.

Only a couple people wanted to do it but they are excellent sewists so I am excited to see what they made.
Previous years I suggested a notions exchange, a pin cushion exchange, a fabric exchange and others. This year I suggested a needle book. The top left is mine, the top right is Bern's and the bottom is the one I received, from Cindy.

 Here is a shot of them opened up. Look at Bern's with the place for thread, binding clips, little scissor holder. Cindy's is so detailed, and I love the needle threader pocket as well as reinforced felt pin area.
Look at the exquisite workmanship and beading...

I would have been happy with either case made by my sew sisters, but Cindy I just love this and all the time and design that went into it.
To me, it's  interesting how three people will approach a challenge differently and showcase their individual styles so strongly. Cindy plans a project, carefully does her very best work always, and does careful perfect stitches often by hand with special threads. Her bead work is perfectly aligned, the design is sweet and colorful and so well made.
Bern is a very accomplished quilt maker with a long arm quilting business. She is so friendly and open to trying new things as well as always there as a friend to contribute. She made a thoughtful case any sewer would love to own and keep with their travel supplies. She also chose happy fabric, quilted it with tiny  eyelet stitches, has an organized place for everything. She said the pattern was free online, but she made changes of course!

I jumped right in cutting fabric, then deciding what to put where! So typical of me. I love ArtFabric's hand dyed perle cotton thread so I started in with hand embroidery wherever it seems right. I folded and refolded, to place things. I found words on ribbons to attach the felt squares inside so a person sees "create, believe, imagine" while they stitch. I put a scrapbooking cardboard word on the back next to a wild bird to remind you to sing. I liked it so much I made one for me!

This one has an old shoelace handle because it's the perfect color! Mine has words I needed to see on it.

I make my art because I am driven to express myself that way. I share it with you as I believe the connections made between creative people spark all of us.
I am writing a pattern for it. Is anyone interested? I am considering paying it forward by making it a freebie....
I have appreciated all the free patterns online over the years, and this would be a way to pay back...

A little shopping spree and we three

It all started innocently enough.
I said, let's walk in Annapolis this morning!
(poor men of my life didn't realize this would include a shopping spree)

Cole got dressed, we got in the car and DH asked "where first?"
Well since we're going that way anyway, let's go by the fabric store as I need borders for this kaleidoscope then we'll go into the city.

They were having a 25% off Christmas fabric, right when I needed some more red with dots. It's JollyHolliday in the City by In the Beginning. The white is Hoffman's Berries and Blooms. I love them and they are perfect for the kaleidoscope! Finally I think I have chosen borders!
Since this is one of Cole's favorite shopping areas we also went to Art Things and I found these perfect (for me) stocking stuffers. So DH was able to purchase them safe in the knowledge I'd see them and go "Perfect honey! How did you know??"

Two cool stencils, can't wait to play with them. Two pairs of socks with the all important feature of NO HOLES + artsy. The girl with a pearl has a "real" pearl earring as well. Hee hee. You could probably order some from Art Things in Annapolis.
We visited with lots of people and dogs on this little spree. Cole met some cutie poodles too. When poodle people meet we always discuss lumps/bumps and haircuts!
We tried to walk around the old town, but y'all it was hoppin'. No room at the Inn. No place to park a car.

We decided to move on to another area, parole plaza.

Lucky husband, I found two tops on serious sale + extra 30% off! More perfect gifts.  Anthropologie.

(surprises are great but this takes some of the pressure off him. That's right. I shop for me, for him. It's MY gift, heh heh)
He found something at the running store for him. We tried to sit at our fave outdoor cafe but despite 65 degree heat the patio was closed. Wah.

 Cole loves these shops and headed right into Sur la Table. Unfortunately I didn't want to go in so he had to go where I wanted... dang leash! He got lots of attention for the scarf.
Cole here, "I told Mamma it was too hot for a scarf but she said one must suffer for fashion dahling. Well, she's kind of right, it was only a bit hot, and it was amazing the paparazzi were in love with me! Oh the pets and admiration. Well, of course! " "And I only wanted to go into the cooking store to get mamma something for Christmas, something to make for me. "

We went for a morning walk, and came home three hours later. That's about right.
linking to mollisparkles sunday stash  

No Fabric left behind...

At least I finished the scrappy table runner made from the waste left over from the kaleidoscope STILL on the design wall.

Once again proving:
1. No detail is too small to dither over
2. Even if a quilt is not headed for a National competition, I still expect it to be a showstopper.
3. Things always take longer than you think they will
4. You can have a room FULL to the rafters of fabric and not ~one~ of them is the right tone/pattern/shade of green for a border.

As Michaelangelo said, "I am Still learning..."

I thought the kaleidoscope would be quilted and hanging on the family room wall by now, after all Ricky Tims said it was fast and easy to make!

Let's move on to happier subjects shall we?? I love love love the way the table runner came out and it was made of total scraps. I want to make a bed sized one next. Now it was fast and easy and so much fun.


I quilted it with straight lines in gold metallic thread, and really shiny halogram mylar thread. The border came out kind of looking like plaid because I crossed the stripes.
( note to self, you can make something look plaid)
(note to you, I didn't want it to look plaid) (whatever, I am not ripping out the quilting now)
Then I kept going on improv piecing the rest of the little cut off pieces into a variety of hexie sizes...

Fun fun fun
then there are these

finished coasters. I tried envelop turn on two of them, and folding a large backing over the front for two of them. The folding over thing didn't look as good as I thought it would... or as easy...

Look at that little reindeer girl in a circle skirt! Hee hee! That's my girl!

various sizes just made them according to scraps left over. The white one is pretty but appears to be a bit wonky??

These are bigger than the others....


then the biggest one of all...

Looks like a road sign for a hazard ahead. But look at them together...

What is it in me that will sit and mindlessly piece for an hour? It is so comforting. And there is something about making something from nothing. There is the mix of textures and angles to love as well. I don't know. I have lots of weird components hanging around here, that I hope will turn into something.
I am headed back into the studio to seek the right border fabric for that stupid kaleidoscope quilt-in-a-day.

Santa, I need some more toys!

Which one of you guys wants to read this letter?

Dear Santa,

My momma has been on a spree. She sorted through my toys, WITHOUT asking mind you, and made three piles. She says there are some that need giving away that I don’t play with… YET! 

He's never even touched the candy cane and tug toy

Yet, momma! 

I’ll get to them. 
What? It’s been years?

 Heh heh my how time flies! Well I guess you can give them away since I never touched them.

But all the others? I mean just because they are broken, and the noise makers are gone and they stink and are dirty and chewed up?
 I just broke them in! 

I've been VERY GOOD!

Santa, all I have left are three LITTLE Toy-boxes full. 
What’s a poodle to do? 

I have my favorites sure, and dig for them even if momma puts them in the bottom. But they are mine, gathered over my whole life. 

 

All I can say is the duck better not disappear. 

Want to see my duck toy? a little red wagon, a duck and a poodle 

Santa, I really don’t need any new toys, so if you can take the ones you would have brought me,  to some deserving pups out there, that would be great.

I would not turn up my snout at some whimsies though, just sayin’

Love and licks, 

Cole

SO THIS is what you've been doing!! 

LeeAnna here: I am guilty of sorting through the mass of accumulated toys. I ripped the broken noise boxes and squeakers out of about 8 old toys, and would consider buying new squeakers to fix them. That squirrel alone is too cute to trash. I am not telling Cole yet, no need to get his hopes up.

Are you buying your dogs and cats new toys this year? Do they have their favorites that you are not allowed to get rid of? Is your house full of smelly toys like mine?