Satisfaction

Finishing up projects is so satisfying. 

Gifting a completed project is very satisfying.

Receiving a hand-written Thank You is VERY satisfying.

I've had a satisfying week.

Oregon Duck Quilt is quilted and bound.

Faith, my LAQ, chose a football pattern.

The quilt is reversible.

I wanted the g-son to have the option of using it as a lap quilt, or hanging it on his wall, so I added a sleeve.  At the suggestion of Miss Kate, I did not tack down the bottom of the sleeve.  By not tacking down the sleeve, the quilt becomes reversible and he can hang either side out!

A big shout out and Thank You to Miss Charlotte-the-Tall for the fun "Cash" fabric!

Judging from the look on his face, The Oregon Duck was a big hit!

And, as predicted, mini g-son wants one,too.  His favorite team is the Cleveland Browns.

(Of course, little one, but not this year.)

Finally:  Also this week, Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood, Oregon sent a very nice, hand-written note for all the kitty beds and kitty masks.  That was a nice surprise! Sending notes in the mail, and particularly Thank You notes, is a lost art.  Let's bring it back!  Put a smile on someone's face, send them a note.

Support your local USPS....send a hand-written note to someone!

Patiently Waiting

Well, maybe not so patiently.....

I ordered University of Oregon fabric for the back of the Oregon Duck quilt.... now I wait...what to do, what to do....

To stay out of trouble, I need to amuse myself while I wait.

So, I dug out some kitty-print fabric scraps and am making masks for Cat Adoption Team.

 

The CAT volunteers could wear them.
They could sell them in their little shop.
They could give them away with each adoption....fun!

Keep your head down and your mask on.

Until We Meet Again.....

Tuesday night is Needler's night.  The "on-property" three met last night...obeying the rules.

Miss Kate brought a show-n-tell, her current project,

Running With Scissors by Annie.com

These are not her fabrics.

Running with Scissors

This is going to be such a cute tool case.  For more pictures of this case, click HERE

Miss Nancy is not moving forward on her project.  Man, it's hard to get un-stuck....

I know first hand.  We just keep encouraging her.  She does "show up" and that is half the battle.  She keeps the scrap bucket empty. (We make cat beds with fabric scraps for Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood, OR.)

I am making progress on the Oregon Duck Lap Quilt for my g-son.  The instructions are screwy, that is all I can say.

I've labeled and pinned all the pieces to the design wall.  I'm short white fabric....shucky-darn!  A bunch of fabric left over, but not much white, only scraps...isn't that always the case?!  I might have enough white scraps to piece it...and, after all, the whole thing is pieced so what would it matter, eh?

Wrapping Up Summer

A Few Signs that Summer is pretty much OVER! 

Dog Days of Summer - hot, Hot, HOT outside!

Oldest G-son's Birthday.
My first grand-love.

Football practice before the Season starts.
Youngest Babe all suited up.
He still looks a bit like bobble head.

There are a few times during the year that I like to re-group.  

End of summer - just before school starts is one of those times.

Yesterday I finished another UFO (#5 on the UFO list).

Laura Heine's Puurfect Cat Collage

This is for the up-coming charity auction for Cat Adoption Team, Whisker Wonderland.

 AND

I cleaned and organized my sewing space ....

I'm ready for Fall and new sewing adventures!

There's No Place Like Home

It has been a fun, fun two weeks:  first in Kentucky with my dad and family (see the previous post) and then off to Washington to spend 5 days with my quilting buddy auntie, Nyla. And, man-o-man did we pack a lot of quilting fun into those 5 days!!!

First on the agenda; pick up a friend and shop hop to pick up Row-By-Row patterns and kits.

Bear Paw in Cour 'd Alene Idaho

Hatties in Spokane Washington

Quilting Bee in Spokane Washington

Sew EZ Too in Spokane... this one is now my favorite.

As you can see, we stimulated the quilt economy in the Spokane area just a wee bit.

I caught the bug and even though I SWORE I would not get any patterns or kits to make a Row-By-Row they were just so darn cute I could not help myself.  If you have not considered participating in this fun quilt along, you still have time. You cannot order the patterns or the kits via phone or on line.  The whole purpose of Row-By-Row is to visit the shops. Click HERE to get started.

Of course we celebrated the birthday of our Nation (and Auntie's B-day as well) with family and friends.

Another vacation project; I cleaned out a couple of my auntie's stash drawers and organized the fabric by color.  In the process I found enough scraps to make two kitty beds for Cat Adoption Team.

Lastly, no vacation would be complete without actually sitting down at a sewing machine and/or handling some quilts!!!

I finished this BOM started a couple of years ago (it needed borders.)  I took it to my auntie's quilter in Spokane,
Heartbeat Quilting, and I should have it back in about a month.  I will keep this one.

And, look what auntie made me for my birthday (a couple year ago)!!!

 It took her a couple years to get the binding on.....oy, vey....

I'm her favorite! Ahhhhh

It was a fun vacation...I'm pooped.... I need a vacation from my vacation!

Got Crumbs? Make Beds!

What is more fun than traveling to the beautiful, Pacific Northwest?  Staying home for a week!

The youngest Babe and Petey

Yep, I've had a nice week at home working on miscellaneous sewing projects (and swimming with the Babes).... I will be leaving again today ....






While I was in Vancouver BC earlier in May, I spent my evenings in the hotel cutting up scraps, making specific size pieces for future use and creating "crumbs."  

When I started quilting a few years  back, my quilt mentor (and favorite Auntie, Nyla Stoughton) told me to NEVER throw away fabric, regardless of how small and useless the piece may seem.  I've followed that advice (mostly).  So NOW what do I do with all the crumbs?????

Why, make kitty beds for Cat Adoption Team, of course!!!

My daughter volunteers for the Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood Oregon.  When a kitty is adopted, they take their beds with them....nice idea, eh?

I had enough crumbs to make three beds.  They are all boxed up and ready to ship.

AND, as an added bonus..... I've emptied a container in my sewing room and will now take this empty container and put it in the laundry room in my building to make some other person happy and more organized.
Whoooo Hooooo!!  Win, win, win!

So, Got Crumbs?  Make Beds!
Contact the Cat Adoption Team if you, too, want to use up some of those crumbs!

Doing My Duty For God and My Daughter's Charity

In the previous post, I wrote about the Cat Adoption Team and their upcoming Whisker Wonderland.  My daughter, Ana, has been volunteering at CAT for a long time.  She asked me to make some knitting bags and fabric baskets for the event.












 Here is my contribution:

For links to Fabric Basket tutorials, see previous post
http://quiltedq.blogspot.ca/2015/07/takin-break.html

If you are in the Portland, Oregon area and want to purchase these, or any of the many other wonderful things they will have available (along with good food and good people and a live auction) OR  if you love cats and kittens....plan to attend
Cat Adoption Team's Whisker Wonderland.
(and say "Hi" to my daughter)

Love You, Honey

What a face!

Takin a Break

I'm taking a bit of a break from my Christmas Quilts because my daughter asked me to make fabric baskets and totes for the Cat Adoption Team's (CAT) fund raiser in November, Whisker Wonderland.
(As a side note...this is a great organization.  My daughter has volunteered there for about 10 years, I think.)

http://catadoptionteam.org/

Here are a couple I made for Ana.  She knits so I  made one for home and one for toting around.

They're fast, they're easy and they satisfy the need to sew without thinking too hard.

Here are some helpful links to fabric basket patterns and tutorials:

http://radcrafter.com/2011/11/fabric-organizer-bin-aka-diaper-caddy-sewing-tutorial-and-free-pattern-download/

http://creativeideasforyou.blogspot.com/2010/11/baskets-and-handbags-patterns-and.html (scroll down)

Same Link as above






I'll make 6 total, two of each pattern and get them off to her by the end of the week.  If you are in the Pacific Northwest....look up Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood, OR.  And, say "Hi" to my daughter when you go pick out your new kitty.... :-)