New Project

This flannel fabric has been patiently waiting for me to make the Country Threads mitten quilt. I saw the quilt years and years ago when my sister and I visited Country Threads in Iowa. Then several years later I spotted this fabric at the local quilt shop and purchased enough for the backing to my anticipated mitten quilt.Now, in the Spring of 2010, when the bin of flannels is embarrassingly full, I picked out a stack of colors that pleased me and began cutting.
Here are a few blocks that I made. The pattern is so old that the directions require using templates, so I figured out an easier rotary cutting method that I wanted to test out.

In the meantime, the visiting cat found a cozy spot - the recycle basket I keep on the porch. The temperature was warm yesterday and the sun was shining, and he looks very content in this airy, yet confined space.

Yesterday was warm and sunny. Today it is cooler and rainy. Perhaps I will make time today to cut and sew more mitten blocks. Seems silly to be doing this Winter quilt in the Spring, but I'm determined to use up stash and the flannel bin was the fullest.

Fair weather friend

I got up for one minute to grab a tissue and when I returned to my porch chair, Mr. Visiting Cat had taken over the whole cushion. I'm sure I heard him murmur, "April Fool".

Ready for quilting

My dear visiting cat, Elliot, enjoys waking me up around 5:00am. After I feed him he goes downstairs, snuggles up against Grace, and sleeps the rest of the morning. I've shown this quilt top before, but today I got it out to prepare the backing and binding for quilting. Elliot decided to pose on the quilt and then I couldn't get him off to measure the size of the backing.
Here he is, unconcerned that he is in the way. I pieced the center of the backing with leftover fabric from the quilt top.

The sides of the backing are this pretty polka dot fabric.

Getting up at 5:00am means I either go to bed early or take an afternoon nap - or both! A Queen needs her beauty sleep.

Cat company

Elliot, the visiting cat, keeps me company all day long.

He waits next to Mr. Bear while I shower and get dressed for the day.

He cuddles up next to Grace (the colorful bear in my Quilt Studio) while I sew.

Comfortably resting on a side chair, he keeps a watchful eye on me as I sit at the computer.

Every where I go, Elliot comes running, my constant companion.

Elliot is back......

Elliot is back for a short visit and in no time he was in my lap, helping me with my binding.Helping? Well, not really. Just like he is not much of a help sitting in my lap as I try to do this post. He is purring up a storm, so I know he is happy.

Bye Bye Cats

The visiting cats are leaving tomorrow - going to their grandmother's home for a while. I will miss their sweet presence and seeing them curled up together in sleep. I will NOT miss cleaning out litter pans or cleaning up vomit. There is always two sides to everything.

Cats Rule

After breakfast I went into the bedroom to make my bed and visiting cat Mr. Elliot was peacefully sleeping on the pillow, so of course the bed is now only partially made. Then I thought I would sit in my favorite chair and read for a while. Hmmmm. Visiting cat Mr. Rudi was curled up and snoring as he took his morning snooze. Cats, even visiting cats, seem to rule in this house.
No pictures of quilting projects to show as the projects I am doing are a secret. However, I will give a sneak peak at some pillow cases made from old Christmas fabric. Is this a hint? More will be revealed some time in May.

Today I am grateful for.....

1. Anticipation - my cousin is coming this week for a visit. We always have a great time together!

2. This cool weather we are having. Everyone else is looking forward to warm summer weather, but I prefer the cooler temperatures where sweaters are appropriate wearing apparel.

2. A good read.......there is nothing like a good book. Just finished reading Dewey. What a delightful book.

Cat Report

Before I rush off to my Quilt Studio for a day of sewing/quilting, I thought I would give a report on my visiting cats.

My knitting bag, which was against the wall by a chair in the living room, fell over and the cats have declared this a wonderful cat bed. It is cozy and warm, and for now I am allowing it as it is keeping my furniture free of cat hair! Cats are known to bring dead mice as gifts to their humans. Thank goodness there are no mice around here (that I know of) so my visiting cat brought me a scroll cover (for counted cross-stitch) that was on a shelf in my Quilt Studio. This is the third time he has brought this long piece up from the basement. I feel loved.

Cat Interference

It feels like I have not done much counted cross-stitching since the visiting cats arrived. They are lap-sitters so it is hard to manage counted cross-stitch with a huge purring cat in your lap - plus they shed hair that doesn't look good on the canvas. Here is a little piece that I finally finished, sneeking my stitching in when the cats were napping elsewhere. Trying to type on my computer is near impossible with dear Elliot insisting on helping me. IMPROVE is prominently displayed on my desktop screen and Elliot is striving very hard to improve his interference skills. He is gets an A+

Fresh Air

It is a beautiful, sunny, warm day today. This is the first day since my visiting cats have been here that I could open the door to the back screened-in porch and let them investigate. Elliot went right out the door and began sniffing and investigating. His tail was up which means he was very happy. His nose will ache tonight from all the sniffing. Whereas Rudi is a different story. He sat in the doorway and would not venture out onto the porch. He watched his brother and sniffed the air, but simply would not take that scary step into a new world.
Rudi is in the computer room right now, staring at me, and probably wondering what other horrible thing I will be doing today. So far I have vacuumed (he hides under my bed), played the recorder, (he can't stand the sound and goes downstairs) and now I opened the back door and he is afraid of the new sights and sounds.

To which cat do you relate - Elliot or Rudi ???????

It's Pointless........

Up on the design board I slapped all the blocks for Come-On-A-My-House, ready to start sewing them all together and was dismayed to find out I was one block short. How did that happen?????? Thank goodness the whole quilt is made from scrap fabric. I found some leftover pieces from a panel and fussy-cut a piece for the center of a final sawtooth star. The process of sewing the blocks together is slow and I didn't finish today. Maybe tomorrow. There are many, many points in this quilt and because my sewing is less than perfect I think I may have to re-name the quilt to Pointless. However, from that infamous galloping horse the quilt should look pretty good.

While I worked away at the sewing machine, the visiting cats were hard at work taking a cuddly nap. Such a tough life they lead - sleep, eat, nap, purr, nap, get a treat, sleep.

Today I am grateful for -

1. Sewing time

2. Plump sweet blueberries

3. Church friends

Cats and a Meme

While I sit at the computer, the visiting cats like to keep me company. Here is Rudi in the midst of my messy desk. You can see a slice of my life lined up - a pink file box, my scotch tape dispenser under the open Bible, Rudi on the Bible, quilt tops piled up waiting for instruction sheets to send to the long-arm quilter and a seldom used piano in the background. While Rudi watches from the desk, Elliot purrs away on my lap and quite often falls asleep - and snores!

On Jeanne's Blog, she had an interesting Meme that I thought I would try. The idea is to answer all the questions using the first letter of your name.

1. What is your name: Bonnie

2. A four letter word: blog

3. A boy's name: Benjamin

4. A girl's name: Betty

5. An occupation: baker

6. A color: blue

7. Something you wear: bathrobe

8. A food: bread

9. Something found in the bathroom: blow-dryer

10. A place: bedroom

11. A reason for being late: breakdown

12. Something you shout: blast

13. A movie title: Born Free

14. Something you drink: Beer (Root Beer for me)

15. A musical group: Boston Pops Orchestra

16. An animal: bear

17. A book title: Bitter Sweets (it is on my book shelf waiting to be read)

18. A country: Belgium

19. A city: Boston

20. Something you value or believe: breathing is good

Sweet Gift

See this adorable bowl. It was made by a sweet little girl just for me. (*) This little girl knows that I love quilts and that I belong to two Book Clubs. She went on a Ceramic Painting play date with friends right before Christmas. What a great little artist! I moved the computer forward and now there is no room for poor Elliot in front of the computer. Poor baby.
Instead of sitting in front of this computer, maybe I should go do a little quilting. Ah, but it is so much fun to blog and read other blogs.

* the little girl is me : )

Stash Report for January

Fabric used this month - approximately 1 yard
Fabric purchased this month - none

Well now, even though the above report looks sad, I have been deligently working on some projects that I just cannot count until the projects are finished. I also cannot show one of the projects because it is a surprise for a dear friend. Here are some random pieces.

And here are some sewn pieces.

To keep happy those who come to my blog to see quilts, here is visiting cat Rudi, posing on my Bullseye quilt in the guest bedroom.

Today I am grateful for -

1. Encouraging emails from my cousins

2. Delicious halibut for lunch

3. Freedom to NOT watch football

Attention Please

Why I find it difficult to blog or email...............

New Years Day

Last night I finished my New Years Eve puzzle, took this picture, and then dismanted the puzzle so that I could start on another one. Every year at the Christmas/New Years holiday time, I allow myself to do some jigsaw puzzles. They are addicting to me, so I only do them once a year. I surprised myself today though by deciding to NOT finish this next puzzle. It would have taken me all day and I was more interested in doing some work at my desk. So I dismanteled what little I had done and the puzzles are put away for another year.
The cats were bored with my puzzle activity.

Really bored!

Until I went to the kitchen and prepared my lunch. As I turned to sit at my table, eat my lunch and read my book, these two were wide awake and ready to join me. Silly cats.

While working at my desk, I was playing an episode of The Quilt Show with Ricky Tims. He had a super quick "art" quilt that I decided to give a try. My little quilt didn't come out as handsome as his, but after I add some border and do some embellishing, I will have a artsy quilt and will also have learned a new trick or two.

Today I am grateful for -

1. Scrambled eggs and a cinnamon scone.

2. Visiting cats that make me laugh.

3. Optimisim as I begin a new year.