i can't help it . . .

I just really love my little sweater and hat that I finally finished.  What do you think?

now open ...

our new geriatric wing

Meet Purdue -- my new foster and Gibbs' new friend.  He is part newfie and part flat coated retriever and is around 8 years old.  He is very sweet and well mannered and still has plenty of get up and go.

He came to the rescue with heartworms and has been through the treatment and pronounced well.  He also has severe food allergies so he has to eat a special food and takes a pill every other day for itching.  Apparently he was without a lot of his hair when he first came but it is growing back now.

You can see a good bit of gray around his muzzle and mixed in elsewhere too but he has the kindest eyes.

He and Gibbs have become great friends.  They play and nap all day.  It's great!!  I had only had him a couple of days and we thought he got out of the yard because we couldn't find him -- couldn't find where he got out either.  We called and whistled and clapped but he didn't magically appear so we went out looking and no one had seen him.  Came home and went back outside - called and whistled some more and then leaned way over and looked under the house where the fireplace sticks out and there he was asleep.  He is apparently a very sound sleeper. 

some wip's

Here are a few things I've been working on lately

This just needs buttons and threads hidden and cut off.  This was so fun to work on.

 The family tree quilt for my niece's family -- background pieced, tree traced cut out and ironed on -- ready for some zig-zag stitching and a bunch of family leaves.

All the appliques adhered to this Halloween wall hanging - just needs sandwiching and quilting ---hopefully before Halloween.

Hope everyone has a great week:)

salsa for a little burrito

Saw this free pattern on the sweetest baby and just had to try it.  So, I dug out the old needles, blew off the dust and got busy knitting.  It knits up all in one piece so no seams to sew up. It will button diagonally -- kind of like a kimono.  I love it and the yarn is a cotton bamboo -- very very soft.

  
What do you think?

for whatever reason

Sometimes fabric does something you don't like.  I washed this quilt top in cold water ( yes, maybe I should have waited til it was totally finished but I didn't ), hung it on the clothesline and for whatever reason, the horizontal sashings all drew in at least 1/2 inch.  They stretched like elastic and I guess I could have tried stretching them and pinning more when I sandwiched the quilt , but instead , I'm doing this.

 

Next time I will be more careful.

no red allowed

I washed my raggedy friends quilt top on the delicate cycle in cold water and added these  -- they started out white

and ended up with this

no red in the wrong places !!

nine patch progress

I've been slowly working on piecing and stitching all the basic shapes that will eventually become the blocks for the Scrappy Nine Patch quilt I'm going to make.  It has been kind of on and off but I'm down to the last parts which consist of 48 2-patch pieces made from the dark colors that will be in the quilt.

I can't wait to lay it all out and start stitching the blocks.

In other news, I found a great DVD on Piecing Accuracy.  The lady that made it gives all kinds of tips for increasing your piecing accuracy through cutting and stitching.  Got some really good advice from it.   The title is Sally Collins Teaches You Precision Piecing.  Well worth $20 if you need help in that area.

Back to the sewing room.