On being a drama queen

Just shoot me now, and can someone please take my laptop away, so I don't watch any more baking shows? I told you I'm addicted to reality shows, and now I'm hooked. I MUST stop and never watch them again! I'll finish Season Three (7 more episodes), and then I will NOT watch another one until next year. Perhaps I need to put a note on the laptop to remind me! 

Someone sent me a note about a quilt in the background of one of my pictures yesterday, and I'll answer that question tomorrow. But it made me think about my other quilts. You have never seen a lot of them, and I happen to have some photos handy, so here are a couple of quilts that I made years ago. But I love them as much today as when I first made them. 

I laid the first one out and guess who came running. Seriously -- how did that dog know that? I swear that fabric has pheromones in it that call all pets -- dogs, cats, and well, maybe not fish, but you know what I mean. 

MOM -- take a picture of me!! 

Notice how she carefully plunked herself down right in the middle. "The better to notice me, Mom. I'm a SMART dog."

After much coaxing, I got her off the quilt to get a picture. I LOVE it - it's one of my favorite scrap quilts. It's very time-consuming, but it's a perfect ender/leader project. Does it use up scraps -- HAHA  - you're kidding, right? We should all know by now that scraps quilts do not use up leftovers. OK -- maybe a few, but not nearly all that we have. 

Scrap quilt 

I'm not sure how big that one is -- I really should have all this information documented, but I don't. But that is actually the second quilt I made using this block. Just wait -- I'm going to share it with you. 

I taught this as a class years ago. Just check the label -- this next quilt was made in 2005, and the one above was finished in 2018. This quilt hung in Quilt Canada in 2006 or 2007?? I'm not sure -- I'd have to check that. 

This scrap quilt uses the same block

It's interesting how the same block can produce a completely different quilt. 

And there are two different ways - well, many ways to color the block. Essentially, it's a triple four-patch. You make small four-patches which then are used, along with two fabric squares of the same size to make another four-patch. And then, that unit is used along with two larger squares to make a larger four patch. Triple - four-patch! Super simple but time-consuming. 

Note the difference between the blocks. The quilt that I completed in 2005 was somewhat coordinated. Notice that the small four-patches were made with the same fabric (red). Then the second four patches were made with a floral fabric, and the larger four-patch was made with blue fabric. 

A coordinate triple four patch block

In the second quilt I made (2018), anything goes. The only constant was the beige on the diagonal. 

A much scrappier version of the same block

And trust me -- if you go to all the work to make this quilt, you want that beige to be monochromatic. No low volume or busy prints, or you'll completely lose the pattern. I have a TON of these kinds of scraps. Should I start cutting another one?? Does anyone need some light scraps to make that diagonal line? I've got loads of muslin scraps as well, which would work like a charm in there. I'd be happy to part with some of them IF you want to make this quilt. 

I did manage to get a few things removed from the laundry basket, so the mission of the day was accomplished. And I removed a couple of supplies from Pandora's Closet, and because of the previous cleaning, I found a home for those products. Oh yes -- having space to assemble all like products is fantastic. 

Several things were removed from the basket

At least, while watching the baking shows, I did get all the paper removed from the double wedding ring quilt. It needs a good pressing, which I hope to get to later today. 

The paper is removed from the double wedding ring quilt

I was going to skip a day of quilting, but I thought, why? There was no reason to skip a day, so I got this smallish quilt loaded, and it's now done. I just have to trim it, and all will be ready for pickup. 

Customer quilt - done!

There aren't too many quilts left to quilt this year - customer ones, that is! I have a bit of sewing homework to finish before the weekend, which should be my focus for today. Then next week, I can start those new projects and finish cleaning out that closet. 

I also had to take Miss Murphy to the vet for her annual checkup. Of course, she was in her glory that she got to go in the car. I have no idea why, as she doesn't really like the vet, although they plied her with cookies while they gave her her shots. 

Murphy in the car

All it takes is some jiggling and squirming and those eyes! I bet she loved it because Mom would have said, "suck it up, Murphy -- you're being a drama queen!" They gave her cookies! Who has trained whom?

But all is good. She was a bit on the heavy side and is now down to a svelte weight of 23.6 KG and looking good. So the moral of that story is -- it's OK to have some cookies, but not too many. And I wasn't the one that gave them to her! Lexi was a bit miffed that she had to stay home. I think they associate the car with the dog park, which we haven't been to in the car in years!

I'm in denial about those girls. When someone asks me how old they are -- I say they are five or six. Well, it turns out that Lexi is almost eight!! More or less since we don't really know what year she was born. And Murphy is 6 and a half. Yikes -- but of course, I'm not aging. Nope -- not one day!

I have two presentations left this week. And then I'm done for this year. Well, not exactly; I still have a couple of classes, lectures, and clubs to finish the year. 

OH -- don't forget that there is a Virtual Retreat coming up. Not this weekend, but on December 18 and 19. Just a note that on Sunday, the 19th, we won't start until 12 as I have a club that day. I had to move the Virtual Retreat as it fell right on Christmas Day, and I figured that people would be busy!!

I'll be posting the links for that next week. 

I got some of that admin work done and sent MANY e-mails about dates and times. The responses have come in, and I need to organize those. Hopefully, I can acknowledge everyone in the free-motion classes today and then onto the next distribution list. So if you're waiting for an acknowledgment from me -- it's coming. 

On that note, I'd better get the day started!! Or as they say on The Great British Baking Show - get ready, set, BAKE! Someone, please help me! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!