Sunday, December 30, 2012

I have met my goal!!!

I have met my goal of finishing my Patriotic Quilt this month. After losing my dog, it was quite therapeutic to work on this quilt. Especially when I look outside at the snow, I get reminded how much Fluffy loved to play in it. I wish he could have lived long enough to see just one more of these winter scenes. But then, one more will never be enough.

Back to quilting. This quilt was for almost 2 years in the making. It is hand quilted, and since I lose interest very quickly, I think almost 2 years was really fast for me. Every time I hand quilt a project, I swear to myself that I will do this never again. I don't understand why I keep getting these ideas of having to hand quilt.

I sewed the binding on by machine, turned it, and top stitched it by machine too. I don't quite like the result, and most likely with my future projects will return to hand sewing the binding down on the back with a blind stitch. At least now I can say I tried it, and don't like it. I am all for fast and easy, but perhaps some things just need to be taken slow. I guess a quilt is one of those things.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Fluffy, August 1998 to December 2012

On 12-26-2012 we had to say good-bye to our Fluffy forever. We have had over 14 wonderful years together. He was a wonderful play-mate for my children, a great watch-dog for me, and a loyal companion to my husband. I will never forget what a good Dog Fluffy was, and he will be greatly missed. We just had no choice to put him to sleep. Fluffy was suffering from Diabetes, and was Insulin dependent for over 2 years. But finally his illness caught up to him, and he suffered multiple strokes. So our wonderful vet decided that there is no more we can do for him, but do him the kindness to end his suffering.
Fluffy was always a good dog. He would greet you with a "Hello", or his version of it. He would watch over the kids in the yard, and block their way when they went to far away from the house. He used to sit and watch the woods for predators while we all enjoyed our yard. He loved taking walks in the woods with my husband, his favorite thing was to chase deer. Fluffy would sit with me for however long I wanted him, and keep me company. He was always patient with everyone, including his little dog brothers and sisters.We never had to clean up after Fluffy, because he always did his business in the woods. He was just a wonderful dog all around.
Fluffy is very missed by all of us, but we also understand that we would have been very selfish by keeping him around in his suffering. I like to think that he is in heaven now, enjoying youth and good health, and is at his favorite activity, chasing the deer around heaven.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas

 
I am wishing you all a Merry Christmas. May your Holiday be filled with love and peace. May all your favorite people be able to spend time with  you.

 
I have a finish!!! Not the one I planned on, but hey, it is a finish. This sofa pillow has been going on for 2 years now. 2 years ago some friends and I had a Christmas Card Exchange where we included a 5" piece of fabric. I decided to make a Sofa Pillow out of them. The pillow looks the same on both sides, and is made completely by hand.
 
When I first gotten the fabrics I thought that all this variety would never work together. But then I thought of my friends whom have sent these to me, and about how different we all are, but yet, we are quite a cool group of Quilters. So I put all these fabrics together in a pillow, and I think  it looks great, and the fabrics really work out well. Just like my friends, we are so different from our point of views, likes and dislikes, walks of life, and believe systems, and yet we work great together. Now every time I see my pillow, I will think about how people as different as we are, can come together and become such a tight knit group as we are.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

I missed my goal

I was hoping that I would finish my patriotic quilt in November, but for some reason, it just did not happen. Well, I actually have an explanation. Notice how I left out the "good"? I changed jobs. Yes I have a job in a Doctor's Office as a Medical Assistant. I am still learning my way around, but think I am doing well. It is a fast paced environment, and really stressful at times. It seems like everything needs to be done right then and there. It can get a little disconcerting at times, but I actually do love it. The good news is, my new job should give me more time to quilt and knit. I am not working shift work anymore, and have a regular schedule of working from Monday through Thursday. How exciting is that?

Well, back to quilting. My goal from November is carrying over into December. I will work on my Patriotic Quilt, and hope I can finish it this months, so I can move on to the next UFO. I will keep you updated on how I am progressing in my endeavors.