Next time...

...he's coming into the bathroom with me.

Another little diversion...

I spent most of Saturday making plaid nine-patches. Which was productive, but quite frankly, tedious.

Don't get me wrong, I do like the project (it's perfect for its recipient!), and I'm enthusiastic about making progress...but there's something so much more liberating about cutting loose and not following a pattern.

I'm a youngest child -- and while I never considered it would have a huge impact on my crafting, could it be that the streak of rebellion bestowed upon me by my birth order is now manifesting itself in creative spontaneity and eschewing others' directions? Hmmm...

I tried doing a little hand quilting to mix it up a little, but sadly had to temporarily abandon my efforts due to my little orange friend, who couldn't seem to stay away from the project whenever I picked it up. It sounds like a weak excuse, I know (and poor animal training on my part), but there is something about this particular project that has him entranced -- except for rearranging blocks on the floor, he doesn't pay attention to anything else I have in the works, pin-basted, hanging threads or otherwise. I'd sit back on the sofa to start quilting, and Archie would literally jump into the middle of the frame and either settle down for a nap or start chewing on safety pins. I'm admitting defeat (again, only temporarily) -- but hand quilting, I think, will have to wait until he's a little older and not as curious. The quilt is already basted, so it can be easily machine quilted, anyway (sigh).

Which brings me to a machine update:
I called the shop before I left last weekend and explained my situation. Turns out their tech is on vacation and they aren't taking any machines in until November -- and then she assured me I still had a window of time before I drove my 440 completely into the ground without servicing. I'm still a little leery, given how much use it's getting pre-Christmas -- anybody else have any experience with this, or are you all totally on top of things and take care of your machines right away and I'm just a big loser?

Anyhow...in the interest of giving my overworked machine a rest yet still satisfying a need to play with fabric, came up with these cute little things:


I should have put something up for size reference -- they're just under 3" tall and totally adorable! The takeout from Friday night's dinner wasn't that great, but the fortune cookie box was too cute to resist and proved to be a great template!

The possibilities, methinks, are endless. These could be addictive!


P.S. In response to all the warnings I got last week about cats and sewing notions, my house is now kitty-proofed. I just have to find someplace more convenient to keep my pincushion than in the cupboard above the sink!

This is going to take a long time...

OK, this is going to be more difficult than I anticipated. Not the quilting part, I'm liking that, though I have to work on getting my stitches even on the front as well as the back. Fortunately, the backing I'm using is a busy print, so it hides my novice attempts pretty well.

No, it's the trying to accomplish this with an inquisitive kitten in the house part...I hadn't factored in Archie's curiosity, and newly-discovered love of thimbles...

and safety pins...

and thread, which he's been trying to eat. Wet thread isn't very easy to quilt with!

...and then there's worrying about where the needle is when he gets a hold of it.

If he's not on top of the quilt, he's underneath it, pawing at my hands. Not quite sure why he's so fascinated -- I don't think it's an attention thing, because he could pretty much care less about me except when he's about to get fed.

I am getting so little done!

Everybody's a critic

The Safari blocks are taking shape, though not the Bento Box pattern I originally intended. Those looked too busy, and for some reason just rotating them seemed to calm it down a bit and let it get a little more whimsical. It's still pretty loud, but taking shape:

No sooner had I repositioned these blocks when Archie weighed in with an alternative arrangement, which leaves me seriously questioning his design skills...


I appreciate the suggestion, but I think I'll stick with my original layout.

Back on safari...

I had lots of leftovers from the Silly Safari jelly roll, so started putting these together this morning. Not sure how I feel about them -- they're busy even for me! Maybe some sashing, or maybe just pillows to go with the quilt. I wanted to do a Bento Box with the batiks I just bought, so I figured these were a good warm-up and I was using up scraps in the process. A two-fer!

It always feels so darn good after a long week at work (even though it was a short one) to sleep in on a Saturday morning (the cat even waited until after 8am to start licking my ears), wake up, turn on NPR, brew a couple shots of espresso (kept far away from my sewing table -- learned that one the hard way) and dive into a project. Sewing: best therapy there is!

And speaking of the cat, we're winding up Week Two together. I know he's still pretty young, at eighteen months, but after dealing with a geriatric cat for the past several years, I was in no way prepared for Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde kitten behavior. By day, he's tearing around my condo like his tail's on fire, jumping up on anything that doesn't move, and attacking anything that does (this includes me -- he's had a lot of time-outs in the half-bath). By night, he's the happiest, most wonderful little cuddler, snuggling into my side and purring himself into a deep, deep sleep -- apparently storing up the crapload of energy he unleashes every day when the sun comes up. But we're dealing, and have high hopes for a future of compatability and serenity. At least I do.

His name, I've decided, is Archie.

Archie at play. He later attacked the camera.

Archie at rest, smiling in his sleep.

Turns out three and a half weeks of no cat is my limit...

His name when we met was Charlie, but I'm pretty sure it's going to change. He's a year and a half, and was surrendered six months ago, which is a pretty long tenure for this shelter...a third of his young life already spent behind bars. I saw him online and went back three times this week to visit. There were easily a half a dozen cats and kittens I could have come home with, but I kept coming back to him. What can I say, I'm a sucker for redheads.

He's a very curious boy, and loves to play. Great markings, incredibly sweet face, and enough white to distinguish him from Gershwin.

In the hour he's been here, he's shredded the purple ribbon, which exhausted him. Right now he's stretched out on the floor, watching the USA volleyball team kick Brazil's butt for gold.

It's going to be an adjustment to deal with such a young 'un after Gersh's many years of mellow, but I think with a little time and a lot of patience on my part, we're going to do just fine.