Primarily Blue

I'm through with you, Primarily Blue.

I like how it turned out.  I like how the colors balanced out.  I like the block design, as well as the corner and mid-way sashing blocks.  However, the overall craftsmanship is less than excellent. 

Maybe I can't have everything?????



I designed the stencil I used on the blocks.  The jury is still out as far as my Singer being a top-notch quilting machine, although I realize a lot of the problem is with the machine operator.  In fact, it is the machine quilting part of the project that moved my quilt from excellent to so-so.





This is the backing.  I ended up putting some flowers and hearts from one of my fabrics used on front to cover some rough spots where the thread bunched up.  I like the design of this fabric when it is not giving me an eye-strain headache.

Good News - Bad News

The good news on my jacket is that I got all the pieces quilted in place. The bad news is, the quilting took up so much of the body of the jacket it is a size too small for me. Oh, well, I will finish and embellish it and put it up for sale as a "wearable art" jacket. (That may be good news, but I love the colors and the primary fabric and need to make one for me!)


The bad news is there was a snafu on my pug puppy fabric order and the sender could not figure out who to send it to. The good news is, we got it straightened out, and I ordered directly from hotdiggitydog.com. (Well, I ended up ordering more than my pug puppy fabric, but that is another story.) So, now I am ready to figure out how I am going to combine it with my pink roses for my sister's hanging/lab quilt.

One of the other fabrics I got with my order was a blue with small doggie designs. The good news is it looks cute as lattice for my "Dogs and Cats at the Beach" blocks. The bad news, it clashes something terrible with my sashing, plus when I look at the quilt as a whole, my beach design is getting overwhelmed by so many bright colors. If I use this new fabric as the sashing, it will take away too much from the blocks on which I want my focus. I am going to use a solid fabric for the lattice to off-set all the busy-ness in the other prints. I think I will save my pretty new blue doggies fabric for another dog-themed quilt -- maybe use it for the sashing since I have two yards of it.

The other bad news is I am still plugging away at my Primarily Blue quilt. The good news is, I have learned a lot with this quilt, including how to design my own quilting template. However, the quilt is definitely destined for a family member, not for sale. I figure a family member will be more forgiving about any "irregularities".

Where is my pug doggies fabric?

Ordered it April 5th. It still has not arrived. I contacted the seller, hoping that she put tracking on the package so we can figure out what happened to it. I mean, who is going to go out of their way to steal fabric with a pug doggies design?

Back - still a work in progress

Front with the left sleeve

While I have been waiting, I have been finishing my Primarily Blue quilt and my custom applique sweatshirt jacket. I decided that instead of attaching and finishing 1-2 pieces at a time, I was better off cutting all the pieces and basting them in place. That way I can see the whole effect and balance out the design -- even though my asymmetrical design is far from balanced. I think I like the look as well as the color combination. I will be able to wear it with denim, navy and brown.

Big Thumbs Down

So much for the "thumbs up, thumbs down" theme I gave my post on the gift for my sister. I called her for her birthday and learned she is not into primary colors at all.  So, this quilt for her is a BIG THUMBS DOWN!

Her "thumbs up" is still pink floral. In addition, she is thrilled over a pug puppy she received as a birthday gift. Okay, I can adapt. Out comes all my pink floral fabric -- which is not much since I am not the "pink lady" like my sister is -- plus I ordered a yard of some novelty fabric covered with pug doggies.

Her gift was going to be a little late, but now it will be just a little later. Better that and get her something she might appreciate instead of sending a "big thumbs down" gift a little sooner.

As for my Primarily Blue quilt -- well, I have someone in mind who will love the primary colors and give it a "thumbs up".

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

I am making a quilt for my sister's birthday. She won't get it by then, because I would have had to mail it today for that to happen and the binding is not even cut yet. This project has had it ups and downs -- as in some parts I have loved, and some parts not so great.

Thumbs up - I found this beautiful navy with small yellow and red floral print on deep discount. I was not looking for anything like it, but fell in love with it. It was an end of bolt remnant - 49 inches when trimmed. So, what was I doing to do with with it? Make a quilt using it for the sashing and some of the blocks.

Thumbs down - It took longer than I thought to design the pattern and cut it out.

BIG thumbs up - Except for the backing I bought on sale, all of the rest of my fabric came from my stash!

Thumbs down - My Singer quilter machine is great except when doing free-hand stipple stitch. I tried the so-called quilt stitch that is supposed to look like hand-quilting. It looked okay on the sample I tried but looked awful on the quilt.  It took me about three feet of stitching to decide -- no way, it's got to go. That is the WORST stitch in the world to pick out. It is a wonder I did not ruin the fabric. 

Thumbs up - The cycling pant leg rings I bought from Nancy's Notions to hold the quilt roll in place while I machine-stitched in the middle worked great.

Thumbs down - Some of the fabric kept stretching and puckering while I stitched. Some of my lattice work is not the greatest, especially since I used navy blue thread instead of medium blue that would have blended better.

Thumbs up more than down - Even though I stitched two-thirds of the lattices before I remembered this trick, once I used the spray sizing and hot iron to tighten the weave of the fabric and add some body, the rest of the lattice stitched up a lot better -- not one hundred percent, but better.

Zenos and Zenock

I received some insight into two prophets mentioned in the Book of Mormon that are not mentioned in the Bible while reading 3 Nephi 10:16.:  "...because they testified particularly of us, who are a remnant of their seed."

These prophets were perhaps not recorded in the Bible, the record of the Jews, because they were of the house of Joseph. Their prophecies may only have been recorded in the Plates of Laban which was the record of the house of Joseph.

Meet Tonka

We thought we had a full house even before Archie adopted us last summer and let us know he is an indoor cat who wants to eat indoor kitty food with "the old ladies", Precious and Bootsie. Then number one son came home for a few weeks around Christmas and brought his kitten, Tonka, with him. Sonny is now gone, but Tonka remains. He came indoors with Sonny, and stayed indoors. In fact, he now sleeps at my feet and naps next to me on the loveseat.

Breakfast and dinner times have become rather regimented at our house. That is the best way to keep peace and to keep the kitties from trying to swipe another kitty's share. So, this is the chow line in our kitchen.

Everyone knows their place.

Precious and Bootsie do not think much of the new "young guys". Precious comes in to eat, then she is ready to go back outside no matter how bad the weather.

That is just fine with the guys. They have
turned the house into their private play
area. On this day, they just could not figure 
out how  they could see each other through this tote, but they could not touch.

Each kitty chooses their "spot" to nap,
with Bootsie daring the boys to come
near her. However, when the weather
is nice, she would just as soon snooze        
outside on a nice comfortable hose
reel.