Tablecloth finished

The embroidered tablecloth is finished.

These old pieces are never quite square so it's difficult to space the motif correctly. I just do the best I can.We took a road trip on the weekend to visit the inlaws. Sadie is good as gold in the car. She stays in the back seat without any to-do, even when we leave her alone during a pit stop at Timmies. Long term, I'd like her to be a Therapy Dog. This weekend was sort of her initiation and she was just perfect. She might fail the test big time if she is required to socialize quietly and gently with other dogs. They are just way more fun than creebly old people.

Embroidered Tablecloth

I have a lovely little tablecloth here that is getting 'the treatment'. I have drafted up a design on cello wrap. The next step is to mark the fabric.

I need this.

I have to do this to find it.

I can see through the fabric and mark dots for the orange peel quilting.

Save tubes much????

Nope - no quilting here

Anything yet???
The weather has been so crazy nice that I've been outside doing spring cleanup-ey stuff. The rabbits and/or mice/moles/voles have moved some of the crocuses around. I know for certain that I did NOT plant stuff in the ditch on the farmer's side.

I also spent a couple hours (it seems) on Craft Gossip, and from there... on to where I found the recipe for home made deodorant. I whipped up a small batch of the powder version yesterday morning because Shoppers Drug Mart is no longer carrying the brand I was buying. I have an emotional (mental???) problem with anti-perspirants because of the aluminum in them. More than you wanted to know about me, eh? But I digress. This is day two and so far no one is backing slowly away from me.

On Sunday I made a yummy teriyaki marinated roast beef for supper. Hopefully tonight's incarnation of beef stir-fry will be the last of it.

Today at the Morning Out class I had the students practicing machine applique. They were amazed at how much BETTER their results were when they added a piece of paper to the back before they stitched. It prevents that nasty tunneling that can happen, and tears away easily afterwards.

Window Cleaning

The weather is so incredibly warm - we broke a record today with 26c. Tomorrow is forecast to be 27c. I've been taking advantage - washing windows and putting the screens back on.

Here's my window cleaning formula - it costs about a nickle for a bottle full. The Windex company makes no money off me.

WINDOW CLEANER
1/8 C. ammonia
1/2 C. rubbing alcohol
3/4 tsp. dish soap
water to fill up a 1 L. spray bottle (about 3 1/2 C.)

More Firewood silliness, QOV

Paw sez no supper fer me 'til after the chores 'r dun.

Another Quilt of Valour heading out the door.

I've been reading a pretty funny book by Stuart McLean: Extreme Vinyl Cafe. There is a chapter in there about funeral arrangements. I have already told my quilting friends and DH that I expect someone to play "I'll Get By With A Little Help From My Friends". I am still waffling over whether I want the Beatles' version or Joe Cocker's version. I may demand request them both. But now I think I also want the Chicken Dance. I think it would be fun to watch (from wherever I am) all 5 people at my service doing a dance just for me.

The lottery was 41 million dollars a week or so ago. I sent a promise out to the universe that if I won I would take my guild shoe shopping: to DSW at the Walden Galleria Mall. I guess I didn't sent a loud enough message. Maybe YOU could send a message too - if I win big I'll rent a couple of buses and we can all go. What a hoot - a zillion women in there with a big blank cheque. The thought of that should send you to bed tonight with a big smile on your face.

Another top finished - added new sidebar list

I finished another top at the guild UFO day - bow ties I've been working on for several years. Since I'm compiling such a stack of quilts ready for quilting I am moving them to a new sidebar list. I've called it Tops Finished, Unquilted. Or TFUQ for short. Warning - do not sound out the acronym in polite company.

I laughed when I received this parcel in the mail. That's a lot of stamps.

Applique Quilt

I had the pleasure of working on a really beautiful quilt last week. It took the owner 12 years to complete the top. I am intimidated by quilts like this - if it took THAT LONG to complete, it is not something I want to do a bad job of quilting, ya know? This is all hand applique. Most longarm quilters will tell you the same thing - we make absolute crap money when quilting a top like this. I didn't lose my shirt, but the collar and cuffs are definitely gone. Hand applique quilts are not seen very often so I do them for love, not money. (well, a bit of money - after all I still have to bring home the puppy chow). Stitching around all the applique is very very very time consuming. And hard on the back.


Speaking of puppy chow: we watched Hachiko - A Dog's Story on Saturday night. When I saw that it starred Richard Gere I knew it would not be all that good (the guy can't act for sh*t) but I give it a 3-kleenex rating. Sadie loved it. We had to put her leash on so she didn't push the tv over. Back in the old days dogs couldn't see tv properly. Obviously the designers of BIG-ASS tv's felt sorry for them and fixed the problem. Now to clean the nose prints off the screen.