3/6/12

Feathers everywhere and a Mable update

I wonder just how many feathers it takes to cover a quilt.


This is the church raffle quilt, made from Bonnie Hunter's Roll, Roll Cotton Boll mystery pattern from December 2010. I've been absolutely surprised at how fast the quilting on this quilt is going. As I assembled the quilt, I envisioned feather wreaths in all these string blocks. And, they just tie them together. It's so great when I see it in my mind and can actually make it come out of my hands.





I did the busier blocks first; lots of free motion outline quilting there and small feathers in the pink sections. For me to do a wreath, I have to draw three circles. The center circle is the stem and the other two circles are the outer limits of the area the feathers should fill. If I do that, I get very uniform feathers. Without those two outer circles, I get feathers of every shape and size.







And, there are quarter feather wreaths and half feather wreaths and full feather wreaths.





I have 4 more full wreaths and 3 more halves and then all that's left is the outer border. I'm just going to free motion some curves in there and then feather the heck out of that border and the quilting on this one will be done. I set my goal as the middle of March and looks like I might just make it. Yesterday, the person whose church youth group I'm making this raffle quilt for was asking about it. I think she wants some good pictures for this weekend, so I'm going to try to finish one end of it, take some pics and then finish the other end. But, it's supposed to rain here for days and while that is a great and wonderful thing, it makes it hard to photograph a quilt.






What is it about this dog that makes her look so sad in all her photos? She is absolutely the "stillest" puppy I have ever been around. She only plays a tiny bit and it's always at some surprise moment when I don't have the camera. She's been to the vet and he has pronounced her healthy, but Rob and I both have enough "mothering" in us that we worry that she's still not eating well and she mopes around. I'm starting to be worried that she has had a hard life and that it will take a long time to bring her around from that. But, it's just a suspicion and if it's true, we'll set that to rights soon enough with the queen's treatment she's getting from the whole family. She has plenty of energy for her twice daily walks, but the rest of the time, she lays around. Once in a while, she'll use that huge Streisand nose and come push my hand around until I scratch her belly. We're going to try something with her food tonight to see if we can entice her to eat something other than soft treats. Who knows what all she got fed before we got her and she has pronounced our brand of food as "unfit for the likes of a dog of such beauty".



updated this pm: Mable says thank you very much. She is feeling much better. She's barking, playing with toys, ate a full bowl...all in all, the best I've seen her since she came here. It must have been your good wishes. lw





Okay, so I got the nicest note from K., thanking me for the sweater patterns I shared with her and a few bucks to help out with postage. And, that reminded me that I have a stack of books yet to give away. So, here's the next little pile.








From the left; Quick Quilts by Liesure Arts. This is full of great and easy patterns to make a quilt fast. The next is Sew with the Stars and is a Breast Cancer Awareness book. It has 12 patterns by 12 different famous quilters. Next is 5 Easy Pieces by Nancy Smith and Lynda Milligan. These are two of my favorite applique quilt designers and it's hard to give this one up, because I love these ladies' patterns so much. But, it is time to share the love I have for them by sharing this book. And, there's the 201 Quick and Easy Tips, which I got for subscribing to a magazine. They're all good tips, but some are pretty generic. There are a few that I don't believe would make things easier, but for the most part, they are helpful.






So, if you're interested, leave a comment that expresses that interest by 10am tomorrow, 03/07/12. I'll draw from those interested. If you can help with postage, you'll have my return address on the package. I'm not a quick shipper; I'll be shipping one day while Rob's Mom is here and I am off work. Don't spread the word. These are just for my followers.






And, speaking of followers, I lost one yesterday. Oh, where; oh, where has my follower gone. Oh, where; oh, where can they be????






Everybody have a great Tuesday. I'm in a surprisingly good mood. Rob and I were talking about his Mom being here tomorrow night. And, the only thing I didn't get done is to put the good dishes back in the china cabinet. Considering all we've accomplished in the last few weeks, I'm feeling pretty good about that. I have cooked so much that there's no room for any of it and the freezer is full. There's Swiss Steak and Chicken Tikka Masala and Old Fashioned Beef Stew and a Chicken n Biscuits casserole. And, I put half of what I bought on Sunday in the freezer BEFORE I coooked it. I always go overboard on the food. And, we're trying to plan day trips around here so we can get out of the house, but the rain may interfere. Won't matter tho. Bar-b-que is perfect in every type of weather.






Lane

16 comments:

J.J. said...

Love the feathers, and a great give-away.

Kath said...

Lane please don't worry about Mable. Both our dogs came from a shelter at different times and it was some time before they relaxed and realised they were staying with us. Their personalities came out gradually and the older dog was very fussy about her food when she first came.It's said that "Rescue dogs love you more" and I'm sure your lovely girl will blossom with such sensitive carers.
Love the feathers by the way, I could never aspire to such beautiful work. I'm still "in the ditch" LOL

Laura said...

Our beagle was a stray. He was so thin when we go him that all his ribs, his pelvis and the bones in his spine showed. He had ear infections, lyme disease and another tick borne disease. Our free dog cost us over $500 the first week! For the first 6 weeks or so, he would tip toe around the house, never made a sound, rarely wagged his tail. Now howls with excitement and dances when he's about to get fed. He still pulls the sad hound dog face when he is in trouble, but now I know it's an act.

Give Mable some time, and she will come around, I think.

Your RRCB looks great, BTW!

Becky said...

I'm sure Mable will respond to the love she is receiving....she's probably just reeling y'all in!! lol
Enjoy the visit with Rob's mom!

Barb H said...

Thanks for the 3 ring tip about feathers. I'll try that and see if that's what I need to do to master those (blankety blank) feathers!

regan said...

Your feathers are fabulous! And boy are you brave handquilting through strings! Way too many seams for me......makes me a little crazy, and that's not the mood I want when I'm quilting! :o)

Thanks for the chance at the books! I don't have any of those, and they sound good! And, of course, we would help with postage! But send them slow-boat so it's the cheapest! lol

Laurie said...

I love your feathers. I've been banging my head against the walls trying to figure out how I'm going to quilt RRCB now that it's a flimsy.

On another note, I've not seen that book 5 Easy Pieces before, but once you told me what it contained, you've peaked my interest. My Mother-In-Law did her first flimsy of crumb blocks (I just taught her how to sew a few months ago). She wants me to border, quilt and bind it. I went over it last night and there are about 60 holes in it (seams didn't get matched up) that I will need to applique something over to cover them. Applique is not my strong suit.. yet. :)

lw said...

I agree with the others-- Mable just needs time. Our basset hound Rosie came from a situation where she went from being a house dog to spending a year in the back yard being picked on by Akitas. It took about three months of structure, walks, feeding, consistent training-- before she developed into the sweet, comfortable dog she is now. Our dog Beau spent nine months at a rescue in a dog run. He was quiet and very somber. One day, we opened the door and came in from work and he danced sideways across the floor he was so glad to see us. He finally realized he was home.

Piece by Piece said...

Your feathers look great,(I should get the nerve to start some of those) such a lovely quilt. One of the quilters in our guild has just completed her top for the RRCB quilt, she sent it to a professional quilter.
Received your package in yesterday's mail. Wow! and a surprise too, thanks so much.
I am sure your dog will come around in time, heaven only knows what the poor thing went through prior to coming in your home.
Patricia

Pauline said...

So nice of you to share your books, but don't draw my name on these, I already have a couple. Lane the RRCB is beautiful! I think I can use your ideas on Jamestown Landing I'm now making. Another of Bonnies quilts. 840 HST's! 450 done. It will be a while before I'm done with this one!

Anonymous said...

BEAUTIFUL feathers. I've been a lurker but have commented before about your wonderful quilting. I would love to have the smith/Milligan book if no one else is interested. Thanks for your thoughts and talents. Janine

Nancy said...

Oh, when did you get Mable? She is so sweet. I have had three rescue Beagles or Beagle/Basset mixes since 2000. What sweet dogs they are. Mine all loved Neutro Lite (Beagles can overeat to the point of death), and Greenies, and Dingos - absolutely LOVED Dingos. If she was a rescue dog, she could have had a terrible life. Give her love, space and time, and all will be well. The rescue dogs have a huge capacity to love once they trust us. I lost my last one in October of 2010 so please give her a big hug from me. The books are lovely. Please put me down for Sew Stars, if I am lucky enough to win it. Your quilt is lovely and the quilting, as always, fabulous!

Richard Healey said...

If you lost a follower they were not truly following you any way. Its funny to see the numbers go up and down from time to time. I wish their was a way to track who you gained and who you lost.

http://richardquilts.blogspot.com
http://trackmyshows.blogspot.com

Tammy said...

Hello Lane,
First off, your feathers are fabulous! That quilt is lovely. Mable is a beautiful dog, when did your family adopt her? I'm sure she will come around with you and Rob mothering her. Yes, I'm interested in quilting book giveaway. If I'm lucky enough to win, I'll help with the postage.

I hope you have a great time with Rob's mum.

Sandy Beach Sewing said...

I have a coon hound with the same kind of face. She was a rescue dog who was even afraid to jump up on the couch. We had to lift her up(she was only 40 lbs then) and put her on the couch. Then she would jump right off. Took her quite a while to get comfortable with us. Now she weights 90 lbs and love to sleep on the couch and go for walks.

Please enter me in the contest for the books. I love to make quick and easy quilts as I donate them to quilts for comfort, the childrens hospital or QOV.

Thanks for all stories. I love to always see what you are up to.

Elizabeth said...

Such a beautiful quilt! I hope that whoever gets it appreciates its beauty! The feather wreaths are amazing and I love the colors.

xo -E