Saturday, December 29, 2012

My oh my how time flies...

What's been going on in my blog absence?
 
Let's see.  We lost heat around shortly after Thanksgiving.  Husband came home from working
out of town the week before Christmas and saved the day by fixing the heat.  Having a husband with "fix it" skills rocks!  Unfortunately the heat died again on Christmas Eve...the day my husband headed back to work.  Had rain and below freezing temperatures for Christmas day.  Heat fixed again two days after Christmas.
 
But hey...we had it easy compared to so many other people right now.  I seriously can't watch or read the news anymore.  It's too sad.  I seriously expected the world to implode on December 21st.
 
I and my son spent Christmas on the couch under quilts watching our favorite movies and we had a simple dinner...which was a good thing because while the ham was cooking, it was heating up the house at the same time.
 
And on Christmas Day our neighborhood hawk decided to pay a visit and 
I managed to capture this shot through the storm door.
 
 
 
And the rain and cold brought out the squirrels and TONS of cardinals too. 
Have I ever mentioned that I love squirrels?  Goofy little critters...
 


 
Can you spot all seven cardinals? There are two juvenile males and five females in the photo.  And they were only a small fraction of the birds we saw that day.  Frank and Jesse were in heaven.  They were dying to be let out the door to chase the birds.
 
 
Needless to say there hasn't been a ton of sewing going on.  Sitting in a cold quilting room does not inspire a lot of sewing.  I did manage to make a few things though.
 
I completed two clothesline rugs which went to new homes.  Both of which I forgot to take finished photoss of so here's the first one...in progress.  It was made using 3/4" x 40" strips.
 
 
 
And here is the second rug (thank you Donna for taking a photo and sending it to me).  This one was made from a batik fat quarter bundle that had been sitting around for the last couple of years.  I don't know why I ever bought because when I got home I didn't really like it.  But I have to say it made a beautiful rug.
 
 
 
During breaks from rug making, I made circles (from a charm pack I uncovered while looking for something else) using my Karen Kay Buckley Perfect Circle templates.  I could make circles all day long with those templates because they just always come out so perfect and.  I don't have a solid plan for them yet but I have a few ideas.
 
 
 
During those breaks I also managed to finish up the last of my triangle blocks.  I now have 150 of them plus a few extras.  Because this quilt is not from a purchased pattern, I'm having to work out issues as I go...like how many to go across and down.  I've laid it out this way but am now thing I want to turn it so the points will be at the top and bottom. 
 
 
 I plan to set the quilt with a solid color and put a solid border around that. I'm thinking a dark red would be nice...or maybe a brown or dark blue. Thoughts? 
 
 
NOTE FOR PIP:  STOP READING NOW AND DON'T SCROLL DOWN ANY FURTHER IF YOU WANT YOUR PILLOW COVER TO BE A SURPRISE
 
And finally,  last night I finished Pip's pillow cover that she won from me during the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day.  She asked for a pillow cover in blues and I know the pillow looks kinda purple but I assure you its blue...Periwinkle to be more precise.  I really really really LOVE this pillow cover!  I hope she will too.
 
 
 
In closing,  I hope y'all had a great Christmas.  And if I don't make it back here by New Year's, I hope you have a great one of them too.  Stay warm...or cool depending on where you live...and be safe. 
 
Talk at you again soon!
 

14 comments:

Lynette said...

I love squirrels too :) Fun shots of the hawk and the cardinals.

Darlene said...

Beautiful creatures enjoying their natural habitat.

The rugs are incredible, Monica.

Happy Holidays!

Sandie @ crazy'boutquilts said...

Great shot of the hawk! I found all the cardinals too~ I love watching cardinals. :-) Your rugs look fantastic! Some day... ;-) Happy New Year to you too!

Cath said...

Love your photos. Squirrels can be tricky to photograph as they move so quickly. I counted 5 cardinals and if one is in flight, then 6. the 7th evades me. You have created some lovely projects there too. Hope the heat gets permanently fixed soon!
Cath @ Bits 'n Bobs

Kindred Quilts said...

Love to watch the silly activities of squirrels... so mischievous! Your triangle quilt is gorgeous! Any of the colors you are considering for the borders would be wonderful. I'm partial to blue, but use what works best for you!

antique quilter said...

love those rugs, did you use a pattern? how did you sew them on the machine? do you have a close up???
what a great idea, I would love to do this, thanks!
what size is the clothesline rope????
love your triangle blocks, the fabrics are wonderful, love the stars , great design.
going to be interesting to see what your circles will be used for!
Happy New Year
Kathie

Miriam said...

Love the photos of the squirrels! The hawk photo is amazing!!!

I hope your heat stays working now!

Your triangle quilt is wonderful. I love all the secondary patterns made by the blocks.

Robin (RsIslandCrafts) said...

I love watching squirrels run around. Very entertaining.

Love your rugs! Are they hard to make on a domestic sewing machine?

Grethe said...

What a good expression of how things are at your end! Hope you feel completely warm and cosy by now. Love your pictures, the squirrels are cute. All the best for a HAPPY QUITING 2013, may all your wishes come through :))

Gretchen said...

There is nothing colder than an unheated house. It is just the worst. I hope your heater keeps chugging along through the rest of this winter. I love the photos of your hawk and squirrels. I have resident hawks too and am constantly amazed at how big they are just perched outside on the fence. Love your projects--rugs are great and the pillow is to die for. Best wishes to you in 2013!

Melody said...

Lots of lovely things in this post. I particularly love the rugs. Hope you are cosy and warm now

Debbie said...

Stumbled over here from Threadbias! I LOVE your wildlife photos! Great pictures!

Anonymous said...

You have been very busy, can you tell me what clothesline you use for your table rugs, we have two different one here in Australia and the softer one is very expensive
Cheers

Cindy said...

OH my word, your rugs are just wonderful! May I ask how you joined them? Can you direct me to a site? DD and I have often wondered if we could attempt a project like this. I have a few sites saved on pinterest to read.

Now I know why I missed blogging so much - because I have missed special posts like yours. j

(good reason why I was away so long - health issues that are a tad better now)