Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Category Archives: Gracie

Keeping the Momentum Going

Since I’ve gotten back from the retreat, I’ve kept the momentum going.  There are 4 more quilts on my 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO list and 2 of them are one step closer. My goal is to show them Monday night at the meeting.  First up is Auction Strings IV.  For this one I used Strawberry Blond thread and Overlapping Crop Circles.  The backing is a wide back I picked up in April. The binding is cut (turquois with a cheddar flange) and needs to be made.

LSU Athena is next on the list. For this quilt i used Buttercup thread and a sports motif quilting design. Originally I planned to use the LSU fabric as the outer border, but I like the tiger stripe better, so the LSU fabric ended up on the back.  I have enough fabric to make a pillowcase to go with this quilt.  The binding will be in the tiger stripe with a purple flange, just to make it easer to stitch down.

The most recent top is the Orange Lily Garden Lattice.

It is ready to load on the longarm as soon as I get the backing pieced.  Since I have so much of the lily fabric, the backing will be the same as the main fabric.  After cutting the backing, I counted folds.  I think I still have 7 1/2 – 8 yards of fabric left.  I have another quick quilt in mind, but before I can start it, I need to get the bindings on all of these quilts.

And because I sat down to write this post on the 27th, a picture of my babies.  Butterscotch (R) and Gracie (L). Today was their ‘gotcha day’ anniversary.  I can’t believe it’s been 9 years.

Chilhowie Pillowcases

When I was gathering fabric for Chilhowie, I didn’t think about pillowcases.  As I was cleaning up my space a few weeks ago, I found 3 lengths of fabric left over from the wedding quilt I made a couple of years ago.  I had thought about pillow cases for that quilt, but didn’t make any as the quilt was big enough for a pillow tuck. You can see that quilt HERE.

Anyway, I opted to go with the seafoam and lavender fabrics, reversing the cuff and case as I only had a yard of each fabric. All I need to do now is clear out the bed room and set up the bed.

I’m closer to setting up the bed than I was last week.  The electricians came today and started installing lights in the den. They’ll be back in the morning, then I can call my contractor back to do install the rest of the trim and touch up the paint. Once that is done, I can begin moving the stuff out of the bedroom.

I looked for Gracie this morning in the closet. When she wasn’t there I assumed she was under the bed (I didn’t look). Turns out she took refuge in a record cabinet in the living room. I found her when I was looking for the doorbell that will be installed tomorrow.  I was able to coax her out, but she beat me to the bedroom and seeing the door closed hid in my office closet. I finally got her into the bedroom where she hid in the closet.  She does not like strangers.

Gracie’s Progress

Gracie

Gracie (and Butterscotch) came to live with us just over a year ago — September 27th to be exact. It’s only been in the last month or so that anyone besides my husband or I have seen Gracie except in pictures. Someone knocks on the door or rings the bell and she’s off under the bed and we won’t see her for a while.

Late August friends started coming over for music lessons from my husband. These days, Gracie is out and about in 5 or 10 minutes after they leave. Of course now that I think about it, that is around time for me to feed the cats.

Last week our friends were with my husband at one end of the house for their music lesson and I was at the other end working. I turned around and saw that Gracie was on my quilt. Usually Butterscotch takes up residence on the sewing table. Then it hit me. Gracie wasn’t under the bed and there were people in the house!

As our friends were leaving, I spotted Gracie by the back window. I motioned for the youngest to come peer over the back of the chair, but Gracie ran through the kitchen and around the corner then stopped. She spotted us through the open doorway. So, we had a staring contest for a few moments – she looking at us and we looking at her. It was a cool moment given that she spent the first month or so hiding under our bed even from us.

Stash Report

gracedavid

This past week I actually finished stuff to the point I can count it!  Two backings – one for the quilt pictured above and another shirt backing for one of the other Disappearing 9-patches. Normally I don’t count backings until the quilt is quilted, but given that this back is pieced and it could be a quilt on it’s own, I’ve counted it now. There is binding and the label to count for the Orange Disappearing 9-patch as well. As you can see, Gracie approves.

Fabric Added Since Last Report 0.0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 185.805 yards

Fabric Used Since Last Report: 11.693 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 73.476 yards

INCREASE in Stash to Date:  112.327 yards

See how others are doing over at Patchwork Times.

Life Happens

graciebinding

 

I feel like I’ve fallen off the face of the earth. I haven’t, it’s just that “Life Happens”. I tend to keep everything (especially my quilting) going through crises real or imagined and then collapse when it’s all over. The past couple of months have been a whirlwind and it has caught up with me.  Two new cats, two trips, in between DH in the hospital for 3 days (thank goodness(?!) it was during my vacation) with a cat bite and mi$cellaneou$ car/home/yard maintenance that had to be done NOW.

So, I’m slowly getting my act together. The living room got a once over after watching a video of the cats jumping at a feather toy. I’m sitting down and working on the DWR – I’ve got about 5-1/2 rings left to bind, then I’ll add a label, photograph the quilt, wash it and photograph it again. (I’m terrified of the reds bleeding, but I really need to clean it before we sleep under it on a regular basis). Gracie was helping out a couple of nights ago. Last night Butterscotch was keeping an eye on me.

quiltingcats-butter

Earlier this week I’ve finished a few more of the batik blocks – I had pinned the strips to the center before the last trip so this required no brain.  There are 14 more blocks to finish.

batik1118

We aren’t going to talk about the Stars or the Alphabet BOM until after Thanksgiving.

In the meantime, I really need to do a bit of housekeeping.  It’s so far behind it’s beginning to bother me.

 

 

 

Butterscotch & Gracie

butterscotchgracieA few weeks ago Ted & I adopted two cats. Butterscotch & Gracie.  The picture above is one taken by their previous owners/staff. We were told they were BFFs. Until recently, their favorite place has been under the bed.

Butterscotch-bed

Gracie-bed

 

Gracie has also been found under the kitchen sink (now cat-proofed!) and in the fireplace.

Gracie-cabinet

gracie-fireplace

 

Butterscotch has started venturing out. Here she is hanging out on the back of the chair.

Butterscotch-chair

 

She is also learning about being a quilt inspector…

butterscotchquilt

 

and fabric selection.

 

butterscotch-fabric

 

Gracie did hang out with Ted, briefly, last night.

GracieandTed

I hope one of these days I see both cats at the same time.