Applique the Day Away!

We've had thunderstorms on and off all day today, so it was a good day to do some applique.  I worked all day on stitching  "Seahorse Samba"



and got the center done including the polka dot ring...the starfish are just pinned on at this point.



Still lots left to do on this one, but I'm happy with the progress I made today.  No thanks to my helper I might add...



who fell asleep on the job!  Actually, that's why I got so much done :)

Pink Socks Done and Kitty Antics!

I hadn't been knitting for a while so I decided yesterday to get the mate finished to my pink sock.  I worked on it last night watching TV and then finished up the cuff this afternoon.



They're pretty wild, but I like them.



Since I was on a roll, I pulled yarn to start another pair...a little more subdued this time



And got the toe started before I took a kitty break



Speaking of kitties, Chloe is such a good sport letting Bouree jump all over her, but I don't like him biting her ears, so every time I see him grabbing her head I pull him off.  But he still has taken a toll on her right ear.  Here is my sweet girl posing for the camera while Bouree was napping.



His naptime is the only time she gets any peace!  See what I mean...he's chewed the fur off of that ear!



Now Bouree's awake and looking for her



And you can just see in the background, that he chewed through the belt on my treadle sewing machine...and this is the look I got when I asked him why



But each time he is a naughty boy, he immediately does something cute...how could I possibly be upset with something this cute!



 

My helper Bouree

I'm working quite hard on 2 projects for the 2012 show season.  Pictures of them to come soon.

But today, here is my helper...so to speak.





Do you think he feels at home? :)

 

Getting a Few Things Done

After a very busy week around here, today I got back to work in earnest. I completed a few projects that have been in progress for some time. One was a friends quilt that I have had for quilting a good while now.  All finished up today and shipped back to her.





I also drew some pen and watercolor note cards.

One with color, and one pen only before I added the color



and then after painting



I needed to re-stock some colors of my textile paints and inks...hopefully they will arrive tomorrow and I can get back to painting on a couple other quilts in progress.

And lastly, this is what Bouree and Chloe have been doing all day!





 

Playing Around

I've been down with a migraine the last two days, but the kitties are full of energy.  Thankfully this evening I am starting to feel human again. But not much has happened in the studio, so I'll share some Bouree and Chloe photos.













Have a great night and stay cool!

Through the Eyes of my Heart

Today is the reveal day for our Fiberactions challenge. Our word this time was "Departure"  and my work fits the word in three ways. It is 16 x20 horizontal this time instead of vertical; it has very simple wavy lines for background quilting instead of my usual more ornate stuff; and I elected to make it a tribute to my kitty Harry who recently died very unexpectedly at the tender age of 4. I have had many kitty companions over the course of my lifetime, but none touched my soul the way Harry did. I'll never be able to explain the depth of that bond.  Nor will it ever go away.



The creation of this piece has been very painful, yet healing in many ways.  The eyes, you will notice are a sort of hybrid...part human; part feline. There is a poem by an unknown author handwritten in the background very faintly.  The quilting is very simple, I wanted the eyes to be the focus of the piece.



My work is mostly pictorial, often with a whimsical slant, so I have done my share of eyes. Usually they are fairly simplistic and sort of flat.  This time though, I wanted to be able to capture the essence of Harry in them.  While not anywhere near perfect, they do "speak" to me. Not only of Harry,



but of Chloe



and of Bouree





 

And the most healing thing of all occurred when I took the quilt off the frame after finishing...



Be sure to head over to Fiberactions to see  what my fellow artists did with this word!

Can You Stand Some More Cuteness Today?

If so here it comes!













 

We Took His Wine Rack Away...

So here is his new place :)





I think he's protesting!

A Finish!

I finished the quilting on the red/black and white quilt today.  Now keep in mind, this is a bed quilt.  So it does not have my usual type of quilting.  Down and dirty, so to speak...and fast. I appliqued as I quilted and then added a few motifs from a couple Circle Lord templates and then just filled in with simple wavy lines.   Got to keep it lofty and warm. I used Quilters Dream wool batting and Superior's So Fine  threads.



Ignore the black lines of thread...that is my basting...haven't pulled that out yet.

The rest of the photos are of the back.  I decided to use a plain white back to show you that even doing the applique as a part of the quilting...the back still doesn't look too bad.  If you use a patterned backing fabric, you wouldn't even notice it.

If it were a wall quilt, I probably would have attached the applique with a single line of stitching just inside the edge.  But a bed quilt that will get lots of wear and washing, I decided to do a freehand zigzag edge...more thread=better hold.











 

 





 

Tomorrow trim and get the binding on.

Also today Bouree was wild!  First back in my trash can under the longarm..he really likes it in there...



And later...climbing the wine rack in the kitchen...it is tall...floor to ceiling. I had to take the wine bottles out after he tipped it over and broke a couple....







We finally took it out of the room and put it in the workshop, I was afraid he'd hurt himself.

He is fearless and a big climber and jumper.  It has been many years since I had a cat that climbed this much.  Usually Ragdolls  are more sedate...not this little guy!  He is much more adventurous!  Chloe just watches and chirps at him...telling him he's crazy, I'm sure!