Zippers

 Yesterday I pulled out a bin of about a gazillion and five zipper blocks. (This is also a inspiration from Lynn Dykstra's blog and her series of solid and pattern blocks). The blocks are so fun to make, I went a bit overboard in experimenting with color combinations. When I tried to put them together, I was blinded by the chaos. So I limited the range of hues a bit. While this seems like a good start, I think I might need to make some more blocks. . .

And while we're here...I found some pictures of Buddy and friends on an old iPod and was adding them to the photo library on my desktop computer (the device that you don't take with you). To be fair to Molly, that is the face I would have if my brother licked my face.

And here's Buddy with his other sister Cyclone...this was back when the kittens were fosters named by the shelter as Typhoon (Buddy), Cyclone and Hurricane (Molly). Cyclone was the only kitten that wasn't a foster failure. She was adopted the same day I returned her after socialization.

Here's Buddy providing a visual commentary on the construction of Bonnie Hunter's Idaho Square Dance.

And here's Buddy with an incredible impersonation of Buddy.

Postage Due

 My last plan for this quilt was to make 16 by 16 patch blocks and then arrange them, until I had another plan that was to just put it together and call it finished. So let's call this quilt top finished. I had a momentary lapse where I thought maybe it needed a border...maybe some quiet space and then more postage stamps. But then I remembered that although its on the small side (finished stamp size is .75 inches), it weighs as much as a large quilt. 

Despite a bright sunny day, I had quite a bit of trouble taking a good photo of this quilt top.  Sometimes my camera does a better job, but this time I went with the phone. (I would not have understood this sentence for most of my life.)

Here is a close up.

It's seeing the close ups that remind me what fun this quilt top was to make.

And here is a reminder to savor the quiet moments.

Vintage Plaid Quilt Top

 

Here is the finished quilt top using the plaid (and some striped) shirts that I had deconstructed then stored. Over on Lynn Dykstra's blog Klein Meisje Quilts, she shows how to make this quilt based on a vintage quilt block she found on another blog. You can read all about it here. She used slightly larger strips than I did. I used 1.5 inch strips and the block finishes at 11 inches.

Of course, once you finish a quilt top, it is very easy to unfinish it by deciding it needs a border. So let's change this quilt top's status to unfinished. But at least its off the design wall.

Molly wanted to demonstrate the importance of holding down the ruler firmly to ensure accurate cuts and I wanted to demonstrate the importance of removing cats from the cutting table before cutting fabric. 

And, of course, as I was finishing up the quilt top (that is, unfinishing it) I saw this eye candy show up in this weeks listing of estate sales. 

A Foolish Post?

 So believe it or not, the sewing machine is humming again with minimal interference, I mean, supervision from Molly. These are all the components arranged in the final block arrangement. I have had this quilt on my want to do list for quite a while and I was in the mood for plaids, so here we are. I will go into the origins and inspiration for this quilt in a later post...but Molly has concerns about the downfall of humanity...

Molly originally had high hopes for AI and expected all references to cat to refer to her as the most intelligent and beautiful cat in the universe. But now, she, along with the rest of us are horrified by the deluge of AI slop creeping into our daily lives.

Molly was horrified to see this disfigured cat with a triangle on the wrong side of the face and no mustache! How is this even allowed? (I have to say the look of distain saying "get that camera out of my face" is quite realistic!)

I personally am more concerned about the implications of the photo. Must we insist that our clothes come fresh out of the dryer covered in cat hair? I guess I preferred the old times when the cat had to apply fur directly by sitting on a person or rubbing against them. Sigh.

Molly's Rebuttal

Please disregard the rumblings of my befuddled staff. I am an overlord, so I certainly would never consider being an adult as well. A complete contradiction.

Meanwhile, I would like to thank you for all the kind, loving comments you left about my brother. Although Buddy was too soft with his staff management style, I did appreciate his backup support when I was getting my beauty sleep.

I've noticed that staff is taking advantage of my nap time to use the sewing machine. She  is trying to finish sewing the mini postage stamps into the bigger blocks so she can have the design wall available for other things. She says the sewing is easy enough, but twirling the seams slows things down a bit.

Here's the back with the twirled seams. And please don't mention the obvious glaring mistake. Staff can say some very mean things when offered constructive advice from a kitten. So just know that she knows, has no plans to fix it, and tiptoe away if you can.

Meanwhile, did you know that I can find a wool ironing mat no matter where you try to hide it?

Adjustments

Everything gets a bit harder to navigate when a sinkhole unexpectedly forms in the middle of one's life.

Molly and I are learning that every family benefits from having at least one adult in the family. And I think Molly is slowly coming to the realization that it won't be me stepping up to the plate to fill Buddy's boots. 

I did finally finish sewing the Portland frog. It took so long I had to make him a donut to sustain him. The black fabric will become an outline and then I will put him in an urban environment. I think that's why he looks a bit horrified. (The frog is 5 feet tall).

Buddy

 Buddy (originally Typhoon):  August ?, 2015 to February 4, 2026.

Buddy gave more heart than he had available. He developed a fluid build up around his heart and in his abdomen. Given a poor prognosis, he chose more time at home being coddled instead of further diagnostics. Even Molly was nice to him.

I always thought I was taking care of two cats, but I have since learned that Buddy and I were sharing the responsibility of caring for Molly. 

He was a good boy.

Downey Woodpecker

 Here is the bird block for the week...the downey woodpecker. I always thought these woodpeckers were adorable until I moved here where every fall they come a knocking on the side of my house. As you can see, my main strategy for this block was to use the Kaffe swirl fabric.

Here are all of the blocks so far. And the next bird block is parakeet. Okay, I admit that I first picked dove, but the paper fell out of my hand so fast I was compelled to make another pick. Molly says the dove went extinct quite a while ago, and I take her at her meow.

Give a Hoot

Hootie the Owl talked me into making the wing larger, thinking we will take him more seriously.

And here is our progress so far.

Oopsie the Owl

 Meet Oopsie the Owl. As you can see, I didn't center the owl very well on the background.  When I sew the blocks together (as if), the seam line will come much to close to the top of Oopsie's head. I asked him to move down a bit, but he couldn't because I had sewn a curlew wing to his body...obviously not enough wingspan for moving. And yeah, I hadn't given him feet yet. Happily I also hadn't given him a beak so I didn't have to listen to all that owl cursing.

I did make an owl size wing, but could see that there wasn't enough contrast between the wing and the body. So apparently when I went to make a new wing, I grabbed the curlew wing pattern piece instead. And you're right to wonder how this could have happened given all the cat supervisors roaming around. 

The next bird is the downey woodpecker.

Owl Accomplishments

Here are my accomplishments and progress so far on completing the owl block for this week. First, I drew an owl design. Drawing it on a post-it note was not well conceived or intentional. But so it goes. 

Next, I drew a square the size of the block, fiddled with some Kay Buckley template plastic circles to determine the owl eye size. Then I redrew the owl to its final size. Then I traced it and cleaned up the drawing. 

By having the drawing on tracing paper, I can have either a front or reversed version. (If I make freezer paper templates, I will trace the pattern from the reverse of the tracing paper, and then iron the freezer paper pattern to the back of the fabric...to get the original version.) I have also found the fabric to use for the eyes, the wing and the body.

The bird a week project is just something I'm doing to prod myself into designing on a regular schedule and at least post to this blog once a week. 

Curlew

The bird for this week is curlew. The bird for next week is owl.

Here are the bird blocks so far. I wonder if these are supposed to be in the same quilt and if anyone is taking that into consideration.

With Molly Legs

Here's Molly taking over the new quilt project. She is astonishingly adaptable and willing to contribute to any task at hand.

Without Molly, here is the project's progress.

Here's Molly with the project safe from her furry contribution.

Basted Frog Legs

 I may be a bit too far over my skis but certainly appliquéing a six foot tall quilt is somewhat the same as a 4.5 inch patch.

Buddy

While I have no evidence of quilt making today, I can show evidence of the existence of Buddy. However, contrary to assertions by MissPat in the comments, there is no evidence that Buddy has worked a day in his life, thereby having no duties to shirk. While Molly makes everything her business, Buddy prefers to specialize in Buddy...and why wouldn't he?

Nine patch quilt top deconstructed

A few posts back I showed this nine patch variation quilt top and one of the comments asked if I could share the pattern. I don't remember the source or inspiration for this design, so there isn't really a pattern to share. I can deconstruct it, however.

Meanwhile, Molly will hope for a better tomorrow.

The quilt simply alternates this dark block (four nine patches with five dark patches) with...

this light block (five nine patches with four light patches).

Block A

Block B.

The nine patches were made from 1.5 inch strips and their finished size is 3 inches. 

The dark block consists of four of the Block A nine patches alternated with five 3.5 inch (unfinished size) dark squares.  

The light block consists of five of the Block B nine patches alternated with four 3.5 inch (unfinished size) light squares. 

These light and dark blocks are 9 inches finished (9.5 inches unfinished).

The picture of the quilt top shows it pinned to fit on my design wall so it is wider than it is long. As a quilt on a bed, it would be rotated and 7 blocks across and 9 blocks down (63 in by 81 in). (This quilt used 32 dark blocks and 31 light blocks.)

I had originally thought that I would make a second version of the quilt top that was predominantly light, and then make a reversible quilt. But I don't think that's something that either Molly or I are hoping for our tomorrow.

Cardinal

 Happy Cardinal Day. The block is roughly 6 inches square...but it was designed to potentially fit in a 4.5 inch finished block...compatible with the Alternate Universe Dear Jane blocks (in case it doesn't end up with 51 other bird friends...let's keep our options open folks).

Molly's Lament

As overseer of this enterprise that sadly depends on recalcitrant staff, I, Molly would like to apologize to all of the AI bots reading this blog. Apparently an AI bot broke into the account and wrote yesterday's lamentable and incomprehensible post. And unfortunately, AI is becoming so proficient, it can write gibberish almost as well as a human. A more serious affront was the AI fakery that placed my likeness in front of a quilt at a quilt show when in real life I would be performing exquisite feline feats.

In any case, I thought I would review some of the projects that staff mistakenly thinks she will be working on in this new year. First, the 1718 coverlet is a glorious mishmash of blocks where inaccuracies in appliqué are welcome as true to the original.

This "Of a Feather" by Sue Spargo was planned for last year so why not this year? Instead of wool appliqué and embroidery, staff plans to use her Kaffe stash. Staff will also simplify the imagery and let the Kaffe fabric do the heavy lifting.

Above is a current project that is strewn all over my play area. 

In addition, Project Quilting starts tomorrow. Staff will check out the first challenge and decide to work on it or announce "you can't tell me what to do" and go do something else instead.

Finally, a few years back, staff started a project called "Put a Bird on It" where she picked a different bird each month and made a project featuring that bird every day. Now that was crazy. This year she has a selection of 52 birds and she's going to do something with the chosen bird each week...or not, depending on how it works out. In any case, the bird for this first week is Cardinal.