Snow storms and Kitten storms

A while back I showed photos of a snowball quilt my grandmother made some time in the 1920s or 1930s. It was one of the few scrap quilts she made. Here are six of the prints from that quilt that are multicolor...that is not predominantly blue, pink, green or yellow.

And speaking of snowballs, this was the extent of the snow we got overnight. Daytime temperatures kept the ground relatively warm and overnight temperatures only flirted with freezing. So we got some snow, sleet and rain and very little accumulation.

However, some of the pines collected snow and ice. When the breeze blew threw, they made a very interesting rattle.

I also found some plants practicing yoga...in this case, the downward daffodil pose.

Later in the morning, Molly took over her supervisory position...

but I was more interested in knowing how Molly knew the pink bobbin was in my shirt pocket.

She reminded me that when she was a kitten, I always kept the best cat toys in my pocket. Her sister taught her how to steal the good toys out of my pocket and then run off with them. I did always take them away again and stuffed them back in my pocket before leaving the Kitten U campus.

I thought that was an excellent story, except that the thread bobbin is not a cat toy. Molly said my ignorance is alarming.

Stonefields blocks: Criminal Edition

Here is the latest block for the Stonefields quilt by Susan Smith. This is the last block needed to complete Month 2. But I'm sure many of you are already wondering why I used two different pinks to applique the blocks. And this is where the crime drama begins.

For applique, I use the Superior Masterpiece cotton thread provided in bobbins stored in "donuts." Adorable. And that's the reason for my thread choice...adorable! However, the arrow on the left is  pointing to a missing bobbin. And yes, next to the empty spot is a bobbin that is more chewed than adorable. Because yes, thieves also love these bobbins.

Last night, I very carefully hid the pink bobbin I was using because Criminal Suspect #1 (AKA Buddy) had already run off with a larger spool of thread. He had also chewed the bobbin displayed above in Exhibit I. This morning, the hidden pink bobbin remained hidden. I looked all over...both in places that I might have hidden the bobbin and in places that Buddy might hide the bobbin.

I also had to consider Criminal Suspect #2 although Molly prefers to be caught in the act. But she is also a notorious accomplice. So my search expanded.

By the end of the day, Molly was getting a bit impatient with my searching. She suggested that I check the pockets of the shirt I was wearing yesterday. And yes, that's where I found the pink bobbin. Unchewed. And now I am left wondering how long Molly knew and how she knew.

Red cow

Here's a red cow. I am adding complementary colors as accents. She is very happy to join the Rainbow Scrappy Challenge.

Cows like to hang out together.

Vintage butterflies

I made three vintage butterfly blocks today...the blue and orange ones. I made the green block earlier, but am using it to fill in.

We are expecting a cold snap, so I thought I should take a picture of the peach trees blooming. Please notice the tree's jaunty angle. A black bear thought this would make the landscaping more attractive and the peaches easier to reach.

And of course, the daffodils are continuing to put on a show.

Fabric, Molly and Buddy

These are the fabrics that I'm going to be using for the Afternoon Delight quilt.  Sue Garman's daughters are continuing to run her website so her patterns are still available. All the fabrics shown here are from Janine Burke (Riverwood) except for the background fabric. I bought a bundle of her fabrics at the MidAtlantic Quilt Festival.

Molly prefers her tissue paper because it makes a lot of noise.

Buddy is not a fan of tissue paper or noise. But dogs are funny that way.

Molly

I don't have much to show because most of my time has been spent on spring chores and cleaning up the sewing room. Molly agreed to pose for me so I would have something beautiful to show you. Her spring cleaning activity is ripping and shredding things stored in closets. 

Molly is sitting in front of a bin that holds fabric I am going to use to make Sue Garman's Afternoon Delight. Molly assured me that no one visiting this blog would be interested in fabric unless she was hiding under it.

Paint splattered cats

Today I made a pillowcase out of the paint splatter cats. The pillowcase is folded up and that is why the band looks extra large. In any case, the message is clear. Cats drive a person to drink.

When I applique, I like to use the bobbins stored in the donuts by Superior thread. But sometimes I forget to put the bobbin back in the donut immediately. Buddy will then grab the bobbin and try to chew it to bits. Now, of course, we have advanced our game. So yesterday he grabbed the bobbin and ran across the house and under a bed. However, he is easy to distract with another toy, so I rescued the teal bobbin in time.

I also made a vintage butterfly block. The strips are 1.5 cut and one inch finished. Each butterfly is 3 inches finished and each block is 9 inches finished.