Pet Rescue Dog Blocks Update

It's just me,

popping in for a very few minutes,

to share a finish

for the Pet Rescue Dog Blocks project.

It's still my birthday!

And all because of YOU!

A peek at the backing....

...and the binding.

*

Thanks to a few suggestions from readers,

today I tried a new-to-me photo editor

to replace PicMonkey.

I went to BeFunky

and found it pretty easy to use,

except for using the text.

Next post,

I'll try another new one.

It has to be pretty simple, as I'm not one to spend a lot of time 

clicking all around 

trying to make sense out of something.

*

I wanted to remind you about

My day is February 8th!

Hope I'm ready!

Enjoy your day!

Thanks for popping in!

XO,

karen

A Very Special Quilty Gift

I've never, ever bonded with my laptop,

so by the time it boots up and begins to behave,

I've lost the impetus to write up a post.

Such is the case today.  

Besides that, I miss PicMonkey.

I might have to splurge and purchase a subscription.

I'm not exactly tech savvy, 

and PicMonkey makes it so darned easy.

I wanted to share a quick update on the doggie blocks

I have been working with.

Quilt flimsy number one is being cross hatched as I type.

I miss my Janome!  But, this will do.

I found some cute doggie themed flannel 

at Joann Fabric's most recent sale,

60% off.

Couldn't resist, although I don't often purchase fabric there,

but I picked up 3 different lengths.

To date, I have 2 sets of placemats finished

and 3 flimsies sewn together.

I'm making progress!

Did I mention,

I miss my Janome?

Crosshatching is time consuming,

so I thing organic wavy lines will be used

to quilt the next flimsy.

I've been meaning to share this beautiful quilt

that was gifted to me on my birthday last fall.

My quilty friend, Pat, (on the island)

invited me over for show and tell one afternoon,

not knowing it was my birthday.

After we looked at all her beauties,

she pulled this one out and said,

"I really want you to have this one."

It was a very bright morning,

so, it actually photographed better from the back

with the sun shining through it.

Pat's quilts are very special.

To begin with,

most of her fabrics are upcycled linens

from local thrift shops.

As if that isn't special enough,

they are almost all hand pieced,

hand appliqued, 

and

hand quilted.

I was over the moon,

because no one has ever made a quilt for me before,

and, as I said,

it was my birthday,

and she didn't even know!

It looks very pretty on my bed,

really brightening up my room.

I know you read my blog from time to time,

Pat, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so sweet.

(Over the years, I've often been heard telling people that

when I grow up, I want to be just like Pat!

She's a dear!)

That's all for today!

I'll try to do better next time!

Stay warm, stay safe!

XO,

Karen

A New Year's Challenge: Consider the Children

Already, we're a week into the new year!  My, how time flies when you’re having fun.  Happy New Year everybody!  I’m 'sew' inspired from reading the many year end/new year posts, I haven't been able to stop sewing long enough to write a post of my own!

First up is a Dog Gone Cute block update!  I’ve been working diligently, and am confident I’ll make my self imposed deadline to have everything completed and delivered by midFebruary.  I can’t tell you what a pleasure it’s been working with all of your blocks!  I’ve pieced group quilts together before and have never had every single block be so perfect!  Thank you all!  Pictures will definitely follow in a future post.

Next, I’m excited to tell you that I am participating in a blog hop next month, and I hope to see you there!  In between working with all those cute pups, I’ve been stitching away on my project, and the more it grows, the more excited I become.  My day is scheduled for Feb. 8, so be sure to pop in for a visit!

This post wouldn’t be complete without talking about some goals for the new year, except I don’t really have any.  But I do have some plans I hope to follow through with during the year.  I always pack my largest piece of luggage with fabric and needed notions for my summer sewing season up on the island.  This year will be no different, except instead of buying random fabric just because I like it, I’m going to choose three to five patterns I’ve either purchased or won, and kit them up.  It will be novel to have everything I need at my fingertips.

Finally, I’m determined to use my scraps as I generate them this year, instead of letting them build up to overflowing, which leads me to my New Year's Challenge: Consider the Children. 

Quilters are the first to respond with compassion to the catastrophic events that occur over and over again.  But what about the silent sufferers?  Those victims we hear little to nothing about?  The children. The children who are exposed to crime, domestic violence, abuse, fires.......the children who are removed from a scene by the police for their safety, the children who don't have a voice in the media.

My plan is to make as many Owlivia pillows as I can, from my scraps, to donate to my police department, for them to have on hand, to give to children for comfort when they are frightened and need something to hug.

I have made several of these easy, sweet pillows in the past, many as gifts for family and friends, which I've coupled with storybooks about owls.  I've even enlarged the pattern and made bigger ones.  A few years back, I donated a box of them for my local RCMP department to distribute among their cruisers to have on hand for such occurrences as mentioned above. 

They are no bigger than an 8.5 x 11" sheet of paper, and each one has it's own personality.  And did I mention, easy?  With all of the bright, bold, colorful fabrics being marketed today, the possibilities are endless.

Dare I challenge you to consider doing the same, or something similar?  Do you belong to a group that's looking for a year long project?  Can you spread a little love and give an innocent, frightened child a perpetual hug to help navigate through a difficult situation?  Will you Consider the Children, too, when generating scraps from your quilty projects?

I'm looking forward to a wonderful, funderful new year!  

I hope you are, too!

XO