Which Came First?

Which came first-- the dog or the quilt? Well, definitely, the dog came first; last month he celebrated his fifteenth birthday, but, he assuredly inspired this quilt pattern, don't you think? There's been a LOT going on in the sewing space these days, so much so, in fact, that I am woefully behind in posting to this blog. Hannes hangs out with me here in the studio and yesterday, when I looked up, this is what was looking back at me. So sweet! 😍


Speaking of Hannes and quilts-- do you remember when Lynnleigh insisted that Hannes have his own birthday quilt? She put some orphan String-X blocks together and we had a Hannes-sized nap quilt that same day. 

Since then it has been quilted, bound and enjoyed fully!

In honor of National Wildlife Day yesterday, we've been up close and personal with nature around here this summer. Our THIRD bluebird family fledged last week, five more babies(!) and twin fawns have been seen in the woods behind our home all summer as they've grown.

This smallish deer was spotted out the kitchen window while doing dishes the other day (sibling is on the very far left, almost out of frame); we were privileged to witness the baby bluebirds launching out into the world late one afternoon.

This wall quilt was worth the wait; begun in 1999 and hung last week in our bedroom. I just love waking up to this one each morning. 

 I had been working on this "Split Square" small quilt to use as a table topper, gathering the "charms" from my own scraps. (Pattern from Sew Charming by Mary Etherington and Connie Tesene). I pieced the blocks leader-ender style while working on other things. When it was time to set it together it DID NOT work! The edges didn't line up, but I struggled to make things fit. I "webbed" it using chain piecing but when I finally began sewing the rows together horizontally it was horrendous AWFUL. All the steam in the world could not convince these blocks to lay flat; there were puckers and pleats everywhere. I balled it up and threw it in the trash. I was defeated. But then, it began calling to me from the depths of my trashcan. "I wonder", I thought, "did I miss a step?" I went back to the book and realized that I had, indeed, missed a step-- a BIG ONE; the trim down! 🙄

I dug it out. I took it apart. I trimmed down the blocks (see above). I reassembled. Voila! Success. 

There is a lesson to be learned here-- don't give up, always do your best and read ALL the directions!

Let me conclude today on a sweet note. I have lots more to post, stay tuned; but in the meantime let me recommend this recipe that I got from our daughter-in-law for Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake that's mixed and cooked in the crock pot. It is easy to assemble and absolutely delicious. We topped ours with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Which came first here? The ice cream-- Mr. Goodneedle is an ice-cream making machine; he lives to try new flavors and crank out more batches, but in this instance, it matters not which came first; combined in the same bowl at the same time is perfection!

Enjoy~

Life is Good!