While Visions of Dingos Danced in Their Heads

If you have a dog I'm sure you're well aware of dingos. Little gray dog has already put in his order with santa (his grammy in maine, shh don't tell he still believes) for a bag or two.

Here's a shot of the tree this year. The theme is blue and silver. Little gray dog decided he (as always) needed to be the center of attention (even if he was asleep). Patrick the cat also decided to take part in the photo shoot. Don't mind the lack of tree skirt, the dog drinks the tree water and I decided putting presents under the tree wasn't a great idea, unless we wanted dog drool all over them.

Christmas Quilt is Complete!

Overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I love the red and white combination and I was able to use up a bunch of fabric from my stash. The only think I needed to buy was the backing (Kona Cotton:Snow). Luckily I saw a post from a fellow craftster member who mentioned that Hancock Fabrics was having a huge sale on Kona Cotton (52% off to be exact). I purchased 10 yards of snow and a few yards of other colors to make use of this wonderful bargain. Unfortunately they were out of many popular colors (which I didn't find out until I placed my order and got a call from customer service ugg). What I really need is a color card so that I know what I'm buying and don't have to guess what papaya "really" looks like. The shipping took a long time too, but I guess for 52% off I should stop complaining. I only wish there were a Hancock fabrics closer than 150 miles away.

I didn't use a pattern for this quilt, but was inspired by this quilt that I saw on flickr (of course). The stars are just 5 inch squares cut into triangles and arranged accordingly.

All of the quilting was done on my juki using a walking food and straight lines. I used Signature cotton quilting thread in a variegated red/pink colorway. The stitches aren't as perfect as I'd like, but it wasn't too bad for my first try at more "complicated" quilting i.e. I didn't just use painters tape this time to make a grid. Batting of course is warm and natural, for that well worn crinkly look. Binding was a bit smaller (2.25")then I usually make since this is a smaller size quilt. I actually rather like the 2.25" and might start using it on all my quilts.

I haven't made a label yet (I know I said I'd be better about this...bad bad i know). I was so anxious to get it binded and in the washing machine I couldn't force myself to make up a label.

K-

9-12-09

8 years and 1 day after a tragedy our country will never forget. Feels like just yesterday I was walking home to my dorm after an uneventful and rather boring 8am math class. It was my first year of college and I had only been away from home for a few weeks.

Still a little in shock about being alone and 6+ hours away from my family, September 11th felt like it was going to be a good day. The crisp fall air had warmed nicely by the time my class was over and the ocean's rhythmic pulse was soothing and reminiscent of home.

I was in my own world, contemplating stopping for a bowl of cereal before the tiny dining hall overcrowded, when another student came running towards me. "Odd", I thought to myself... college student are not up at 8am, unless they have to be, and they certainly aren't running in their street clothes. "A plane hit the world trade center, go turn on your tv", she gasped as she ran by. So I walked faster until I reached my dorm.

By the time I made it there everyone was awake and fixated on their TVs and computers as the mayhem unfolded. People were crying, cellphones wouldn't work, my roommate's dad was on a plane somewhere and we couldn't find out which flights crashed. It was a day, a week, a year I'll never forget. I'm thankful that President Obama has called for a day of service and hope that the compassion and love that people shared after 9/11/01 will be rekindled and remembered each 9/11 and throughout the year.

On a more upbeat note, I present two very bright baby quilt tops that I made for my Nephews for Christmas. Funky and happy polka dots, bright primary solids, and a mishmosh of blocks and patterns. They are exactly the brightness I needed on this dreary day. Please excuse the blurry photography, I still can't manage to find a time of day when the lighting is right to take photos inside the apartment.

Oh and the Ikea zoo fabric that the tops are lying on I plan to use as the backing. I wanted to make sure that the tops and backs were approximately the same size so I don't have to trim down the tops to fit on the back.
Little Gray dog loves to help his mummy organize her quilt blocks. Thankfully he has a good eye for color.

K-