to Boston with Love (and some geese)

I did have a mental blog post all written about the terrible events that unfolded in Boston during and after the marathon. It was good and thoughtful and not too high-horsey (a tendency I have, according to my spouse.) But you'll need to take my word for it since I seem to have forgotten the whole damn thing. Suffice to say my Dad ran a few half marathons when I was a kid. We went and cheered at the finish line, had a fun day out and managed to not get blown up.  A bonus these days, it would seem. Which is a tragedy all of its own.

 Anyways, the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild is running a collaborative textile project involving gathering little flags to make into (they hope) massive amounts of bunting to be strung round Boston as part of a Memorial Day celebration. The details are all on the VMQG website (click here) and here is my wee offering. There may be another in the works but time is of the essense getting these across the pond in time. Fancy making one, too? Any sort of love or peace or friendship style, dimensions are on the above link. C'mon, lets send some love from over here.

I made a little progress on my Marcella medallion, too.

Can you spot the missing round? I don't like that row of bricks that is supposed to come between the geese and the large plain border. I think you lose the geese and, dammit, I want everyone to see them coz the took foraaages! My geese are a wee bit bigger than the pattern dictates (at least, I think they are. Mine are 2x4in finished) but I wanted to really see them. Lots of crosses to make now but we've just ripped out our cloakroom loo and are choosing a new sink. So sewing time may be limited as I'll be up to here *gesticulates around chin* in paint and tiles and new porcelain. Joy.

Lucky by name...

Lucky the Mini and the spouse had their first hillclimb last weekend. It's taken me so long to blog because due to circumstances unforseen but detailed below I didn't actually see any of his runs. And therefore had no photos to share. Luckily for me there's a few photographers attend these events and plop their photos on Flickr. I've bought a digital copy of this awesome one from Derek Monaghan - he added this one with the cheeky wee bit of photoshopping as a freebie. Cool, right? His photostream is really amazing - if you look back there's the most brilliant insect and landscape photography.

So, why hadn't I gotten any photos myself? Because we had planned to go on Sunday due to Chook riding all day on Saturday. And on his second run up on Saturday? Lucky's gearbox packed in. *blinks* So there was no runs for wee Lucky on Sunday at all. At this very moment his engine has been lifted out and is being hit with hammers - in a professional mechanical manner, obviously. Bits to fix the gearbox have been purchased and a new differential sourced. I do know more about cars than I ever wanted to! But hopefully next time (at the end of June) Lucky will live up to his name. Even just a little...

chair cushions and cat jackets

One of my work colleagues has a little toddler girl and asked a few weeks ago if I could do something to make her new chair for her wee wooden desk more comfortable. I suggested maybe a tie-on cushion. That way it stays put but you can still take out the pillow form and wash it. So we duly went online shopping and she settled on some of the last remaining bits of Fox Hollow in the country! I set to last night and this is what I came up with.

I could not resist adding a frill in that fabulous fox family print. Although it did induce some gathering related swearing late on in the process last night. I put a zip underneath for easy removal of the insert, too, and stripey ties in more Fox Hollow.  I took it in to work today and she seemed quite pleased. Yay! And onto the next project!

Speaking of projects, my cats walking jackets arrived today. Both cats (but Temple in particular) are desperate to get outside. They're just not getting "let" out since there's a busy road right in front of us and quite frankly, I don't trust people to not lift them. So after some thought we decided we would "take" them out. See the subtle distinction? And rather than have to cat-proof our garden so they can't get out of it (I'm not sure how you'd manage that anyway!) we've gone down the leash route. Which requires a jacket rather than a harness. Since cats are notoriously good at getting out of walking harnesses!

Mine came from Mynwood Cat Jackets but I know there's a few places make them to measure. I have 4cm of difference in neck circumference between my two!

*holy crap. While I was typing that last sentence I had to rescue Temple from the outside bedroom window ledge. I am literally sitting 2 feet from him and still he is escaping out of tiny gaps!* 

Temple got a funky red-which-photographs-as-pink one and Jones has black skulls and crossbones on. Coz he's a pirate (his pedigree name is Captain Jones Weyland). So we're doing 5 minutes at a time training coz they obviously feel like they've got a tonne weight on their backs. Temple was staggering about drunk earlier! Hopefully by the weekend we can attach a lead and take them into the garden. Before Temple kills himself!

P.S. Yes, I will make my own now! But I wanted to see a tried and tested version in-the-weave first.

P.P.S. Yes, i also realise it's a bit mental taking my cats for a walk!

Whimsy-on-Sea top finished!

Tad-daaah! My Around the Bend and Across the Pond (subdivision: Ab Fab Free Bees) top all finished. You'll have noticed this isn't in my garden as I had planned. It's lovely and bright out but blowing a gale. Great washing weather - not so great for quilt top photo taking. Check out this bad boy, though.

I absolutely adore what came home to me after sending out my house block(s). It just neded a tiny wee tweak to balance it out. So I added a strip of sea to act as a foil to the woods on the other side.

And a sheep field to lengthen it a little. And couldn't resist adding some ponies into Dena's pasture.

And planted some more trees in the woods. And a hot air balloon in what was a vast sky.

The three extra black bordered blocks spread the black frames out (and do the old visual triangle trick, too) and I am totally, totally in love with it.

And now comes that age old question - how the hell to quilt it?!? An allover stipple? A bit boring but it won't take away from the design. I do think it needs a certain amount of all over quilting to make sure it stays pulled together (in a design sense, not a shoddy-workmanship way!) rather than different things in different areas. A different free motion pattern? One of those linked daisies ones. You know, with the stalks joining them. Or keep it really simple and straight line the whole thing? I haven't a clue. Suggestions welcome! And if anyone else suggests hand quilting (yes, you, Mizz Dolores!) you can go and chase yourselves!

P.S. And, no, I don't know where I'm going to put it, either. It's 76 x 73 inches so big enough for my bed but you'll lose the design off the edges. I quite like the idea of hanging it on my wee room wall medieval tapestry style but that will require new furniture to free up a wall big enough. One problem at a time though, eh?

building houses, the sea and geese.

I've been busy in the wee room again this week. Determined to "finish" my round robin quilt (ie. add some wee bits so it's balanced) I've been doing some work to Whimsy-on-Sea. Expanding the forest, creating a sheep field next to the pony pasture and conjuring some sea.

  

 

I've also been building some prime real estate. A hot air balloon may have sailed into view, too. I've one seam to unpick so I can add the balloon and then it's done! I'll need to wait til I get a bright day that isn't blowing a gale to get some photos, though, as it's HUGE.

 And then it's back to the Marcella Medallion. I did get this wee bundle of low-volume prettiness last week for geese backgrounds.

Picked by mad wee Aunty Sarah for me and wishlisted on the Village Haberdashery they are gorgeous! And I can't wait to get back to it.

Happy 90th Birthday, Wee Granny!!

We popped in to visit Wee Granny after work and school today to give her Maggie the Bunny and wish her many happy returns of the day. She had just waved goodbye to the last of her church cronies but my mum was still about. Which necessitated a quick couple of photos for posterity.

And one of my three favourite girls.

And one of our four generations. Papa did super well taking this one - he's struggling a bit mentally but did us proud.

It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since her 80th church-ladies-tea when my mum served and a little baby crawled about after her in rosebud dungarees. It's also hard to believe that we've gotten this far - for a while there at Christmas we weren't sure she was going to make it to today. But honestly? The woman is a first class bullet dodger so no one will be surprised if we're here in another 10 years celebrating her century! Happy Birthday Wee Granny Bett!

pony girl

I knew this second week of school Easter holiday wasn't going to be as relaxing as the first when I was on holiday. Apart from the obvious work thing the Chookie was having 3 days at the holiday riding club at her stables. Which meant 2 one hour round trips for me every day dropping her off and collecting her before and after work. But it's her thing and it gave her something to do the second "I'm booooored" week of the holidays AND gave the spouse (who was on holiday this past week) 3 days to work on Lucky the Mini. Since his first hillclimb is next weekend!

 

She had an absolute ball! The sun shone 2 days out of the three and because she's in the senior group with the teenagers - despite being only 10 - they were doing fun stuff. Like their first cross country riding and jumping! I was sharp to pick her up on Tuesday and grabbed this quick shot of them heading bareback to the pony field with their mounts for the week. This is Caper, he is Chook's absolute favourite.

 She did fall off him twice on Monday - once he got a wee fright when Barley spooked (Barley he pony, not the crop) and he cantered off and another she misjudged the strides to a jump. But she got back on right away and did it again. Plucky kid! 

 

And yesterday afternoon I was sharp picking her up as well since Granny's party started before she would normally finish. While waiting for her to appear I was chatting to this chap, Highlander. He used to be a dapple grey - did you know they are born black, turn grey and spotty and then fade to white? No, neither did I!

When she did appear she wanted to say bye to her beloved Caper. They're not big, Dartmoor ponies, but they are full of affection.

And that's us all back to work and school on Monday. Pants. The gloom is settling as I type!