Fairy Steps 3

I've made this pattern three times now, and I could start another one right after I write this post!  It's fast and easy and has such a pretty overall effect.  This is going to my Auntie Joyce in England.  My mum is heading over there this coming weekend and asked me to make a quilt for her like the wheelchair charity quilts I made, and inadvertently got our guild to make for our Christmas charity project, last year.

Taken in the shade; the sashing and borders are not quite this white

I haven't washed it yet; will do that when I finish the other one I've decided to make, and take photos of the two together.  This is from Pam and Nicky Lintott's book, Two From One Jelly Roll Quilts.

I planned to use Warm 'n Natural, but then perhaps when I was going through my stash to find a suitable backing, some leftover from Dayna's quilt slabs of Quilter's Dream wool reached out their wooly paws and tapped me on the arm, and I thought, hmmm, I wonder.  Well, read on and you will see how wonder-FULL it went!

The first slab nicely fit the top 3/4 of the quilt.  Then I laid a relatively wide long piece down to see if it would be wide enough, and it was plenty wide enough! Snuggled it up against the main slab when I got to quilting that point in the quilt, held it in place to the backing with a couple shots of Sullivan's Quilt Basting Spray, smoothed down the top, and finished quilting.

Because of the ditching down the sashings and inside seam of the border, and the allover flowers and leaves and loops meander, I knew that join would get criss-crossed plenty.  And it did.  You can't tell where it is at all.  May I say how much I am LOVING wool batting?  Quilts like butter! Nice definition! So light but gives a lovely warmth.  Makes me think of woolly sheep...and green hills of Scotland, and mists and Jamie, ahhh...wait, what? Where am I?  Ah Outlander, both the books (I'm re-reading Dragonfly in Amber), and the TV series, you have my heart and my imagination totally and completely yet again...

Where were we?  Ah yes, wool batting.

The backing:

I no longer have my piano, but is that not the "Simple Gifts" tune if my musical mind hasn't left me...

Perfect colours to go with the front.  But music? With a floral and garden-themed quilt?  Well Auntie Joyce's husband, my mum's brother, Uncle Frank, is a musician.  He conducted Besses o' the Barn band for several years, wrote or maybe still writes music, writes wonderful poetry (check out his blog, Poems for Proles), wrote a couple of episodes for "Coronation Street", paints, worked in textiles, in short, he is one über-talented man.  This is a piece left over from a cushion I made for my beloved 'second mum' and piano teacher many years ago.  It's the perfect backing, and there was JUST enough; yay that this is a small lap quilt.

Pocket on the back made from trimmings from the front for a 'hanky' and label from a chunk of labels fabric from another aunt!

I wasn't sure about using blue and pink floral for a binding, but I love it.  It represents the blue sky of a garden, right?  It also picks up the hit of blue in one of the fabrics.  Ha until I uploaded this photo, I hadn't noticed the triangle of cerulean in the top left!  Love that.

Some really lovely texture, and so soft a drape

Quilt Stats:
Pattern:  Fairy Steps by Pam & Nicky Lintott
Size: 31.5 X 37.5"; 30.5 X 36.5" after quilting
Fabric:  From stash and Clothworks "Provincial"
Batting: Quilter's Dream wool
Quilted: on my Avanté
Threads: pieced with Gütermann; quilted with Essential in pale pink.  May I just add how very much Avril and I LOVE this thread?  She was still threaded from Sunny Days, so I simply loaded this quilt, checked the tension as I ran my straight lines across first the batting and then the top to secure the top edge.  Perfect.  And then not one break in the entire little quilt.  It really blends in well on both the coloured fabrics as well as the ivory ones.

Linking up with Sew Fresh Quilts, always love Lorna's linky.
And with My Quilt Infatuation, lots of eye candy there too with Kelly.

Note: Since I now have over 200 readers (egad, like how) I must live up to your devotion by giving some content, n'est-ce pas?  As in educational methinks.  I have several tutorials here but whilst (channeling my English roots here) applying the binding on Fairy Steps, I took several photos to show you lovely readers what I do to bind a quilt.  It's nothing revolutionary in the least, but always good to see techniques and hopefully take away tidbits that might help you.  I'll have that for you tomorrow.  I was going to add it to this post, but that would be much too lengthy even for me!  My next installment of May is for Makers is forthcoming toute de suite (Clearly I'm also channeling la France thanks to Outlander being set there in this second book/second season).  On that May is for Makers note, my own pattern for Blue Skies & Sunny Days is DONE!!  I am so very grateful to Tish for her wizardry in EQ7:  she made me some very professional-looking diagrams for the pattern.  It should be available (and on sale of course) within a few days, eep!

Please remember to visit those bloggers on the Crafted Appliqué blog hop at Buzzin' Bumble that is still running until June 4!  Here is the schedule.  Giveaways every day!  Open internationally.  I love that both my giveaways are going overseas, the book to Ireland and my dogs/cats pattern to The Netherlands! Small lovely world.

MacGyver's flipflop-encased toes (yeah they're that brown!) just visible, snort....

Still with me?  Rocco got most of his staples out yesterday, although there are still two spots, at the top and at the bottom of his incision, where they need to stay.  We go back next week to get these last ones out.  Poor poor darling; the vet tech had removed the ones at the top but didn't like the looks of the incision, so she called in the vet to check it out, and he agreed, and put in two new ones.  Rocco cried/whimpered just once, but my heart broke for him.  He was exhausted when we got home, more walking than he's done in a few weeks.  They all grinned to see his pibble yoga frog pose though!

For The Love of A Pibble

or Why I Need Tons Of Quilts - a musings post

This past week has been rather tumultuous in my corner of the planet.  This deals with the most tumultuous of the events...

I'm a pretty simple girl.  It doesn't take a lot to make me deeply happy in my being.  Quilts make me deeply happy.  Some quilters give away most of their quilts.  I am not one of them.  Although I do give a lot away, I also keep a lot, and I make no apologies for doing so.  They make me content, and creating them feeds my soul, my passion, and although it may sound cliché, they are my therapy.

My other therapy is my prince, my beloved Rocco.  How do these two therapies come together?

This past week he had to undergo surgery.  Again.  Seventh time being under anesthetic.  He ruptured his ACL in his right back knee.

Routine

Some of us crave routine; others thrive on going where the wind sways them.  Once again, I find another similarity between myself and my beloved pibble, Rocco.  He loves routine; it keeps him stable.  Stability is good.

You can set the clock by my boy.  Well, for parts of the day: morning walk, and evening couch.

7 pm routine
1. Stare at human.  If no result, put muzzle on the couch and sigh.

2.  Remain perfectly still while human puts sheet on the couch.  Patience.

Such focus!

Do not move, even if covered by the sheet, or...

The mama human takes my picture.  Okay, I'll turn my head for Sandra.

Back to focusing.  Soon now.  I can feel it.  My spot.  Dibs.

Ahh!  Got it.  Good chi.  Happy pibble.

Ahhh! Good chi.  Happy quilter.

It's been a whirlwind of a past couple of weeks while Julie and I hosted the Craftsy Sweetens Up My Quilting Life blog hop.  It's been a terrific learning experience, the first hop of this kind in some time, apparently.  We've had a great response.  Thank you so much for your support; I've been so pleased with those of you who helped us, so impressed with the hard work of our bloggers, and touched by the generosity and kindness of so many of you to spread the word.  Friends indeed.

There's still time to enter that giveaway!  Don't wait!  Seriously, just click here and that's it.  If you aren't a Craftsy member, signing up takes a few clicks, and it's free.  Two free classes to two lucky people and that wonderful grand prize:

All the classes reviewed in the hop are still on sale 50% (or more) off through the specific blogger who reviewed them, until this coming Sunday, Feb. 21.  Click the heart on my sidebar to see the schedule and links to each post.

AMEN!!  Thanks to Judy for sending me this.

I'm going back to my routine of sewing and a little blogging.  Like Rocco, relax in my "spot" - my sewing room.  But I'll be back this week to tell you the story of the heart pillow.
Linking up at Sew Fresh Quilts. 

Pit Bull Love

Note:  I apologize for the varying fonts in the text of this post.  I wrote the bulk of this on my laptop in the SUV while we travelled, and then copied and pasted it into Blogger.  I cannot seem to format the font to be unified.

August Update:  this is my entry for Pets on Quilts in the Dogs on Quilts category for this year's Pets on Quilts Show at Lily Pad Quilting.

Dayna has long bugged me to write a post about Rocco.

"You can tell me anything; I'm a great listener."

I tell her he figures quite often in my quilt posts and life musings.   

His happy place

Today, however, this is all about him. Well, I'm sure a quilt -- or three -- will show up.

11 weeks old, blue-eyed and chillin' (and posing!) on my "Starry Hearts" quilt

 During the binding stage of "Seaside Rose":

Notice how his hind legs (Pibble style of chill-axin' nicely frame my label?!

Since Rocco found me, I have become quite the Pitbull (aka Pibble) advocate.  Both Joe and I have.  As has Dayna; she even did one of her university speech assignments about Breed Specific Legislation.
 

Wearing his new hoodie

Even though we paid a fair amount for him, as he is 8^th generation purebred American Pit Bull Terrier, we know we rescued him from a not-so-happy life.  At 11 weeks old, he spent the bulk of his day in a crate, although he did sleep with the man of the house each night.  Because they already had two dogs, a cat, a just-moved-back-home daughter with her 1-year-old, something had to go, and it was him.  They didn’t have a name for him, just called him Baby.  Oddly enough, that is what he frequently gets called by strangers:  Baby.  And he is.

What a BABY!!!! On a bed...again...with a quilt...again!  This time Dayna's.

He is low man on the totem pole in our household; even our 6.5 pound cat, Bella, bosses him around. 

The day after we brought Bella home

Yet he is happiest there. Even when sometimes it appears not!

   

In fact, on walks with John and Brandy, his place of Zen is in the middle of the pack.

Well, here's one time where he took the lead for a few steps!

He loves life.  LOVES.  In fact, his tail wags so hard and furiously at, oh, pretty much everything, that sadly, last May it had to be amputated.  He would smack it against corners, against table legs, table edges, people’s legs, doorjambs, walls, so much so that this caused frequent cuts, abrasions, gouges, all of which took longer and longer to heal, and eventually got infected very badly.  Consequently, our vet advised us to remove it.  It was not an easy time, and I felt so bad for my little guy.

"I'm not ON the chair, really."  You can see his fur shaved off on his tail.

He sings.  I used to call it talking until I read Ken Foster’s book, I'm A Good Dog, where he described a neighbourhood Pibble who would announce his coming by singing his way down the street on walks. Many years ago we had a Samoyed named Rex, who would talk in much the same way, and so, at the hint of a “rrrrooowwwwooo” from Rocco a few years ago, I encouraged it.  And his voice has developed just beautifully.  He sings when people come to the door, he sings for a treat, he sings when people leave, he sings when we arrive home, adding the wiggle-butt and rolling wriggle through the torso that Pibbles are well-known for.

He can be pretty goofy.

He loves blankies.

Sharing

Wrapped up

Even if the blankie isn't finished being knitted!

He especially loved snoozing on our brand new patio chair cushions!

He puts up with Dayna dressing him up.

He loves cats.

Even though most cats do not reciprocate his love. Here is Muffin, the condo 'hood cat.

He has been through more than his share of hurts.  A porcupine that did not want to be friends beat Rocco up on his first birthday.  He had a few subsequent treatments for embedded or infected quills.  I've mentioned the tail issue.  He got a bad bite in his chest from Naala when he ticked her off one evening.  He just wanted to play, but it was her quiet time.  Do NOT mess around with her then!  He got an infected ear when Naala bit him because he was going crazy in the SUV over a dog walking by.  He had an abscessed tooth that had to be extracted.  He has had to wear the cone of shame on more than one occasion.

The dogs travel SO well, never complaining, happy to be wherever we are. They have covered thousands of miles in our vehicles: between Alberta and Ontario 3 times, and between Ontario and Florida four times!

Moving Dayna to Windsor, Ontario in 2010.  He was 9 months old.

Because we were on the road the last two nights, he slept with me in one bed, Naala with Joe in the other.  When we travel, we find this works best for the dogs: they feel more secure, so they tend to relax better and not woof at every little noise or bump.  Both nights he had to touch me the whole night, whether it was his muzzle to my face, his back pressed up against mine (his favourite) or his head resting on my feet or shins.

On the couch this past January

It is so wonderful to call up Bayside Pet Resort where Rocco goes to daycare and have the girls excited on the phone when they know Rocco is coming in.  He arrives and puts his paws up on their counter, singing his presence. Last time he tried to jump his whole body onto the counter, succeeding in a good thud to his barrel of a chest.  He wasn’t fazed.  The pet pals love him there, and he loves them, but most of all he loves all his buds, 20-25 big dogs milling around in the big dog outside play area.

Bandana courtesy of Bayside Pet Resort, after their weekend at the kennel

Sadly, we can’t do that in Ontario.  His breed is banned.  He was grandfathered in because of us being homeowners there, and because our little town, Kingsville, has an open-minded town office.  Our neighbours all love Rocco.  His happy, friendly, docile nature, in our Alberta kennel owner/friend’s words, “makes him an ambassador for his breed.”

Two perfect Pibbles, Rocco and Brandy

One of our Florida neighbours got a Shih Tzu puppy earlier this winter.  Rocco let that puppy jump on his head.  Stand on his little hind legs and sniff Rocco’s face and ears. 

Rocco did the usual dog greeting: sniffed the puppy’s parts, and then stood still so the puppy could sniff his.  The owner, as well as another neighbour commented that they couldn’t believe the pup had no fear of a big dog, like Rocco, or like Brandy.  That’s when I thought, it’s because the puppy doesn’t judge.  He sees a dog.  Period. Another potential kindred spirit to meet and to get to know.  He doesn’t label Rocco by breed, but by his personality, his character.  From there, he makes his decision.  

Wouldn’t it be lovely if we humans could follow this puppy’s simple outlook, towards not just all animals, but also all fellow humans?

But no, because some jerks of humans exploit the Pitbull’s love of life and of people (especially of children), his loyalty, his willingness to please, and FORCE them to fight or be killed, this incredibly loving breed has now been very wrongly maligned.  But this post is not a rant about breed specific legislation.

Instead it’s about a funny, loving, lovable, goofy, blue-nose American Pitbull Terrier named Rocco, who has taught us, our family and friends, so much about the wrongful prejudice his breed is subjected to.

Note:  Please tune in to National Geographic Wild at 8 pm tonight, April 18, to watch Cesar Millan’s “Love My Pit Bull” show where John’s daughter, Julie, Chief Development Officer for the Washington DC Humane Society, and her rescued Pit Bull, Porter, are featured!!

Sorry, that show has now aired, since I have been on the road most of the day today, and took extra-long to get lots of good pics in this post tonight!  It should be available on YouTube; in fact, here is a link to a teaser of Porter's TV début.

Here is one last pic of me with my boy, Rocco, in front of a spectacular Sycamore, aka American planetree, in Charleston, West Virginia, yesterday afternoon.