HAPPY NEW YEAR!
My Husband, MIL and I are spending the last few hours of 2011 together, enjoying an early evening dinner out (first time in a decade or more!) and then heading home to read and maybe even stay up to watch the ball drop. Sounds like heaven to me. No cooking, no partying, no over-indulging, just being with folks I love. I may even sew a bit!
Speaking of sewing, here is something I finished recently, complete with its own tale of woe.
This wall-hanging is called "Loretta's Gate". It belongs to my Mom. She put it all together, pin-basted it, and then discovered that she just couldn't see well enough to quilt it (blanket-stitch around the black raw edges). So it languished in her sewing room for quite awhile. Then she mentioned it to me and I said I would quilt it for her. So it languished in MY sewing room for quite awhile.
Deciding to quilt/bind it for her in time for Christmas this year (I have to say "this year" because I have many projects intended for Christmases past that are still UFOs), I set everything up on my dining room table (more room to move the quilt around) and proceeded to work on it a little at a time for a couple of weeks. Well, my cat apparently got tired of it being there so she proceeded to, um, "sprinkle" it, pretty thoroughly, on one corner.
(The Perp)
The next day when I sat down to continue the quilting, I discovered her message of displeasure. I quickly unfriended her (for several days!). Trouble was, I couldn't wash the quilt until I had finished quilting it because of the raw edges. So after it dried from its "sprinkling" I QUICKLY finished the quilting, QUICKLY bound it and then soaked it for several hours in the bathtub with a gentle quilt wash product. Then I disinfected the dining room table!
Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention: Since the quilt had been pin-basted for a LONG time, there were a few places where some of the pins had rusted. (sigh) I had hoped that the good soaking would help get rid of those rust spots but, of course, it didn't. So after the quilt had dried (and been lightly fluffed up in the dryer), I used a fabric crayon to color over those spots. After all this, the quilt turned out quite nicely.
Mom is very happy with it.
But I hate that quilt.
And my cat. (Not really, but I should.)
And safety pins.
Luckily, 2011 didn't end on that sour sewing note. I was able to finish a table-topper for my MIL and a little wallhanging for myself.
Happy New Year to you and yours!
Blessings,
Gramma Sheri
Sheri I can't imagine why your cat took such a dislike to the quilt...shame on him/her! Happy New Year to you and yours! blessings, marlene
ReplyDeletehahaha...I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh, but I couldn't help it. I know you wrote this post with the intent to make merry a very sad situation. And don't we just love to read that others have misfortunes as we do...although I'm not sure I would have told about the cat. They're all wonderful pieces tho. Happy New Year, Sheri!
ReplyDeleteWhoa -- what a beautiful piece! I used to work for an ornamental iron shop and did a lot of fabcad design work. I've always wanted to incorporate some of that look into a quilted wall hanging. Your mom did a marvelous job! I had a cat do that to a quilt-as-you-go block for a project I was doing for my mom. I defriended her for several days, too! Happy New Year!!! :)
ReplyDeletebad kitty! But they just know what is keeping you from them and have to let you know that they are still #1!! Darn little bugers! My little dog has to let me know when I am working on something that he has to come first and that project in my hand...oh yes he can play tug of war with it if he darn well pleases!!! gggrrrr it's a good thing we love them!!!
ReplyDeleteI love the quails, Mom. They're beautiful! You have a way of sharing a story that reminds me of Grandpa. So wonderful and funnily understated.
ReplyDeleteOh, I about choked laughing at this wonderful post. I think I would have unfriended the cat to the outdoors for a while. Naughty Kitty/Perp.
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful wall hanging. I love the black wrought iron/stained glass look.
I found you from some other blog where you commented about starching, so I wondered over to see what you do. I love your blog, your great sense of humor and your display of gorgeous projects. Thanks for the laugh. I laughed so hard, loud and long that I had to reread it out loud to my hubby who is over at the other computer doing taxes. :D We both got a good giggle. Thanks
~a