Jaunty July!

 We've made it to the midpoint of the year! I've finished 6 UFO quilts and 2 new projects this year. I also have 5 new quilts in progress alongside the remaining 17 UFOs that I identified at the start of the year.

I've learned a few things this year - how to construct a block with partial seams, how not to construct a block with partial seams, new quilting motifs, how to efficiently remove quilting motifs. I made my first on point quilt with side setting triangles. I tried improvisational piecing. Lots of accomplishments so far this year.

One Monthly Goal & PHD in 2022

My goal this month is bindings - I want to bind the Sandy Breeze - started back in 2013 and quilted over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. This is the first larger quilt where I've done an allover motif versus custom quilting. And it went much faster than I expected. I agonized for a long time how to quilt this and had various custom motifs in my mind. In fact, about 1/3 of the way in, I worked my way over to one side and found a quilted sun that I must have done soon after I bought Molly. Based on evidence on the stitches, I must have done it using golden threads paper - and very slowly. The stitches were long and came out easily.  I McTavished the quilt using a light olive So Fine thread. In the red inner border I used ribbon candy and back to McTavishing in the outer border. I've prepared a deep red binding to finish this. When I get out of my own way, I can be productive!

The second quilt waiting for binding to be stitched is Garnet Branches. The pattern is Winter Branches and is printed on a postcard. I picked it up on a whim at a quilt show recently because it looked like fun. I used a multitude of garnet scraps to make the branches. It went together fairly easily. I stitched wishbones on the branches using a deep red Wonderfil thread and the swirls are stitched with gold silk thread.

I'll be on the road for three weeks, away from my sewing machine, so I did let some bindings stack up (as well as some quilt labels as one of these is a gift).

Corgi News

As you know, we added a third dog to the family in February and are continually learning about their likes and dislikes. For instance, Abby the cattle dog doesn't like cottage cheese in her kongs. She will enthusiastically eat about anything else.

There is no such thing as a no-spill water dish when you have a puppy. Puppy either picks up the dish and turns it over or dismantles the dish and thankfully brings me the pieces - depending on the design. Either way, there are still puddles. And no dish can stand up to a puppy who drools. Out of doors, he makes it his mission to empty ALL the water buckets and play in them. We set up a kiddie pool for the puppies. Savvy avoided it until one late night potty break where I found him wading in it at 1:30 a.m. 

Sera is still not sure that having two puppies in the house is a good idea. She will enthusiastically play with Savvy. She has little use for Abby. Savvy loves to hang out with Abby and Sera - so he gets the most outside time as he gets to be out with both of the ladies. Abby WANTS to be a good dog and just can't figure out how to calm down. She really wants to play with Sera, but her idea of play involves hugs. Both Sera and Savvy can walk under Abby. Savvy is now 33 pounds and turned 7 months on Monday. He is nearly full grown and is larger than Sera in every dimension.

In Rally news, Sera has completed her Advanced title and I'm trying to figure out how to teach the next set of signs without frustrating both of us. Savvy has his first Novice leg and will be roadtripping to Florida with me later this month, so he will get a chance to finish his Novice title in Daytona Beach or Lawrenceville, GA on the way home. He is an enthusiastic learner and comes to me as a clean slate - so it is on me to not screw him up. His next conformation shows will be in mid August.

Linking to:

One Monthly Goal July Link up