14 on the 14th in 2014

I was inspired by another blogger to begin going through my sewing room and either donating, repurposing or getting rid of 14 things each month. My plan was to do this on the 14th of each month but you notice today is already the 18th.! I'm just a little behind. In my defense, I did start gathering things together on the 14th.

This pile includes crazy quilt projects from years ago, fabric, a sewing kit, applique thread that always knots when I use it, a guild twilling class project gone bad, a wood organizer thing, empty starch spray bottles, a Holly Hobbie doll pattern (?), a cell phone pouch, freebie pins from quilt shows I didn't attend, extra sheer bags for guild New Member gifts from last year and a lap quilting frame. Some of it may end up back in my sewing room but it better have a place to go and a use this time!

This past week I also made a simple flannel baby blanket for my daughter's baby shower. Those are Prairie Points as edging, my first time making them.

I've also been continuing to piece the Variable Stars for the last pieced border on Phebe.

 Do you ever feel like you're being watched? Clyde wants into my sewing room so bad but he's not allowed because he likes to chew on my house plant! If I have the door open, I surely have to have the spray water bottle with me or Clyde will sneak in. You can see it in the picture before this one.

By the way, I seem to be running a home for cats named after criminals! Jesse James has joined Bonnie & Clyde and will be making his blog debut soon. There were a few spats in the beginning but all three are now getting along (most of the time).

These aren't all the stars but I have finished piecing all 56 of them. Some need pressing and two others will need redoing or some tweeking. Next week, I hope to begin putting together that last pieced border. Border fabric choice reveal coming soon!

Until next time, Mayleen

Life with Phebe, Bonnie & Clyde!

Okay, week 2 with Phebe and boy, is the honeymoon period of making this quilt over!!!

If ever a quilt could mock me, this one did all week. Phebe is a challenge, for sure! I may have it under control again. (Is that snickering I hear coming from the sewing room?) I got it that way by starting completely over on Monday. Yes, you read that right. I wasn't happy with several things and there were some obvious mistakes on my previous start and so instead of picking them out and redoing them, I just started over and reused what I could.

This is what I've been able to accomplish since Monday evening. There are some things I'm not happy about on this one too but they're not bad enough to start over! Because next week could be a busy one for me, I really concentrated on Phebe this week. I'll probably not be able to devote as much time on this quilt from here on out but I may be surprised.

I'm using either needle turn applique or the starch method on the applique work. Which method I use depends on how it turns out. My leaf points are getting better and they're becoming enjoyable to do but this is my second try at those oak leaves, they were not easy to do. In fact, it would be perfectly OK with me if there weren't any more of them on the quilt but I think there are at least 12 more.

People who have read my blog for some time read about Charlie, the orange tabby cat who showed up the night we moved into our house and decided to stay for 13 years. Sadly, we had to have Charlie put down two weeks before Christmas. The house was very quiet but we didn't want to get a new cat right before our trip to Florida to see our son and his family.

In mid-January, we adopted a brother sister kitten pair from a cat rescue group near us. They were very dependent upon each other and we couldn't imagine separating them. We wanted two kittens who could keep each other entertained while they entertained us!

Bonnie is the larger of the two and is like a sensitive child. Is her coloring a Tortie? She's a lap kitty when she trusts you, a little aloof and independent. All business and may be a good mouser when she matures. Doesn't meow, squeaks instead. Has been known to do naughty things but is usually not the instigator.

Here's a very rare photo of Clyde laying still. Doesn't he have an innocent face? He's smaller but is the alpha cat. Eats first, plays first and wants all the attention you can give him. He's a lover boy, your personal assistant and is on the go most of the time. He doesn't understand the word, "No" and if he were a human boy, his school teachers would recommend he be on medication.



We thought they were adjusted to us. A few days after our daughter's wedding, we came home and found they'd started stripping our dining room wallpaper! I don't think they appreciated our house guests - two young families both with a baby under 6 months. In fact, Bonnie was very jealous of the attention being paid to the babies. For now, I'm artfully arranging furniture and plants to hide the wallpaper or lack of it!

I admit I'd been thinking of stripping the wallpaper myself but not till fall or even next year. We're still trying to repaint the living room, entry and hallway one wall at a time so I thought there was plenty of time to consider what to do with the dining room walls. Apparently not. Guess what job got moved up on the "to do" list? I insist that I get time to work on Phebe though!