Bring on clue 4!

 I puddled together a few more Clue #3's for Bonnie Hunter's Grassy Creek mystery -

and added them to the box with the others.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm just shooting for around half the units each week.  I'll be perfectly happy with a smaller version of the quilt (if possible), and if I change my mind and decide to go for the full size at least I'll already be halfway there.

That's pretty much it for the exciting sewing.  In the meantime, I've also been sewing strings for the borders for Sand Castles 2, which I wish was a little more interesting to do.  Some days I only add a few inches and sometimes I'm patient enough to go a couple of feet.  Slow and steady wins the race and all that.

And just to break it up a little, I've pulled out my plate of HST triangles and am sewing them together a few at a time.  There's a Tree of Paradise and an Ocean Waves somewhere in my future, so I might as well get ready!

Then there's the 4-patches bin which needs to be replenished (two back to back Sand Castles took a toll!) and Easy Peasy and nine-patches for Jack's Chain, all going on in the background.  Seems like these days I'm all putzy all the time.

And where would I be without my diligent little helpers guarding the stash?

I don't know what they're going to do when they're full grown.  I might have to get a bigger bin for my orange scraps...

What's more fun?

 What's more fun than a kitten in a bin?

Why, two kittens in a bin, of course!

After a certain amount of settling in, they napped in there for a good chunk of the afternoon.

This was unfortunate, since that was my bin of orange scraps, and I need orange strips for Clue 3 of Bonnie Hunter's Grassy Creek mystery.

Between choosing to let sleeping kitties lay (because non-sleeping kitties try to 'help') and the fact that sewing those triangles together makes my eye twitch (they're quarter-square triangles, not half-squares - what on earth is Bonnie planning?!?), I only got three more sets done.  I added them to what I've gotten sewn so far.

Three weeks in and I have no idea where we're going with this.  Which is half the fun!

And this appeared sometime this afternoon.  I have no idea how.  It's not like I'm making shoofly blocks or anything.

Is there such a thing as an Accidental Shoofly?

Linking with SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday (even though I did doodly-squat for RSC sewing this week/month) and with Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!  Come see all the colorful goodness!

Hmmm...

 Bless his heart, he thinks he's helping...

Goofing off lately

 After that last huge push to finish the Totally Demented top, I needed some down time.  Mostly I've been cutting squares for postage stamps and for 4-patches (I'm going to need a bunch for Sand Castles 2), but I did manage to stitch up a couple of red cake stands for the RSC.

I've also been putting in some quality time fussy-cutting pieces for my La Passacaglia.  (Still unstarted - I'm just assembling lots of bits and getting ready to start stitching)

I'm planning to hand-stitch La Pas, but there's been a complication.

My stepmom brought home these two young hooligans the other day and they insist that my lap is the only possible place for napping.

Might make stitching a trifle awkward...

Linking with SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday and with Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!  Come see the fun!

(Our beloved old cat Lynx went out for his usual evening ramble about 6 weeks ago and never came back.  We held our breath for the first week, hoping he'd come sauntering through the door, but as time passed we lost heart.  Since life without a cat is too horrible to contemplate, we've now got these two little kitties diligently training us in the fine art of Kitten Care.)  (And I've got the claw marks to prove it)

2018 Pets on Quilts!

Over the years, I've enjoyed seeing all the pets on quilts at Lily Pad Quilting, but haven't entered anything myself.

Lynx told me that he wants to be included this year, though, so here's his favorite photo of himself owning a quilt.

I'd set my hand-quilting down for a moment while I went to get another cup of coffee, then returned to find this -

Why's he always gotta pop the hoop?


Now I'm off to link my Lynx at the 2018 Pets on Quilts show.  Come along and enjoy the fun!

With a little help from my...

Clipping together and assembling those rows.

I must admit it's going a tad faster now that my little buddy has stepped up to help.

I turn my back for FIVE minutes...

He always manages to pop the hoop as he settles into his magical cat-nest.

Two clucks and a cathouse

Not a lot of sewing got done this week, what with one thing and another, but I did manage a couple of little red multicolored hens.

I particularly like that second one, with the cat wings.

Speaking of cats, I took a closer look as I passed the doghouse yesterday.

"What?  Dog's not using it..."


Linking with So Scrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday. Come see all the multicolor fun!

You little hoop popper, you!

I set my hooped quilt down for a bit while I answered a call of nature.

I came back to this:

Considering there were three threaded needles parked in it, it's a wonder he didn't stab himself...

Basting always goes smoother when you have help.

Or maybe not.

After the last quilt I basted, I swore I'd never crawl around on the floor again.  Especially after I recovered from a serious brain fart and realized we had a gorgeous dining room table that was plenty big for quilt basting.
I got the backing smoothed out and clipped to the edge of the table, and started laying out the batting.
This caught the attention of our cat, Lynx.
It became like a dance.
Pat the batting.  Remove the cat.

Pat the batting.  Remove the cat.

Here he's trying to help smooth out the batting by rolling on it.

Pat the batting.  Remove the cat.

Despite all the help, I got the batting reasonably smooth and started laying out the top.

His claws actually worked rather well for nailing the layers together.  Whether I wanted them nailed or not.

Pat the top.  Remove the cat.

I don't know which of us was more patient through this process - him or me.  He did keep trying to point out to me how hard it was for him to reach the quilt from the floor.  "How can I help you when I'm way down here?"
But when I reached the needle and thread stage, I finally had to give up and put him outside.  Because "String!!!"  He absolutely could not stop chasing the thread as I tried to baste the layers together.
He spent the next half hour right outside the door, complaining.  Apparently he was willing to forgive my Extreme Rudeness if I would just come open the door so he could get back in.  And play with String!!

Finally!

(And I have to mention that when I got all done and opened the door to let the cat in, he rocketed through the door and immediately jumped up on the quilt.  Just to show that he could.)

Next stop, machine quilting.  Wish me luck!

Alright, back in business

Though considering how hardware impaired I've been lately, I plugged my new SD card reader in with great trepidation.
Luckily I haven't blown it up yet, so here's a couple of quick pictures, while I've got them.

I'm actually using the wayback machine for these - they were taken back in March, but I was lazy and didn't offload them to the computer.  That'll learn me.
A large male pheasant moved into the barns last fall, and has spent the entire winter there, entertaining the pigs and sharing their food.  (Hopefully they don't begrudge him the corn.  At least they haven't said anything about it, so we presume it was okay with them.)
He moves from one barn to another at will, so there's no knowing where he'll turn up next.
One day back in March, we opened the front door and discovered this:

Actually, when we opened the door, he was headed down the steps, but by the time I got back with the camera, he was already facing back up them.  (The house is earth-sheltered, so the front porch is actually below ground level.)
Our theory is that he'd gotten bored with exploring the barns and wanted to check out the house.

The pictures are taken through the storm door, so they're a little bit fuzzy.  (I wish I'd been better able to capture his plumage, because he's flat-out gorgeous!)
We weren't leaving the storm door closed to keep him out;  the real reason was this:.

Seriously, that picture is blurry because he was so excited, he was actually vibrating.
"Birrrrrrd...   Big birrrrrrd...  Want birrrrrrd...."

Though considering Mr Pheasant is way bigger than the cat, I'd have a hard time placing a bet...