Various Progress

I worked on several things this week.  I am officially done with  my flimsy for my September OMG.  Yay!  I decided on doing the gold border.  I photographed it on the slate floor and I really like how that looks.  Makes my decision for a binding easy:  I'll do the pebble rather than the rust.  I have backing ready and can sandwich it as soon as I frankenstein some batting.  I have no idea how I want to quilt it.  

The long wavy borders wanted to crawl something terrible while stitching them.  The little blocks were more forgiving.  I had to use lots of pins for those borders.  I'll have to keep that in mind if I try this again.

I planned to do a wavy binding, too.  Squaring this could be a real pain, so a wavy binding might be more forgiving.  Although, with a border, it might look neat to finish it off square.  We'll see what it looks like after it's quilted.

Borderlines

The plan:  wavy blocks on point with setting triangles, then bind the result (possibly with the same color as the background).  But once I completed the flimsy, I wasn't so sure.  Against a light-colored wall, the setting triangles fade away.  

It needs a border.  Or a wide contrasting-color binding.  But I'm not convinced a wide binding would work with what I have in mind.  I dug through my limited stash and auditioned a dozen different fabrics of reds, golds, browns, blues and even greens.  It's funny how some fabrics just yell Nope! and other's keep you guessing.  The edges immediately rejected any cool color.  It wanted warmth.  I keep returning to a reddish-brown gold and dark rust. 

I Like Thursday: Coming and Going

The tomatoes are coming in!  Around four pounds so far.  I'm in a race with the meadow vole on who can "harvest" them first.  Not enough to make much sauce by themselves, but I'll add it to whatever we get from the farmer's market.

Youthful Exuberance

Our time with Charles and Bernard is running out.  Dakin called on Saturday that they've found a permanent home.  The piggies will be returned on Tuesday.  In the meantime, we are enjoying their antics.

Bernard no longer runs in terror each time we walk by the cage and has even learned to take food from my hand.  Big steps!  Charles is still the first to check out everything.

Neither one knew what to do with the egg-cersizer.  No matter what I put in it, it remained untouched in the middle of the cage.  The paper bag filled with hay was more appreciated, although these two haven't figured out the joy of shredding it to pieces like my pigs did.  I guess they're too young to figure that out?  They needed to be introduced to using the tunnel and the cozy, as well.  Charles loves the paper bag, Bernard loves the tunnel; the hammock is nearly forgotten.

But zoomies?  That's one thing they know how to do without any encouragement. 

Creekbed Flimsy

My September OMG is to finish this flimsy, which is complete.  Well, maybe. 

I love the setting triangles, but I'm not sure of the overall look.  Too much contrast?  Should have made the triangles a bit darker?  It's funny, because I did exactly what I intended... which so rarely happens.  

It's draped over a chair for now.  Maybe I'll hang it on the wall and gander at it a while and see if anything else comes to mind.  I cringe at the idea of pulling this apart, but I may end up doing that if this doesn't start growing on me. 

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Switcheroo

I put two brown, white and black piggies into the car, closed the door, then later opened the door and two younger tan-and-white piggies came out.

Presto!

I think Dakin was as surprised as I was that the two boars I brought home on Friday were immediately adopted.  They asked if I'd like two more piggies when I returned Charlie and Wilbur on Tuesday morning.  Since I had set up the cage, bought pellets and greens for a couple of weeks, I figured why not?  Maybe this pair can stay a little longer?

I Like Thursday: Pigs!

The highlight of the week was guinea pigs.  Coming.  Going.  Staying.

Charlie and Wilbur arrived on Friday, but were so damned cute online that they were immediately scheduled for adoption.  Just before I was to bring them back, Dakin asked if I'd foster two more?  Sure!  So we came home with another two boars (I'll post photos of them tomorrow).

Could I Borrow a Pair of Piggies?

And borrow is the operative word!  By the time this post will publish, they'll be back at the shelter.  Likely, by the time you read it, they'll be in their new home.

<sigh>

We brought Charlie and Wilbur home on Friday afternoon.  No more than 24 hours later, I was called to say they have an adopter.  Well, that was fast!  That's what I get for fostering these two cuties. 

Charlie has the black nose.  He's much smaller than Wilbur, which makes me think he's younger than the 15 months as listed.  Wilbur, on the other hand, is a full-blown loaf.  They are both very curious and amazingly sweet.  As much as I'll be sad to see them go, I am thrilled they'll be going to a home with someone who will love them.

Tick Tock

I was given a wall clock years ago - there were guinea pig drawings at each hour of the day.  It always made me smile.  Rob had pulled it apart a few years ago to replace the clockworks.  So when the paper background started to get moldy, I got it in my head to keep the clock and replace the paper.

I rooted around for pattern for a pieced 12-pointed star.  I found two free patterns and picked this Poinsettia Star.  The pattern is for a 12-inch block, so I shrunk it down to 8 inches.

I wavered between a light background with dark points, or black background with light points.  I thought the black background with black edge may be too dark.  However, I hadn't thought about the fact that the hands were black.  Once I had it assembled, I realized my mistake.  Out came the gold and silver paint to fix the hands - that seemed easier than choosing more colors and starting all over.  

I Like Thursday: Kick up Your Heels

How can it be Thursday already?  Another crazy busy week.  Still managed to snap a few pictures.

This little peeper had been sitting on the garden hose.  When I got close he leapt off and stuck right to the wall.  Pretty cool!  Love his patterns, too.  I'm amazed at how pretty they are.

Squirrels

No sooner do I choose an OMG project than I go off in other directions.  I will get those setting triangles done.  Really.  But in the meantime...

Now that we have a washing machine that doesn't add random black splotches to everything, I washed the border fabric for the braid quilt.  Buying the fabric was challenging - I didn't want to unfurl the quilt at the shop to fully compare.  I threw it up on the wall so I can get a good look at it.  Ideally I was looking for something a little more brown; maybe darker or paler?  But this works - it doesn't fade into the cream colored braid and it compliments the blue and red.

Bedside Book Caddy

Motivation comes and goes in fits and spurts.  When I have time to work on something, I can't seem to get into it.  But then I suddenly develop interest in it when I really need to be working on something else (like job hunting).  

Ugh. 

My OMG is sprawled across my design wall and what do I do?  Dig through my fabric drawer to make a bedside book caddy.  At least it forced me to clean up the sewing room to find enough table space to cut fabric.

My nightstand has always been a place to put books, lamp, hair ties, and a few other odds and ends.  Since March it has also taken on my smartphone and meds (plus a water bottle that was banished to the floor).  Last week as I blindly dumped several items on the floor, I thought it would be nice to have a pocket on the side of the nightstand.  A bit of googling later and I discovered a pocket that could hang off the bed.  Ooh.  I could make that.  Down the rabbit hole I went.

I Like Thursday: Getting Stuff Done

My quilt is on the wall!

We got to use our laser level, which was wonderful to have, considering I had just busted our regular level.  D'oh!

We installed a garage door opener - that was an adventure (including mangling the level).  Took longer than we had anticipated, but it's done!

September OMG: Creek Bed

This quilt has been an on-again, off-again project.  I was still in the groove of making wavy blocks when I finished the blocks for Ebb and Flow.  I changed the direction, colors and "rules" of these blocks (instead moving diagonally from dark to light, these are straight mixed strings).  Now I need to finish the setting triangles before I forget what I was doing with the or worse yet, use up the scrappy pieces in some other project.  I didn't make any notes on my approach and I've already pilfered some of the pale gold and blue for two other quilts.  I will be seriously peeved if I come up short.