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Thursday, December 23, 2010

The Elves are Busy!


Jason and Kim are arriving late tonight, so I’ve been sprucing up the guestroom to make it a soft place for THEM to land after a long day working, and a 3 hour drive from Columbia SC to Wallburg, NC! I’m so excited to have both of my boys here for Christmas!

Of course, this meant that I had to clean bathrooms…which means that Emmy Lou is close at hand to inspect that I’ve cleaned the tub right…and that I’ve left enough in it for her to drink! She LOVES to drink from the tub. It never fails, as soon as I’m out of the shower, she is IN IT. Weird cat…but she doesn’t like regular water sources, so whatever floats her boat!

This morning Lisa and Shelby showed up at my door….along with Lisa’s BIG WOOLIE! ((If you click on the link above, you’ll see a great pic of Shelby as Lisa’s header pic!)) She has been piecing on this wool strip quilt for a while, and it’s SO cozy, and quite the heavy beast! Just the top weights what seems like 30 lbs….and then…today….we added a flannel backing, and a warm & natural batting! WOAH!!

We quilted it with Baptist Fans, and because the wool is so stretchy and pushy, I had to teach Lisa how to surf on either side of the needle to man-handle the fullness and stretchiness.

woolie 004

Here she is, working that fabric! The main spots were were watching were where the 4 blocks come together. Wool is pretty heavy, even with pressing the seams open, the thick spots made it harder for the hopping foot to get across those areas….

woolie 005

She is getting to be quite the pro at this machine! Just remember, if anything goes amiss HIT THE RED BUTTON!! Confused smile

woolie 007

Look how fun the fans are on this! We made the fans about 9” tall….the lines are not too close together, but perfect for the scale of the strips in the blocks.

woolie 008

Close up of the yummy wools in this quilt…I love the gold to green to blue to brown..it’s going to be so warm!

We dug through my stash….I had two pieces of a grey tweedy looking flannel that will work perfect for binding, and I’m happy to see it go to a good home! I just know her hubby is going to love it—even if he won’t be able to roll over under it! Rolling on the floor laughing

So…it’s Thursday! You know what that means? Step 6 of Roll Roll Cotton Boll goes live in the wee small hours of Friday morning! We are nearing the point where you will know what you are making. This Mystery has 8 steps, so we have to start putting these units together at some point, don’t we? Well, maybe I’ll just keep you stumped for a little bit longer, it sure has been FUN!


11 comments:

  1. I saw a Dear Jane in one of your photos! I just finished my second dear jane - it still needs to be quilted but I will get to that late next year.
    Have a Merry Christmas - I am still exploring all the wonderful things you have on your web site and blog.
    Karen
    http://karensquilting.com/blog/

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  2. My cat does the same thing! She'll push the curtain back and sit just out of reach of the spray until you are done. Love the quilt! It is definitely going to be warm! And heavy!

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  3. I have 5 cats and they all drink at specific locations.
    A small bowl next to the bathroom sink,
    tub licking after a shower (a human taste?)
    and I have a flowing drinking fountain with a charcoal filter.
    Boy! Lisa waited until the last minutes to get that woolie done! Did she use a pantograph? Or freehand?
    Merry Christmas to you and yours.
    I am sooooo ready for the next clue!
    XOXOXOXO Subee

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  4. Growing up we had a wool quilt made by my Grandmother that was so heavy you couldn't move under it...guess with so many children in the house that was the point?!

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  5. I love the pictures of the wool quilt - looks so cozy! Your bathtub kitty is adorable. I have a cat that loves liking the wet tub as well! Another likes the dripping water from the faucet if she is lucky enough for us to let it drip for her!

    HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY....

    And thanks again for the RRCB fun......I just LOVE this mystery - and doing two at once has made it even more fun - and, well, MORE MYSTERIOUS!

    sao in Midlothian, VA
    drsaowens@gmail.com
    www.shirleyannesheart.com

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  6. I'm thoroughly enjoying Roll Roll Cotton Boll, and I have to admit to being totally mystified! It's those stringy squares that don't want to fit with anything! Thanks for all the work that you put into your blog and website and making it all so fun for us! and Happy Christmas to all from Australia.

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  7. One of my cats will only drink out of the bathtub too....but only if the water is turned on and running. Silly cat. :)

    Merry Christmas to you and yours

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  8. Thank you again for letting me and Shelby invade you today! I'm looking forward to spending tomorrow binding "Lumpy"...which weighs 9.8 pounds!

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  9. Are those arcs freehand or did Lisa use a template? They look so good!

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  10. Those furry nuisances ;^}
    The whole neighbourhood (cat-wise) will come to my pondS to drink, a small one in front of the house, a big one (nah, 4.5 x 2.5 yards) at the back. when ice is thin, an occasional swimmer can be spotted, only to hurry to get its fur out.
    have a nice x-mas with the family, try to sneak a moment under the Woolly!
    love from Amsterdam, Irene

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  11. I LOVE Lisa's quilt!!
    (And I love the red button...we're good friends...:P )

    Merry Christmas...see you next week!

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