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Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Quilt Finishes! Hooray!


Some bindings are sewn – not in a hurry, but slowly while enjoying family time of TV watching, popcorn or root beer floats, and loads of laughter in between.

That is the story of the Traveling Star quilt – it’s taken me THIS long, so what’s the rush?

This photo shoot happened yesterday afternoon and of course, Zoey Jo thought it was all about her!

This quilt is destined for one of the beds at Quiltville Inn, and I will be celebrating when that day finally comes where I can put my own quilts back on the beds again.

For now, we will deal with coverlets, and the quilts that retreaters bring to make their bed their own during their stay. And that has its own benefits too. 

I love seeing what other folks have made, and they get to share them with each other, like a mini quilt show field trip, everyone going room to room to see what is on everyone’s beds.



I am really pleased with how this quilt turned out – and I really appreciate the focus it gave me in the months between June and September.

All of the string block making.  All of those evenings of hexie star applique.

I keep thinking that if it weren’t for my love of quilting, I don’t know what I would occupy my time with during this continuing pandemic. It’s a good thing that my hands are happily busy with fabric and thread.



Yesterday’s project was a quick one -

The Yellow Brick Road topper was finished by lunch time.



In the midst of quilting, I looked out the window to see a stray dog sniffing his way across the yard – soaking wet after having come up from the creek.

I went to check for tags – he came to me with slobbery wet kisses, his muddy paws making an excited mess of my tee shirt.

BLUE the tag said.  Well, hello, Blue!  Who do you belong to?

I called the number on the tag getting a message of “This person has not set up their voicemail box.”  SMART PERSON!  That stops all of the spammy robo-voicemails (HATE THOSE!) and political voicemails (HATE THOSE MORE!) that we are forced to wade through when messages are left for us to find later because we don’t answer calls from “those we don’t know.”

It also let me know that I was calling a cell phone, so I tried text.

Success!  A message came back that he would be right over to pick him up.

Blue and I sat on the brick steps in front of Quiltville Inn for about 15 minutes – and it gave me a chance to just relax.  Watch traffic.  Pet the dog.  Just sit.  It was nice!

Before long a beat up farm pickup truck pulled into the drive.   I had asked “How far had he traveled?” “Over beyond the hill and up the ridge. Thank you very much for finding him” was the answer.

We loaded Blue up in the back and off they went.

It was the best part of my day.  


Back to the quilting – it doesn’t take long when the quilt is only 48’’ square!

The edge to edge quilting design is called Day Tripper by UrbanElementz.com.

I used a rust colored thread as I didn’t want red, and I didn’t want orange – but somewhere in the middle.  It blended through everything very well!



Off the machine and ready for binding.
  

I think this orange stripe will do the job – and the best part?  I could walk right over to my stash cabinets, pull the piece I wanted, cut the binding strips I needed and return to put that piece away right back where it belongs.

No digging in tubs in the Quiltville Inn Garage/Shop.  No 200 mile round trip drives to Wallburg.  It’s here.  The stash is here where I can use it.

Yesterday late afternoon had me driving to Jefferson and meeting up with a new chiropractor.  I haven’t been seen in months – since before lock down started.  And I just couldn’t go any longer without being seen.

I am happy with the new office, their closer proximity than 100 mile drive to Winston Salem (Where the sitting in the car alone would undo the benefits of chiropractic adjustments!) and I feel a bit better already.  Another appointment is scheduled for next week.  I’ll be right as rain after a few more.

Today's job is simple.  Do the minimum of what needs to be done. Lay fairly low, don't over do it, maybe sit and sew.  Works for me!  

How about your Tuesday ahead?



Quiltville Quote of the Day -

I can attribute this quote to my mama who always signs off her Facebook posts as "find the good in the world today."

If that is your focus, that is what you will find!

Have a wonderful Tuesday, everyone!


33 comments:

  1. I love that you sat on the porch and watched the "traffic" - you have turned into a country girl! Dog rescue for the win!

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  2. Love your traveling star quilt it really turned out beautifully, it’s so nice that you are going to use it at the inn. I think I’d want it on my couch lol, love how Zoey likes to photo bomb all the quilt pictures now such a sweet girl.
    So good that you managed to find Blues owner so quickly, just shows a good tag will help them get home safely.
    Stay safe
    Love and quilty hugs
    Anne xxx

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  3. The quilting has brought that topper to life! Perfect edge to edge choice for a beautiful finish. Happy binding and thanks for helping Blue to find his way home.

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  4. Glad you could help Blue. He looks like maybe an Austrailian Shepherd. Beautiful dogs with blue eyes.
    Love the quilts!

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  5. Love love love the quilt. Please do a pattern. Congratulations on getting Blue back to his owner.

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  6. Love happy endings - Blue returning home. Great way to start the week.

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  7. Good Morning, Today I'm making stuffed peppers for dinner. Trying to get a couple blocks done. Have to get (Jack) the black cat to sit still so can trim nails. We are having a grey rainy day So we will see what gets done Xxx

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  8. Blue is a Blue Merle border collie. My sister has one. Super intelligent and very energetic. What a good deed you did.

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  9. I am betting Blue comes to visit you again. hahahaa

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    1. My thoughts exactly!! Wouldn't Zoey and Blue have a great time together!!!

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  10. I made a start on Appalachian Autumn last night. It took longer than normal because I didn't make all the parts and pieces first, just cut and sewed enough to make one leaf. I was that excited to see how it would look and it turned out wonderfully. I will post a picture on the Quiltville Facebook page. So I will be working on that some more today. It's a beautiful crisp sunny fall day here in St. Louis.

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  11. So lucky to have found Blue's owner. Doesn't happen very often where I live, which is why we have rescued and rehomed over 100 dogs, eight cats, and one horse over the last 25 years.

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  12. The little Turning Twenty sure turned out cute! How fun that you stumbled across it just when its color palette was perfect for the season. So pleased for you that you could just go right to your stash for what you needed!

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    1. I agree with Leah about the Turning Twenty quilt and about simply being able to go to your stash for its support!

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    2. The topper is a Yellow Brick Road pattern, very similar to. Turning Twenty, I have made many of both! Love the varieties of colors and fabric types one can use!

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  13. I agree with the other ladies the quilt is beautiful and I hope you write a pattern for it. Blue is a cutie. Happy Tuesday.

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  14. Love the quilt, Zoey photo bomb and all, loved the quote as well! Have the quiet kind of day you need! Thanks for being here.

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  15. Love your Traveling Star quilt! Is that pattern going in a new book?

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  16. I love the quote today. It so appropriate for our current times. The small quilt you just finished is wonderful and the perfect size for a charity quilt. That was a good thing that you found Blue's owner. Of course he may come back since you were so sweet to him

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  17. love that you helped blue find his owner. Good for tags. He was a beautiful dog.

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  18. Oh, your Zoey Jo! Of course, it is all about her. I am sure she feels you are just taking a picture to be taking a picture of her. So glad the dog's owner retrieved him! I really like the tablet topper! What a great surprise to find it in your stash! Wonder if I should be getting to the bottom of my stash????

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  19. You are a good neighbor, and that is surely one relieved dog owner!

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  20. Congrats on that beautiful finish (and the one not far behind!!) I love the unexpected placement of those stars on strings. What a sweet, furry visitor you had, Bonnie!

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  21. I was also thinking that it won't be the last time you see Blue. I am working on a tea cup table runner for my daughter. I have pork country ribs cooking in Dr Pepper, garlic and onion powder and dried parsley. we'll see how they turn out. Have a Happy Day Everyone.

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  22. I would love to see a mini quilt show of all the quilts your guess bring with them if they are ok with it.

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  23. Australian Shepard so smart those dogs if you don’t keep them busy they find their own busy
    Ours we had to keep a sharp eye on and we called her Charlie the wonder dog because she was wonderful all the time even making mischief ❤️👵🏻

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  24. Trav. Star quilt best one I’ve seen from you—beauuutiful!!

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  25. I am new to your blog, but not new to your quilting-I am getting back to quilting again (I am 70 now) and found your blog-I have a couple of your first books.
    beautiful quilts-so nice you could sit and visit with Blue for a bit
    Kathy

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  26. You are so kind in many ways and now we hear one more. Sitting on your porch with the blue merle border collie (I had a red merle). You didn't say how long but it must have been awhile for it's owner to find her dog on country roads in a full follage season. I'm surprised he/she traveled so far unless he was tracking something and got lost. Thank you for being you.

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  27. Bless your heart for taking the time out of your day to help Blue find his way home. I always think, if you want to live in the kind of world where lost (or roaming) dogs aren't gone forever, you have to make it be so when you have the chance. Many's the time when we have rounded up a stray and settled them in at our house until we could find their owners, hoping that someday, if one of our dogs would be in the same situation, someone else would do that for them.

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  28. Did anyone else notice there's a quilt pattern in the door mat that Blue is laying on?

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  29. I have a home answering machine. I do not use the "cloud" answering machine that my carrier provides. When I am on the phone, people get the message that "the answering machine has not been setup".

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  30. I love the pantos from Urban Elements. Just wondering if you have a computerized machine or if your quilting is handguided. I am making some of the stars for Traveling Star, but don't do much strippy stuff so I may use a different background.

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