We start this post in a most unusual fashion - and I really wish I were there to see the "before-math" instead of just the aftermath!
It seems that Farmer Jones (Not his real name which is unknown) who owns the herd that roams the mountain across the creek behind Quiltville Inn had some escapees!
Yesterday I walked up the front steps of the inn, around the porch to get to the back door and I saw strange "mud piles" ALL OVER the yard. What the??
This is just not cool!
But it must have been kind of funny at the time, trying to get the cows off of my lawn, back through the fence, across the creek and back where they belong.
But couldn't they also clean up the mess? LOL!
Thank you for not pooping on the new walkway!
Sheesh!
We laughed so hard, imagining these cows in the yard. It's a good thing (or is it a shame from an entertainment value standpoint?) that there were no retreaters in residence yesterday.
Son Jeff came up last evening to pick up the paint sprayer equipment for a job he has today, and thanks to the men folk and a couple of shovels, the yard is back clean.
I did NOT have "Cow invasion" on my 2022 bingo card. Did you?
I'm getting closer!
How are your own Fish School units coming along?
I have had several questions about these such as:
"How do you know you have enough fishies to switch gears?"
I have gotten to the stage where I finally have direction on how I'm setting these. So I can determine the size of quilt I want, do some simple math to figure out the difference between what I have, and what I need to get the job done.
"Are you clipping 10 fishies together to make counting easier? Or is it enough when your peach basket is full?"
Yes, I am pinning them in bundles of 10. It's just easiest to keep count that way. I'll usually wait until I have somewhat of a small pile, and then quickly count them out and pin the sets together.
This is the little pile next to my machine for grabbing to use as Leaders & Enders in between sewing chains of other things.
I also tend to make my chains of other things shorter. For instance, if I am sewing squares to squares to make four-patches I will sew 10 pairs, and throw in a Leader & Ender, and sew 10 more pairs of my main project and throw in a Leader & Ender - It's kind of like using knitting markers to keep count.
Keeping my main project chains manageable instead 437 pairs of units long means that I am more organized with the main project piecing, and I get more Leader & Ender units made in the process.
And I'm LOVING seeing the recently acquired gifted scraps finding places to shine in these little babies.
Yesterday was Mabel's 1 week anniversary of her Gotcha Day!
These two crazy girls have become so attached to each other. They play hard, they run hard, they sleep even harder!
I had worried about bringing another dog into the mix, worried about destructive tendencies or house breaking issues or personalities that wouldn't mesh.
I shouldn't have worried! There have been ZERO house accidents of any kind. Click to Play:
It's the season of mud - with more rain on the way today.
They run and run and chase and follow and tussle and run. It's just SO SO SO GOOD all the way around.
Last evening's dive into the scraps.
I'm kind of in-between project finishes right now. The hand quilting of my Hopes & Dreams string star takes up my evening time in front of the TV. (We just started watching Manifest on Netflix - have you seen it?)
I had some time before dinner last night to dig into something, but couldn't wrap my brain around what I wanted to do.
Do you ever look at out-of-control corners of your stash and work out a project idea to sew it up and make it better?
My tray of leftover mismatched charm squares overfloweth.
I just power cut them down into strips for some quick strip piecing ideas.
This is so much better!
I have a plan in mind, but it will be a while before I have enough done to show any progress.
Charm squares are just not something I use a lot, but strips and rectangles are - and I have a feeling this one is going to be amazingly scrapalicious!
I am already seeing photos of your Cabin Corners block progress! (these are some of mine)
This was one seriously addicting quilt, especially if you are a fan of foundation paper piecing. Everything went into my blocks - It's a combination of colors and neutrals, and that specific placement of red that makes it all come together.
If you are posting to social media, please use the tags #quiltville and #cabincornersquilt so I can follow along on your progress.
Rhododendron Trail has been retired from the blog, has been completely unscrambled and rewritten into PDF Pattern Booklet Format and is available for download in the digital pattern section of the Quiltville Store!
I've kept all of the hints, tips, tricks and optional methods in - the full 8 week run of instruction is now in an easier to read and understand format!
I know you've been waiting for this one!
Cabin Corners is also available!!
Sew Many Scraps!
Wondering what to do with all of those precious small saved pieces?
Stitch up a riot of rainbow color accented with red and give it all (including the kitchen sink) a fabulous place to land!
This is a foundation paper pieced pattern with 16 pages of full instruction, and many full color photos to help you on your way to sewing up the scrap stash.
Quilt Size: 84’’ X 96’’
Yes there are introductory pricing discounts, and even a Rhododendron Trail Cabin Corners Bundle!
The bundle is a limited time offer only available through 2/28/22 so hurry!
And also YES! We are having a Gift-Away!
I'll be drawing for 2 winners who will each receive that Rhododendron Trail Cabin Corners Bundle AND a Color Aplenty fabric roll from Cotton to Quilts!
Head on over to that Gift-Away Post and get your entry in. We'll draw for our two winners on Saturday, February 26, 2022.
We may never fully sew ourselves out of the scraps, but we'll sure have a ton of fun trying!
I'm excited about today - Martha is coming over to quilt another one of her long-term UFOs! This time it's a Grandmother's Fan that has been in progress since the dark ages (so she says!) and we'll have a studio day to quilt it up and have some fun.
Do you have anything instore for your own Thursday?
Even with the incoming rain the temps are up a bit, and it does feeling like spring could possibly be around the corner.
Quiltville Quote of the Day -
Are you ready to push some boundaries this week?!
Pick a skill or a technique you have always wanted to try, or improve on and take the time to do it well!
Midnight Flight quilt from my book MORE Adventures With Leaders & Enders.
Have a terrific Thursday, everyone!
The cows must have heard there was a new herder in town and came by to give her a look see and of course leave their calling cards :-o
ReplyDeleteNever a dull moment in Quiltville, is there?
ReplyDeleteFree fertilizer for the garden, wonder what the farmer thought when he realized the cows went on a Quiltville retreat adventure? You should have a camera which records wild/farm life visits which is activated with motion detection. Then you get to see all the action in real time!
ReplyDeleteMy sister and her husband have property in Tennessee and the farmer in the next hollar (yes, in their area, that's how it's explained) has cows. Several times a year, they have to call the farmer to come get the escapees. The nice tall grass is a serious temptation.
ReplyDeleteNever a dull moment!
ReplyDeleteI adore Cabin Corners!
The picture of Mabel sleeping warms my heart. She looks so comfortable and happy in her new home. It's so wonderful you were able to rescue another pup and give Zoey a playmate!
ReplyDeleteA week full of appts this week. My goal is to get the flying geese on the RT, so I can continue on the Bitcoin. Once that once it is done I have to decide which Bonnie H. quilt is going to be next under my machine.
ReplyDeleteOh my, sorry for the escapees visit. Those are big piles. I cannot wait to see what comes from the left over charms. Quilting and hoping to not need that Cuss Jar today. Glad Martha can come play. You need a play day after all the commotion. Spring weather in the PNW. Stay safe in the Appalachians.
ReplyDeleteAny plans on setting up a Cow Pie bingo game. Yes this is a thing they have this at a local festival in a county we use to live in.
ReplyDeleteYep...we often have cows come for a visit. We live in an area of the Colorado mountains where cattle is free range. If you don't want them...you have to fence them out! Rather tough to do on 35-acre lots! The worst we've had happen is a crushed downspout. And of course the cow pies...but they go away eventually and since we aren't allowed to have lawns, it's not a big deal here. They like to nap in our Aspen grove.
ReplyDeleteAs the owner of a herd of cattle, take my word for it, the farmer may not have known his cattle were out on your property! We have cattle escape occasionally and where we find them, MAY NOT be where they have been. LOL!
ReplyDeleteWe had someone stop and say we had cattle out one day. So, we went to find them. There were tracks in the road and down toward a brook, so we assumed they may have gone for water as we were in a dry spell at that time. My husband drove toward town but didn't see any sign of them. My brother-in-law found where they got out (I think the neighbors left a gate open). Tracks also went back to the open fence and when we got home the cattle were there waiting to be fed. They hadn't found much to eat on their walk. Lucky for us they hadn't gone a little farther or we would have had a hard time getting them out of a neighbor's hay field that we were planning to cut. They would have made a mess of that.
DeletePutting the last border of my greatly reduced Rhododendron Trail on as we "speak". Then it will be off to get quilted. Yea!!
ReplyDeleteWhy can't they have lawns in Colorado?
Can only imagine what a field day your pups would have had if they'd been at the Inn when the cows got there! Their herding/chasing instincts woulda gone wild and the poor cows might never have gotten home.
ReplyDeleteWe had two fully grown buffalo come down the road to visit my horses in the front pasture. When the sheriff's deputies showed up (they thought they were being pranked) I told them the buffalo were out back by the pool! Still have the pictures!
ReplyDeleteI have a Saint Bernard. I can relate :)
ReplyDeleteI just love your dogs, Bonnie! It's so good how they've joined together perfectly.
ReplyDeleteWe currently have a calf who likes to climb through the feeder and go for an explore through our yard, much to his mum's despair - we only know he's out when we see him on the cctv!
I came home from work one summer to water my garden at the top of the hill. I was shocked to find everything gone! It was simply gone and what was left was trampled. I saw cow and horse prints. A neighbor across the road came to tell me the cows that roam about 1/4 mile away came and ate my garden, then the cowboys came on horseback and with trailers, cut my fence, loaded the cows and left. No note, no money for my garden, they didn't even fix the fence! I was so angry! They have a gate at the entry to their house, I taped notes for about a month on their gate, no response. I have zero respect for these people who now have an event business on the land. ZERO RESPECT. They could have at least mended my fence and left me an apology note!
ReplyDeleteBonnie, You are so inspiring.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless you and yours.
The dogs are so happy together.
I adore your quilts.
I want to learn how to make these tiny adorable blocks one day
Cutting charm squares into strips is brilliant! I have a large stack of dark plaid charms and no idea what to do with them. Cutting them into strips is it. (I'm not a fan of triangles.)
ReplyDeleteI am the recipient of "bonus" triangles from some quilting buddies. I have sewed them into HST making a lot of fish. I have all sizes from 1 1/2" to 3" squares for my school of fish. Not sure how it will go together yet but I have confidence I can make it work with some improvision.
ReplyDeleteI have a St. Bernard. I can relate. :)
ReplyDeleteI learned from my husband's grandpa, you put gravel in a feed bucket and the cows will follow you. We were helping to round up cows that had escaped from the pasture across the road. They belonged a guy renting grandpa's farm.Husband, myself and the cows owners were having no luck when grandpa came down the road rattling his bucket. The cows followed him across the road and through the hole in the fence.
ReplyDeleteDebcal1946...where we live in the mountains on 35 acres...not allowed because of water...CO needs to conserve. Very precious commodity here.
ReplyDeleteI love Mabel’s coloring. Would like to have fabric with that design and color!
ReplyDelete