Questions, questions and more questions!
I've received more comments to please share what those block parts I kitted up were going to turn into.
SOMETHING SIMPLE!
I can't resist a simple sawtooth star, and they work up so wonderfully in scraps!
The one thing I'm not used to is having one common fabric as the background and I'm having a hard time staying focused.
So to keep these interesting I've pulled "odd fellows" in fabric pairings to keep things a bit more fun.
Fabrics that might not look like they go together ARE going together.
I'm pulling some lesser loved fabrics from my early 1980s quilting days (The gold print for the block under the needle is one!) and pairing them with things that I do love to give them a bit of an update and a chance to shine.
The blue plaid in the center of the block at the top is from a recycled shirt piece. And I've paired it with a weird "Is it purple, or is it brown" 1800s repro piece that never matched anything. It's going down!
This was yesterday's blocks stitched.
I'm just about half-way with the blocks that I need for this quilt. I stitched them while at the QPO where Hubster Dave dropped me off on his way to physical therapy, and I stayed until he came back from also driving over to the fitness center to see about renewing his membership now that he has been cleared to regain swimming after his December surgery.
8 blocks done in not too long of a time. It helps when block parts are already cut and kitted up ready to sew.
Cutting out is half the battle!
(I'm still bored with the Essex linin background all the same, but I think it will be worth it.)
And sine I know you are wanting an update:
She's still here!
They don't seem to mind each other, which leads me to ask the question:
How long has this been going on? LOL!
At any rate, she likes the warming pad on TOP of the cat house, and Flash has taken up residence inside. We will see where this goes, and when the weather clears up (We had more snow last night! NO!) I'll see about getting her to the vet to be checked out.
I have an idea for a name, but I know once I name her (If it is a her) it's a done deal. So I'm giving it a couple more days.
And a Tula update:
She is starting to want to wander a bit more. This morning she stayed in my lap while i recorded this for about 5 minutes, and then was down. Back up the stairs - but this morning she went into the bedroom and I found her behind the rocking chair just hanging out in the corner of the room.
Okay. That's different. But she is fine there. I like that she is "getting out" more! Life has to be pretty boring in the bathroom, even with the door open.
Her scar is healing nicely and her fur is growing back in. The one eye that works is bright and inquisitive. You can see her turn her head at different angles to see what she wants to see.
I'm in the far western corner of Virginia. Too far away to see the monks walking for peace as they came through Richmond, but a friend was able to see them in Ashland and sent this photo.
They went to see them and possibly hear them speak but the crowd to the building they were going to speak at was just huge. They begged off. The speech is available on YouTube and on Facebook, but the audio was a bit hard to hear.
I just think it is incredible what they have accomplished by walking and connecting with people along the way.
As I'm typing this, Hubster Dave is already out on the RZR once again plowing the drive after the snow that fell last night.
I know this winter is going to come to an end eventually - but with retreats supposed to be starting on Wednesday, I sure am longing for warmer temperatures and a big thaw!
Today - more simple star blocks. With boring background. HA!
How about you?
Quiltville Quote of the Day -
I can get on board with this, can you?
Have a terrific Thursday, everyone!
21 comments:
using one background fabric does make cutting faster!
Chuckled when I read 8-12 hours of alone time every morning. Glad to see all your kitties. Both of ours died a few years ago. Catless here in Minnesota. Good and bad. I am now living through your experiences. Take care.
I love stars too. regular and wonky
So out of character for you to use one solid, way to go. Thanks for kitty updates.
The new kitty is so pretty! In this picture it looks like she's saying, "I'm a good kitty, won't you please keep me?"
Bonnie, you have ruined me. I want variety in my backgrounds now.
8-12 hours! LOL! Love your sense of humor and your caring heart.
I love the quote of the day! Hee hee. That works for me!
Aren’t the walking monks amazing? They are obviously filling a need for people and our leaders need to pay attention and learn from them. There are people all over the world following them in spirit.
Lisa Moller
That grey furball looks like our Russian Blue we lost to "a mass" seven years ago. He was a character!
I too had a good chuckle at the 8-12 hour "Alone Time" in the morning. My girl cat would love nothing more than to keep my lap full for that long (cats in lap still qualifies as "Alone Time")!
Carolyn
Both Florence Owens Thompson ("Migrant Mother") and Nancy Guthrie ("Missing Mom") represent profound, albeit different, examples of maternal strength and vulnerability in the face of crisis, separated by 90 years of American history. Florence Owens Thompson: The Symbol of 1936 Photographed by Dorothea Lange in 1936 in Nipomo, California during the Great Depression, the image became an iconic representation of the "Dust Bowl" era, representing the struggle for survival against poverty. The photo, which depicted Thompson as a 32-year-old mother of seven in a temporary camp, catalyzed government aid (20,000 pounds of food) for starving migrant workers. Known as the "Mona Lisa of the 1930s," Thompson's image represents endurance, with her tombstone reading "Migrant Mother – A Legend of the Strength of American Motherhood".
Nancy Guthrie: The 2026 Crisis February 2026, 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie went missing from her Tucson, Arizona home, with authorities suspecting abduction. As the mother of Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie, her case has highlighted the vulnerability of the elderly and the "caregiver's nightmare" of protecting aging parents. Described as a "beacon" of joy and faith, her case brings to the forefront the intense emotional, and often very public, struggle families face during modern, high-profile crises. The Comparison Both cases highlight a mother's endurance, sacrifice, and the protective, desperate love they hold for their children, whether that means searching for food during the Depression or battling for safety in old age. 90-Year Span: While the "Migrant Mother" is an anonymous, historical symbol of systemic, widespread poverty, the "Missing Mom" is a specific, immediate case of personal tragedy, yet both resonate deeply with the public on the importance of maternal protection.
I love my alone time. I have retired but my husband is still working. I was considering a star block to work down a pile of batiks. I am just finishing a bird block quilt but I still have a lot left. I could probably get another queen size quilt. Hoping we start to thaw out too. Enjoy 🧵🪡🇨🇦
Love all your kitty stories!! Will we see a new structure behind Quiltville anytime soon called Catville? Long and very cold winter in Michigan so your daily stories are a wonderful!
I have a feeling once they have a name they are not feral anymore. Ellen T.
I am in West Wales ,part of the UK and have been following these monks online every day .it is an amazing accomplishment.Inbetween quilting and following the monks I have also been following an Atlantic rowing race though the 4 ladies from the county I live in that were in in one boat have now made it safely across the ocean.The Internet is a wonderful thing in my world where I can work on quilting projects with people across the world I would never meet ,walk across another country and row an ocean all in a days work !
but that single choice for bkgd lets all the wacky combos shine! Tho I'd prolly have chosen a bitty print instead of a solid, I really, really like your stars, and don't think the pictured combos are "odd" as they all please my eye a lot.
So happy Tula is recovering and growing content enough as an indoor kitty. She is so beautiful!
I adopted two cats from my youngest daughter a little over twenty years ago. There was a black one and a yell I w/ orange one...long haired litter mates. She told me that the yellow/orange one, which she called "Spice" was a female. I didn't like name so quickly changed it's name to "Prissy". A couple of months later, when I took them to the vet to be fixed, I was told there was good news/ bad news. The bad news was that "Prissy" was not a girl...good news was that the surgery would be cheaper since she's a boy.
I changed his name to Mr. Prissy. He became my sewing room and quilting machine buddy... he passed in Jan of last year at the age of 18 1/2.
I am near Dallas and have been following the monk's journey from the beginning (and, of course, the pup!). Wish I had the time and $$ to fly in to Washington for the last two days but just getting over being sick and down for a few weeks and have appointments to go look at wedding dresses Sat. for grand and then Monday and Tuesday to see which one gets to whittle away at me with surgery end of month or early March.
New kitty sure has a lot of Russian Blue looks, so pretty. I guess I had missed a couple of updates on Tule when sick. I knew she was very injured but did not realize she had lost the eye. So glad to see she is starting to venture out. That seems a good sign for a complete recovery.
I have been sewing those sawtooth stars for several months now. But my center square is a 3" nine patch block. It all started because I had too many little nine patch blocks! Also, my star points are all different. I really like the look of yours with the same points and same background. I use small pieces of fabric to piece mine so the scrappy version is the cure for my scraps!
Great quote this week as I am basically running a lifeskills classroom on my own while my partner is out sick. I just don't think my bosses would approve of that, though! HA!
The new kitty really is pretty. I wonder if she isn't from the same litter as Tula & Flash. Maybe Tula knows her?! Ha....
I'm absolutely loving the star blocks. They will be great with the constant background. I know that's out of your comfort zone.
Hopefully you will thaw soon. Happy sewing! :-}
I have 2 Siberian Forest cats but except for the color she looks like mine (mine look more like siamese cats. Same cottony fur which matts (I give them summer haircuts). They roll around on the floor like toddlers - feet up and stretched out. Very loving cats. She is lucky to have found you.
One Background for you is unheard of. The Essex linen is amazing! Kitties love your Inn like the Quilters. Not sad, we don't have snow. Love the stars! Had a great Thursday stitching hanging sleeves on Quilts for a local show.2 or 3 left to do.
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