More Little Blocks

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Ten more little spool blocks done. And they’re the perfect thing to work on right now. With any luck, I’ll get the remaining little blocks done over the next week to 10 days, then stitch them together and get the small top made.

I’m very impressed with the Sunbeam iron. It gets truly hot really fast. Took me seconds to press the 10 little blocks.

Smudge, trying out for the hypnotic stare event:

Lester is resting up for the catalympics. Not sure whether catnaps are an event, but if they are …


Some Little Blocks

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My hands are really bothering me again, so I’m grateful that I tend to print and cut out lots of shapes for different blocks. Much as I want to do another Farmer’s Delight block right now, there is no way I can cut the shapes out until this flare-up dies down. But no worries as I have many projects on the go, ready to stitch.

Tuesday night, I decided to play with the Drunkard’s Path units I had stitched. This is one of the 6″ blocks I put together.


Oh, how I love that Rouenneries fabric! The back of it:


A few of the little spool blocks were put together as well. These are very quick to make and a little doll’s quilt will be done relatively quickly.

The back of one of the little blocks.


I love this shot of the boys. I think it’s one of the best we have of Lester.


Dots and Swirls for Dresden/Farmer’s Delight Blocks

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I seem to be planning a lap quilt of Dresden/Farmer’s Delight blocks. I picked out these fabrics tonight, thinking that each of them would make an interesting block. I love the movement of the curved blades like the block I showed yesterday but also want to try each of the blade variations, so it seems pretty sure that I’ll end up making a few Dresden quilts. I also want to make blocks using the Dresden applique collection. So many choices!!


A very contemplative Lester.


And Smudge with a look that’s rather hard to describe. Sometimes I think he does Morris the cat impressions!


First Dresden/Farmer’s Delight Block

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My first block is finished. For me, this is an enormous block — it finishes at 15″. Now the decision is whether to make more of this identical block in various colours or make others using different blade shapes. The variations that are possible in the new Fancy Pieced Collection are seemingly endless. Stitching the little rows of triangles together was quick, lots of lovely continuous stitching. I’m still not sure if I like the centre I used and may well replace it with a circle of the pink fabric I used in the block.



Lester, looking oh so innocent. What he’s really doing is trying to sneak up on that glass of water. We’ve caught him many times drinking out of an unattended glass of water.


Smudge. I love the look on his face.


Block Beginning

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This latest Inklingo set of collections based on Dresden Plate and Farmer’s Fancy designs are irresistible! I’ve decided to do 15″ blocks, making as many variations using the various blade shapes as I can. This one with the curved blades has such fabulous movement that I couldn’t resist it as the first one to do.

I have all the triangles for the second row around cut and ready to stitch and the background setting pieces are ready as well. If my hands were less sore, I think I could have finished it tonight. However, I’m happy to have got this far. I may replace the centre with something different but will make that decision when I’ve got a few of the blocks done.

As a follow-up to last week’s post about the incontinent iron, I contacted Rowenta and was pleasantly surprised when they responded saying that if I sent them the cord from the incontinent one they’d send me a new iron! I sure didn’t expect that response. It will be interesting to see if the replacement lasts any longer than the original. In the meantime, I’m quite happy with my little Sunbeam iron.

This is, I think, one of the best shots we have of Lester:


Smudge practicing for the lounge competition again.


Tumbler Star

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This is the tumbler stars block I wrote about on Tuesday. The star points are done in a different Kaffe fabric, and they really don’t show up all that well. That said, there’s something about this block in these fabrics that really intrigues me. It seems to remind me of something, but I can’t quite think what that something is.

My hands have been, once again, very sore. Too sore to even contemplate cutting out the shapes for the Dresden Plate I printed last night. I’m hoping that by this evening I can get that done.

Here the boys are practicing being close together, getting ready for the two-kitty bobsled competition. If you click on the picture to embiggen it, you can see a bit of Lester’s fur right beside Smudge’s paw. Smudge was not impressed when Lester decided to join him, and tried to show his displeasure by yanking out a bit of Lester’s fur.


Their paws fascinate me. First a close-up of one of Lester’s:


And then Smudge’s:


Dresden Plate & Variations

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On Tuesday, the Inklingo Dresden Plate collections were published. They’re incredible. These 2 sheets show some of the variations one can make just using the Fancy Pieced collection.

The one at the top right of this page is definitely on my list. I think I know the colours I want to play with for that already.

There’s an applique collection as well. I haven’t been able to do any applique for ages because tracing is just not something my wrists can handle at all. I can’t wait to play with all the applique blade variations. Dresden Plate, fan and Farmer’s Fancy blocks are definitely in my future!

I love stitching curves so for the first one I decided to use the curved blades. I checked the sizes I needed, cut the fabric and freezer paper to size, ironed them together and here they’re ready to print.


These are the fabrics I’m using for that first block:

These are the fabrics after I had fed them through the printer. Because I knew I would photograph them, I printed on the two darker prints with a much darker ink colour than I would normally choose, which I knew would be okay as the red doesn’t shadow through to the front and I know, from testing, that the ink washes out easily.


Lester practicing, I think, how he’ll stand when the medals are given out at the catalympics.


While Smudge was getting in some practice for the long stretch competition.


A Finish and A Work in Progress

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A finish! Not the finish I planned on showing first this year, but it’s a finish. I love how this little biscornu turned out. I used a variegated thread on a 32-count fabric, stitching 2 over 2.


Part of the design was stitched on the reverse as well. There’s something immensely satisfying about making one of these. Stitching together the last 2 sides and seeing it really take shape is great fun!

And this is a sneak peak at what I’ve been working on. More of it is done than is shown here. I had started it with a different fabric for the little triangles, but that fabric somehow managed to blend with the other 3 fabrics so well that the star points didn’t show.

It looks like we’re definitely getting milder weather by week’s end. Getting out of the minus temperatures will be a treat. I’ve had a migraine for the past 2 days but it’s finally lifting.

Smudge practicing his poses for photographs at the catalympics when he wins a medal or two. We think he may well be in the running for a medal in lounging.

Lester showing how well he gets along with one of the other participants in the catalympics.

Not Much to Show — Yet

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I’m close to finished the project I’m working on and hopefully will have pictures by mid-week. Actually, I have something else that I will try to post later today. I feel like I’m cheating by not posting a quilt-related photo today!

It was a cold weekend here but the weather forecast looks rather promising. Another day or so of cold and then we may even hit 0 or above. I’m hoping this cold snap was it and that the rest of the winter will be mild.

In the meantime, a picture from the kitties training event on the weekend — catalympics hockey. Lester got 2 minutes in the penalty box for elbowing. Smudge was not impressed!


A Tale of an Incontinent Iron

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When I got a certain iron last spring, I was thrilled with it. It got truly hot and produced more steam than I had ever experienced. Ironing clothes or fabric was a breeze. It was treated with kid gloves, never dropped, never abused, never left on for hours on end. I followed the manufacturer’s instructions, did the self-clean every month, was very careful.

How did it repay that treatment? In under 8 months it became incontinent. It needed Depends for irons! On top of that, even when drained of all water and set to no steam, it refused to get hot enough to press anything.


When it worked, it was a great iron but farewell, incontinent, cold iron. It was nice while it lasted. A new Sunbeam iron is now awaiting its first use.

Smudge saying, “Are the catalympics starting soon?”


And Lester, contemplating the lounge event: