Puppy Struggle is Real, Y'all

A puppy's struggle that is. Some people just can't possibly understand how difficult a puppy's life can be. I thought I'd tell you what it's like to be a five pound puppy in a family this size.  

And in THIS house, it's almost unbearable. After all, we are made to do all manner of chores. We have to keep a close watch over the family. Intruders are always a problem--you just don't know when to expect some marauding squirrel or cat. 

Don't think it's all that easy. I have to check the entire house. That means every time a door is opened, I run in and search in every corner, behind every door, under things, and in things. 

Nothing can be left unsearched. You just never know where a squirrel or cat or (worse) a mouse might be hiding. We've even seen opossums, foxes, and armadillos running round outside. What if they were to come inside?

If something makes a noise, we all jump up immediately and go after it. It doesn't matter what's going on or what we're doing; our job is to snap and snarl and bark and yap to scare off whatever made the noise. We don't like making all that ruckus, but it's important to our people. Sometimes they join in and help us make noise. That must be when they are really scared.

My special job is entertaining and making people laugh. But the people around here are a hard sell. Plus, you never know when they might expect to be entertained, so we are on 24/7 and have to keep appearances up at all times, just in case.  It's not easy doing all that grooming. 

Oh sure, they take pretty good care of us. They feed us well and we get lots of attention. Sometimes we have to take baths, but who wants to smell like a human? If possible, we go straight outside and roll around in the grass or, when we're lucky, something smelly. It's the best way to get rid of the people smell that no one likes. 

Sometimes one of us gets into trouble, like the time I tried to climb up on the dresser. I was stuck for a little while but not long. Another time, I went under a rocker and was afraid to get out. We are all really smart but it happens anyway. 

We just have to be patient and wait for someone to come help. I never whine or cry but other puppies do, sometimes. 

I like to take naps when there's not much going on.  I rarely get to take naps but at my age, but I have to try. Most puppies can find a few hours to rest or nap. 

I have to work really hard to find a perfect spot. But sometimes I get on a soft chair, or a puppy bed. Other times, I curl up in a lap.  I can't sleep just anywhere like the younger puppies, but I can sometimes get comfortable even in odd places. 

In fact, I'm ready for one of those naps right now. I think I'll go find one of those comfy spots and snooze. 

 It might be difficult to find the perfect spot but when my mom gets home from school, we share her big chair and there's nothing better or more comfortable than her lap. So I'm going to climb in her favorite chair and keep it safe and warm for her so we can rest when she gets home.

 What do you do when you want a nap? Do you have a special place to nap?

Zebra ~~ small finish

Over the weekend Marley got a black fleece jacket to wear on the cool mornings that may eventually come to Louisiana. A solid black, it was kind of plain--definitely not the norm for the darling of divas. So she came up with the idea of putting her initials on the jacket. Only she wanted a zebra print. Zebra. For a six year old. And it was her idea.

She's not spoiled. Not at all.

Luckily I had a few scraps of zebra print left from a project for Dusti. One of those pieces was plenty big enough for a small letter.

Although we considered all three of her initials, we decided that one large letter would show off the print better than three small letters.  



My concern was that the black in the print would disappear into the black of the jacket, but there's enough white for contrast. 
I used an iron-on interfacing to make sure that the black doesn't show through and the white look like gray. It also stabilized the letter making it very easy to stitch down. 

 
I didn't get a picture of Marley with her jacket on because she had taken her bath and was not dressed for photos. Trust me on this.

 However, she was thrilled with the outcome of the jacket and I am her hero. It would have been nice to be able to accept her hug, but we're trying to keep her from catching my cold.

This sore throat business is really putting a damper on my sewing life. Since when did laryngitis cause so much pain and legarthy? I can barely move at times. It just silly (and a bit depressing) that a simple sore throat can keep me out of the studio this much. 




Back to the jacket--it was a hit. I'm beginning to see a pattern between Jenny and Marley with these small projects. If I look back I might even see that the pattern is a weekly thing. Hmm. Jenny noted at supper tonight that she'd have to pay for sewing if she didn't have a Grandmay. I took it as a compliment and ate the dessert that Marley cooked to say thank you: cold Pop Tarts.

How do you use your sewing skills to spoil your children or grandchildren?

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: S P A C E

Watch out for the aliens! This week's inspiration: space. Especially those fun 1970s and '80s science book pictures. Wouldn't they make perfect fabric? I'd have so much fun designing a science/space themed fabric line with these pics as inspiration. And the quilt! Hold on, they are coming!

Here they are! As promised. Are they some pretty amazing quilts. Imagine these in a room for a little boy. And a few of them would make great sofa quilts for a big boy scientist. 

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Yellow Chevron ~~ Finished!

A few weeks months ago I made this yellow chevron quilt to test a pattern, which I've written about a few several times. This one is a smaller, crib quilt that did not take long at all. It may have been one of the first quilts that I made with my "In One Day" pattern. This is the pattern that I used for "That Big Chevron." Of course, this top sat on the growing pile of tops waiting to be quilted. I just wanted to test out the pattern in a variety of sizes, so finishing was not a priority. 

I think I like this one because it's so bright. That yellow and black are pretty fantastic together and, let's face it the polka dots pull it all together.  I quilted pebbles in the solid yellow and easy stippling in polka dots. For the black, I dropped in a loose, loopy rope design. All easy, quick quilting!

 Although the quilt looks okay turned on its side, to form a Streak of Lightning design, I still prefer the way it looks in the horizontal chevron pattern. 

As I think about it, I don't think I've seen a quilt with a Streak of Lightning design that I've liked a great deal. So maybe it's me. Maybe I just have a default design preference that I can't help going back to .

Oh well, if that's the case I am only now becoming aware of it, so apparently it hasn't hurt me very much. I guess I should pay attention to this idea. Well, maybe.

	Quilt Stats
Name:	Yellow Chevron
Size:	45” x 50”
Fabrics:	Stash fabrics-- Kona black, Kona bright yellow, polka dots
Binding:	Kona black
Pattern:	In One Day pattern
Quilting:	Custom Free Motion Quilting – stippling and pebbling
Completed:	September 2016

How about you? Do you have a default design sensibility that you can't seem to help liking over other designs? 

Linking up with

Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts

Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation

Fort Worth Fabric Studio

TGIFF at Rainbows, Bunnies, Cupcakes