For Jackson

I have been waiting to show you the project I just finished a few days ago...I was sending it to my little nephew Jackson and wanted to wait till he got it before I posted it.

I did not have plans to make this...in fact I had plans for something entirely different. But in going through my fabric shelves, I ran across the animal flannels. I had made Roger a rag quilt with them...which is another story entirely.

The minute I saw the fabric, I knew I had to do something with it for Jackson. He will be two years old next month, and gets so excited by anything to do with hunting, going 4-wheeling, and Santa Claus. I just had to throw the part in about Santa Claus. But it is the truth....he L-O-V-E-S Santa.

I knew it would be the frayed edge style, or rag quilt. I first cut bunches of squares, paired them together with no batting between, and sewed them together. A BIG bunch of them together. I did not like that...thus I ended up sitting ripping out a LOT of stitching.

I also decided sometime during all of it, that I didn't have near enough fabric...even for a toddler's quilt. So, I ended up buying about three more yards of fabric. I proceeded to cut it all up in 6½ inch squares. As I cut I made the decisions of which fabrics I wanted to go to the back and which to the front. after cutting the fabric, I cut batting in a smaller size...then paired a fabric for the front with a fabric for the back, sandwiched the batting in between, and sewed an 'x' across it. I did them all at once.

I sat and counted how many squares of each fabric I had...then set with graph paper and decided how to arrange the blocks. Then the stitching the blocks together began....contrary to most sewing, the seams are supposed to be on the front with the rag quilts. The first row of blocks I sew.ed, I sewed just the opposite of that...actually I sewed it twice. Cause each of the seams from this point on are sewn double...for strength.

After a couple evenings of concentrated sewing, the above is the result. This is after it is washed and dried. It is all soft and snugly. And below is the back of the quilt...

It finished about 44 x 55 inches....so hoping Jackson will get use from it. I really think he will like all the animals. He has done been 'shooting' deer....when he was in the stores earlier last month I think it was, and he saw Santa's reindeer, he would 'shoot that', this after going through the store yelling HO! ho! ho! and hollering for Santa throughout the store. Then at Cracker Barrel where they have a deer head mounted, he 'shot that,' too.

I finished it Tuesday I think it was, washed it twice with color catchers, and to fray the edges, dried it, and put it in the mail Wednesday....

This is the Princess Pussycat

Roger got out the ladder to do one thing, instead we ended up trimming back my wisteria and cutting some limbs from the crab apple. 

Before I got out there Roger had leaned the step ladder against the house and went to the shop to get something.   When I first got out there, Puss Puss was up on the top of the stepladder.  I ran inside to get my camera.  When I got back out with it, here she came to meet me.  I kept talking to her and she climbed back up, just not all the way to the top.

She is a very petite little kitty...we call her Puss Puss.  She has got to be most curious kitty I have ever seen.  If a door is opened, she can be clear at the other end of the house and she is right there within two seconds to see where the door leads.  If a drawer is open, she is in it and climbing over the back of it the drawer below.

If it is cold, she races us to bed; and she does want under the cover, between us.  She will have none of that laying on the edge of the bed.  She wants her back snuggled against one of us with her feet pushing into the other's side or back.  And she will stay there for hours...oh, and beware of her if she you sit down near her with bacon.  She will snatch it right out of your hand.

Flannel Quilt

Not much new here in my little corner of the world....I sewed more 4-patches and cut more 2½ inch squares.  I have no idea what I am going to do with them, but that is the way a lot of my projects start out.  In fact, I tend to like those the best...that just develop as I go along...I think it might be a little bit of rebellion in me.  Just a little bit of freedom I enjoy.

The quilt above is nothing special...but it has been on our bed ever since I made it.  I went to Good Will and bought all the GOOD flannel shirts they got in...and usually got them for $2 or less.  I went when there was a sale, and I only bought Large and X-large...I love how snuggle it is.  And it is just so simple...

The quilt above I have shown before...but it started out with little 4-patches as I am doing now.  I was working at the time and thought I'd make the 4-patches because at least I would be sewing.  And I didn't have to think. Then I decided to make a 9-patch with a 4-patch as the corner pieces of the 9-patch.  That probably sounds like double talk to those that don't quilt...and maybe even to those that do....but that is how this developed.  I made all the 9-patches and decided to add more....but I won't go into details.  Just saying that sometimes flying by the seat of your pants works out good.

************
Sarah said they had big old flakes of snow for a little while.  We had little snow balls...no joke....kind of like tiny hail only it was snow...from about B-B size to not quite pea sized...and though stuff started to get white, it only lasted a few seconds and melted just as quick.  I had the thought to grab my camera but it was gone before I could really act on it.

I would love to go down and sew a bit  more now, but think I will go read for a bit before heading to bed.