I moved my quilting into the separate studio house in the summer of 2007.  In August of that year I heard meowing under the studio which turned out to be Callie Cat.  I had to bottle feed her for the first couple of weeks.  I was living in the studio because we were having major house renovations at the time so Callie quickly imprinted me as Mommie Cat and we bonded.  She is extremely independent and has a personality that only a mother could love.  She loves fabrics and quilts and she dearly loves the TTT gals and seems to know when it is Tuesday.  Here is a chronicle of the life and times of my favorite quilt inspector.

This week I’ve been working on a stamped cross stitch quilt made by my friend June’s mom.  June wants to take it to her mom for Mother’s Day.  I used the No-Frills Swag Templates (5″) by Constantine Quilts for the border.  They were great to use.  Tracey Browning, the owner of Constantine Quilts, has developed some great products for longarm quilters.  And she puts free videos on her website showing you how to use them.  A picture is worth a thousand words and a video is worth a MILLION of them.

I think I have everything ready for the QSC Spring Meeting this weekend.  I sure hope so.  I will be packing up and heading down to Charleston this evening.  Tomorrow we host a class by Karen Combs, then Saturday is the big meeting, and on Sunday another class. 

While I’m gone the studio watch cats are in charge.

In two weeks the TTT (Tuesday Thimbles and Threads) gang is heading for St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center on Seabrook Island off the coast of Charleston for a four day quilting retreat.  Four of us are planning to do the quilt pictured here.  It’s called Cracked Pots by Miss Rosie’s Quilt Company.  Sheila saw it at the Quilters Gallery booth at Myrtle Beach Quilt Party last January and fell in love with it.  She purchased the kit from them when they vended at our show in March of last year.  I bought the pattern.  Then Betsy and Frances got in on the act and we decided this would be our project for our February retreat.  Frances and I jointly pulled fabrics from our stash to do ours.  Betsy is also using stash fabrics.  After looking at the cutting instructions we decided we needed to precut everything so we could get to the piecing at the retreat.  Yesterday we spent ALL DAY cutting and we aren’t finished.  There are a LOT of PIECES in this quilt.  I tried to document the day but as usual I forgot to take many pictures and I completely left Frances out of every thing.  No pics of me, either (on purpose). 

We did take a short break for lunch and later took a one mile walk to try to refresh ourselves and work some kinks out.  We will finish cutting when TTT meets this Tuesday.

I had read all of the cutting instructions in advance but we still ran into places where we felt the cutting instructions were confusing.  But I think the construction part of the pattern is very clear cut.  I have a number of Miss Rosie’s patterns on my “wanna do” list and hope this one goes together nicely.

I went back to the studio last night and again early this morning and finished all of my cutting.  My furry helpers were exhausted and wanted me to turn out the lights and go to bed!

Lucy the new kitty is settling in to the studio life very well.  It took her about a day and a half to recuperate from her shots.  I was very concerned that having been an outside cat for her entire life (I think she’s just a year or a bit more old) that she might balk at using a litter box.  We got her her own box and put it in the other bathroom.  Callie Cat immediately demonstrated how to use it.  After a couple of times where I took her to the box after she had eaten she was good to go on her own.  But I have found Callie sitting on the toilet seat supervising.

She’s getting braver about exploring the studio and has not shown any inclination to escape to the great outdoors.  I guess she knows a good thing when she sees it.  She’s already learned the sound of the Temptations snack bag being shook. 

She likes the red play cube as much as Callie – along with playing in it she also likes to use it for a house.

When Janice and I were in Houston last year I fell in love with a BQ2 quilt kit at one of the vendors.  It’s been pieced and a back made for quite awhile.  It was “my turn” to have a top quilted so I started working on it.  At first I was just going to do a leafy or ferny meander but then I decided to do something a bit more special.  Here’s what I’ve done so far.  I’ll go back and put some details in the big flower motifs and will also quilt in the red sashing  – haven’t decided exactly what is going there yet.  I’ve got one more row of the flower blocks to pebble in the background and then I’ll change to red thread for the flowers and the sashing.  This one is for my red love seat in the dining room.

The weather man is saying we may see some snow flurries tomorrow afternoon!

I’ve been quiet for awhile because I’ve been very busy quilting this lovely applique quilt for a customer.  It’s Stars in My Garden by Piece O’Cake.  This one was so pretty to look at while I quilted.  Made me think of spring. 

For quite a few months I’ve been seeing a grey striped tabby kitty around the studio.  I finally started putting some food out and later discovered she had had kittens – saw her with them near the end of November.  A neighbor caught the kittens and gave them away and I’ve been steadily feeding, calling, petting, and finally this week tried her out inside the studio with Callie Cat.  I named her Lucy Lawless.  She’s very very lovable and has decided this just might be the life for her.  Callie is still withholding  judgement.  Tomorrow we go visit the vet for shots, tests, etc plus an appointment for neutering.  If he will keep her and do it this week I’ll probably go with that – otherwise I”m afraid she’ll be preggers again real soon. 

Lucy Lawless

Callie on top of cabinets trying to keep an eye on Lucy

 Sometimes when we take Rudy the Wonderdog for his walk we stop into the studio so he can visit Callie (and now Lucy, too) and practice his down command.  Callie has always been fascinated with Rudy’s tail and today I got some shots of her playing with it and “loving” on it.  The poor dog doesn’t know what to think.

This past Tuesday the TTT gals had a busy day.  We decided to start a TTT Book Club and our first book discussion was Tuesday morning.  We read The Appeal by John Grisham for our first book.  We had a lively discussion and just about everyone agreed that the ending was unsatisfactory.  Of course, we all wanted a happy ending with the bad guys getting their just desserts!

We also had decided to do a gift exchange this year and everyone did a fantastic job of selecting and/or making their presents.  I made totebags from woven kitchen towels – from a Nancy Halvorsen book .  If I try to list all the presents now I’m sure I’ll overlook someone or something – just check out all the gift bags lined up on the Prince before we had our “grand opening.”

We also traveled to The Parish House in Eutawville for our lunch.  We had visited there in the Spring and really enjoyed the experience.  This time the food and especially the service left a lot to be desired but we had such a good time laughing about it all that we decided it was just the entertainment we needed (we also decided that maybe we attracted waiters with memory problems as we had a problem at another group outing.)

After lunch we came back to the studio for coffee and cookies (and other sweet goodies we discovered as we opened our presents).  I should have gotten some pics of the unveilings but I was too busy ripping into my own bags!

Here’s the story in pictures.

A little more about Corky’s special present.  At the end of the summer we had a “string weekend” and made string quilts.  We had been saving scraps and strings for months.  Betsy had been very concerned that she would not be comfortable just picking up any fabric and sewing it beside another fabric – she wants her colors to coordinate and all her regularly patterned fabrics to be marching along in order.  So Corky had been “gifting” Betsy with “special” fabrics all year long.  The really wild, the pretty ugly, you know………So Betsy took all of those gifts and sewed and sliced and sewed some more and then embellished – we are so proud of her – an art quilt – and Corky was the happy recipient of the art.

We all said that being together and receiving thoughtful presents from people that we cared about and that cared for us was wonderful – this is Christmas.

Ever since I started longarm quilting and reading various longarm quilting forums online I’ve seen the virtues of a saddle stool for quilting extolled.  So I finally decided it was time to try one out.  I ordered it and it took a few weeks to be delivered, then I went away and then had the String Weekend – didn’t open the box as I was SURE it would have to be assembled and having recently done the chair assembly with the Ref for his new computer/desk chair I just wasn’t up for another round of “these *&%$# instructions are all wrong!”  (translate – I’m skipping from step two to step five because I’m a man).  But I’m working on a quilt that has lots of feathers and takes awhile to do one block so today I decided it was time to get that stool together.  So I called the Ref to come up to the studio.  By the time he got there I was out on the porch on the phone with Virginia.  So he went on in – I heard him opening the box (this is a BIG box – should have been my first clue) and I told Virginia I’d better get in there.  And lo and behold – when I went in the door – there was my stool – it was in the box all assembled and just lowered as far as it would go for shipping.  Did I feel stupid??  Oh, yeah.

So I got the height adjusted (as high as she’ll go) and the foot ring adjusted and climbed on for a test drive.  I LOVE IT!!  Here’s a peek at the quilting I’m doing – the top is my friend June’s.  As you can see I know what I want to quilt in all of the backgrounds.  I’m still a bit stumped for the colored part of the blocks.  I’m tempted to leave the flying geese alone – they are fairly small and look pretty nice with the tight feathers around them.  But the center part of the block must have quilting.  I have a day or more left of feather quilting and hopefully I’ll be inspired by then.  I did the “stand and stare” at the top for two days before I developed a plan for the background and then spent another day drafting and drawing the different spaces the feathers were going in.  Also took a full day just to Stitch in the Ditch in preparation for the feathers.  Hey – look at those little ears peaking up over the back of the quilt! 

Before the current quilt I did one for ME!!  I’m trying very hard to do one for myself in between each customer quilt.  This churn dash was started in late winter of 2001!!  The churn dash blocks were for an internet swap.  Early in January of 2002 my mother had heart surgery with complications – she was in the hospital for six weeks before passing away – needless to say I had to drop out of the swap.  Then I couldn’t work on the blocks for a year or so because they made me feel bad.  I finally decided to finish them and set them into a quilt in honor of my mom.  The setting and the border treatment is my own design.  I probably had this all together in 2005 but just now got around to quilting it.  It fits my guest bed perfectly – I need to write down those measurements!!

And finally……………….

Most of the TTT gang converged on the studio this weekend for a weekend of making string quilts.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I’m going to let the photos tell the story………….  (all pics are clickable for a larger view).

Happy Birthday Callie Cat!!!

Many great things have happened to and for me in the past year or so.  I was able to move into a studio on my property that allows me to have my quilting buddies come and play on a regular basis and thus TTT was born. 

Last August when we began major renovations on our house I started “camping” out in the studio – since it is a double wide mobile home with kitchen/bath and I had a sofa bed it was the perfect escape for me from the dry wall dust and major mess in the house.  The first night I stayed in the studio I could hear a kitten crying.  We determined it was under the studio.  Four or five weeks later I sent the Ref under to investigate and out he came with the most darling calico kitten.  No mama under there at the time and no siblings.  We later learned the mama had moved two kittens back to her “home” down the road from us.  It is obvious Callie Cat was meant to live with me in the studio – I had been up there a lot even before I spent the night and to hear her for the first time the first time I stayed overnight – and then to choose the day mama cat was moving the kittens to go under and investigate is just too coincidental.

I have had and still own other pets but this little bundle of fur has really captured my heart.  She is such good company when I’m working in the studio alone and is ready to entertain when the gals come to play.  Her favorite toy is an empty cardboard bobbin and she knows when I reach under the Prince and pull out the bobbin case that she might get lucky and get one to play with – she comes running, sits up and begs, and then chases it around the studio – sometimes playing soccer, sometimes bringing it back and laying it beside or on my feet for me to throw again.  If I’m busy quilting and don’t notice her she has been known to stuff it under my toe if I’m wearing flip flops or give my ankle a swat so I’ll look down.

So of course when a year rolled around we had to celebrate her birthday.  We mailed out mailed invitations and shopped and filled goodie bags – as you can see we had an “Animal House” theme – all the gals got animal sunvisors and we ate on animal plates.  Goodie bags had a kitty bookmark, kitty pencil, and Kit Kat candy bars.  All of the TTT gang is trying to either get less “fluffy” or eat healthy so we had a veggie tray, cheese and crackers, and lots of fruit – strawberries, watermelon, and pineapple.  Animal Crackers, too!  I found a minisize carrot cake and a large Number One candle for the obligatory cake photo-op.  The cake is now at the house for the Ref to enjoy.

The TTT gals came through like the wonderful, crazy bunch they are.  They brought presents and cards and willingly donned silly hats and celebrated with Callie and me. 

It was a wonderful day – we of course sewed all morning and well into the afternoon – the heat has abated and we took advantage of a cooler studio.

Last Tuesday our friend and premier quilter Judy Heyward journeyed to the studio to teach her “Taste of the Lowcountry” to six of the TTT gang.  Judy’s version can be seen on here – it features jessamine leaves and a palmetto tree.  I decided to expand on mine to show more of the symbols South Carolina and I added sea turtles, jessamine flowers, and Carolina Wrens. I still need to do the stitching around the leaves, flowers, and bird parts.  I am so happy with my version and so pleased with my first attempt at being an “art” quilter.  I am not happy with the condition of my studio – it seems tapping into my creativity leads to ultimate chaos.  So I’m off to do a major clean-up.