August Finishes

I have not finished as much as I would have liked this month.  Between house hunting and packing, I have not had much time for quilting or blogging!

I did meet my goal for the sailboat quilt, I got all of my pinwheel sashings done!

Twenty strips of four pinwheels.  They are wonky and need to be trimmed down though.
I finished half of my bottom sashing which is "waves", so I made them all blue.

I need 15 strips of eight HST.
Pippi photo bombed my photo shoot.

I have the rest already in order waiting to be sewn together, I love using clothespins!

My math is terrible because I have a lot of HST left over and now need a project for them!

 Oreo kept jumping up and trying to grab my camera as I was trying to take pictures, it took 10 tries!  Maybe he was trying to play fetch with it?

 I got about a quarter to half of my Great Granny Square quilted.  I had to stop one day and clean the machine, which I should have done before using it!

I'm making loose flowers and butterflies in the blocks.

I have a lot of work to do so I better get off of this computer!

What have you been up to?

Have a blessed day!
Missy

Feline Friday

My kittens got "fixed" on Monday.  They really should be done at four months, they are almost six months.  Cupcake had gone in heat so we had to keep Oreo separated from the calicoes.  None of them were very happy about it.

 He love his pillow!

 He loves to play "fetch" with his mouth.  I'll throw it and he'll bring it back to me.  He gets really mad when Custard grabs it and runs off with it!  LOL
The separation did help Oreo to bond with us more since he did not have his sisters to play with it.

 They are so happy they can sleep and play together again.  Poor Cupcake has a shaved belly.

 I'm kind of worried about Cupcake's incision.  She has a lump under the incision.  Can you see it?  It's all red.    Do I need to be worried? (You can see the picture better if you click on it)

 Custard's incision just looks gross, is her's normal?  It kind of looks like something is dried and crusty around it.

 Do you know if there is anything I can put on them to help?  Aren't they cute though, even with their shaved bellies?

What kind of pets do you have?

Have a great Labor Day weekend ya'll!

Missy

Question

I have a question for ya'll.  I think I found the house I want to buy in MO, but we are needing to wait until we move there to try to buy the house.  I'm praying it is still available when it is time for us to buy, but if it is not, I know the Lord will have a better one for us!
Okay, here is my question.  I have been looking at some of the pictures I took of the house.  Beside the front porch is a poured, square slab of concrete.

Do you have any idea what this would have been used for?
The only thing I can think of doing with it is making a raised flower bed, using stones around the side to match the rest of the porch. Although, if I plant roses along the front, I might just want to use decorative plants instead to not take away from the roses.   But does anyone know if it has a purpose?
I just love this wide front porch and have a lot of plans on how to spruce it up.  If anyone has a Pinterest board on sprucing up porches, please share so I can follow it!
Here is mine.
Any suggestions on easy, low maintenance perennial (the kind that bloom every year)flowers to plant there?  I have a confession to make, I have a black thumb and kill every thing but my ivies!  I'll be living in MO, so it will have to be something that grows well there.
Here is the rest of the porch.  Eventually I would add gingerbread trim and white pickets railings and stuff to make it look more Victorian?  We'll see how it looks after I add porch furniture and a porch swing.

I've always wanted roses because my grandmother had roses of every color all along the front of her house.  I also want honeysuckle because I love the smell, I will probably plant that in the back by the kitchen windows and on the side by the bedroom windows.  I'll have to find someone who knows flower gardens to help me plants my gardens.
I'll update on my quilting progress in the next couple of days, I've not gotten much done I'm afraid.
I'll try not to bore you with all my house and moving talk!

Have a blessed day!
Missy

Last Day to Vote and a Funny Story

Today is the last day to put in your vote for the Pets on Quilts Show!
For me, go here and in the comments section put "Cats on Quilts #16".
To see my original post, go here.
Be sure to check out all of the other great posts while you are there!

Cupcake, Custard and Oreo

Last week I was in MO looking for  house.  Chris had to stay home because of work and watched the fur babies.  One day while Chris and I was talking on the phone, the kittens had fun with my spool of thread they pulled off my sewing machine.
He said they had the thread wrapped around the dining room table, through the legs of my two treadles and sewing cabinet, around the cat bed and had managed to tie up Oreo to the treadle!  How I wish he had taken a picture for me!  LOL  Made me think of siblings playing cowboys and Indians and always tying up the Indian!  LOL
Don't those faces look innocent though?

I worked on cleaning my treadle yesterday, I had not realized how filthy it was, but what can you expect from 100 years of work?

Have a great weekend ya'll!

Missy

Free E-books for your kindle!

Here are some free Christian fiction e-books I found!  Since every blog post needs a pictures here is one of Pippi with a couple of quilts!

Pippi hiding under a quilt

Alice J. Wisler, I have not read her books before:

http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Song-Heart-Carolina-ebook/dp/B00B5JKLKO/ref=sr_1_10?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1377022394&sr=1-10&keywords=michael+phillips

Micheal Philips, I love his historical fiction books:

http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Watching-Shenandoah-Sisters-ebook/dp/B00B5JKLM2/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1377022530&sr=1-5&keywords=michael+phillips

http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Freedom-American-Dreams-ebook/dp/B00D7ITF0S/ref=sr_1_13?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1377022594&sr=1-13&keywords=michael+phillips

A Home in the West by Lori Copeland (I like her books)

http://www.amazon.com/Home-Amish-Apple-Grove-ebook/dp/B00D6SCXY4/ref=sr_1_14?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1377022594&sr=1-14&keywords=michael+phillips


A Daughter's Inheritance by Tracie Peterson, this is a great book, I love all of her books!

http://www.amazon.com/Daughters-Inheritance-Broadmoor-Legacy-ebook/dp/B00B5J4TVQ/ref=sr_1_16?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1377022594&sr=1-16&keywords=michael+phillips

Distant Dreams by Tracie Peterson:  Another great book

http://www.amazon.com/Distant-Dreams-Ribbons-Steel-ebook/dp/B00B5J4VUU/ref=sr_1_15?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1377023456&sr=1-15&keywords=terri+blackstock


Another one of my favorite authors in Lynn Austin:

http://www.amazon.com/Candle-Darkness-Refiners-Fire-ebook/dp/B009NVPLGA/ref=sr_1_22?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1377022870&sr=1-22&keywords=michael+phillips

Secrets by Kristen Heitzman, I have not read this book yet.

http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Michelli-Family-Series-ebook/dp/B008AV8J6I/ref=sr_1_34?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1377022942&sr=1-34&keywords=michael+phillips

Isabella Alden is one of my favorite authors, she is good for adults and children alike.  She was Grace Livingston hill's Aunt, I try to get as many of her books in hard copy as I can.  Each book has something needed in our lives.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=isabella+alden

Cape Refuge and southern Storm by Terri Blackstock, this is another great book!  $1.99, not free

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SIMOQM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000SIMOQM&linkCode=as2&tag=readreal-20


I hope you enjoy these books!  I will try to share books as I find them.

Don't forget to vote for me in the Pets on Quilts show.   Voting is open until the end of the week, and so far I have about five votes.  I am number 16 and you can vote here:  http://lilypadquilting.blogspot.com/2013/08/its-time-to-vote-for-your-favorites.html
In the comment section put Cat on Quilt: #16  You will also be entered to win a prize just for voting!

Happily filling up my kindle with free e-books!

Missy

Missouri

I went house hunting in Missouri last week.  Do you know how hard it is to find a rental that will accept more than one or two cats?  I actually had one person tell me I could keep my cats in the chicken coop out back!  They are my babies, they stay in the house with me!  Of course they do not know me and know that I keep my house cleaned, I bathe my cats (except Oreo who totally freaks out), I shampoo my carpets, etc.  I basically just spoil them rotten!  LOL  The rental will just be temporary until we are ready to buy.  I found a house I love and if God wants me to have that house, it will still be available in six months when we are ready to buy it!
I need to do a lot of packing in the next six weeks, so I know not very much quilting will be getting done.
Here is a picture I took in Missouri last week.

I can't wait to move there!  God will provide us with the perfect rental when it is time to move, I'm confident of that.
Since my cats are causing me so much trouble in trying to move (just joking) Why don't you hop on over and vote for my babies in the cats on quilts show?  Voting is open until the end of the week, and so far I have about five votes.  I am number 16 and you can vote here:  http://lilypadquilting.blogspot.com/2013/08/its-time-to-vote-for-your-favorites.html
In the comment section put Cat on Quilt: #16  You will also be entered to win a prize just for voting!
Thanks, Missy!

Voting begins!

Please remember to vote for my cats on quilts blog post!  I'm number 16.  http://lilypadquilting.blogspot.com/
I'm sorry I have been so quiet on here last week, I was visiting a friend and she does not have internet hooked up at her new house yet.  I know I missed replying to a lot of comments also, but I read them all and I appreciate everyone's kind words!
I just got back in town and will be catching up to everyone's blog posts this week!
Missy

Pets on Quilt Show 2013

Welcome to my cat house!  I do not have a picture of all of my cats on here, only six!  Yes, that's right six cats!  I have three more! Although Precious is in the back, but you really can't see him.  This top picture will be my official entry in the cats on quilts category (But I'm sure you could guess that the category was not dogs on quilts!)   The link to vote is at the end of the blog post!

Muffin and Tiger (brothers)

  Would you believe I got this double wedding ring quilt at a thrift store and it was sold for .65¢ a pound!  I paid way less than $5 for it!  It was hand quilted.

Muffin and Tiger came to us as kittens and have grown up together.  Muffin has a gentle soul, he is the one who always takes care of the new kittens.  Tiger is my cowardly lion, he's scared of his own shadow!

Pippi (the kitten's aunt)

This is Pippi.  I got her at about four weeks old and bottle fed her and potty trained her, it was like having a newborn in the house to take care of.    She is the friendliest cat you will ever meet and will meet you at the door wanting to be loved on!  She has also taught her awesome personality to the three kittens.

Oreo

This is Oreo, he is almost six months old.  He is very sweet and has a nice fat squishy tummy that he likes to have rubbed.

Custard

Here is Oreo's sister, Custard (named after Strawberry Shortcake's cat).  She is sweet, feminine and dainty.  She is a true Southern Belle!  She is on my grandmother's quilt, a circle upon circle quilt.  I love to just sit and look at all of the different materials on this quilt, the entire thing is hand stitched!

Tiger

I think Tiger looks pretty dapper on this quilt!

Cupcake

Here is the other sister, Cupcake.  She is very high strung!  I've never seen a cat before that moans in her sleep!  When she is awake she coos as she plays and if she wants something she has a very high pitched meow that lets you know she means business!  She is sitting on the great granny square quilt I am making for my niece.  I am doing the FMQ on my 123 year old treadle.  I was in the middle of the quilting when she jumped under there and just looked at me,  She got my attention!

Oreo and Custard

The babies were just seven weeks old when I took this picture.  They are sleeping on my Postage Stamp quilt that I made.  It has an embroidered penguin on it.

Cupcake, Oreo and Custard (sisters and brother)

Here they are on a pillow that I won, this was such a great picture of them all together.

Tiger

Tiger found a great spot on a pile of my quilts.

Custard

My favorite picture of Custard hanging out on some of my finished Scrappy Trip Along Blocks.

I hope you enjoyed meeting six of my fur babies!   The linky party for the Pets on Quilt Show opens on Sunday and the voting begins the folloing week, I hope you will come back and vote for me! I'm in MO this week looking for a house to buy, please pray that I find the perfect one that the Lord wants me to have, meanwhile hop over to Lily Pad Quilting to see all of the other great blog posts!

        update:  please go here to vote for me  http://lilypadquilting.blogspot.com/2013/08/its-time-to-vote-for-your-favorites.html
I am cats on quilts #16!  Thank you!
Thank you for visiting!
Missy
P.S.  Here is last year's Pet's on Quilts Post!

FMQ on a Treadle

This week on my Design Wall is still my Great Granny Square quilt, although it is really on my machine not my wall!  LOL
I am really enjoying doing my free motion quilting on my Singer 16 Treadle.  She is 123 years old!  This is my third quilt to FMQ, the other two were just stippling, so I am still learning.  I'm enjoying all of the extra head space I have on this Industrial machine, it is a lot bigger than my Janome.
I was told to set my stitch length to zero and that has helped a lot with not having big stitches.  I was also told to loosen my top tension which has also helped a lot.
After spending three days unstitching 18 flowers last week because of my puckers on the back, it is going pretty well now.

I am doing a free form around the daisies.  So far I have only been doing the daisies across the sashing.

Next I will go back and do the daisies in the sashing going up and down.

I am using a light pink thread.
I keep moving the cats off my quilt.  Last night I had a good rythm going when the treadle just stopped even though I was still treadling.  I looked over and my other kitten, Cupcake, had pulled the belt off the wheel!  Crazy cat!  This morning they knocked the spool of thread off and it was tangled all through the legs, and all around Custard, my other kitten.
I had my husband record me doing FMQ on my treadle.  Remember, I'm not an expert at FMQ, but I do appreciate any hints you might want to offer!  I love the click clacking sound the treadle makes!


Oh, and today is my 18th Anniversary!  I need to make my husband an Angel Food Cake, but to be honest, I'm so busy right now I am going to use a mix!  I need this quilt finished by Friday!

Have a great day ya'll!

Missy

Retreat!

I am so excited, I get to go to another quilt retreat at the end of September.  You can only use people powered machines, like a hand crank or a treadle.  It is four days and only $62, this includes lodging.
What a great chance for me to get some projects finished before I move!  It is in North East Texas, so it is only a couple of hours from me.    I can't think of a better way to spend my 40th birthday!
Missy

Basting Mistake

I thought I would try something new.  I had been reading about how people used Elmer's washable glue to baste their quilts.  I thought I would give it a try.  The tutorial I saw, said she did the back, let it dry then did the front.  I was in a hurry, so I did the back with the washable glue, but did not wait for it to dry.  It went on easily and quickly.  I ran out of glue so I found some Krylon spray glue (acid free) under my bathroom sink and had read that can also be used, so I used it for the top.  I had some concerns about the fumes and my asthma, but did not have a problem with it.  Can I say I loved it?  It was so easy to apply.
This is where my mistake comes in, since I had not allowed the glue to dry on the backing, when I smoothed the top and crawled across it, I wrinkled the back, and had not realized how bad it was until I AFTER I quilted 18 flowers!  The backing had dried and could not be moved, whereas the front with the spray is moveable.  I had to soak the quilt in the bathtub to loosen the glue on the back and then I let it dry on the clothesline.  The good news is that the top did not move, only the backing!  But it has taken me two days to unpick those flowers!
Lesson learned, patience will save you time, do not cut any corners!

In my house, I have to wait for the kittens and cats to take their naps before I can baste my quilts!

 The backing is a pink gingham sheet.

Now it is time to rebaste the back!

What is your favorite way to baste a quilt?

Missy