Sleeping Kitty Pillow

I finished my cross stitch Sleeping Kitty pillow over the weekend. Once the cross stitching and back stitching were complete, I had a few things to do to make it into a pillow.

After washing it, I ironed it nice and flat! At this point, it already looked so much nicer than while I was working on it.

I ironed a light weight interfacing onto the back of the piece. Then, I measured 1/2" and 1" from the edge of the cross stitching. The 1" line was my cutting line and the 1/2" line was my sewing line. 

I chose a cat fabric for the backing. The cats are sitting on library shelves. This fabric has lots of stuff I love! I sewed right sides together, turned inside out and stuffed with poly stuffing I bought awhile ago and just happened to have home. I love this pillow! I find myself just admiring it while I sit in my family room. I just may make another one. I've had a few requests!!

I Like Thursday #274

 It's time for Thursday likes! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more blogs posting Thursday likes. I finished my cross stitch sleeping cat! The magazine said it would take about 40 hours but it took me much longer! I started stitching at the end of February and just finished it yesterday. I have no idea how long it took me but it was much longer than 40 hours! I'm doing some backstitching right now (So, I'm still not really done!!) and then I'll be making it into a pillow. I find cross stitching very relaxing but I still love to quilt!

I usually go out everyday but decided to stay home today. We're in the middle of a Nor'Easter which is weird for May! Anyways, it's rain and not snow which is a good thing. Although, I did hear that New Hampshire and Vermont were getting snow! The rain and wind are just ramping up so it's going to be a long and stormy day. I hope we don't lose power.

Molly loves sleeping on that soft blanket! My Swoon quilt is under it. I'm glad she's spreading her fur onto that blanket and not my quilt! Today is dark and dismal and I can understand how she would like to sleep there all day.

Today's prompt asks what we do for Memorial Day and how you feel about the holiday in general. I think of it more as the start of summer. We used to have a little function at my grammar school where we would honor those who served the country but are no longer with us. My dad and my father-in-law were both veterans but they made it back home. My son used to be in the parade in town when he was a Cub Scout. Nowadays, we cook on the grill and find another excuse to overeat! It's sort of sad. I actually wish we didn't have so many wars. I wish we could be better.

Have a great weekend!!

Facets Quilt Round 2

I finished piecing the blocks for Round 2 of the Facet Quilt. I only used 2 orange fabrics twice so it wasn't too difficult to figure out the layout. I took a picture not just for my blog but to piece it properly. I can't tell you how many times I've mixed up my blocks as I'm sewing them together!

I pieced the side blocks onto the center. Each block finishes at 6" so the first 2 rounds will finish at 24" square. There are lots of seams to line up so it's a slow process but it's not too bad. I'm already looking forward to the next round. The main color will be blue. I have tons of blue fabrics so I'll be happy to use up those scraps! I love making a quilt using what I have in my stash. 

I Like Thursday #273

It's time for Thursday Likes! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more blogs posting fun content. I've forgotten to post a picture of Audi! He's my son and daughter-in-law's new cat! Isn't he just so cute?? He's already a year old and weighs close to 15 lb. He's a big boy! They adopted him through a Vermont shelter. They drove 2 hours to pick him up. He really loves my son! He follows him around their house and sleeps with him. So adorable!!

I've made more progress on my Facets quilt. I need a total of 12 orange blocks for round 2. I'm getting there slowly but surely! I've also been trying to wash windows and curtains so it's not going too fast. Slow but steady!

My cross stitch pillow is almost done! I have really enjoyed working on this project. There are lots of thread changes but I just love the effect. The cat looks so real! I'll be making this into a pillow. I hope I don't sit on him!

The prompt this week asks us if we've ever been on a motorcycle. Sadly, I have not. However, my grandfather was a mechanic in Italy and owned a motorcycle. According to my mother, she had many rides with him over the years. I wish I had a picture of my mom and grandfather zipping around those small streets in Italy. What a treasure that would have been!

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! Have a great weekend!

Facets Quilt - Round 2

 Since I'm all caught up with my BOMs, it was time to start the second round of the Facets Quilt. The blocks are similar but do have a few differences. The color choices for Round 2 are orange with white/pale background. However, the corners are pointing inward and the background surrounds the middle square. I didn't notice that until I had started to put the block together. Better late than never! These block are 6.5"square.

The orange blocks remind me of the rolling rock quilt block. I've noted that each round alternates with the corners either pointing in or out. The backgrounds are also switched around depending on which round you're on. Victoria Findlay Wolfe always keeps you on your toes! She has these little changes that alter entire look of the quilt. I have 10 more blocks to make and Round 2 will be complete! I sure do love playing in my scraps!

Halloween BOM Bats

 I've been so busy this week. I'm trying to get everything ready for Mother's Day and trying to work on my Halloween BOM. This is the By the Light of the Moon block. It measures 18.5" square.

The block is paper pieced but it's sort of a weird angle. The top piece doesn't have a straight bottom line. The rest of block is divided into 3 sections. Somehow, they all fit! I always find it difficult to work with curved/rounded pieces. I feel they're so much harder than straight lines!

 This month also included Batty, a smaller bat that measures 6.5" square. 

This one was also completed with slanting lines. I didn't think it would fit but it did!! I feel I learn a lot each and every month. This BOM runs through September. I think we only have 5 blocks left to make. 

Basket Block - Laurel Ridge BOM

This cute little basket block was the May block for the Laurel Ridge BOM. We had to make 20 of them. At first glance, I didn't think this block would be too hard to make.

It took awhile to make the half square triangles but I used the 8-at-a-time method so it was pretty fast. It took a little longer to trim them to size and then sew in groups of 3. I measured each seam as I sewed along to make sure my measurements were correct. I added the red square and the half square triangles were all sewn on.

The next step was to add the 2 side rectangles complete with triangles. 

The last step was to add that corner triangle. I folded the triangle in half so I could find the center. That center helped me place the triangle where it should be to complete the block.

After more trimming, I finally finished and had 20 basket blocks that measured 5" finished. Phew! This block took me much longer than I thought it would. I feel each block is a learning opportunity so I learned a lot with this block! My number one takeaway is to measure after sewing each section. When pieces are this small, no variations are allowed! I'm hoping next month is easier!!