Final Project of 2011

I decided to finish up 2011 with a project that will make 2012 a little greener around here. I made a stack of new cloth napkins. These are everyday, utility-type napkins, not anything fancy. They are actually made from a cloth used to make diaper liners, which makes them very soft, and of course, absorbent. That was an idea that I had seen around the web sometime in 2011, but I don't remember exactly where.

Here is how the project went. First I cut a bunch of 16 1/2 inch squares. Why that size? It was what fit on the material, and it looked like a useful size.

 
Next, I turned the edges under 1/4 inch, pressed, and repeated, so the raw edges are not exposed. The corners were turned in and mitered, and then held in place with a pin. Sorry the picture is so blurry. I didn't check the photos until the sewing was done, so I couldn't retake it.

 
To add pizazz, I stitched the edges down using a decorative stitch, and green thread to match my kitchen walls.

And here you have it, a nice, big, stack of basic  napkins to use in 2012 instead of the paper napkins that I have been using far too many of. I'm really loving the softness of these.

Now Weasley is demanding some snuggle time, so I am off to cuddle him (and the Husband, if Weasley allows), and watch the ball drop in Times Square. I hope you are all having a fun and safe New Year's Eve.

See you tomorrow for our Giveaway (check it out here if you have missed it).

Still Here

Just chillin' with friends and family!

We had a fine Christmas, and are enjoying a relaxing time with each other. Hope all our friends out there in Blogland are also enjoying this time.

If you haven't entered our Blogiverary giveaway yet, check it out here.
See you again, soon!

I Have A Forest!

Want to see what Dad got for me? Come on!. I'll show you!

He got me a forest! See?

Mom says it's just a tree, but I know it's a forest. That's because every time I try to go somewhere, I bump into a tree.  There has to be a whole forest of them.

There are two things that I can tell you about the forest. One is that the forest tastes good. And the second thing is that it makes weird jingly noises when I bump my head on the things that hang down. The only part that really matters, though, is the taste thing..

Want to see what else Dad brought me? Look!

I'm so glad the Cuddly One is home!

And in a couple of hours, Dad is bringing me the Other One, too. Its been a long time since she has petted me. She will be very happy. Mom better have something great planned for Christmas if she is going to top what Dad has done!

I'm wishing everybun out there a VERY HOPPY Holiday Season. With lots of bananas.
Love you all,
Weasley

Blogiversary Giveaway

Yes! Finished my project, at last! What do you think of my Zen(tangled) Rabbit Grocery bag? I made it using the Fold-n-Go Green Grocery Bag Pattern  (I notice that their website says the pattern has been redesigned to be easier) from Oak Street Quilts and Embroidery. If you want to try making it, I'd just like to say that as long as you stay focused, and follow the directions step-by-step, you probably will have an easier time than I did.  At this time of year, focusing was a little difficult. I really like the result, though.

You may remember my little screen-printed rabbit, that I made when I took a Thermofax screen printing class from Linda Branch Dunn, with some friends. He is actually on what the pattern calls the back of the bag, but I prefer to think of it as the front.

And, on the other side of the bag are these flaps, and piece of elastic.

These allow the bag to fold up into its own little storage pouch.

What am I going to do with this bag? I'm going to give it away, in celebration of my two year Blogiversary. Yes, it's been two years since my Daughters grew tired of hearing me say that I'd like to have a blog someday, and that if I did, I would call it "Rabbits Eat Quilts". They conspired together (long-distance) to create the blog for me. On Christmas morning, I opened a package with all the information  that I needed to sign into my blog and start posting. It was definitely one of the all time best gifts that I have ever received. Not to get too sentimental, but I feel doubly blessed, both in my Daughters, and in the friends that I've made through this blog.

Do you like this bag? Want a chance to win it? Leave me a comment on this post. In your comment, tell us something about a favorite gift that you have received. Just keep it G-rated, OK? On January 1, 2012, at whatever time I manage to wake up (no promises about that!), I'll choose the winner at random from the comments. Good luck!

Oh, and what kind of shopping bag would this be if it went to it's new home empty? At the very least, it will contain the objects in the picture above. There may be a few more items finding their way into the bag. Lots of room in there!

Struggling With A Project

I am almost finished with a project that I am very excited about showing you. It's been a struggle getting this done. First, I started out with what looked like way too many pieces, and a very long and confusing set of directions. I plunged in, hoping that I wouldn't end up like a guy who has taken apart an appliance, only to put it back together, ending up with several "extra" parts.

Saturday was the day I intended to post my finished project. But, I hadn't made it past page two of the directions.

Then, I thought maybe I would have it done to show you today. Nope. I'm still not done. Actually, I thought I was done, and then I turned the instruction sheet over, to find another entire page of finishing information!

I really believe I can finish this tomorrow. Until then, here's a sneak peak of some of the fabric that I'm using.

And guess what? It doesn't look like there will be any leftover parts! See you back here tomorrow.

Not In A Pear Tree

My buddy Tyler has a rock. I don't have a rock. I have these two partridges.

They are sun hogs. And they keep singing "I think I love you". Have you ever tried to get that song out of your head? Maybe I need a rock.

Where To See The Crazy Dog Lady

Jan Quejo is a very talented quilter, who I have met through the Material Girls Quilt Guild. Jan likes to make pet quilts, and she is very, very good at it. Her favorite subjects are dogs, and she bills herself as the "Crazy Dog Lady", but she does create gorgeous quilts with other animals. too. In her "Other Animals" gallery, she has one rabbit portrait, but Weasley thinks  maybe she needs to sew more rabbit quilts.... 

Anyway, in January, Jan will be having a one-woman show of her quilts at the Charlton Sewing Center, in Charlton, Ma. If you haven't been to this shop before, let me just say that the shop alone is worth the trip. It is in a converted church, and the light and space are amazing. It is the kind of space that really enhances any quilts that are hanging in it. There is a nice collection of fabric available, and a thread selection beyond belief.

If you happen to be in Central Massachusetts this January. check out Jan's show. You'll be glad you did. And if you can't get there (although quilts are always much better viewed "live"), check out more here.

Finished!

Hi, everybun! I hope you all had productive weekends. I actually managed to finish the little quilt that I showed you in my last post over the weekend. This is for Three Creative Studios Color Palette Challenge, the November palette. Since it was November, I was thinking harvest. Here is the finished piece.

 I kept the thread sketching simple this time, just three more stalks of wheat, done in black.

I'm still not too sure about the rose/pink, but its starting to grow on me.It adds a sunset glow to the quilt, which I think works with theme. The "calico" look of the rose and of the light blue also play off the harvest theme.

Overall, I'm pleased with the result. The best part was thread sketching the wheat stalks. They were really fun to stitch once I got the rhythm down. I'm going to keep that design in mind for future products.

(Note: Anyone got any ideas as to why, when I misspelled rhythm, spell check suggested "Norsemen" as a substitute? I was only off by one letter!)

On The Sewing Table

This post would have happened earlier in the day, but like usual, my block of the month for the  Saturday Sampler quilt offered by Quilter's Way took much longer to sew than I expected. As I've mentioned in the past, I am really struggling with the ruler that we are using in this project. I have difficulty both with the seam allowance, and with what direction to turn the pieces before cutting the new edge on each step. Last month, I had to buy new fabric, because I cut triangles off the wrong side of the block! This month I went (very) slowly, and managed to put the whole thing together correctly.

I really hope that at the end of the year,  the finished project is worth all the struggle!

The other item on the sewing table is the quilt for the November Color Palette Challenge from Three Creative Studios. I started by pulling fabrics from my stash. Throughout the year, I have managed to make  these little quilts without buying any new fabrics. This was my selection. I had some difficulty with the red/rose/pink shades this time. If they are a bit off, I'll blame it on the computer monitor.

The pink  I ended up choosing is a nasty 1980's leftover, which looks horrible on first viewing. It will become the "grout" in my tile quilt. Once all the "tiles" are added on top, very little of the pink will be visible, and I think it will be OK.

Next I started trying different arrangements of tiles. The light gold will eventually form a motif on top of the quilt center. I decided that I wanted darker tiles in the center, for better contrast with the gold. This arrangement wasn't bad.

This one looked way too busy, and probably would distract too much from the gold motif.

This is slightly better, but still too busy.

I finally decided on this design.

I've straightened out the tiles, and fused them to the background. Tomorrow I hope to stitch them down, and start working on the next layer of the design. With any luck, I'll have a finished quilt to show you on Monday morning.

Have a great weekend, everybun!

Sleeping Away Another Rainy Wednesday

It's Wednesday. It's raining. What else is new?

Now, if Mom would only put that camera away, I could get in some good zzzzzs.

She's gone, right?

See you next Wednesday. Maybe it will be sunny then. Yeah, right.

Is It Chilly In Here, Or Is It Just Me?

Weasley on Sunday morning

And then on  Sunday afternoon

What kind of crazy person steals a guy's coat in December? I'll tell you what kind. The Mom  kind of crazy person! Lucky for her she gave me an extra helping of pellets, and these carrot tops fresh from the garden. Otherwise I don't know what would have happened.  Guess she will be keeping me warm during cuddle time tonight, instead of the other way around.

A Fine Wednesday

Hi, everybun. What do you know, we actually had a few hours of sunshine today! I went to sit next to the black cabinet, 'cause it's so warm in the sunshine.

 

I quickly realized that I had work to do. Mom never cleans, so I had to bathe the cabinet myself. Lucky for Mom, the cabinet tastes good, so I like to do this job. Of course then I had to bathe myself, also. You can see for yourself what a good job I did. Mom actually held the camera correctly this week. I'm proud of her. 

Finally,, I was able to get down to some serious napping.

 

Hope your Wednesday was as nice as mine. See you next week.

Finally Awake After Eating All That Turkey

OK, I'm a little slow getting started post-Thanksgiving. There is a lot of comment answering, and blog reading that needs to be done. What I have been doing, is enjoying the unseasonably warm weather outside. I even took some sewing outside on Sunday!

I finished this little quilt. It was for the Three Creative Studios Color Palette Challenge, for July. Just a little late, but at least it's done. I used the same "tile" technique that I've been using for these quilts, but didn't fill in all the space. Carousels are an important part of the history of Broome County, NY, which is where I grew up.

Carousel, 12" square

The thread sketch is the Older Daughter, with a horse she trained while in high school.

Carousel, detail

The second quilt that I finished was also for a Color Palette Challenge, this time for October. To commemorate our trip to Maine, I made a moose.

Maine Moose, 12" square

For the thread sketch on this one, I added pine boughs. I haven't done much thread sketching on dark fabric, and I didn't realize how much lighter the thread would look once the stabilizer was dissolved. What looked like very strong branches, pretty much disappeared against the dark fabric. I'd like to say I learned my lesson, but probably I will forget by the next time I work on dark fabric....

Maine Moose, detail

I've been working on some other moose, also. This is a rather colorful herd. 

Should have them finished up tomorrow. Then I'm thinking about hauling out a UFO in colors that remind me of the sunrise we had yesterday.It was an amazing sight to wake up to.

Today's sunrise was almost as beautiful, but the clouds quickly filled in the sky. Looks like it will be another wet Wednesday tomorrow for Weasley.

What Else I'm Thankful For

Hi, all you buns, and everybunny else. Weasley here, for the second day in a row. On this Thanksgiving Day, I wanted to let all my Internet Buddies now how thankful I am to know you all. I really like getting compliments from the humans out there, and being able to communicate with other buns who understand what being a house bun is like. You are all amazing and generous creatures.

And I want to send a particular shout out to the crowd over at the Fab Furs , who recently surprised me (and Mom) with a present.  It was a box full of amazing treats. I ripped into the box right away, which surprised Mom, 'cause I usually ignore boxes. But I could smell what was inside.

Look at all this stuff. The shiny bags are full of good smelling herbs that Mom calls "tea". She won't share them with me, and she  ruins them anyway by pouring hot water on them.

 

Fargo sent us this really cool thing that Mom wouldn't let me chew on. 

 

Mom laughs every time she looks at it, whatever it is.

 

These bags were my favorite. A willow wreath, and banana chips. My head fit in the willow wreath bag, so I was able to chow down right away. I had to wait for Mom to open the bananas, though.

Mom thought I looked funny checking out the bags, so she took these videos.

(Karen's note:  I got excited again, making the first video, and had the camera sideways, so sorry about that. One of these days I'll figure it out-maybe! Also, sorry for the NPR in the background. It's always on around here, and I forget to turn it off when I film.)

First, the willow wreath.




And then the banana chips. Had a hard time getting my nose into this one, but it was soooo good!




So, Mom and I want to say thank you to our friends at Fab Fur for the exciting, and unexpected package. And thank you to all our Internet friends who visit us on this blog. You are all wonderful company as we go through our daily lives.Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the USA, and Happy Thursday to everyone else. Nose rubs to you all.

A Couple Things I'm Thankful For

What is up with Wednesdays? Here it is dark, gloomy, and pouring rain for yet another Wednesday. What is this, like three or four in a row now? I'm not thankful for the weather, that's for sure.

But I am glad that the Younger Daughter is home. She likes me better now that she's been to college. Know how I can tell? (By the way, you can see sun in these pictures because Mom took them on the weekend when the Kid came home for an overnight to see a friend be in something called "Rocky Horror Picture Show. Sounds weird, huh?)

1. She pets me more, even though I make her sneeze. She makes me sneeze, too.

 

2. She let me snuggle up to her puppy. Its great, because it smells like her. Mom says the Kid has had it since she was a baby.

 

3. She let me lick her backpack, which tastes really good. She didn't even mind that I made a huge wet spot.

 

I mean seriously, this thing tastes really good. I'm glad the kid is home. And that my grandparents are coming to visit. I wish the other Kid were here too, but Mom says she is in good hands in Pittsburgh.

 

Something else I'm thankful  for? Mom crunched her knee a couple of weeks ago (that's not the good part). Because she can't kneel, Dad has been cleaning my crate. He's a good guy, he talks to me sometimes, and pets me some, and gives me some treats, but mostly he lets Mom take care of me, unless she is away. But since he was doing my crate, he realized that some of my towels were in pretty bad shape (thanks to Ginny), and told Mom maybe I should have new ones. She got rid of a couple old ones, and got me a couple new green towels, that are so soft on my old feet. She picked the color out special to enhance my fur, too. Don't I look good?

There are more things I'm thankful for too, but this post is getting long. Mom says I can make another special  one tomorrow, to finish my list. See you then!