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.