Objectionable Content? and a Finish

In the "Things That Make You Go Huh?" Department, someone flagged my blog as having objectionable content and my account was disabled until about five minutes ago. Momcat and I have poured over previous postings and asked ourselves the following questions:

• Did we post anything hateful?
• Did we insult a particular religion, race, nationality or gender?
• Did we break the copyright law?
• Was Maggie's spelling quiz using Poo just too much for someone?
  

Whatever it was we did, the Blogger folks at google must have decided that we aren't so objectionable after all.

So a request to the readers out there; if there is indeed something you find objectionable about this blog, please be kind and courageous enough to leave a comment to that effect rather than somehow alerting the whole blogger community to how awful I've made you feel.

Now, onto something completely different...

The Christmas Ribbons quilt pattern written by Jan Doench of Best Friends Quilt Shoppe is a finished top. Here it is on the design wall waiting ready to be quilted.

This picture gives you a good idea of the size. It's the perfect size for a child or two to cuddle under on a sofa while waiting for Santa Claus.


The next project for the shop is an apron. Details to follow.

Momcat is heading to Indianapolis for a few days in order to attend a lecture and two workshops by Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville. I will miss her, but I'm glad she gets to go with her friends (Jill, Becca, Jennifer and Cathy). She promises to take her camera along and come back with lots of pictures to post.

Logan and I had to hit the catnip pretty hard when I couldn't get to my blog. Here we are suffering our hangover when what commercial should appear on the telly?? Of course, Momcat won't let us take aspirin, but she found it amusing anyway. Chuckling at our misery. I object! I strongly object!


Your feline fantasy,
Piwacket

"Julie & Julia"

The movie "Julie & Julia" works on so many levels. The joie de vivre of Julia Child, and Meryl Streep's portrayal of such had Momcat smiling with the rest of the audience.

Amy Adams is delightful as budding blogger Julie Powell, who decides to cook her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking in only one year.

It's about food. It's about blogging. It's about finding yourself by setting goals. It's about love. Most importantly, it includes a cat.

See it!

It's a Christmas Miracle!

We don't hate Christmas Ribbons anymore (although we continue to believe the pattern name is a misnomer). After taking it to the shop, Jan recommended adding this green 5" border. What a difference it makes! It's our own little Christmas miracle.


The shop will finish it and use it in a Christmas display, then sell it at the end of the year during the sample sale.

Some of you were so interested in sparing Momcat's feelings that you were hesitant to come up with some humorous labels. Other than mine (which are the best ones, of course), I must say that I love Jennifer's "Ho Ho Uh-Oh" as well as Mockenrue's "I Can't Hear You Over This Quilt." (BTW, Mockenrue is Philip, Linda's son).

We thought with this top done we'd be able to start working again on some of our personal projects, or at least start cutting the scraps necessary for Bonnie Hunter's workshop (Momcat is attending two of them in Indianapolis this month!)

But then this happened.


The Christmas fabrics and Triangles on a Roll are for another shop sample which needs to be a finished top by the end of this week at the latest. Good thing Momcat's off work on Tuesday and Thursday this week. And wait until you see the name of the pattern that she's using.....



Don't you love it when God laughs! This "Christmas Ribbons" pattern was written by Jan Doench, the owner of Best Friends Quilt Shoppe. I'm certain we'll be very happy with this top from the get-go.

Piecefully yours,
Pi

(s)Crappy Christmas Quilt - Part Deux

I'd like to thank you all for your advice and words of encouragement about the (s)Crappy Christmas Quilt. As you can see, my team has been working to make it salvageable. But alas, I think it's a lost cause.


Butch and Sundance just aren't big enough to cover it up as much as it needs to be. They did manage to run away and play with some of the blocks, but Momcat retrieved them and put them in the wrong place. By that point she'd lost heart so much that she didn't even change them back.

Tried two borders. Yuck. Tried one black border at 4.5" which is what the pattern calls for. Yuck. Think we're sticking with the current 2.5" black border.

I'm doubtful that this quilt will find its way onto the shop's wall. Momcat was considering donating it to Project Linus but then thought, haven't those kids suffered enough? Perhaps a home for the blind???

This quilt can best be viewed from a hill in Missouri if you're standing in Finland.

Momcat and I have been mewling about what to call it. As in the previous post, Figgy Pudding Explosion is one thought. Here's a few more:

• Yuletide Muckabout
• Christmas Gone Awry
• Was I Bad?
• Santa's Angry
• When Elves Go Wrong
• Noel NOOOOOO!
• Cruel Yule
• You'll Poke Your Eye Out!
• Clean Up in Aisle Four
  

Feel free to submit some of your own labels for it here. I think it would be some fun reading!

I took a close-up of Butch and Sundance using the Pi-cam. Butch's ears are laid back. He just can't rest on a quilt this ugly.



Yours,
Piwacket

The (S)Crappy Christmas Quilt

Ever have a project with a pattern that you loved, fabrics that you loved, a process that you loved and then you started putting the blocks together and stopped to say "Holy crap!" That's the way we're feeling right about now with this quilt.

Meet the (S)Crappy Christmas Quilt AKA Christmas Ribbons.


Momcat Linda took it to the shop's design wall for some help. A committee developed to look at it and compare it to the pattern. Everything was done according to plan, the fabrics are adorable, but it's just not coming together.

Linda: I'm not feeling it. I can't even see it anymore. I don't know how to fix it.

Jan: You did everything right, and the pattern in the book is very scrappy with all different colors.

Jessica: Maybe it will look better with the border.

Linda: You really think so?

Jan: I don't see the ribbon. In fact, I don't see a ribbon design in the book either.

Linda: I think it must be just after the kids have destroyed all the presents that Santa left them. This is the mess under the tree waiting for Mommy to clean it up.

Jessica: Maybe it will look better with the border.

Linda: I hope so. But I'm not sure.

Jan: It's a big quilt.

Linda: I don't think we should call it Christmas Ribbons. Maybe Figgy Pudding Explosion.

Jessica: I think it will look better with the border.

Jan: Use two borders. Use a thin solid black or navy inner border. And then your print outer border. And you have to miter your borders. I think it will look very cheerful when it's completed (grimacing in pain as these words come out of her mouth).

Linda: Aarrgh!!!


Today I've avoided the sewing room. Momcat is not to be trifled with. She just finished sewing all the rows together and realized that one block is turned the wrong way. Let the unsewing begin!

Maggie is doing her best to hold Momcat's place in the book. Maybe it's her fault for covering up the directions. Yeah, let's go with that.



Hiding under the bed until the storm passes,
Pi

So That's What's Been Keeping Her Busy!

A couple of weeks ago Best Friends Quilt Shoppe underwent a huge renovation and expansion. This involved knocking down a wall, painting, putting in new floors, moving all the inventory off-site and then back in... total deconstruction in order to create. Going from 2200 square feet to 5500 square feet is a lot of work.

Although Momcat is employed there only part-time, everyone helped as much as possible to make this a success and rejoiced at the grand re-opening. Here's a peek at how it looks now.

This is the view from the front door. The bed is on loan from the furniture store. Look at those floors shine!


Still from the front door, looking to the right.


From the front door, center and left.


Half of the classroom, with a student using the space to finish up her quilt top.


Kids' Corner


Looking down the wall at samples, with associated fabrics beneath the samples on the shelves.



Jan, the owner, has much more planned. More fixtures and more inventory to fill up this glorious space. More kits ready for purchase rather than being special orders. More options through the webstore and everything in general to be not only the biggest, best place in Cincinnati to shop for brights, batiks and blenders, but the best spot on the web as well.

If you're ever in Cincinnati, please stop in and say "hi" to Momcat (Linda). She'd love to cut some yardage for you or show off the store samples to inspire your own creativity.

Piecefully yours,
Piwacket

A Thousand Words Thursday

Notice that Momcat is the only one not in, on or around her bed. She'll be returning to blogger land soon....very busy around here.

We're "Up!"

According to Momcat, Up is one of the best movies ever. She just got home from seeing it in 3-D with Philip and Jill. She spent a lot of time talking to Maggie about it, so I'm assuming there must have been a DAWG or two in the film.

It was an up day for lots of reasons. Jill surprised Momcat with some "thank you" goodies for the French Lick vacation the two of them went on recently.

Look at this gorgeous tool caddy. Closed.......


...... and open. Jill even supplied the essential tools for all sewers on the go.

These beautiful note cards feature old-fashioned quilts. Momcat and Jill both love Civil War and early Americana quilts, so these cards are perfect.



Next are a couple of darling pairs of quilty earrings. Momcat wasn't able to attend the NQA show in Columbus, Ohio as planned, so Jill brought this lovely bling home.




Amish Booty

While at French Lick there was an outing to an Amish Flea Market, restaurant and store. You've already seen the concrete geese, scary dolls and sweet chicks.

Momcat loves little cubbies. She was excited about these finds.



This is a table top cupboard. It's big enough to hold cat treats. At least, that's what would be the most logical thing to hold. Momcat may have other ideas.


The above is a spice drawer and an Oatmeal Cookie scented candle. My guess is some sewing notions might find their way into the little drawers.


Every quilter keeps a list, but how many actually have quilt designs on their papers?


This towel rack will find its way onto a kitchen wall eventually. Sometime in the next month or two the kitchen is going to be painted. The towel rack should be a nice way to display the towels, especially since Trouble likes to pull the current ones from the handle on the oven. For some reason, our beans don't like to dry dishes with towels that have been on the floor.


Maggie Update

The other reason Momcat is up is that Maggie has grasped the idea of using the backyard as her potty. She hasn't yet discovered the best way to get our beans' attention. She seems to think that they should just know that she's staring at the back door.

On the other hand, even with a bout of diarrhea, she's made it outside all day after coming to get Momcat. I hate to admit it, but she's a good doggie.

Since I have vast keyboarding skills, I've been giving Maggie spelling tests. She knows how to spell only one word so far.

I hope you have an Up day, not filled with poo.

Piwacket

The Poky Little Puppy

Maggie and I have finally found something to agree upon. Momcat brought home the Poky Little Puppy line of fabric and it may be the cutest fabric ever. (Here we are napping after our intense discussion.)

What happy memories this story brings to Momcat. It was her favorite Little Golden Book. She kept her copy from the time she was about 3 and then read it to both of her little boys, until the book finally fell apart. The line from Quilted Treasures is just precious.




We already have three projects to do with this material:

• The Quilted Treasures free pattern for the line.
• The story book.
• A Hyde Park quilt using the line (from the book Super Simple Fat Quarter Quilts)
  

Before we can get to those projects, however, we have some things to finish.

Today Trouble and I took turns helping Momcat do the binding on the Sweet Dreams quilt for the shop. KT did a great job of quilting darling flowers on it using yellow thread. I took a picture with the Pi-cam of the back as well so you can see the quilting a bit better.





I know Momcat looks draggy and tired in that picture. A few months ago CatDaddy moved out. And just a few days ago he let Momcat know that he wants that to be a permanent arrangement. As a kitty, I don't really understand words like "divorce," "attorney," or "collaborative agreement." I just know that Momcat and CatDaddy have been married for almost 30 years, so this is a big transition.

I overheard her tell a friend, "I'm not going to get the T-shirt that says My husband left me and I'm a bitter woman. Instead I'm going to be grateful for the love and family we shared, and allow myself to mourn this loss, then dust myself off and move on."

As a woman of faith and humor, I know she'll be okay. It's my job to make sure of that.




I wish for all of you sweet dreams,
Piwacket

Pumpkin Party Table Runner

Even with all the help we gave Momcat, I am not happy with the results of the Pumpkin Party Table Runner. Perhaps she was too busy with the DAWG to do her best work.

Sundance helped her set the zigzag stitch.


Trouble seemed to like the setting on the iron for the Pellon fusible web.



And here's the result.


We still need to sew the leaves and stems onto the pumpkins and then sew all three jack-o'lanterns together.

What would I insist Momcat do differently?

1. Make sure all the stripes go up and down, rather than horizontally. The design element she chose of making only the center jack-o'lantern having vertical stripes displeases me.
2. Do a better job on that zigzag stitch! I can see some of the stitching going too far into the base of the fabric rather than the applique. Not acceptable!
3. Enlarge the stem slightly. Although we followed the pattern directions, and the pattern is adorable, I think a stem at least a fraction larger would be more appealing when combining the pumpkins into a table runner.
4. Clip the curves in the leaf applique a bit better.

Momcat is going to finish this and turn it into the shop, but I'm insisting she do a better job and replace them as soon as possible.


I've assumed my post on the new orange fabric. I will be obeyed!

Don't mess with me,
Pi