Monday, December 1, 2014

Happy December!

Soon after my last post, we had a great sadness here at our home.   We lost our sweet Luna very suddenly and very fast.  This is a photo I took of her with Starbuck recently.  They are brother and sister and have always been together.

Thanks to all my Facebook friends for you kind comments.  We are missing her.

Here is a lovely male downy woodpecker at the feeder.

Here I am doing some extreme housecleaning.  I sweep and dust this once a year before we put a tree up.  I hate the 2 story entry, but we might as well use it.

With help from Mr. Fun, I pinned basted my Hot Flash quilt for machine quilting.  

Seems like a lot of pins, right?  My feeling is if you are doing straight line quilting, you had better do it well.  The best way to keep the lines from wobbling is pins, pins and then pins.

By the way, if you're not familiar, drop diamonds are parallel lines with 60 degree lines creating a tilted diamond.

I quilted all the vertical lines first to secure the quilt.  The diagonal lines are on the bias so I wanted to take care.  I'm removing the pins one row at a time as I quilt.  HHmmm, there is a line here that looks a little crooked.  I'll have to check that out.

Randomness:
I know I'm over 50, but why do my vitamins say Century?  I'm not 100......yet.

Sometimes you hit the jean lottery.  Lucky Brand, my size (short), down from $119. to 29.99. Thanks TJ Maxx.  Recovery Stretch?  Again, over 50....

The sewing room was definitely Luna's territory.   Here is a post that features a fun cat showdown at the end.  Starbuck has been coming in for extra love and petting while I've been quilting.  He even jumped onto the sewing table! a first!

I've added a new feature to my sidebar; an email form.  I am happy to receive questions and happy to answer them, but they are often from non-reply commenters.  So if you aren't a blogger, and don't have a google profile, or don't have settings for receiving email......use my new form.

Have a great week everyone!

34 comments:

Thimbleanna said...

Awww Barb, I'm sorry to hear about Luna. I know you will miss her in the sewing room ... well, and everywhere.

And that's some impressive cleaning going on up there. We have some high places at our house too -- I'm wondering how many more years I'll be able to handle the ladder!

Wendy Caton Reed said...

Oh I am so sorry for you and for Starbuck. It's hard to lose a soul mate.

Nancy said...

I'm sorry you lost Luna- our pets are so dear. That's a good place for a tree, and it ensures that it gets cleaned once a year! It's up there. Love the quilt.

Maureen said...

So sorry for your loss. Pets are a special part of the family.
That is a lot of pins. I, too, find it helpful to baste really well. Nice to have help. A great quilt to work on at this time of year - very festive.

Sujata Shah said...

Happy December to you too! I know you will miss Luna's presence. I have never had pet other than Kavita's fish and we got pretty attached to that one.
That's a lot of pins! I never use them as many, no wonder my machine quilting is not as good. Mr. Fun looks pretty busy there... How nice to have his help! Have fun decorating!

rondiquilts said...

I am so sorry. Losing a pet is diificult to get over.

Rondi

Lori said...

It's December! How exciting!! I'm sure your quilt is going to be awesome! I love drop diamonds!! Sorry again about Luna.

Dixie Howard said...

Sorry to hear about your dear Luna - pets are such an important part of a family. Love your pic of your husband helping you pin - I am lucky to also have a supportive and helpful husband too! I have some high dusting to do before installing the tree and decorations too - thanks for the inspiration!

Carla A Few Of My Favorite Things said...

So sorry to hear about your loss. Starbuck is going to need some extra love, as I am sure he will miss his sister as much as you do. Getting ready to try some straight machine quilting after Christmas. Thanks for the inspiration and the tip about the pins.

Janet said...

I'm sorry to hear about Luna!
Super impressed with Mr Fun! I must remember to show this post to my DH... I think hanging diamonds will look great for your Hot Flashes - I can't wait to see it finished :0)

KMSC said...

Condolences on the loss of Luna. I lost one of my kitties last February and it was difficult. Give Starbuck some loving from me!

Pinkadot Quilts said...

I am sorry about Luna. I am not a pet person but all my kids are and I know how much they are missed when they are gone.
Your husband cracks me up! He looks like he is taking the job very seriously!
The quilt is going to be awesome (of course).

Julierose said...

So sorry to hear of the loss of your sweet Luna. It is so difficult to lose a pet--I hope memories of your fun times with Luna warm your heart over these coming Holidays...
I showed your pix of "Mr Fun" basting to my own DH--he gave me that funny look...
like..."and...???". I guess he's not taking the hint.. will Santa leave him coal in his stocking? Hmmmm
hugs, Julierose

Frog Quilter said...

My condolences on your sweet fury friend. Loosing a best friend is never easy. Hugs.

Linda in NC said...

My condolences. It's hard to lose a family member; poor Starbuck will be lonely (not to mention you too!).

I can hardly wait to see the hot flash finished!

Maybe your bird is a male Red-bellied Woodpecker not a Hairy? I know, I know, the head is red in the photo, not the belly! But down there where it seldom shows is a rosy belly blush. Great bird either way to have at your feeder!

Kyle said...

I'm so sorry to hear about Luna. I've always enjoyed watching her antics with Starbucks Your Hot Flash quilt is lookin' good. And what's with the vitamin name anyway. Take care.

Janet O. said...

I'm happy to understand what Drop Diamonds means! : )
Love that shot of you up doing the cleaning. I don't do heights well, so that would be hard for me. But I'll bet the tree looks really cool from outside.
Sorry about your loss, Barb.

OTquilter said...

I'm impressed with your ladder-involving cleaning regimen! And I'm looking forward to seeing Hot Flashes when it's finished--I know it's going to be stunning!

Beth said...

I am so sorry about the loss of your little Luna. So hard to lose those little furry babies.
That looks like quite the pinning operation going on. I love the quilting you are doing. Can't wait to see it done.

Chantal said...

So sad to hear about Luna. My sympathies. Consider yourself hugged!

audrey said...

I can see why you only do the extreme house cleaning once a year! Hot Flash is looking wonderful! I tried the same quilting design on my last machine quilting, just larger diamonds. It's something I'm definitely going to try again.

QuiltSue said...

I'm sorry about Luna, I'm sure you'll miss her a lot. As for the extreme cleaning, I think you're very brave. You'd never get me up that ladder, let alone on there, where there's no wall or barrier.

Rachaeldaisy said...

Barb, I'm so sorry to hear about Luna. It's always so sad to lose a dear member of the family. My little Daisy ( that's where I get my name) passed away last week, she was an elderly lady in dog years and lived a very fine life but I've been so sad about it. She was always good with cats so maybe she's hanging out with Luna.
Hot Flash is such a super quilt. It's great to see it's getting ready to be quilted. I think it's so wonderful that Mr Fun helps you pin.

CecileD said...

I'm so sorry about your beautiful cat Luna.......poor Starbuck ! Are you going to adopt another cat ? He will not be alone like that....
Your husband is sooo cool !! That's very kind to him to help you !!
And I'm impatient to see your quilt done ! It must be fast with your vitamins ! LOL !

Barbara said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Barbara said...

Oh, Barb, I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty. Love your Hot Flash quilt and can't wait to see it finished. Happy decorating!

Me and My Stitches said...

Still sending you hugs and prayers for your loss of Luna. Losing a pet is so hard.
I can't believe you get up in that entry way and clean - I would have to have the hubby do that one. Seems in my old age that heights just don't agree with me. Nice of Mr. Fun to help you baste - that's a lot of work!

Karen said...

You are mighty brave sweeping on that ledge with no rails. But what a beautiful place for a tree.

Sorry to learn that your beloved pet is gone.

Anonymous said...

So sorry to hear about Luna. Losing a pet is hard. I love your hot flash quilt and it is very nice of Mr. Fun to help you baste. Wonder if I could get my hubby to do that!

Kim said...

Sorry to hear of Luna's passing. Always hard to deal with. She was beautiful! Whataguy helping with the pinning! Love the grid you're quilting too! I really must quilt some tops. Have a great week, Barb!

Ann in PA said...

So sad about loosing your beloved Luna. Your hot flash quilt is wonderful....and so is Mr. Fun for helping out with the pinning. He's a keeper! : ))))
Can't wait to see the finished quilting.

LuAnn said...

Barb. I am so sorry about your kitty. These little guys are such a big part of our families. Your quilt is wonderful.

Unknown said...

MISTER KITTY

Kim said...

So sorry you have lost your beloved Luna.
Did your DH volunteer for the pinning job........what a great help that would be :0) or did he just close
the pins you put in place? I love that quilt, can't wait to see it quilted.

Happy Sewing and have a blessed Christmas time