I continue to have computer problems which make it difficult to post, but in the meantime I have been sewing. Here is the progress to date:

The original photograph shows a lot of pink in the distance and I think this fabric portrays it pretty well. We really do have pink grass in Kansas and it is blooming right now. I took these photos this morning!

I’m afraid people might question all that pink if they live where there is no pink grass – but it is what it is!

Nice progress was made yesterday as I stayed inside all day waiting for a call that never came from a computer tech. The weather was cool and nice and I would have loved to have been outside working, but the time was well spent anyway.

The doe is taking shape, and the only two fabrics that I have that show leaves against a pale green background are laid in at the top. I think they will do the trick. Finding fabrics that will work together and play off one another is part of the challenge that makes this fun. I like how this one is coming together, but it has been slow work, with so many little pieces!

Yesterday it rained all morning so it was good to stay inside and sew. The day before we went to town, which kind of blows the whole day so there is not a whole lot of progress to report. Lots of little pieces! It is fun to begin to see the deer emerging from the brush…

I wish I could find what I need for the background, though!

Today I have to work at the gallery all day, so will most likely not sew a stitch. At least the weather is nice. There has been a lot of tornadoes around lately, but not near here, though we have had nice rain and the pond has water again. The flowers are loving it and I’m sure there will be a whole new rash of weeds to pull!

The snow is nearly gone and the mud is here! Should be in the 60′s this weekend, but maybe with rain, which is not a bad thing.

Yesterday I quilted most all day, I NEED to get this dog quilt finished; I don’t remember ever spending this much time on one quilt. Not so much the hours, but the calendar time. I guess I just need closer deadlines to keep my nose to the grindstone. I tend to get distracted. It’s coming along, though and a few more dedicated days will do wonders. I am planning a couple more projects which I hope will be smaller!

When I posted those last pictures, I noticed right away a change that needed to be made at the upper right.

It was a quick fix and I got the layering done and the quilting started. I’ve had a few days to work on it and it’s coming right along. Those are white tipped pins in the eyes to help me decide where the sparkles go.  The eyes don’t come alive til they get some sparkle.

Yesterday I taught a hand quilting class so did not work on it at all and today I finished up the tax prep so will not work on it today either, as it is getting late and I am tired of sitting!

We’ve been getting rain and the snow is all gone. For the first time in 8 or 9 months there is water in the farm ponds. Just a big puddle but what an improvement. Imagine the mud that two big dogs can track in with these big hairy feet. The Kom is 145 lbs and the Shepard mix is 165 lbs! They are loving this weather!

So this is what it looked like the last time I posted. I was working with fabric that was not exactly what I wanted and was not happy with the results.

I liked the idea of the large scale white on blue leaf print for the foregound, but the reality of it was not so good. It was too busy, too demanding of your attention.

Saturday I taught an Intro to Picture Piecing class at a local shop and found a batik with possibilities. It was one that I had rejected earlier because It was a clearer blue than I wanted and it had muddy brownish areas. Since that time, I had added some browns around the dogs’ feet, so that became a possible asset and I purchased a half yard which cost more than a full yard did back when I started his crazy journey!

I used the new fabric to replace the large leaf print and I like it much better. I finished the sewing yesterday and spent a couple of hours watching “The Way We Were” and removing all of the hundreds of little bits of paper. Today I hope to put away the fabric and begin the layering and quilting process. This piece has already taken way too long!

The success of this technique, I think, depends a lot on the fabric choices. You have to be willing to audition and reject those that just don’t quite do the job.

(June 15 – have been having computer problems and apparently this photo is lost. Imagine lots of little pieces, all in a pile with hopes that they might be recut to fit somewhere else)

All of those little bits at the upper left are some of the pieces that weren’t quite right for the spot they were cut for. They may work somewhere else later but they may be too small to re-cut and will end up in the trash. That’s OK.  Better to trash them than to use them if they are not right.

Yesterday I finished the piecing of the dogs and put away all that fabric. The cutting table looks so much better and I have room to play with the big background pieces. I have a wonderful hand dye, bought at Festival in Houston with the background of this piece in mind. It is gray and white and will work great, I think, for the snowy background. But it is only one yard, probably not enough. Challenges like that keep things interesting!

I knew it had been a while since I’ve posted but I didn’t think it had been THAT long! I have been having a very tenuous connection to the internet lately, sometimes going for days without being able to get online. I finally called for a technician to come out and investigate and after he found and fixed a couple of problems, now it works like a charm!

We’ve also had water problems, probably due to the extremely dry soil the pipes had a leak somewhere between the road and the house which involved digging equipment and considerable time, but now, over sixteen hundred dollars later we are leak free. What next??

I have managed, most days to sew at least a few seams and the dog’s portrait is progressing nicely. The process is slow as the Komondor’s corded coat requires many seams and color changes.

 

Between sewing sessions I have made some show entries, written a magazine article, caught up on emails and orders that piled up during the offline time and worked on the account books, so I have not been just laying around!

The weather has been alternately freezing cold and Springlike and in the garden the Snowdrops are blooming and the Lenten Rose is sending up buds. I can’t get used to flowers in January.

The past week has been so cold I just want to stay inside and sew! Progress is slow as the pieces are small and many. I find myself needing to make lots of changes to get necessary contrasts and light effects. But the deadline is not close so I can just take my time and work a section at a time.

While I was shopping at Festival at Houston, I found buttons for this baby sweater that I made for a friend’s new little baby boy. Now that the baby has arrived and the gift is given I can share it with you.

This sweater was unique, in that it is made all in one piece and the only seams are at the top of the sleeves, it was a fun challenge to make it and I think it will be my “go to” baby sweater pattern from now on. I thought I was lucky to find these perfect little buttons, every one different.

2012 has been a wonderful year for me, and I hope for you as well. Best wishes for a very special 2013 for everyone!

Christmas was a blur from the great Grandson tearing into his gifts

to the delicious dinner topped off by this made from scratch cheesecake made by my Grandson. Everyone agreed he can be the official cheesecake baker as it was every bit a good as it looked!

With Christmas out of the way and all of the evidence cleaned up, I was able to get started on the newest art quilt. It is always so exciting to start something new. Here is the progress after about three days of sewing.

This is going to be pretty good sized, what you see here is about 8 x 12″.  I’ve spent a couple of hours online looking for some more of that McKenna Ryan fabric that makes good fur, but it is too old and unavailable. No problem, I’ll just use something different, and it will be even more interesting! We are expecting more snow today so I will be happy to stay inside and sew.

You can scroll back to see the photo that I am working from, of our dogs in the snow, taken a few years ago .  WordPress has made improvements (?) and I just lost my entire post during the uploading photos stage. I should learn to “save” more often…..