Mickey Monday

As expected I didn't make a lot of progress this week, but after all it was Thanksgiving!  With both girls home, lots of shopping to do, and a turkey to roast, well, I had other priorities.  And I have to say, my turkey was delicious.  I immersed it in a homemade brine for 24 hours before roasting it.  It turned out so moist and flavorful.  I'll definitely do that again.

We skipped Black Friday shopping and opted for Saturday - a very wise decision.  The crowds were minimal and there were still plenty of good deals.  All in all, a great Thanksgiving week.

The only casualty was my foot.  On Thanksgiving night a frozen mac and cheese casserole decided to jump out of the freezer and attack my foot.  It hasn't slowed me down, but I may get it x-rayed today.

Mickey Monday

Time for the first post showing the progress of the Mickey quilt.  It's hard to tell much about it at this point, but look closely to see his blue eyes.  I won't bore you by posting a photo every time I add a new piece.  Instead I think I'll post every Monday with a photo of this quilt.  So join me every week for a new Mickey Monday.  This is not the only quilt I'm working on, though.  So there will be other fun things to share in between Mondays.

I've enjoyed having Daughter 1 home since Friday.  Her engagement ring is so beautiful and sparkly!  Daughter 2 will be here tomorrow - can't wait!

Thanksgiving Prep

Yes, I've started the Mickey applique project...but just barely.  Tis the season!

We're hosting the family Thanksgiving at our house.  Nine people.  I'm doing the turkey, dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce, rolls, and drinks.  Others will bring vegetables, sweet potatoes and dessert.  To me though, the cooking is the easy part.  It's getting the house "party ready" that is not so fun.  But I'm almost there!  Yay!

Tomorrow I'll slow down a bit, make a birthday cake for Daughter 1, and SEW!  I promise I'll post a picture of the Mickey quilt in progress during the next few days.  I've done his eyes, and a few other bits.

A New Beginning

I love starting a new quilt!  Of course, I love finishing a quilt, too, but somehow I start more than I finish. 

I finished the pattern for the Mickey quilt and took it to Kinko's for enlargement.  I'm talking ENLARGEMENT!  As the oversized copies came out of the printers, there were two men waiting to copy some blueprints.  They joked that I was printing wallpaper.  I enlarged the pattern 600%.  So now my little dog is five feet tall!

The next step was to trace the enlarged pattern onto a piece of muslin for the foundation of the applique.  Did I mention I'm hand appliqueing this portrait?  Yes, I know, it will take months, but that's okay.
I've decided to use solid fabrics only.  Here are some of them.  The purples and pinks on the bottom of the stack will be on his tongue, if you're wondering.

What Time is it?

I'm thinking it's time for another MAJOR portrait quilt - a BIG one.  I'm thinking this photo of Mickey.  I'm thinking I can't wait to get started!

Friday Flowers

I had to share with you this gorgeous arrangement I received Friday.  What a nice surprise!!! My new friend sent them in appreciation for the two quilts I made her to honor and remember her special dog, Masey.  I am so touched by her thoughtful gift!  Though I am years older than she is, and we've never met in person, we have a special bond through our love of dogs.

Football, Foliage, and Fun

Who'd have thunk it?  Our daughters' schools played each other in football yesterday!  The last time they played each other was in 1956, so it was a rare occurrence.  Hubby had a pass on the Furman sideline, so he wore purple.  Daughter 1 and her fiance wore their orange and blue and sat on the Auburn side.  Daughter 2 drove down with five Furman friends for the game.  As for me, I didn't even go to the game.  I waited at the in-law's lake house (which we took over for the weekend) for the gang to converge after the game.

But did I idly sit by?  No, I had a fun day all by myself working on a little tree.  My art group has a new challenge.  We're each making two tree blocks depicting different seasons.  Then will cut each block into four pieces, swap them, and reassemble so that each tree has four seasons.  We all have this tree sketch to use a rough guide, so our trees will be similar in size.
I drew out a stylized version on some white muslin and painted it with some textile paints.


So I came home from the lake today with my summer block done!

Happiness is...

"Happiness is..." is the theme of our guild's challenge this year.  I'm still trying to figure out what my quilt will depict.  But for now, happiness is a finished quilt!  This top was made by my friend, Alison, and she asked me to quilt it.  Yes indeed, a happy quilt!  Click on the picture to see these cute houses more clearly.

Happiness is another finished quilt!  I finished the quilting on Miss Masey, then shipped it, along with the Tennessee Waltz quilt made from Masey bed, to it's owner.  The quilts have arrived safely and the owner seems very happy.  So I am very happy!
And finally, happiness is a sleeping dog!  Oh my, doesn't Oliver look so very comfy on the sofa.  When he's on the sofa, there's no room for anyone else.  And the pillow he's using?  It's mine!  You'd think he owned the place.  He is a sweetie.

Visiting South Carolina

Hubby and I went on a road trip this weekend - an overnight trip to South Carolina to visit Daughter 2 at Furman University.  On the way, we stopped to visit good friends who recently retired, moving from just around the corner to South Carolina.

Of course, I had to see her latest quilt creations!  Here is Brenda hiding behind a beautiful quilt.

And the close up shot...

This wonderful courtyard steps quilt was hanging in her great room.  The visit was quick - but it sure was nice.
Then on to Furman and the football game.  Since Daughter 2 is in the band, we go for the half time show that happens to be surrounded by some football.
Daughter 2 is out there on the field somewhere!
The band there is amazing!  It's not the biggest in number, but the sound they put out is HUGE and WONDERFUL!  And they have fun while they're at it.

Today, it was back to quilting for me.  I spent the morning quilting the doggy portrait.  Then I decided I didn't like what I'd done, so I spent the afternoon with a seam ripper in hand, ripping out most of the quilting.  Oh well.  Sigh.

Tomorrow is a new day.  And by the end of it, this little quilt will be done, and hopefully packed onto a FedEx truck to it's new home.