Squeaker Squawking Dead

 I think it would be really interesting to be able to get inside Jade's head sometimes. Since she was a rescue....really, who rescued who???....we have no real knowledge of her background before she came to be at the Humane Society. I wish I could know what her life was prior to coming to us. Maybe then I could understand some of her idiosyncrasies and mannerisms....why she does what she does? For instance....if you give her a squeaker toy, she will destroy it!!! And not over time. Like...right now!!! She does not give up until it's good and "dead". She almost becomes manic in her efforts to dispose of the affronting toy!

                                                       "I made sure it's dead, Mum!"

This morning, I woke up at the ridiculous time of 4:49. I NEVER wake up that early....at least not unless I have to for some reason. I decided not to fight it, got up, and had my coffee. It's rather weird sitting and having my coffee when it's still dark out....AND Steve, who is typically the early riser, is not up! Anyway, it turns out that waking up early was for the best. I was going to be having my Zoom class for Modern Holiday Table Runners at 1:00, and I had hardly gotten any of the homework for it done.

Fortunately, by buckling down and sticking with it, I was able to get the flimsy done and sandwiched, ready for quilting, by about 8:30. That's normally the time I get up!

The reason I took this class was to force myself to do free-motion quilting. So...I started with the leaves on the flowers. Although my stitch length is more consistent than I would have thought possible with so little practice, I thought my stitch lines were quite wonky. However, Elaine said they were quite good given my level of skill....especially doing them on an angle. The word she uses is "organic". I like that :)

Then, for the actual flowers, I decided to try another form of free-motion quilting....using a quilting ruler. WELL....let's just say that even though one might think that would be easier to do (after all, you have the edge of the ruler to guide your stitch line), it's not! It's a whole different skill set. I shared the photo with the group, but following the class, I pulled out all the stitches. They were FAR less consistent in length than they ought to be, and the backside (which you can't see in the photo) was a mess....bunches of thread and issues with tension. I think I will need to practice with those rulers on swatches that don't matter before trying them again on a runner :P

Tonight, I spent a chunk of time on the Zoom Retreat with Elaine and the other ladies. It's always nice to sew and chat with others. It really helps to pass the work time in a very pleasant way. I only wish they happened more often. Then, before settling down to blog, I decided to go back and look at some photos from times past. I came across this one...from when I made a "Whinfield Favourites" recipe book for the girls. I'm thinking maybe I should make some again in the next day or so :P I LOVE chewy chocolate chip cookies!

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN