What about me?

Can you believe its the end of March already?  It seems to me that the year has hardly started, and here we are a quarter of the way through.  Work and family stuff has kept me out of the sewing room lately, but I started a little project last night.  My dear friend's mom is doing the snow bird thing not too far from me, and when we went out for dinner she mentioned that she is having a hard time finding a soft sided case for her sunglasses.  "I can fix that!" I said. 

So into the sewing room I went to choose fabric and get to work.  This is what happened when I started sewing.  She rested her little chin on my knee, and looked up at me with those big brown eyes.

And I melted.  Poor Miss Katie needed some love.  So we had a little tummy rubbing time instead.  More on the glasses case soon, along with a pretty star block for do Good Stitches.

Some Everyday Sewing Projects

Sewing little items for everyday use is a fun way of using your favorite fabrics, and getting just what you want!  I've finished up a couple small sewing projects lately.  Ages ago I saw these cute earbud holders over at Dog Under My Desk (how awesome is that for a blog name?  Katie would wholeheartedly woof at that!)  She has a fabulous blog and some really cute patterns in her shop too - its worth a click to go visit!  Since I was in my usual lazy mood, I didn't bother using the computer and decided to just wing it.  I didn't want to fuss with a zipper, so I didn't.  It could probably be a little bigger, but it works for now.  I love this red floral fabric, and it goes nicely with my little red earbuds.

I listen to audiobooks on my phone or MP3 player while I'm walking Katie or on my way to work, and I really needed a place to keep my earbuds safe.  This way they don't get tangled and hopefully will last longer.  Even though there is no zipper, they are fairly secure in their little pouch but I would like to try Erin's tutorial one of these days.  If I make this for my 11 year old nephew, I'd definitely go with the zipper version since well, he's a boy and not as careful with his stuff.

And speaking of my sweet doggy dog Katie, I realized that some of her collars were getting rather worn.  When I first adopted her (yay Petfinder!) I bought a bunch of cute handmade collars on Ebay and she has enough of a wardrobe of them that we switch them out alot.  I picked the most worn one, figured out how it worked, and then chopped off the hardware to reuse it.  Add in a scrap of Mezzanine with some fusible web and before you could say Bob's your uncle ...

By the time I finished I thought of a couple ways to make it better, so a tutorial may be forthcoming.  Isn't her little dog tag cute?  Her name & my phone number are stamped into the other side.  I got it from a wonderful Etsy seller called Poochy Couture, and she has a ton of darling designs for both cats & dogs.  I bought some for my sister's menagerie for Christmas gifts and had a fun time choosing them. 

My little darlin' is all preppy and ready for Spring, although she's so furry her collar is rarely visible.  You'll just have to trust me its there!

She's probably thinking "Can you stop with the camera and let's get back to our walk?!?!" 

What have you been working on?

The Katie Quilt

The Katie Quilt is finally finished!  The binding seemed to take forever, but I think I was a little more interested in watching the episodes of MI-5 on my dvr than I was in working swiftly. I used a couple of black & white FQ's which set off the green sashing quite nicely. I also did a double layer binding this time so we'll see how it wears in comparison to the Daisy Chain quilt which has only a single layer.  Always learning!

It was a beautiful sunny day when I finished - I sat out on the patio with an audiobook in the MP3 player and zipped right along.  I love the Mezzanine backing.  This quilt is long and narrow, and perfect for using on the backseat to protect the upholstery.  I think it will also work nicely on my bed where she lays, to protect my own bedding from her dirty tummy.

And speaking of dirty tummies, this is what I saw after my little photo shoot.  She rarely digs in the yard, but on occasion she likes to dig a bit in a flower bed.  On this day, she was burying a rawhide with her nose.  Her nose and paws are usually white or cream - not dirt colored!  Isn't she a cutie?  I didn't yell at all, so please don't think she's been scolded.  She is the best dog, even when she's a bit naughty.

I think she's thinking that if she doesn't look at me directly, somehow I won't notice!

In which our fearless hunter discovers a grasshopper

Hey whats this?

I've seen the coolest grasshoppers a couple of times now here in Florida.  I think they're called Lubber Grasshoppers and they are so colorful.  Their primary color is a sort of maize gold and they have stripes and dots of black and sometimes a swipe of reddish orange along their back too.  They blend in well in the shadowy spots under trees where they rest on the dead leaves.  I've been trying to get a photo of one so I can check to see what the species is exactly.  I saw one this morning on our walk and Katie was just as interested as I was ...

Ack! Big dog on the sidewalk!

I see you in the grass

Canine Contemplation

We had a snowstorm last week and actually had accumulation! Now I realize that this would not excite everyone, but for a girl who grew up in Buffalo, I miss the fresh snow. There is nothing like going to bed with green grass, and waking up to see the limbs of trees coated with the fluffy white stuff! Katie always bounces around more in the snow, and enjoys taking nosedives into the fluff to sniff around. This time she was a little more reserved, and paused for a moment.  What I wouldn't give to know what she was thinking.