Crazy cats

Remember these kitties? They were put up for sale in May in the bookstore where I work, and both have been sold, along with 2 others. And we've taken an order for one to be made. Woohoo! Crazy cats rule!

Outlander RR

We're still plugging away at this RR. It's met with obstacle after obstacle, but we persevere! This block was done by Lauri.

This one was done by Leslie.

This one was done by Maire.

These are the two blank ones that are left, and one block is still being worked on by Jacque.

Christmas in July?

Here's a progress report on the Christmas stockings I've been commissioned to make for my friend Cindy. There are 3 more to piece, for her grandchildren. Those will be the most fun, so I saved those for last!

Brown RR, cards, and a toad

I finished the scallops out to the corner of the patch on this block and it's ready to go to the next stitcher.

I've been collecting counted cross stitch card kits for years, and used to do a cross stitch piece for the insert (not always the one the kit came with). But I thought I'd give CQing a try. Turns out that works pretty well too!

A lady who came to view the quilts at the show we had at the store gave me about a dozen little spools of vintage silk button hole twist. To thank her, I made this card for her. The silk twist is a finer thread than I'm used to using. It's a little finer than size 8 perle; maybe closer to 12, and oh, so shiny! It's what I used on all the cards.

A recent visitor to our back yard.

Brown color study round robin

I'm participating in a color study RR. In a color study, you work the whole block in shades of one color, in this case, browns. This block belongs to Erika.

I added three different buttons with starburst designs stitched around them.

And a scalloped edge next to some lace that I dyed for this RR. Hmmm, now that I look at it, I think I will carry it on into the corner of that patch....

Happenings at the bookstore

We had a quilt show and author signing event this weekend at Grand Valley Books. Traditional quilter Joan Walker showed off many of her creations, and I got a chance to show some CQed items I've made over the years. I've posted photos of my crazy garden quilt before, but here it is again:

Both Joan and I sat and demonstrated our stitching during the event. It was lots of fun to talk to people who'd never seen a crazy quilt, or who had never seen one close up, or who would like to give it a try someday.

My table with CQed cats, wooden boxes with CQed tops, a little rocking chair pin cushion, a bear with a vest...

My color wheel quilt, which has never been hung before this weekend, but just might get some wall time at home now that it has a sleeve.

Joan's quilts...

Joan and Margie.

Joan's sunflower quilt.

And more of Joan's beauties!

Ice Age!

How did we make Michaela smile on this very hot day?

We went to her one of her favorite places:

Dinosaur Journey in Fruita, Colorado is having an Ice Age summer. Last year it was the summer of the T-rex, with the life-sized animatronic dino spending all summer thrilling kids of all ages (me too!). This summer they've got four special visitors: a glyptodon, which looks like a VW-sized armadillo; a wooly mammoth; a giant ground sloth (which reminded me too much of the Skeksis from the movie The Dark Crystal); and a sabre toothed cat.

This is Corbin, Paul, and Zack in front of the mother and baby sloths.

Close-up of their faces.

The glyptodon was incredible! What an odd animal...

And check out the spikes on that tail.

Corbin, Zack, and Michaela.

Rachel with the mammoth.

Zack with one of the permanent displays, a turtle fossil cast.

Another permanent display (someone needs to dust the dead dino); Utahraptor eating a sauropod.

The sabre toothed cat.

Open wide and say, "AAAAAHhhhhhhhh!" and run like hell!