Not Very Productive, But I Did Do Something

I was tired tonight so sat on the sofa after our evening walk and watched some TV. At around 10:00 I got up and went into my sewing room to get a little bit done on the lining for the bag I’m working on.

I managed to cut and fuse the lining and interfacing pieces, the slip and zipper pocket pieces, and the zipper placket pieces.

Since I’m going to sew this all together using black thread, I thought it wasn’t such a great idea to start on it when I was tired. So I’ll be happy tomorrow night when it’s all cut and ready to go!

Here’s how this will look with this bag. Both of the fabrics I cut are in the body of the bag. In fact, they are the fabrics in the 16-patch block.

When I’m working with these Aboriginal prints I can’t help but stop and appreciate all the intricate detail in the designs.

This red design and color way is one of my favorite Aboriginal designs. There’s just something magical about the reds and purples together.

And look at this!!!

And more detail…

One one more, just because it makes me happy!

Several weeks ago a friend of mine put some of her stash up for sale and I bought it immediately. It’s really not a typical color combo that I would gravitate to, but it included some sheep fabric that I really wanted.

A friend gave me several yards of that fabric on the top a number of years ago and I used it all up. I’ve been trying to find more for years but have never been able to locate it. So when I saw it for sale, I snatched it up. I got a total of 8 yards for $50. I’m thinking I will combine it with some of my border collie fabric into a basic quilt design, and maybe include some different black and white fabrics to brighten it all up a little.

Yup. Not my typical palette. But It would be a fun utilitarian quilt… maybe one to keep in the car. I’ll have to see how it turns out before I decide. But I’m happy to have some of that sheep fabric!

Spring is really going crazy here. The flowering plum trees are in bloom and you can smell them all over the neighborhood. there are daffodil blooms everywhere. And today I noticed that the first blooms on my flowering pear trees have opened up.

I have 11 of these trees in my back yard. I’ve planted them all over a few years. I just love them. They are ornamental, so don’t produce fruit and they grow in sort of a conical shape. Whoever buys my house eventually will wonder why I planted so many of them!!!

Today is National Puppy Day. I don’t know about you, but my social media feeds are just full of photos of puppies! I marked the day with a photo of the moment when my terriers Forrest and Skeeter met for the first time on the day I brought Skeeter home in 2008.

Forrest was a very special dog that has blessed my life. He was a very difficult dog to train, but he managed to earn multiple dog agility championships in two different competition venues. I often tell people that I put more effort into training him than I did in earning my college degree. He left this world held in my arms in 2017. He is the dog to which all future dogs will be compared and none will measure up.

This is my favorite photo of me and Forrest…

My friend Heather took this photo and I remember this day vividly. I was meeting Heather for a forest hike on a cold and wet May day. I was going to leave Forrest at home because he was 13 at the time and I thought the weather would be too hard on him. But he absolutely wouldn’t let me leave home without him. So I grabbed his coat and took him along. I knew that I would end up carrying him for a good portion of the hike. But I’m so glad I took him along. It was such a great day! And he had such a good time.

Here he is with all his border collie friends on that hike. They were all so wet and dirty!

And another photo from that hike that I just love….

Skeeter is now living with a friend of mine on Vashon Island, Washington. She probably lives a better life than I do. Here she is on the Puget Sound wrapped in a sweater and a coat.

She was an affectionate and sweet dog with people, but really needed to live in a house without other dogs. My friend Melanie had lost her dog several years previously and let me know she was looking for another dog. And it was a match made in heaven. Melanie refers to it as an open adoption! I could never have found a better home for Skeeter than with Melanie and her family. She is so well loved and cared for.

Skeeter went to live with Melanie a couple months before I brought Rico home for the first time. She will turn 14 on May 5. Cinco de Skeeter!