Paying It Forward

To finish the Therapy Animals of Utah doll with a flourish:

This is a somewhat artistic representation of the uniform used by therapy teams for the organization. The shirt is made from a Garanimals boys shirt in a size 5T that I took apart, because it was the only green knit fabric I could find in my town. I might be able to get something else out of what's left, especially the navy blue sleeves. The pattern is the free polo shirt by Dolls Duds from Pixie Faire. The pants are from the jeans pattern I just used and have used several times before, Liberty Jane Boot Cut Jeans, also from Pixie Faire, not free, but I've had my money's worth of value out of it. She also had to have new shoes, as her sneakers, black patent-leather shoes and the blue Mary Jane's that she arrived on my doorstep wearing, were not regulation.

I've named the little bulldog "Billy." He came from Emily Rose, by way of Amazon. He came with a pink leash and collar, which will go with him to his new home, but since pink leashes and collars aren't regulation for therapy teams, I made him a new set just for visits. I had a collection of old leashes, collars and harnesses that had been chewed in two by the pups or not in use anymore. I cut the skinniest one (actually our late cat's harness) to use for the leash and collar. The plastic buckle was used on the collar, and a small clasp from a dog leash was used on the leash.

Zoey was excited to have a puppy to train to be a therapy dog, so she took this selfie.

We know that Billy will be a great therapy dog. Although he may look fierce, he's actually just soft fluff inside. He's well behaved, too. He has "sit" and "stay" down perfectly. (And he's smiling in all the photos. Maybe you can't tell.)

Park City Quilt Guild met this week at Davidene's. I went especially to take the finished Habitat for Humanity silent auction quilt for show-and-tell, as well as the quilt from 2015, loaned back to me for that purpose. We have a new quilter in the group. She actually is new to quilting, having only made five quilts, but she has already purchased a long-arm quilting machine. She brought this "simple" kaleidoscope quilt. (Simple, because the blocks only have four pieces. They are quarter-square triangles.) Besides the black solid used for the sashing strips, the entire quilt was made using one fabric, which you can see on the borders.

Linda works at the store. She was working on this appliqué quilt from a design by Edyta Sitar.

Guild members had made this Trip Around the World quilt using fat quarters each participant brought in.

Lynn had made this baby quilt for her new grandchild. The nursery is ocean-themed.

Jill made this quilt from a panel, doing what she always does with panels: cutting them apart.

Linda showed us this fun barnyard animal selfie panel the shop just got in.

 Friday night was the annual Overall Ball for Habitat for Humanity, which included the silent auction. I was mostly interested in how the  dolls and the quilt did. My friend Shirley, who is on the board of the local Habitat for Humanity organization, bought the girl doll (she named Rose) and both trunks, as well as most of the shoes. I provided Carter, some of the shoes and the brushes. I made all of Carter's outfits and a few things for Rose. The rest of Rose's outfits were made by generous friends on Ravelry. Both dolls wore overalls to the ball, as we were all supposed to do. (Jeans were OK, but I made overalls for the dolls, and they had their screwdrivers in their pockets.

The dolls attracted a lot of attention. There was a crowd around the dolls the whole time the silent auction went on. I moved in and out of the crowd to answer questions and bring people's attention to the flyers and cards from My Sibling/My Pal Dolls.

The bid sheets had a price for people to buy the item outright, which one frustrated (because people kept upping the bid) lady finally did, buying both dolls for $175 each. She explained that she had twin five-year-old grandchildren, a boy and a girl. I'm so glad they get to stay together.

The quilt didn't attract as much attention, but it was popular. One lady kept begging her husband to let her buy it, and he finally gave in. (He left the event at the end of the evening with the quilt wrapped around his shoulders!)

Life at home has continued with home repairs and culling of "stuff." We will run out of time soon, though, at least for the outdoor work. Charlie's birthday (aka "International Talk Like a Pirate Day" brought our first snow, although it didn't stick. Friday we got more:

On Sunday, it snowed all day long. [Sigh!]

The pups have been a little frustrated by the cold, damp weather, which shortens walks and pretty much eliminates any real hikes. They still enjoy their snuggles on the couch, though, and their food. They get a spoonful of whole-milk yoghurt every morning. When we finish the container, they get to lick it. Dusty decided to keep the container this time.

What's on my needles: Just finished the red cardigan for Vroni, so I CO the iPhone Pouch for my niece. I'll try to show off the cardigan in next week's blog post. Maybe the pouch, too.

What's on my Featherweight: More doll clothes for Christmas and to replace what I gave away, so I don't have to see naked and semi-naked dolls standing around. It makes me cold.

What's on my loom: Still waiting.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi is still awaiting her next task. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen, the second of her novels for me. I haven't decided what to listen to next. Still just a couple of chapters into Amy Corwin’s novel All She Loves on the Kindle app.

What's in my wine glass: Crane Lake Malbec.

What's my tip of the week: You can increase the amount of soluble fiber when you make oatmeal by reducing each cup of rolled oats to 3/4 cup and adding 1/8 cup of oat bran. 

Turn, Turn, Turn

I'm leading off with Vintage Stitchers this week...

...to please the long-suffering quilters who read my blog. We met at Marilyn's on Thursday. Marilyn's middle name is "Bright," and this is her quilt.

Julie was working on hand-quilting a fund-raising quilt. The top was donated.

She's the go-to person when we want something quilted.

Rebecca is working on another crayon piece.

This is the pattern.

I was working on my "Sistine Chapel." On the third and last panel and outer border.

I'm using the masking tape to mark where I want to quilt.

Shirley, my contact person with Habitat for Humanity for the silent auction, loaned me the 2015 quilt (which she won/purchased) to show Vintage Stitchers this week and Park City Quilters next week, because members made the blocks for it, as well as the 2017 quilt.

Speaking of the 2017 quilt, here it is. All quilted, binding and label sewn on.

(Well, the label is on the back, that that would take another photo.) Julie brought it to me all quilted on Tuesday.

During the week we had a number of repairs done to our house. I had to take the pups out into the backyard when the chimney sweep/repair man was fixing our chimney. He had to get up into the attic, where there is a lot of loose fiberglass. We didn't want the pups walking about in the fiberglass that wafted down into our living area, so I ended up spending a lot of time in the back. I took the quilt to work on, sewing the binding down. I finished before the chimney repair was done.

We also had our damaged solar panels replaced this week. I think they have figured out how to mount them so that the snow won't damage them next time we have a winter like our last one. With luck, we'll be living somewhere else then...a place with a little less snow.

The plumber was also here, the same one who replaced our water heater. This time he was here to make a number of small repairs to the plumbing, but also to install our new dishwasher and to install the faucet array (replaced for us by Pfister) and the new RO faucet, all of which had been leaking.

It's the same faucet model we had before, but new. I think it's pretty. We also got a new garbage disposal installed.

Hello, down there!

Like the new garage-door opener and the new dishwasher, it's very quiet. (Just don't stick your hand down inside.) 

I'm still working on outfits for Zoey, the Therapy Animals of Utah Doll. I gave her the Cyan Gracie Cardigan, because it matched her shoes.

Then I finished the jacket for her and tried it on her before it got cold, while she was still in her skirt. (If she looks startled, it's because the flash went off.)

The jacket really went better with her new jeans, though, especially with the yellow boots.

Here's a better look at the jeans. The pattern is the "Boot Cut Jeans" from Liberty Jane. it's a good pattern. I've made is several times. The jeans look great with the new pink sneakers.

I also made a bathrobe to go with the cute paw-print PJs. It sort of has the Obi-Wan look.

I decided to give Zoey the green French Back-to-school Cardigan, because it goes so well with her tunic, and it makes me cold to look at her with bare arms. Her black patent-leather pumps came in the package with the sneakers and her special hairbrush. (You have to use a brush with metal bristles on dolls with rooted hair. A wig brush or a dog brush of the same type will work, or you can buy a doll brush...usually cheaper.)

I have another couple of things planned, but they will remain a secret for now.

More unneeded things were found in my fiber studio and were included in my drop-off at Savers in Salt Lake City on Thursday, after Vintage Stitchers at Marilyn's.

Friday was our 52nd anniversary. This was a quiet one. We were both busy, so we didn't go out. Sometimes staying in is nice.

You can tell we broke the budget for the champagne! (LOL!)

What's on my needles: Still Kitty Cat : 1 Cardigan with Knit Picks Palette in “Lipstick” for Vroni, to go with the sun dress. She’s wearing her Fair Isle Cardigan right now because I felt cold looking at her.

What's on my Featherweight: Still clothes for the Therapy Animals of Utah doll, just finishing up.

What's on my loom: Still waiting.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi is still awaiting her next task. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Emma by Alexander McCall Smith and now listening to A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen, the second of her novels for me. I’ll probably end up listening to all of them.. A couple of chapters into Amy Corwin’s novel All She Loves on the Kindle app.

What's in my wine glass: Charles Shaw (aka “Two-buck Chuck) Merlot. (I need to pace myself; who knows when we can replenish this supply.)

What's my tip of the week: Keep an empty box close at hand wherever you sew/knit/spin/weave. Whenever you come across something where you wonder why you still have it, toss it into the box.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Planning Ahead

Have a seat, and we'll chat.

Well, most of us wouldn't fit in one of those chairs, even though Mandy and Vroni found a few friends who would.

A chair to replace the one that was damaged in shipping arrived this week. They sent me a pair to replace the one that broke because they are sold in pairs. I bought them through eBay from strcastle. I have to say, they have good customer service. I'm trying to get in touch with them now to see if they will let me pay for the one good extra one they sent me that wasn't a replacement. So now the girls have four matching chairs, one of which is damaged. (We'll just keep that one in the back.)

We can't use the fourth chair right now, because there isn't room enough on the sewing machine cabinet to use all four.

The girls are using a napkin made from quilting fabric as a tablecloth until I get one made for them. You may remember I found this item in the pile of stuff to give to charity and realized it might make a good table base.

I believe it was supposed to hold fruit. I've had it a long time and have used it to hold various things over the years. 

DH cut to size an old cabinet door leftover from our kitchen remodel. I glued 1/8" balsa wood strips to the underside to just fit around the top of the bowl part of the base. Then I painted it black, on the top and underneath. Now the table top acts as a lid for a compartment for storing the girls' cutlery. (I still have some rings to snap off the cutlery and sanding of the ends to do.)

I finished making the leggings I had cut out last week. I need to get a photo of the two girls together in their matching leggings.

I'm still waiting to hear how and where Lilli & Fleur Couture patterns are going to be available, but watch this space. Or read Andrea's blog.

I finished the Gracie Cardigan for Vroni.

Other business this week was putting the borders on the new Habitat for Humanity quilt for the silent auction. 

It's at Julie's place at Bear Lake getting quilted. I'll get a photo to show when it comes back. 

There was a nice article in the local paper about the dolls for the silent auction. In the meantime, the wardrobe for the doll for Therapy Animals of Utah is coming together. Here's the latest outfit. I used the tennis dress pattern in Fancywork and Fashion's Best Doll Clothes Book by Joan Hinds. I like that it has a high neckline, as Zoey has a rather crepey neck where the fabric body meets the vinyl neck. The leggings she's wearing were part of her "meet" outfit (what she was wearing when she was...um...sold).

She still needs a nice coat to go with the yellow fleece scarf and hat set I made her. She could use a few more items as well. I have until October 28th to finish, so I'm spreading it out a bit. Some people from Therapy Animals of Utah work with Best Friends Animal Society, and they're down in Texas now, helping take care of dogs and cats that have been rescued and helping reunite them with their human family members. When we use our Walk for a Dog app as we walk or hike with our dogs, it raises money for Best Friends. Both are worthy organizations.

Thursday was a busy day (as it usually is). Common Threads met at Lynda's. Susan, who only lives here part time, was here because of the danger from Hurricane Irma to the part of Florida where she lives most of the year. She's a prolific weaver. She had just finished a set of these placemats.

Lynda was still working on her "Come Fly With Me" shawl.

I was working on my "Sistine Chapel" quilt. It's coming along, but I need to quit making things for charity and playing with dolls if I want to get it done.

Later on Thursday, the representative from Costco who sold us our window shades a few weeks ago came to install all except the ones that go over the sliding glass doors. You've seen a bit of them in the photos of the dolls at the table, but here's a better look.

We spent most of Wednesday moving things away from the windows, so he could get to them for installation. That meant moving the cabinet my cutting/light table is on. I vowed that I would not put anything back into it until I had gone through and culled what was there. That got me started on the rest of my fiber studio, which has to be done anyway before our move next summer.

I had to tidy up so I could work, but I still have lots of stuff I can stand to part with. This was how it looked the first day. 

This was the "good" stuff left in the hall at the end of the second day. 

It doubled over the first day, and that doesn't count all the curtains we took down. They will go into the pile after washing. I have to leave room to walk in the hall, so I had to stop. I had about an equivalent amount of recycling and trash.

And...my niece says she wants one of my iPhone totes, which uses Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, and she wanted "Columbine". How could I order just one ball of yarn? The shipping would cost more than the yarn. So....

While all this was going on, the dogs had their regular grooming appointment. They came home looking spiffy.

Finally, speeders have been scaring children and running over pets in our neighborhood for as long as we've been here. Warnings from the sheriff's office didn't work any better than the speed-limit signs. People put out those little green men and children even made signs with their own childish decorations on them. Nothing has worked so far. I spotted this the other day. I wonder if this will work?

I sure hope so!

What's on my needles: Just CO the Kitty Cat : 1 Cardigan with Knit Picks Palette in “Lipstick” for Vroni, to go with the sun dress,

What's on my Featherweight: Still clothes for the Therapy Animals of Utah doll, but test-sewing for Lilli & Fleur Couture is finished for now.

What's on my loom: Still waiting.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi is now awaiting her next task. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Emma by Alexander McCall Smith, being a modern-day retelling of Jane Austen’s classic novel. No progress on Amy Corwin’s novel All She Loves on the Kindle app.

What's in my wine glass: Trader Joe's Charles Shaw (Two-buck Chuck) Shiraz. One of our favorites, although we have to smuggle it into the state when we come back from trips.

What's my tip of the week: A freezer bag or ice chest will keep food hot for a long time while transporting a casserole to a potluck event. Just be sure you keep it flat during transport, and use a towel or other insulation to keep the hot dish from melting a plastic liner, if you use a bag.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.

appliqué