Murder Of Crows

Pandemic quilt number . . 8? I think? I’ve lost count; I need to go back and tally them up. 

This one is for Mary, who loves crows, moons and the color orange. I purchased the panel in July, at the same time I bought Leia’s bears, so this was a pretty fast finish.

The free pattern is “Midnight Moon” by Elise Lea for Robert Kaufman and was created to showcase this specific fabric panel. I’m already thinking of other panels I could use instead - maybe something Christmasy with flying geese in shades of green? 

My pal Debbie did the long-arm quilting. I thought the black background called out in the original pattern was too dark, so I was pleased when I spotted this purple print. If you look closely, it looks like tiny bird feathers. 

Now that it’s been washed, dried and had its beauty shots taken, this will head home with Mary tomorrow. Hope she has years of warmth and comfort with her crow buddies. 

Lunch Pizza

We’ve fallen in a lunchtime rut so it was time to shake things up. 

Monday night Jac and I made pizza dough (thanks, Teena!) and put it in the fridge to rise. 

Then today, as soon as Leanne was released for lunch, 

we were rolling

and cheesing

and baking away.

This was Donovan’s first time making pizza. He liked rolling the dough

but he *loved* adding the cheese and rolling it all into a burrito/calzone/squishy thing. 

 Donovan’s creation

I’d try to flatten it out but he’d grab it, give me the stink eye, and roll it up again. Kid has opinions!

 Jac’s pizza

And the verdict? Leanne and I loved our pizzas; Jac ate most of hers after I bribed her into trying a bite;

 Leanne’s pie

and Donovan took one look, turned up his nose and demanded a peanut butter sandwich. Hey, pleasing 2 out of 3 kids ain’t bad! 

This and That

This is such a weird year, weather-wise (and lots of other ways too!) 

  Donovan started fake snoring as soon as he saw the camera 

Friday we were so cold we had the fireplace going (it was 65 😜) and today Camarillo had yet another high record temperature at 95 degrees. November is very confused. 

Pop gave Leanne an old board and some paint so she could make herself a drawing board. I was expecting, maybe, stripes? She really outdid herself on this one. 

A few pillowcases to go with recent quilts. Leanne gets the cats and ladybugs (one of the cats looks just like AJ, who Leanne looooved); and the jellyfish - which matches her quilt - and Tula Pink bugs - which she picked out on our last fabric shopping trip - are for Addy. 

Lily’s love of quilts makes it a challenge to sew on binding but, as of tonight, Mary’s quilt just needs the label sewn on and a quick wash before it’s completely done. Then it’s time for snow globes!

Ocean Jellies

Another pandemic quilt finish, this time for Addison for her upcoming birthday. 

I started this in July, using the “Oh Henry” pattern to showcase fabrics I thought were too pretty to cut up. 

And apparently I *really* like these particular fabrics - 

I didn’t realize until I started taking photos that I’ve used all but one of them in previous quilts! 

The ‘splash’ quilting was done by my pal Debbie

and Leia “helped” me with the photos.

This, along with Monterey Fishbowls, completes my third pair of Quarantine Rule quilts (for each new quilt I start I have to finish a UFO). About the only good thing I can say for 2020 is I’m getting a lot of quilts completed and gifted. 

Swimming With The Sharks

Little kids have such great imaginations. Jac and Donovan spent most of Thursday morning swimming in the ‘ocean’, complete with Jac holding her breath and putting her head up for giant gasps of air every few seconds. Jac can identify a lot of ocean creatures, thanks to Octonauts (we love that show!), and she’s doing her best to make sure Donovan knows too. 

Silence Of The Wild

Another pandemic quilt is finished. Whoohoo!

Leia choose the two wild animal panels for this back in July.

It took awhile to get underway- I couldn’t find a pattern I liked, so I designed (and redesigned) a layout in good old Microsoft Excel. It was slow going - measure twice, check the spreadsheet, measure again - but it worked!

Leia found the perfect backing fabric at the end of September (be sure to check out the shots of Jac posing with the finished top) 

and off it went to my pal Debbie for long-arm quilting. 

A little hand-stitching for the binding and the label* (ok, 4 nights of hand-stitching - this is a big quilt!),

and voila - Leia slept under this for the first time last night at our house. 

This finished at 62x75”, the perfect size for a pre-teen’s bed. And at 5’ 1 3/4” (she’s proud of that 3/4’s of an inch), I don’t think she’ll outgrow this 6’ quilt any time soon. 

* Leia chose the quilt’s name - “Silence of the Wild” - because her favorite thing about going hunting with her dad is the quiet of the backcountry. 

Catching Up

Playing catch-up on the last week or so. We managed to do a few things besides compulsively refresh electoral college counts and election results. Is it over yet??

Leanne and I made pool noodle pompom shooters (using this tutorial) and it was a ridiculous amount of fun for 10 minutes of work. So much giggling!

The dollar store pompoms were too lightweight to go very far, so I’ve ordered heavier felt pompoms for the next round. Donovan is going to love this. 

We’ve started Jac on a preschool-in-a-box program that my niece recommended. She loves it!

Jac really enjoyed her pre-COVID preschool and I’m sad she’s missing out on that experience. I’m hoping this will keep her engaged and on the path to kindergarten readiness. 

Leia and Leanne were out of school today for Veteran’s Day and were not pleased when I made them turn off their electronics and do something together. 

 Leia’s fake mad face; she’s practicing for her teen years

They took turns playing and complaining. Such a mean grandma. 😂

Leia asked to learn the lazy daisy embroidery stitch.

Not bad for her first try!

A sure sign winter is coming - 

Lily is spending a lot more time on my lap, sandwiched between my lap quilt and the one I’m currently working on. You’d think that fur coat would keep her warm enough but the silly girl loves quilts when it turns cold. 

Monterey Fishbowls

Another pandemic quilt is finished and already in use. 

I purchased most of this fabric during our trip with Leanne and Jaclyn to Monterey Aquarium in April 2019 - our very first overnight trip with Jac. 

I cut the bowls out shortly afterwards, but then it sat  . . . and sat . . . until COVID hit and I started lining up pairs of quilts - one old and one new - to finish. 

The pattern is “Go Fish”, and my pal Debbie did the fun long-arm quilting. 

The back panel, a Japanese print, is Jac’s favorite. She and Donovan love pointing out the different whales and sharks swimming at the top,

and all the colorful creatures hiding at the bottom. 

The other think Jac loves?

Teaching Donavee all the tricks to helping grandma photograph quilts to best advantage.

Bottoms up! 

Sunny Day

What a beautiful day - 

bright blue skies, light breeze, temps in the low 70’s.

Perfect for playing with the new bubble machine

and drawing chalk art on the driveway. 

I love California in the fall.