My father in-law pointed out that it’s been 4 days since I blogged!! I’m afraid today maybe a long multiple-entry day (Peter check my other blog too!). I was planning this entry last weekend, when I was actively working on Missy C’s kitty cat quilt. I finally got my camera to produce pictures again (no idea what was up there) and I took some photos as I was working – I’m by NO means an expert at needleturn applique, but I LOVE doing it. There is an instant gratification about applique that I really enjoy and you can still take it with you and work in front of the tv. I thought this might be encouragement to some who might not try it otherwise! This is the block in progress. I just have the dragonfly and turtle pinned into place, and at this point I was finishing up the big pink cat:This is a corner as I’m trimming it. I took a needleturn applique class and one of the best pieces of advice was to trim as you go. Leave more than you’ll turn under and then trim RIGHT before you’re going to stitch…that way if the fabric is going to unravel it does it with stuff you’re cutting off anyway (especially good if you leave projects undone for a while)
This photo is the “stitch” – I’m still a beginner so this might be a tad big (keep in mind this is an extreme close up!). But kind of like hand quilting, I’ve noticed stitches do get smaller as you get better.
This was a helpful tip…I use my hand as a “pin” as I’m working on a big line of stitches. I still have it pinned in areas, so I don’t let the whole thing slide. All of this (by the way) gets a heap more complicated when you use things other than cotton. Someone recently suggested that you use a spray that holds fabrics in place temporarily….a GREAT idea for slippery fabrics like silk and velvet…I haven’t tried it yet.
Then this is just a “quick peek” at how I’m finishing all the blocks…just a blanket stitch (with a little knot at the end of each stitch for more security) all around the edges – again, not horribly even, but I like it more handmade looking and less “perfect” (LOL or is it an excuse for the mistakes….not sure!). It’s taking a while (mostly because the blanket stitch is boring), but piecing the whole quilt together will seem like a BREEZE after all of this. I also altered the pattern…the suggested way to do it in the book is to do a cat per block and I’m doing larger blocks with 2 cats each and a critter here and there. I might even put a cat across a border…not sure yet.

My 2021 “Phrase” of the year and Happy New Year!
So, one of my issues last year was stopping to just enjoy life. Unlike most people, we escaped the health and employment issues of crazy 2020 but I couldn’t help but wait for the “other shoe” to drop – basically waiting for something bad to happen. In searching for a