A Bit of This and That

There hasn't been very much exciting things happening in the studio over the past week. I have decided to try and get a quilt top finished and I'm finding it quite challenging since it's more traditional than I usually work and I tend to get bored quickly with it. But I'm sticking to my guns and I'm determined to finish the piecing over the next few days or weeks. I started this quilt about a year ago. I'm tired of it taking up space in my studio and I worry that I might use the fabric designated for it in another project. Oh, and it sure would be nice to see it on my bed!

So over the last few days, when I can sneak into my sewing room, I've been piecing lots of these:

And then I'm making lots of these:

The pattern I'm making is named Tarantella and it's by www.pieintheskyquilts.com. I'm really bad about following directions, though, and for the wider strip that is in the pattern, I used 2.5" strips from a jelly roll instead of the 2 3/4" strip called for in the pattern. I can be a rebel sometimes!!!! :)

Also over the past few days we have been dealing with a sick kitty:

My Zoey got sick last weekend and we needed to take her to a weekend emergency vet. After some x-rays, it turns out she has a condition that happens in some animals, in which some of her vertebrae are fusing together. We now understand why, over the past year, we have noticed her moving differently and not jumping as easily (we thought it was because she carries a bit of excess weight). Anyway, she evidently must have moved wrong or something and aggravated/injured the area and was in a lot of pain. She's now mending and healing and getting better and we've had to be creative and do things around the house so that she isn't trying to do things that she shouldn't.

In other news...
Over at 3 Creative Studios, we have a new guest artist. Leslie Vaskey McNeil is sharing her technique of free-motion couching. Watch for information from Leslie through the month (June 16 - July 15)

I have provided a new tutorial over at 3CS this month as well. I share with you how I create my thread sketches.

And be sure to visit Vicki's etsy shop for a special sale she is having on her hand dyed fabrics. It's Vicki's anniversary sale and it lasts through June 20. Hurry!!! Read more here.