Sunday, September 18, 2022

Introducing Jazz


 

I have been keeping an eye out on the dog shelter website for several months, but I wanted to make sure I was ready. I also wanted to make sure that I got a new dog when I was on vacation so I could have enough time to start the training process.

My sister went to the vet and she found a cute puppy that was available and I was mighty tempted, but I checked the shelter website again, hoping to find a slightly older dog who was already potty trained.

I am on vacation so this would be the best time. There was a really cute scruffy dog that looked like the dog on Frazier, so I decided to check that dog first. My brother in law came with me. Because my first choice when I went to get a dog last time was taken, I also picked three other backup dogs in case the Frazier dog was no longer available.

 

 

We gave the list to the dog counselor and he chose the order of the presentation based on where they were located. As luck would have it, the Frazier dog was taken. And the other boy dog tended to lean against people and I didn't want to take that risk around my mother. The other girl pulled on the leash and did not acknowledge my presence at all. I know both of them can be trained.

Jazz was the last one we saw and I was getting nervous that I wouldn't find one who was a good match for me, but Jazz was definitely a good match.


 

So much for all the beige carpet I got to camouflage Zeus's fur. 

She is a medium size dog, a Dutch Shepherd mix. She walked really well without pulling and was attentive to me. She has already been spayed. She was on anxiety medication at the pound, and I am working to wean her from it. 



After I brought her home, I found that she follows me around every where but does not exhibit any noticeable anxiety signs when I am not in sight. She can be left out without a crate because she only sniffs and does not try to chew anything except for the stuffed animal I gave her to chew. I have since bought new chew toys for her. I had thrown out all of Zeus' chew toys.

Even though the name is in the post, I haven't finalized her name. We gave it a couple of weeks when we got Zeus before we settled on his name. Her name was Jazlyn at the pound, which I find hard to pronounce because I keep trying to change it to Jasmin. I do like the name though so I think simple Jazz will work. This morning on the radio, they talked about a dog named Coconut. I thought that might be a good name for her since she does look like the outside of a Coconut. So maybe Jazz Coconut or Jazzy Coconut. There are a few other names I am considering as well. I am also considering a name that starts with A so the I can say I have dogs from Z to A. When I added a label for her Jazz, Jazzy Blues came up. Funny that I am working on a Jazzy Blues quilt when I get a dog named Jazz. 



Sunday, September 11, 2022

Quilt Reveal: Be a Peacock in a World of Ducks

 

 
I was watching an episode of Quilt Nerd by Mary Fons which featured Liberty of London fabrics and one of the photos included a quilt of a peacock in a tree made with Liberty fabrics. It was one of those quilts I just had to make.



I don't have any Liberty fabric so when I went to the Cave of Wonders I was handed the same stack of fabric that I used to make my last peacock quilt, BeUnique. Copying the style or mood of last peacock quilt wasn't what I had in mind, but it's never  any use to argue with the Cave of Wonders.

But as soon as I started cutting up the pieces, I knew that it would work wonderfully.


I followed my normal pattern. Cut up the pieces and position them the background fabric. Use a glue stick to hold them down. Sandwich the quilt and sew down the applique by sewing around the shapes. Then continue to quilt as desired. In this quilt, I meandered using matching thread. This let me go over the top with quilting while keeping the quilt visually simple.

 
This was a fun quilt to make. I didn't try to learn any new techniques and just stuck with what I knew.



I added the hanging corners The quilt is 18" by 22".


 

I'm  participating in The Constant Quilter Wendy's Monthly Mini link-up.  Visit her blog for links to other quilters who have made small quilts. 

2022: 15 Minutes to Stitch Week 36

 

My project at work is finished and I have about a month off before the next project starts. I have been working on the list of home projects I have saved up for this time, most of it spent creatively procrastinating. I have been quilting every day, making this quilt and trimming the square in a square blocks for Jazzy Blues. I also found rulers to make the last set of blocks for Jazzy Blues. I have only been quilting a few minutes a day instead of using all my "free" time quilting. 

15 minute days this weeks --35 out of 35
15 minute days this year -- 202 out of 247days
Success rate  = 82%

 


Two happy things to share with you today. 

 

My daughter asked me if I had a quilt she could use to decorate the wall above her couch. Do I have a quilt for her wall?! I sent her pictures of the 10 quilts I have made that fit that criteria. She has seen them all, but pictures are easier than names. She chose African Circles. And to make this news even better, I was able to give it to her in person since she came to town for a family birthday party.

 

When my brother-in-law planted the tree in my back yard, we talked about getting rid of the weed bed that is outside the fence and replacing with easy to cut and maintain grass. But one of us had the idea that since the tree is small and not shading the area, we could fill out this bed with flowers. He asked me what kind of flowers, and I said I would like bright profusion of colors. He planted all this for me, and it has been delightful to come out and see all the flowers blooming and changing throughout the summer.