Let's Book It: Sweet Tweets

Just now I was trying to come up with some phrases that use the word "tweet". Google disappointed me this time. Everything I found had something to do with Twitter. Just so you know, I tried Twitter once, and honestly...I just don't get it. It took me a long time to warm up to Facebook too, which is social media I love to hate. But don't get me started because I have other things to show you.

For one thing, I finished up the table runner top I wanted to make as my project for

My projects for Let's Book It have been limited to small quilts and table runners that can be finished up without adding to my list of WIP's. This month, I wanted to make a runner from this book:

The Let's Book It challenge has inspired me to make quite a few of these runners. This time, I wanted something for spring, and so this one appealed to me:

The pattern has those brown ends ruffled and the center strip is ruched. I didn't like either of those features, and so I was going to leave off the ends and just use a strip for the center. The bird motifs are fusible applique. I had in mind to use this fabric from my stash. I have three yards of it.

Then I started thinking, which set off the smoke alarm. When I had that shut off, I cut two panels for the ends of the runner. It's a quick and dirty method for doing the same thing. The design on the fabric appeals to me, so what the heck?

And then, I used scraps of fabrics to complete the runner. Nothing fancy, but it gets me the spring runner I wanted. When I quilt this, I have in mind to use a shiny Sulky polyester thread to outline the birds, branches and blossoms. As for the rest of it...probably some leaves and flowers.

Also, I used this scrap of fabric for the back.

It wasn't quite long enough, and so I added a strip of green in the center to get the extra length I needed.

There are two quilts already in the pile for sandwiching, and so I just tossed this one on top with the others. I'll get it sandwiched and quilted next month.

That meant there was just one thing left on my March list of goals...to quilt the Mom Cats.

If I'm remembering correctly, this was another Let's Book It project from the book, Cat's Meow, by Janet Kime. It was started April 22, 2014. It's just about time to finish it up, don't you think?

Before I could get started on that, I had to clear all the crap that's been accumulating on Eliza's work table. There were some things from our trip back in January, and a lot of free motion quilting tutorials and pages torn from magazines. Those needed to be loaded into my quilting notebook. Also, a wonderful bag of thread spools from my friend Ila, who is something of a quilting fairy godmother. Ila has from time to time sent me wonderful stuff when she gets in a mood to clean out her own sewing room. She's sent me empty bobbins, needles, and now, this great bag of thread. Thank you, Ila. Your cast-offs are always appreciated.

As for the quilting, the book shows this done in a diagonal grid, and that style is one of my favorites. Also, this is a good chance to practice quilting straight lines with my new ruler templates. When the Live, Love, Teach quilt is ready for quilting, I'm planning to do a lot of straight line quilting on that. There's no time like the present to practice using those templates.

I'll just be stitching in the ditch around the cats, and so none of the straight lines are very long. I'm using the 6-inch mini ruler from Handi-Quilter, and it's going great. As I was doing this, I realized these templates are also helpful for stitching in the ditch. I can set my needle in the seam, line up the ruler, and then quilt away.

It's a small quilt, and so I was able to get quite a bit done in a short period of time yesterday afternoon. Here's where I left it.

I'll get some more done this afternoon, but I need to go out for a while today. Tuesdays are the day I pick up farm fresh eggs from our CSA farmers, although the CSA won't get started for another month or two. Also, I need to make a quick trip to the grocery store, and I'm going to brave the craft store to get some things I need for my class next month.

Before I sat down here, however, I took some time to put some make-up on Eliza. I saw these pretty decals on someone's Facebook page, and knew instantly that Eliza needed some. They're available from Urban Elementz, called Tattoo Elementz. 

It was a little intimidating when I read the instructions, but it really was quite easy to stick them on. I had to reposition one of them a couple of times when it didn't want to fold nicely over Eliza's curves. Here's how she looks from the other side.

After I took this picture, she started dancing around the room singing,

  I feel pret-teee, Oh so pret-teeee, I feel pret-teee and wit-teee and gay! 

Oh boy. Hopefully, she'll settle down by this afternoon, and I can get some more quilting done.