Smitty's day got off to a good start when Mike gave him a good brushing. After brushing him, he used the "FURminator" to get off all the last bits of fluffy undercoat. When he was finished, I think we could have felted a whole other cat with all the fuzz that was combed off.
Smitty was so happy for that brushing, he started up a new bromance with the brush.
Oh, Kitty Brush...you're my new best friend!
While he was doing that, I fed the sourdough starters in the refrigerator. I used what I poured off the white starter to start a new loaf of sourdough bread. It needs to be fed a few times and brought to a nice robust place before it will be ready for bread. After I'd fed it, I put a rubber band in place to mark its progress.
After a couple of hours, it was starting to rise.
And there was plenty of bubbling action too.
We needed to go grocery shopping. When we got back, I fed it again, thinking I could hurry it along. As it happens, it turned soupy later in the day, and by bedtime, I was worried it wasn't viable. So I poured off most of it, added more flour than water. This morning it was looking a little better. Now it's been fed again, and I'm hoping it will perk up enough to bake some bread by tomorrow.
It was late in the day when I got started on any sewing. My goal was to finish quilting Santa's Village, and I was successful.
When I had it to this stage, it was time to trim all the traveling threads on the front and the back.
Working with the sparkle tulle is like working with glitter. By day's end, I had it all over my work surfaces, and all over myself. When the threads were cut away, it looked like this.
From there, I needed to add in some stitched details on some of the roofs and windows.
When it was all finished it looked like this.
These villages are kind of magical in that you start with what looks like a hot mess of scraps.
The village emerges with each addition of detail. They're kind of fun...when they're finished. While they're in progress, they can make you wish you'd never started.
The Retired Resident Engineer and I had a consultation about the binding. At first, I thought I would use the candy cane stripe, but then I thought it might be too much. He suggested the dark green, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it would be too dark and too boring. While we were watching television last night, I started thinking I had a green with gold polka dots. Checking my stash...yes! You can see it on the left in the image below.
That will be the perfect way to finish it off. As a reminder, these villages are made using the technique described by Karen Eckmeier in her book, Happy Villages.
It's hard to know whether I'll have time to finish this off today since I'm attending the Northwest Quilter's Guild quilt show this morning. There, I'm expecting to meet my friend Sally from The Objects of Design and to see her fabulous quilts. You can see them at that link I've given you. Sally and I have communicated for at least a couple of years, but this will be our first meet-up in person. I'm so looking forward to that. If there's time when I get home this afternoon, I'll get the binding sewn on Santa's Village, and then it will be ready for its final hand-stitching.
8 comments:
I love how the glitter tulle looks like snow on the houses. It's a very cool effect.
And I also love Smitty's bromance with the brush. Doodlebug has the same bromance with his kitty brush. The comment about it being his new best friend cracked me up. My husband and I say that all the time.
Smitty looks very polished. I bought the Happy Village book recently at a local guild show. I haven’t attempted one yet but would probably not choose a glitter tulle for the reasons you mention! I had some glittered branches in a vase at Christmas and am still finding the stuff on my hearth. Your starter looks good.
I love how the village looks all quilted, nice depth in it.
I have never used the fulminator, so many gimmicks out there, never know what to buy. My cats are a pain to brush, have to chase them as I brush.
Debbie
I wish I was meeting Sally "live" too :-)
To all that have doubts about the "furminator"--buy it !! "Expensive", but worth it---also comes "dog size" (Sorry Smitty)
Max the cat hates brushing, I think due to his not getting used to it as a kitten. He runs when he sees me coming with it. Your gingerbread village is so cute; love all the details stitched in. I had to chuckle at your friend's "Owl Quilt formerly known as Parliament" - haha - very clever! Have a fun time at the quilt show!
Gingerbread Village turned out beautifully!
My Max has a bromance with the brush, too! It is hard to see how that hot mess comes out so pretty when it is finished.
Poor Smitty looks so terribly stressed out while being brushed & FURminated! LOL Zzyzx never minded being brushed either & she LOVED the Dust Buster! Hah!
The Village is wonderful, so dimensional now that it's quilted.
Hard to believe how it started out!
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