Formal Felines Finally Finished

Awesome alliteration. There was a lot to do yesterday...mainly, grocery shopping. It took up half the day. Our list was long, and we were both worn out by the time we returned home. 

Mike wanted to mow the grass up next to the house first, before it got too hot, and so we didn't get on our way until mid-morning. I had some time to take a stroll through the bee garden. A few things are starting to show themselves. Of course, the Shasta daisies grow there whether I spread seeds or not. The entirety of the vegetable garden plot is filled with them. I'm glad they are such happy flowers.

Also, I noticed these "Bird's Eyes." I don't recall them from last year's bee garden.

I do remember these poppies, however. It's good to see them back again.

I'm not sure about this one. I think it's a kind of phlox.

Also, some California yarrow. This is new to the bee garden this year too.

While I was out, I checked on the apple tree. The apples are about the size of ping pong balls now.

And the echinacea continues to head up. Only this one of the three colors has bloomed so far.

When I reached the catio, Sadie was there, looking very disapproving that I'd gone out wandering without her.

They had to wait until our grocery shopping was done before we could set them free.

Back inside, I finished up Mrs. Claus' Cookie Team. This was originally a free pattern, but it's now available as an instant download for $5 on the Crabapple Hill website. It was designed to be personalized with the year at the bottom. I used the year of my birth. As I mentioned to my friends on social media, I wasn't actually baking the year I was born, but I figure this refers to the time that I was a bun in my mother's oven. (Apologies to my Facebook and Instagram friends who have to endure my bad jokes more than once.)

Eventually, I will trim this around the stitching and attach it to a background fabric. Then I'll finish it off into a snack mat. Pawing through my Christmas fabrics, I chose this one as a background.

We let the kitties out when we got home from the grocery store. It was a warm day. Smitty sat in his favorite corner of the deck until I opened the door. That was enough for him. It was too hot for people wearing fur coats.

Sadie took advantage of the cool basement sewing room. 

With her help, I finished off the third of three borders for the Ties & Tails quilt. I chose the red you see on the left in the image below.

When that was finished, I had myself a finished quilt top. It finished up at 75 x 95 inches...queen sized...and one of the largest quilts I've made.

There was enough time left in the day to sew the one long seam I needed to create a back for it. I'm using the yellow below.

And I cut binding strips from the same fabric used in the first border.

And now it's taking its place on the quilts-to-be-sandwiched pile. There are about half a dozen piling up. Those would be in addition to the half dozen or so already sandwiched for quilting. 

While we watched the news yesterday afternoon, I took the first stitches on the next section for Pieces of the Past. 

I tried a new recipe for dinner, and we really liked it. This is Chipotle-rubbed Salmon Tacos. The fresh salmon is really good right now, and so we're eating it as much as we can while it's available. This was a delicious and easy way to use it. You first create an Apple-Cucumber Salsa from a Granny Smith apple, cucumber, red onion, and red bell pepper. Then shred some cabbage. Then make a little sauce from mayonnaise and lime juice. It sounds like a lot of preparation, but I had it all ready to go while the salmon roasted.

The recipe will tell you to grill the salmon, but I roasted mine. I prepared it with the olive oil and chipotle rub, and then roasted it in my toaster oven at 350°F for 15 minutes. The only other thing I did differently was to use flour tortillas (we prefer them to corn) and I warmed them in the microwave. So yummy, and there are leftovers for another meal.

Today's agenda includes both indoor and outdoor chores. I still think there will be time in the day for some sewing. Next up, I'll be sandwiching a small quilt for quilting...this "Stitched Inchies 4.0: The Neighborhood." This was Crabapple Hill's stitch-along for International Embroidery Month earlier this year.

I'll probably quilt it pretty simply with an all-over design and probably some straight lines. I doubt I can get it to binding stage today, but that won't stop me from trying.

Tomorrow's post will probably be a little later in the day. Kitties have early appointment with the vet for some immunizations. They don't want to catch the Catrona virus, you know.