Doggo Coat Finished

 

There were only two steps left to finish to complete the dog coat, adding the Velcro and the binding. This was very small binding, so it was a bit fiddly to get it on, but I went slowly and it worked out very well.

Before sewing on the "belt" and the velcro, I put it on Meg one more tine to make sure my triple try at measurements had been correct. It fit everywhere except the belt. I think the smaller measurement I got she was worried and so had sucked in her stomach with tension. So I had sew a little extension on the end on of the belt before adding the Velcro. Glad that I checked a fourth time.

The pictures of it without a dog inside are rather strange, what is this thing anyways? A quilt with a belt?

I used the new soft and thin Velcro as it was the only one in my stash. I had no idea I was mostly out of velcro.

She was snoozing with DH on the couch, but I woke her up and put it on her. It fits perfectly! And it looks so cute on her.

She looks rather unsure here, but she perked right up and went outside and then happily kept it on for the rest of the evening. She's got it back on this morning, I think she likes it! One of our cats freaked out about  it thought this morning, got all puffed up and stalker-y, he thought she was an intruder dog. Nope, just a cozy Meg, that's all.

Okay one more item off of the UFO list, hooray! This was much easier than I thought, there was no 3-D construction or fitting together of pieces. The hardest part was A) Finding the Pattern and B) Measuring the Dog in Question.

A Dog Coat Begins

Switching over to working on my BAMQ UFO challenge for this month, the Dog Coat I've said I'm going to make for many years. The hardest part so far was finding the pattern. I had put it somewhere it was supposedly going to be easier to find than where I usually keep patterns. Oh well, outfoxed myself again. I started out wit selecting fabrics and layering them quilt style and getting some basic quilting done before cutting the pattern pieces out. I'm using a Tula Pink print on one side, and one of my husband's pink Oxford shirts on the other. The fabric is perfectly good, just the cuffs and collars wore out,  but Meg doesn't need those. (or does she?hmmmm?)

Instead of making bias binding myself, I'm hoosing to try the vintage Bias seam tape from my Grandma's stash. New York Fabrics, remember those? Back in the day they had way better stuff than Joanne's ever did. This pink will be perfect1

The pink reversible with print piece is the "belt" that goes around the dog's belly and velcroes underneath.

I think all the Tula prints work together well as per usual.

So far so good, I think this is going to work well for Meg.

Shades of 2022

 

Today was a super fun sew day with friends and I brought one of my UFO's to work on. This was from a wonderful class with David Owen Hastings. A virtual class that I took way back in pandemic-times in 2022 with SBAMQG. It's based on a Salvador Dali print that we have up on the wall. 

It had been quite a while since I'd worked on it, so I propped up the note in all caps that I'd left for myself. The key thing I learned in the class (and in many others as well of course): when sewing curved pieces of fabric together, don't forget: CONCAVE ON BOTTOM. It just works better that way.

A fabric layout for the next block along with the sketch/"pattern" with color choices and sewing order noted. 

these were the three blocks that I'd finished in the class.

And here are the three I made today. Yes, that one on the bottom was the last of the day and I really should have quit while I was ahead, etc and I'll be re-making that one! And the one on the upper left, that pinned-on dark blue shape is tbd on whether it is staying or not.

Here they are all together. I think I might need one more that's got the red/orange/yellows happening.. I have to go check my class notes to see how this is supposed to turn into a quilt top.

August To-Do

Here's how my design wall looks on the first of the new month. It's just busy as per usual. I have the newly ironed Bohemian Wife quilt and back hanging up so that I can get it layered, basted and quilted for the BAMQ UFO Challenge. That's pinned on top of the languishing Patchwork Palooza quilt. Maybe once I get the Bohemian Wife quilt done, I'll be in the finishing mode? There's also the HRT's' for the Lupine Mystery quilt. Up on the upper right is the Bending the Calendar quilt,  pinned up so I can think about how to finish it (one of the UFO's for this year). Underneath that are two finished projects, the QCR Mini Pumpkins and the award-winning (hah1)Ocean Effect quilt. In the front is the finished quilts that need to be put in storage or hung up on the walls of my house on top of some Project Bags. It's a lot on that wall.

Note: the use of 🥏👽  by a project name indicates that it's on the 2026 UFO Finishes challenge list of six projects that I committed to finishing at the beginning of the year (more on that list later). Note, this is not the same list as the UFO Challenge for BAMQ, that UFO will have this next to it on the list:🌀🌐  

QUILTS

Design & Begin

Pantone Project - work on an overall design, either in EQ8 or up on the design wall.

Lupine & Laughter Mystery Quilt - keep making units following the clue instructions

BAMQ BOM - make monthly blocks of varying sizes through the year.

Continue Assembly

Patchwork Palooza - Decide on borders, make backing & binding

Keep working on Sour Grass Grace from Jane Sassaman class.

Old Town Mystery Quilt - make a backing & binding, decide on whether to have it quilted

AG Stamp Quilt - continue to make more blocks using the final group of fussy-cut stamp block centers from Tula Pink fabrics.

Continue the piecing of Selvedge Candy (maybe the name) quilt originally designed for the 2025 MQG challenge.

🥏👽 Sew the last 6 columns and sashing together of the 2023  Temperature Quilt together to make the quilt top.

🌀🌐 David Owen Hastings class piece, make more blocks, assemble into quilt top, quilt, finish🥏👽 

                                      

Quilting

🥏👽 Bohemian Wife -  Sandwich this and start quilting it🌀🌐 

Mosaic Table Runner - Sandwich this and start quilting it

Final Steps 

🥏👽 Bending the Calendar - Cut up? Re-arrange? Embellish?🌀🌐 

HANDWORK/BAG/CLOTHING PROJECTS 

Make a Cotton Candy pouch for myself.

Make a Charlie's Aunt wool purse for myself, first felt the wool from Pendleton Mill.

Toned-Down Circle Sampler - now that I have the appropriately sized grey background felt, arrange and appliqué the circles, start embroidering.

Y.E.S. Coat - continue making pieces/blocks. assemble on foundation, cut out lining pieces from the fabric that I dyed

Snake In The Garden - Finish hand stitching -  🌀🌐

Body Pillow-knit cotton pillowcase - 🌀🌐 

Quilted Dog Jacket for Meg - 🌀🌐  

Hey! This Is All Finished!

🌀🌐  Mini QCR Pumpkins 🌀🌐  

I made and attached binding and a label to a Community giving quilt.

I caught up and finished my ICAD work.

Well...how about that? That's four months in a row with some actual finishing happened. Here's hoping that I can continue with the finishing energy into August.

Mini Pumpkins Done

 

The Mini Pumpkins quilt was put together and all ready and layered for quilting.

And so I quilted it, nothing too fancy, but done.

I decided to use on of the background fabrics for the binding.

I got it sewn on quickly.

And that's all done now.

Okay, done, just in time to show it at Sew Day for the #5 UFO Challenge. Now on to doing #3, which is my Bohemian Wife quilt...a real challenge.

Almost Mini Pumpkins Top

 

I buckled down and got all of the mini pumpkin blocks stitched together.

It took a while but they turned out well, except for one trimming mistake that I made.

All the blocks completed and up on the design wall together. Yes, it's going to end up being a rather large table runner. It may instead end up being a sort of banner/wall quilt. Depends on how I feel in the fall I suppose.

I've gotten the blocks sewn into rows and now just need to sew them together.