There's a Good Dog comments: 83

Oh, this dog.

She likes to sleep on top of my clothes that I throw on the bed.

She yawns about forty-five times a day. She is the drowsiest, floppiest, cuddliest, kissiest puppers you've ever seen.

Unless of course someone makes a noise six blocks away and then she is on it.

For a moment. And then she goes right back to nappers.

What you don't want to see is the electrician, standing in your bathroom torn down to the studs, with his face in his hands, shaking his head, as I just did.

You want to see him smiling and nodding, and saying, "No problem! This will be very easy and inexpensive!"

But I love my new quilt so much. This is the Oregon Summer quilt that I started earlier this summer. Gayle, Amy's mom of Tillie Studio quilted it so beautifully for me. The backing is kind of a terra-cotta pink cotton gingham (printed gingham), and the binding (I did it by machine and then by hand) is actually a pink and white candy-stripe. It was pure pleasure making this one, and my knees were very, very happy with me (because I didn't make them crawl around pinning every square). The dog, however, missed laying on it while I was working on it. So she's making up for it now. People ask me how I keep pet hair off my furniture. And I just say, "Seventy-two dpi. It hides a multitude of sins."

Not kitters's carpet poms, but black dog hair, at least.

*Sorry I forgot to mention this — for those who have asked about sizing/quantities of fabric, etc., I used my Ollalieberry Ice Cream quilt pattern for this quilt. It is available to download in my web shop. Thank you!

An Oregon Summer Quilt comments: 51

Coming together nicely (even if I did spend all day at the pool yesterday — oops).

24 by 28 patches, each 3.5" square when finished.

I hang it on the curtain rod over my sliding door while I'm working on it because I like the way the light looks when it shines through.

Get ready to say goodbye to this color. It was fun while it lasted but I am very ready for something else. (Paint, lantern, and slipper info on my FAQ page.)

Oh sweet dog. She stayed in this exact position for about ten minutes. It reminded me of playing Statue when I was a kid. She's so dang sweet. Her little leathery nose. It's the perfect temperature of cold on a hot day. Mwah mwah mwah. Love you so much, Clover M. You make me laugh every day.

Rainy-Day Runner comments: 47

It's a commitment. It's not for the hand-sewing faint-hearted. But look how pretty. My Purl Bee Runner is underway. I am very pleased. By late afternoon, I'd made some chai and had stitched eight of the twenty-two squares to the backing fabric. Luckily, I love to slipstitch. You'll get good at it here. Twenty-two for the runner (I made my shorter than theirs) and eight for the napkins (later).

To make the runner (and napkins), you back the fabric squares with pieces of fusible interfacing, then slit the interfacing and turn the square, pressing it into place on the backing fabric. The fusible web helps hold the square in place while you applique it. It's a nice method, though my linen was so heavy (like, really thick and heavy) the web didn't want to stick that much. But it was enough. A trick for pressing down the outside edges of the square, where there are a couple of layers of fabric to heat through: Press the backing fabric around the edge of the square first, then press the square down on top of it. That will heat up the fusible web from below, and melt it together. Do this quickly, one side at a time, so the fabric stays hot.

There is a reason the Purl ladies did this as a quilting bee — it's a lot of sewing, and besides, how fun would this be to make together? (very) — but I have only a warm, sofa-hogging dog so I have to do mine myself, with a dog head in my lap. Plus there's no more room on this sofa. Have I mentioned before about my cuddly dog?

Yes. I think I have. The goal of this dog's life is, apparently, to lay with her head in my lap. Or her chin on my ankles. Or her paws on my thighs. Occasionally she looks up at me adoringly and pushes her suede nose into my hand, and then I put my work down and scratch her bunny-soft forehead. For a long time. Oh, Clover Meadow. You are aptly named. I've never met a dog as sweet and gentle, as beckoning and full of sunshine as you.

In the late afternoon, as we watch the leaves blow away, and the rain start to fall, this is pretty much what we do.

(It's kind of hard to take pictures of a dog on your own lap, I have to say. The camera happened to be on the tripod just a couple of feet away, so I pulled it over and sort of pointed it down at what I thought it should look at, and set the timer, but I couldn't ever see the viewfinder. After a few shots, the battery died, but who would want to move from here to go get more. Not her. Even less, me.)

Window Wonderful comments: 147

I write tonight while seated in front of three lovely, open windows. Through them a beautiful breeze blows, and I hear the sounds of leaves rustling, a plane going over, children playing. From here on my sofa, now I can smell my neighbor's barbecue, the wet dirt from the planters on the porch, and the new paint on the new windows. For the first time in eight years, I have open windows in my living room and dining room. I'm so very happy today!

Where once was a big, plate glass, unopenable picture window, we now have three side-by-side vertical casements that open out. They don't need storms; they also have beautiful removable wooden screens on the inside (not shown, being painted). (These photos are a little dark because I am trying to get the detail in the windows, so I take the light-meter reading there, and not in the room as I normally would. Not sure how to get both lit properly. . . .) The above photo shows the windows in their "closed" position because they are kind of tricky to photograph without getting a lot of reflections and lines and stuff. But really, I've had all six of them open (there are three more in the living room) all day, even though it was about fifty degrees this morning. I love them so much.

Here they are open. Don't you just want to sit down and read a book there, and listen to the birds sing? I'm late posting today because that's basically all I've been doing.

(I'm telling you, I just walk in and find them looking cute like this. Spontaneous cuteness is a trait we try to require all of our pets to have, 'cause it just makes your pillows and your windows look so much better when you're taking pictures for your blog, you know? It's nice to have a cute, cooperative little puppers sitting in front of pillows and windows going, "Oh, okay, what are we going for today? Charmingly inquisitive? Not a prob. [Click.]")

Oh, puppers, you are such a sweet darling little miss.

She likes them. So do I. I told the installers yesterday that it was one of the best days of my life. Then they felt sorry for me, I think. But it was true. I have light and air now. It's such a privilege. Living without air in this room where I spend so much of my life has given me a whole new appreciation for the open window. It really is a gift.