Matilda's First Scotty Cut

Up until recently, our scottish terrier pup, Matilda, was a scruffly little thing. She'd had several health issues as a puppy, and because we'd adopted her in autumn, we decided to keep her hair long during the cold winter months. Now that the weather is a bit warmer, we sent her for her first haircut.

Above: One or two stray hairs (right ear) that were easy enough to clean up with a pair of sharp scissors. We can finally see her eyes!

Above: Well pleased with herself, Matilda poses, showing off her haircut. In this shot, the motley patch of hair on her tail is just visible. I love this angle for photographing her. I makes her look like a cartoon character.

Work in Progress: Car Seat Quilt

I've been rattling forth with My Very Own Bernina Sewing Machine. So far I've completed one beginner sewing project, Matilda's Curious Quilt. I was surprised at how quickly I completed the little blankie, because I've become accustomed to the months of work that crochet blankets need. I decided to tackle a slightly larger, and more complex craft project; a quilt to cover the back seat of the car.

Above: Cut and ready to sew. I chose the cheapest material available at the fabric shop. This way, if I make a major boo-boo, it won't break the bank. The cloth seems to be a hybrid of synthetic and extra-terrestrial threads, prone to suddenly floating away on an invisible cloud of static, before trying to suffocate the iron by melting itself to the iron's surface. 

Sewing has, so far, not been an easy sport for me.

Above: Planning is not a strength of mine. This is what my attempt at being organized looks like (Note at the bottom left; the detailed plans for the border). Of course, as with all of my craft projects, the design has changed along the way and looks nothing like the plan.

Above: I decided to open up the seams and iron them flat, to prevent unsightly folds along the seams. It's time-consuming, but the finished result is nice.

Above: As a beginner quilter, I'm not quite at the stage of lining up the print with the seam. I don't think Matilda will mind. :)

Above: I decided to separate the squares of color with navy blue (not in the original plan. Note the rolling of eyes). I muddled up my measurements a little. The large, single fabric squares are slightly smaller than the joined fabric squares. I'd joined all of the pieces before it dawned on me that something was awry. I took the live-and-learn approach and figured out a way to continue.

Above: The center piece of the quilt, complete. This was as far as I was going to take the quilt in the original design, but I've decided to add a few borders of randomly-placed scraps of cloth. I'm hoping to soften the uniformity of the quilt's center with the uneven borders.

As far as hobbies go, I think quilting is way up there for me, although that may just be beginner's enthusiasm. The craft poses lots of little challenges and there is constantly room to improve. I'm looking forward to gathering up scraps of cloth to stitch into odd-ball quilts.

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Matilda's Picture Gallery

Scottish Terriers are lovely little dogs, with big personalities and even bigger hearts. Here are some pictures of  our scrappy little Matilda.

Above: Matilda's favorite place to sit in the car - across my shoulders.

Above: Photo bomb! (Note how peeved Princess the cat looks.)

Above: Yin and yang.

Above: Tilly the Scotty with her ostrich bone

Above: Mud dog!

Above: Matilda's Curious Quilt

These photos are all of Matilda without a Scottish Terrier hair cut. I think her scruffiness is very sweet, but I also can't wait to see her looking like a "real" scotty.

The Bookshelf Gets Painted

Above: The temporary bookshelf. The crochet blanket thrown over the back of the couch is The Red Rambler - will post on it soon.)

Above: Undercoat. The shelf is being supported by chains attached to the rafters of the porch roof.

Above: The final coat, black.

Above: The cause for the promise, "Next time I'm getting quality wood."

Above: The painted bookshelf, complete with books. This is possibly the world's longest-lasting DIY project, as the shelf was built in 2009. :p

Above: Matilda stretches, exhausted after over-seeing the painting process.

Matilda's Curious Quilt

I decided that my first sewing project would be a little quilt for Matilda, our Scottish Terrier. This little dog's appreciation for my cooking makes me feel like a culinary genius, and so I knew that no matter how the quilt turned out, she would love it as though it were the best blanket in the world. There's nothing like starting a new hobby on a high note.
Below are the steps I used to make the quilt. It's not quite a tutorial, but the steps are easy enough to follow.

Above: I had some fun, colorful bedspread material and some navy green curtaining in the cupboard, so I hauled these out and began cutting. I cut the colorful cloth into long triangles, and the curtaining into even strips and joined them with the triangles facing in opposite directions. Both materials are fairly thick, which makes them ideal for a beginner sewing project.

Above: I then had a long piece of cloth, which I cut in two. I cut each of the pieces length ways into four strips and mixed the strips around. I sewed these together to create a messy, checker effect. 

Above: I used a zig zag stitch and a straight stitch to join the pieces, and a zigzag stitch to sew the joins flat. I joined the two pieces along the edge, back to back.

Above: For the edging, I used a satin stitch and then tattered the edges by removing the loose threads. (A useful beginner sewing technique, as the sewing machine does all the work with the satin stitch. 

This worked wonders for my confidence on the machine and I was finally brave enough to

"drive fast" while sewing.)

Above: I'm sure there are hundreds of sewing techniques that professional quilters use to create a neat border, and although I plan on learning those techniques, for now I'm using whatever makes sense to me. The joins aren't very neat, but they are sturdy.

 Above: I used a zigzag stitch to attach the quilt's border.

Above: My 1968 Bernina 707 Minimatic came with a box of goodies. This is the embroidery foot (I think it is also called a darning foot). I used this to decorate the edges of the quilt with some freehand embroidery squiggles. This little machine is very powerful, stitching without fussing through several layers of thick material.

Above: Matilda on her Curious Quilt. She likes it! 

It's not an average dog blanket, but I think it will serve us well, especially in the car, and as Matilda's "spot" when we visit friends and family. It's a very simple, easy quilt that I would recommend as a beginner sewing project. 

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A Few Pictures of Hermanus

After fetching the Bernina sewing machine in Hermanus, Matt and I took Matilda for a walk along the cliff path. It's a beautiful area of the cape, definitely something to show to overseas visitors. Quaint hotels, bed and breakfasts and guest houses sit across the road from the cliff path. On the other side of the path the land drops away to the sea, offering exceptional sea views from the path, the road and the guest houses.

Above: A view of Hermanus from the cliff path. It really is a lovely walk, but be sure to take a beanie or a hat, because the wind can be pretty icy at times.

Above: Matilda in a typical Scottie pose. On the way home, a fellow asked to take a picture of her because he'd never seen a Scottish Terrier without the typical Scottie haircut. Perhaps it's time for her first trip to the dog parlor?

Above: There's a whale in this picture. It's underwater, but it's there, I promise.

Hermanus, and especially this little coastal path, is a lovely place to go whale watching. The best time of year is right now, September, because it is still early spring and the whales will be performing their baby-whale-making shenanigans close to shore. Ask any local for directions to the cliff path near Fick's Pool. The locals are generally friendly and will point you in the right direction.

This small town is a tourist hot spot in summer, offering a variety of accommodation styles; from backpacker's lodges to luxury hotels. There are dozens of activities to choose from (besides whale watching), such as swimming with sharks, hiking, water skiing and line fishing. Hermanus is between 1.5 and 2 hours drive from Cape Town, depending on traffic.

Mud Dog

Above: Matilda aka Mayhem aka Mud Dog

I think Matilda might be a mud addict. I've seen her, in the garden, snorting the stuff. She'll even dig to find the best mud to shnuffle in. I wonder if there's a Mud Dogs Anonymous...

Matilda in her Plaid Jacket

This is Matilda, our Scottish Terrier pup, shyly showing off her pink plaid jacket. She's not much into fashion, I'm afraid. The jacket got unceremoniously dumped in the garden mere minutes after this picture was taken. She prefers a coat of mud and leaves, it seems.