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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The Color Changing Goldfish

This little fish started out a bright yellow color, a hue that earned her the not-so-subtle name of Lemon. As Lemon got older, she got darker, until she was a rich vermillion color. This color was similar to the color of a local citrus fruit, so I renamed her after the fruit; Naartjie. (nar-chi)

However, Naartjie wasn't finished her chameleon impersonation. Over the course of a few weeks, she turned red, then red and white, then orange and white until finally she became completely white, and has stayed that way ever since. I now call her Casper.

I don't have photos of the entire process (Alas! Alas! What was I thinking?!) but I can show you a before and after pic:

Above: Orange and white. She looked quite cute like this - somehow reminiscent of a panda bear. 

The white areas started on the tips of her fins and grew progressively larger 

until her entire body was white.

Above: Casper, as of today, not a colored scale to be found.

I'm not sure what prompted the color change, perhaps genetics, illness or some kind of a reaction to her environment, but whatever caused it hasn't left her any worse for the wear. She's healthy and active, so I haven't been too concerned about this color-changing goldfish. 

Her color transformation started in the pond, where she received a diet high in algae and insects, as well as a daily dose of sunlight. The transformation sped up rapidly when I brought her to live in a large aquarium in my lounge, where she is fed flakes, pellets and shelled peas. Very little sunlight reaches the tank.

I'm quite proud of Casper. It's not often that one comes across a completely white goldfish, so she's a treat to see on a daily basis.

Cute Kitty

This is Princess the Cat. Some days she's nice, some days she's convinced that I only need one arm and she's doing me a favor by removing my other, surplus, appendage for me. But I love her, so I don't take pictures of her on her Crazy Kitty days.
Her Cute Kitty days make up for the scratches, the bite marks, the torn clothing and shattered ornaments that are the result of her Crazy Kitty episodes. (I suppose this is what it must feel like to be the mother of a teenage girl...)

Above: "You can let me in neow!"

Above: Puuurrrrrrr...

Above: "Undercover kitty" is comfy

Above: Princess's very own crochet blankie.

 Above: I saved the best for last... Princess's baby photos.

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...

A Fool's Fate

Okay, I'll admit, I wanted an excuse to put up these photos of Princess with Robin Hobb's "Fool's Fate", so I created this blog post. 

"Oh, that fool..."

 "I can't look! Make it stop! Make it stop!"

On a more mature note, the Tawny Man series (includes "Fool's Fate") by Robin Hobb is a good read. She has two more series, The Farseer trilogy and the Liveship Traders trilogy that are favorites of mine. My boyfriend introduced me to her work about a year ago, and I was surprised that I somehow missed this brilliant author while ingesting several kilos of fantasy books each month as a teenager. Her fantasy books have it all - action, adventure, intrigue, a dash of romance and liberal dose of wild magic.

She has a knack for creating a certain pace in her writing. Fast enough to increase your heart rate, but not so fast that you get tired. I have great respect for Robin Hobb's writing abilities.

You can buy "Fool's Fate" and other Robin Hobb books online

Be prepared to be curled up for several days with these fantasy novels.

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.