Both Sad & Glad on Slow Stitching Sunday...

Hello - I know, I know... it was been a while since I checked in here... 2 weeks ago I had nothing blogworthy to talk about... and last week was a difficult one where I didn't want to talk... that said, let me get the sad news out of the way and then I can end on a happy note...

If you've read this blog for any time at all you've seen pictures of the world's most awesome cat, Big Dude...I'm sad to tell you that last week Big Dude went over the rainbow bridge... I knew he was slowing down... I've had him for 10 years but he entered my life as a full grown stray, so he was at least 11 - 12 years old, maybe older... he stopped eating and drinking and his breathing became quite labored... I took him to the vet who diagnosed congestive heart failure... nothing could be done, so I had to make the call to have him put to sleep... it broke my heart. Luckily the vet allowed me and my son Chris to stay with him till the end...I can hardly type this without getting weepy... I catch glimpses of him every where I turn in this little house... he was a constant companion and the house is empty without him... he was a legend who inspected my work and kept watch over the bird feeders from his perch on the back of the couch...

Rest in peace my sweet boy...

So I'll dry my tears for a bit here and shift to some crafty stuff...  I'm been monogamously stitching on Elliott's stocking...

got LOTS of the background done... realized the other day that the train I wanted to stitch in the space where I painted out the present, is too big to fit... arghh... need to come up with another plan... and get Elliott's name graphed for the top ....

And I spent some time with my sewing machine and put together another version of the 2 x 4 quilt done with a jelly roll this time...here's a link to the free pattern on Cluck Cluck Sew ....

I started with a vintage jelly roll from Sandy Gervias called "Fall Back in Time"... price on the tag, hand written, $27.50.... I did add bits and pieces from other Sandy Gervias Fall fabric collections and I alternated the 2 x 4 blocks with some Chiffon Grunge... this is gold-ier in real life... 

I began making blocks that paired 2 fabrics... 

and about halfway in I switched it up and made scrappier ones...

I really love the scrappy ones...

I'm putting this in the mail today to Quilting by David... I picked a panto with pumpkins...  hope to have it on my bed by mid-September. 

On the decorating scene I have 2 more vignettes to share... first is my display box in my kitchen... I continued the chicken theme in here with a bit of Pineberry Lane cross stitch and some Rae Dunn pieces and some chicken cookie jars...

And on the small yellow cabinet in the living room, more chickens mingle with a cross stitch pillow from Nikyscreations called Summer Scissors Sampler....

Not much on the calendar for this week... dinner with Chris and his family tonight... dinner with friends Monday night... weather hot, humid and no rain... want to stay focused on finishing Elliott's stocking but may spent some time quilting... I want to play with an idea I saw  here  on Instagram .... 

This is the Disappearing 9 Patch pattern done with layer cakes.... I sewed together 9  10" blocks like I would for a Disappearing 9 Patch and realized that it will be almost impossible to cut the resulting 29" block on my cutting table. I'm going to try again by cutting the layer cakes into 5" x 10" pieces and 5" x 5" pieces along with 10" squares and assemble blocks that way... we shall see how it  turns out.  I think it would make a nice quilt with my American Jane fabrics... I have at least a half dozen I  her layer cakes...and a new collection is coming any day now... 

Well I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today... may sit on the sunroom porch and needlepoint a while... I love sitting out there but oh I miss having the Dude's company with me... I believe he thought I had the space enclosed just for him... and maybe I did...

Hope you have a great week ahead...

happy stitching-

carol fun