Finally! I picked a border design

A few nights ago I woke up after sleeping for two or three hours. As usual, my thoughts turned to the projects I'm working on. That's usually what I think about when I can't sleep though it's not commonly a restful train of thought. I suddenly thought of acute angled triangles for the borders of Beast. I am so thrilled. I have been racking my brains for months to figure out what the borders should be like.

Lynn would like the quilt to have some burgundy in it so I'd gotten some wide burgundy fabric by Moda. I have plenty for the back, for binding, and a 36" x 60" piece to use to make the borders.

This is a sample block made with EQ6. The burgundy fabric is the same but the blue I put in isn't the blue I'm using. The color for the center triangle are going to be alternated with the fabrics I used to make the fish and house blocks to pull them all together.

I know the block isn't that impressive as it is simple, but honestly, I have been wrestling for months, years really, of whether or not I should put in Mariner's Compass blocks or New York Beauty blocks. I realized that those would be to busy and would compete with the rest of the quilt, so I didn't use them.

I am also working on a purse and a shawl for myself. I have about given up on finding the perfect purse. I've yet to find a purse I really like, or at least one that I like at a price I'm willing to pay. The pieces are mostly cut out and the lining and pockets have been sewn together. As usual, I am modifying the pattern. I'm starting to think it's impossible for me to follow patterns, as the only patterns I ever have followed exactly were from the classes I took to sew a blouse and pajama pants. Since then, nope, don't do it.

Miss Lola

Lola joined us at the end of December. She's an absolute doll and has quite the personality. This picture was taken shortly after she and Diego went to the groomer's for the first time.

Taking care of her fur is a lot of work but that's almost entirely due to my ointment getting on her fur. She has to be brushed out a lot and bathed weekly. If it weren't for my ointment I suspect she'd only need a bath once a month and being brushed twice a week would be fine.

She did NOT like being brushed at first but I stuff her with treats and now she seems to enjoy it. I think it's because it's one on one attention for her and she doesn't have to share with Diego. She and Diego play together and sometimes sleep snuggled up with one another but there is a lot of rivalry between them. Every once in a while they bicker but it's just that, bickering and that's really not too uncommon in households with more than one dog.

This is a common pose in our household. They frequently nap in the recliner together regardless of whether or not there's a lap to be had there. Life is good.