Weather Report

We are seriously over summer here at Chez Crazy Cat Lady.

Apparently, it is "officially" too hot here in Atlanta by this report on WABE public radio:

ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - State Climatologist and University of Georgia engineering professor David Stooksbury crunched the numbers. He says so far, Atlanta is as hot as it's been all decade in the month of June. The average high this month is 90.4 degrees. In 2001, it was 82.5.

This does not bode well for late July and August... I bet Karin goes back to Alaska....

Lost Week?

How has it been a week since I posted last? What happened to that week? What was I doing? Let's see the choices:

A. Watching the World Cup
B. Complaining about how hot and humid it is in Atlanta
C. Complaining about how much the air conditioning is running
D. Saying out loud to no one in particular "it's not supposed to be in the 90s every day in June!"
E. All of the above

If you guessed E, you are correct!

A big thank you to the US Soccer team for a great run at the World Cup. Y'all were a spot of fun and good news in a time where good news is few and far between.

I can't say anything to about England's team that the British press has not already said.... Those tabloids are brutal.

Bad refs..bad, bad, bad!

I'm glad that S. got into watching games with me. Looking forward to more this upcoming weekend!

Stella and I worked on the Between Friends Quilt Along
She is so helpful.

I love how this quilt is turning out.

I still need to do the outer border. I love the design and I think I'll make the larger version too. Someday...

Meltingly Hot

Bleh! I am over summer already and it's only officially summer: D +1. Smoggy, hot, humid weather in Atlanta makes me cranky and headachy.

I did finish Hocuspocusville block 2.
The photo's kinda dark but that's about as good as it's going to get today. I need to drag myself off the couch and get some laundry & dishes done.

Summer Solstice 2010

Gomez chillin' on the first day of summer.

Sunday Halftime Report

A rather quiet weekend around here (except for the World Cup games playing in the background). Yesterday was my sewing group (Silver Thimbles) meeting. It was great fun catching up with everyone. Becky is busy enjoying her retirement (she is also having a great giveaway! Visit her blog for your chance.) Karin shared her photos from Alaska. Cindi is going to visit her family soon and make an envious trip to Homestead Hearth. Pat, as always, was in rare form wearing a sparklingly pink crown.

I decided to work on a new (old) project from this book.
About a year ago, my mom and I split a purchase of 5" strips of Windham Fabrics "Clara Barton" fabric line. I had all the strips cut and paired to make this quilt called "Damask Rose." I thought the central cross-shape in the block reflected Clara Barton's life as founder of the American Red Cross.

So here is the first blocks I made yesterday.
The fabrics were based on items in her house and a quilt she received from veterans of the Civil War. Here's a reproduction fabric of some of the quilt blocks from the quilt.


Today was another day of staying inside to avoid the very humid, mid-90F degree weather. I am over summer already here in Atlanta and it's only mid-June! Tomorrow is supposed to be hotter (95F which means it will feel like 100+ YUCK!)
I finished sewing the borders on the Fat Quarter Shop's Designer Mystery quilt.
Hooray! Finally a finish. I probably won't be able to get it quilted anytime soon but at least this project is in the nearly finished stage.

Furlough Friday: Football & Funtimes

Today was another furlough Friday. I decided to stay home and watch some World Cup games and sew all day.
Stella says "oh no not those vuvuzelas again!!!!!" Yes, we had a full day of vuvuzelas. The matches air early here with the US vs Slovenia at 9:30AM. Kind of early for a pint and snacks so I had coffee and yogurt. The kitties had some catnip from the garden.

Two-legged and four-legged fans thought the US was robbed of their third goal with a terrible call by the ref late in the second half.
Stella says "What??!!?? You have got to be kidding me! Bad call!!!!"

I worked on step two of the BFQA and am ready for step 3 next week.
Sunlight dappled little blocks. Aren't they sweet?
Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend.

Between Friends Quilt Along

I changed my mind on which charm packs to use for the Between Friends Charming Quilt Along. I decided to use two charm packs of Maison de Noel and a few stray matching charm squares.

For the background, I found a white tone on tone star print. I finished step one cutting and have everything ready for the next step.

Sewing, Football, and Vuvuzelas

Edgar Poe is not enjoying the vuvuzelas during the World Cup. I am not enjoying the score so far. England 1 / US nil.

I must admit to liking cow bells during the winter Olympics a lot more than the off-key kazoo sound. Besides vuvuzela sounds rather anatomical. I'm just saying.

Block 8 of the jelly roll sampler was lots of fun. Now I'm working on the last two borders of the designer mystery quilt.

Hang on....
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLLL GO USA! OK back to sewing.

Tonic for the Toxic News

It seems as though my 30s are being defined by disasters of epic scale. Disasters plural. Let's review:
9/11 (I was 29 when it happened close enough)
Southeast Asia Tsunami
Katrina
Haiti Earthquake
Throw in the global financial meltdown for good measure.
Not to mention the usual wars, fires, floods, earthquakes, drought, genocide in Darfur, it goes on and on.

Which brings us to the latest epic disaster--the Gulf oil spill. This oil spill is too much for me to deal with. I am avoiding the news. Me, a news junkie, I am avoiding it, it's too painful, too heartrending, too sickening, too enraging, too despairing, too everything. For a jaded, cynical me. I want to cry, scream, and throw up all at the same time. I want to fast forward time until the gushing oil is stopped, damage assessed, and massive cleanup and recovery efforts are underway.

But I can't.

So I am trying to soothe my soul with sewing and watching non-upsetting movies and listening to non-upsetting music and I am ever so thankful to watch the World Cup this afternoon. Anything to get rid of the searing images of oil covered birds and dead marine life.

Quilt Along

Between Friends Charming Quilt Along

OK who's in?

I found 2 charm packs from the 3 Sisters line "Chocolat" in my stash so that's what I'm using. How about you?

Hocuspocusville Block 1

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this stitchery. I bought this as a block of the month through Homestead Hearth last year. I heart Homestead Hearth. This BOM came with different background fabric for each month, muslin backing, and Valdani variegated 6-ply thread in different shades of black. Block 2 is started already. It's so much fun!

Saturday Sewing Marathon & a Flying Pterodactyl

Saturday, I woke up early and started in catching up on some sewing. First on the agenda was catching up on the Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt Along from Moose on the Porch.
Here are blocks 6 and 7.
Block 8 came out today so I need to get working on that one too.

Then I made block 4 from the Quilt Room's Classic Sampler. I love this BOM. The blocks are great and I use the Easy Angle ruler to make the half-square triangles. Easy peasy.

I really was feeling the need to get something finished with all these BOMs floating all over the place. I started working on the 2009 Designer Mystery Quilt finishing kit during the May Silver Thimbles meeting and it is definitely time to get this one finished. I made block 12 then started working on the center medallion.
Look at the size of that flying geese unit! 6" x 12" finished!! That's not a flying geese--that's a flying pterodactyl!!!
Anyone up for busting some major stash and making a flying pterodactyl quilt with me???? Haha!

So the cats and I worked really hard all day. Well, the cats mostly slept or sat on fabric. And here is the quilt except for the two outer borders.
A little inner border and the brown flower outer border and it will be a quilt top! S., who is holding it up in this photo, said "It's square! What can you do with a square quilt?" I said "I don't know it's just the trend now." He thinks quilts need to be rectangular. If I make a flying pterodactyl quilt, it better be rectangular.

Cats Should Have Snooze Buttons

Morpheus, the dear, decided that I needed to get up yesterday at 2:00AM. There was no deterring him from this decision. Thanks Morph love you! No matter what I tried--hugging him close, placing him off the bed, trying to hide under the covers, he kept bugging, pawing, knocking things off the nightstand, and meowing.

Did you ever notice that cats have firm resolve?
I had a big meeting/presentation day at work yesterday.
Did you ever notice cats have an impeccable sense of timing?
I capitulated (CAT-pitulated) and took my pillow out to the couch.
Did you ever notice cats somehow always get what they want?
Morph settled in on the couch back above me and promptly fell asleep. I did not.
I have noticed that a certain 11-pound, four-legged, talkative, persistent, handsome guy controls my universe.
He just wanted a change of scenery. At 2:00AM