Saturday Stitching

Today I made how-to samples for the March/April 2014 issue of McCall's Quilting, including these cute little pieces of patchwork, made with Simplicity's new EZ Quilting mini keychain templates:

Darlene Zimmerman helped design these and there are over a dozen shapes available, all scaled to work with Jelly Roll strips (you can also use them with fabric scraps and yardage, of course). I think they'd make wonderful gifts for quilty friends. At $4.99 each (on the Simplicity website), you could probably give them to your whole quilting bee!

And while I was upstairs sewing, here's what was going on downstairs:

Yep, Zuzu made herself a quilt tent. Extreme cuteness.

Puppy Quilt Love

The December 2013/January 2014 issue of McCall's Quick Quilts is now available on newsstands and online at Quilt and Sew Shop, and it has a pattern inside that's dear to my heart. Here it is... Zuzu's Car Quilt!

This project was great fun to make, and it's really quick and easy. Wouldn't your favorite dog like a version of this design as a holiday or birthday or anyday gift? There's also a completely free pattern for the coordinating tote bag on the Quick Quilts website:

Toys not included!

I'll tell you a little secret. Although the quilting pattern of interlocking dog biscuit shapes is included in the pattern, and I did use it on the tote front and back, on the sides of the tote I quilted Zuzu's name over and over. I'm afraid I have a serious case of puppy love  :)  Hope you enjoy these designs as much as I enjoyed creating them!

Zuzu's Photo Shoot

Photo by Mellisa Karlin Mahoney, courtesy of McCall's Quick Quilts magazine

Awhile back, Zuzu posed in the McCall's Quilting photo studio with her car quilt and tote bag ensemble. The quilt pattern is in the December 2013/January 2014 issue of McCall's Quick Quilts, and we just got our preview copies today. This isn't the exact photo used in the magazine, and it hasn't been cropped or anything, but isn't she cute? She loves to pose, especially when her Aunt Mellisa, textile photographer extraordinaire, is behind the camera. So, consider this a teaser. Once the issue has shipped to subscribers and newsstands, I'll blog about the project once more.

Did I mention she's cute?  :)

Quilting Can Wait

My dog Zuzu is what they call an "aggressive chewer". She's actually good about not chomping on things she shouldn't have (for the most part), but compared to her size, her chewing powers are WAY advanced. She's been known to destroy an entire hard rubber toy in an hour or so, and no rawhide has a chance in her presence.

Today when I got home from work, I found these:

Both the dinosaur and the giraffe were leaking stuffing, among other injuries. These are two of her favorite toys, so I broke the rule about quilters not doing mending and gave them each a few sutures. The effort paid off in spades:

Happy Zuzu, happy home. Sometimes quilting has to wait.

Top Five Reasons Quilters Love Their Pets

Meet my poodle/lhasa apso/maltese mix, Zuzu. She's a year and a half old, and she makes me laugh every day. She's also going to be in the January 2014 issue of McCall's Quick Quilts, modeling her car quilt and coordinating tote bag. So many quilters love, love, love their pets, and for very good reasons. These get my nomination for the top five:

1. They neither question nor object to the acquisition of new fabric.
2. They're content to sit by your feet or by your side during marathon sewing sessions.
3. They remind us that EVERYTHING can be seen as fun, including fabric scraps, dangling iron cords, starch overspray, and unguarded batting.
4. They don't mind if you don't take time to make a "real" dinner, as long as the snacks keep coming.
5. And they genuinely appreciate and love to snuggle up in our work (see Exhibit A above).

If you have a pet, I'd love to hear how they support you in your quilting. Pet stories are great!