Month: January 2018

Dog Prep: The Instantly Changeable Dog Bed

| ellenanneeddy


We’re excitedly waiting to adopt Chloe!  For those of you who bought quilts, we did it!. We think we’ve reached our goal. Not only do we have adoption fees coming, all three cats and Lotus need their shots updated. We’re hoping for our application to clear soon. If you bought a quilt, Thank you! It’s making this possible.

Cara

For fun,  and as a thank you, I thought I’d share my favorite dog bed recipe. I developed these after living with Cara, who was a magnificent greyhound with a small problem. As she got older, she started waking up wet.  We needed to be able to change her bed at a moment’s notice. This was the answer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instantly Changeable Dog Bed

I use 

  • 1/2  of a four inch deep slab of foam from Joann’s
  • 2  plastic leaf size garbage bags
  • duct tape

 

Put the slab of foam into the black plastic bag. If it’s not big enough, put the slab in from the other side. Seal it with duct tape.

Baby crib sheet

You can purchase a baby sheet. But they’re easy to make.

To make a baby crib sheet you’ll need a

  • Serger
  • 1 7/8ths yard of soft cotton fabric 45: wide
  • 1 pk of 3/8″ elastic

Cut a 9″ square out of each corner of the fabric. Sew the diagonal corners together. Apply gathered elastic around the edge.  

Basic RGB

For extra comfort add

  • a baby pad for moisture protection
  • An old quilt

Lotus loves her beds. But she’s not the only one. Lewis truly believes they’re just for him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ll be leaving up the sale quilts for a week or so and will add a few more pieces as I clean the studio out more.  Check on the Quilts for Sale and Small Quilts for sale page for some amazing quilt bargains or check the Etsy shop.

If you’ve already purchased a quilt, thank you so much! It’s making our dream for a new dog come true!

Off the Grid: Experimenting Because You Can

| ellenanneeddy
9026-28 Artifacts, Dragonfly 2

It’s felt very odd not to be teaching on the road. My health has not permitted it, my husband has not encouraged it, and the demand is mostly gone. For a long while, I think my body decided it was a good time to sleep.

So the drive to create went on vacation until I was able to get out of bed. And the physical strength to work on large tapestries will have to be built up again. It’s a physical activity. It takes muscle.

So I’ve taken to playing with little things. I’m working on a project with Irish crochet in yarn. I’ll show you that later.

I’ve also been playing with oil stick rubbing.

 

866 Arabesque Rose

I know. I know. It’s not in vogue anymore. And it’s stinky. I know. I still think the look is amazing. I’ve been trying to incorporate it into quilts and have loved the look of it. It’s something structured in my very non-structured head.

I did a curtain of nothing but scraps of oil rubbed fabric. Then I started to think about what a small work would look like if that were the start.

 

 

 

 

920 Artifacts: Dragonfly 4

I stitched them with metallic thread to give them sparkle. They were beautiful but subtle. I don’t ordinarily do subtle.

So I added some neat brass findings, silk roses and novelty yarn. They were still subtle.

I worried about that for about three minutes and decided subtle might not be a bad thing.

919-18 Butterfly 2

So here they are. I’ve called the Artifacts, because I see them as found work rather than original embroidery. They’re sort of a collage in oil rubbing and stitching.

So let me know. What do you think? Every time you start an experiment, you have no idea where it might go.

These quilts are on sale in my etsy shop.

Quilts, Housecleaning, and Puppies

| ellenanneeddy

2017 was not a productive year for art. I finished and published my book, Sight Unseen. I published Don’s book With Patience Wait. But most of the year I spent on my back with two knees so bad I couldn’t walk without damaging my feet.

I’m personally aware and in a relationship with every crack in the ceiling. That’s ok. This last November, I got my first new knee. I’m up and rolling with my walker and sometimes just on a cane. It’s a brave new world, but what I’m most thankful for is to be able to do the small necessities. Dinner. Laundry. To be able to pick up something on the floor. To be in more than one room in a day.

DSC00037During that time we lost our greyhound Zeke. Zeke was a lovely silly boy, who had epilepsy. His illness finally became medically unmanageable.

lotusWe miss him. Horribly. But Lotus, our remaining greyhound,  is a mess. Greys are used to being in a pack. She has her kitties, but we know she’s still grieving Zeke and wishes one of us would put on a greyhound suit and run with her.

So, after all that medical stuff and all those medical bills, we’re looking for a greyhound girl to add to our pack.

DSC02675We think we’ve found one. We found a beautiful fawn named Champaign. She’s three years old, and clearly taken to Don, although she liked me too.

DSC02653.JPG

Of course, we need to get everyone at home up to code. So we’re looking at the vet bill from hell.

719 Lady Mantis
719 Lady Mantis

In the middle of this, I’ve been looking at the quilts I’ve horded for the last 30 years. I’ve always sold my work, but I kept certain quilts back. I have two huge suitcases full of quilts that should really be enjoyed on someone’s walls.

They tell me the essence of cleaning is to get rid of things you aren’t using. You can’t say you’re using quilts in a suitcase unless you’re taking the suitcase somewhere regularly. Which I am currently not doing.

So for the next little while, I’m putting a number of works on sale. Most of them work out to half the asking price on them. I’m doing it because I do need the money and the quilts deserve better than life in a box.

If you’ve ever wanted a quilt of mine this is a very good time to buy one. You’ll find Lady Mantis at my etsy shop and on my web page you’ll find a listing of quilts for sale under the embroidered tapestry tab at the top of my site. Click on the quilts for sale tab and you’ll find the quilts. Or you can check my Etsy store to purchase quilts directly. Any problems or questions, email me.