I warned you.

I sewed a ginormous dog bed for Hazel to use in the kitchen.  Well, more specifically, the tiny hallway space adjacent to the kitchen.  Breezer, our last dog, used to hang out in this very spot because she could be in on all the action, watching us all go about our days.  Unlike Breezer, who stayed put most of the time, Hazel follows me around the house like, well, a puppy.  It's quite cute until you are stepping on her, ahem, while trying to pack the lunch boxes or make dinner.  So I made her a bed.  And, I think she likes it, even if it is rather large (about 52" x 30" finished).

I used Patchwork Promenade from the County Fair line by Denyse Schmidt because it has the patchwork look without all the piecing. It's also home dec weight which is perfect for something that is going to get slobbered on and washed almost weekly.  I quilted two panels with freeform loops - one for the top and one for the bottom.  I put a zipper in one side of the cushion so the insert can be removed for washing.  After the zipper was in, I quilted the side panels with straight-ish lines.  The fabrics on the sides and the piping (all 10 yards!) are from that same fabric line.  For the insert, I used an old sheet and stuffed it with about 4 pounds of poly-fil.  Everything came from my stash except the zipper and the piping - bonus!

It felt good to get back to the sewing machine after a long break.  I didn't realize how much I missed it.  I was also happy with how it came together even though there were some missteps along the way.  Bad measuring, wonky quilting, less than perfect corners - they really don't matter.  It is a dog bed, for goodness sake.

This isn't the end of sewing for the dog either.  Just saying.

I warned you.

I sewed a ginormous dog bed for Hazel to use in the kitchen.  Well, more specifically, the tiny hallway space adjacent to the kitchen.  Breezer, our last dog, used to hang out in this very spot because she could be in on all the action, watching us all go about our days.  Unlike Breezer, who stayed put most of the time, Hazel follows me around the house like, well, a puppy.  It's quite cute until you are stepping on her, ahem, while trying to pack the lunch boxes or make dinner.  So I made her a bed.  And, I think she likes it, even if it is rather large (about 52" x 30" finished).

I used Patchwork Promenade from the County Fair line by Denyse Schmidt because it has the patchwork look without all the piecing. It's also home dec weight which is perfect for something that is going to get slobbered on and washed almost weekly.  I quilted two panels with freeform loops - one for the top and one for the bottom.  I put a zipper in one side of the cushion so the insert can be removed for washing.  After the zipper was in, I quilted the side panels with straight-ish lines.  The fabrics on the sides and the piping (all 10 yards!) are from that same fabric line.  For the insert, I used an old sheet and stuffed it with about 4 pounds of poly-fil.  Everything came from my stash except the zipper and the piping - bonus!

It felt good to get back to the sewing machine after a long break.  I didn't realize how much I missed it.  I was also happy with how it came together even though there were some missteps along the way.  Bad measuring, wonky quilting, less than perfect corners - they really don't matter.  It is a dog bed, for goodness sake.

This isn't the end of sewing for the dog either.  Just saying.

Thank you for all the nice well wishes and comments!  I wish I could give every single one of you a little something, but alas, there are only four lucky winners.

Number 560 is Jessica B

Number 343 is Nancy

Number 573 is hkordsmeier

Number 319 is Angela C.

Please email me at hillroad at bellsouth dot net with your mailing address and we will get talking about your custom curated fabric stack!

Back here tomorrow - see you then.

Thank you for all the nice well wishes and comments!  I wish I could give every single one of you a little something, but alas, there are only four lucky winners.

Number 560 is Jessica B

Number 343 is Nancy

Number 573 is hkordsmeier

Number 319 is Angela C.

Please email me at hillroad at bellsouth dot net with your mailing address and we will get talking about your custom curated fabric stack!

Back here tomorrow - see you then.

I've been organizing the studio and I've officially run out of room for the fabric.  Seriously, all the shelves are full and there is still some to put away.

And Sunday was the four year anniversary of the start of this blog. Holy smokes, does time ever fly!

So, in celebration of the last four years and five days of House on Hill Road and all the support you have given me along the way, I'm giving away fabric.  (See how that works?).  Leave a comment on this post before Sunday, August 22 at 5:00 p.m. EST and I will enter your name in the random number generator's pot for one of four fabric stacks.  If you are among the lucky four winners, I will ask you a few questions about your fabric and color likes and dislikes and then put together a stack just for you.  Yes, you get some say in the matter!  I'm thinking it'll be about 1 to 1 1/2 yards per stack, maybe with some trims and other surprises for good measure.  Sound good?

To be clear, you are not in a drawing for the ten lovely piles as shown above.  And you must check back on Monday morning to see if you won.  I will not be emailing the winners - logistically, it is very hard to do.

OK then.  Back here on Monday! Happy weekend to you all!

I'm here. I've been to Milwaukee, with a quick pit stop in Chicago, and the girls are at Camp Grandma, but really, I'm here.  I'm trashing out my house and it is so cathartic. I dropped two big bags off at Goodwill this morning and I'm getting ready to go through all that yarn, plus some more in my studio and donate it to some charity knitters.  I spent over an hour folding fabric while listening to This American Life podcasts.  The studio is close to being really clean again - that feels good too. 

There's some top secret room painting happening for Kate (from green to pale blue per her request) and I did a quick run through of Jane's room with a trash bag.  I wish I were as brave as Blair, but I know that wouldn't go over well at all so Jane is going to have to go through the rest with me. 

We have lots of little tomatoes ripening in the garden and some big ones ripening on our kitchen windowsill.  I think we'll harvest the carrots and the potatoes this weekend.  And that will pretty much be the end of our summer.  School starts Wednesday and I think the girls are ready to go back.  They are both thrilled about their teachers and the uniforms and lunch boxes are ready to go.  I am looking forward to getting reacquainted with my sewing machine - it's been serviced and tuned and is now ready to sew.  I'll have some camera straps for the shop within the next few weeks and probably some scrap bags too.  Maybe even a few other things if the stars align.

I'm here. I've been to Milwaukee, with a quick pit stop in Chicago, and the girls are at Camp Grandma, but really, I'm here.  I'm trashing out my house and it is so cathartic. I dropped two big bags off at Goodwill this morning and I'm getting ready to go through all that yarn, plus some more in my studio and donate it to some charity knitters.  I spent over an hour folding fabric while listening to This American Life podcasts.  The studio is close to being really clean again - that feels good too. 

There's some top secret room painting happening for Kate (from green to pale blue per her request) and I did a quick run through of Jane's room with a trash bag.  I wish I were as brave as Blair, but I know that wouldn't go over well at all so Jane is going to have to go through the rest with me. 

We have lots of little tomatoes ripening in the garden and some big ones ripening on our kitchen windowsill.  I think we'll harvest the carrots and the potatoes this weekend.  And that will pretty much be the end of our summer.  School starts Wednesday and I think the girls are ready to go back.  They are both thrilled about their teachers and the uniforms and lunch boxes are ready to go.  I am looking forward to getting reacquainted with my sewing machine - it's been serviced and tuned and is now ready to sew.  I'll have some camera straps for the shop within the next few weeks and probably some scrap bags too.  Maybe even a few other things if the stars align.

We're busy putting stuff back into the kitchen.  I'll be back here with the book winner and probably something else later this week. Take care.