Archie The Wonder Dog

As promised I'm back with a finish...I have to confess that this quilt has been finished for a couple of months and I've been patiently waiting to learn the name of the baby so I could make the label.  I knew it was going to be a girl but, if I'm honest, I didn't let that affect my fabric choice.  A couple of people asked why I chose a blue fabric for the back when I knew it was going to a girl but I really don't think it matters.  (And Paddington was too cute to turn down!)  While I was piecing this (and the other baby quilt I made at the same time) I pictured lots of time spent playing 'Spot the cat/dog/fish' and then Mummy and Daddy making up stories about the characters in the quilt.  I deliberately didn't use all picture fabric in the quilt as I wanted to get a nice balance of colours use what I had in my stash and I really like the way it's turned out.   40" square.  I used Polydown for a nice puffy look (and it dries quite quickly!)

Archie would like to thank you for all the well wishes you have sent and he wants you to know he's had all his staples removed and his ear is healing well!  I took him back to the vet this morning and, after about 10 minutes of Helen/Archie wrestling, all six staples were on the table.  I've got to confess that it distressed him more than I'd expected (hope this isn't going to be too much detail but the scab had formed over the staples so she had to take that off before she could get to them) and by the time she'd taken four out I had to ask her to put a muzzle on him as he didn't want my hand clamped round his snout and was fighting and growling.  He's usually so placid and obedient so it was plainly hurting.  Once I was just holding him still rather than trying to stop him snapping at the vet (!) it was much easier.  Archie was fine the moment the muzzle was removed and he was on the floor (he hates being on the table and he shakes so much the table rock

I don't think there are words to express how grateful and appreciative I am for the warm and supportive welcome I have received.   Lynne is so incredibly supportive of new bloggers and so are her followers so...thank you!  I have promised Lynne that when I hit 1300 followers I shall return the favour but by then I don't think we'll have blogs; we will transport a portion of ourselves into the ether for face-to-face chats while the remaining portion stays behind and stitches!  Thank you for all the lovely comments; were you all being kind and not pointing it out or did you genuinely not notice the typo in the title?!  Note to self...when you proofread the post, remember to include the title I think I may compose a list of bloggy rules for myself, like Gibbs' rules in NCIS!  I wanted to reply to all of you but quite a few of you are 'no-reply' bloggers and I couldn't reply so "Thank you for comments"! As this is intended to be a blog about quilt

I thought I should introduce you to Alfie...he's my mam and dad's dog but he often spends the day (or night) here with me and Archie.  Unlike Archie, who carefully avoids any fabric on the floor and will tiptoe round a quilt being tacked or blocked, Alfie believes fabric on the ground is like a stage and he feels obliged to tap dance on it.  I recently needed to block a quilt on the front room carpet while Alfie was staying for an extended holiday and I had to put boxes and jars all the way round the edge to stop him dancing on it - thankfully I didn't have any friends dropping in for a cup of tea!  So, without further ado, here's Alfie (who's strong on instinct but was behind the door when brains were being given out) and one of his beloved tennis balls... Despite his grizzled appearance he's two years younger than Archie (who's 11) and he loves nothing more than a good 'rough and tumble' play with Archie, who can think of nothing worse so this

Here goes nothing...the first posting on my blog! About 18 months ago I was adamant I wasn't starting a blog ("Why would anyone read it?" "I'm not sure I have anything to say that isn't already on another blog") but recently I've started to think about changing my mind!  I'm not any more confident that people will read and enjoy my posts or that I have anything different to say, it's more that I quite fancy dipping my toe in the blogging pool and seeing if I like it.  This morning I got a nudge from  Nicky of Mrs Sew and Sow about starting a blog and it seems it was just what I needed to get started!  I expect that my blog will mainly be about my obsession with quilting (and embroidery, crochet and knitting, but mainly quilting!) so I have no idea why I've named it after my dog, except that it's the name that came to mind when I was setting up my Flickr account and it makes sense to keep the same name. So, after all that I think