Time flying and good things and sad

You know it's been too long between posts when you have to look up your password to get into your blog! I have been sewing and "creating" but haven't been in the mood for posting. In August I wrote that my dear, sweet, Merry dog was going downhill. A few days after that post, on August 26, I lost her. It has been difficult to adjust to the huge, doggy-shaped hole in my life. But I was fortunate that until her last week or so she was comfortable and happy to just keep me company as I worked in my office, sewed or sat in the living room. Some of us are lucky to have a once-in-a-lifetime dog, and I was double blessed to have her for almost 17 years.

Back to sewing topics! My Tybee Fireworks II went to the Houston show as part of the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative and sold. I was very pleased. A friend of a friend was going to take a picture of it hanging but by the time he got there it had sold. TFII was one of a series of four similar works, one I'm keeping and the other two are in progress and will be put up for sale when I decide what direction I want to go, online or shows or both.

Right now I'm working on a different, but similar project. Recently on the Treadle On list our fearless leader proposed a triangle quilt as a group project. I don' t need any more projects (who does) but realized that I have avoided working with equilateral triangles. Bias and points and all that. So I decided I'd challenge myself to do a small piece, to get more comfortable with the shape. Once I started thinking I realized the triangles would be a great background for a small appliqued wall hanging, so that's where I'm going now. I've found that starch is your friend when doing these triangles. I like the Dryel Starch Alternative, but am having a terrible time finding it, it's no longer in the local stores and is hard to find online.

Progress is pretty good, with the background assembled – 45 3.5 inch triangles – and the applique in progress. I'll post more when it's closer to a finish.