Spirit Song Quilt Progress and a Puppy Update

Look, you guys -- all of my Spirit Song Birds In the Air blocks are sewn together!  The top row of three 16" blocks are connected, and the remaining three rows have two blocks connected and one more block needing to be attached.  This phase is going MUCH more smoothly now that all of my seams are nestling nicely again, but alas -- my studio is not at all puppy-proofed, so I'm not getting in much machine sewing time these days!

Spirit Song Quilt Coming Along

I sewed and pressed exactly ONE seam this morning.  The rest of Sam's morning nap was taken up with laundry.  Hopefully I'll get back up to the Studio later today.  It's so exciting when a quilt top nears the finish line, isn't it?

Joining Blocks Into Rows

I've been piecing this quilt on my smaller Bernina 475QE while the bigger machine (the Bernina 750QE) has been set up for paper piecing.  I have a block all cut out, foundation papers printed, ready to go for Anders' Beware the Ishmaelites sampler, and had even pulled fabrics and printed foundation papers for a 16" star block for our guild's new Community Education Blocks on the Move program, but then so many guild members stepped up to create and donate blocks for the program that I now have more mini quilts for the display than fit on the display racks!  That takes the pressure off me to make one right this minute.  

Samwise at 4 Mos., AKA Mister Snuggle-Bucket

The adorable puppy you see pictured above weighs 49 pounds at 4 months old, and although he has learned to go UP the stairs from the first to the second floor of our home, he is afraid to come DOWN those stairs.  So every morning, my husband opens Sam's crate in our bedroom to get him out, and Sam sits in the back of the crate and won't come out until I get down on the floor next to the crate -- THEN he comes running out straight into my arms, tail wagging furiously, and plops down belly-up for cuddles and puppy kisses.  And then I have to CARRY THE 49 POUND PUPPY DOWN THE STAIRS so he can go outside and pee!  

I'll Be Strong 'Til the Finish if I Eats Me Spinach, Like Popeye the Sailor Man

I prefer my spinach served fresh in salads...  But I really do need to teach Sam to walk down those stairs on his own, before I fall and we BOTH get hurt!

Back to the quilting that is currently not getting done.  I still need fabric for borders:

Original Border Plan, 3/4 Inch Inner Border and 1.25 Inch Outer Border

I was originally planning something like that for the borders, kind of a mustardy outer border with a skinny teal blue inner border.  That would give me a 52" x 68" quilt top.  But then today I played around some more in EQ8:

One Inch Inner Border, Three Inch Outer Border

That's an Anna Maria Horner print for the outer border, I believe.  Increasing the borders to 1" for the inner and 3" for the outer border would bring the quilt top up to 56" x 72" before quilting.

My Favorite So Far.  Kaffe Fassett Border Fabrics

Of course, these are just fabric images in the computer, not actual yardage that I own.  I think I'm going to need to take the finished quilt top to a quilt shop and audition border fabrics in person to make a final decision.

My One Monthly Goal for March -- Quilt-wise -- is to get this top assembled with borders purchased and sewn on!  My One Monthly Goal for the puppy is to teach him to walk down the stairs before we both stumble and plummet to our deaths.  

I'm linking up todays post with:

·       One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts  

·       Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

·       Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts  

·       Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

·       BOMs Away Katie Mae Quilts  

·       Colour and Inspiration Tuesday at Clever Chameleon

·       To-Do Tuesday at Home Sewn By Us

·       Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication

·       Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation