It’s been decided! 5-3-23

We will leave the Dirty Dozen and Color Challenge as it is and start again July 1. For those who have not participated before the rules are few:

1. Find 12 UFO’s – pick your 12 favorites if you have more than 12.

2. Number them 1-12.

3. I put mine in big ziplock bags especially if there are many pieces or extra fabrics that go with the project.

4. On the first of every month I will draw a number out of the fishbowl and post it here on the blog. Find your corresponding numbered project.

5. The goal is to finish that project before the end of the month.

6. Your description of “finish” is your decision. Maybe just piecing the project is your choice or maybe the whole thing has to be quilted and bound. You decide.

7. There are no quilt police.

8. Take a picture of your project and send to my email – maryehazel2020@gmail.com. Please include your name if you can. A written piece of paper is fine or add your name as a text using the edit tab.

9. I will move your picture to a file outside of my email and will then post on the blog.

10. If you don’t see your photo in a reasonable amount of time, email me so I can locate it or ask you to resend it.

COLOR CHALLENGE

The rules remain pretty much the same but instead of a number I will choose a color out of another fishbowl. You can combine the color with the number or work on two projects or simply work on whichever one you choose.

Didn’t I tell you the “rules” were flexible?

This is what I did this morning – leveled grave markers in the dog cemetery.

There are other dog graves that still need markers – Faye is one and her death anniversary is coming up this month.

It’s a gorgeous perfect day – 60 degrees, sunny and no wind! Unheard of really!

I just finished a 10 episode series on Netflix called Beef. I binged it in two days.

Rick is tilling the garden – so that will be one of my next jobs.

So I guess I’ll grab a sandwich and rake another spot before I quit for the day.

PS – to those of you who have ordered March Madness – I have been so busy working outside that I haven’t finished the diagrams yet.

23 thoughts on “It’s been decided! 5-3-23

  1. Beamer's Mom

    I don’t have any quilts today, but speaking of NetFlix, I HIGHLY recommend two shows we’ve recently watched.

    1)Bloodlines: New to us, but it’s been out and finished for a few years. So, you can watch the entire series now. 3 seasons and less than 30 episodes. Awesome show about a family that lives in Key West Florida in modern times. Sissy Spacek is the mother. There is a black sheep brother that is just TROUBLE. Binge worthy. Foul language but lots of twists and turns and every episode leaves you guessing how the story will end and wanting to stay up late and watch the next episode.

    2)The Diplomat. This is a brand new series that was just released in April. 8 episodes in1st season. This is about 2 US Ambassadors that are married and now living in England. Very interesting the way the political system works. This has not been renewed for a 2nd season but has very high ratings so they believe there will be another season coming.

    1. Mary Etherington Post author

      Beamer’s mom – I watched Bloodlines when it first came out and loved it! I will look for The Diplomat. I always appreciate a recommendation.

  2. Diane, Squeak, and Buddy in Central Ohio

    Thanks for the recommendations, Beamer’s Mom. With the writer’s strike I think we’ll rely more on PBS and now Netflix. Mary, I love the DD. Sometimes my DD even has the picked color in it—win,win. But, I also like the flexibility to make Baby quilt, QOV, or another one for a gift if I need to. The DD really motivates me to FINISH UP! Our neighbor in Western NY had little handmade concrete markers for her kitties. She was a cat lover and so nice. I remember some of the names: Buster, Boots, Tabby etc.
    We are slowly warming up. Only 42* now, but less wind. Sun is actually out right now😀

  3. Sue Hoover

    Very good! I’ll have my list ready for the July 1st kickoff! Thank you for organizing this challenge … and it most definitely is a challenge! ha!

  4. Vicki Ibarra

    Sounds great. For my “maybe make some day” list, I challenge myself to use a piece of fabric I bought over the years that I still have stashed. It becomes my challenge to use one of those pieces somehow for that month’s project. I have so much fabric I guess you could say I still have UFO’s, but I look at it as a ready supply for creative dreaming/making. I have added pictures from the DD readers to my “maybe make some day” folder as I am taken by just how creative everyone is.

    1. Mary Etherington Post author

      Vicki – I agree about the creativity – I am impressed!

    2. Jill Klop

      I did that for my yellow challenge!! I’ve got some fabric right now that I’m searching for the right project!

  5. Sandy

    Hi Mary, l had to wipe a tear from my eye reading the grave stones for the dogs, they are such wonderful memories. I am watching a lot of Netflix these days, the diplomat was great, bletchley park another.l must get organized for DD again, and weed out a couple of projects l think l will move on to charity groups.Take care everyone, best wishes from Sandy

  6. Jill Klop

    Mary – I haven’t commented in way too long! I’ve been busy with volunteering for Days for Girls, my quilt challenge has taken a back seat! I keep watching and maybe I’ll get something done again one of these months. If life isn’t busy enough, it’s looking like we’re going to foster a beagle! I’ve never fostered before. My husband is sure it will more like we will be adopting a beagle!

  7. Jo in Wyoming

    The markers are precious.
    Loretta is busy with woodpecker patrol, she does a great job and sleeps tight at night. She goes for a buzz cut next week and will look like a puppy again.
    It is beautiful here in southeast Wyoming. Slight breeze and warm. Perfect. I’d love it like this all summer.

  8. NancyTD

    The grave stones are very touching. When our dog passed—- our son made a coffin and wrapped the dog in his baby quilt I had made him. Then we planted coral bells on his grave. Very touching.
    Nice day today— sun and NO wind. Caught up on some yard work. Things are slow with this chilly weather.
    Don’t work too hard. Stop and sit awhile and enjoy the weather. I did. Glad we are doing the DD again! Thanks for all your hard work.

  9. Julie B from Cedar Falls

    Hi Mary…all of our pups are buried on the hill by our house, but we don’t have grave markers…I still miss my Cassie and Sadie so much…Cassie was a rat terrier…we got her 41 yrs ago as a tiny puppy and had her 16 years. Sadie was a St. Bernard/chow mix…the sweetest dog ever. She looked like a chow with black tongue and LOTS of hair, but had the personality of the St. Bernard. Our girls were in junior high…early 90’s and had her for 16 years too. We have not had any dogs since we put Sadie down.

    I loved today’s weather…I spent the afternoon outside. I bartered a quilt for a Blackstone Griddle and today was the first day I could spend the time seasoning the griddle, but got it done. I cooked onions and burgers on it. I am excited to cook all summer on it.

    Track meet for Soren tomorrow in Davenport…so grandma will be on the road for the 3rd day this week. I travelled to DeWitt Sunday and Tuesday for band concerts. It is hard to believe graduation is only 3 weeks away.

    Take care and don’t overdo…stop and enjoy the sunshine and warm temps.

  10. Jeanine in Iowa

    We had a beautiful day in Oskaloosa today. My husband and I planted some more garden this morning. We have most of it in, but haven’t gotten any tomato plants yet. Also waiting to plant cucumbers. It was so nice out. So grateful for no wind today. My two cats wanted to help me plant, but they were sometimes a nuisance. They would lay in the rows I made. They are so much fun. They will be 1 year old tomorrow. My daughter in North Dakota brought them to us last summer, but they are barn cats. They just love being outside checking things out.

  11. Cheryl from Niagara Falls

    Aww. Those markers are so touching. We never did that. Buried in our backyard. Always such a horrible day. I guess I am happy to say I don’t have many UFO so I will not be joining. Fun idea though!

  12. Pamela Dempsey

    Such sweet grave markers Mary! We had a wooden cross that had “rest in peace” I made for Halloween one year and it rests above Emily’s grave and planted flowers there. I need to put her name on it, I still miss her so much. New picture of Penny and Lucy 😻coming your way!

    1. Mary Etherington Post author

      Pamela – I am quite sure Emily is looking down on those sweet kittens! I think they love their cat tree, don’t they? I will write about the let markers tomorrow.

  13. Bonnie in central Illinois

    We have had terrible cold temps and winds with gusts of 50 mph here in central Illinois. Seven people were killed in a dust storm on Monday on Rt. 55 near our state capital of Springfield. Zero visibility and over 70 vehicles crashed – still trying to identify two of the victims – so very sad. Today is sunny and not windy at last. I am working on a tshirt quilt made with all Alabama tshirts. It will be donated to a charity auction in Alabama to raise money for suicide awareness. We spend our winters in Alabama and have two grandchildren there. I went plant shopping today but can’t put annuals in the ground until Mother’s Day – so hard to wait! Loved your pet cemetary.

    1. Mary Etherington Post author

      Bonnie – we heard about that horrible dust storm and horrific crashes on the interstate. We have had the Sam weather here until today which was a perfect day. Then I make the mistake of overworking my poor body.

  14. Kathy in western NY

    I never have seen pet grave stone markers. We have a wooden cross for our Westin terrier plot, an area of flowers over cat graves, and it makes me sad whenever I pause to look at them so I am not sure I could do it for my other dogs or cats. I still get tears in my eyes outside missing them.
    I too am working on a tee shirt quilt for my first time. Wasn’t on my DD list but had to be done so glad it’s almost finished and that pile of tee shirts is gone. And finally this cold spell will be done after tomorrow.

    1. Mary Etherington Post author

      Kathy – the first two markers I bought were actually from a funeral home – they are about 6” thick and they were expensive – I’d better not even say how much. I even had a sketch of the dogs on the markers.

  15. Wendy P

    Thanks for doing the Dirty Dozen, Mary. I haven’t made much progress on my list for various reasons. However, it has been great for getting me more aware of all my ufo’s and a monthly reminder to work on something to move it a little bit further to being finished.

  16. Kathy Hanson

    Sounds good! I have gotten behind so will look forward to a “restart” in July!!

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