Supernova in GREEN

Here is my supernova quilt done with a jelly roll and lots of green kona solid. I practiced some new quilting on this piece doing different types of feathers and straight ruler work for the first time. It was easier than i thought it would be. I also did some texture with pebble. It's very green! here is the tutorial if you like it. http://freshlypieced.blogspot.com/p/supernova-quilt-along.html

awesome way to finish quilt binding

I usually join my binding in the middle of an edge but I recently found this neat way to do a mitered binding corner. I originally used this because i had different colored bindings for all 4 sides of my supernova quilt. Cyndi commented that this might be a neat alternative to joining binding on the edge. SO, I tried it yesterday and its a DO AGAIN! Great idea Cyndi!

Take a look at this method, its pretty neat. Sew each end to 1/4" from the end, making sure you don't catch the other binding. Fold one end down and measure 1/2" over and 1/2" down and mark a dot. Now sew on a line, connecting the two bindings, with a seam from where the two bindings meet(at that 1/4" seam, down to the dot we made, and then back out to where the seam line would have met. Here are better instructions. http://jovaliquilts.blogspot.com/2009/02/stitched-in-corners-binding-tutorial.html

See my pics (which may or may not be in order, Blogger is kinda funny about that). It makes a nice corner! it's easier than it looks!

Name the ram contest

In case you hadn't heard, we bought a ram! He is 1/4 Dorper (the black part) and 3/4 St. Croix. He has a nice hair coat which was a major factor in choosing him. He was born in 2010 and his given name was 'Thing 1'. His twin was named 'Thing 2'. Randy has tentatively named him Captain Jack( because of his black pearls, says Randy), BUT, we already have a Jack so I'm soliciting other suggestions. Come on, send in your name ideas!

Ben is home and came out to watch Fly and I practice. Here are some pictures he took of the gang. This small group is Captain Jack in the front, then Caroline (waiting to see if she will give birth in the next week), Marshmallow, and then Jack.

And here are the rest of the sheep including this years three babies, 150 is Soda (girl from Dr. Pepper), 151 is Rosemary (from Freckles) and 101 is the boy PoP (from Dr. Pepper).

enjoy!

Two borders at the same time, Xs and Os.

This was an awesome border design I found in a book. I quilted both sides at the same time by alternating from inside to outside. I also quilted a fun leaf design in the Xs and Os to set them off.

Cyndi's turtle quilt

This quilt required turtles! I challenged Cyndi to come up with a continuous quilting turtle and she delivered a winner of course! These were fun to quilt but hard because I couldn't see the chalk on the quilt! Enjoy.

feathered circle on charity quilt

Here is another quilt with a free hand feathered circle and some free hand block designs. I get my inspiration from magazines and books. I just love how this between block quilting turned out. Check out the back too!

Charity quilt with modern quilting

Here is a charity quilt that I quilted with a really nice and fast leaf design. Combined with the parallel squiggles, I'm pretty happy with the results. If I was doing it again , i might outline the blocks as well. Look for more squiggles from this quilter!

Snowballs by Rebecca

This is a quilt that Rebecca made as a wedding present. I love this fabric and the pattern! I quilted it with an organic wavy line across the blocks and then a little flower in the corners. Hope they like it!

Quilting for Shirley

Here is a quilt that my sister in law worked on the last few years. Of course she picked a complicated mariners compass for one of her first quilts! But it's just beautiful and I hope the quilting does it justice. It was fun to quilt and there are two layers of Hobbs wool batting.

Drought and Lie down.

We've been trying to lay low here due to the extreme heat. Way too many days over 100 degrees. We've had about 3 minor rains since April or so. Rain 3 was just 5 minutes long today. I know, that's pathetic. I've been watering trees to try to save them. Our pastures are brown with a tinge of green from the first two rains a few weeks ago.

I did attend two clinics this year and both have been very helpful for Fly and myself. In March Jack Knox gave us a clinic and showed how to use a round pen effectively and without stressing the dog. Fly and I made some GREAT progress on actually going 'around' the sheep, rather than 'at' the sheep which is how she was thinking before. I'm actually seeing her go round sheep when its time to pick them up as well.

Then in late June we had a HOT clinic with Gordon Watt (it was unbearable weather). Gordon immediately saw that we have no 'stop'. You just can't make progress with your dog if she won't 'stop' when you ask for it (Lie Down is the command but the dog can sit or stand). So, he set us on a journey around fences with sheep and asking for a Lie down. We are teaching Fly that its OK to relax and actually STOP while NEAR the sheep.

I've really seen a change in her attitude from these two clinics and we are working much quieter and slower now than we used to. I've also made changes to my working attitude which all translates to the dog as well.

Some of you have asked about the breeds of sheep I have. I have mostly St. Croix (all the wethers and 1 ewe) and two Katahdin ewes that have only had 1 lamb between them so far ( a ewe!). Here are some good links for reading on the two breeds. They are both from hot climates and have a good resistance to parasites, which are a huge concern for sheep. Parasites can kill a sheep easily. They are also good, easy mothers.

• Katahdin
• St. Croix

I've been rotating the sheep in the pasture using 320 feet of portable, temporary electric fencing. After a false start we got the hang of it and now the sheep can go about a week or so before I have to move them. It's really working out quite well and will keep the pastures parasite free and it is better for the sheep and the grass. I should be able to get 12-15 weeks out of the field I'm using. I put up a portable shade for them when we don't have a nearby tree.

Here's Fly after we put the sheep in the stall. Look what a good job I did Mommy!

And then taking them back out, nice and easy .

and of course the water break at the end!

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and one final shot of my little herd of 16. The two on the left are babies!.

Baby lambs are SO cute!

Two of our three ewes have delivered and we now have 3 very cute little babies.

This is Dr Pepper with her two babies Soda(female) and Pop(male.

This is Rosemary, Freckles is her mother.