Project Quilting 17.3. The Year of the Horse

 

PQ Challenge 17.3 - Year of the Horse

Rule One: find your inspiration from the turn of the year, in the animal, in our hopes and desires for the near future.

I wish , a hope or desire had occurred to me on Sunday when I opened Kim’s blog for the 3rd challenge. Sometimes I am so literal when I first think about the prompt. I live in Wyoming, we have horses everywhere. They are on our license plates:

There is highway art:

The Steam Locomotive and the railroad were called the Iron Horse in the 19th century.

Statues in front of businesses, (though this is technically not a horse, but a cross between and horse and a donkey, I think)

Even the Chistmas trees sometimes wear cowboy hats.

I don't normally buy horse, western, cowboy fabric. I grew up in the city. A South Dakota city, but city none the less.

I went into the sewing room and spied a charm pack of fabric called Cowboy. I think I won it in a giveaway.There are horses, horse accoutrements (horseshoes, boots, pickup trucks, sheriff badges and of course guitars!)

My brother sometimes wears a cowboy hat.  Though in this photo his grandson has the hat on. 

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When dressed up my BIL wears a cowboy hat though he doesn't have a horse.

Long story short I decided on larger than average mug rugs.  And this is the result. 

There has to be room on the mug rug for a big mug of coffee and a cookie, right?  Or a slab of pie or an order of biscuits and gravy. 

Backing is a piece from my stash. Kinda looks like hay, don’t you think?

Linking up at Persimon Dreams for Project Quilting 17.3.  the Year of the Horse.  I’m linking up today, so I don’t forget tomorrow. I’m sitting in the ER with Mr. Busy. He had an anaphylactic reaction to some candy. These 2 big mug rugs are completed. If I get the binding finished on the other two, I’ll edit my post. 

He’s home, he’s fine and I finished the binding on the 4th and final mug mat at 10:00 pm MST Saturday night. 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy and Hopeful. 

Project Quilting 17.1. A Clean Slate

 

When Kim and Trish released the 17.1 prompt/idea/challenge of A Clean Slate last Sunday, I was stumped a little. I thought about all white, but that was to intimidating. Then I thought about a old time school slate or blackboard. Now they are white boards aren't they?  My mom used the phrase a lot. Let's start over with a clean slate.  It meant a do-over. But if you're going to have a  do-over , you have to have had a to-do list. I love to-do lists. 

I've been following Connie Kresin for years. She blogs at Freemotion By the River.  Her tutorials are awesome and patterns are simple yet stunning. She also has some printables. Calendar pages, to do lists, etc. I had printed January2026 -April 2026 on some purple scrapbook paper that I trimmed to 8/5 X 11. They were hanging from a binder clip hung on a push pin.  Office supplies, that's how I roll!

Aren't this pages cute? 

So thinking again on Monday while Mr. Busy was at Cardiac ReHab ( Physical Therapy), I started looking around my sewing room. I had a older clipboard - black lucite with a lime green clip. New calandars always make me ready to start a clean new slate. Projects to organize, items to check off.  Could I make a cover for the clipboard.  I think I can.  I have Lori Holt's book Spelling Bee.  Lots of alphabets but numbers too. 2026 would be easy. They are kinda big. But a 4 1/2 X 6 1/2  blocks.would just fit.  I was so excited to start that I didn't take one single photo til it was done. 

The clipboard just fits into a slip cover or pillowcase. I did the numbers,stitched them together like a four patch and appliqued the four patch onto the one side of the slipcase. I put a narrow hem at the top and tucked it in so the clip would work. 

The clipboard with pages attached, hanging in the space between my 2 bulletin boards.  If you scroll up you will notice a caricature drawing done of me New Years Eve 2000. I was at Cancer Treatment Centers of American in Zion, Illinois having my first chemo treatment for breast cancer.  They had an artist there doing drawings of all the patients on that floor.  Can't believe  it's been 25 years. 

At the end of the year, I'll take the pages and slip them into the pillowcase and add a ribbon tie. I'm looking forward to keeping good track of finishes , stash IN and OUT,  ideas for PQ and SAHRR.  I am hoping 2026  will truly be a clean slate for me and for my hubby as we go forward after his cardia event filled summer. Phew, I'm glad we are over that. 

I'm sharing at Persimon Dreams 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy and Hopeful!