Jack's Quilt

The Zoo Quilt for Jack Kirby

I was finally able to give this quilt to its proper owner last night. John's friend Jeremy and wife Sara brought 10 week old Jack up to visit his family and we were able to drive out to Snoqualmie to spend some time with them. They really loved the quilt and started using it right away.

This quilt went through a long planning process. John and I wanted to do something with animals, especially elephants and rhinos, because of Jeremy's zoo career. We thought about an oasis with a palm tree and a couple of animals, but eventually decided on the "zoo animal" look. We found some fabric with animals that weren't too babyish, John scanned and enlarged them for me, then I cut out each piece and appliqued them onto the grass and sky block backgrounds. I thought about adding bars to the blocks, but I like it better without, sort of a free-range zoo feel. This is the most detailed applique project I have done and I really like how it turned out.

Enjoy Kirbys! And Welcome Jack!

Rough Day

We sat on the porch for a while yesterday reading, knitting, and enjoying the sun.

In the evening we went down to Gig Harbor to visit our friends who run Camp Agape for a week each summer. It's a beautiful place and seems to be a good time for families of children with cancer to connect and get a break from all the stress that goes along with it.

I should have pics of our trip up in the next day or two, just need to collect them all from various devices.

The Bark Collar

"Sleeping in the Doghouse" has been starting to become a bit too literal lately. We have dealt with baying hounds for a long time, but now that we live in a paper-walled townhouse with lots of people and dogs around we have received a couple complaints about them. The last option available to us was a bark collar. John found one online that senses both noise and vibration, has multiple settings and strengths of shock, and the ability to increase in voltage as the barking continues. The dog basically has control over how much he is shocked.

Here is Tony, the model.

And Daisy, just after her turn wearing it.

It's just the first day, but Daisy is already taking to it quite "well". Only a few times has she been shocked and it stopped her barking pretty much immediately. I have been reluctant to get one for them (John has been pushing it for years) because it seems so cruel, but now it seems we don't have a choice. I am looking forward to not having to yell at them to stop all the time and being able to leave without worrying how much they're howling. Hopefully this will do the trick and they won't have to wear it for very long.