Cat is stable

Our cat has responded to the steroids and is much improved, although still not herself.  The vet has cut her down to one pill a day because two daily would cause health problems in the longer term. She doesn't seem quite as happy as she did on two pills but still has her appetite.  She's going back in for a check up on Tuesday.

I've done a lot of work this week on the dollshouse I'm building. It's starting to look more like an actual house although there is still a long way to go. Still not sure what I will do with it when it's done - it's so much bigger than I imagined when I first bought the kit years ago.   With great trepidation, and keeping my fingers well out of the way, I have even been using the little electric chop saw that I bought on Amazon last year, for trimming up skirting board.  It works really well on wood strip that is narrow enough to fit under the blade.

I posted last week that I had put the envelope blocks onto the design wall.  This week I made up the four remaining blocks which are meant to look like addressed envelopes.

I had some 'stamps' fabric, and I used selvedges for the address portion.  I have since sewed all the blocks into rows, and have started to sew the rows together. It looks good.  Good way to use up odd bits of fabric. The pattern was in an American quilting magazine that I picked up in Paducah a couple of years ago. Although I didn't follow their instructions because their method for cutting and sewing the blocks was incredibly wasteful: sewing big half square triangles together then discarding half the block.  I just cut quarter triangles instead.  My sewing machine is still playing up with its rattling bobbin and bobbin case, but following a tip from online, I have adjusted the bobbin case stopper which has helped a little.

I made up a cushion front from the sashiko sumo embroidery that I stitched last year in Japan, using some sumo prints that I also bought in Japan as a simple frame.  The blue fabric, featuring sumo techniques, will be the back of the cushion. Not sure how I will quilt the front.  I'm excited for Sunday - not because of the England football final like most of the country, but because the Nagoya sumo tournament starts. DH however will be commandeering the television from 8pm, and I'll tape the sumo.

Still plugging away on the Di Ford quilt on the long arm, I'm getting better at simple ruler work.  In the centre I am meandering around the broderie perse appliques.

I've started knitting a cat as an additional housewarming gift for DS - I came across the pattern 'The Scullery Cat' on Facebook and then bought the download through Ravelry.  It has some very complex shaping so I'm having to pay close attention to the instructions row by row.  I'm knitting mine in some cream aran yarn to resemble a white cat.  He and his girlfriends both love cats but she is allergic so they can't have one.