Tuesday To-Do #35: The Skunk Whisperer

Welcome to another round of to-do's on the

Let's talk about last week's goals...

1) Photograph Festive Firs and list in shop
Not done.  


The short story is, I just didn't get to it.
The longer one:
Wind, rain and even the position of the sun have
kept me from getting this done.   I'll keep trying but
my frustration in this area is high.  My house is not
bright enough so it has to be outside.  And here we
are coming up on winter so it's going to be even
more frustrating.  I've been looking all over the Internet
for ideas but I haven't found anything that works for me
My next idea is to walk around Lowe's because I just
know I can figure something out there.

2) Finish Joyful Junipers
Sort of.


The main portion of this one is done but I'm at a
standstill until a border fabric arrives in the mail.

3) Start on daughter's winter themed quilt.
Done.

I've chosen another tree pattern but this
one is a little easier (no teeny tiny stars!).



My daughter wants it in black/white and that has
piqued my interest.  I'll need to hit the LQS to top
off what I have in the stash but I've already started
cutting this one out.

Now, all that quilting aside, I've been working pretty
hard around the house cleaning and scrubbing to
get ready for the holidays.  I also want to remove any
clutter and take care of naggy little things that I've put
off so I can go into the holidays relaxed, you know?  


I finally finished a little pillow project that a friend asked
me to take on.  The deadline is January so I kind of put
it off but now I need the physical (and mental!) space.


I didn't want to just stuff them with poly-fil because the
result isn't always smooth.  Being small and odd-sized,
 I had to just make some pillow forms, and then I came
up with a great idea: to make them with batting.


I zig-zagged around the outside,
leaving an opening for stuffing.


Stuffed it...


...and zig-zag stitched it up.

It has a nice smooth surface and should the stuffing
settle out of the corners a bit, the batting is still there,
thick enough to keep the structure.
I have a mountain of batting scraps so I'll likely never
 buy a pillow form again.  Buying only the stuffing is
so much cheaper and it just takes minutes to make!

In other news...
I made some excellent progress on holiday cleaning
over the weekend--things that haven't been cleaned
in a very long time--like light fixtures.   I am excited
at the huge amount I got done and yet a little down
because I know there is so much more to do.  It's a
grand start though and if I can just keep at it, oh
the relief I would feel!

Things are picking up in my shop which is amazing and 
fun so I want to get as many quilts in as I can by Dec 1.
But I want to finish the cleaning, too.  I'm still committed 
to squeezing in a little golf here and there for exercise--and
there are so few warm days left.  I could go on but I think
you get the idea.  I'm grateful to have so many things to
enjoy--yes, even cleaning my home--but I need more
hours in the day!  LOL

Right now, we'll just look to next week:

1) Photograph Festive Firs and list in shop
This includes a trip to Lowe's.

2) Finish Joyful Junipers top and quilt if time

3) Make daughter's quilt top

4) Consider next quilt for shop

There.  I made a list.
I feel better already!

Lastly, I want to share a bit of, uh, excitement? I had
last week.   We've been setting a live trap just outside
our bedroom window in hopes of catching the latest
opossum we've seen around here.  After a week of no
interest, I first found a squirrel in it.   Not what I was
after but they are out of control here and tearing
things up so, okay.  We set it again and I'd forgotten
about it until two days later when, walking by as
I was doing yard work, I stepped over to see if we'd
caught anything and--Woah Nelly! THAT is REALLY
not what I wanted! I stepped away quickly.

Farm girl here can take care of a lot of critters
but the black and white smelly kind are out of
my area of expertise.  After doing some investigating,
I discovered "Cliff, the Skunk Whisperer" as I call him.


I hadn't even realized how awful it would have been
if it had sprayed our A/C unit, or even our bedroom
window there!  But the whole thing went down
without even a hitch [of a tail!]. 


I kid you not, this guy talks softly to skunks to keep
them calm.  He slowly placed a blanket over our
cage and that was that!   I even walked with him
(and the covered cage) to his truck.  Not a single
whiff of anything the entire time.
(Skunks don't spray in the dark apparently.)

Cliff shared a few stories of walking among families
of skunks, talking softly to them and even picking
them up!   I have just never seen anything like it!
Crazy.  I was almost speechless.  It could've really
gotten messy and I'm definitely grateful.  Wow!  

Happy quilting!

Comments

the tree quilt looks interesting - and the adventure with the skunk - wow!
It is a tough time of year to get good photographs with the sun lower in the sky more of the day! I'll be interested to see what you come up with to help. Meanwhile, I love your Festive Firs, and the new pattern for daughter's quilt, too. It'll be interesting in black and white. Maybe one tree in red (?) for a pop of color? So glad there are skunk whisperers in the world! Who knew?!
Home Sewn By Us said…
Hi Cheree! Picture-taking frustration is real. I have it along with high anxiety. My skill level is low but the bright spot is that I can learn and improve. Walking around Lowe's isn't a bad idea. They have all kinds of sets that could be a backdrop for photos along with excellent lighting. I've often thought about hitting up Ikea just for some fun photos. You know all those batting scraps - I mean the small ones? Clip them into small whisps and they work great as filling. I've stuffed a few pieces for the kiddos. It is softer and it doesn't break down as easily. Plus, nothing goes in the landfill. Great news on your shop getting more traffic!! Congrats to you. Skunk whisperer! Wow. I'm so glad you could find him, and thank heavens for kind souls like Cliff. {{Hugs}} ~smile~ Roseanne
grammajudyb said…
Oh those Festive Firs and Joyful Junipers are both so cute!! I can't wait to see the B/W Holiday Forest for your daughter!!

Speaking of black and white! Good Grief! Good Outcome! Glad you found the Skunk Whisperer!!!!!
Linda said…
Maybe you should take your quilts to Lowe's and photograph them there. ;) I had the same problem this week - first rain, then too muddy to take the quilt out, then fog, so I just took photos in the house, and it isn't the same! I'll be so interested to see your daughter's quilt - I love black in Christmas quilts. I need to deep clean - kids will be here for Thanksgiving - eeek! Thank you for the pillow form tute, and WOW on the skunk story! Thank you for sharing with To Do Tuesday!
Vicki in MN said…
Your tree quilts are beautiful! Glad to hear your shop is keeping you busy;) What a skunk tale, you are lucky to have no stink from it! Are you looking for a stand to hang you quilt on for photos? I got mine from amazon... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HR42LK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and then I bought the clip rings to hang on the rod to clip onto the quilt.
piecefulwendy said…
So glad you found Cliff and he could remove the skunk without issue! I saw a post on photography awhile back, and think I saved it, so will check and send it on if it has some good tips.
Kathryn T said…
What a great way to make a pillow form, I had wondered about the wool scrap batting left over as the filling and one day I might try that. Yes getting a good photo outside can be challenging, all the best for this week.
Kate said…
A very cool way to make a pillow form. I have lots of batting scraps, so that will come in handy if Grad Girl decides she needs more embroidery turned into pillows. You did have a near miss with your black and white captive, so you didn't have a smelly mess to deal with. Good luck with your list and with your deep cleaning. I'm in cleaning mode myself, I now know where all the Brown Recluse spiders have been hiding and have made it my mission to get rid of their habitat.
Ivani said…
Cool tree quilts. Looking forward to seeing the black and white for your daughter. Have a great week, Cheree.
Peggy Stockwell said…
Wow! I first have to comment on how cool it is that there are Skunk Whispers. I am happy that had a happy ending. Never knew they don't spray in the dark. As for photography of quilts, I am woofully no help although I just read somewhere that the colors of the quilt turn out better if you do not use artificial light. I am betting you are going duh?! Your tree quilts are adorable though. Good luck with this week's list!!!!
chrisknits said…
Whew, what a dodged bullet! Love the tree quilts, you have quite a forest going there!
Oh wow!! I LOVE your Festive Firs and Joyful Junipers!!! That will look really cool in Black and White!! and oh my! Skunks are scary!!!! Glad he didn't spray anything!!!
What a fantastic idea to make pillow forms with batting scraps! Thank you so much for that! The tree quilt is so cute!! And wow, a skunk whisperer. That is just wild! Have fun with the list. I'm playing catch up since I've been gone all week! LOL