Wednesday, September 1, 2010

fred's bed

A spontaneous project for my canine companion...since he is getting up there in years, thirteen...that's 91 canine years!!! His health is pretty good for his age. For those of you who have met Fred and have shared a bed with him...haha! Let me set the record straight, Fred is a cuddler he likes to sleep next to someone and some have been fortunate to share a bed with him, not of their own choice...haha!!! He is no longer able to jump on the bed and sleeps on a wool couch in our bedroom which is lower than the bed. He likes to be pretty close to me and prefers the soft couch to the floor. Just to share a little about him with everyone he is a great companion, a yellow Labrador Retriever, he has lived up to his name. He was a puppy for about the first seven years of his life, then he finally calmed down...some...just the past few years he has really mellowed out. His hearing is going, when he was young we could not get past him, now, we could sing a song, flush the toilette and run the garbage disposal before he realizes someone is home. I can tell his eyesight is starting to go too. He has trouble seeing in the dark and runs into me sometimes (because he is following me or waiting for me to come out of the restroom)...hehe! He still gets up and follows me around the house that has not slowed down unless he falls asleep and I get past him. He has recently been fixed and only because he has gotten some bloody growths that keep coming back and the vet said they were due to his hormones, getting him fixed seems to be helping. He also got heart worms about 2 years ago and that was hard on him his health has gone down quite a bit since that treatment, but he made it through and is heart worm free. I can hear him snoring right now...haha!

So to make his life easier I wanted to make him a bed instead of buying him one to show him how much I love that fur ball...he has been shedding a lot lately. The boys helped me stencil his name so no one takes his bed, L may, she is already laying on it...hehe. I used a khaki color duck canvas...love the stuff always looking for something to do with it. I picked the khaki because I thought it would hide his hair the most. I was a Joann's trying to find a dog hair on me, normally I am all covered in it, but I could not find one, finally found one in my bag...just one of all things!!! So there I am trying to see what would hide his hair the best, with one tiny hair...it was between khaki, grey and an avocado green color. They have so many colors to choose from. The back has snaps on the underside and I filled it with my old twin size down comforter. Those old arthritic bones need warmth. I meant to have the stencil closer to the edge and along the long side but oh well it looks good anyways.

Here is his new bed we can move it around from room to room and he doesn't have to jump to get on it.

Fred's bed

Fred's bed

Fred's bed

Fred's bed

Bliss!!

I think he likes it!

fred's bed
















This is pretty much what will happen to the bed...haha!

September is sewing month! So I'm challenging myself to sew everyday all month long...wooo!! Hopefully this will get some of my WIP's done and I can get ahead...Halloween costumes, Christmas presents and other stuff I'm probably not remembering right now??? So will you sew with me? What are you working on? Come on!!!

I wonder if I can post daily also???? hmmmm that's not part of my challenge though....haha!!

I thought I would make a list of ideas to get ahead, not necessarily in this order:

1. bean bags for the kids (have started from stardustshoes blog)
2. finish lake quilt (quilt and bind)
3. caught up on bunny blocks (April-August...okay September)
4. birthday quilts (only 2 left for the year, this could count as two, have fabric)
5. Maisy quilt for L (have kit)
6. skirt for myself (I have a "flirty skirt" pattern I have been dying to make)
7. Halloween table runner (quilt and bind)
8. Thanksgiving table runner (have fabric)
9. curtains for the living room (already have the fabric)
10. quilt along blocks (actually joined 2 different ones...this should count as 13)
11. reversable applique block (quilt and bind)
12. strip quilt kit - Amy Butler (have the kit)
13. quilt kit - Heather Bailey fabrics (don't remeber the name of the kit)
14. Hot Flash quilt to finish (have it cut)
15. finish fourth of july quilt (I'm thinking about taking apart and redoing)
16. deer head for the spare bedroom (have fabric, Dorm Decor book)
17. baseball quilt for a friend (have the stuff)

Dang! this is just what I have started this doesn't include what I also want...