I'm in my usual stage of agonizing about how I want to quilt this Exploding Heart quilt top. It's to be a wedding gift, and I always go through agonies of indecision when deciding what to do about quilting motifs. This one measures 72" x 72”, so it will be a challenge on my domestic machine.

No matter how stealthy I try to be, no matter how deeply Chouchou appears to be sleeping, she immediately awakens when I point the camera in her direction. She always looks at me as if to say, “Why do you torment me with that thing?” #DogsOfMastodon #Dog

Is Mona 2 broken for anyone else?

It's been raining most of the day here in the desert -- most unusual. Chouchou definitely isn't a fan. this is her reaction. She'll just hibernate, thank you very much.

On #InternationalDogDay Chouchou tries to convince me that baths are highly overrated and that I should give up on the idea.
#DogsofMastodon #AdoptDontShop

It’s Chouchou’s Gotcha Day! Three years ago today, a terrified little dog came to live with us, hiding under the bed or behind the couch, losing control of her bowels if we came too close. But now she’s the affectionate sweetheart that she was meant to be, though strangers still make her nervous (stranger = anyone who doesn’t sleep here).
The first photo is the very bad one posted by the rescue group prior to grooming/adoption. The other is today, at age 6.
#DogsOfMastodon

I did it! I finished the quilt, and I even did it with time to spare — so it’s ready to be wrapped and given to the birthday girl in about a week. Whew!

I’m coming down the home stretch on my latest quilt, a paper-pieced one featuring twelve different birds. I really need to get it finished, since it’s to be a gift in about two weeks! This is one block showing a hummingbird. I used feathers on the birds (sort of a no-brainer, right?) and then added vines and leaves in the background.

I’ve just finished another quilt — finished is good, right? ;) The photo shows it lying on a bed, since no one was home to hold it up for me. The design was from Marci Baker, and the challenge for me was the ruler work I needed to do on my domestic machine (Bernina 790Pro) — more details on my blog at <https://sandymike.net/blog/2025/06/25/5663/>.