Calendar Poodle SAL

Friday, November 20, 2015

Lots of Updates

Hi friends! It is cold and windy here. We are getting snow tonight.

Remember the little hedgehog from the Mystery SAL I finished last weekend? Well I made him up into a pillow.
Here is an updated picture on how far I have gotten on my mom's Chrismas Angel ornament.
This is a lovely freebie you can find right HERE.

I finished stitching up Murphy ornament number two and began number three. I realized I never added the second back leg on the first stitched Murphy! I went back and added it. ;)
Speaking of Murphy, yikes! I groomed him for the first time. Bath, no problem. Blow dry, no problem. Clipper and scissors, PROBLEM! I knew it wasn't going to be good. He is NOT good for a nail trim. I put the E collar(cone of shame) on him and used the noose(sorry if that is the wrong term, that's what I call it) attached to the grooming table arm, around his neck to hold him. Well that works for the nails. He is only bad for the two front feet. But he is bad.

Now how do you groom his head and front feet with an E collar on?!? You don't! I muzzled him with bias tape around the snout and tied around back of the head and kept him on the noose. His haircut is rough. I still need to trim up his face. Can't exactly do that while muzzled now can you? LIKE A DUMMY, I tried to finish his face without the muzzle. He bit my thumb. Not a bad bite, but who wants any bite?! Man! Talk about stressful?! Not fun at all my friends. I am soooooo not used to this. I have groomed 4 of our dogs besides Murphy. He takes the cake for violence! The worst I had to encounter before Murphy is Henry's screeching. When we see the vet for his checkup next month, I am asking for tranquilizers!

I actually talked with the groomer who volunteers her services to the humane society we got him from. I called her about my concerns with his aggression and wanted to know how she accomplished it. She did not even need a muzzle! She said often times dogs like this act very badly for the "dog mom", but behave way better for other groomers. I will try him with the tranquilizers in a few months. When I clip him it is free. But hey! I like my fingers thank you very much!

Only his face needs fixing up still. I was going for a french mustache on him. That is what he had when he came to us. I clipped his ears way too short. At least they won't need anything next time. I am going to leave more mustache/scruff on him next time. Not Henry style, but this:
I want you Maija to know that I am reading every comment you leave me. I am unable to email you. The comments bounce back in my email as failures and undeliverable. So you also are not getting notified of my comments I am leaving you. If you check on your blog you can see my comments and read them.  I appreciate you taking the time to comment here, as I do all of my friends!

When you go through God's Word, God's Word goes through you. I continue on with reading the Holy Bible daily. Soon. Very soon I will have read the entire bible this year! :)

In all our struggles, in all our affliction, in all our angst, anxiety, and uncertainty about what happens in the present and what the future might bring, Christ is our peace. When we are most vulnerable and feel we are in danger of losing everything, our Lord remains with us.

Have a beautiful weekend my friends!

Stitching and praying(for quite a few of you!),
Vickie
 I think we're having ham this year

32 comments:

Varla Lee said...

I's really lovly! I like the black poodle too. A biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig hug!

Annie said...

The pillow really turned out perfect. Love your choices and technique.

Cute stitching for Murphy's ornament. I guess there always has to be one bad boy in the crowd. Hope he settles down after a while and gets used to your touch.

Irmeli said...

You finished hedgehog beautifully, it's such a cute pillow now. Other looks wonderful too.

Julie said...

Your pillow turned out beautifully.
Naughty little chap... hope your bitten finger hasn't stopped the stitching!

Brigitte said...

This little hegehog pillow is so sweet, you used great fabrics. Now he it sitting not only in midst of mushrooms and leaves but also acorns. Great choice.

Jacqueline Morris said...

Ooooh the hedgehog sal turned out really lovely. Your finishing of it is really pretty too, I like the fabric lots.
Awe.... I hope over time the grooming of Murphy becomes easier? Hope your finger is ok.
Smiles :)

gracie said...

The hedgehog is adorable. I love the angel but was unable to get the pattern...kept getting re-directed to another page! What an adventure trimming the pooch....

Carol said...

What a cute pillow, Vickie, with that acorn fabric!

And I do love the red angel and newest Murphy! Sorry he's giving you trouble in the grooming department. Could another family member give it a try?

Barb said...

Your hedgehog pillow is just wonderful - great choice of fabric, too. You did a beautiful job. Love the angel , too. I love the Murphy ornament lim think you really captured the feeling of him playing in the snow - adorable!

Maybe Murphy isn't quite so accustomed to being groomed and since he is older that contributes to his stress. It takes a lot of patience, doesn't it? Good luck with him. He's so lucky to be in a happy, loving home with other doggie buddies too.

Manuela said...

The little hedgehog pillow is very sweet. You have used wonderful fabrics.
I like your Murphy stitching.
Have a nice weekend, Manuela

gominam said...

Such a sweet finish on your hedgehog, the fabric you chose complements the stitching. Murphy ornie looks neat too. I hope you have better grooming relations with him next time:)

diamondc said...

Vickie: I love the finish on your Hedgehog pillow, what a lovely finish, the backing fabric is perfect.
The Angel for your Mother is coming along so fast, I look forward to seeing the finish ( you do such nice finish's) I know what you mean about trimming some dogs, my Sister-in-Law is a trimmer, she has had many bites from her own dogs but none from other peoples dogs.
Love the Poodle stamp.
My Husband is on his fifth reading of the Bible (American translation)
he is teaching 9th grade CCD at Church.
Happy Thanksgiving

Blessings
Catherine

Penny said...

Your hedgehog pillow turned out beautifully! And your little Murphy ornament is so sweet. I'm sorry the grooming experience didn't go well. Hope your thumb is okay and hopefully the grooming will go better the next time. I've had a similar experience grooming one of my cats (long hair). She ends up looking a ratty mess because she is so difficult. No more long haired cats for me. :)

By the way, I did get your email earlier ~ I guess the real test will be to see if any reply to this comment comes through. Fingers crossed. :)

CalamityJr said...

Your hedgehog finish is perfect! Hedgehogs always make me smile; my daughter 's dog's favorite toy is a hedgehog, but, not knowing about this animal, he's been named Pat the Rat!
Your ornaments will be lovely.
When our Woody needs calming, he gets a weight-appropriate dose of Benedryl. Perhaps your vet will suggest that instead of an actual tranquilizer. You definitely need to keep all your fingers!

Unknown said...

Dearest Vickie , well that still have all your fingers off , that was a wild beauty ..smile ... The pillow has become great, the fabric fits perfectly and frames the sweet Favorite perfectly . Gorgeous! I embrace you warmly and send you lots of good ideas .
your Sandra

Stitchy Mc Floss said...

OH NO! On the bite. If he bit me I'd be wanting those tranquilizers. He's just too cute...wonder if he was ever abused or something to make him act that way? Hope your bite heals quickly. :)

I adore that angel ornament. I think I am going to join you yet again (hey, that's two so far) and stitch along with you. Since this one is for your Mom, I think mine will be for my Mama, too. My sweet Mama is with Jesus, so it will hang on my tree...maybe a real angel will let her know it's there. :) She loved green and blues...so I am gonna go with one of those (depending on the stash). I hope (crossing skeins here, that I have a hand dyed blue-ish green sort of floss. What do you think? Thank you for the link sweet friend. :) Even though I am way behind, I still like the idea that we stitching together, if not in deed, then at least in spirit.

Blessings to you sweet friend. :)

Bea said...

Hmmm, something to be said for self-grooming cats! Hopefully it will get easier as Murphy gets more use to your touch - maybe he's had some nasty experiences?

Love the fabric you used for the hedgehog finish.

Von said...

Love your stitching, Vickie!
I do a little trimming on our dogs, mostly the Shih Tzu, but they have to go to the groomer every now and then, especially the schnauzer. I just cannot trim their nails, lol!

Christina said...

Cute pillow finish. Your angel is coming along nicely and your ornaments look great.

butterfly said...


Love your pillow looks so cute.
I know how it is so stressful trimming your pet.
My poppy would only let me do it for a few moments so she would look so funny all week untill I could finish her .
Thanks for the link for the lovely angel.

Weronika said...

Great finishes! Your pillow is just gorgeous! The ornament poodle looks amazing. Can't wait to see it's finishing.

Angela Tucker said...

Good morning, Vickie. The fabric choice for your little hedgehog is perfect!
I'm sorry that Murphy was a little difficult. LOL I agree with the other posters, he may just need to get used to your touch. I know you can do it!!

I love that angel. Saved it for stitching later! Have a great weekend.

Sally said...

Oh wow you have been very busy Vickie. It all looks gorgeous.

Andrea said...

Your hedgehog pillow is gorgeous. The angel is coming along wonderfully well. Sorry to hear about your grooming troubles. All I can say is persevere, he may get used to it in time. Hope your thumb heals OK. :)

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

You found the perfect backing fabric for your hedgehog pillow.

Poor Henry, I wonder if a previous owner hurt him when they were trimming him?

Dirty Martini Queen said...

The hedgehog is just too cute and your choice of fabrics is just perfect.

Sorry about the bit finger but he really didn't mean it I'm sure. Clarice turns into a demon cat at the vet and we've been 3 times since we moved here so she's already got a reputation as being a bad kitty. She's nothing like that at home but she got all aggressive and bit the vet tech last week. We even go to a kitty only vet to help her stress but didn't make a bit of difference to her this time.

Margaret said...

Oh yikes on Murphy!!! That is scary! I had to train Mia from a kitten to let me touch her paws and then cut her claws. She has never been willing -- the only way I do it is if she's sleepy or asleep. Then it works. And it took until a year or so ago that I could do her back paws without help. I admire you for grooming your dogs, but maybe Murphy just needs to be groomed by someone else! Love the hedgehog finish! Your mom's angel ornie looks good too. As do the Murphy ornies!

Sarah in Stitches said...

Beautiful stitching! I love how you finished the hedgehog. Good luck with the grooming!

Justine said...

Gorgeous cushion Vickie! Hope that naughty pooch is sorry for himself.

Michelle said...

Lovely work Vickie - thinking of you with the grooming xxx

Mii Stitch said...

Sweet finish on the hedgehog!!!

Maggee said...

Cute finish on that Hedgehog! I am sorry Murphy is so aggressive about the trimming... but he will learn he has no choice! Hugs!