Yay! Welcome to the club, we'll send your jacket out - as soon as we're done hand-sewing it, lol! I mix it up by doing both hand and machine piecing, but I love to sit with my DH in the evenings and do hand work. He is so often gone on business....
I'm so sorry on the loss of your doggies. We lost Zeus last month while we were attending my FIL's memorial service, he died while we were gone. Boy, that really knocked me off my feet. I never really considered myself a dog person, but that big goofy poop factory sure did worm his way into my heart, with his cold wet nose and thumpy tail first thing every morning. Jeez.