ginger patches

My Little Affair with Half Square Triangles

2010-10-29T18:02:00.000-07:00

Yes it’s true. As much as I love my four-patches and nine-patches, my strips of all sizes and just squares in general, I have a secret love. Half square triangles.   I LOVE them…I want to wallpaper a room in them…and actually? I have been known to dream about them. I know. Sad. Anyways someday I have a plan to make a bucket of them in all of my favorite fabrics—with various assorted backgrounds—also I will throw in some 4-patches just cuz. I will use them like…legos or pattern blocks. I will never sew them together. They will be just for playing with.



When I get started on a new quilt the first thing I do is figure out what type of units I want to use. If I have an idea in mind I will draw it out first on graph paper and look at how it plays with the squares on the page. But sometimes I just want to play on the design wall and for that I usually head straight to the magical half-square triangle sometimes with some plain squares or four patches thrown in. And then I do this for days on end…




I don’t usually change my mind about the background half-way into it…

But sometimes I do.

I hope to make up my mind tonight…after I play just a little bit more.
Have a happy and safe Halloween weekend!!

Scraps along update

2010-10-27T22:46:00.000-07:00

I’m having way too much fun with these scraps!

I thought I’d stop at four and get some other stuff done before the next tutorial.

But I couldn’t stop…

I am stopping now though.

Because this is calling my name.

Can you hear it?

CUTENESS

2010-10-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

It’s official

I now have the cutest keys in the world.

I can’t show what else I got ‘cause it’s for Christmas. They have some seriously awesome stocking stuffers! And? They sent me 2 pairs of earrings for FREE…just because. I heart ModCloth.

Sew Scraps Along

2010-10-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

I’m joining in the scrap sewing extravaganza over at Pleasant Home. If you have never been to Jody’s blog you must go over NOW! So much wonderfulness, seriously. I am (as usual) a bit behind. When I re-arranged my sewing room last Summer I started cutting my scraps into squares and strips so they’re ready to use.

Unfortunately hadn’t yet gotten to all the scraps I’d collected pre-clean up. So today I tackled them…what a mess! I didn’t get out my camera until I was well into it….that red tub was overflowing along with a couple of other smaller ones, you get the idea.

But now I’ve got them sorted and bagged and “tubbed” yay!

Here is what I’ve kept out to do my scrap patchwork with.

I’m excited to get started….

Country Loft Quilt Show

2010-10-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

As promised, more pictures from the Country Loft’s annual Fall Quilt Auction and Show. Still not sure how I forgot to post these after I took them. Once again I have to remind you that they all had to be taken with a telephoto so there are some odd angles etc. Enjoy!

This is even more gorgeous in person. It was just too bright out that day to get the color right. Windy too so some of the quilts were kind of flying around.

Love the quilting in this one.

More to come. And I think I figured out the text between pictures thingy…yay!!!

More testing

2010-10-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

I still can’t write between the pictures….I guess I’m gonna have to change my order of doing things. I’ll be back with more Country Loft.

Testing, testing….

2010-10-15T15:12:00.000-07:00

I’m testing windows writer. Kpaints over at Cheney Bag Lady suggested it and I remembered that I had downloaded it a long time ago and forgotten all about it. I’m also going to give Punkie Pie’s suggestion a try. I will be playing around here for a couple of posts probably so I’m just going to call them all “testing” so ya’ll can just ignore them. O.k. now for the real test….pictures!

Seems to be working. I just realized I never posted my pictures of the Country Loft quilt auction and Fall show. So I will be using them in my test posts. So maybe don’t ignore me after all. O.k. here goes…

Wow

2010-10-15T01:56:00.000-07:00

just wow. So that post I just posted? It had a lot of text....and blogger ate it. That whole one more chance thing was on how I was giving new blogger one more chance. The pictures definitely upload way quicker and bigger and I like that....but the whole not being able to put the proper text with them and then when you try to move it it gets eaten? Definitely a deal breaker. I have got to go to bed now but if any of you know any tricks? Please share. I will do more work/trying to make it work tomorrow. At least I got to post a bunch of gratuitous Winston pictures :)

One more chance....

2010-10-15T01:42:00.000-07:00

October 5th (because I can't think of a title)

2010-10-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

So judging from some of last weeks comments and emails I guess we're all a little ADD when it comes to our quilting....but I think this weekend I really took it to a new level. For me anyway. I was zipping along making good progress on my Dream On top, cutting and sewing up a storm, when suddenly some of the fabrics I was cutting reminded me of some yarn I have. I don't actually knit or crochet...but that doesn't keep me from having a nice little drawer of hooks and needles and a bit of yarn. You never know when the bug will hit, right? And that's exactly what happened. I spent Sunday morning relearning to cast on and then the rest of the day and into evening trying to get just one %&^$ decent row. (I learn to knit about once every 3 years or so-- just long enough to get oh say 5 rows done and then I put it away and promptly forget how.) I finally just decided to quit ripping out and just knit a nice big square to practice. You should see all the holes in this thing. Today when I finally got back to my quilting my poor fingers were so sore and bruised it hurt to pin my corners on.But I persevered and here's what I have so far. I can't decide whether to make it bigger or just stop where I am. Maybe I'll go knit while I think about it....

Dream On

2010-09-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those days when you jump out of bed full of purpose? You know exactly what you're going to work onand you dive right in. Then you see this on your front step when you go out to water the yard....and inside is this:And all your intentions fly out the window. Best laid plans and all that. So yeah. The Bliss back is going to have to wait. Because... Pretty.
Sigh.

Bliss

2010-09-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day. I pretty much just sewed Bliss blocks all day. I took a few breaks to water the garden, put cookies in the oven, play with Winston and do a little Fall decorating. Finally made my choices and finished sewing the blocks together. Made these cuties at Brown Bag yesterday (which is what inspired me to start the Fall decorating a few days early). And now I'm off to bed. Yup it was a good day :)

Cameras, cameras everywhere

2010-09-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

but not a one that works...and that's not all of them. Sheesh, wouldn't you think with all the cameras we have around this house I'd be able to take pictures for my blog? A little while back the normal lens for the Nikon D-40(Jonathan's camera that I usually use) broke....no worries though because Sarah got a Canon Rebel for her 16th birthday so I just borrowed that (never did quite get the hang of it). Then last month she had a little accident and this happened :( I went to pull out my last resort camera (which happens to actually belong to me) and the battery is fried. So until I get something else all pictures here are taken with a telephoto lens...and I don't really have the hang of it yet. Have you guys seen this Divine Twine? A while back Sharon included this fun surprise in a box of fabric I had ordered...isn't it cute? It usually sells for 15.00 but Sharon has it on sale over at the Daisy Cottage for 8.50!!! She has some awesome colors...I'm thinking I may have to get the black to go with my orange and use it for a Halloween banner, wouldn't that be cute? Wanna see what else was in the box? I LOVE this piece from the Cosmo collection. Especially the toaster bit lol. Speaking of orders from Daisy Cottage, I got my Blissful box in the mail earlier this week and have been playing with them all day....sooo pretty.I'm very happy to report that I finally did ALL OF my borders!!! Well except for 2 tops and that's because I haven't bought them yet. I've also been preparing for the hot drink season by making little cozies for these guys (please forgive the coffee grounds...oops didn't notice till now).
I've really been trying to finish projects before starting new ones and for the most part I've been pretty good. I've gotten all my blocks made for this Christmas quilt that I talked about here. I was all caught up on my Fat Quarter Shop mystery BOM...until this morning when my Sept. block came. I've also been busy sewing on bindings...no more masking tape for me :) And yesterday I quilted my Hemming House top.So what I'm thinking is that tomorrow while I'm at the San Diego Quilt Show? I'm a gonna do me some guilt free new project shopping :)

It's HOT!!

2010-08-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

So the heat has finally arrived...I say that like I've been waiting for it. Dreading is more like it. It hasn't gone above 75 here in months, and that is just plain weird. But weird in an awesome way. So in anticipation of the heat to come I made Sarah this top. Look at that happy smile...she got her braces off last week.I am not a garment sewer- but this? Easy. So incredibly easy. And cute too. I found the (free) pattern here. The best part was hearing Sarah's friends say "your mom made that? Wow...she is so cool". Or something along those lines.
My neck is much improved, unfortunately still aggravated by typing...so short posts for awhile. I have been able to get around and catch up on blog reading, not so much commenting but hopefully soon!

Going offline for a bit

2010-07-16T23:44:00.000-07:00

I tweaked my neck/back/shoulder a while back and it just keeps getting worse so I can't be on the computer. I've been trying to get on for little bits of time to keep up on my blog reading but even a few minutes seems to do me in. So I'm hoping a week or so of icing and ibuprofen and rest will do the trick. I can't sew either...yesterday I cut one stinkin' block and can you say BAD IDEA? Real quick for everyone who was asking about tea go to Teavana.com and look under black tea, the Weight to Go is awesome iced and then I also drink the oolongs. The puerhs and the oolongs are the best for metabolism and the mates are good for appetite suppression. Google it for more info. Sorry guys even this little bit is doing me in....see you soon I hope!!!

I'm in Heaven

2010-07-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

Flower Sugar Heaven. After a very trying tea tragedy this morning, I was very happy, no more like ecstatic, to see this box on my porch!! It's not on my porch in the picture. I was way too excited and didn't remember pictures until I saw how prettily Sharon had wrapped some of the piles...then I ran and got the camera. I am loving this white one way more than the last white from Flower Sugar, and I liked that one a lot lol! Is this gorgeous stuff or what? Zip over to Daisy Cottage quick quick if you want to stockpile your own supply of this loveliness! She's a super speedy shipper too!! Also in the box of adorable awesomeness: Holiday Happy by Monica from Happy Zombie--Love this stuff too.Thank you Sharon!!!
So the tea tragedy...you may want to just go on to your next blog and stop reading here lol!
So my latest obsession is tea. It started at my local Teavana store and has grown to include many online tea shops. Look at this box(es) of 31 samples from Golden Moon for 19.99. Anyways, one of my very favorite teas is Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls. They are little hand rolled green tea leaves with a jasmine flower tied around each one, cute aren't they? Very yummy, but the flavor is delicate- so great care must be taken to only store them in a tin that has only ever held Jasmine Pearls. Well this morning I stumbled out to the kitchen and pulled down a tin of My Morning Mate and scooped it out into my measuring bowl, then I decided to mix it with some Chai Mate so I dumped it back in it's tin....only it wasn't. I looked in and thought there were a bunch of little chocolate chips in there...so I started to mix them in better...then I got a whiff of Jasmine....oh CRAP---I somehow dumped my extremely strong smelling Mate into my delicately flavored Jasmine Pearls, about 40.00 worth of Dragon Pearls. These babies aren't cheap. I spent my morning with various sized strainers and sieves and separated as much as possible that way and then painstakingly picked out every little pearl by hand. Who knew that reading glasses were an essential piece of tea brewing equipment??? One more little tea fact for those of you who stuck with me this long...it makes you lose weight...especially the Oolong and the Pu-erh. I've lost 15 pounds in about a month just drinking yummy tea :) O.k. I gotta go get dressed, I'm leaving in about an hour for a 3-day conference at UCSD with my church.
Happy 4th of July!!!!

Congratulations Jonathan!!!

2010-06-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

So the big day has come and gone. Jonathan has graduated! Can you say "Proud Mama"? He sang in the Senior ensemble but I can't find a picture of it....Sarah was the designated photographer...bad Sarah! Here he is giving the best speech ever! Biased? Nah, not me :) I love the rose ceremony. And may I just say that it was called that LONG before the "other" (blech!) rose ceremony. I think he's pretty happy, yes? So it's just Sarah and me for the next 2 years. I think she's a little bit scared...probably with good reason. I've been pouring over the curriculum catalogs...must get everything in I've ever wanted to do in the next two years!!
I am taking part in the CG&G quilt along and I was so excited to be sewing again after such a long hiatus that I couldn't stop at the gathering fabric or the cutting but had to keep going and sewed all my little pieces into blocks...I am going to try and control myself and wait for the next step...we'll see how successful I am.I am now going to go brew a nice cup of tea and sit in my chair and (hopefully) finish my book!

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-31T23:45:00.000-07:00

So I'm popping in real quick to get blogger to say I posted in May :) It's been super busy around here and it's only going to get worse until Jonathan graduates. June 11 is the big day--yippee!! Because of this: I haven't been commenting or blogging at all...broken space bar...I have to press that teeny little white button at every space grrrrrr. Getting it fixed soon hopefully. So here is my month in pictures with no (or very few) words. I'll pop in when I can with pictures now that I've explained myself....
Painted the kitchen:
Cooked some yummy pasta:Re-organized my sewing room here it is before:

And now:This was originally an after until I got a new table:My new table is from my next door neighbors...tell the story when I have a space bar.Planted a very neglected and weedy bed:Made a quiltI love reading your comments but I won't be able to answer them...so sorry. I will answer questions but please understand short abrupt responses :)
Have a wonderful week!!

Finished!

2010-04-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my Bag from the Tote Bag sewing party on Saturday! I think I may have misled some of you into thinking I was making multiple bags...but that was just my lining :) What a fun day that was...can't wait till the next party!!!
O.k. back to my book.

Final Update

2010-04-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

Here's where it ends for tonight. I don't have any magnetic snaps so I have to stop, which is probably just as well since I tend to start making stupid mistakes about this time of the night. Many thanks to Kris and Kelly for organizing this fun day!! Hopefully I'll finish this tomorrow and post my pictures then. Hey look at my new sewing buddy--I got this cutie over at Thimbleanna's new online shop :) I had fun sewing with you all today--I can't wait to see everyone's finished bags tomorrow!

Update #2

2010-04-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

Done cutting! Did that really take me 2 hours?? I did misplace my pattern for a bit, but still...
I'm ready for a break, and someone really wants me to play for a bit. After that I'm going to check on what everyone else is doing....or not doing because you're probably all finished and having a nice glass of wine or already in bed lol!! And then I'll start sewing....finally...sheesh!

Update #1

2010-04-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

Went to the banks and Costco. Then I decided to pop into my Local Quilt shop for some extra Pellon--just in case. Well one of the ladies in there told me she hated making the Frenchy Bag, and she makes tons of purses....hmmmmm. Came home visited everyone's blogs, realized I am in last place lol!! Got hungry from all of your lunch pictures. Made food. Sent the kiddos to the party in my car so I can stay home and get this bag started!! So hopefully next update I'll have some progress to show :)

I'm Late, I'm Late

2010-04-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

for a very important date!! The Tote Bag Sewing Party is in full swing and I am just getting started. I have had a busy morning and still have to take a break in a bit to go to the bank and drop off a couple of kiddos at a party. Oh and then go pick them up...but other than that I will be sewing, sewing, sewing!! I have spent part of the morning searching for my pattern and changing my mind about fabric choices. I'm going to be making this Amy Butler pattern. I'll be back with better pictures later but right now I've gotta go get caught up!!!

Water for Uganda

2010-04-08T22:22:00.000-07:00

Did you know that for 23.00 you can supply clean water for one person in Uganda for their lifetime? I didn't. I think that is amazing....the price of one honey bun...in quilter's terms :) If we all donated $23 how many people could we help? I trust this site; I go to an "off-shoot" of Covenant Life Church, but this isn't about church affiliation so I am putting other links down below here too. Water is something we take for granted here in U.S. Can you imagine if this was your water source? And it was the leading cause of death in your town? I was so amazed to find out how easy and inexpensive it was to remedy this. Click on any of the pictures to go to a site where you can donate and help. Clean water...such a simple thing for us...so complicated for some.

Charming Girls & Guys April Goals

2010-04-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

April Goals are:
1. Borders on Between Friends quilt
2. Rip out my "goofed up" quilting on my little fresh cut quilt and finish and bind it-trying out this cool method from here.
3. I went to a lqs that specializes in ethnic fabric and bought a jelly roll and this piece of fabric. My wheels have been turning ever since I got it home yesterday with what I want to do with it. So yeah...that. I was inspired to visit this store after reading Jackie's post here.
4. More borders--as many as I can possibly stand to do in one month. Which may turn out to be just one...I'm hoping not.
5. Quilt at least one flimsy.
6. Continue with my liberated blocks.
7. Get back to work on in progress designs of my own that are in various stages of completion.
So I have to show you what my sweet friend Sharon sent me for Easter. Sharon is one of those people who likes to make every holiday special for all of her friends and I am so lucky to be counted among them :) How cute is this stuff? Thanks Sharon--love you!
One more thing before I head off to the sewing room. You have all heard me talk about Jo Ann (known as JAM on her patterns) of Brown Bag and Country Loft fame? Well she has written a book called Wool Crazy, which I know many of you already own. I love this book and I've seen the quilt in person and it is amazing! Anyways she has started a blog!!!! Go say hi and tell her I sent you :) If you like wool you will love her stuff. She has pictures of what different ladies from the wool crazy class have done. Go look--my descriptions can't do them justice...there are some crazy talented ladies in her class!!!
Oops, I lied...one more thing. So Sarah and Jonathan started a blog together and sometimes I don't notice that they are still signed in when I comment--so if you've gotten comments from burtrek? It was me :)

Charming Girls & Guys March Goals update

2010-04-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

So I managed to complete most of my goals this month--yay!! Both little quilts are bound. I'll show the backs too, to prove there are no tape tricks being used, not that any of you would ever suspect me of such thing :) The Freshcut was a really fun quilt to make, it starts like this: and then you cut it in 3 pieces, sew it back together into this: My little leader ender quilt in Freshcut I already showed you here and I don't want to bore you too much. I started my King size top and got half the blocks made. The pattern is Comfy Cozy put out by the Cozy Quilt Shop.
I goofed up and made 41 blocks when what the pattern actually said was use 41 fat quarters and make 2 blocks from each arghhhhh!! I didn't catch it until they were all on my wall and I was thinking hmmmm doesn't seem quite big enough....duhh. That's o.k. my goal was just to get it started and that I did! My Between Friends quilt is still awaiting borders, but again, my goal was just to get the "innards" done this month. This is the combo I've decided on: My fail was the twisted 9 patch quilt...didn't get the borders on and so obviously didn't get it quilted either! April is going to be a borders month....YUCK!!!! As soon as the Comfy Cozy quilt came down off the wall I had to start making some "liberated" blocks with my new crazy fabric. Which I went back to Rosie's and got more of. Because I decided my original trip did not get me as far out of my box as I wanted. Here they are all color coordinated: I got busy making some liberated baskets with Kathie's help and encouragement, thanks Kathie :) She was so sweet she even offered to make a block and take step by step pictures!! She has the most adorable liberated basket quilt in the works! I really love making these...this is my favorite so far. And I will leave you a picture of what's on my wall right now....pretty crazy, huh?

Liberated Quilts!

2010-03-25T12:33:00.001-07:00

Tuesday this scrumptious little stack of books arrived at my door. I sat down and read straight through Liberated Quiltmaking II, then read about halfway through Collaborate Again, jumped up and made a beeline for Rosies, one of my favorite local dealers....um I mean quilt shops. Not my usual shopping spree picks but these books just lit a fire under me to make something BRIGHT. I never knew solids could be so fun! If I had to choose between the 2 books? I couldn't. Just go buy both of them, really! They're practically half off at Amazon so it's really like you're just getting one...add in free shipping and no sales tax....see how I get in so much trouble? These two quilts are the ones I want to start with.... one from each book. I really like the way Freddy and Gwen Collaborate Again is set up. In the back they have pictures of the finished quilts with the pages of "the parts" they've used to make it. The parts are in the middle and reference the quilts they are used in. The front is all about each author and their philosophy, inspiration, etc. It is chock full of inspiring photos. Gwen's book, Liberated Quiltmaking II, is set up in a similar way and as you read it you can hardly sit still you want to jump up and run to your sewing room and just get going!! Kaffe's book is his usual wonderfulness...here are some pics to whet your appetite. I'll stop now so you can go order your books :)While you do that, I'm going to go cut some of these:
I almost forgot...I got inspired to buy the Gwen and Freddy book here at Belinda's...go look at her amazing design wall full of yumminess...seriously. Now you're for sure going to buy the book :)

Happy National Quilting Day!

2010-03-20T14:38:00.001-07:00

Taking a quick break from sewing to post about what I did for the Friday Night Sew-in. I had planned on getting my borders on my Bf quilt but I didn't get my other blocks off my design wall in time. So last night I finished sewing together my Comfy Cozy blocks and got my wall cleared. I also quilted the centers of my little Fresh Cut scrap top, and got all my cutting done for another bigger Fresh Cut quilt. O.k. back to work. Hope you're all getting some quilting in today!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid I don't do much decorating for St. Patrick's Day. Not very good since I"m a quarter Irish. At least Winston is making an effort at being Green today!This Friday is the March Friday Night Sew-In!! Check it out here and join in the fun! It would be a great way to kick off National Quilting Day on Saturday! You are all planning on celebrating, yes? I'm going to try and put my borders on my BF quilt...I think I'm going with the #4 inner border and either #2 or #4 outer border. Cheryl is working on hers on Friday also and hopefully Sharon will join us...we're twisting her arm lol! I haven't been able to get it back on the design wall to try out the first option because I've had another project hogging the wall. I've been working on turning these strips into these blocks. I am hoping to get them sewn together or at least off the wall by Friday...wish me luck. The sun is shining and I want to take a good book to the beach or plant flowers or anything outside! Maybe I should bring my sewing table out there lol!! Look at my cute new pincushion Deb made for me (Who by the way has gotten so stinkin' skinny I almost didn't recognize her!)isn't it adorable? I tried to make these cupcakes once a couple of years ago and failed miserably so I was excited to finally have my very own! Thanks Deb!
O.k. off to locate some green food coloring...

Border decisions

2010-03-07T22:10:00.000-08:00

My rows are sewn together on my Between Friends quilt! And may I just thank my Big Sis one more time....or maybe two or three more times? I really loved making this quilt! You know how some patterns just go together sooo easy? Now I'm debating borders...part of me wants to make a pieced border but the bigger part of me wants this done and quilted and on display! Here's what I'm debating between so far...I have a favorite but I'd love to here from you all.
#1.
#2.
#3.
#4.It's cold and dreary and pouring rain...so what could be better than sewing all evening?
O.k. off to choose fabric for my next project!!

Charming Girls & Guys March Goals

2010-03-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

So I have been very forgetful about getting my Charming Girls and Guys goals up in time lately. This month in an effort to get my goals up in time, I started planning ahead....well on Feb. 28th. Then I was so excited about one of my projects I started sewing early Monday morning and all thoughts of posting my goals flew out the window. Thankfully I was reminded to get my butt in gear by all of you organized ladies who have been putting your goals up on time.I have been wanting to cut into my piles of Swell for sometime now and I have found the perfect project for it: Between Friends by Darlene of Quilting Daze.
I knew when I first saw the quilt that I had to make it and later when I fell in love with American Retro I thought I had found the perfect pairing. Sunday when I pulled everything out to take pictures for this post I just couldn't decide if it would work or not. I emailed Darlene and we chatted back and forth about it...she was very patient with my ADD lol!! I changed my mind every other email. I went to the kitchen to grab some coffee and walked by one of my very favorite little quilts that I made a couple of years ago from the scraps of my first Swell quilt. I have often thought about making a larger one and all of a sudden I just knew I had found the perfect pair, yay!!! Cheryl had mentioned a while back that we should pick a project for our Swell and work on it together so that we could encourage each other and we had decided to be on the lookout for patterns. So Cheryl and Sharon and I are all going to work on this quilt together...so much fun! Thank you Darlene for sharing this wonderful pattern!!
Onto the rest of my goals:
Put borders on this twisted nine-patch that I made last month...maybe quilt it?Hand sew the binding on these two little quiltsDecide on a pattern and start making blocks for a king size quilt for my bed (finally!) Maybe use my American Retro?Make another top from my(way too much) leftover Fresh CutMake a little leader ender project with my little squares of Fresh CutReady, Set, SEW!!Have a great weekend everyone!!

Friday Night Sew-in

2010-02-17T21:12:00.000-08:00

This sounds fun, and it's just the sort of thing I need right now to keep me focused in the sewing room. It will be perfect because I can sew after Winston is in bed for the night. Head over to Heidi's blog and read all about it. I hope some of you join me! I don't know if she has a twitter set up to follow along but that could be fun too! I read about this on Amanda's blog so I know she will be playing, is anyone else planning on it?
Oops nope I read about it on Cheryls blog, someone get me some gingko!!

Tutorial

2010-02-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

You will need 168 5" squares to make a quilt top that finishes at 63x71. If you use Rouenneries or Authentic that will be 4 charm packs, they are perfect at 42 squares each. If you decide to cut your own squares I recommend making them 5-1/2" instead of 5". Ideally you want definite lights and darks for this quilt. Although Sarah didn't really do that and it turned out fine. So do whatever you want :)
For borders you will need 1/2 yard for the inner and 1 yard for the outer.Handy tools I highly recommend: The Angler 2, the Quilt in a Day triangle square up ruler, and the Precision Trimmer 6.Now pair up your squares, one light and one dark, right sides together and make 2 stacks of 42 pairs each.
When I make half-square triangles (to be called hst's from this point forward) I use The Angler 2 which means I don't have to draw any lines and that makes me very happy. If you don't have one your next step will to be to draw a straight line diagonally through the center of the lighter square.Next you sew a 1/4" inch seam on each side of the drawn line.
With the Angler you just line up your outer edge with these lines:And sew until you can see the line down here: Now I have tweaked my Angler by extending the line down onto tape so that I can see it sooner...this will only make sense if you have an Angler 2. Edited to add: I just found this website with video on how to use this here.
Now flip it around and do the same thing on the other side.
Next you cut down the line if you have drawn them or if not you just line up a 1/4" marking with one of the sewn lines and cut.Using the quilt in a day ruler line up the 4-1/2" line with your sewn line and trim.
Turn it around and clip the dog ears like this. The instructions in this ruler are great so you'll understand if you have it.
Now take them to your ironing board and press toward the dark.

With other rulers you will press toward the dark and then square them up. My other ruler I love for squaring up is the Precision Trimmer 6. My gripe with it is that it only does measurements that end in 1/2". Or you can just use a normal ruler.And then the other sideNow grab your second pile of squares and sew a quarter inch seam down two opposite sides:
Cut down the middle by measuring in 2-1/2" and press toward the dark.
Next mix and match your pieces and with dark to light and nesting your seams take them to your machine and sew up opposite sides again.
Cut in half using the same method and press open.Take them to your cutting table and square them up. This is where the Precision Trimmer comes in handy. Now you should have 84 hst's and 84 4 patches.I usually put the whole thing up on my design wall like here and then sew it together a row at a time. You could also do it block by block...here are a couple on my design wall so you can see where darks and lights go. I am making a little table topper with the Authentic that's why there's a border.
I have to proof read this later...I have a poor little ignored puppy here and strip club is tonight.
Hopefully I will actually be able to read some blogs this week!
If anyone sees any mistakes I would love it if you would tell me so I can fix them :)
Have a great week everyone!

Who's yer daddy?

2010-02-08T14:41:00.000-08:00

So it's only been 2-1/2 months since my last post...does it count that I have a ton of drafts? I had good intentions. Really. So here is the newest bundle of cuteness at the Parker household...meet Winston: Totally cute, right? Janine's dog, "little Sophie" (as opposed to my Newfoundland "Big Sophie"), who I dog sit often and love much, is his mommy; his paternity is unknown. I'd forgotten that a new puppy keeps you almost as busy as a new baby. He is doing really well and may I just say that if any of you are contemplating a new puppy and want some good "puppy-rearing" advice...Go Ask Carol.
Someone accused me of "favoritism so here are some other inhabitants of our petting zoo:
Our mini-lop Daisy. Our new puppy Winston....oh wait I showed him already...Our orphan turtle Trixie. She was found in the middle of a road in pretty bad shape. Trixie is hard to get a picture of in the winter...when she comes out of hibernation I'll get a better one. Can anyone guess where she got her name? There could be a prize.
Oops how did he get in here again??? Sheesh.Shadow Cat. Yup that's his name...Shadow Cat. I have not forgotten about the tutorial for the Authentic quilt (Shown here). I don't know if I mentioned it before, (I think it's one of my drafts that never got published) but I'm using this pattern for a Mother/Daughter quilt class I'm teaching. We have two finishes so far. Well almost finished, we haven't border shopped yet. Here is Sarah's; notice the cute feet :)I am going to try and post the tutorial this week or at least the first part of it.

So I have no new quilts to show...I covered my sewing machine in November and didn't go into my sewing room (except to wrap presents) again until January. I had to clean it up for our sewing class...we meet here on 3rd Tuesdays. Thankfully after I had it all cleaned up I felt like sewing again. I was starting to worry, I'm not gonna lie to you. I have a lot of fabric to use...I am not allowed to lose interest lol!!! I have decided that I need 2010 to be the year of finishing projects. I am a great starter, I started eight new projects in November!!! I am sorry to report that I did not finish a single one. So I pulled out my Reflections quilt and have been working on it while Winston naps. Good grief he is such a show-off. O.k. I think I need to go join these nappers now :)

It was a very Happy Birthday!

2009-11-18T21:47:00.000-08:00

I was going to say last Monday was my birthday, but oops it was Monday before last...where has the time gone? Anyone? Please? I want to send a big thank you out for all the birthday wishes and cards :) And a very special thank you to my sweet friend Sharon for these awesome gifties that arrived well in advance of my big day.Here's Sarah modeling the shirt she sent me that has now become my favorite walking shirt :)Cute pumpkin candleYummy smell good potpourriMerry Halloween sign that goes sooo cute with my cat and pumpkin "sticks"LOVE these fat quartersthis is an adorable bag, it was hard to get a good picture though.Thank you so much Sharon, I love them all! And I miss you sooo much!!

Nancy and I are birthday twins and she is the good twin because she sent me this cute little card holder in time for our birthday and I still haven't sent hers, that makes me the evil twin...I don't like the sound of that. How about "bad" twin? Inside was a starbucks card--thank you so much Nancy!
My kiddos got me some great pressies too! I was very impressed with the beautiful wrapping, thanks to Hannah, Daniel's girlfriend :) So impressed I never took pictures unwrapped :(This present was from Hannah, see the straws? I have a thing about straws lol!! I had to share this Halloween picture of Sarah and her best friend dressed up as Tweedlee Dee and Tweedle Dum.I will be back soon with that tutorial for the Authentic quilt that I have been promising a few of you...I haven't forgotten.

November Charming Girl Club goals

2009-11-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

First off I want to say thank you to Kelly who hosts Charming Girl Club. I won the October drawing for a $25 gift certificate to her store Cotton Charm Quilts
and I can't wait to go spend it!!!

Secondly I want to say sorry for not answering comments lately, my email wigged out and would crash if I typed too fast or tried to type more than one or two lines. So even the comments I did manage to answer were very short, sooo frustrating!!! I finally got a new email and it seems to be working, I'm crossing my fingers that it's not my computer.

O.k. on to my November CG goals.
1. Quilt and bind Oct. Schnibbles
2. Make November Schnibbles top3. Put borders on this Christmas top4. Make the remaining stars for this quilt (I think I need 11 more)5. Get binding on my Holly Jolly quilt6. Finish my Authentic quilt top
6. Get the blocks cut for a new quilt top with this Christmas fabric7. Do something with this jelly roll from last year (I took it apart and then stuffed it in a bin so it needs some ironing lol)8. Make a quilt from my Figgy Pudding fat quarter bundle that I have misplaced temporarily. I have also misplaced the pattern. They are together somewhere in a "very safe place".

O.k. I think that's it for now. I'm going to go check out what everyone else is up to!
Have a great weekend!!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T16:27:00.000-07:00

So what do you do when you've carved all your pumpkins... and then it gets hot and they sorta melt... and so you go to the store the day before Halloween to get more and they are all stinkin' gone???

You buy a watermelon and carve that instead.
So today is both Charming Girls and Schnibbles check-in, and wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, I have not only remembered to check-in, I actually have stuff finished!!!!
So Charming Girls first.
1. Bind Mountain Rails...check.
2. Sew Posh blocks together...check.
3. Cut and sew the blocks for Picnic in Paris...check.4. Do something with Fabulous Fall jelly roll...check.Here is my Schnibbles quilt made with a combination of Peace on Earth, Winter and Roman Holiday. I didn't match my snowballs to the 4 patch corners 'cause I didn't read ahead (oops) and had already cut everything before I noticed that part, luckily I like things really scrappy. I opted to not do the borders. I am determined to use stash for this challenge and I just didn't have anything that made me happy. I do have the perfect binding and I think I'll make it wider than usual to give it more of a "bordery" look.
O.k. time to go get ready for the trick-or-treaters!!
Happy Halloween everybody!

New Challenges

2009-10-19T15:42:00.000-07:00

So I've gone and signed up for a few new challenges, yeah, I know. First off is the 100-mile fitness challenge which involves walking 100 miles between now and December 31st. I was going to start right away and then our despicable heat came back...but soon very soon. Then I signed up for a Year of Schnibbles...again late to the party, but that's been the story of my life this year. I have finished most of my Charming Girl's goals this month but I don't want to bore you by showing them now and at the end of the month so I thought I'd show this fun quilt that I talked about here. I finally got the nerve to cut into it with Nancy helping me over the phone, I don't think I would have had the nerve otherwise. To actually do all that sewing and then cut it up?? So wrong! But it turned out so much cuter cut up that I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Any thoughts on what I might do with the "skeleton"? Pretty cool huh?

Charming Girl's and some pin topper love

2009-10-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

So I totally spaced and didn't post the pitiful little 2 things I finished for Sept. CG's. How sad is it that I haven't even stitched closed my Fall Pillow...I mean really. I finished my Annie Treat and got the binding on the tiny quilt.Kitty shoes...what's not to love??? So I'm carrying over the same goals from last month and adding a few more.
1. Get these Posh blocks sewn together.2. Do something with my Fabulous Fall Jelly Roll.
3. Cut and sew the blocks for this quilt that I have been wanting to make for forever. Last month I finally finished gathering the fabric for it.
I think that about does it. I'm sure I'll think of all the things I really want to make this month on oh say around the day after the deadline for posting, 'cause that's just how I roll.
So are these the cutest things ever or what? Last month...or thereabouts I was over at Cara's blog and told her how cute I thought they were and so she went and sent me some. How sweet was that? You gotta click these to enlarge to truly get the full gobsmacking effect of their tiny cute awesomeness!!! I mean just look at that cute little face..... Oh yeah a little red polka dot mushroom love...Yummy! I being the lamo lazy girl that I am have only just now gotten around to blogging it. She has opened an Etsy shop called On Pins and Whimsy to sell them and I just checked it out and snatched up some adorable pumpkin toppers....so they're gone now...sorry. However there's still some cute ones left and very reasonable prices and shipping. So go visit her-- oh and I think she takes custom orders. Thanks so much Cara!!!!
O.k. that's it for now, I'm off to sew for the first time in like forever..yippee!!!!
Have a great weekend!!!

Charming Girls' Quilt Club

2009-09-09T14:05:00.000-07:00

So Kelly over at the Charming Girls' blog gave me a late pass for this month--thanks Kelly :) If you don't know what I'm talking about my title is linked to her post about it, check it out. These are the projects I'd like to finish up this month:I need to get the binding sewn down on my Mountain Rails (in the background) , my little wonky quilt-quilted and bound, finish my pillow and I'm taking a doll class (Annie Treat) a week from Saturday and I want to finish her!! I also want to get the binding sewn down on these three little quilts.If you guessed that I'm up to my old masking tape tricks with that little one on top you guessed right lol!!
September is kicking my butt so far...I am drowning in homeschool stuff right now so who knows if I'll get anything quilty done--but I'm hoping between the motivation of a deadline and the fact that September is a good t.v. month, what with all the new Fall shows and premiers, I'll at least get some hand sewing done! Hope everyone has a great week, or what's left of it :)

Some Stuff

2009-09-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

I've been on a cookbook buying binge this Summer. I keep saying "that's it-- NO MORE!" and then one of you lovely people out there in blogland tells me that really I do need "just this one more" . At least you never steer me wrong...I love them all so far. This so amazingly true quote is from The Splendid Table, not just a great cookbook but full of fun pages like this one

. My favorite cookbooks (here is a sampling of titles) include stories and anecdotes, little tidbits that just add to the joy of making the recipe somehow. If you have never read Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking you are missing a rare treat...go order it now :) I went to see Julie and Julia this week and immediately ordered Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Unfortunately a lot of people did the same thing so there's a wait for the book. While I wait I've been reading, and very much enjoying, her original blog The Julie/Julia Project. Now if the weather would just cool off enough for me to turn on my oven.

O.k. moving on to Fabric...I love Cath Kidston and it makes me sad that we don't have her stores here in the U.S. and in order to actually own any of her stuff I have to fork out way more than I'm willing on shipping. The other day when I was prowling around Amazon looking for this

I somehow ended up finding this

and so of course I ordered it...free shipping and all. It came the same day as my order of American Retro from Sew Mama Sew... and I am once again in fabric love...See how it matches my Cath Kidston notebook?

That just makes me happier than....well happier than it ought, I suppose :) I made a few more pincushions, don't they look like a little family?

Right? Don't they? I just can't bring myself to break them up, so I guess I need to make more... Some darker ones for Fall...

I am loving the joy of miniature...so quick and fun and cute. I made this little 8x9 inch cutie start to finish in about one hour...now that's what I'm talkin' about! O.k. I'm off to finish up curriculum planning...it's that time of year AGAIN...how did that happen so quick????

Oh and hey is there something weird going on with blogger? My little bar up there has all different buttons and my pictures are ending up in weird places....I'm not likin' it one bit :(

108 Degrees

2009-08-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

Can only mean one thing....
Mojito time!!!
Oh look my drink matches my Flower Sugar...I know it's a sickness :) I'm gonna go make more pincushions and sip my mojito and try to stay cool. When it's this hot my window unit starts to have difficulty :(
Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

Bliss

2009-08-28T22:32:00.001-07:00

I think I just might have enough Flower Sugar now....maybe...I even cut into it and used it!! I had to after I heard my darling daughter remark to her friend, after I had gleefully showed them my gorgeous pile, " she's just going to stare at it for awhile and then put it away for "special". The bag is the Jane Market Bag from "Posie rosy little things" with a few alterations. I think I could have stayed up all night making these...so much fun and instant gratification. I ran out of crushed walnuts so I stopped...for now.
The pin cushions were inspired by one of these wonderful little Japanese books that I have been collecting for a few weeks...I love them!! Of course I had to buy some fabric while shopping for the books...
The books and fabric are all from Superbuzzy. Well not the Flower Sugar, that I've been collecting from all over the place. Sharon and I are "Flower Sugar Buddies" and send each other updates as we find new places to buy it. She said we will go to rehab together because we are addicts lol!! Maybe I shouldn't be laughing, it's not too far from the truth :)

Country Loft part 2

2009-08-27T01:38:00.000-07:00

So yeah I'm lame...I said I'd be back "tomorrow" and here it is days later...sorry. It's really late and I'm exhausted so here are the pictures of the class projects and patterns from "The Loft". Some amazingly talented ladies (and men as it turns out) have taken part in this show...my good friend Janine being one of them :) This is her Stars Around the Garden BOM and did she do an amazing job or what? Oops this is a pattern from the shop that I liked and should have been in the last batch....I know I have some repeats and some out of order--but it's late and I figured you'd rather sort through it than have me not put everything up---right? Again you can click on anything to enlarge and all of these projects are from the Country Loft so they can get you the patterns etc..their # and more goodies is in my previous post. I put some blocks individually up down below for those of you who do your own quilting (like me) because they are so inspiring...so please click and enlarge she has done some amazing stuff!

c

I am so sorry to anyone who left a comment on my last post and didn't get a response... I get my email on my blackberry and sometimes I delete it all on accident :( I did that the day before yesterday so please forgive me? I have a love/hate relationship with technology :)

It's Country Loft Time!

2009-08-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday was The Country Loft's annual quilt show and Sew for the Cure auction--so I took a few pictures....remember you can double click on any picture to enlarge. If you see any goodies you want to order just give them a ring at (619)466-5411. So get comfy...here we go!
The first pictures are the quilts out front that they sell to benefit breast cancer research:Next we have the shop and all their wonderful Fall goodies and patterns:

Isn't that the most beautiful wool quilt? It's a block of the Month and it is so gorgeous in person!!

I really love this one too...

I think that's enough for one day--I'll be back tomorrow or soon after with the Class projects show from the backyard. Happy Monday :)

My little Pile of Productivity

2009-08-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

I finally got to spend some significant time in my sewing room this weekend and actually get some stuff accomplished. Nothing new and exciting, but rather the mundane boring bits that I tend to put off. You know the dreaded 3 B's....Borders, Bindings and Backs. At least to me they are dreaded, for all I know they may be your favorite parts and if so maybe we can work out a trade :) Anyway if one actually wants to ever end up with a finished quilt they must be done and since the quilt finishing fairy never showed up here (and I gave her plenty of time) that's how I spent my Friday and Saturday. And now that it's over with and they're done? I feel so much better!

I got the borders on these 4:
the backs sewn for these 3:The bindings sewn on these 2:And the binding finished on this one and it's on my table!Look at this one, so cute, all it needs is one more border and it would be big enough for my king bed. I have wanted to make a quilt big enough for my bed for forever. But no. Nancy is making me cut it up and then sew it together again and then put more borders on it. I know I shouldn't complain....she went to a lot of trouble to find and then mail me the template that I need to cut it...and it's going to be way cuter than it is now (go check out the ones she's made here )....but still, it's going to be hard. Nancy, you're going to hold my hand, right?
O.k. there's still a little weekend left so it's back to work! Hope you're all having a great weekend :)

Flower Sugar

2009-08-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

This gorgeous bundle of fabric from Pink Chalk Fabrics was waiting for me outside my front door today. The fabric came very nicely packaged and folded and soo quick!and boy did it cheer me up :) Wait it's too pretty for a group shot...I need to show you each one individually, dontcha think? These first four are from the Flower Sugar line by Lecien...I want to eat them!Isn't this vintage Christmas fabric sooo cute?
I love this linen, the turquoise one is so soft and it's half price right now.
I asked Nanette if she knew where there might be more of the Flower Sugar (that lucky girl has all of it!!!) and she gave me this link to Thimblecreek (it's quite a bit more here than at Pink Chalk but they have different fabrics) where I just ordered a wee bit more :) Did I mention that I LOVE it?!!? Now to go dream about what I will do with it...sigh...
Oh and by the way if any of you happen to know where I can get even more? Do tell :)

Bleh

2009-08-10T22:17:00.000-07:00

This has been my view for the last couple of weeks. I've had a nasty flu but I think I'm on the mend. I wanted to pop in real quick and say I really am back and I am going to make it to everyone's blog eventually...if life will just cooperate long enough lol!! I can't just leave you with yucky sick pictures so here is what I was working on b.f. (before flu). It's called Reflections and it's by Kathy Cardiff, another pattern from the country loft. I'm using all civil war fabric--it's my first all civil war fabric quilt and I'm loving it so far. I'm still deciding on borders for this little quilt and I'm thinking of appliquing or stitching little cherries or something in the white centers....
I have finished some good books while confined to my bed....
Actually I just started that book on the bottom and now I'm off to read for a little bit before I go to sleep. Nite nite :)

Has it really been FIVE months???

2009-07-25T16:56:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been 5 months since my last post. So much has happened both sad and happy that time has flown. My mom got sick in February and passed away in March after a long hard fight in intensive care and I just didn't have the heart to blog or do much of anything for quite awhile afterward. My father ended up in the hospital at the end of April and was there for 2 weeks and then in a retirement type facility for a month, happily he is home and doing great now. So it's been a roller coaster here! Things are settling down and I'm feeling ready to dip my toes back in the water of blogging! So a few things I caught on the camera in the last few months (cuz every week since about May I would think "this will be the week I get back to blogging" lol). Let's see in no particular order:
We had a fire that came right down the hill behind our house, it was worse than it looks here, it just took awhile before anyone thought of taking pictures...we waited until it was almost out and then brought out the camera.
They brought out the helicopters...fun to watch once we knew our homes were safe!
My middle son was hired at a French Bistro and is training as a sous chef :)
My oldest son's girlfriend graduated high school. Yay Hannah!
We found another batch of feral kittens and managed to catch one and Tigger adopted him and nursed him until we found him a home.
I made some stuff.
back view (sewing bag by JAM)
The last 4 months of Brown Bag:Oops I guess I didn't get a picture of the Easter one...too bad it was my favorite and it's packed away until next year. This was July's...they were doing a week of Christmas in July at the Country Loft last week. I took this wool applique class from Jo Ann Wednesday night and I'm almost done :)I made my first doll...also a class by Jo Ann....she's not quite finished, still needs her hat and shoes and all her cute accessories.
I made a few quilt tops... most of them still need borders :( This one is a Country Loft pattern by Kathy Cardiff:
These two were "accidents" I was trying for something totally different and after I'd cut and sewn all my half and quarter square triangles I realized I'd made half going the wrong direction (this is where patterns come in handy lol). Anyway I kept playing around on the design wall and finally came up with these two instead of the one I had at first envisioned (and cut and sewed without ever once pausing to get out pencil and paper to see if it would really work...it seemed so simple in my head lol)
This is using a Sweet Jelly Roll and Honey Bun:I think this may be my favorite scrap quilt ever...it's a work in progress. I'm hoping to eventually have enough blocks to make a king size for my bed.O.k. that's enough for now. I also got a new lap top a while back and I'm still not used to typing on the keyboard, it's a little off center and it makes me nuts!!!! I hope to make it around to everyone's blogs soon...I have missed you all!!!!

My naughty little secret

2009-02-18T18:54:00.000-08:00

So I was just over at Darlene's blog, where she has a binding tutorial (so go check it out), and in the spirit of silliness couldn't resist responding with my favorite binding method....if you have a weak stomach you may not want to look at this. My oldest son was quite horrified when he caught me at my tricks.
So far so good, but flip it over and...
Oh my!!!
So I machine sewed these bindings on in January and next thing I know my mojo's gone missing and Valentine's Day was right around the corner...and hey a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do...

edited to add: that is masking tape holding down my binding...Sharon couldn't see anything wrong with this picture lol so thought I'd explain it just in case :)

Miscellany

2009-02-16T12:16:00.000-08:00

I felt a faint stirring of interest in poking through some fabric last week and decided to make a little valentine quilt. Unfortunately it would seem my absence from the sewing room for so long resulted in some atrophying of brain cells in the quilting area of my brain :( I cut up some strips from my border fabric to use as the hearts, 'cause I had just enough to do that, and too late realized I had cut them 1/2" too small. If I can find more of the aqua and red one I will hopefully finish it next Valentine's Day. I've been wanting to make a Tessellation quilt for quite some time and finally decided to start one last Friday. Being the clever girl I am I decided to change the measurement from 2" to 2 1/2" in order to use up one of the many jelly rolls that have been multiplying like rabbits in my absence. Here is the result...Pretty clever huh? Duh, you'd think I would have realized my mistake when I had to cut my 5" inch strip down to 4 1/2"...I mean I've changed enough patterns around to know that changing one measurement means changing all the measurements... It doesn't end there, next I cut everything down to 2" and then feeling my confidence come back started sewing them on the diagonal without referring to the pattern as to the correct direction...arghhh. Not to mention how wonky those two end ones came out :( Now I'm sewing with the pattern on my sewing machine table at all times no matter how sure I am that I have it down. I finally got it right and here it is so far. That bottom square is not sewn yet that's just how I audition the next block before I commit.
Although I haven't been accomplishing anything crafty this month I did re-organize all my kitchen cupboards and pantry. I found a fun blog The Perfect Pantry and she used to do a thing where everyone would post pictures of their pantries which motivated me to get started on my overhaul. I didn't think of taking pictures until I was done--which makes me sad--I love before and after pictures. Anyway I did take after pictures and you can just trust me when I say they were really bad before.
I don't even drink tea so I'm not sure how I ended up with a whole shelf full....

O.k. I'll stop there, you get the idea :)
Now on to Loser Monday business. In addition to my cabinets I have also completely revamped my "diet". I'm no longer on a diet. Why? Because a couple of weeks into it I realized I was on the same road I've been on so many times before and I don't want to be on it again. I want to lose weight and not gain it back this time. So instead of focusing on calories I'm just changing what types of foods I eat. I have to actually like the food because this is how I'm going to eat from now on, making allowances for real life of course. Remember the first picture I showed of what my meals were going to be consisting of? Delete it and replace it with this one.
The book is Nourishing Traditions and is my main Food Bible right now. I really love this book because it's not just some guy theorizing on what he thinks is healthy, it's based on the study of various peoples and cultures known for their longevity. You can go here to read more. I've cut out all refined sugar and grains. I use Sucanat and Blue Agave syrup in my coffee....you didn't think I'd give up my a.m. cup of java did you? I've pulled out my grain mill and my wheat berries, my yogurt maker and strainer for making yogurt and kefir cheese, I keep the whey for soaking beans and grains. Organic eggs and sustainably raised meats, raw milk and lots of fruits and veggies and that's pretty much it in a nutshell. The only exception is Friday night pizza...I still use some white bread flour in the crust mixed in with the freshly ground stuff. I've been listening to Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle when I walk and aside from being just an all around great book it has the added benefit of making me actually crave vegetables!! (Check out the website here) The other day she was going on about rainbow chard so I went to Henry's and bought some and came home and cooked it up for dinner with some brown rice and it was yummy...chard is yummy, who woulda' thought? Since I have missed the dessert recipe (I eat fruit for dessert) and the salad recipe (I've actually never used a recipe for salad lol) I am going to post a recipe for rainbow chard. It's really good and so so easy. You'll need:
Rainbow Chard (preferably organic, there is a huge difference in taste, not to mention 60% more nutrients) Isn't it pretty?Olive oil, salt and red pepper flakesCook some brown rice and have it ready first, the chard cooks up really fast. I soak my rice all day in warm filtered water (2 cups to 1 cup rice) and 2 tablespoons plain kefir (or yogurt or whey) to make the nutrients more available. You just cook it the usual way in the filtered water.
Cut the stems off the chard cut up small and saute in olive oil
Meanwhile roll the chard leaves like soand chop up in 1" strips (hey kinda like quilting lol)when the stems brighten and soften add the leaves, salt and pepper flakes to taste and cook until bright and tender, don't overcook! It should look like this.Put it in a bowl with some buttered ( I use ghee, which is essentially clarified butter) brown rice and enjoy :) Now how simple is that?Have a great day! Oh yeah and I lost another pound, so that's 6 so far. Slow? Yes, but hopefully and most importantly permanent!!

Wanted:

2009-01-22T15:29:00.000-08:00

my mojo back. If you've seen it please send it home...I need it!! I was reading over at Cheryl's that her mojo goes missing every January. Maybe that's it and it will be back home in February, I can only hope. I sewed a little pile of valentine pillows, to use up a panel from last year...and yup that's it. The one and only sewing project since the red and blue quilt a couple posts ago. I know. Pathetic. Oh except for this Brown Bag project. Thanks to Jo Ann and her class I can count on at least one completed project per month :) Please note that I have read FIVE books so far this month though :)
I went to Road to California last week hoping to come home with lots of new fabric and inspiration to get sewing, but no such luck. I guess the economy is keeping shops from buying new lines because I really didn't see anything much different from last year, very disappointing. I did buy a few things. I was really happy to find this little bundle to go with one of my favorite fabric purchases from last year.Here's a closer look:Some charm packs and this cute valentine fabric...oh wait that was from the Quilter's Coop in Temecula. We were done at Road by 2 o'clock and so we did some shopping on our way home.

I have to apologize to Lisa at Candlelit Quilter who gave me with this award:and Amy at Windmills and Weathervanes who gave me this one:These both came back in the begininning of December and everytime I finish posting I remember that I forgot to mention them....I feel kind of weird putting up awards to myself so maybe that's what took me so long. Anyways thanks so much to both of you, I really appreciate it! O.k I'm off to search for that pesky missing mojo :)

Book Meme

2009-01-17T13:17:00.000-08:00

I have been intending to do this meme for quite some time. I think the whole html underlining thing intimidated me :) I just saw it over at Anna's and she did it with asterisks instead and so I am finally doing it "Ala Anna"

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you started but did not finish.
3) Underline the books you LOVE. (I’m using an asterisk because Anna did and ’cause blogger doesn’t have an auto-underline tool and I don't know how to manually enter the html code :)

And I’m throwing in ** for books that I want to read

1. Pride and Prejudice — Jane Austen **
2. The Lord of the Rings — JRR Tolkein
3. Jane Eyre — Charlotte Bronte *
4. Harry Potter Series — JK Rowling **
5. To Kill a Mocking Bird — Harper Lee**
6. The Bible * (I read it almost daily and have read it through at least once)
7. Wuthering Heights — Emily Bronte *
8. Nineteen Eighty Four — George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials — Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations — Charles Dickens
11. Little Women — Louisa M. Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles — Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 — Joseph Heller **
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier *
16. The Hobbit — JRR Tolkien *
17. Birdsong — Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye — JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveler’s Wife — Audrey Niffenegger * (finished it last night and LOVED it)
20. Middlemarch — George Eliot
21. Gone With the Wind — Margaret Mitchel*
22. The Great Gatsby — F. Scott Fitzgerald **
23. Bleak House — Charles Dickens **
24. War and Peace — Leo Tolstoy **
25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — Douglas Adams* (very irreverent, but oh soo funny!)
26. Brideshead Revisited — Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment — Fyodor Dostoyevsky **
28. Grapes of Wrath — John Steinbeck**
29. Alice in Wonderland — Lewis Carroll*
30. The Wind in the Willows — Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina — Leo Tolstoy **
32. David Copperfield — Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia — CS Lewis
34. Emma — Jan Austen **
35. Persuasion — Jane Austen *
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe — CS Lewis*
37. The Kite Runner — Khaled Hosseini (audio book)
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin — Louis De Bernieres**
39. Memoirs of a Geisha — Arthur Golden *
40. Winnie the Pooh — AA Milne
41. Animal Farm — George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code — Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude — Gabriel Garcia Marquez **
44. A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving **
45. The Woman in White — Wilkie Collins**
46. Anne of Green Gables — LM Montgomery
47. Far From the Madding Crowd — Thomas Hardy **
48. The Handmaid’s Tale — Margaret Atwood *
49. Lord of the Flies — Wiliam Golding
50. Atonement – Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi — Yan Martel**
52. Dune — Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm — Stella Biggons (I'm almost positive I've read this...but I can't remember anything about it)
54. Sense and Sensibility — Jane Austen **
55. A Suitable Boy — Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind — Carlow Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale of Two Cities — Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World — Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime — Mark Haddon **
60. Love in the Time of Cholera — Gabriel Garcia Marquez **
61. Of Mice and Men — John Steinbeck ** (starting this today)
62. Lolita — Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History — Donna Tartt *
64. The Lovely Bones — Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo — Alexandre Dumas*
66. On the Road — Jack Kerouac **
67. Jude the Obscure — Tomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary — Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children — Salman Rushdie**
70. Moby Dick — Herman Melville **
71. Oliver Twist — Charles Dickens
72. Dracula — Bram Stoker **
73. The Secret Garden — Frances Hodgson Burnett* (my favorite as a young girl)
74. Notes from a Small Island — Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses — James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar — Sylvia Plath*
77. Swallows and Amazons — Arthur Ransome**
78. Germinal — Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair — William Makepeace Thackeray**
80. Possession — AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol — Charles Dickens*
82. Cloud Atlas — David Mitchell*
83. The Color Purple — Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day — Kazui Ishiguro **
85. Madame Bovary — Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance — Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web — EB White
88. The Five People You Meet in Heaven — Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle**
90. The Faraway Tree Collection — Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness — Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory — Iain Banks
94. Watership Down — Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces — John Kennedy Toole**
96. A Town Like Alice — Nevil Shute **
97. The Three Musketeers — Alexandre Dumas**
98. Hamlet — William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables — Victor Hugo**

O.k. hopefully this works this time. Apparently the list I cut and pasted at Anna's had an Internet Explorer bug--I use Firefox so I didn't notice anything until it was brought to my attention. Thankfully Anna had fixed it at her sight so I just cut and pasted again....thanks Anna :) Oh and the diet is going fine (this is Monday and that's my update...) I think I'm going to do something on my sidebar for the Monday Loser's... I just can't think of stuff every week diet related except " I lost another pound" and that get's old lol.
Hope you all have a great day :)

Best Christmas present

2009-01-12T22:38:00.001-08:00

I got the best present this Christmas...my sweet daughter Sarah stitched me this pillow. She asked Jonathan to help her come up with what to write and Daniel says he cheered her on so it was a group effort :) Poor Sarah got this far and Jonathan looked over and said no that's not right you've got to start over :) I made another trip to the used bookstore and this time I spent some time looking through their Japanese craft books. I brought 2 home and immediately started gathering fabric from my stash ('cause I am stash busting) for this one.Look at all this cute stuff! So here is my first project started in 2009My camera card is being weird and won't load all my pictures so I'll try to get the other book up later.

Monday Losers

2009-01-12T22:24:00.000-08:00

O.k. here's my before picture. See my new workout clothes? I went out and got them last week in preparation for starting my walking/jogging routine this week. I got warm outfits for our cold weather. It was 89 degrees here today. Um so yeah I didn't get to use them. Oh well I got to pose for my before picture in them sooo much fun....NOT. Not happy putting these up...o.k. no more stalling...deep breath....go
I had a good week and lost 3 pounds, yay!!!

Monday

2009-01-05T18:48:00.000-08:00

is here and as promised I am posting for the Diet Challenge 2009. If you're not dieting please stop reading now or you will be bored out of your mind. No really I mean it. Well I had good news and bad news today. I weighed myself. Bad news. I checked my Weight Watchers point allowance and my 5 pound gain allotted me 2 extra points. Good news. In a twisted way. Yes Weight Watchers is my diet of choice and no I'm not doing meetings...this blog challenge is going to serve as my meeting :) I am not going to post my weight for the whole world to see (yeah I know the whole world doesn't read my blog) but I am giving you a big clue when I say I used to get 22 points a day and then I gained 5 pounds and now I get 24 points. If you are doing WW you will be able to figure out my weight from these clues. And no please don't give me your guess o.k.? LOL the whole point is to keep that offensive number off of my blog! I am pretty much a professional Weight Watcher...I have done the program hmmm o.k. maybe just twice that's not too bad. The first time was after my first baby and the second time...wait maybe 3 times...oh you know what? Just forget it.
O.k. so here are some of the things that are going to be giving me sustenance for the next few months.This is how I will be starting my days almost without exception oh and coffee of course! 3 point coffee no less because I will have half and half in my coffee...somethings just aren't negotiable.Never buy the Fiber One that looks like chex it is really bad. This stuff reminds me of honey bunches of oats and the fiber makes the point count really low. I will pretty much always eat either lentils or tomato pepper soup for lunch and then I get lots of points left for dinner, which is the most important meal to me. In fact when I'm not dieting I don't even remember breakfast or lunch half the time...which just shows you how much I must have been eating for dinner...yikes. Well that's about it...I do have one more picture of my cereal...diet posting just doesn't lend itself to photo ops. And no--no before picture yet...I'm still giving that some thought :)
O.k. ladies we can do this!!!!

Why I Have to Diet in 2009

2009-01-03T19:32:00.000-08:00

Sarah (my daughter) and I celebrated New Year's Eve together and for dinner she requested (and I complied) Potatoes Baked in Cream and Brie Toast with Truffle Oil. These recipes are just two of many that I make that have resulted in my (dire) need to join Sharon's diet challenge. I figured I would share them now before Monday when it will be physically painful for me to look at these pictures. Monday is when I officially start said diet challenge. Sharon is making me post on Monday's so that is when I will start. Good thing I like Sharon a lot because I really don't like being held accountable to certain days of posting-- I wouldn't do this for just anyone lolol...we'll see how I do. O.k back to the recipes. The first is from this cookbook which is one of the first I ever owned. Unfortunately it's out of print but here is the recipe (click to enlarge) and since I am a visual learner I took pictures of every step, just fast forward if you don't need pictures :) This is a really simple recipe...but if you are joining us on the challenge DO NOT MAKE IT or make it now and join on Monday like me :)
Here is what you start with:Here is what you do with it.
Scrub your potatoes and slice them very thin. I believe a Cuisinart is essential to this step :)Use a garlic press or your preferred method of smashing garlic and squeeze 2, or 3, or more if you want, cloves (of garlic) into your ovenproof dish.Add about a half cube of softened butter (not margarine please) and mush it around until it looks like thismeanwhile heat the heavy cream (about 3 cups...I know but it's not like you're eating it every day...) over very low heat until it just begins to steam and add 1 tsp salt and freshly ground pepper and nutmeg about 1/2 tsp each? Or until it looks like thisAs a side note--if you don't already grind your nutmeg fresh you will never regret getting yourself a nutmeg grinder and starting now :) Just take my word for this.Next begin to layer the potatoes and the heavy cream and then top with fresh grated parmesan (which you can also use the cuisinart for)Bake at 425 for 20 minutes and then lower temp. to 375 for about 30 min but most importantly until you insert a knife and the potatoes feel very tender. It should look like this:Our other main course was little toasts with brie and truffle oil... the nectar of the gods..I'm not kidding here :) This "recipe" was inspired by the pizza at Sammy'sYou just slice up a baguette and top with little dabs of brie put under the broiler til it melts a bit and then drizzle the tiniest bit of truffle oil over the tops...it's like a party in your mouth :)Oh and since this is essentially a quilting blog? Here is what I have been playing with in the sewing room :)
Have a great rest of the weekend :)

2009 To Be Read Challenge

2009-01-01T13:40:00.000-08:00

At the end of the year I like to take time to look back at things I've accomplished. Doing this also entails taking note of what I've failed to accomplish. One thing that jumped out at me this year was my puny list of books read. Seriously sad little list. I'm afraid to even guess...but if I had to guess? I'd say 10....10???!!! See? I told you it was sad :( I used to have end of year lists like this:This was before the quilting bug bit me... I think my list of quilt tops finished will be more satisfying. But that's another post. In my attempt to regain some balance in my life I have been scouring all the wonderful book blogs out there for challenges that will help me achieve some of my reading goals for 2009. The first one I'm joining is the TBR challenge. Here are the rules

* the challenge is to read 12 TBR books in 12 months -- you can read those all in one month if you want, or one a month, or however you wanna do it.
* you need to have a list posted somewhere for others to see (even if it's in a comment here)
* you CANNOT change your list after January 1st, 2009!!!
* you can create an Alternates list of MAXIMUM 12 books, if you want, in order to have options to choose from (you can read these in place of books on your original list).
* audiobooks and e-books ARE allowed
* re-reads are NOT allowed, as they aren't TRUE "TBRs"
* you CAN overlap with other challenges
* OPTIONAL: you can join the Yahoo! Group created for participants of the TBR Challenge, if you want to have a place to keep your list, or just to share with others about how you're doing! :)

Here is my list:

1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
2. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
4. Blindness by Jose Saramago
5. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
6. The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
7. Exile by Denise Mina
8 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
9. Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster
10. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
11. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
12. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Alternates:

1. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
2. Resolution by Denise Mina
3. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
4. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
5. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from
Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch
6. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
7. The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
8. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
9. Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
10. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
11. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
12. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

If anyone wants to join me click the title of the post. I think today (Jan. 1) is the deadline to get your list posted.

2008-12-31T17:09:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year's Eve!

SSCS and more!

2008-12-29T12:04:00.000-08:00

So Elf Donna of Chookyblue who hosted the wonderful Secret Santa Christmas Swap has sent out an e-mail telling us swappers to get our gifts posted!! I feel like Christmas was yesterday and here it is almost the new year!! My partner was the lovely Tracy of Pink Purl, thank you Tracy for the lovely gifts :) And thanks to Donna for hosting this fun swap! I love that pink polka dot paper she wrapped everything in!
That little bag is so cute and has a darling label inside unfortunately I can't find the picture...this is why I hate having to rush...anyways take my word for it, o.k? And look at all that lovely red and pink fabric! Please click on this picture to enlarge it and fully appreciate the cuteness!! There was a chocolate bar that I ate back in November when the package arrived and it was just about the best I've ever tasted!! Love the little pincushion and cross-stitch ornament too!! Thanks Tracy!!!

The week before Christmas I got to shop and lunch with Sharon and Deb and we had our usual day of talking and laughing and eating and laughing...so much fun!! Oh and we exchanged gifts too :)
Look at that adorable Christmas bag Sharon made me...I absolutely love it!! Love the little "T" fob too :) And all the fun treats inside too. Love the Santa sign, and how about that "mood swing" purse...do you think she was trying to tell me something? hmmm lololol!!!! Thank you Sharon!!!

And here are the fun goodies from Deb. I love that charm bracelet and have been wearing it almost non-stop...I take it off to sleep and sew :) That snowflake candle holder is beautiful when it has a candle burning inside...the pictures didn't turn out though...again take my word for it lol!
The soap in the penguin smells so yummy and I needed a Christmas soap dispenser in my kitchen. Thanks Deb!!!

And a wonderful surprise came in the mail shortly before Christmas from Vangie (who reads my blog and won my give-away a few months back) I put it under my tree and didn't open it until Christmas morning and wow was I excited to open this CUTE wall hanging!!Isn't it just adorable? I just love it and it immediately found a home on my wall :) She also sent me a cute little bag filled with yummy treats...I think we may have eaten a few before I shot the picture :)Thank you so so much Vangie!!!
O.k. I'm off to make some New Year's resolutions and lists for the new year. I have to get together my "to be read" list and my "quilts to make" list and my "recipes to try" list....yikes!! How about you guys? What kind of lists etc. do you like to do for the New Year? I'll be back to share some of my lists and resolutions on New Year's eve!

Happy Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T12:42:00.000-08:00

Well it's finally here and what's done is done and what's not...well maybe next year :) I think I've managed to get most of my list accomplished. Let's see...
Tree lit....checkDecorations up...yup Baking done...uh huh
Shopping finished...yes!Presents wrapped...hmmm
Time for more coffee and present wrapping I guess :) Have a Very Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

Speechless

2008-12-17T11:36:00.000-08:00

Is what I am right now. Look what came from Carol...I know, right? Speechless.... It's pouring rain here and after waving goodbye as Daniel drove off to work (after telling him to drive careful like a gazillion times) I checked my messages and heard my neighbor's voice telling me that the mailman had put a package on my porch and I should get it before it floats away. I am soooo glad she happened to see it because here is what was waiting:I swear as soon as I got this glimpse my heart just stopped...no really--it did. I was actually afraid to open any further, because I thought there was no way it was what it looked like it might be. I opened the card first...I never do that :) When I saw what she wrote I finally realized yes there was an actual quilt in this box. A quilt made from my absolute favorite fabric in the world. Isn't it gorgeous? And adorable? Oh and perfect? If you've been reading my blog for awhile you know how perfect this is for me :) I love this quilt sooo sooo much Carol. When I called her to say thank you I was still in speechless mode and forgot to tell her that I had to wait until the tears of joy passed to make the call...So no matter what else Santa brings this year...I'm happy!! Look at the beautiful quilting: Make sure you click to enlarge to really see it. Beautiful flowers!So I left the quilt all neatly laid out on my bed...came back in just now to take a picture of the card and apparently somebody has already tried it out because this is how I found it :)Thank you doesn't begin to say it Carol...you amaze me with your generosity, not just to me but in all the charity work you do and with all your friends. You have one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know! I will cherish this quilt for always. And because I can't come up with a better word than the customary one....THANK YOU, Thank you, thank you, thank you........thank you.....Thank you dear friend :) I still can't quite believe this is mine!!

One done two to go

2008-12-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

I finished the first quilt top except for hand stitching the binding and as you can see that little omission doesn't keep anyone around here from using the quilts first. I was on a roll so I immediately pinned flimsy number two. I made a little table topper with my left over squares of this one. Well I'm not on a roll anymore I still haven't started quilting the second one. Instead I got sidetracked by my pink, red and aqua box :) Someday I'm going to get a little white feather tree and these will be all ready to hang. Sorry if this post is really quick, I feel like I'm coming down with something :( I've had a headache all day and now I'm getting that achy all over feeling. Thankfully Sarah and I found an awesome used bookstore last Sunday after church and I brought home a nice big stack of books. I'm going to go climb in bed with a cup of hot tea and a good book! Hope you all have a great weekend !

So I'm just a little behind....

2008-12-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

Today I was cleaning out/organizing pictures for blogging and found an old folder with pictures I've never posted--oops! I had good intentions of posting some good recipes, tips for turkey brining and basting and assorted other tidbits. Maybe next year :) I was embarrassed though when I realized that I'd never posted this sweet package that came back in October from Carol. Such a cute jack-o-lantern and filled with the yummiest treats--the kiddos gobbled it up fast! I hid these away for myself for a few days before I shared :)I can only imagine that it's because I got so many packages from her around this time that I thought I had done it. Thank you Carol :) Sorry I'm such an airhead!

O.k. back to the present. The reason I'm sorting my files is I'm trying to get a little bit organized and start posting more frequently and shorter...I tend to save up and then wham! We'll see how it goes :) I'm also trying to read a little everyday rather than catching up once a week (blogs that is). I owe Nanette for that idea. She's making me read her blog every day...o.k she's not making me but in order to get the most entries in her blogaversary extravaganza I have to comment every day and as long as I'm on my bloglines I go ahead and take a peek at what everyone else is up to, and I think it's working for me---thanks Nanette :) Oh and make sure you go over and check out the fun at Freda's Hive it's not too late!I have 3 Christmas flimsies from last year that I am hoping to get quilted by New Years Day.
So yesterday morning I got the top one pinned and then decided to quilt it in snowflakes and mittens...it's cute but it's taking forever!! The next two I'm going back to easier/quicker designs or I'll never finish...not to mention getting the rest of my Christmas gifts made...o.k back to work!!See? I can do short :)

Here we go again

2008-12-05T14:20:00.000-08:00

I feel like I just put my Christmas decorations away and here it is time to put them up again! Luckily I love decorating for Christmas, although I was a little bit sad to put away the Fall goodies this year. Every year on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving we drag out all the tubs and boxes and deck the halls...and the yard. Now it's all up but the tree...that comes next weekend. We get a fresh tree every year and have learned to wait until a couple of weeks before Christmas in order not to have it turn into kindling before Christmas morning lol! Unfortunately most of my pictures came out blurry--I'll try again when the tree is up.
I trekked over to Rosie's on Wednesday to take advantage of her 25% off of magazines and came home with a pile...here's a little peek at 2 of my favorites: I want her house!I want to make almost everything in this one! I love this wreath:Are these little tins adorable or what?
I'm making this little trio--well it's going to be a trio lol--for a gift, I think...I love the bright happy fabric!O.k. that's enough for now...gotta go get busy--lots to do and only 20 days left to do it--yikes!!!

All the Usual Suspects

2008-11-20T15:50:00.000-08:00

So it's been awhile since I last blogged. I didn't realize how long until I logged on just now to post about a fun shopping day with my girlfriends---and saw that my last post was about a fun shopping day with same said girlfriends...wow! So, do I really need to mention that not a lot blog worthy has been going on here? Probably not.
So it was "all the usual suspects" for our (what we hope to be) monthly shopping/lunching girls day out. This time we met up in Vista at Fat Quarters. They had some adorable samples and for some reason I took no pictures...go over to Nancy's and see the cute ME quilt made with the same pattern I used for my hopscotch quilt a while back. After Fat Quaters we headed out to Fallbrook to Quilter's Cottage (is that the right name?) where some of us spent enough to get cute blue bags and some of us didn't lol! Next it was on to Temecula where we stopped for sustenance at a yummy barbeque place that Sharon knew. The cook was a crack up and I think he had a crush on Deb...I'll let her tell that story lol! I don't know what the other diner's in the place made of us when our food arrived and instead of digging in we all whipped out our camera's and began frantically snapping photo's of the food and eachother taking pic's of the food. Pretty funny lol!And the food was picture worthy:I had a birthday between shopping trips and those sweet girls surprised me with presents! From Deb, who knows I love to read, I got a book that is next on my reading list, a bag full of "smell good" goodies, that cute little leather box filled with little Vera Wang stuff (I love Vera Wang!) and a cute little tablet. Sharon brought me this Jelly Roll "Objects of Desire" from Quilt Market--don't you love those colors? I do!Here's a closer picture:And this wonderful tea from Hawaii, I wish I could let you smell it--it is heavenly :)
Janine brought everyone cute little Christmas goodies. Notice the empty wrappers? I set it down for 5 minutes to get the camera ready and I come back and someone has already eaten some!!
Oh and Nancy and I share a birthday and she sent me this adorable card with a starbucks card and she's searching for a template for me :) Thanks girls!!I was pretty well behaved and only got a little bit of fabric. I have no self control where cherries are involved :)
Isn't this apron fabric adorable?
Some Christmas goodies:And some new patterns, I can't wait to start on the on the one from Bunny Hill.My SSCS package arrived a few days ago from Tracy at Pink Purl. I love that pink polka dot wrapping paper. I am really going to have a hard time waiting until Christmas to open these goodies! The chocolate should tide me over for a bit. I was so excited that Tracy was my partner I love what she does, go check out her blog!I have been doing a little bit of sewing but mostly stuff that I can't show...Christmas you know :) I am coming along with my SSCS projects and should have them off this weekend...hopefully. I've made some more progress on my stars quilt, I think I figured out I have about 9 more to go.

O.k. hopefully it won't take me 3 weeks to blog next time, with the Holidays coming so soon you never know...