Nate's Notions

My First Row

2012-01-26T22:01:00.004-06:00

I've started making a shop sample of Seasons in a Row.

It is a fun sampler quilt with each row representing a different month.

Seasons in a Row is the current block of the month at Glad Creations. If you want to do it too, no worries, there is still time to get registered.

The snowmen are the row for January. I'm using the kits from Glad Creations.

January's kit comes with buttons for the eyes and noses and embroidery floss for the mouths.

The kits are great. Preselected fabrics in just the right amounts.

I already have February's kit, so be looking for a row of hearts shortly.

Brownie Goodness

2012-01-18T20:30:00.003-06:00

I volunteered to bring the treat to quilt group today and baked up a little experiment.

Byerly's makes Killer Brownies, which have something yummy baked into the center. One of my favorites is German Chocolate Brownies.

One of my mom's cookbooks has a recipe for Caramel Brownies. I decided to modify it and bake German Chocolate Cake Frosting in the center instead of caramel.

So here is the recipe I used.

1 German chocolate cake mix
1 Devil's Food cake mix
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1 batch of German Chocolate Cake Frosting

In a large bowl, combine the cake mixes, evaporated milk and butter. Stir by hand. Spread 1/2 of the dough in a 9"x13" ungreased pan. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes. Spoon the frosting across the top. Crumble the remaining over the frosting and top with chocolate chips. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.

I served it with vanilla ice cream and carmel topping. It was a hit. I hope you enjoy!

I'm FAT!!!!

2012-01-11T21:44:00.005-06:00

Sorry for not blogging for a while. I'm going to try to blogging more often and about more than just quilting.

I've been feeling like my life is a bit out of balance. One reason is that I haven't been exercising or eating right.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to lose my extra batting around my middle.

Here is a picture of me from about 5 or 6 years ago.

I like the way I look in this picture.

My goal is to eat right and exercise at least 3 times a week.

I'm hoping by the end of the year that my clothes fit a little better.

I'll be posting an updated picture of me every couple of months, to show my progress and as motivation to keep up with this resolution.

Of course, good luck to all of you with your resolutions!

A Few of My Favorite Things

2011-12-06T13:15:00.002-06:00

I've been listening to Christmas music to get in the mood for the holidays. One song I don't quite get making it into the mix is My Favorite Things.

Why that song says Christmas, I'm not sure.

But it did make me think. I have a few new notions that would be on the list of my favorite quilting things.

The first is Grip and Grip. Love it. Great for marking what needs marking.

I've used it for marking my applique and here I was using it to mark my half square triangles for the border of Tapestry.

It sticks to the surface it is on and grips the fabric too. It is smoother than a sand paper board, so it won't scratch up your ruler.

Since I'm making Tapestry king size, I need 28 border units which means 56 half square triangle units.

That made quite the long chain. Enter the Chain Ripper.

It has a weighted holder, which keeps the seam ripper upright. The point on the ripper is broken off, so you can't injure yourself.

Just with slight pressure the chain is broken and you have your units free for your next step.

Both these notions are affordable and would make great stocking stuffers for the quilter on your shopping list.

What are some of your favorite things?

Stewing

2011-12-01T20:20:00.006-06:00

I'm a little hurt that no one commented on my last post.

Instead of stewing over it, I'll tell you about my new stew recipe.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew.

Steve and I used up stew meat that had been in the freezer for over a year. About time!

He froze the parsnips from our garden. Really what are you supposed to do with parsnips? Make a stew!

His big innovation was sucking out the extra air from the ziplock freezer bag with a straw. I think he might have got a little light headed.

I begrudgingly let Steve put in some parsnips in the stew. Really they weren't bad, until I had a bite with only parsnip in it. Not so good.

The flavor of the stew really was tasty. It was very flavorful today as a leftover lunch.

If anyone wants frozen parsnips, you know where to find some!

Tapestry 2.0

2011-11-29T17:18:00.005-06:00

Here are the contents of another one of my ArtBins.

I purchased the Traditions Tapestry kit. I've already made one kit into Tapestry and made the other kit into a different quilt.

I decided to take some artistic license with the pattern this time around.

Instead doing the nine-patches in the pattern, I'm going to do split rails. The first picture is my first block. I'm liking it!

I also decided to make it king size, so I will be making 19 extra blocks.

The layout from EQ7 illustrates the layout I'll be using. The direction of the split rails will alternate to add a little more interest.

I had enough of the dark fabrics to make the extra blocks, but needed to buy more of the two sashing fabrics.

I'm excited to experiment. We'll see how it turns out.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:27:00.003-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Unfortunately, Steve and I are not together for the holiday. Steve is spending the day with his family up north and I'm with Cheri spending time with her family.

I wanted to send Steve off prepared with food for a potluck dinner.

I made last year's Cinnamon Apple Cranberry Sauce. It ended up more tart that Steve remembered but still very yummy.

Steve's family has very traditional tastes, so he wanted to keep the cheesecake flavor simple. We went with Strawberry Cheesecake.

We changed the baking a little. We wrapped the pan with tin foil and put the cheesecake in a bath. This left the cheesecake perfectly flat and without cracks.

We also baked the cheesecake for an extra half hour.

There is extra strawberry sauce for serving, so I think that will be even more delicious.

Steve will have to let you know how it tasted, since I don't think there will be any left to bring home.

My Design

2011-11-22T20:05:00.003-06:00

I've been getting lessons on EQ7 from Dee. Thanks for the tutorials, Dee!

Plus I've been playing around myself trying different stuff out on my own.

Cheri and I started talking about nine patch blocks and designing two block quilts, which was the inspiration to try my hand at designing.

This is the first one I came up with. Initially it colorized as a two color quilt in red and white.

Last night I was working with Mary and we started playing with fabrics. I was trying to come up with enough fabrics for a Glads quilt.

It wasn't happening, so Mary suggested that I get the fabrics that were working.

Of course, I have to do whatever the Glad ladies tell me to do.

I played around with the scanner today and scanned in all the fabrics I bought and recolorized the layout.

I'm super excited to work on a design that is all my own and to be working with such great fabrics. Now I just need to come up with a name.

I'm thinking this might be the start to a whole new chapter of my quilting career.

Broken Needle

2011-11-20T21:47:00.005-06:00

I finished the sample of Candice for the shop, but not before I broke a couple of needles.

I have to admit that I'm hard on my machine, but there are a couple of seams that have a few too many layers. So be careful!

The finished product looks so good. The pattern was great and easy to follow.

The only thing I would change is add an extra 1/2" to the sleeve for the Bag-E-Bottom, so cut it at 5"x12 1/2".

This picture is to illustrate what the "fat" pocket looks like. It just leaves a little extra room in the pocket.

I love the fabrics I chose. They are from Kate Spain's Terrain line. They are just fun and bright.

The bag will be at the shop tomorrow, along with me getting more needles. Stop by and see it!

Sample Maker

2011-11-15T20:55:00.002-06:00

I've finished my Mystery Weekend quilts. I love the pattern a lot.

I love it even more that I was able to get the quilts done so quickly.

In January, I will actually post pictures.

In the mean time, Nancy and Susan came back from market with the Candice pattern from Lazy Girls Designs.

Since I'm the resident sample maker of purses, I picked out two sets of fabrics to make the pattern out of.

The innovation in this pattern is that the inner pockets are made so that they aren't flat and can hold thicker items like glasses and taller pockets for E-readers.

As always the pattern is wonderful. Good directions with lots of illustrations.

The sad part is when I get done with the purses, I can't take them out for a test drive before they go on display at Glad Creations.

Maybe I'll take a spin around with the bags in the front room with the shades drawn before I take it in.

My Good Turn

2011-11-04T16:59:00.004-05:00

It is nice every now and then to give back using quilting the means.

South Minneapolis Quilters will be having a booth at Mount Olivet's Holiday Bazaar and Art Fair tomorrow. Some of the proceeds will go to the church and the rest will be donated to charities.

We were challenged to do things we'd never done before. Well, I have quilted before, but it felt like I was doing it for the first time.

If you click on the picture of the table runner, you probably will be able to see my quilting. Doesn't quilting in the ditch feel like coloring within the lines did at age 5?

I found it very challenging to quilt a straight line. Although with each leaf, I got better and better.

I was also able to do an old stand by for another donation, wine totes. I found that if I bought two half yards, I could get 3 wine totes.

They go together so easily and really dress up a bottle of wine. The pattern is in Let's Do Lunch by Terry Atkinson.

I love the Winter Solstice line from Jason Yenter. It definitely put me in the holiday spirit.

I hope my runners and totes put the fair goers in
a spending mood.

Poor Steve!!

2011-10-31T17:57:00.014-05:00

Steve was a little under the weather this weekend, so what did I do?

I went out and got him Nyquil then left for a quilting weekend at Debbie's.

The upside was that I got a lot done. I pulled out an ArtBin with projects from a retreat from a year ago.

I already the center of the blue quilt together and half the trees made.

At the sew-in, I got the border on the blue quilt. It is the fabric from the 2010 Quilt Minnesota Shop Hop. The pattern is Frosted Window Panes from Six Halves Make a Whole Christmas.

The Christmas trees were made by stacking three fabrics and cutting out the tree and shuffling the order of the fabrics. I used a layer cake from Moda, Figgy Pudding.

I also used my left over blocks from my leaf quilt to make a table runner and table topper. I think the both turned out nice.

The challenge will be that they are for a fund raising bazaar this weekend. I need to get them quilted in the next couple of days.

Anyone who knows me, knows I don't quilt, so it should be interesting to see how these turn out.

Wish me luck! I'll need it.

Bin Tour

2011-10-27T16:23:00.006-05:00

Since I'm working on a mystery quilt, about all I can say is that I've completed steps 1-3 for both of my color ways. With 5 steps in all, I'm making good progress.

While I'm working on the quilt that cannot be named, I thought I would take you through my stack of ArtBins.

I decided to organize the ArtBins so that all the project that I started sewing on would be at the top.

I'll be showing you my stack from the bottom, the cut out, but not started projects.

This will become Steps to the Stars. This has been cut out for a while. This dates back to Debbie coming over for my session of Rent-A-Friend in the summer of 2010.

I really loved the background fabric, the bird fabric. I picked my other fabrics based on the colors in the fabric. I have brown, blue, green and red fabrics. I tried to get a range of values and also a range of textures.

I tried to keep the dark fabric patterns simple because of the birds as a background are relatively busy.

I can't wait to finish all the projects I have started, so I can get to this one.

I want to see the stars in border. The birds will look so cute!

Autumn Leaves

2011-10-23T17:58:00.002-05:00

I just finished Mystery Weekend, and what a blast!

Thanks Nancy and Susan for another wonderful quilt.

I took both sets of mystery fabrics with me. I sewed a little on both. I didn't want to get too far ahead on one, because I thought I wouldn't stay motivated otherwise.

I think I'll probably have both quilts done here shortly, but remember these are mystery quilts. That means I won't be able to show them to you until Mystery by Mail finishes in January.

Check back then for pictures.

My favorite part of mystery weekend is the show and tell. It is fun to see what people have been working on and get inspired.

Luckily I finished up my autumn leaves quilt to show. I think it turned out really nice. I'm liking the softness of the chain blocks. They let the focus be on the leaves.

Originally I thought I'd do a 7x9 block arrangement, until I figured out that with 12" blocks the quilt would be 84"x108" without any borders. I ditched a row of blocks to get a better size.

The discardered row left me with three orphaned leaf blocks with no home. Mary Brady, the president of South Minneapolis Quilters and Monday night co-worker, suggested making a donation table runner.

I love doing a good deed and can't pass up a challenge. Stay tuned for a picture of the table runner!

Lessons Learned

2011-10-12T16:47:00.005-05:00

Sometimes when you pull out a UFO, you find you've come a long way since you left it.

This happened to me when I pulled out this ArtBin. The points in the leaves are all paper pieced.

I started this project at a sew-in at my place over two years ago. I hadn't done much paper piecing at the time and certainly wasn't doing it right.

I got frustrated on my first piece. I couldn't get the pieces of fabric to cover the pattern. I figured I'd not cut the fabric big enough and put it aside.

Along comes a Judy Neimeyer pattern, Sylvia's Bridal Sampler and a paper piecing class at Glads. After paper piecing 30 different blocks, I'm a professional.

In my quest to empty bins, I reluctantly decided to pull this out.

It turns out that first piece had at half inch seam, which might have explained the pieces not covering the pattern.

Using my new learned skills, I have finished all the parts that are paper pieced and now I'm assembling the leaves. I'm in complete production mode. As you can see, I have all 32 leaf blocks laid out.

This is a pattern is called Autumn Splendor from Cotton Tales. It is a nice pattern with about 5 different projects that use this basic leaf pattern.

I'm doing a single chain arrangement surrounding the leaves. After the leaves are made, the get a two inch border of more background to make them float. I also need to make the chain blocks.

I have to say that it is very nice to be on a fall themed quilt this time of year. Also, it is an excuse not to go out a rake the actual leaves outside.

Showing Off

2011-10-10T22:01:00.002-05:00

I just picked up my quilts from Kars Quilting. They did a rush job, so I would have them in time to show at South Minneapolis Quilters tomorrow.

A quilt always looks better quilted.

Kim did a really nice job helping me pick out quilting patterns and thread color.

On my Sew Many Stars, we used a pattern called Denali and orange thread.

On my Sky Dancer, we did a pattern called Sunflower and used a light blue thread.

Both of them turned out great. You should click on the pictures and zoom in to see the quilting.

Thanks Kim and Kerry for the great job!

Nancy, Susan and Glad are the program for tomorrow's meeting. They will be will be showing quilts and telling their story. I'll be helping them vend before and after the program.

The members of the group have been encouraged to bring their quilts made from Glad Creation patterns, so there will be lots of beautiful quilts to see. I'm very happy that I get to bring these two beauties.

It is tomorrow night at 7:00 pm at Southwest Community Church at the Corner of 54th and Humbolt. Hope to see you there!

Missing My Mom

2011-10-09T21:03:00.014-05:00

I lost my Mom a year ago today.

I'm missing her a little bit. A lot bit.

I miss her calls and our chats about my latest quilt project.

I owe my first exposure to quilting to my Mom. She and my grandmother would put quilts on the frame and quilt while us kids would play underneath it.

I remember laying on my back looking up at the stitches on the back side.

She and I made baby quilts for my Eagle scout project. She didn't trust me with her sewing machine, but I would pass her the pieces.

She was also an excellent cook. I got my love of food and cooking from her.

And of course I owe my good looks to her.

I begged my sisters to let me have my Mom's shirts, so I could make a quilt.

I brought the shirts into Glad's and Nancy suggested Slide Show by Atkinson Designs, to show off the shirts' fabric.

The ladies also had the bright idea to sew shirt parts into the squares to showcase the shirts. I used a collar, a placket and a pocket in squares.

Judy Remiger quilted the quilt for me. I told her about my Mom's love of flowers which she incorporated into the quilting. There is even a rose inside of the collar.

She also quilted mine and my siblings' names into the border.
I think it turned out well. When I look at this quilt, it reminds me of my mother's warmth.

I miss you Mom!

Fall to Pieces

2011-10-05T08:48:00.004-05:00

Is everyone as excited for Mystery Weekend as me?

I'm all ready to roll with my cutting completed.

It has been interesting for me to look at the pieces being cut and start guessing at the quilt design. I've come up with some interesting possibilities.

I'm sure the actual quilt with be much better!
I also cut out both sizes, so here are some interesting facts.

There are more backgroud pieces than dark fabrics, 184 vs 160 for the small quilt and 240 vs 208 for the large quilt.

The small quilt is 68"x84" and the large is 84"x100", which is 1.5625 times bigger. The small quilt has 344 cut pieces while the large has 448, which is 1.3023 times as many.

Now I need to decide what to do with my time until Mystery!?

Mystery Weekend 2.0

2011-10-03T21:59:00.008-05:00

I know I have fabric for Mystery Weekend #48, but now I have options.

Tonight was my last with Cheri. She isn't working Monday nights with me any more.

To commemorate the occasion, I just had to buy the fabric she picked out for me.

I love it! My other option is a bit on the feminine side. This option is definitely masculine.

I got all the fabrics tonight at Glad's, so if you don't have your fabric yet, we can have twinner quilts.

I'm looking forward to working with Mary. She is my new partner in crime Monday nights. I hope she doesn't tempt me as much to buy fabric.

Malted Sky Dancer

2011-10-02T19:35:00.003-05:00

Cheri when she saw this collection of fabric said that it looks like malted milk. I think she is right. The fabrics are very soft.

As you can see, I was able to lay out the quilt and get it sewed together.

I'd have to say that I love this pattern. Really simple components that went together quickly!

I also really like the secondary pattern that happens with the sashing and the corners of the blocks. You get these fun little gem like shapes.

I would definitely recommend Sky Dancer to anyone.

I also think it is fun to see the fabrics from one quilt used in a different pattern.

My next project will be to cut out my Mystery Weekend fabrics. Got to keep those ArtBins full of projects.

Making Room

2011-09-29T04:13:00.000-05:00

I'm signed up for Mystery Weekend #48. I'll be attending the October 22 and 23 session.

If you like good company and a good surprise, feel free to join me. There is still room available.

I selected my fabrics from my stash. I got the fabrics from two kits and a fat quarter bundle. The fabrics are from Amy Butler, Erin McMorris and Anna Maria Horner.

I think the fabrics go together really well, even if they are slightly feminine. Of course, I went into the shop and Debbie found me the perfect background.

I now have my cutting instructions and I'm not buying a new ArtBin to store this quilt, so I need to finish another project.

I've decided to finish up the contents of this ArtBin since it is almost done anyway. The fabrics might look familiar. They are from the kit for Tapestry.

I loved all the kits for the particular quilt, so I ended up with all three. I've made one already.

Three quilts from the same pattern is a bit of an overkill, so I got inventive. I'm making Sky Dancer with the fabrics.

Steve liked it because of the circles. Once I made the blocks he was disappointed to find out they were just fake circles.

At this point I have the center quilt blocks made and the border pieces. I need to still make the sashing pieces and the corner blocks. A cinch right?

I'd like to get it laid out this weekend. Wish me luck!

Start of a New Mystery

2011-09-27T15:50:00.003-05:00

I've already filled up my empty ArtBin.

Tell me what you think?

This is going to be the Scrap Tamer's Mystery Quilt. We got cutting instructions at the last session.

The quilt will end up being 60"x66", a nice throw size. I'll be getting clues every month until May 2012.

Since it is a mystery, I won't be able to post pictures until after it is completed. Stay tuned!

I got the fabrics completely from stash. From mine and Cheri's. The fabrics came from over buying for an earlier project. I'll have to post pictures of it as well.

I still have lots more of these fabrics, so I need to find an additional project to use up the leftovers.

Suggestions?

End of the Mystery

2011-09-25T09:36:00.009-05:00

I finished piecing my Mystery Weekend #47 Quilt. It has since been reveal to be named "Sew Many Stars", which is now available as a pattern. Very cute name!

When I was choosing my fabric, I cannibalized two separate Kaffe Fasset throw sized quilts to get the dark fabrics for this quilt. Very nice to use up stash.

I came into the shop with my fabrics and Debbie found the background, which is perfect.

I think the quilt turned out really well.

The larger print fabrics cut up really interestingly. This is Steve's favorite star. Love the dimensionality of the melon coming out of the quilt!

I now have one empty bin that I'm sure will soon be filled with a new project. I wonder what it will be?

A Little Flare

2011-09-21T21:47:00.009-05:00

So I've got a question. Why have a round cheesecake when you can have a heart shaped one?

I made the treat today for quilt group. Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Carmel Swirl.

I already posted the recipe on here but thought the heart shape warranted a picture.

So along the lines of living life with a little flare, why have a plain quilt back when you can have a designer back?

This is going to be the back for my Halloween quilt. The quilt group suggested naming it "Trick and Treat".

And really, a fun quilt deserves a fun back.

One Weekend Later

2011-09-18T20:23:00.004-05:00

I had a wonderful time at the retreat this weekend. Thanks to everyone in attendance.

I think I did pretty good.

I finished my Halloween All About Me quilt. I think it turned out well. I loved all my fabrics before I started sewing, but the frames added so much to the quilt.

I love it!

After I finished that quilt, I pulled out my Mystery Quilt and finished all the steps.

Now I'm ready to lay it out and sew it up.

I'm loving all the patterns and fabric. I think it is going to be bold and crazy.

Stay tuned for a picture of the finished quilt. I'm going to try to finish up sewing it together this week.

Retreat Bin

2011-09-15T19:44:00.004-05:00

So first off, minor correction. I walked into my storage room and found a misplaced bin. I actually have 13 bins.

I am headed to a retreat at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center organized by Carol Wilder.

When I was getting ready for the retreat, I noticed I had an empty bin and decided it needed filling.

I like to be prepped and ready to sew, with a quilt all cut and ready to sew. In this case two.

I had a collection of Halloween fabric, and thought that All About Me by Atkinson Designs would be a nice way to show case the fabric.

The timing of the retreat is perfect, so if I make good progress the quilt will be done in time for the holiday.

The second quilt I cut out is Urban Cabin, also by Atkinson Designs. I used a Bali Pop and the soft green back ground. I'm kind of excited to see how it turns out.

Probably too much for the retreat but doesn't hurt to be prepared. I'll post pictures of my progress when I return.

Rental Fee

2011-09-14T15:17:00.006-05:00

Luckily I got my machine back in time for my retreat this weekend. Thanks Gratz!

And thanks to Cheri for the week with your machine. I thought I would post what I did as a thank you.

I made her a Sylvia's Bridal Sampler block. If you are familiar with the blocks in the book, you won't recognize this one.

I pulled it from the Fancy That! quilt from Glad Creations. With a little math, I shrunk the block to 6". I think it turned out very nice.

I also made some paper piecing kits for her to put blocks together on her own.

Good luck Cheri!

One of 12

2011-09-11T10:52:00.004-05:00

I have a confession. I'm addicted to Art Bins.

I now have 12 of them, each containing a UFO. Some with multiple projects.

I got so many bins because every time I started a new project and an empty one wasn't available, I got a new one.

All of them are in various stages of completion. My goal for this year, Sept 2011 to Aug 2012, is to empty the bins.

The first bin I'm introducing you to is the last Mystery Quilt from Glad Creations.

Before a couple of weeks ago, I hadn't worked on it since leaving class.

The nice thing about pulling out a Glad's quilt in progress, is that is like getting reacquainted with an old friend.

The bad thing is trying to figure out where you are. Right now I have my 16 Ohio stars and 48 sawtooth stars done. Now I need to go back to the first step.

60 Four-Patches.

My plan is for the next few postings is to open each bin and let you know what is inside. Stay tuned.

The Loaner

2011-09-06T19:35:00.004-05:00

Last week, I handed over my Bernina to the Gratz Sewing for some much needed TLC. My top thread was looping on my bobbin side.

When you are without your machine, doesn't it feel like having your arm cut off?

Well, it went from bad to worse. I was trying to learn my 1/4" seam allowance on my new machine, and started switching feet. My needle position didn't like the foot.

The foot was plastic and the needle went all the way through the foot. Even after changing the needle, I had skipped stitches. Needless to say, I turned over that machine to Gratz as well.

Now, I would have been armless. Apparently two sewing machines is not enough for me.

Luckily, my best quilting buddy, Cheri loaned me her Bernina. My goal is to give it back to her in working order.

One Year and 4 Months Later

2011-09-03T19:55:00.013-05:00

It has been a long while since I've posted anything to the blog, so I think it is about time I did.

I had been posting percentages of the Sylvia's Bridal Sampler blocks that I had done. Well, I stopped making them.

I got to applique, Y-seams and curves and called it quits. I still feel like I got a lot done. Just over 100 blocks.

I used a Glad Creations pattern, Homestead Stars as the pattern for my setting. I used 80 blocks for the quilt top.

I mixed it up a bit by adding a black batik with the jewel tones of the fabrics that I had used for my blocks.

It took some doing but I got scrappy diamonds of the same color to coordinate with the color of a sampler block.

The sampler blocks with lighter background are surrounded by a diamond of the dark batik. They also make a secondary pattern of Ohio Stars around the other diamonds.

My remaining 30 blocks ended up pieced into the back. I think it turned out well too.

I have a quilt date with Judy Remiger for the second half of October, so I'll post a picture of the quilting when I get it back.

It will be a part of the Sylvia's Club quilt show at Glad Creations in January 2012. See you there!

51.42857%

2010-05-04T21:14:00.002-05:00

I've just passed the half way point with my Sylvia's Bridal Sampler blocks.

This section was template piecing. I have to confess that I only used templates for 3 of the 15 blocks.

The rest I did using paper piecing. I printed out the patterns from Electric Quilt 6. I've had it for over a year and this was the first time I've used it.

Just being able to print out the patterns made the purchase worth it.

Is it down hill from here?

My Quilt Sister

2010-05-02T16:15:00.003-05:00

As a kid, you and a friend might cut your fingers and put the cuts together and you became blood brothers or sisters?

Well, I've decided Cheri is my quilt sister now. Giving up a quilt is more painful than a little cut. We have both given each other quilts, so that makes us quilt siblings.

This is the quilt she gave me. Pinwheels and Posies. Isn't it a stunner!?

She was very tricky. She had me help her pick out the fabrics. Then when she finished piecing the quilt she had me help pick out the two border fabrics too. I kept asking her who was getting the quilt and I don't know if I ever got a straight answer.

Just this week, she called to see if she could come over and take pictures of her quilts. I didn't know it was mine until she had me check out the quilt label on it.

I guess it pays to be friends with quilters. Thanks Cheri!

Glad's Top Model

2010-04-25T14:40:00.004-05:00

Glad's has a new model. Charlie.

If you've been in Glad's, you've probably seen this picture of Charlie modeling my Maggie bag. Look at his form and grace.

The bag makes a good doggie bag holder. Load it up with bags before a walk and you will never be caught unprepared.

Also if you are lucky you might find Charlie visiting the shop on his afternoon walk.

What a cutie!

Bride's-Sampler Revisited

2010-04-18T09:40:00.004-05:00

If you are doing Sylvia's Club at Glad's, you know we are working on session 4 blocks. Once this session's blocks are done, we will be just past the half way mark.

That makes now a good time to look back and reflect. I was at a quilting get-together at Dee's house. I brought along my blocks, so we put them all out on her design wall.

Amy brought along her camera and snapped a pic for me. I'm still working on my session 4 blocks, but all the blocks through session 3 are in the picture.

If you haven't laid out all your blocks, you should. Looking at this picture every now and then is a good reminder of how great the quilt will look when it is done. Great motivation to keep going.

I'm so excited to see how this quilt is going to look when it is all done!

Sombrero Del Gato

2010-04-15T18:00:00.005-05:00

So I wish the success of each project could be judged by Daisy. She seems to like my failed attemp at a Bali Bowl from Aunties Two.

The bowl is supposed to have upright sides. Mine ended up with more of a gentle slope. On the plus side two cats can lay on it at once.

Now I do have to say that Daisy looks great on it. Steve did a good job at picking out the Bali Pop to go with her and Pippin.

So any one have any ideas why I got a sombrero instead of a bowl? I'm wondering if it could be that my tension was off. Or that I didn't have the right touch when shaping my bowl.

Either way, the cats will have to share the one bowl, because I'm not making another one.

P!nk

2010-04-08T20:48:00.006-05:00

So a year ago, I became very enamored with three quilt kits at Glad's. They were for Mystery By Mail #43, which has now magically turned into Tapestry.

I cut up two of the kits right away. I started with this one and finally got back to it. I think it is cute. Very appropriate for the spring.

It is definitely for a lover of pink. My favorite part of the quilt is the very cool border.

The quilt has blue, green and pink. All the colors of a raspberry patch, so the name for this one is Raspberry Patchwork.

Fancy That!

2010-04-05T19:00:00.005-05:00

Contrary to what you might think, I am not dead, but my blog is on life support.

So the pics are the finished product from Mystery Weekend 45.

The quilt is called Fancy That. The block is Fancy Contrary Wife. Isn't it a great block name?

I started out with 636 pieces after finishing cutting. The finished quilt has 30 blocks and 2387 pieces in the finished quilt.

I'm trying to think of a name. I'm think something like Fancy Frenchy. What do you think?

Vacation from Farmville

2010-02-21T13:25:00.004-06:00

I took a little trip a while back to Lanesboro, MN for a quilt retreat with Cheri, Amy and Judy. Judy has a great posting about the retreat on her blog.

I had this quilt cut out for quite a while, so it was on my UFO list. The pattern is called Weather Vane.

I made the half square triangle squares before I left. That way I didn't need to rip off the triangle paper or trim dog ears before I could start sewing.

By the end of the retreat, I was able to get all my blocks made and pieced the strips for the border blocks. It took me about a week to finish the quilt, partially because I was a little burned out.

I think it turned out great. I'm going to put it in the non-judged portion of the Minnesota Quilters Show in June. I need a name for it.

Any ideas?

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag

2010-02-17T16:43:00.000-06:00

What's your bag? Mine is Maggie and Maggie Jr.

I think they turned out very cute. I think Junior would make a great gift card holder.

I got fat quarters to make them with. Out of two coordinating fabrics you could cut out 4 Maggies and probably twice the Juniors.

When Cheri was over, she had a great suggestion for making the template. She suggested tracing it onto freezer paper. That worked great because I just ironed it onto the fabric and cut around it.

I made my loops out of the fabric using one of the left over fabrics, a 1/2" bias tap maker and fray check. I like the result.

I'd also recommend fusible velcro for the closures. The bag is small enough that it would be hard to sew on the non-fusible velcro.

Look for them at Glads at the next Scraptamers!

Sunday Leftovers

2010-02-16T20:08:00.009-06:00

I promised to post my progress with cutting out my Mystery Quilt #45 fabric, so we are time travelling back to Sunday.

I finished with the cutting as Cheri and Amy were arriving for our shindig. As per usual, here is the summary of the cutting. We have 466 pieces for the dark fabrics and 170 pieces from the background fabric.

Some of the pieces are big, so I'm guessing there will be me more crosscutting after we start sewing. I can't wait for my session, March 11th and 12.

You will notice my fabric all fits in an Artbin, which I highly recommend. I'll stop there, because my friend Judy has a great posting on Artbins.

As per Cheri's request, here are pictures from our amazing dinner.
We started with Pomegranate Margaritas, which were gone before I took any pictures.

The first picture is of an Amy Miller original salad. She thought of yummy stuff that would taste good with chocolate. She put it all on butter lettuce and shaved chocolate over the top. Yum!

Here is the rice I made. One was Arroz Verde and the other was just rice with onion and peas in it. Now the real treat was Cheri's chicken mole. She worked her magic with a mole mix and made it spectacular.

I think we are going to do more themed potlucks now. I heard talk of cuban for the next one. Can't wait!

Lazy Guy

2010-02-14T15:51:00.006-06:00

I decided I'd like to spend the day with some of my quilting buddies and they are Steve's buddies too. We decided to do a chocolate potluck. Steve and I are making rice and bought a raspberry and chocolate mousse torte.

Cheri made chicken mole and Amy is making a salad with bittersweet chocolate. I think I got off easy.

Cheri got me a special treat. She, Nancy and Susan picked out fabric from the new Oz line to make a couple of Maggie bags.

I love Lazy Girl patterns. Joan Hawley does such a nice job of illustrating and explaining the steps in the patterns.

I also love her blog. It is fun to see the patterns made up in different fabrics. She is also on facebook, where she posts pictures of other people's lazy creations. Now that you have the links there is no reason why you can't be a "Lazy" too.

Provence Fantastic!

2010-02-13T06:26:00.006-06:00

It is Mystery Weekend time again. What I love is how the supply list you get from Glads gives you great hints on how to pick your fabric.

This time I need 20 dark fabrics and 1 background fabric. The dark fabrics are supposed to have some variation of value or color. The background needs to contrast with the dark fabrics. There are additional instructions to avoid stripes or a strong directional fabric for the background.

I'm very excited about a collection of provence fabric I have in my stash. I got them on my trip to Missoula with Cheri last year. I got the reds, blues and all but one of the yellows at The Quilt Haus in Bismark. They were 50% off! There was a whole room of discount fabric.

Once I had the reds, yellows and blues. I thought it was missing green and a yellow. One of the next stops was ReproductionFabrics.com in Bozeman. They have a great website, but a visit to the shop is worth the road trip. The fabrics are grouped by the year the fabric pattern comes from. I found the greens and my background here. I also bought a yellow but ended up trading Cheri for a 5/8 yard cut off a yellow she found in the discount fabrics. It pays to shop discount and have generous friends.

It is so nice to pull fabric out of your stash and put them to use. Now all I need to do is cut up the quilt. I'll post my progress with that soon.

Not-So-Ugly and Not-So-Challenging

2010-02-10T17:41:00.006-06:00

You know it has been a while since your last posting when your blog address disappears off your own recent web history. Sorry all!

I'll try to post at least every couple of days. Hopefully show more progress photos.

Last posting I talked about the ugly fabric challenge. The quilt actually turned out really nice. I love the mix of old timey victorianish fabrics with the leopard and bamboo leaf prints. A kind of classic modern quilt.

This quilt will be tied at my extended family reunion this summer. It will either be donated directly or auctioned off and the money given to charity. Pippin we will keep.

It feels good to give back and use my love of quilting to benefit others.

Ugly Fabric Challenge

2010-01-18T21:29:00.004-06:00

Cheri and I work at Glads Monday nights when there is a class. If we get bored, we like to entertain ourselves by playing the ugly fabric challenge.

One of us picks a fabric, then we have to pick other fabrics to go with it.

I should make it clear that the fabrics aren't usually ugly. Mostly we pick the fabric because it is unique.

Sometimes we are a little too good at the game and the fabric comes home with one of us. The fabric on the far left was a challenge fabric for Cheri, and the rest are fabrics she picked to go with it.

I'm making Nifty Nine Patches, except I'm using the challenge fabric as a solid border. The light fabric will be the sashing. The rest will be used to make the blocks. I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Next time the fabric goes home with Cheri.

My Simulated Life

2010-01-16T18:53:00.004-06:00

As you might have noticed, I've been missing from my blog.

I haven't just been missing from my blog. I've been missing from my life.

I have taken on some simulated lives. Lately I've been playing Farmville on Facebook. I'm now a level 18 farmer.

I have to check on my crops and and animals a couple of times a day. Any one need a new neighbor? Like any good neighbor, I fertilize their crops.

I'm also addicted to Fable II. In the game, you go on quests and you get to chose to be good or bad. Just so everyone knows, my purity points are very high.

I promise to start sewing again and post more regularly. I will try for more balance in my real life.

Don't Bother Me!

2010-01-06T19:35:00.004-06:00

Shoo fly, don't bother me! Every one knows the saying, but I experienced it first hand.

I went into Mystery Weekend wanting to use up my 30's reproduction fabric. And we all know that using up fabric you already have isn't nearly as exciting as buying new fabric.

So once I started sewing, I had a hard time being excited about the quilt. Steve liked everything I was doing. When I finished the quilt, he thought it was cute and old timey.

I still wasn't that excited about it. I took it to the quilt shop, and everyone thought it was great, but I still wasn't that excited.

It did get me thinking though. Sometimes it is hard to see the beauty in your own work. You come to it with all your expectations and the quilts don't always fit those expectations.

I've had a week separation from the quilt now, which helps to bring a new perspective to the quilt. Looking at the picture now, it looks like a quilt my grandmother would have made for me.

I am starting to see the charm of the quilt now.

Star of the New Year

2010-01-01T07:53:00.003-06:00

I've made a start on my Amazon Star. I have the units made for the center of the quilt. I love the blazing hot orange in the points.

I'm a little worried that this is the easiest part of the entire project. Even if it is I'm so excited about how it looks, I think I'll make it all the way through.

When I was cutting out the project, the instructions had me put the cut pieces into 10 bags. The center was the first bag. I need to make it through the other 9 bags before January 2011.

That makes the Amazon star my star of 2010. Happy New Year!

40.714285%

2009-12-27T22:05:00.003-06:00

I've finished my session 3 Sylvia's Bridal Sampler blocks. Session 3 was easy foundation piecing.

I had done some foundation piecing and hated it, so I wasn't looking forward to these blocks. I figured I needed additional help, so I signed up for a paper piecing class at Glads.

Wow, what a difference a class will make. I got cutting instructions at the club meeting, which help cut the fabric, to prevent wasting too much fabric. During class I was able to finish the sample and three blocks.

I would really recommend the class to anyone wanting to brush up on their skills or learn paper piecing. It is great fun!

Merry Christmas to Me!

2009-12-24T10:20:00.006-06:00

Caroline gave me the best Christmas gift ever. She helped me finish a UFO.

I bought this project a couple of years ago when my great-nephew, Kaiden, was still a baby.

I got stuck trying to get rid of puckers in the nose area. I brought it with me to Utah and Caroline helped me finish the nose with puckers. You know galloping horses and all.

The embroidery kind of hides the puckers, plus if you didn't make the project you don't see the mistakes as much.

The pattern is called Puppy Love, and I love that he is done. I hope you love him, Kaiden!

My Little Helper

2009-12-22T15:10:00.003-06:00

Daisy has turned into quite the little seamstress. Anytime she hears the purr of the machine, her ears perk up and she comes to see how she can help.

Usually, it is to sit on my fabric or to curl up on my lap. I love it! I can use all the help I can get.

So I'm working on my paper pieced blocks for Sylvia's Bridal Sampler. I love the tip I got at Glad's.

Nancy and Susan suggested making kits for yourself for each block. I love it. It has the foundation papers and the fabric cut to shape but a little over sized.

I'll post pictures of the blocks once I finish them.

Tis the Season

2009-12-17T20:21:00.006-06:00

It is that time of year, which means Miss Richfield 1981 and Christmas cookies.

Cheri has organized an outing with Steve and I for the last couple of years. She and her friend Bob set up dinner out at the Gay 9o's, and then head to the Illusion Theater for the show.

This year Amy and her husband joined us. After the show we had cocktails and appetizers at Bob's condo. Good food and great views!

Thanks Cheri and Bob! It was great fun.

Now I must confess that this year's cookie is brought to you by way of Debbie's Doings.

I made them this year and they were yummy. Absolutely delicious!

You may be wondering why a picture of only one cookie. Well of the 50 something cookies the recipe makes, this is the only one left.

I have to admit I had a little disaster with the white chocolate. I tried to melt the chocolate in the microwave, and it seized. Apparently white chocolate is harder to melt than other chocolates.

Any one know what true love is? Going out on a Minnesota night to get replacement chocolate.

Thanks, Steve!

Soup Du Minnesota

2009-12-02T16:17:00.002-06:00

I must be in a french mood lately, with my titles.

What could be more Minnesotan than Turkey Wild Rice Soup?
Most turkeys come from Minnesota and wild rice is the state grain.

Plus it uses up your left over turkey from Thanksgiving.

Steve's brother gave him some real Minnesota wild rice, with the long medium brown kernels. It was so fragrant when it was cooking.

I didn't modify the recipe hardly at all this time. I did think it was a little thick when I finished following the recipe, so I put in the full pint of half and half and two more cups of broth.

It has such a nice aroma and flavor, all turkey.

Other than the hour to cook the wild rice, the soup was actually very quick to make. Give it a try. You'll love it!

Harry Covert

2009-11-26T19:58:00.006-06:00

Steve and I had two guests for Thanksgiving dinner. My brother, Jacob and Harry Covert. Of course, we ate Harry.

The food was delicious. Turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans.

Dessert was a special treat. Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Swirl.

It was a great choice. It has a lighter consistency than regular cheesecake, but you still get the creamy goodness of a cheesecake.

I'm Cut Out For This

2009-11-15T17:21:00.004-06:00

I'm still sans my sewing machine. Steve told me I should take a break from sewing every now and then.

This past week I didn't do anything, until Friday night.

When you don't have a machine, what do you do? Cut out a future project.

I washed and ironed my fabric for my Amazon Star. Then I started cutting for the quilt.

I'm not sure if you all are familiar with Judy Niemeyer patterns, but she includes instructions and templates for cutting out her quilts.

I knew by looking at the quilt that it would be very involved, but the cutting was proof. Eight pages of cutting instructions. Ten ziploc bags later, I have everything cut and sorted.

I have to admit that the instructions were well written and easy to follow. The next step is to get my machine back and start sewing.

I'm Lost!

2009-11-10T17:36:00.008-06:00

Can you tell what is missing from this picture?

Is there anything sadder than a sewing table missing a sewing machine? I was having trouble with the tension on my machine, so I took it in to be serviced at Gratz Sewing.

They are so good that typically they are booked out three weeks. I lucked out! I'll be getting my machine back in a week.

While I can't sew, I think I'll revisit finished projects that haven't made it onto the blog yet.

Earlier I had mentioned that I finished Mystery by Mail #43. Well, it is no longer a mystery. This is a picture of the finished product. Auntie's Choice.

I think it is lovely. The main block is Aunt Suki's Choice. I think it has an amazing secondary design that is created by added a pieced sashing in between the blocks.

I also love the earth tone Asian fabrics. Very elegant!

Mystery Treats

2009-11-08T08:22:00.006-06:00

I did Mystery Weekend this past Thursday and Friday.

Some of my favorite things about the weekend are the different fabric choices, show and tell, the great tips and the treats.

I have to say that I didn't bring the hit treat. Some one brought caramel peanut rolls. They were so popular, they disappeared before I could get one.

I brought Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread.

I have to say that it turned out really well. I made my own pumpkin puree, which I think added to the flavor and helped made the bread more moist.

Making pumpkin puree is very easy. Here are instructions.

Once you taste the difference, you'll never use canned puree again.

A Marriage of Convenience

2009-11-01T19:01:00.002-06:00

What do you do when you have turkey meat and pumpkin puree?

You put them together and make Pumpkin Turkey Chili.

When you put it all together and it still isn't working? Chili marriage counselling.

Steve and I obviously started with boiling a turkey carcass and harvesting the meat. We used it in place of the ground turkey.

Once we finished the recipe, it really wasn't good, so we added more salt, red pepper flakes, mexican oregano and cumin. We also added some broth and an 8oz can of tomato sauce to make it less thick.

The last step is to arrange your chili bowls into eyes, your cheese into a mouth and make a sour cream beauty mark to really enjoy your dinner.

Star of the Harvest

2009-10-30T20:43:00.007-05:00

Cheri and I got into a little bit of trouble on our trip to Montana. We stopped at way too many shops and I bought way too much fabric. Of course, I wouldn't take anything back.

One of the thing, I bought was the pattern for Amazon Star designed by Judy Niemeyer.

I found kits online, but wanted to try to put together my own fabric selection.

I searched high and low and ended up at Eagle Creek Quilt Shop. I left my mark on the shop.

They now have my picture hanging up behind the counter to let everyone know that I'm not to be left alone with the fabric. Just kidding. Lori was very helpful. She helped me understand the pattern and pick out a beautiful selection of fabric.

The fabric is so different than those used for the quilt on the pattern cover. I love the oranges mixed with the teal. My background fabrics are golds. I can 't wait to see how they work together.

So far all I've done is tape my swatches to the pattern. Next step is to wash and press the fabrics. Then I cut strips and then use templates to cut up the strips into pieces for the pattern.

I'm thinking I need to start now if I want to be done before Jan. 2011 for the Star Quilt Show at Glad Creations Quilt Block. Hopefully I'll be making lots of progress and posting about it often.

Handbag for Peace

2009-10-25T15:25:00.004-05:00

I'm going to start off with an apology. Nancy and Susan let me pick fabric to make a tote bag for a shop sample at Glad Creations.

I never started on it and now the pattern and the fabric I chose are in the discount section. Oops! Sorry.

To make up for my misdeeds, I volunteered to make the Claire Handbag.

I have to say that the pattern is really well written. Every step has an illustration and is easy to follow. This project took me about a day to complete.

I love the fabric that we picked for the bag. It is from the Flower Child line. It has a lot of fun bright prints. Glads has quite a few bolts from the line in different colorways.

Susan will be showing it at the second Wednesday demo, "Quick Christmas Presents" and at Scrap Tamers. If you come in and take a look at the sample and the pattern, I bet you will want to make this bag.

25%

2009-10-24T22:12:00.005-05:00

I've made a some great progress on my Sylvia's Bridal Sampler blocks.

I finished session 1 blocks in July. I've been plugging away at session 2 blocks between other projects.

I've gotten together with friends for Sylvia weekends. Anything to stay motivated.

Session 2 blocks were pieced using traditional techniques, but a little more challenging than the first session. Between the two sessions, that makes 35 blocks, which is a fourth of all the blocks in the quilt.

Some of the blocks were down right hard. Keep in mind that the blocks are 6" finished. Two of the blocks had 60 pieces in them. They had 3/4" half square triangles in them. What a challenge!

In the next session I will be learning to do foundation piecing. Wish me luck!

30's Adventure

2009-10-17T20:52:00.003-05:00

I'm signed up for Mystery Weekend #44 at Glad Creations.

I'm so excited I wish I was headed there tomorrow. I've decided to select from my stash. I pull out 24 fat quarters of 30's reproduction fabrics to use for my dark fabrics. They are somewhat color coordinated. Red, pink, blue, green and yellow.

I ran into a little bit of a hitch. I'm supposed to also have 12 light fabrics to use as well. I looked around and couldn't find enough fabrics that paired well with the 30's fabrics.

I ended up deciding to be a guinea pig and test out how the quilt will work with only one light fabric. I'm using a white fabric with a small blue print on it. I think it looks great with the dark fabrics.

I love the little kit I put together for myself. Three weeks from today I will be finished with the weekend. The excitement is killing me.

Going Green

2009-10-11T17:29:00.005-05:00

I know I just finished a quilt, but I'm a bit of an overachiever.

I'm loving Atkinson Designs. The patterns are really well written. My favorite book is Happy Hour.

I've now made three quilts from the book and they all have gone together really quickly.

I started cutting out this quilt yesterday morning. I started sewing on it last night and now it is done. A real quilt in a day.

I started with fabrics from the Timeless Treasures Kiwi line and added some black and white fabrics.

This pattern is called Picture This. It is the perfect pattern to show off big print fabrics.

I love this quilt.

10 lbs of Cheesy Goodness

2009-10-10T20:44:00.004-05:00

So what is better than lasagna? Lasagna with 4 cheeses!

Our garden is now dead, but we have eggplant and some pumpkins. What to do!?

Vegetarian Four Cheese Lasagna.

It is just delicious. Steve and I both were thinking you could really substitute any vegetables for the pumpkin and eggplant. I think spinach would be good. Really anything you have on hand.

Next time you may find Steve and I making Vegetarian Four Cheese Lasagna con carne.

Two Color Classic

2009-10-09T21:26:00.006-05:00

All of the pictures of my quilts will most likely have a cat in it now. You pull out fabric or a quilt and they are curled up on it looking cute.

I'm training them well to love fabric.

I finished the quilt I was working on. Solid fabrics, Rich Red and Snow Kaufman Kona Cottons.

It looks like it could have been made ages ago. Come to the quilt show at Glad Creations in January to see it in person. We are all making quilts to donate.

I'm still looking for a place to donate it to. I'm thinking The Aliveness Project, if they accept quilts. Does anyone know?

My New Bestest Friend

2009-10-04T20:18:00.007-05:00

I've started working on a quilt made of red Ohio stars on white. It is only going to be a throw size quilt, but I need 92 quarter square triangles blocks.

I love my The Angler 2. It makes it easy to sew the diagonal seams.

You put your fabrics right sides together and line them up on your quarter inch seam allowance.

You start sewing and keep the fabric lined up with the diagonal lines and 1/4" seam line at the end of The Angler.

Sew easy! Get out there and pick yourself up one, then you too can make triangle squares with out making a single mark.

Garden Baskets

2009-10-02T17:19:00.003-05:00

Wahoo! Time to celebrate.

I've been working none stop on my Morris Garden Baskets. It is done and looks great.

I posted a picture of the fabric. The quilt didn't turn out the way I thought it would. I thought it would be very blended and it does, but the blue fabrics provide some great sparkle.

This is my second time making the Glad Creations' Scrap Basket. My mom picked the pattern out of all the patterns on Glad's website.

Dinner With Friends

2009-09-27T12:30:00.003-05:00

It is nice to have friends over and even better when you don't need to make everything. Amy and Cheri came over last night for dinner.

Cheri brought Cowboy Caviar Salad. She open a bag of fresh greens and a pint of Cowboy Caviar, a southwestern vegetable salad. Toss them together and you have salad magic.

Amy brought the meat. Nice thick hamburgers! Perfect when they were grilled.

I made Parmesan Potatoes. They were super easy. I didn't plan my time very well, so we had cocktails while they finished cooking. I modified the recipe a bit. I probably double the cheese and added about 1/2 to 1 tsp of garlic powder.

We started the night with 10 potatoes, and as you can see we finished with just a few leftovers. Cheri thought the potatoes would be great for breakfast and I totally agree. Now I just need to find a breakfast to bring the potatoes to.

Two Paws Way Up

2009-09-23T19:15:00.005-05:00

Steve and I have what seems to be a strange assortment of vegetables coming out of the garden. Eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes. Wouldn't you know we found a recipe using all three.

Moussaka Cottage Pie!?

You might not be familiar with moussaka, but I'd describe it as a Greek shepherd pie with eggplant. I love the unique flavor of meat with cinnamon and cloves.

Steve and I modified the recipe a bit. We made our own mashed potatoes. We blanched our own tomatoes and chopped them instead of using crushed tomatoes. We grilled the sliced eggplant instead of cooking them with the broiler.

Steve and I loved it. We spilled a bit, so the kitties got to enjoy some too. They licked the floor clean, so I think they liked it too.

From Retreat to Baskets

2009-09-22T21:12:00.004-05:00

I just have to say that I had quite a weekend. Friday I picked up Judy and we headed to Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center for a quilting retreat.

On the way to Lanesboro, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to shop, especially with 20% discounts. Now I know I was going to try not to buy new projects and I didn't, but I did buy some fabric.

I got my back for my recently completed Mystery by Mail #43 quilt. I also got some border fabric to go with a layer cake that I bought in Montana with Cheri. I also bought some fat quarters for a project that I've been collecting for.

We met Cheri and Amy down there. I have to say I'm so glad for such good friends who share my love of quilting and will put up with my snoring at night.

I sewed all weekend on the quilt for my parents. I posted a picture of the fabrics for the quilt earlier. I'm making Scrap Basket. I made really good progress. I almost finished all the baskets on the weekend. I also finished the setting corners for the blocks, the sashing and got the pieces cut out to make the nine patch cornerstones.

I was questioning my choice of background, but the ladies at the quilt shop and the retreat seem to think that it worked. It is much easier to see now that I have the baskets pieced. I think they look great. Thanks everyone for the encouragement!

I'm hoping to finish the rest of the piecing for the quilt in the next couple of weeks.

The Year of the UFO

2009-09-19T08:00:00.002-05:00

It is time for Scrap Tamers at Glad Creations (GC). I've made my goals and completed my inventory. It is not as bad I as thought and every bit as bad as I thought it could be.

Above is the list of projects I would like to complete this year or work on during the year. Two projects are ongoing, Sylvia's Bridal Sampler and Star of the Harvest. The rest are UFOs and the Red and White Ohio Stars quilt is for the New Year's show at GC.

You will notice at the bottom of the spreadsheet above that I'm organizing my inventory differently. Thanks, Alice for the helping me come up with my categories.

I have UFOs (Unfinished Objects), Purchased Projects and Finished Tops. UFOs are projects that have been started but not finished, Purchased Projects are bought but not started and Finished Tops are finished/quilted tops.

I'm not doing too bad on the UFO's. I do have to confess that I dropped a UFO and donated the fabric instead. I highly recommend it as a way to decrease the length of your list. I have 10 UFOs, so I think that finishing them off this year is doable.

Now the bad part. I have way too many projects that I have bought. I'm choosing to ignore these 43 projects this year, except I don't want to buy any more. My other goal this year is to see how long I can go without buying a new project.

I figure I can move a project off the UFO list to Finished Tops when the top is finished. As you can see I have a few projects that I need to finish.

So there you go. 10 UFO's to finish and buy no new project for as long as possible.

Wish me luck!

Kale-riffic!

2009-09-17T15:21:00.002-05:00

Steve and I planted kale in our garden and we now have a row of it waiting to get harvested and eaten.

I found a very tasty recipe that uses kale, Winter Vegetable Hash.

As you can tell my hash doesn't look quite as nice as the one on the website.

I really like the mix of vegetables. I used fresh garlic instead of powdered garlic. I told Steve that I thought bacon would make it better, he likes it the way it is. Cheese might be nice addition as well.

Try it you will love it!

A Little Bit of Spice

2009-09-08T19:26:00.003-05:00

I seem to be doing a lot of cooking, because all my postings have been food related with no sewing related posts.

I have been sewing on Mystery by Mail #43. I have to say it is turning out great and I can't wait to see the finished product. I'll post pictures once it isn't a mystery any more.

Now back to the mysterious picture above. Steve and I had extra basil from making pesto. We came across Spicy Basil Chicken.

It worked out great because it used up some of the left over hot peppers from making salsa. I do feel like I need to warn you that the oyster sauce is going to stink and smell very fishy, but the finished product tastes great.

It is just spicy enough to add to the flavor without being so hot that all you taste is the heat. Yum!

Made In Minneapolis

2009-09-07T19:08:00.002-05:00

Does any one else remember the Pace commercial? Made in New York City?!

Well, this salsa is tastier and comes to you from Minneapolis from people who really know how salsa should taste.

My sister, Martha, has bragged about her salsa recipe for years, and I guess she was right. It is good.

Here is her recipe.

16 Cups chopped tomatoes
2 Cups green peppers, chopped
2 Cups onions, chopped
2 or 3 hot pepper, finely chopped
5 Tbsp salt
5 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp pepper
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Cup vinegar
3-4 Tbsp sugar
6-9 Cloves garlic, finely minced

Mix all together and cook 20 min. Thicken with cornstarch ( ½ cup mixed with ½ cup cold water) Pour hot into clean jars and can using hot water bath method for 15 min. pints and 20 min. quarts. Makes about 10 pints or 5 quarts.

Steve and I modified the recipe a bit. At my sister's suggestion, we decreased the salt to 3 Tbsp. We also only did 14 cups of tomatoes because we ran out. We like our salsa a bit hot, so next time we would do more hot peppers.

Try the recipe! You'll love it.

Lunch for 1

2009-09-02T20:41:00.006-05:00

Anyone for lunch? If you are on your second day of leftovers, I recommend jazzing it up with popcorn and a favorite soda.

I've been wanting to make broccoli and cheddar soup forever. Well I finally did it.

Steve and I were at farmers market and we bought cheddar cauliflower and broccoli. I found a recipe, Broccoli Cheese Soup.

I read the reviews before making the recipe, so it ended up being more of a guide. I don't like fake cheese, so I replaced it with white sharp cheddar.

I also used half and half instead of milk, doubled the cheese, added grated a grated carrot and left out the water.

It ended up way too cheesy, but it was still yummy. If I did it again I would only used the called for amount of cheese. I'm definitely making it again.

You know, practice makes perfect!

A Year in Review

2009-08-31T15:32:00.007-05:00

The 2008-2009 Scraptamers' Year is over today. What a year!

I made just a few quilts. I really feel like setting goals, keeping this list and being accountable to my readers helped me complete some many projects.

The next thing I need to do is inventory of my UFOs and my unstarted projects, and get them organized. Once I'm done with that, I'm hoping it will be apparent what my next year's goals need to be. Plus I'll be organized.

I'm sure that once I've gone through my projects, I will be swearing off fabric.

Stay tuned for next years goals and an inventory summary.

Beauty and the Beasts

2009-08-30T17:50:00.004-05:00

I have a few of reasons why I'm not getting as much sewing done. Their names are Daisy, Pippin and Steve.

Aren't they cute! It would be hard to give up my sewing time if they weren't so cute.

They like to be in the center of everything, so they help me sew and cook. Ever so helpful!

Steve has me helping in the yard too, which is taking me away from sewing. If he weren't so cute I don't think I'd do it.

We planted shasta daisies and black-eyed susans along the drive way. They are just beautiful!

We'll see what other yard work Steve will find for me after he reads this posting.

Better With Bacon

2009-08-26T19:31:00.003-05:00

The harvest continues at our little garden patch. We are getting corn now.

We pulled our last cabbage head this week and needed a recipe to use it up.

As the adage goes, everything is better with bacon in it. It is true with cabbage.

We made Fried Cabbage II. I loved it right off the bat, with just a hint of vinegar. Steve liked it better after the flavors had developed more.

I'm not sure if all the health benefits of the cabbage is undone by cooking it in bacon grease, but it does add great flavor.

Yes, We Can Can!

2009-08-24T19:26:00.003-05:00

Steve and I are turning into quite the domestic goddesses. Watch out Martha!

This weekend we decided to do some canning. It all started with wanting to do something with the onions we were taking out of the garden.

Really, I got tired of smelling onions on Steve's breath, but don't tell him that.

We bottled Steve's mom's recipe for pickles. We also made Crisp Pickled Green Beans and Traditional English Pickled Onions.

The problem with pickling is that I can't tell you how they turned out for a month or so, but they do look pretty. Well, except the onions. They look like eyes floating in dirty water.

Veggie Dessert

2009-08-21T15:06:00.002-05:00

I love to eat my veggies, especially when I can bake them into a dessert.

I needed the treat for my quilting group meeting. I also wanted to use up some of our summer squash, so I made Mom's Zucchini Bread.

It happens to be some of the last squash. Our squash plants got powdery mildew and rotted out. Thank goodness, no more squash.

I thought the bread might need a little more, so I stole the frosting off Carrot Cake III. I didn't do the nuts in the frosting, because of the nuts in the bread.

The frosting is light and fluffy. Delicious!

To MT and Back to MN

2009-08-16T15:30:00.007-05:00

So I'm back from Montana and came back with a bit more fabric.

Cheri and I packed up the car and headed out Aug. 5 in my car to Missoula. Like good quilters, we left plenty of room in the trunk for fabric.

We spent the week with Cheri's brother, Jeff, and his wife, Cathy. They took us out to see the town, the farmers market and sailing on flat head lake. Thanks for the hospitality!

We got back yesterday after visit 17 quilt shops. You can see the trouble I got into in the picture. Here is a list of the quilt shops we visited.

1. The Quilt Haus

2. Fiberworks

3. ReproductionFabrics.com

4. Main Street Quilt Co.

5. Vicki's Quilts Down Under

6. Quilter's Quarry

7. Bernina Sewing Center

8. Timeless Quilts and Friends

9. Deer Country Quilts

10. Glacier Quilts

11. Back Door General Store

12. Quilt Gallery

13. All In Stitches

14. Quilter's Corner Etc.

15. Quilts On Broadway

16. Quilting In The Country

17. The Enchanted Room

The sad thing is that I bought so much stuff that I've had to add another storage bin for my fabric.

I think I need to go back on a strict fabric diet, where I actually have to limit how much I can buy.

You know a real diet.

What A Wonder!

2009-07-31T19:09:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I know the quilt looks amazing, but the wonder is that it is actually done.

This blog posting is going to sound a little like a victory speech.

First, I'd like to thank Amy. She saved me from my funk. I was totally stuck and she came over and helped me arrange my blocks.

She is amazing and really has an understanding of the One-Block Wonders.
I'd like to thank Steve for strongly encouraging me to get the blocks off the design wall in the dining room. Sometimes you need a little pressure to get stuff done.

I'd also like to thank Cheri for her tips and encouragement. Everyone needs that now and then.

The original fabric used for the quilt is pieced into the back and shown in the second picture.

It is interesting to me that a monochromatic fabric could provide enough interest for this quilt. I think the reason it works is because of the high contrast in value.

I'll post a picture of this quilt once it is finished and finds its place in the monkey room.

Mid-Summer Soup

2009-07-27T16:11:00.005-05:00

I just have to say that this is probably the best soup I've had in a long time. I haven't had soup since winter, but still it is a yummy soup.

Steve and I got some kale at the farmers market, so we needed a recipe to use it.

We made Sausage Potato Soup.

The recipe was more like a guide. I used spicy Italian sausage. I also put in a bell pepper and cayenne pepper. I also used new potatoes and grilled chicken breasts.

Try this recipe!

12.14857%

2009-07-23T17:50:00.002-05:00

The mathematician in me is kicking in. I'm 12.14857% done with my 140 Sylvia's Bridal Sampler blocks.

I'm doing the club at Glad Creations. They have the blocks divided into 9 sessions. I've just finished the first 17 blocks from the first session, Easy Rotary Cut Blocks.

I love the way the blocks are turning out. I like the colors; blues, greens and purples. You got to love the jewel tones.

I love the names of the blocks too. Steve can point out the "Contrary Husband".

Wish me luck as I start the next 18 blocks from session 2, Independent Piecing.

Summer Boats

2009-07-20T19:18:00.004-05:00

I'm sure anyone with squash plants now have them coming out their ears. Steve and I seem to be pulling off two or three every couple of days.

I might have to start pulling off the blossoms before they can mature.

Steve and I have been looking for recipes to use them up and we found this one that we thought was good. Zucchini Boats on the Grill.

One major modification we made was that we used summer squash and Steve had me leave out the olives. In the future we would put in more bacon and cheese.

Now to find more recipes for the rest of the squash.

Rent-A-Friend

2009-07-18T20:16:00.006-05:00

Debbie is doing fundraising for the Breast Cancer 3-Day, so I donated $150 and rented her friendship and helping hands for a day.

If you would like to also donate, go the the website above, click on donate and search for Deborah Tonkin.

She was so helpful, she convinced me to buy fabric for a quilt, like I need any convincing.

I based the quilt off the Moda line, The Morris Workshop. My mom picked out the Scrap Basket pattern. I think the quilt will have a nice soft organic look.

2 Down With 138 To Go

2009-07-13T21:12:00.002-05:00

I finally caved to the peer pressure at Glad's, and decided to do Sylvia's Bridal Sampler.

If you aren't familiar with it, there are 140 6" sampler blocks in the quilt.

Glad Creations has started a club, with a planned exhibit of the finished quilts Jan. 1, 2012.

As you can see I've started with the easiest blocks. We'll see how far I get. I'm hoping to do all the blocks.

Wish me luck!

A Quilted Thank You!

2009-07-03T11:08:00.008-05:00

I haven't posted my project list for a while. As you can see I've passed the 20 marker on my way to 30.

Now I just need to finish the original 20!

I finished the binding on my Antique Rug quilt. I think it turned out nice.

My friend Jen has been taking pictures of my quilts for me, to document them. I'll have to put together a web album with her shots. They are beautiful.

The quilt is a bit of payment for the job well done.

Thanks Jen!

Summer's Harvest

2009-06-28T19:17:00.003-05:00

Steve and I got our first vegetables out the our garden plot. We picked a bag of Swiss chard and Malabar spinach. We also picked a few green onions.

We made Swiss Chard with Garbanzo Beans and Fresh Tomatoes with the goods from the garden. It made a double batch and, as you can see, it was popular with hardly any left.

We also went to the farmers market here and a vendor was selling strawberries by the bucket. When you have that many strawberries there is only one thing to make. Strawberry Ice!

This cup is my second. Wow is it yummy!

Black Forest Cupcakes

2009-06-21T07:59:00.002-05:00

Here is another one of those really hard recipes I am known for. Black Forest Cupcakes!

Ingredients:

1 Devil's Food Cake Mix

1 can of cherry pie filling

1 8oz Cool-Whip

2 tsp almond extract

1 chocolate bar

Directions:

Make the cake mix according to the package directions. Fill each cup a third of the way. Spoon cherries from the pie filling into the center of the cup, trying to leave the sauce behind in the can. I have a large cup pan, so I put 4 cherries per cup. Finish filling the cup to about 2/3 of the way to the top. Bake according to package directions. Mix the almond extract into the Cool-Whip. I used 2 tsp, because some of the first one spilled out when I started mixing. Frosted the cooled cupcakes with the Cool-Whip and grate some chocolate over the top.

I suggest sharing with friends, so they can be surprised by the cherries and enjoy it with you!

My Basket Show

2009-06-14T20:34:00.010-05:00

So yes, it was the Minnesota Quilters Show, but really it was my own private quilt show.

I hope you all saw the show. I enjoyed it.

There were some beautiful quilts, including Cheri's and my Scrap Baskets.

They couldn't have be more different and more beautiful.

The only problem with a show like this is all the vendors. I spent way too much.

I'm set for projects for another year!

Forever Siblings

2009-06-07T09:56:00.003-05:00

Can you tell I love my sister, Caroline?

She finished her first Glad Creations pattern, Forever Friends. Doesn't it look great!?

She came out last fall to do a Mystery Weekend with me. Cheri helped us pick out our fabric, so I think the reason our quilts turned out so good was our collaboration.

You can tell that we have very different tastes, but each of them are so pretty. I think this also shows the versatility of this quilt pattern as well.

Caroline, I hope you come out this fall for the next mystery weekend!

Final Resting Place

2009-06-05T18:08:00.004-05:00

I've been in Utah for the last 5 days, and I couldn't help but bring a quilting project with me.

I have had my Merry-Go-Round quilt quilted and the binding on it for at least 4 months. I just needed to do final trimming and stitch down the binding.

The trimming of the batting out from between the points on the uneven edge had me petrified, but I finally got the nerve and cut.

It really wasn't that hard, I just need to start and it was a cinch after that.

My parents have a church pew in their front room as you enter. The vintage fabric really go with the antique look of the pew.

The quilt can be pulled off and used any time the grand kids need a quilt to curl up in.

In the Company of Quilters

2009-05-31T14:26:00.003-05:00

I've learned this weekend that if you want to get inspired, have a Sew-In. And if you want to get frustrated, then do some paper piecing.

I invited all my friends from Glad Creations to sew for Saturday and Sunday. The food is great and everyone is sewing up a storm.

I've never seen so many fun projects.

I also finished my version of "Don't be Cruel" quilt. I added the borders the weekend. As you can tell I didn't go with my original pics for the borders.

I went with a 1" solid batik brown for the inner border and a 4 1/2" strip for the same line as the inside.

I also pieced together the back for the quilt. It is so fun with the birds and flowers.

It will end up on that couch too, once it is quilted. It won't be sprawled out quite so much, right Steve?

Someday I'll give the paper piecing another go.

Turkey, Pots and Pie

2009-05-28T21:52:00.005-05:00

Steve made a turkey when I was retreating. We boiled up the left over meat and carcass.

We landed on a Turkey Pot Pie recipe to use up some of the meat and broth. As you can see, it turned out really well.

It was a little hard to get the pieces out of the pan at first, but it was much easier once the pie cooled off.

Steve had a great idea of how to deal with the broth. He poured it into a muffin tin and put it into the freezer.

Once they were frozen, he transferred them to an air tight bag.

Pretty smart, don't you think?!

Lets Rock and Roll

2009-05-22T13:18:00.005-05:00

My sister Caroline and I saw a very pretty quilt made out of charm packs and jelly rolls from the Blossom line from Moda.

Of course we both wanted to make it, so we started buying the charms and jellies everywhere we went.

We finally sat down and figured out we had way too many, so we started looking for patterns to use them up.

On my last visit we found "Don't Be Cruel" by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company.

I started putting it together at the quilt retreat. Like any quilter, I decided to change the pattern a bit.

I'm going to use all the cut up jelly roll fabric to make the main bargello section longer and wider, which means no pieced border.

Instead, I'm going to have a thin tan inner border and a thicker outer border made out of a fabric from the fabric line.

What do you think? Stay tuned to see how it turns out.

Retreating for quilters

2009-05-18T15:00:00.003-05:00

I'm just back from a quilt retreat. It was fun. I got a couple of projects done.

It was fun to sew with some great ladies and get some dedicated for sewing.

We went to the Wild Rose Inn in Nevis, MN.

The first quilt is Antique Rug, a pattern from Aardvark Quilts.

The second quilt was a baby quilt with the ABCs.

Please ignore the pajamas the show in the bottom of the baby quilt picture.

What is not apparent is that I'm wearing the same pjs behind the quilt.

I should apologize to the ladies for wearing them 3 days straight.

2 for 1

2009-05-12T16:00:00.002-05:00

As you can see I've been bad and bought a new project. I'm going to be making Weather Vane, a Glad Creations pattern.

I was in Elk River, picking up Steve's truck. I just had to stop at a quilt shop. As luck would have it, Cottage Quilts was having an anniversary sale.

I found fabric I just couldn't pass up. Plus I took the fabrics in to Glad's and found other fabrics to go with it.

This was in April, so it has taken me a month to admit to it. The one bright point to this tale is that I am using background fabric I had in my stash.

Okay, I know that one of my last posts I talked about a fabric diet and I've already bought fabric, but I think I may have found a diet that I might stick to.

Here it is. I can buy new projects, but I can't work on them right away. For each new project, I need to complete two projects that I've had for more than a year, before I can start on the new one.

I think this might work, because I can buy new projects if I really feel like I need to, but I will also be completing older projects that I have lost interest in.

I'll keep you posted on my 2 for 1 fabric diet.

Got To Wear Shades!

2009-04-29T21:28:00.003-05:00

My quilt is so bright, you got to wear shades. At least that is what Steve is warning. I have to say I agree. You can't look at this quilt and not be happy.

I used the Glad Creations Dream Maker pattern. I like that the pattern uses simple block but uses them to make a complex overall pattern.

I started the fabric collection with Mark Lipinski's Califon fabric that I got on the way to a quilt retreat in Lanesboro. I finished off what I needed with fabric I found at Glad Creations.

This quilt is at the quilter and I can't wait to get it back.

The best part about painting a bedroom is that you need new quilts to go with the new color. This quilt is going to be part of a collection of quilts with blue to go in the new blue bedroom.

Red, White and Black 2.0

2009-04-24T17:36:00.003-05:00

I got this fabric when I went to Utah for my birthday, part of my falling off of the wagon. I think it is very fitting that I ended up making Birthday Presents.

A little present for myself.

It does look like a present with a bow on top. I like the graphic nature of the quilt. The mix of fabric patterns is nice as well, geometric and floral motif.

The quilt was a breeze and went together quickly.

Sister Quilts

2009-04-22T20:29:00.003-05:00

I finished the bindings on two quilts made from the same fabric. Doesn't that make them sister quilts? Or is that quilts made from the same pattern?

I think they both turned out well. They are both from the book Happy Hour.

The striped one is made from the scraps of the other quilt.

It is nice to have them done.