14 more days until the first day of Autumn and I am ready! We have had one hot summer here, and this week the temperatures are back in the 100s. Today it was a hazy 101 degrees and tomorrow 104 degrees is predicted. Swimming weather!
When the weather is this hot, it is desirable to stay indoors and keep cool. In honor of cooler temps to come, I made a quick little rail fence and maple leaves quilt out of a fall-themed jelly roll I had on hand. The overall size of this quilt, before adding the binding, is 40" x 56". The finished rail fence block is 8" square, finished strips are 2" x 8". The finished leaf block is made up of 2" squares with a 2" x 6" and a 2" x 8" strip added to make it an 8" square. (If you are wanting to create your own autumn rail fence/leaf quilt, add 1/2" to these measurements for seams.)
Now all I need to do is add the backing, do some stitch-in-the-ditch quilting, sew the binding all around, and this will be the perfect quilt to snuggle under on those cool Autumn nights. I may just wait until the temperature drops a bit before I finish this one.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Pretty Potted Pencil Holder
It's no secret, I am not the most organized person in the world. I lose stuff all the time, especially my pens and pencils. It is really annoying when I am writing or designing something in my sewing room and my pen disappears. Then, of course, there is a frantic search, upending everything to find it.
Out of necessity, I decided to make a pencil holder. That way I would have access to more than one pen. I could have used an empty jar or cup just as easily, but I had some terra cotta pots laying about and thought what a cute pencil holder it would make.
This was a lot of fun to do, and made up fairly quickly. I used acrylic paints in red, black, brown, and white. Her cheeks and lips are the red and white paints mixed to the shade I wanted. The end of the paintbrush was dabbed into white paint to make highlight dots. I found some accessories in my button jar and embellished a scrap piece of ribbon. I also found some dolly hair left over from another project and gave my "assistant" a lovely curl. I have the matching plate that sits under the pot which will be perfect to hold other stuff I easily lose, like bobbins, thread, paperclips, etc. The plate doesn't need to be painted, but I will glue the two pieces together for practicality.
As I was making this one, I thought of several more designs I could do and may do more in the future, because afterall I don't just lose pens and pencils in my sewing room.
Out of necessity, I decided to make a pencil holder. That way I would have access to more than one pen. I could have used an empty jar or cup just as easily, but I had some terra cotta pots laying about and thought what a cute pencil holder it would make.
This was a lot of fun to do, and made up fairly quickly. I used acrylic paints in red, black, brown, and white. Her cheeks and lips are the red and white paints mixed to the shade I wanted. The end of the paintbrush was dabbed into white paint to make highlight dots. I found some accessories in my button jar and embellished a scrap piece of ribbon. I also found some dolly hair left over from another project and gave my "assistant" a lovely curl. I have the matching plate that sits under the pot which will be perfect to hold other stuff I easily lose, like bobbins, thread, paperclips, etc. The plate doesn't need to be painted, but I will glue the two pieces together for practicality.
As I was making this one, I thought of several more designs I could do and may do more in the future, because afterall I don't just lose pens and pencils in my sewing room.
Monday, September 7, 2015
Labor Day Chili
Happy Labor Day! Yay! No work today! Hope everyone got to sleep in this morning. I love designated lazy days, when you don't have anything specific planned and the whole day is ahead.
Oh yeah. I have to cook dinner. (sigh)
In the spirit of the holiday, I think I will cook up a pot of my Taste of Honey Chili and later slap some burgers on the grill. My chili recipe is my own concoction with a couple of surprise ingredients. The brewed coffee makes for a heartier base than just water, and the honey and cinnamon add just a hint of sweetness.
Suggested garnishes, if desired:
So, what's cookin' at your house?
Oh yeah. I have to cook dinner. (sigh)
In the spirit of the holiday, I think I will cook up a pot of my Taste of Honey Chili and later slap some burgers on the grill. My chili recipe is my own concoction with a couple of surprise ingredients. The brewed coffee makes for a heartier base than just water, and the honey and cinnamon add just a hint of sweetness.
Taste of Honey Chili
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (or 1 or 2 teaspoons minced garlic from jar)
- 1 can (40-oz.) kidney, pinto or black beans, drained
- 1 jar Picante Sauce (your choice: Mild, Medium or Hot)
- 1 can (4-oz.) diced green chiles
- 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 cup brewed coffee (left over from breakfast)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions
- Cook beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic in large skillet until beef is browned and onions are translucent; drain. Transfer to large pot.
- To pot, stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Cook, stirring frequently, for 20 to 25 minutes. After chili has cooled, pop it into the refrigerator for a few hours (even overnight) to let the flavors meld.
Suggested garnishes, if desired:
Shredded cheese
Diced tomatoes
Sliced olives
Chopped green onions
Sour cream
It doesn't get much easier than this, and it's even better the second day.
So, what's cookin' at your house?
Something Wicked This Way Comes
By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.
Save the date, you must succumb,
This wicked hop will be fun!
Are you ready for Halloween? I see pumpkins and scarecrows and costumes everywhere. If you love Halloween and would like to participate in a fun blog hop featuring your spooky projects, then be sure to sign up for Halloween Haunts 2015. The fun will begin October 16, 2015 when participants will begin revealing their BOO-tiful creations. Marian at Seams to be Sew is hosting this ghoulish hop, and you can find out all the details on her website.
Don't be a scaredy cat! Join in the fun! Last day to sign up is September 12th.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
UFOs in my stash
The other day while tearing through my stash, looking for red fabric, I came upon a UFO -- UnFinished Object. It was not the answer to my search, but it was a pleasant surprise. Why had I never finished it? That got me thinking, how many other UFO's did I have stashed? I dug deeper and was amazed by how many unfinished projects were stuffed in drawers.
There were no less than I lost count of how many discarded blocks I found that were perfectly suited to making potholders or pincushions. And a couple of the abandoned quilts could be made into baby blankets by removing a row or two. I found were,
Not all of the UFO's I found were projects I would be interested in finishing for gift giving or personal use, but some of them would make nice little blankies for the animal shelter down the street. Aren't dogs color blind? They won't mind uneven stitching or what-were-you-thinking patterns.
There were no less than I lost count of how many discarded blocks I found that were perfectly suited to making potholders or pincushions. And a couple of the abandoned quilts could be made into baby blankets by removing a row or two. I found were,
Not all of the UFO's I found were projects I would be interested in finishing for gift giving or personal use, but some of them would make nice little blankies for the animal shelter down the street. Aren't dogs color blind? They won't mind uneven stitching or what-were-you-thinking patterns.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Little Mermaid
Another baby! I think it's safe to say we are having a Baby Boom. My neighbor's daughter is having a little girl and the theme of her nursery is The Little Mermaid. Although there are a lot of mermaid items you can buy, I decided to draft and create my own quilt.
The colors she requested were teal and coral, so I tried to incorporate them into the quilt. I admit I cheated some by choosing a background that was already busy with sea creatures, that way I didn't have to much to the quilt. Truthfully, with this background, I think the mermaids would have been enough, but the seahorse and octopus did add a little more coral to the quilt. The starfish helped to round out the design.
I used raw-edge applique to add the motifs to the quilt so it was easy to do and was finished in no time. I am not fond of using buttons for baby quilts, so I used black fabric paint for the facial features. I could have embroidered the faces, but the paint was quicker and holds up really well in the wash.
Little Ariel is expected early July. I'm sure she will be the sweetest little mermaid ever.
The colors she requested were teal and coral, so I tried to incorporate them into the quilt. I admit I cheated some by choosing a background that was already busy with sea creatures, that way I didn't have to much to the quilt. Truthfully, with this background, I think the mermaids would have been enough, but the seahorse and octopus did add a little more coral to the quilt. The starfish helped to round out the design.
I used raw-edge applique to add the motifs to the quilt so it was easy to do and was finished in no time. I am not fond of using buttons for baby quilts, so I used black fabric paint for the facial features. I could have embroidered the faces, but the paint was quicker and holds up really well in the wash.
Little Ariel is expected early July. I'm sure she will be the sweetest little mermaid ever.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Quilt Shop Hop
It was the Sixth Annual "Heart of the Valley" Quilt Shop Hop May 1, 2 and 3, 2015, featuring shops from across the San Joaquin Valley. Bright and early Rhea and I started on road trip on Friday, May 1st. The hop starts in Turlock and ends in Bakersfield, California. Rhea and I started our adventure in Clovis at the Quilter's Paradise. This store never fails to delight -- friendly staff, attractive store, and lovely fabric. I found some felted wool at this shop for a project I am planning and some really cute chicken fabric that will make a cute apron or potholders.
Next on our agenda was Thimble Towne in Visalia. These people know how to have fun! There was a photo station as well as yummy food. I found the cutest fox fabric here and purchased a Yellow Brick Road pattern. I have never made one of these quilts and am anxious to get started. You would think because of the fox theme it is for my new grandson, but no, it's for me. I love little foxes!
Two stores were in Porterville, Calico Mermaid and Totally Tina's Fabric. We stopped in and perused the goodies each store showcased, snatched some yummy goodies, then went to lunch at the Black Bear Diner, one of my favorite chain restaurants. A Gobbler sandwich for me, please. Delicious!
Back in town, we left each other's company. It was already past 4 o'clock and I had a birthday dinner to attend for my granddaughter. On Saturday, I finished the last leg of the shop by visiting Bolts to Binding and Strawberry Patches, both in Bakersfield.
Each shop we visited gave away goodie bags of quilting gadgets and patterns. Water bottles, fat quarters, finger lights were among the loot I collected. Thimble Towne gave participants a kit to make a darling scissor holder. This was a quick project and will really come in handy in which to store my embroidery scissors. I think this was my favorite treat.
Can't wait to get started on my Fox quilt, but I have a baby quilt to finish first. The baby shower is Saturday. This quilt features mermaids and sea creatures.
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