The New Man in my Life

Ok, now that I have your attention ... LOL!

I requested a certain cookbook for Christmas and one of my daughters delivered!  It's Emeril Lagasse's Sizzling Skillets.   Lots of Big Pot meals, Skillet meals, Crock-Pot meals, and Wok meals.

I should explain.  Mr. Dancing Bear does a wonderful job keeping me nourished while I'm slaving away over a sewing machine or a quilting machine.  He does such a good job that for a while I didn't cook at all ... nada ... zilch...zip.  And during the summer I really am not interested in cooking.  So Mr. Dancing Bear does it all.  Now that winter is here, it's a different story!  I love good ol' fashion comfort food ... I love one-pot and crock-pot cooking.  There's nothing better than getting up early in the morning, firing up the crock-pot, and then settling down for about 8 hours of quilting, knowing that a delicious meal will meet me at the end of the day.  So when I saw this cookbook I knew that I wanted it for Christmas ... and let me tell you, it is WONDERFUL!  We had the crock-pot pork loin with fruit last night and tonight we're having the Chicken in a Pot (picture below).  Doesn't it look scrumptious??  And I have finally figured out that the scrumptious-ness is in the seasonings.  I have used Emeril's Essence for several years now and it does make a difference ... can be found in the seasonings dept of your grocery.

So, back I go to quilting ... there's Chicken in a Pot upstairs, simmering away ... and I'm a happy Dancing Bear!  And on Sunday maybe we'll have the Mushroom and Fall Squash Barley Risotto.  Yum!!

The Celtic Wave is beautiful!

I've been busy this past week.  One of the quilts I've finished is a Judy Neimeyer Celtic Wave.  If you are not familiar with these gorgeous quilts, they are gi-normous paper-pieced works of art.  Nancy did a great job on the paper-piecing.  I had no issues with this at all.  She did put in a tiny flange which I basted down with the long-arm.  Nancy wanted an all-over design for this quilt, so I chose one that carried out the theme of circles and spikes. 

I have really got to take a photography class!  Taking good pictures to post is an art in itself! 

I have another Judy Neimeyer on Max right now, doing some custom work.  Pictures soon!

Mystery Quilts

 I love a mystery quilt!  One of the first big quilts I did was a mystery quilt sponsored by a quilt store.  I still love that old quilt!  Blue, red, yellow, with kitty cats...


So when I picked up the McCall's Quilting magazine (jan/fed 2012 issue) and saw the 3-part mystery quilt, I jumped on it!  


So I was at one of my fav quilt stores and chose that focus fabric that all mystery quilts call for ... and found 2 favorite focus fabrics!  So what's a gal to do?  Do TWO mystery quilts!  So here I am, taking a break from my long-arm quilting and piecing my first installment of these two mystery quilts.


Here's my fabric ... the focus fabric for the first one is the metallic gold/blue/red piece .  The focus fabric for the second one is the black/blue/gold piece.  The blue with black squigglies is one of my favorite fabrics and it goes so spendidly in this grouping.  So I'm finishing up the first cutting and stitching.  I figure it's going to go fast if it's only a 3-month installment!  Ha!  

I've updated the pic to show the first two blocks of each mystery quilt.  


I must learn how to do photographs better ...

 

Sheryl picked up the beautiful Pink and Blue and Green and Yellow baby quilt that I constructed for her.  She had handed me the 7 colorful blocks which were made by her mom some years ago.  Sheryl has a niece who is expecting a little girl real soon, so this quilt - made with Grandma's blocks - will go to her as a gift.  What a great gift!  It didn't take too long to do this one, and the quilting is Angel Wings which just softens up this little jewel so nicely.  Can't wait to get a picture of the new baby wallowing around on this quilt!

I think if you click on the picture you can enlarge it a bit to see some of the detail.

Who woulda thought...

... that the end of a year could be so busy and the beginning of a New Year even busier??   I didn't realize that I was so busy until I came to post a new blog-post.  It's been a while!

I've been busy with the Kaffe Fassett snowball quilt and that one is almost finished.  Look at all those snowballs!  I'm wishing we had some REAL snowballs around here! 

I picked up some very interesting fabric for a border for this and a bright choice for a back.  I absolutely love most of the Kaffe Fassett bright colors and prints.  Can't wait for this quilt to be done!    



I finished up a baby quilt for a customer.  She handed me 7 baby blocks that had been pieced by someone in the family, and now she wants these made into a baby quilt for a mom-to-be in the family.  Pictures when I have her OK.

And then I finished up Pam's Beautiful Batik Flowers today.  I did a little bit of custom.  I love the wonkiness of the blocks and didn't want to overwhelm them with a lot of quilting ... but at the same time felt that they deserved quilting just for them.  So I put some stitches inside the flowers themselves, then did a swoop-swoop in the small border, and piano keys in the large border.  Fun but pretty simple.  I used Magna-Glide Sea Mist thread on this and it really popped. 

Happy New Year!  Stay safe, happy, and healthy!

Half-Square Triangle Heaven

Some time ago someone in one of my quilting groups gave me an idea on how to make all those itty-bitty half-square triangles without having to pick them up, match the triangles, sew ... so thanks to the great piecer who planted this seed!  When I find out who it was exactly, I'll give full credit ...

Here's the scoop ...

Since the Bake-Apolooza 2011 is done, and since all the Christmas quilts are done and delivered, I decided to work on a project that I've wanted to do for at least 4 years.  I pulled out my Kaffe Fassett fabrics and pattern and I've started piecing one of the quilts.  

 
It involves 87 snowball blocks and of course that means that each snowball has 4 corners that need to be pieced to the block and then trimmed ... and that part that is trimmed is a potential half-square triangle.   

Well, I absolutely HATE HATE HATE handling those itty-bitty pieces so taking that idea from my quilting friend, I double stitched the corners while piecing them to the block. 

Notice that I first sewed about 2 threads out from the diagonal line.  That gives me a little extra fold-over which gives me a much better corner.  Not wonky from having to s-t-r-e-t-c-h up to the corner.   Then using my presser foot as a guide I did a second line.  I made sure that I had enough space between the lines to provide a good seam.  Not a 1/4" seam, but a good 1/8" seam.  If the 2 lines are too close you're going to be cutting into a seam.  Don't want to do that!


 







Yeah, takes a little extra time, but let me tell you ... I have some pretty nice half-square triangles ALREADY PIECED!  Woo woo!!!  

I love getting two jobs done at one time ... pieced snowball blocks ...

and ...



  
a box of perfectly pieced half-square triangles ready to be used ... wherever ... 




These particular hst's are about 2 1/4" square. 

Voila! It's done ... and just in time!

Remember this little beauty?  Well, I did something this morning that I haven't done in years and years and years ... I woke up at 4:00 a.m. and actually got up and did something productive!  I only had a few odds and ends to do to this batik jacket to finish it off, so I got it done.  And just in time!  It's for my sweet MIL ...

Usually when I awaken so early in the morning, I don't actually get up.  I just stay in bed, convinced that I'll go to sleep sometime soon.  This morning I was overcome by the feeling that CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST HERE!!!! so I'd better get up and get crackin'.    So that's one more item that I can check off the list.  

Only a few more cakes to make and then the Bake-Apolooza 2011 will be
at a close.  Sigh ...  

Spinning Pinwheels

 



This is Sharon's Bright Spinning Pinwheels!  Isn't it pretty? 

I was almost afraid of the black borders and the totally black backing ... can't use black batting because of the white background. 

So I put on one of my favorite battings, Quilters Dream Blend, and then used a Lime Green Isacord thread.  And this combination with the Fossil pantograph came out beautifully!  






Don't you love the lime green thread against the black fabric.  Oooohhhhh ....

Ho Ho Ho ... How many cakes???

I don't know about you, but I am about baked out!  I have made dozens and dozens of cookies (all 'secret' recipes, you know!), pounds and pounds of fudge - have you tried using the dark chocolate chips?  YUMMY!  And each morning I get up and make two Holiday Cakes.  I am so over this ...

But I do like the Christmas holidays.  And each year I swear that next year I will be better prepared ... start the cakes in early November, bake and freeze the cookies, shop for presents.  Oh who am I kidding?  I haven't stepped inside a mall once this season.  The internet is my friend, the internet is my friend ... at least until I see the credit card bill!  I absolutely love that I can google any item whatsoever and find a place that will ship it right to my door.  I love technology.

I'm laughing because the only "stores" I have shopped in are my local quilt stores!!  Don't we love the Stuff My Stocking 12 Days of Christmas thingie?  I have a stocking full of stuff that I plan to divvy up amongst my quilting friends for Christmas.  This is the best idea since the rotary cutter! 

I am already starting to think about the New Year and how I want to improve my quilting life.  I keep considering letting go of some of my 'kits' that I bought in years past - and I honestly know that I'll not get to them.  So maybe it's time for them to find a new home.  I have some fabric that is absolutely wonderful, but I'm just not in that space anymore.  I keep thinking that I can't be the only quilter in this dilemma.  Maybe we should consider a Quilter's Consignment Shop?  I don't want to give away my stuff and I certainly don't need to buy anymore or trade for more.  So why not a consignment store for us fabri-holics.  Out with the not-so-new and in with the ... wait a minute... that's how I got into this mess.  Anyway, out with the not-so-new and in with a new attitude.  BUY IT AND USE IT IMMEDIATELY.   That's the ticket!  BUY IT AND USE IT IMMEDIATELY!!! 

I have a friend that has proclaimed no more buying fabric.  Several of us have bets on how long this will last ... I'm looking at March 2012!  LOL!

Cross and Crown Vintage

This is this years last of the vintage quilts.  I researched the pattern and found that it is called Cross and Crown.  MeMaw got a little wild with all the patterns so doing any custom quilting on this just wouldn't show at all.  So customer Kim and I decided that even though it is hand pieced, the best thing at this point in time would be to do an all-over on it.  No matter which way I photo this quilt you just aren't going to see the quilting.  So just enjoy the craftsmanship of the design and the piecing.  

Close-up of the Cross and Crown.

 The quilting pattern is a meandering feather.
 

Last photo is showing the vintage-type backing that we found at one of our LQS.  It is absolutely perfect!  Thanks, Linda!

Christmas Bake-apolooza 2011!

I've planned for many weeks to take several days this week and start - hopefully finish - my Christmas baking.  Several years ago, my sweet MIL mailed us a box of home-made goodies and we enjoyed them so much that I started doing the same thing for my girls.  So each year I make about 12 dozen cookies, some cakes, and a boat-load of fudge and I send each girl a 'goodie' box.  And each year I ask if they really really want the goodie box this year, and of course, "MOM!  Yes!  We want the goodie box."  The daughter living out of country told me that her office workers are already asking "When's your Mom going to send you the goodie box?"  

So, today was spent baking chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, date bars, and Holiday cakes ... with another round scheduled for tomorrow afternoon and on into Monday.  Then we can ship the goodie boxes!  And that's the main part of our holiday, getting the goodies off to where they belong.

 

So here are a couple of pics of the Bake-apolooza that we are experiencing here in GA!

Story about the cookies:  For years my girls loved me making my 'secret' chocolate chip cookies.  They were in awe of how delicious they were ... and would pester me and pester me for the recipe.  I told them "one day... I'll share the recipe with you.  One day ..."    Time marches forward and several years ago one of my daughters came to live with us.  She had time on her hands so last year she agreed to be my kitchen helper during the holidays.  I was making the chocolate chip cookies ... she looked at the Nestle's Tollhouse chips bag in my hand, and burst out laughing:  "THAT'S YOUR SECRET?"  Yep, good ol' Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies!  So now OUR secret is that we're not telling her sisters!  

The cakes are truly a secret.  My mother made these cakes every Christmas since 1960 or so. And when I got the recipe I continued the tradition.  We call it a "It's not a fruitcake" Holiday Cake!  I make between 15 and 20 of these every year and give them as gifts.  

More pictures tomorrow as the Bake-Apolooza continues.  And next week back to quilting!