Another quilt a long finished

here it is, another quilt-a-long finished top. This one was with That girl...that quilt. I changed mine up a bit, then I was bored with that and changed it up some more. I like the look of it now. It has a kick to it that it didn't have before.
Now I just need to make a back for it, quilt it and bind it. That's all. Ha! It will probably live in a stack for awhile and then move to a hanger in my closet and then, when it is really old and dusty, I might remember to get it out and quilt it. Maybe it won't follow the same path the rest of my tops have followed for years. Who am I kidding? We are talking about me here. The queen of "a lovely collection of quilt tops". Gotta run - just found a pattern for my next quilt top to live in my closet and I've gotta get sewing on it.

Le Petite Second Top, Butter Churn, done

Second post of the day. I know, there was a drought on my blog and now it seems to be raining!

I have previously said that last year I "joined" in on the year of schnibbles and made the first couple of schnibbles and then life got busy and I only made one or two more after that. I also, never figured out how to get them posted to the blogs that do the parades so I gave up. This year, they are doing a new challenge called, Le Petite. I have done the first quilt, Paganini, and blogged about it here. This is the second of the projects (okay, third, but I think the first one was optional and even though I need a new ironing board cover, I just haven't gotten around to doing that yet) This one I tried to find a pattern for, but the one store I looked at was sold out and I really wanted to get started on it. So, I just printed out a picture of the quilt and saw how simple it really was - just a modified Jacobs Ladder and Monkey Wrenches along with some half square triangles. A cinch! I decided on my block size - 9" and that determined how large to make the half squares on the outside (2/3 the size of the block - 6")

Here is my next Le Petite quilt top, Butter Churn:

After going back and looking at Sinta's quilt top, I am definitely going to have to put some borders on this one. I thought I was totally finished with it, but I guess I am not completely done.

Food - enough said

Finally got my pictures to download out of my camera. I thought I was going to lose them forever! I don't know about all of you, but I have had a couple of really hectic weeks, up until this week, that is.

At school, we had an advisory lunch, advisory meeting and a luncheon for 40! That last one was a bit scary, but we did it! My kids pulled it off. We plated and served almost 40 people. They were an hour late getting into the restaurant than what they had previously told me, but thank goodness for my hot/hold we were able to serve a great meal when they finally arrived.

a couple of days before that, I got the chance to go to Frisco to their culinary showcase. The students of Friso and Wiley teamed up and created a wonderful menu of delectable items that was beautifully presented and served. It was a wonderful experience to get to go there and view what they are doing and see the possibility of what my students will one day soon, be doing.

Here are some pics of the food: Okay, I thought I uploaded my pics. Let me try one more time. I don't think I was patient enough for them to completely load last time. Here we go: This is what we were served:

Butternut squash soup with cinnamon creme fraise (don't know if that is how it is spelled or not - pronounced fresh) with caramelized shallots



Field Greens with cranberries and sugared pecans with a round of fried goat cheese


Braised short rib with root vegetables served over blue cheese polenta (which was very creamy and wonderful)


and last, but not least - and my favorite of the night even though everything was simply delicious - apple dumpling with cream and a caramel sauce. Just let me say that I have never liked cooked apples and apple dumplings until this year when my mother made me some of the Pioneer Woman's apple dumplings. This is my next favorite apple dumpling recipe. Speaking of which, I need to e-mail that chef and ask for the recipe.



Hope you enjoyed the pictures and I didn't make you, too hungry!

Birthday Quilt

I made my friend a birthday quilt last night and wanted to share it with you. She celebrated her 70th birthday with a fabulous tea party given in her honor by her daughters and granddaughters. It was a blast! The table decorations were unbelievable. I wish I had my camera there just to take pictures of the decorations. There were 4 large tables and each table had a different vignette. One had a collection of old hats on stands. Ours, had glasses, boas, jewels and lots of bling, bling, bling. Table number three had little tea sets and large tea sets and bling. The fourth table had clear glass ware and candles. It was all beautiful. What more can I say, but if you are going to have a party, these are the people you want to come in and decorate. Very professionally done.

Friday night before the party I got a picture of a quilt in my head that I needed to make for my friend. However, I was told - I think - by the birthday girl herself not to bring a gift. So, I didn't make that quilt. However, when I got to the party, almost everyone had brought her a gift. Well, that did it. I was just going to have to make that quilt and take it to her. So, I made it yesterday and here is a picture of it. It has perfect binding on it. I mean, my mitered corners have never, I mean, never been so perfect in my life. You can't tell where I started and stopped this binding because my connection is perfect. I am so proud of all the things I have learned from other blogs, friends and teachers and they have finally come together on this quilt binding.


Happy Birthday my friend and here's to many more and more perfect bindings for the both of us!

Geodes

Last weekend I went to the Midland Gem and Mineral Society Show. I have been wanting to go for a few years, but other things had been happening at the same time and it always got pushed to the end of the list and I never got to attend. This year, I put it at the top of the list and it was the first thing I did Saturday morning. If you will recall from a previous post, I was out quite late at the sit and sew in Andrews with my friend Kathy and didn't get home until 1:30 a.m. or so. I just want to say that I love minerals and gems. I have always been fascinated by the colors and texture and just love the finished product, even though I don't wear much jewelry anymore. I love opening an oyster an pulling out the precious pearl. I have several I have collected when they used to have them at the South Plains Fair in Lubbock.

I took a jewelry making class in college and purchased some loose tourmalines in solid pink and solid green. I put one in a ring during that class and found out that I will never become a jeweler like I always wanted to be since I can't stand the sound of a file on metal. Nope, not going to do that again.

About 8 years ago, my mother and I went to Montana to dig for sapphires. I have a lot of loose - mostly un-cuttable - sapphires. I have a few that I need to get heat treated and cut, but will have to send them off back to Montana and I would rather spend my money, at this time, on fabric. But, one day . . .

As a young girl, we always had geodes in our house. When we would go to Colorado, my dad would pull over on the side of the road and we would pick them up and then take them to someone to cut them for us. I just loved waiting to see what beauty these ugly round rocks would reveal. Let me tell you, my dad almost always picked a winner. We had some of the most gorgeous geodes I have ever seen - even to this day, displayed on bookshelves around our house. Well, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to purchase some rocks and have them cut open for me while I waited that wonderful Saturday morning. I picked up a rock, set it down, picked up another, set it down. Then walked off. I didn't need to buy any rocks. I don't need to spend money on this. Remember, I like spending my money on fabric. Well, as you can see below. I not only bought one. I bought three! They are all different and unique in their own way. I plan on giving a few away as Christmas gifts so others can share in the beauty.


I knew this one would have something unique about it because on the outside of the rock, you could see where it may have shifted in it's formation. It is amethyst even though this picture doesn't show it's true beauty.


This one I kind of went, hmm. I wasn't really impressed with it at the show, but when I got it home and pulled it out. WOW! I really like it. It is a very dark smoky quartz and has some crystal shards that have stacked themselves to create a little mountain inside. Beautiful.



This one has crystal quartz, with shards of crystal laying on top. Small, but pretty. My least favorite, but still beautifully unique.

Irish and Taegan and McCallum, too

"Mom, we want what you are having. What, it's not Irish and Taegan food? But, we still want it. See how sweetly we sit? See how sweetly we bat our beautiful eyes? "



McCallum, "Hey, you guys, get me out of here! Mom, if they get some extra food, I want some."



"Please, Mom. Don't let McCallum out. We still want some food, but please don't let McCallum out."


"Those guys are no help. I am never getting out of here."

Sit and Sew @ the Sewing Cottage

Friday night was spent in the company of my friend Kathy at the Sewing Cottage in Andrews. Norma, the store owner, had a sit and sew from 6 to midnight. Since Kathy and I had gone to the Midland one a couple of weeks before, I called her up and suggested we try this one, also. This time I would definitely take pictures of everything that was going on. Well, turns out, Kathy and I were the only smart ones to take Norma up on her all night sewing fun. And what fun we had. Can't wait until the next one! We will definitely be dragging more of our Odessa group up there to join us. We talked, and sewed and ordered pizza which Norma's daughter was brave enough to go and pick it up for us. (apparently that was an education no one would have wanted).


As I said, we talked, even when we slowed down enough to eat. Of course we had to have our cokes from Stripes or we wouldn't have even been able to begin sewing.

Here's mine next to my ugly bag and my eye glass case. I really need to make a prettier bag. I was experimenting with the zipper and putting it on like I had seen in a TV show, but couldn't exactly remember how to do it. It works, but it doesn't look great. I keep using this bag since it is so handy. One of these days I will make another one that is much prettier. What's in it? All my little things that I need when I am on the road (even when I am not on the road. It sits in a partially opened drawer next to me when I sew at home) Oh, yes, you did ask what was in it. . . extra needles, wound bobbins, screw drivers, buttons, seam rippers, pens and markers. Everything a quilter or her friend might need.

speaking of bags. Here is Kathy's cute carry all bag.

she carries all her sewing stuff in there and has for quite awhile now.

Here is my purse.



Not looking so good. Today, I even discovered that my tote bag that holds all my school papers is ripped. I guess I will be getting two new bags this week. Or next. Or maybe even when we are off for Thanksgiving. Yea, that is probably the only time I will have to go to the store and even look at bags. My two have served their purpose.

I am sick of my pink bag. I bought it this summer when the purse I took to conference was WAY to small. I couldn't add anything to it and I had a hard time zipping it closed. That meant that I was carrying my cameras around with me along with my notebook and water bottle. So, quick trip to Target and I purchased this messenger bag. Worked great all the way through the first 6 weeks of school. Now, it is WAY to big. Nothing stays in it's place and everything falls to the bottom. Good thing that flashlight we got at the Ogallala retreat is still in there. It comes in handy when I am trying to find something.

This is what Kathy worked on after she finished up her retreat quilt. Sorry, can't show you pictures of it until our retreat. (What I really mean is, I didn't take a picture of it when it was all done)



Those are the greens she cut circles out of so she can put together project bags for her girl scouts. They are making yo-yo's into a tree. It is a really cute project, but we will all have to wait until next year to see their finished product since Norma and I talked Kathy into waiting until then to make them. The girls were only going to have about an hour or less to start on them in the meeting and Kathy expected them to take them home and finish the tree. How many of you would have finished your yo-yo tree when you were in 8th grade if you had never made a yo-yo before? "Not I," said the fly. So, that is why she is sooooo ahead on her Christmas project for next year. Now she has plenty of time to look for those little metal stars to go on the top.

In the next post I will show you what I worked on all night. It took me most of the time to just cut everything out. Plus eating, shopping, talking, looking around the store and of course talking.

Time and New Projects

I have been sewing a little and lazing around a lot! I need to get into the sewing room, but by the time I get home, feed the dogs, check out facebook and play a couple games of bejeweled blitz - okay, a lot more than a couple, it is almost time to go to bed. Where does the day go? I know I am getting out of school later than I have in 8 years and I am even sometimes staying later than that (4:30/5:00), but it really seems like there is no time to do ANYTHING!! At least I know what I am wearing tomorrow and it is clean. I need to do a couple or 4 loads of laundry. Do things ever pile up for you like this? Laundry, kitchen, refrigerator, puppy, trash? It's a never ending cycle. I think I will take a break from it all and go to Andrews for a sew-in Friday. Maybe I will get more done at this one that I did at the one in Midland. I have enough to keep me busy, I just need to work on it.

This past weekend was our Quilt-in with our Bee friends group and I worked on my quilt-along with That Girl - That Quilt. I saw her drawing and just started out on my own not waiting for her instructions. Sounds like me, huh? I was not liking it and still am not totally sure about it. I haven't found the layout I want or the spark that will send it over the edge. So, I won't be working on that one on Friday unless it comes together in my head tomorrow.

Also on the blogs, I am doing the layer cake quilt along with moose on the porch. The first block pattern came out Monday so I printed it off and need to make it. I am not using a layer cake with this one, but am using 12 fat quarters I picked up at the Andrews store almost a year ago. I must have been saving them for just this occasion.

I am also doing the la petite sew-along even though I didn't get my paganini into the parade. [didn't know how to do it :( ]You have all seen it before, but I will post it again.



I didn't add the wavy border or cut out the wavy border. I like it just the way it is. (can you say chicken?)

Now, for le petite, there is a new pattern, but the one store I looked in for the pattern was all out. So, I printed out a picture of the quilt and I am going to make it using larger blocks. The top consists of churn dash (my favorite), jacobs ladder and half square triangles. How simple is that? I love the way it is arranged. You will just have to wait and see unless you go to one of the websites and check it out for yourself.

Well, it is almost 10 and bedtime once again. See how time flies?