Two More Blocks

 Yes, you've seen this one in the post before but it's all fused down now ready to machine applique - and

here is the sixth one all fused, also. I have just enough of the fabric that the birdie is made of to do the birds that are in two of the last three blocks. I like the way it looks. Originally, I was going to use lots more colors from the Kaffe Fasset fabrics (actually these are all in his line except for the black and white) but it just became more of a controlled scrappy piece. So many times doing applique, I use a focus fabric and pick my other fabrics to go with that. This has turned into that sort of project. However, I am pleased with it.
(Click to enlarge)

Folk Art Blocks

I worked on this little piece part of yesterday and today.  This block is ready to be buttonhole stitched - I may change the centers of the flowers but will see how that goes when I get to that point. 

This one is ready for stitching except for finalizing the three flowers.  That doesn't take much time just cutting little bits and auditioning them.  It is turning out differently than I thought it would but I like it.  When I was working on it yesterday, I got to a point where nothing seemed to work so just walked away and left it.  When I went back in there today, it just kind of fell together.  That seems to happen a lot.  Kind of like working a jigsaw puzzle.

Here are five out of the nine that I plan to do.  All the backgrounds are oversized and will be trimmed down after they are appliqued.  The center block will be like a bouquet and the other three blocks will be wreaths.  The baskets will each have a corner.  I so love color!!!!    (Click to enlarge)

An Old Project and a Newer One

This is really old - the late 80's would have been when I machine appliqued this.  It was a block for a class that I taught in the little quilt shop in Chillicothe way back when.  I was doing satin stitch applique at the time.  You can tell by the fabrics that it is old.  Love the colors, though.  I had never finished it and quite some time ago I ran across it and finished the applique.  It's put together to be a pillow and now all I need is to stuff it.  I brought the stuffing and the pillow upstairs so maybe I will do some stuffing this evening.  I seamed in about an inch from the edge to make a little border.  I like that look in a pillow.

Here's some hexies.  I have been playing with them some and they look rather pretty all together. You can see all my basting threads and one of the little flowers still has two pieces loose.  They will all be nice and neat when they get to where they will be.  Saw a quilt on the internet done in a strippy style that was really pretty and didn't need hundreds of the hexies which I would rather not make.  Think I would enjoy hand appliquing rows of these separated by another strip of some kind -  small quilt blocks or applique.  Will be thinking about it.  Always fun thinking about putting something new together.  Have a great weekend out there!  (Click to enlarge)

It's Back!

At the left of the picture is the railing the little robin sat on just the other evening.  I wonder where that little bird is right now.  Winter was not through with us, but at least it's snow and not ICE!   

They came through yesterday morning and cleared the snow - but they were back sometime during the night or early morning and cleaned again.  We pretty much had snow and blowing all day yesterday.  Pretty - but even I (who doesn't mind winter) am ready to have it go away.  

Over my front door it looks like the icing on a cupcake!  That will land right on the stoop when it finally thaws some.  The forecast doesn't call for any thawing for a spell, however.

Now, here is the cabin with the dark border!  I really like it and thank you, my blogging buddies, for your input.  Next is the embroidery after which I will make the sandwich and quilt the piece.  And for Sue, it is from Edyta Sitar's book.  This is mostly all batiks which came from a box of scraps.  Hard to throw out even small pieces.  (Click to enlarge)

Undecided

Just about to wind this little piece up but can't make up my mind on the border.  Thought I would ask what you think - which should I go for - the dark or the light?  One minute I am loving one, and the next minute the other.  Regardless of which one I use, the binding will be the dark like the narrow sashing.  I am also going to embroider "Home Sweet Home" beneath the cabin.  Might add my initials and year.  Decisions, decisions!  Would love your input!   (Click to enlarge)

Officially Spring

Finally - I've seen my first robin!  Have been on the lookout the past couple of weeks.  A little while ago, I was looking out the front window and saw something land on the railing of my little porch.  It's dusk and so didn't realize at first that it was a robin.  The distinctive little round tummy  made me take a second look and sure enough there it was.  It hopped down to the ground and started doing it's little robin hopping thing looking for yummy worms.  Spring is here. 

My Projects

Here are all 80 of the blocks that I have been making.  The first two rows at the foot of the bed are sewn together - the remaining six rows are complete and ready to join the first two.   I am loving the beautiful reds, oranges, hot pinks, golds,cerises and the occasional bits of green and blue with the black and white. 

And the cabin is coming along.  Instead of piecing the squares on point, I have fused them and will machine buttonhole applique them along with the other shapes.  Still have a bird, heart and leaves to fuse.  And also two windows.  Then will come a narrow border and a wider border to be picked out yet.  May do a border similar to the cabin by piecing with lots of pretty batiks.  Kind of thinking that's the way I'll go.  Beneath the cabin on the original piece there is "Est. 1969"  - I could be wrong on that date.  I take it that is for the year a couple was married and established their home.  I may just applique a little spray of leaves and berries.  Will figure that one out later.  This is a fun one!  (Click to enlarge)

An Eagle on its Nest

My friend, Linda, sent a link to a webcam in Decorah, Iowa, of an eagle on it's nest - it is running continuously.  I tried twice to check it out but it was not running at those times.  However, just looked at it a few minutes ago and it is great.  Saw the bird raise up and rearrange the eggs beneath her (or him) then settle down again.  Here is the link  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/decorah-eagles   you might want to give it a try.  I've bookmarked it and will check every so often.  Wonder when the babies will hatch? 

Building a Little Cabin

In one of the books by Edyta Sitar there is a small wallhanging with a pieced cabin and I have gone this far on getting it together.  The next step is fuse and applique two little trees, some leaves, a heart and bird by the cabin and then do an inner border that is shown as pieced but which I will applique in the same way I did A Tisket A Tasket.  Then a wider second border and it will be ready for quilting. 

I have been cutting and sewing the black and white and bright colored flower blocks like I had a deadline or something.  They are all done now - 80 of them - and I am sewing the rows together.  It is turning out to be 80" x 80" and I will just bind it.  I really love how it looks and the blocks were so easy.  I did find out where I saw the quilt.  By putting "quilts with Kaffe Fasset's fabrics" in the search box and looking under images it came up.  There was a picture of it on   http://exuberantcolor.blogspot.com/   which is a great blog that I follow.  Wanda, who writes the blog, makes just wonderful, scrappy quilts and so many of them.  Beautiful work.  (Click to enlarge)

Black and White and Flowers All Over

I have been making these blocks all day long.  It's been a dreary day outside but the fabrics are bright and pretty.  The blocks go together quickly and I really like how they are coming together.  The colors in this picture are pretty close to the actual blocks which are just laid out on the bed.  Trying to decide on how many to make of the 8 x 10 blocks.  It all depends on if I put a border on or not.  I bought more of the wiggly dotted line fabric but don't know if it will be enough to make borders.  May make enough blocks for 8 rows of  10 blocks for a top that is 80 x 80.  That would nicely cover a double bed if you used a bedskirt.

I'm leaning toward not putting a border on the quilt and to bind it in the squiggly fabric.  (Click to enlarge)

Fashion Friday

Our gorgeous models this morning are Molly, my middle granddaughter, and her lovely friend, Angie, when they were probably 11 years old.  Molly would bring Angie over to our house sometimes and they would do things like playing with Barbies in our basement.  This particular day, it was dressup.  Molly looks beautiful modeling the taffeta gown that I wore when I stood up with my sister at her wedding.  It is a lovely melon color with a pleated ruffle over the sleeves and around the back.  Tiny covered buttons acted as the closure.  Pretty Angie is clad in my wedding suit, which is a toast color satin.  Double breasted, it had self covered buttons and the pockets were crosshatch quilted.  The girls took turns modeling the garments and somewhere there are more pictures of each in the other outfit.  I think there was a square dance dress worn that day also.  Will have to look through the albums for the others.  Angie will be wearing her own wedding dress in a couple of months and Molly will be back for the wedding.  I think maybe Norah will be here also.  I look forward to that so much.  

Just One Star

Looking over some of my favorite blogs today, I stopped by http://leeprairiedesigns.blogspot.com/  to see what Carolyn has been up to.  She has a fun blog and makes some lovely things.  There I found out about  Just One Star being organized by Moda.  They are asking quilters to make a star to go into quilts for our servicemen in Afghanistan.  Carolyn had a picture of the one she had made - and I made one a little while ago and here it is.  If you would like to take part in this just go to http://www.unitednotions.com/LA_just_one_star.pdf   and download the pattern, instructions and where to send your block.  I think they will get many, many blocks for this wonderful project.  (Click to enlarge)

Vintage Tags

Last night was guild meeting and another trade of the vintage tags with Julie.  We are the only ones doing this now.  Between the two of us, we have amassed a nice little showing of this fun form of art.  Julie is really so good at this and has gathered a lot of the vintage and thrift items that make this so much fun and has taken some online classes.  There are a lot of blogs out there dedicated to collage.  My little girl above skipping rope with her thread was a vintage advertisement I found on the web and I printed it out on the printer's fabric you can find now.  The old salesslip is a scan of an actual one from PA Berner's department store in Peoria.  It could have been filled in by my Aunt Leah who worked at the notion counter in Bergner's for many years.  I found the slip in a box of things I bought at an auction west of our town in the late 80's.  I think that trim might have come from the same box. 

Here is Julie's beautiful tag.  She said the fabric behind the darling picture of the little girl in green (think St. Patty's Day) was part of a napkin.  Note the clever pleating of the ribbon.  If you want to see some of her many vintage pieces of art, click on http://justtickety-boo.blogspot.com/and it will take you to her blog.   She is also going to mount all of the tags we have done this year on a poster board for display at our quilt show in April.  I think everyone will enjoy seeing them.    (Click to enlarge)

Just What I Need - New Fabric

Batiks were on sale at Hancock's of Paducah recently and I caved in and sent for some - the beauties in the back of the picture.  The front stripped piece is in anticipation of a house block from Edyta Sitar's book that I like so much.  I have also bought several pieces of neutral batiks from our new quilt shop.  This stuff is scrumptious!

Then I bought some black and white to do blocks like these.  I saw this quilt on line - don't know where, I'm sorry to say - and thought it was really pretty.  I have lots of Kaffe's fabrics with the reds, pinks, oranges, etc., and that is what goes in the center part.  Just had to quick put together a couple of blocks to see how they look.  They look fine!  (Click to enlarge)

A Yummy Recipe

Sunday evening I went over to a very private five-star restaurant a couple of miles from my house and the lady of the house fixed a spinach cheese quiche which was absolutely delicious.  The photo above is not of the actual quiche we had but very similar.  I thought you might like to have the recipe for this delicious dish which my daughter, Sherry, prepared.  I think she said she got it in the Detroit paper. 

Fresh Spinach Quiche



1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bag (10 ounces) fresh spinach, chopped
1 9-inch refrigerated premade pie dough
1 teaspoon flour 
1/2 cup grated mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 eggs
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon dried dillweed


Melt butter in medium skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes, do not brown. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Cool slightly.


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll pie dough, dust one sidewith flour and place in 9-inch pie plate or quiche pan flour side down. Press into pan, sealing cracks and trimming edges. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan over bottom crust. Top with spinach mixture. Beat eggs, cottage cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg and dillweed in large bowl and pour over spinach. Bake until filling is set and top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly, cut into wedges and serve. Serves 6.

I am definitely going to give this one a go as I think you could probably freeze part of it.  Will check that out before I do, though.  I used to find so many good recipes in the newspaper.  The Peoria paper had really good ones and the Kansas City papers did also.  I certainly can't say that about the Midland paper.  I don't take it now but I did for a lot of years and never found a single recipe I ever wanted to save.  Wonder why that was.  Give this a try if you like this sort of dish and I think you will be very happy you did.

The Totebag

Here it is - the completed bag from the class a couple of weeks ago.  Just put the straps on and topped each strap with a pretty button I got at the local quilt shop.  Tried a yoyo but it didn't look good.  The largest covered button would have probably been pretty but I didn't think the shank on those would work as well.  I do like the way the bag turned out.  We will all bring them to the guild meeting Tuesday night for show and tell.  Will take pictures.  (Click to enlarge) 

Fashion Friday

There aren't many of my really old photos that I haven't featured on Fashion Friday, but I am pretty sure this fellow has not had a turn modeling his outfit.  Our model this morning is Samuel Rusk, my husband's maternal grandfather.  Dapper fellow!  He wears a three piece suit with a very high lapel and only one of just two  buttons buttoned.  Samuel has a very nice mustache.  Don't you just love the ornate settings some of the photographers had for what I believe is called a cabinet photograph.  Taken by J. C. Cone in Farmington, Illinois.  (Click to enlarge)

Trying to Sort Things Out

I have spent most of the morning downstairs trying to go through my batik bins.  The fabrics on the top of the bin above are ones I thought I might try in a pattern I found online called a schlep bag which looks easy and very nifty.  Will elaborate on that later.  We quilters are women of excess when it comes to fabric!  I am itching to do something from one of the books by Edyta Sitar - and wanted to line up fabric to choose from. 

I love the patterns and colors in this heap of batiks.  Most of these will go in a bin together for an Edyta project.

Here are more close to that second picture.  Since I took the pictures of my mess in the basement, I now have a good sized bin filled with the ones I would most likely use.  Want to add some other fabrics besides batiks, also.

Here are some pretty more "solid" colors and although they won't be in  with the more muted ones, I love the lovely colors here

 and in this bunch. There are quite a few other piles and bins of batiks,  but you all know how that is!   Don't you just love color?   Now I have to get myself ready to go to a meeting for our quilt show and then do some shopping for a package to send to Africa to my favorite 22 year old granddaughter!!  (Click to enlarge)