Future Project?

Several years ago, I bought this book which I thought was really cool. As I went through my batiks yesterday, I pulled these pieces that I thought would be really pretty in the tablerunner on the coverpage. All of the projects in the book are really pretty. Why do quilters want to do everything they see?????? There are more and more wonderful ideas and beautiful fabric and time flies by so quickly it's hard to decide which should come first. I think it's fair to say that people who love quilting are very seldom bored - maybe frustrated sometimes. Quilting--What a satisfying addiction to be blessed with. (Click to enlarge)

The Really Old Quilt I Never Finished

I told about not finishing a quilt that I did in the "quilt as you go" method that was popular in the late 70's. This afternoon I got it out and took it's picture - mainly because I think you will enjoy seeing what kind of fabric we had to work with back then. I still have a little bit of some of those calicoes tucked away someplace. The prints were so tiny and the colors usually bright. Actually, I think this is not a bad looking piece and would be pretty if it were finished. However, I doubt if it will be me that finishes it! The center part is all done and a couple of the borders. When the borders are applied, it will create a triangle border all around the quilt. (Click to enlarge)

Batiks!

Have spent most of the day in the basement going through my batiks - they were really in need of some sorting out. I think it's hard to know how to group them - so many have multiple colors and look so good with lots of other pieces. I have a few that I don't know where in the heck to ever use them and some of those I will just get rid of. There are some very pretty ones down there for sure. I never buy very big pieces - usually no more than a half yard unless I know I need more for borders, etc. My love is scrappy quilts - the more different fabrics I have in a quilt the better I like it so I don't use large amounts of the same fabric. So, right now my basement "studio" is in a bigger mess than usual. I took some pictures and will post a few. Still have several boxes to go through but decided to give it up for today. By the way, just to the right edge of the top picture is the ribbon with the dogwood blossom that my quilt "Blooms in the Night" wore home from Paducah in 1992! (Click to enlarge)

Still have More Chamber Pots

When we moved back to Chillicothe in 1984, one of the things I loved to do best was go to auctions. There were lots of them. You usually had to plan to spend most of the day there if you wished to bid on something that was a long way from the auctioneer at the beginning. They were a lot of fun and you could find some great things. At an auction at an old farm west of Chilli I bid on these three pieces and got them. The big chamber pot has one of the handles missing but the smaller one and the pitcher are in good shape. This probably had a pitcher and bowl with it at one time. At this same auction, I bought a couple of boxes of sewing supplies and there were a lot of goodies in those. What fun going through them. There were lots of old embroidery transfers, old floss, needles, etc.

(Click to enlarge)

My Front Stoop Begonias

I have posted pictures at two different times of my pretty planter on the front stoop. There are two gorgeous begonias in it - the ones that are grown more for their leaves than their flowers. They may be called Rex Begonias, but I can't say that for sure. Anyway, the plants are just huge now - along with the impatients that are there with them. I found some smallish blooms on the begonias so they do bloom but not the showy blossoms that the other varieties have. The colors of the leaves are gorgeous - all in all it has been a lovely addition to my front stoop all season long. The pictures don't show how large the plants are but you can see the color and the little blossoms. (Click to enlarge)

A Start

Fiddled all afternoon with my fabric trying to come up with something for the start of the pass- it-on round robin that isn't an actual "round robin". We were given a piece of gridded interfacing that will be covered by pieces made by different quilters. Each participant starts hers out and places her piece where she wants it on the grid. Approximately 1/5th of the piece must be filled in and the rest will be filled by other quilters - one each month. In turn, each month I will work on someone elses's piece. Each quilter picks her own theme and includes her own fabric if she so desires. These have been turning out very nicely. What I have done here is a start--I need to make it bigger - and I also need to do my applique stitches. This will be a Christmas theme. (Click to enlarge)

A Recipe - Cayenne Pretzels

The other day my neighbor called me about a recipe someone had sent him that he could not download. I had him forward the email to me and I was able to download it and send it back to him. Today, he brought me a little bag of that recipe - Cayenne Pretzels. They are really good but do have a tendency to bite back! Thought I would post it since it would be a good snack for this fall and winter season. Probably really good with a cold beer!!

Cayenne Pretzels:

1 c. vegetable oil - or 1/2 c. vegetable oil and 1/2 c. olive oil

1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 pkgs. (16 oz. each) pretzel sticks

In a small bowl, mix oil, dressing mix, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Put pretzels in a large bowl and pour oil mixture over pretzels - stir to coat. Divide pretzels between two ungreased 10 x 15 x 1 baking pans. Bake at 200 degrees for l hour, stirring occasionally. Cool completely and store in an airtight container. The longer they sit the spicier they tend to get.