Meeting with another Blogger!!!

Yesterday I had a meeting with a blogging friend! When I came across Jewell's blog
I was wondering what kind of job she and her husband had. She said they were travelling around the country and she was in Texas. I commented on her blog and we corresponded. Then we decided to meet when she came back to Texas and was going to be near where I live. We arranged to meet after work. I drove to where they were parked in front of a Wal Mart with the race car that they take around . I wondered who would be interested in looking at it!?! On the way, I was feeling kind of nervous. But, I didn't need to. Jewell is as friendly as most quilters and her husband is a really nice man. They have been married over 50 years! Jewell and I went out to eat and shared about our lives and talked about sewing, quilting, families, etc. etc. It was a really good time! No need to worry. I was also amazed at how many people stopped to look at the car and take pictures of it! I don't suppose we should be surprised that others have favorite hobbies and interests - after all, we seem to be pretty obsessive about our own! We took pictures too - it was real windy, so don't look at our hair!
Jewell makes sample quilts for a quilt shop near her home and she works on them while on their trips around the country. Have a safe trip!

2 gifts and 2 things done

I finished a gift for my DIL, whose birthday was last Friday! I decided to make her a tote bag and picked out a pattern called "The Sara Satchel" by Serendipity Studio. The sample in the quilt shop looked really good. After I bought the pattern, my first clue that it might be difficult to make was when I read the list of notions and buckram was on it. I had never heard of buckram, but finally found it at Hobby Lobby. With perseverance, it is finished and I think it turned out pretty good. It has two large pockets inside and two pockets on the back, along with the two pockets you can see on the front, plus the little zippered bag as shown. I got some buttons to sew on the little bag and the front pocket. There is a store near here that has TONS of buttons and zippers at cheap prices. You have to search through lots of boxes for the buttons, but it is worth it. I have also started a tote bag like this for me, which will be made with red, white and blue fabrics.This little stitchery is from Lynette Anderson Designs
and she will have one each month for a cute little Noah's Ark wall hanging. This is the first one and it started this month, so another one will be coming out next week.
Yesterday at work, a friend of mine had her annual pre-retirement party. This year, she has 4 years until her retirement. She has been having these pre-retirement parties for several years now! She's really is looking forward to retirement! She's worked for the government for 34 years; she started right out of high school. Anyway, she had a bunch of door prizes , food, etc. I won this necklace!
Then, I got a gift in the mail today from Anna
She had a drawing for people who left her comments on her blog and I was one of the winners. She sent me this pin cushion made of really pretty fabric. Thanks, Anna! I love the colors!

That's all for me tonight.

Spring is here! In Texas, anyway.

The redbud is blooming!
So is the columbine! And we even saw some bluebonnets popping up when we went to the baby shower in Corpus Christi. Soon they will be blooming here in north Texas. It is a beautiful sight!
We went down to Corpus Christi last weekend to attend the "couples BBQ" baby shower for our DS & DIL. It was my husband's first baby shower! Men didn't used to get invited back in our day. They got many beautiful gifts and are getting things ready for the little one. Below is the cradle that our DS made for the baby. It is really beautiful!
Here's another picture of Robbie, our grand-cat. He is on his special section of the couch (with protective towel). The quilt on the couch is one I made for DS & DIL for their wedding gift. I was fairly new to quilting at that time & was afraid to tackle a bed quilt. I am now getting fabric together to make a bed quilt for them - a double nine patch.
Right now, I am working on a tote bag for another DIL's birthday. Her birthday was yesterday and I didn't get it finished in time, but hope to get it done this next week. I'm also making one for myself - they are more complicated than I thought they would be.

Thursday I am planning to go meet fellow blogger Jewell .
She travels around the country with her husband and I'm going to meet her at a Wal Mart in Arlington, TX. Check out her blog for more information. I will try to get a picture of us to post here. I think it will be fun. I am amazed at the friendliness of quilters on line!!!

Finished Baby Quilt!!!

Hooray!! The baby quilt is finished and ready to take down to Corpus Christi for the baby shower on Sunday afternoon. I took it to my quilters guild meeting on Monday night for show & tell. We leave for CC tomorrow after a doctor's appointment. It's a 7 hour drive, so we should get there around supper time.
Here is a close up picture. I machine quilted it and hand quilted around each embroidered picture.
I have some fabric to make sheets for the cradle (see below). I started to make them on Tuesday night, but then I thought it might be better to sew them up when I get down there so I can be sure they will fit the mattress tight enough, but not too tight. I am going to make them like a pillow case with a velcro closure. I found the pattern on the internet and this should ensure it will fit good and not come undone.
I am getting packed for the trip, so better go. I have some stitchery projects to work on in the car, books to read, etc. My DH does all the driving, so that leaves me free to just enjoy the ride!

Recipe for Thai Salad

I got this recipe from a friend at work and it is always a hit whenever I take it somewhere. There are three parts:

Part 1: 1 head of bok choy chopped (I use baby bok choy and get about 8 of them)
5 or 6 green onions sliced

Part 2: 2 bags ramen noodles (any flavor because you throw away the sauce packet) - crushed
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 stick butter
2 T. sugar
Cook together in skillet until brown. Cool. It keeps well in a plastic container.

Part 3: Dressing
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. soy sauce

If you are serving a large group you can mix everything together to serve. If you won't be using it all at one meal, it is best to keep it separated so the noodles don't get soggy. Then you can dish up as much of the greens as you want, sprinkle on some of the dry stuff and add as much dressing as you want. I like to keep it on hand. Last night I ran out of the noodle stuff, so I made more of it.
I keep the bok choy/onion in a tupperware bowl in the frig and it keeps about a week. I'll have to get some more - my bowl is getting low.
The noodle/seed/nut mixture doesn't need to be refrigerated and neither does the dressing.

 

Go here to find more recipes.

Quilt Drawing at Old Red Barn Co

Please check out the quilt drawing at oldredbarnco.blogspot.com and leave a comment.  Dana is having the drawing for her 200th post.  If you refer someone and they put your name in their comment, you will get additional entries.  So, if you go there to leave a comment, please tell her I sent you.  

BTW,  I haven't figured out how to put in a picture or blog name that will link to the other location when you click on it.  I don't know where to get instructions for that.  Can anyone help me?  I'm still kind of new to this.

Doll Quilts, etc.

I have been home sick for a couple days and have been able to get some quilting done on the baby quilt. (I was too sick to go to work, but not too sick to quilt-luckily)! I want to finish it this week so I can show it at my quilters guild meeting on Monday. The baby shower is March 16 and I will give it to our son & DIL at the shower.

I haven't shown some of my favorite things yet on my blog - doll quilts. This first one is one my grandma made for my doll bed (pictured below) that my grandpa made me probably around 1950. I was so happy when I got the doll bed out of my mom's store room and brought it to our home.
This next picture is a tumbling block hand pieced/hand quilted doll quilt that I made this year. I don't know if I will give it away or not. Right now I like having it hang on the armoir in our bedroom. The little tea set on the table is the set that I had as a child. I have all the pieces and really want a little china cabinet to display them in. Maybe someday I'll get one. I love having vintage treasures on display!
This medallion doll quilt is out of of the book "American Doll Quilts" by Kathleen Tracy. I made three of these at the same time. One for a silent auction, one to give to a little girl in the family and one to keep. I love little quilts!

And here is my very favorite thing - the doll bed my grandpa made and in it is one of my mother's dolls from around 1920! The doll is actually a boy doll, but the only clothing I could find was this dress. The poor guy must be very embarrassed to be wearing a dress! Of course, back then, boys did wear dresses, didn't they? I do have a pattern for some overalls and pajamas, but haven't gotten around to making them yet. One of these days.....
Please check out Lynette Anderson Designs on my links. She has a Noah's Ark BOM and the first stitchery is available for download right now. It looks like fun!

Baby Quilt Top Finished!

Last night I finished piecing the quilt top for the new baby! I plan to get it finished by March 10 so I can take it to my quilt guild meeting for show & tell. Then I will give it as a baby shower gift - the shower is supposed to be about March 22. Today I bought two baby fabrics to make sheets for the cradle.
I decided to machine quilt it because time is short, but I haven't decided yet exactly what I will do. Deciding how to quilt something is one of the hardest parts for me. I guess by the time I get to the quilting part, I don't want to spend a lot more time. I definitely need to work on the quilting skills. I keep thinking that when I retire, I will be able to do things in a more leisurely manner.

Weekend Trip

This past weekend my DH & I went to Corpus Christi, Tx to visit our youngest son & DIL (they are the expectant parents). I had Monday off work and took 2 additional days so we had 3 full days with them. They wanted us to help them with some projects.

I had to include a picture of our "grand-cat" Robbie. Robbie is such a fun cat - we have cat sat for him and his sister Maggie, when our DS & DIL were deployed to the Middle East with the Air Force. This is where he sits when he wants to eat.


On the drive there and back home, as well as while there, I had a couple handwork projects to work on. Below is a doll quilt that I will finish up for our nieces little girl. The potholders are for my sister's birthday coming up. She wants some potholders like our Grandma used to make. My aunt also made them after our Grandma died.

My DIL wanted some help with a sewing project that she had started a while back. She knows how to sew, but finds it hard to figure out some of the directions. Fortunately, we made some progress (even though the directions really were pretty bad). I was going to finish up a curtain that her mother had started, but when I started sewing it on my sewing machine, my machine "ate" the fabric! Luckily, I was able to get it out without it tearing. I thought if I started it in the middle of the side that maybe it wouldn't eat it, but again it just pulled it right down! How frustrating! The fabric was shear and I was just hemming the panel for a narrow window along side the front door. I hope she will be able to get it finished on her machine. Time passed all too quickly and we didn't get as much accomplished as we wanted to.

We did take the time to visit a quilt shop that was really great. I bought the few fabrics pictured below. I wanted my DIL to pick out something with the colors that they would like in a quilt for their bed. When they got married I made a 60" x 60" throw, but now I am ready to do a larger quilt for them (that is, after I finish the baby quilt and a couple other projects). I will make them a Double Nine patch. I plan to try to find some reproduction fabrics for that quilt.


The baby is due in May and the doctor said he will induce labor May 5 at 38 weeks. Below is a picture of the cradle that my son is making for the new baby. My DH worked on it with him over the weekend (sanding, staining and putting together). Doesn't it look great? I am going to make some sheets for the cradle and will look for fabric with airplanes on it (both parents are pilots).
Today it was back to work!

DH in Hospital for Two days

Wednesday night my DH got extremely dizzy with high blood pressure and low heart rate.  I took him to the ER about 10:15 PM and they did some tests and admitted him.  His heart rate was 38!  Long story short, after two days of tests, it was determined that his body had started reacting to his blood pressure meds that he had been on for quite some time.  He has new meds now and is feeling soo much better!  I think it came on slowly at first, but then he crashed - not all the way, thankfully!  

Luckily, I had some hand projects I could work on in the hospital.  I did some more on the grandmother's flower garden.  I got one block almost finished and now I can't find it.  It must have fallen on the floor in the hospital room, so I will call them to see if anyone found it.  It was made with the hexigons on the right below, with yellow in the center and a pretty turquoise blue next.

For some variety, I made yo-yos for some more trivetts.

Yesterday with DH feeling better I went ahead with my plans to attend the Four Score and Seven Quilts Ago quilt show in Fort Worth, TX put on by the Bear Creek Quilters Guild of Keller, TX.  A dear non-quilting friend went with me and we spend the afternoon being amazed at the beautiful quilts.  I especially wanted to attend the lecture by Brenda Papadakis, author of Dear Jane.  There were a few Dear Jane quilts on display also.  It's the first time I had seen one in person and they are wonderful.  I don't know if I will ever make one, but I think I will purchase her book when the new revision comes out this spring.  You can find out more about the story of Jane Stickle, who made the original quilt in 1863, at www.dearjane.com.  I would love to go to Vermont to see the original some day.  

There were also a lot of quilts made of reproduction civil war fabrics.  I think I've got a new favorite!  I'll have to wait a while till I get a couple other projects finished though.  Anyway, it was a wonderful day all the way around - even good weather and finding a good parking spot when the building was mobbed with men attending a gun show at the same time!

Current projects

I've been very lax at adding to my blog. I've been busy working on the baby quilt for our newest "on the way" addition to our family. I have the blocks ready to put together. Below is a small section. I think it will turn out really cute and plan to hand quilt it as I really enjoy hand work.
In fact, I really need to have hand work available at all times. So I picked up these grandmother's flower garden blocks that I had started about five years ago. I decided to work on finishing a lap quilt out of them. I'm enjoying the task more than I thought I would!
I have been checking a lot of quilting blogs and Bonnie Hunter's web site has a lot of really good ideas. I have started sewing some 2 1/2" squares together as beginning and endings so I can keep my chain quilting going. It is so neat! I've got a little stack of them already.

2008 challenge

Before I get to the 2008 challenge, I am including a picture of me working on my granddaughter's quilt.  I'm almost finished!!!

Monday night I went to my quilt guild meeting - the first one of the new year.  We have all new officers now (I'm not one of them this time - Woo Hoo!).  Our new president gave us a challenge.  The picture below has a paint chip card with three shades of blue that I will need to incorporate in the item that I will make.  Everyone got a different color card.  With it are some of the latest fabrics that I have bought and one of them has the two darker colors in it!  That was lucky because I bought that piece before I got the challenge!  I don't have any idea yet what I will do.  It has to be at least 25" x 25".  Any suggestions?  I don't really have any plans for the other fabric, although I am thinking about making a double nine patch quilt with light colored fabrics and a variety of colors for the small nine patches.
This is a shelf of little treasures that I have hanging in my sewing room.  Do you like the little chickens?  Whenever I see these at a cheap price, I buy them.  My grandma gave me one when I was a girl (it is in my china cabinet).

I better get back to working on the quilt!

Granddaughter's quilt

I have been spending most of my spare time this week working on my granddaughter's quilt.  She wanted it tyed instead of quilted the regular way.  In one of my quilting books it showed a way of doing it where you make an "X" and then with a long doll needle pass the thread between the layers to the next location, so that is what we are doing.  She and I worked on it at first, then they left to return home to Oregon and there was still at least 3/4 of the quilt left to do.  This takes longer than I thought it would and it isn't very much fun, but I am almost finished with the tying.  Tomorrow night I will take it to my quilters guild meeting for show and tell.  I am very proud that my GD wanted to do it (it was her idea all along) and that she designed it herself.  I'll post another picture of it before we send it off.

In the mean time, I will finish embroidering the pictures for the baby quilt today and I will start on that quilt as my next project.  My DS and DIL (the expectant parents) will be returning back here where my son will attend a job fair at the airport (he's a pilot in the Air Force now, but will be getting out later this year).  I might also put a large quilt for them in the pipeline because when they got married I hadn't made a large quilt yet and only made a lap quilt/wall hanging 60x60.  

I ordered the book Simple Gifts to Stitch so I can participate in Finny & Donk's Sewing Adventure.  See finnyknits.blogspot.com.  It looks like it might be a good way to get a head start on Christmas gifts!  We'll see how it goes.

A Wonderful Christmas is past

We had almost our whole family here for Christmas and on Christmas Eve, when our youngest son and DIL arrived, we were surprised to find out that they were 20 weeks pregnant (after two years of trying, including 2 miscarriages).  They found out that it is a boy!  Luckily, I had begun some stitchery for a baby quilt called Toyland.  Designed by Cindy Taylor Oates as a redwork quilt.  However, I had done some redwork for another quilt she designed and decided last Sept. to do a blue one.  I had set the stitchery aside before Christmas to work on other projects, so now I got it out!

My DGD (age 15) said she wanted to make a quilt for her bed because the one I had made several years ago was getting worn out (and was really for a younger child anyway).  She designed it and picked out the fabric.  We worked on it together and she would not let me rest!  She was determined to get it done.  This picture shows it right after we had pinned the quilt sandwich together.  We did get started with tying it (which is what she wanted) and I will finish the tying and binding this week.  Next Monday I will take it to my quilting guild and then we can send it to her.
Look at the neat gift I received from my other DIL's sister!  She knitted the chicken potholder (which can double as a hat - he he)!  I also got some FQs and some note cards that she made.  She designs knitting patterns!  You can check out her blog at 2 stix in the woods which is in my links list.
Happy New Year, everyone!

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve and we have everything ready.  We're waiting for our youngest DS and DIL to arrive for supper.  Tomorrow our oldest DS, DIL, DGD, DGS will arrive in time for supper (we hope).  Our DS had to work today and they are coming from Oregon.  (BTW, I'm not sure I got the abbreviations right.  Is there a place that has them all listed for new bloggers)?

Let's not forget what Christmas is all about - the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord!

Below is part of my Christmas village that I made out of plastic canvas about 20 years ago.  

Remember, this is Texas, so the pansies are blooming and will continue all winter.  The temp has been going down to about freezing at night and it is supposed to be in the 50's during the days this week - beautiful weather.  But, alas, no white Christmas for us.  My DGS wanted to know if it would snow.  I guess not this year.  It is possible, though, we usually don't get much and it usually melts quickly.
I spent my morning making lefse, our favorite Christmas Norwegian tradition.  I have already sampled it and it is yummy!
Merry Christmas to one and all from Texas!

Cooking for Christmas

It's time to get busy and prepare food for the family coming for Christmas.  Yesterday I baked a double batch of cinnamon rolls and put most of them in the freezer.  The pictures are in reverse order, but you get the idea!

Today, I'm making a jello salad, spinach dip and getting a thai salad partly ready.  Tomorrow, I will be making a hugh batch of lefse - a Norwegian potato pancake/flat bread.  It is our favorite Christmas tradition.  I grew up with my Grandmother making it (her parents were from Norway).  I got the recipe from her and my aunt.  My Mom never made it, so as teenagers, we started making it.  I have continued it almost every year since I've been married, and my sons have helped me with it.  One son has made it on his own a few times as well.  Yum! Yum!  

The diet begins after the new year!  Merry Christmas to one and all!

Marble bags & Santa

I made a yoyo "desk" topper for this small desk in our entry hall. I had never made yoyos until recently and have had fun doing it. I made some bottle cap hot pads and actually sold some at a craft sale. They were probably the most "looked at" item we had on display!

Several years ago my quilt guild had a workshop for this Santa. I finished one (another one didn't get finished) and was pleased with the result. It is one of my favorite decorations for Christmas.

I have been so busy finishing up projects, baking, decorating, etc, that I haven't done much blogging lately. Here are two marble bags that I made for our grandchildren, who are coming here for Christmas from Oregon. I need to make a few more for game pieces that we have from a board game my husband made last year.


I hope I can figure out how to get the pictures to go where I want them to go. Any pointers along those lines? Don't know if I will have time for any more posts until after Christmas, so I will wish any dear readers a Merry Christmas now.

Getting ready for Christmas

About a month ago I laid out these blocks to try to decide how to arrange them, thinking that I might get it finished in time for Christmas. What was I thinking? I should have known I wouldn't get it finished this year! It isn't scheduled for a gift, so I'm putting it away. Hopefully, I'll get it finished next year. The pattern is "Hokey Pokey" & I can't remember the name of the designer. I took the class last November in Cedar Hill, TX.

I just finished four sweat shirt jackets with cats on the front (one for me, one to sell at a craft show Saturday and two for gifts). I think they are pretty cute. I hope people like them. Here is a close-up of one of the cats. I love the whiskers!










Below is a picture of some aprons I made for my 2 DILs, granddaughter and one for myself. These aprons are reversable, with three pockets on each side made of the reverse fabric. The pocket in the middle chest area is for a cell phone. I've had the fabric on the right with the morning glories & hummingbirds for quite some time and had never gotten to making anything with it, so I thought this would be a good way to use it. That one is for me, as I am very partial to morning glories & hummingbirds.