Friday, March 30, 2018

Play date with Penelope ... !

I sure have been focused as of late. As a result, Penelope and I have enjoyed lots of bonding time.

Today I booked a play date with Penelope to get this last quilt machine quilted. Put on some music and started groovin' stitching!


Given that there is a lot of negative space on the quilt, I chose the panto Nouveau Scallop by Hermoine Agee.


This is definitely NOT an easy/mindless panto to stitch out. I do like how it turned out on the quilt.

I brought the quilt top up to the stage of having the binding machine stitched and then called it a night!


Now I'm ready to put on a documentary and get that binding hand stitched!

Thank you for stopping by my little corner in cyberspace!  Catch you all later! Cheers!

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

I'm on a roll ...!

On the last post, I made a mistake on the project I choose. I did not pick a project from 2007 but more from 2009. I will blog about the 2007 project on another post.

The pattern is from the 1998 Quilt Sampler magazine and is called Wish Upon a Star by A Stitch in Time, WI quilt shop. I actually started this quilt top in February 2009. As you saw from the prior post, all that was pieced were the blocks.

So, I got busy and started piecing the top!


Given that this is my quilt, I decided that I was going to do it differently than from what the original pattern instruction. Checked my stash and found this amazing 1930's reproduction fabric that would work perfectly with the quilt top.


For those of you that are curious as to what the original quilt looked like, here is a picture of the picture! lol


So now the quilt is ready for a play date with Penelope!

Catch you all later! Cheers!

Saturday, March 24, 2018

I guess I like the block ....!

I finished hand stitched the binding on the Stardust quilt! Time to pick up a new UFO project!


It seemed like a good idea to peruse the UFO Quilt Projects - up to 2007 list. Thanks to Stashbuster, that's the year I began to keep an inventory of the quilting projects I started.


I decided to tackle project #16 - 1930 Reproduction Quilt (McCall's Pattern - Oct 99) started in 2002. Yea, that's the one. Let's get that baby completed. Open the plastic bin and ....


Gosh, I guess I like that block in reproduction fabrics! lol Luckily, it's a different layout!

What are you working on?

Thanks for stopping by my little corner in cyberspace! Catch you all later! Cheers!

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Penny for your thought ... !

I've been doing a lot of hand work as of late. All of the projects I started this year, and completed I might add, have been hand work.

As a matter of fact, I've completed a new penny rug!


I just love how it turned out. So bright and cheerful! The pattern is called Petals for Penny by Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings. BTW, I have one kit for sale, if anyone is interested, drop me an e-mail.

Would you be surprised if I told you that with all the hand work I have been doing my left forearm and wrist is hurting me? Yeah, I bummin'!

So, I thought I would pick up my sock knitting again. It is a different movement, it should be good!


Nope, it hurts just as much. So, it's time for me to take a break from hand work. Luckily, I am still able to hand stitch a quilt binding without pain.

I guess I will be concentrating on machine piecing quilt tops from my UFO pile, which I have lots, as I allow my left hand to rest.

Thanks for stopping by my little corner in cyberspace! Catch you all later! Cheers!

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

We interrupt the hand stitching binding episode .....

To bring you the latest development on cat privileges ...

Hum .... Stella jumps on my lap right when I was about to turn a binding corner and proceeds to make herself comfortable.


I tried nudging her a bit to see if she would jump off, only to be given the look!


STOP everything and give in to my demands!


After some petting she is nice and snuggled in a quilt!

It always amazes me how a cat can fit on/in such a confined space! Between the queen size quilt and the cat, there wasn't much room available on my lap. Yet, she managed to not only get herself comfortable but bring my stitching rhythm to a grinding halt and get me to scratch her favourite spots!

I wish I had that much power. Not sure how it would look if I jumped on a person's lap and demanded attention! ROFLOL

Phew ... She's had enough and jumped off .... back to your regular schedule hand stitching program...

I'm on a roll ... !

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day! I "should" have gone for that power walk last night but ... I was focused!

Besides, with all the dancing jammin' I did, I'm sure I can call it exercising! lol

After I finished machine quilting the top, I felt compelled to get the quilt ready for its last step ... sew the binding on so that it would be ready for me to hand stitch today.


Now I'm all set to watch a documentary while I hand stitched the binding.

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your day! Cheers!

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Spring is here .... I think!

Today is an absolutely gorgeous day! Sunny and in the 30F (-1C) and NO wind! It's been such a windy winter that I sort of neglected my power walking routine! No fun exercising on a windy day ... trust me!

Today was actually warm enough, if you were dressed appropriately, to sit out in the sun and take in some vitamin D ... and a bit of positive energy.


After a boost of sun rays, I felt energized and booked a date with Penelope (my APQS Millennium longarm)!

Revved her up, put on some jammin' music and grooved to the rhythm of the Bubble pantograph!


What are you up to today?

Thanks for stopping by my little corner in cyberspace. Catch you all later!

Monday, March 19, 2018

And the winner is ... !

I don't know about where you life, but here in the way Northeast NY I can see Canada from my house, it has been bone chilly! We went from spring is just around the corner weather to ... Brrrr! What a shock it was! Mother nature is such a tease! Anyway, I've been concentrating more on keeping warm than anything else!

Yesterday, Sunday, I decided that I needed to fully complete a quilt top that has been hanging off my design wall for the past couple of weeks. I had been working on it a bit at a time and brought it to ... pieced center.


The pattern is called Stardust by Sandy Klop of American Jane Patterns. I used a layer cake from her fabric line Bread 'n Butter.

The goal was ... completely finish the quilt top by putting on the last three borders. Voila!


Today, my plan is to piece the backing and schedule a date with Penelope (my longarm) so I can bring this UFO to a done deal!

As for the winner, congratulations goes to Swooze of Swooze's Quilts and Tall Tales. Kindly send me an e-mail with you snail mail address and I'll get the kit out to you.

Thank you everyone for participating in my 11 years of blogging celebrations.

Catch you all later! Cheers!

Monday, March 12, 2018

Rewarding myself ... !

A girl can only work so long on quilting UFOs without going through some form of withdrawal! Seriously, I've been so good at completing projects, even those I started in 2018. To reward myself, I went shopping on the Primitive Gatherings website.

If you love wool, Primitive Gatherings website is a dangerous place to browse. I fell in love with quite a few wool kits but had to limit myself. I decided on a table topper from Lisa Bongean's latest book Christmas Gatherings.


There are lots of lovely projects in that book. Although I do have a small wool stash, I don't have a lot of interesting backgrounds and besides, the kit was perfect!

The kit I chose is for the pattern called Holiday Table Mat


I just love how it turned out! Another wonderful addition to my holiday decor!

If you haven't heard, I am doing a give away in honour of eleven (11) years of blogging. You can check out the post here. You have until March 13 to put your name in for the draw.

Catch you all later! Cheers!

Monday, March 5, 2018

Blog land and we have a finish ....!

The other day I was going through some old blogging posts, looking at comments and clicking on the individual's profile, wanting to see what they have been up to! Many were individuals I "used to follow," who inspired me to create. I was shocked to see how many had abandoned blogging. That explains why my feed has so little post for me to read!

I like blogging, it's a great way to catch up with friends on a sleepless night, find some inspiration for that new project. 

I'm sure Instagram has something to do with it. It's a lot quicker to take a photo with your smart phone, write a little blurb and post it on a social media site than to write a lengthy post! Oh well, I like blogging!

By the way, Donna at chookyblue reminded me that I have been blogging for over 11 years. We both started around the same time. Wow! Hard to believe that it's been that long already. So, time for a give away! Read on!

On the quilting front, I finished another UFO that was just sitting there, on the back of a chair with other UFOS, patiently waiting ....


This little hand embroidery quilt comes from the back of that chair! lol 


The pattern is called Cold Nose, Warm Heart by Buttermilk Basin, started in 2010. I stitched one of these for a swap I participated back in 2010. I liked it so much that I wanted one for myself. Unlike most of my hand embroidery UFOs whereby the squares are stitched, this one was layered and ready to be machine quilted!

Onward to the give away. Leave me a comment by March 13, 2018 and you will be eligible to win the following kit!


The kit includes all the fabric and wool to make this cute wall hanging.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy quilting! Cheers!

Friday, March 2, 2018

Spent the afternoon in the kitchen ... groovin' and cookin' ... !

It was one of those days where I wanted to make something in the kitchen. Soup would be good given that it is snowing this afternoon.

I decided to cook up a recipe I have been meaning to try from the Kripula center called Harvest Stew.

After my morning ritual at our local coffee shop, I went grocery shopping for ingredients.

Came home, put on some music ... Mellow Maurice play list in honor of my late Uncle Maurice ... and began prepping.

Gosh it smells soooo good!


OMG, what a delicious soup! I actually had to open a bottle of wine, pour myself a glad and take sips in order to get that wonderful taste out of my mouth. Otherwise, I would have eaten the whole pot!!!! ROFLOL

See, look how much is gone already!


I am not kidding you, what a great tasting vegetable soup.

Okay, it wasn't all me, I did bring a large canning jar to a friend of mind who is battling influenza. I just had to include it in her care package!

Harvest Stew

2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion – medium diced
1 large carrot – roll cut
2 small parsnips – roll cut
1 potato – medium diced
1 zucchini – medium diced
2 cups butternut squash – large diced
2 cups green cabbage – large diced
4 cups vegetable stock
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons fresh Rosemary
2 teaspoons fresh Thyme
2 tablespoons dry white wine (Optional)

Roux – added at the end

2 tablespoons butter (use less butter if desired)
1/4-cup flour

In a large Dutch oven, heat the butter and begin sautéing the onions. When the onions start to sweat, add a pinch of sea salt and add the carrots.
Add each additional vegetable one by one in the order they appear in the recipe, and a pinch of salt, allowing the ones before it to heat and sweat.
After all the vegetables have been added, continue to sauté until until done.
Add the fresh herbs, stir, and deglaze with the wine (optional) or use stock or water.
Add the remaining sea salt and the stock.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer (low heat) for a half hour (30 minutes).
Once cooked, add the roux

Serves 6 – 8 - Hum ... more like two unless you open a bottle of wine! lol

If you're interested you can find the recipe online here.

Enjoy! Oh, don't forget to pour yourself a glass of wine so you don't eat the whole pot! ... giggling ...

Bon appetit!

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