Look What I Made!

This weekend was spent at a quilt retreat working on several phd's and stepping out of my comfort zone.  While auditioning the layout of the string blocks several guild members suggested I add a little drama by adding black sashing and cornerstones. I have always avoided sashing with cornerstones so I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone and inserted sashing with cornerstones. I hope to finish the piano key border and have the top quilted within the next few months.

A month for Birthdays and Homecoming!

December 2011 is the month for birthday's and homecoming! This month I will celebrate my 45th birthday, my son, Jacob, will celebrate his 21st birthday and will return home on the 17th after attending a semester at the American University in Washington, DC. I'm excited to hear about his adventures in our nation's capitol and his intership in Congresswoman's Gabrielle Gifford's office.

Pin Cushion Swap

This month I am participating in the guild's Christmas pin cushion swap. Our task is to make a pin cushion  - one we would love to use in  our own sewing room. I spent several days surfing the web and pinterest for ideas and finally decided on two patterns.

One is a dressform and the other is a two-tier cake. I absolutely love both of these pin cushions and do not know which one I will include in the swap. I found tutorials for both of the pin cushions at www.thediydish.com.

Recycled Vase Project

Here is another recycled craft project. Vases are a very cheap and cardboard is very assessible. I want to try this project very soon.

http://www.craftstylish.com/item/44743/how-to-turn-recycling-into-a-beautiful-vase

Recycled Newspaper Basket

I came across this link for making a recycled basket from newspapers. Now, I just need to find the time to begin the project.

http://www.craftstylish.com/item/47658/the-times-they-are-a-changing-how-to-make-a-basket-from-a-newspaper

I found an interesting website with crafting with recycled items and much more.

http://www.chicaandjo.com/

My son's first car.

It is not possible that my son should be driving.

Whirly Gig Quilt for Baby Boy

I made this quilt for Emerson, a co-worker's new grandson.

Flying Geese Quilt

My latest quilt was made for the daughter of a co-worker who is expecting her first child. I made this flying geese quilt using the one seam pattern. A video explaining the block can be found here: http://quiltingonabudget.blogspot.com/2009/01/one-seam-flying-geese-blocks.html

Omelet in a Freezer Bag

I love cooking and really enjoy learning new technique. I learned how to cook an omelet in a zip lock freezer bag several years ago while attending outdoor leader training in boy scouts.

Yesterday I was in the mood for an egg sandwich and did not want to dirty any dishes....I remembered the omelete idea and here is the beginning and end result of my sandwich.

Recipe:

1 freezer zip loc bag

1 egg (or more if hungry)

other desired ingredients - cheese, milk, cheese, bacon, sausage, etc.

Place all ingredients into freezer zip loc bag and mix well. Remove all air from bag and place in boiling water. Let cook - usually at least 7-10 minutes for one egg and additional time for more than one egg.

To serve: open bag and cut down each side and lay bag open and fold egg over once and place either on a slice or bread or on plate. Enjoy.



As you can see this egg sandwich was very easy and no mess.

The Alliance for American Quilts Announces: Crazy for Quilts Contest

While surfing the net, I came across a contest involving crazy quilts sponsored by The Alliance for American Quilts.

Crazy for Quilts: a contest for quilters of all ages that honors the spirit of the crazy quilt. Entry Deadline: June 1, 2009

The contest rules can be found here http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/projects/crazy/documents/CrazyforQuiltsContestRules.pdf

and the entry form here http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/projects/crazy/documents/CrazyforQuiltsContestRules.pdf

Raw Edge Baby Quilt

I just finished a raw edge quilt for a co-worker. The sex of the baby is a secret, so I decided to go green. The quilt is made from squares sewn on top one another creating a raw edge. The largest square is 9 inches, the next square is 6 inches and the smallest square is 3 inches. I simply sewed the 3 inch square on top of the 6 inch square and then sewed the combined 3 and 6 inch square on the 9 inch square. I decided to add decorative ric-rac to the majority of the blocks and added some zig zag stiching.

The project can easily be a weekend project, but due to illness I completed the quilt in approx. two weeks. I am very pleased with the project.

Eagle Scout

My son, Jacob, is officially an Eagle Scout. He received his Eagle packet today. His (our) scouting career spans over eleven years. He began in 1997 as a Tiger Cub with Cub Scout Pack 13 in Sherman, Texas. Throughout his cub scouting career he earned all required rank badges and holds the Arrow of Light badge. The Arrow of Light badge is the only cub scout badge that a Boy Scout can wear on the official Boy Scout uniform.

Jacob and I crossed over into Boy Scouts in 2001 and joined Troop 44 in Van Alstyne, Texas. Troop 44 has the proud designation as the third oldest troop in Texas and the fifth oldest troop in the United States. Troop 44 was chartered in 1913 and scouting in the United States began in 1910. Jacob wrapped up his career as a Boy Scout in November and is now classified as a junior leader for the troop.

I am very proud of my son and wish him all the best.

Post It Covers

I always thought post its were pretty boring sitting on my desk. The link below provides a tutorial on how to make covers for post its. I hope to make a few of these soon.

http://www.chicaandjo.com/2008/07/24/create-fun-covers-for-boring-post-it-notes/

Semi-Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

I love the Food Network show Semi Homemade by Sandra Lee. So, in her honor, Sunday morning I made some very delicious semi-homemade cinnamon rolls using the new Pillsbury Creations. It was so simple and most important - no stress and no mess.

Here's the recipe.

1 roll of Pillsbury Creations

Butter or margaine - your choice

cinnamon & sugar - to suit your family's taste

Unroll the Pillsbury Creations (lightly flour your surface), spread evenly with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and roll up and slice evenly - I was able to cut 8 fairly large slices

Place in greased baking dish and cook in 350 oven for 20 minutes or until brown. I usually check the rolls after 10-12 minutes. Once the rolls are done, drizzle with a mixture of water and powdered sugar or you can get really fancy and make a cream cheese icing.

Table Runner

This was my first attempt at making a table runner. It was a fun pattern and very easy to assemble. The binding could have been better. This pattern could be adapted for any season. I chose wine colors and placed a wine motif pattern on the back.

Irish Chain Quilt (Baby Quilt)

This was my first attempt at sewing the Irish Chain Block. It will be a quilt for my newest nephew. I saw the ufo/spaceman fabric and just loved it and knew it would work with the Irish Chain quilt I pieced with a space themed fabric. Hopefully I will have it done before next Christmas. The space alien reminds me of the alien on the Simpsons.

I hope to add an applique to the large white blocks. If I piece together another Irish Chain, I will not make the blocks so large. I believe the blocks are 12".

My Sewing Friend....Coco

Coco is a 6 month old female who adopted me about 2 months ago! She resembles a male cat I once had named Moukey.

Eagle Scout

My son, Jacob, passed his Boy Scout Eagle board in mid November 2008.

He spent almost 100 man hours designing, planning and rebuilding a bridge at a local park. The bridge crosses a creek which divides a city park and a baseball field. The bridge was washed out from a flooding in June, 2007. I am very proud of his hard work and accomplishment.

Christmas Day

I had my family over for Christmas Lunch. I prepared the Best Ever Lasagna and Yeast Rolls from http://thepioneerwoman.com/. The meal was a success and I will make the yeast rolls again... they were yummy.

I met my newest nephew, Matthew who is four months old and a cutie pie. (My family members are private people, so I probably will not have an opportunity to post any of their photos.)

I am new at posting to a blog, so I am not certain on what to write - of if anyone will be interested in what I have to say. So, I will give this a try for a little while and we'll see what happens.