Apronista :D

Suzy Homemaker - aka apronista moi - decided to make an apron, and this is the result :D It's reversible - brown crackle print on one side, pink coffee print on t'other (and I don't even drink coffee!) :) It's being modelled by my almost 18 year old, only because I promised not to get his face in the picture - it was quite apparent as I was snapping photos, that his poses manned up quite a bit when the brown side of the apron was front and centre, LOLOL. He was a very good sport about helping me out - thanks kiddo!!

Pattern is Simplicity 9565, view B - very quick and simple - I decorated it with pink rick rack and brown/black trim (which aren't all that visible in the picture) :)

The rest of the butterfly goodies :)

I am *so* happy with how these items turned out ... I finished up the last pieces today - the tea towels - using a couple of strips left over from the rest of the items. The tea towels are from the $ store and washed up even nicer than a lot of the department store towels I have. I tested them before working on them, in case they shredded or fell apart. They're actually very nice quality tea towels! I've never decorated them before, and I'm so pleased with how they turned out :)

At the $ store I also bought a ball of fun yarn and a fleece blanket in the right colors, to use for wrapping. I'm trying to get the parcel sent out with as little as possible that will need to go in the trash. The yarn can be reused to tie plants (or saved for Aunt Sandra to craft with, hehe), and the fleece blanket (which is only 30" X 40") can be used for the recipients kitties (or saved for Aunt Sandra to craft with) ;). I'll have to use brown paper to wrap the package for mailing - thats unavoidable. But it's recycleable :)

The entire set consists of 4 coasters, 2 hot pads, 4 placemats, 2 tea towels and a table topper. I hope the recipient likes them and can use them in her new house :)

Orchids and Butterflies :)

Butterfly coasters by moi, orchid picture taken by my sister, Sherry *waves at Sherry and tells her to take the damn fairy costume off of the poor dog!* :)

Butterflies Hexagon - completed :)

It's 17" X 19", it's done, and it's SWEET!! I'm definitely loving this pattern, and have been thinking up some modifications to try ... perhaps think rick rack! ;)

Kitty picture = EYE CANDY!!! That's my Quilt Inspector - Zoomer - helping me pick a pattern :)

Hexagon Star Tablerunner :)

Here's what I worked on today - a hexagonal tabletopper to go with the placemats/hotpads/coasters I made a few days ago. It measures about 17" X 19" - I'll sandwich/bind it tomorrow :) This pattern is from the Jan./Feb. 2006 issue of Fons & Porter's "Love of Quilting" - see here or here (no affiliation, of course).

Internet is back -- at least temporarily ... YAY!

I have some pictures to post but I have to get organized - we were without proper internet coverage for so long that everything is somewhat turned upside down right now, lol. I still can't believe I can now get online without having to go through molasses or hell first!! Everything is being changed over to Sympatico's wireless service on Tuesday so I hope that goes smoothly, but at least I can play computer in the interim!

Until I get myself straightened out, enjoy this picture of bread. Yes, bread. I baked it today. Is YUMMY - see more pics here :)

Tote THIS!

Working on some stash busting totes, I made the little (top) one (13 X 7, + box bottom) to trial run the pattern and check the finished size - I was looking for a tote that's the right size to tote a lunch to work. It's perfect! It worked out so well, that I then made the larger size (18 x 13, + box bottom) - perfect for shop hopping and visiting quilty friends with quilty goodies packed away in the bag! I'm very pleased with how these totes turned out!

P.S. I should have posted where the pattern came from - it's called Charm Party, and is from the August 2007 issue of McCalls Quilting - back issues available here ... more info here :)

Potholders and placemats and coasters, oh MY!

It seems that I've been getting a lot of sewing done (on the Kenmore, not on the poopy Babylock!) since our router died - 2 baby quilts, 15 bibs, 2 bath mats, 4 placemats, 8 coasters, 2 pot holders --- gee, could there possibly be a connection between computer problems and getting lots of sewing done? Ya think??!! ROTFL!!

Yes, it appears that my productivity in the last couple of weeks, may be directly related to the computer problems we're experiencing here due to a dead router. I'm surely spending a lot of time in the studio in the basement, but thats a good thing ;) I finished these kitchen goodies today, but still want to make a few more pieces to go with them. I'm on the lookout for a pretty/cute/artsy fartsy way to gift wrap these items --- I'll have to peek on flickr and etsy, to see if anything catches my eye.

In the interim, Happy Mothers Day tomorrow to all moms and moms-to-be --- I hope your people spoil you and treat you like a queen, even if it's just for one day. My husband usually tries to pull the "I treat you well all year round, so why do I have to go out of my way on one day?" shit, but I think I've almost got him trained OUT of that - it only took 22+ years for it to sink in!! The Kitchenaid mixer is from him, and tonight he offered to take me anywhere I want to go tomorrow - I'm leaning towards the flea market, and then a trip to the book store, and there are a couple of thrift stores near the book store, and maybe the drug store for some nice bubble bath --- what a nice day it will be!

A special Happy Mothers Day to Cassendra, our nephew David's wife, on her first mothers day as a momma ... awwwwwwwwwwwwww!!! David you better have something special planned for her, from you and from Matteo!!

Wipe your feet on the mat - were you born in a barn?

I finished up these two bath mats for my kids' bathroom. I would have taken their picture in their new home but it's dark, and frankly, you're better off not seeing the bathroom that two teenage boys use and "clean". Trust me, you REALLY don't want to see it. I don't wanna see it either, but sometimes I have to! Anyways - the mats turned out fabulously, and I can't wait to make more.

Yay for new mats, and yay for stash busting!

Making Ends Meet ...

in more ways than one!! I saw this post a few weeks ago ... New Bath Mat ... it inspired me to make some bath mats for my kids' bathroom :)

This first try came out more matchy poo than I like - I should have used an odd number of fabrics to get them out of perfect alignment, lol. I've already got the blocks cut out for a second mat, and it'll be less synchronized ;) These will be backed with a chenille bedspread I bought on ebay several years ago to use for crafting, and then they'll go into the kids' blue/white bathroom. The blocks are 6" finished, so the mats will be 24 X 36 - a nice size for teenage manfeet (don't tell them I said that, LOL).

Thank you to April from Making Ends Meet - for the inspiration, and thanks Louise (in Markham, Ontario!) for the denim scraps/fabrics!

Dead router = getting some sewing done ...

For a couple of weeks now we've had intermittent internet service because the wireless router died. Linksys says they're replacing it as it's under warranty, but it's sure taking a long time. 2 weeks later we're still waiting, and in the interim, it's been awful.

I've managed to get some sewing done, but even THAT had it's problems, as my Babylock went into overdrive again and killed the cat quilt I was working on. The thread nests, the bad stitches, the broken needles (5 in one day was the record), the chewed up seams, the seams that had to be ripped - I put it quilt aside - I can't even bear to look at it right now - it's awful. I pulled out the borrowed Kenmore and did some utility projects to keep myself occupied, and to bust some stash. Fortunately I had some success in that department! Lots of bibs and a blue boy quilt for C4C (donation group), and a Sponge Bob quilt for our crossing guard, who has been granted custody of her 2 1/2 year old grandson. There are 4 more bibs somewhere, but I can't find the picture :D

I'm not sure this post will even upload - the connection seems to fade in and out, lol. I can't wait for this problem to get fixed!

Cat Quilt Layout :)

Well, here are all the blocks, although some of them are somewhat hidden in the corners - it was hard to get a picture of the whole layout, even tho I was standing on top of a bench, lol. Looks pretty good, I think!! These blocks are trimmed to 13" X 10", so the top lays out to 65" X 70" - I allowed for 1/2" seam allowances. I hope to get the top mostly assembled today - or at least, half of it! I still haven't picked backing fabric, and I'm not sure if I like the border fabric I chose - I'll have to do a layout later on and see how it looks. For now, I'll just worry about getting the blocks assembled. If I run out of time, I might drop from two borders to one - there's definitely a time crunch issue at work here ;)

Shopping in New York :)

I admit it - it THRILLS me to go to New York for the weekend ... to stay in a crappy cheap hotel, to shop in 3 or 4 Joanns stores and a couple of Walmarts ... what can I say - I'm a CHEAP DATE!! We went to the Buffalo area this weekend - left the kids home alone (gotta love having teenagers that can takes care of themselves and that don't get into too much trouble!) (although they sure made a mess in my kitchen while we were gone - there wasn't a clean plate or piece of clean silverware around when we got home, LOL) - I picked up some goodies in my favorite stores, had a nice dinner out (steak, yay), hit NO traffic at the border in either direction, and were lucky enough to get waved through customs without having to pay anything! I should buy a lottery ticket!

The batiks I bought ... a 2 1/2 yard piece, then several 1/2 yard pieces, then 5 FQ's I found on clearance of a tone on tone creamy batik - really pretty! In front - the kitty cat button I got at the quilt show at the Amherst Museum, and the set of fabric that my husband won as a doorprize at the quilt show, LOL!! He very generously donated them to his loving wife, for a price *wink* *wink* ;)

Loralie Harris "Sew Girls" panel (from the quilt show), 2 X 1/2 yard and 1 X 1 yard background fabrics in creams/light colors, a 14" X 60" remnant of doggy fleece (for donation bibs, I think - $1.80), a couple of pieces of warm and natural (freebies from the quilt show), and a little floral remnant I found at Walmart for 46 cents :D

Fun goodies! Knifty Knitter set, with an extra "hook" and pattern book, some yarn to try the above-noted knifty knitter ;), 2 sewing patterns, a red/white kitchen tea towel (50 cents @ Goodwill - I *told* you I was a cheap date!), transfer pencil for making foundation pieced blocks, white thread, a wing needle, some beads for some future craft projects, a beautiful Aunt Martha transfer set (for a gift), and a "hump jumper" - aka a Jean-a-ma-jig, for sewing over lumpy parts of projects ;)

20/35 blocks now done :)

I just came upstairs for a break - have been in the dungeon/studio most of the morning, and it's dark and dreary down there!! Also, the cat is up here and ... HOLY CRAP I SEE A HUGE SPIDERWEB 2' away from me --- how the ... what the ... ???!! It goes from the edge of the stereo speaker to the cushion of the couch ... how on earth could THAT happen???! Well, I was going to vaccuum today anyways, so I'll make sure I take care of that freakish thing!

Anyways - I got 5 more blocks done today, and I must say - looking at them all up on the design wall is a quite a pleasure!! The individual colors, to look at each block - are nothing special, but when you look at the whole project with all the colors together, it's really striking! That's GOOD! LOL!!! The blocks are trimmed to 13" X 10" so my 20.5" ruler is coming in QUITE handy - I'm glad I bought it! Even tho it's a bit awkward to use, it's definitely a useful beast :)

I changed the quilt plans a bit ...

Fooled around with EQ to change the donation quilt a little bit --- I want to have cornerstone blocks (which I've never done before), so I'm going to try to do a double border - an inner border of a plainish batik, with another border of pieced batik scraps. I even figured out how to manipulate my project in EQ to reflect these changes! *struts* :)

I got 5 more blocks done yesterday, and then I started on the pieced border. I may be able to get all the blocks done by Friday, which would be really good, as hubby and I are leaving for New York on Saturday morning. I'd like to work on finishing the quilt when we get back on Sunday! (Joanns here I come!!)

5 more blocks done for today, so 15/35 are completed - I'm seeing progress!

OT: Google Earth - MY HOUSE!!

Our house!!! Even our car and van!!! This is a photo from Google Earth - is free download, is VERY fun!!

I got the idea to post this picture from Elaine Adair's blog - those irrigation pivots she posted about, are tres interesting, and now I'm looking them up to learn more, lol. Here's an image I found, so now I know more about what they look like :)

Thanks for the great idea, Elaine!!

New Project?

I drafted this up in EQ tonight to possibly use for a project I want to complete. This is just an idea and I'm not even sure if it will fly, but it sure does look pretty! The pattern was a freebie at Golden Quilts - I've had it saved for a long time as I've wanted to make it for a long time! And of course - who doesn't like delicious delectable aloof kitty cats?? ;) I got the first 5 (of 35) blocks made yesterday - they're paper pieced - I'm quite liking them, so I hope the project goes smoothly!

Rich and decadent fabric :)

This involves sewing, but not by me - by my SIL Heather!! She's doing some work in their bedroom, and sent me a picture tonight of the fabric she bought at Fabricland to recover a chair (a curb find, no less!). I think the recovered chair and the throw pillows will be GORGEOUS when they're done!!

Lucky me!

For Mothers Day, I'm getting a RED (!!!) Kitchenaid mixer, wooooooooohoooooooooo!!! I'm so excited - I can't wait!! It's been ordered from hbc.com and will be delivered to my closest Zellers store, where I'll pick it up. I have no idea of when it will arrive at Zellers, but it was shipped there this morning, according to the order status! I'm pretty sure my husband doesn't realize that you can buy ACCESSSORIES for the mixer too - I'm already scouting them out on ebay, haha!! Don't tell him! ;)

Yesterday I baked a Ginger Pear cake for supper, and then last night I baked an Orange Kiss Me Cake because I felt like baking. The longer I'm on this diet, the more I bake - it's very weird! I don't eat the goodies I bake (except when I make biscuits or scones - I can't resist those), but I have this ungodly urge to bake goodies! I give them to hubby and the kids and the neighbours and the guys my son works with, LOL. I imagine that once I get the mixer, I'll be baking even MORE ;)

Apologies to Kitchenaid for stealing their photograph - I promise to replace it with my own photo when I get my mixer, so please don't sue me! :)

Linkies:
Ginger Pear Cake
Orange Kiss Me Cake
Kitchenaid Mixer from HBC

My scones don't sparkle :p

Because I didn't add sparkle to the recipe :D

Sparkle Scones Recipe

HOW COOL - I just figured out how to change my clickable link to show a name instead of a url, hehe. It only took me 2 months to get it :p

Pincushion Threadcatcher - Finished :)

I started and finished this little guy today - he turned out cute! I changed the original instructions a little bit to hang the threadcatcher from a button instead of velcro, but the rest of it is as per instructions ;) Thank you to Karen for the freebie pattern, available at http://www.kquilts-studio.com/pincushionthread_catcher_tutori.htm :)

Utterly devoid of flaws

Tonight's menu comes completely from the Baking Beauties blog @ http://thebakingbeauties.blogspot.com/

"Utterly devoid of flaws" is how my 19 year old described this cake, LOL. Obviously he has my sense of humor ;)





Here's the chocaroon cake - I dusted the bundt pan with cocoa before pouring in the batter - thats why it has that cocoa-y look ;)
http://tinyurl.com/6yovv3


Taco soup - got 2 thumbs up from my 19 year old :) It smells as good as it looks! Available from http://tinyurl.com/6423f2




Then we have the Rice Pilaf - I forgot to toast the almonds, but it still tastes pretty good! Available at http://tinyurl.com/4ugcjf

Thanks Baking Beauties, for the great recipes!!

How's your spelling?

Your Spelling is Perfect

You got 10/10 correct. Your spelling is excellent. You also have a great memory and eye for detail.

How's Your Spelling?

Ginger Peach Cake :)

Hmmmm it sure looked good coming out of the oven!






OOPS, a bit messy to get onto the plate - brown sugar juice everywhere! ;)





Does this look delicious or WHAT!!! It smells great too - I can smell the ginger and the peaches, mmmmmmmmmm.




Chris gave this a 9/10 - it didn't get a 10/10 because I served it hot right out of the oven, so it was pretty hot, lol. Nick pronounced it scrum-diddly-icious - consider the comments as high praise from teenagers :)

The recipe came from the Mama's Fixins blog @ http://tinyurl.com/5fppqw - I made a few changes so I could make it with what I had on hand. I used a 28 oz. (796 ml.) can of sliced peaches, drained, instead of the pear. I creamed the butter, sugar, lemon extract and eggs together, but then I just dumped in the rest of the ingredients and beat it with the beater until it was well mixed ;) I didn't have a 10" round pan, so I used a 10" spring form pan - that worked very well! My version was a bit juicer than hers to unmold (because of the juice on the pears, I'm sure), but I'll do it exactly the same way next time as well :)

THANK YOU Tracy @ Mama's Fixins, for this wonderful recipe!! Simple enough to make for an after school snack, but also nice enough to serve to company - I'll try a pear version as well, but the peaches sure did work well!

A few finishes ...

These are the items I've made so far this year for C4C (a Canadian donation group) - 40 bibs altogether between Feb. and March, two burp cloths and the strip baby quilt. Currently I'm working on several simple 16 patch flannel quilts - I have 10 of the 16 fabrics bought, and try to pick up one or two new flannels each time I go to Fabricland :)