Projects for 2010......

My friend, Doris, is working on a redwork embroidered quilt for next year. She shared what she has completed so far with us yesterday. Looking forward to seeing it in the New Year! We also played with my Flip video camera and as soon as I can figure out how to download to my blog I will share some videos.

These are a few of my favorite things.....

Rhonda ,bee member, brought some of her favorite small quilts to share with us yesterday. Enjoy!

Vintage Christmas.....

Janice, one of our bee members, shared some vintage Christmas items with us at our gathering yesterday. We brought our 'favorite thing' that we have ever made to share with everyone. Janice brought some felt ornaments, circa '80s, to share and also a photo that she found in an antique store, entitled 'Lyle Lovett Christmas'. Hint: notice Dad in the background ! I was also given a vintage apron as a hostess gift !

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas......at my house!

Yesterday our sewing bee met at my house for our Christmas celebration and it was fabulous! The food was great and the presents from everyone were outstanding. We made one exchange item and of course there were some that didn't follow the rules, so they made something for all of us! That was a big 'Win' for me ! My gift was the snowman in the mitten,made by my friend Doris. She also made the embroidered bee cushion that is hanging on my hutch. She embroidered a different piece for each one of us. Thanks Doris!

Snow.....in ATX.....Yes!

We are expecting snow in the morning and this is a big event in our part of the world. I have a backlog of photos to post so I am going to start with my Christmas quilts for 2009. I finished three and only because my local quilt shop rents their longarm by the hour and I have been practicing on it for the past month. It certainly cuts down on the completion time and that's a good thing........One of the quilts has been pieced since 2005, another is Basic Grey 'Figgy Pudding', and the third one is Crabapple Hill's 'Over the River and Through the Woods'.

Thanksgiving '09, Round 1

That's right! Yesterday we had our first Thanksgiving lunch and it was so yummy! Just a few photos to whet your appetites. This was the first year in a very long time that I cooked a whole turkey and used the brining process. It was the best turkey I have every cooked, sorry no photo, and I will definitely do this again when I cook a whole turkey. I think you can use brining for other meats as well. I used the mix from Williams-Sonoma. I also tried a pumpkin pie recipe that used sweetened condensed milk instead of the regular evaporated milk plus sugar. The pie turned out great!

Hope your week is a good one.........

Something else pumpkin.......

Besides finishing the pincushion, I baked pumpkin bread with cranberries and walnuts today........I'm off to watch Mad Men......if you don't have time to read, check out this site www.cartenoire.co.uk/persuasion , and sit back and enjoy!

Biscornu Pincushion

Derived from French adjective meaning skewed, quirky or irregular, a bisconornu is an eight sided pincushion. I have admired these on some of the blogs that I follow and decided to make one when I found this pattern from http://www.sweethearttree.com/ . I love pincushions, so this just adds to my collection. Another post .........another day.

Off the needles......

That's right. I completed my first pair of socks last night! I followed two different sets of instructions, so they are slightly different. Both are a simple sock pattern. When I finished the first one, it was too long in the foot and leg, so I changed the sizing on the second one. They are both slightly slouchy, so you really can't tell the difference. I'm off to get started on another pair with the intention of finishing them before the end of the year........

Coming along nicely.........

I'm having so much fun making these 'mini' stockings ! Will do a few more.....then on to something else, like finishing the socks I started last year......

Rhonda, textile artist and runner.......

I met Rhonda the same way I met Janice and Doris. We have taken classes together at the local quilt shop and also attended workshops with Gwen Marston through the Austin Quilt Guild. Today she shared with us a hexagon quilt that she is working on using an assortment of beautiful and colorful fabrics using the English paper piecing method. I think she plans to make it on the design of a 'Grandmother's Garden' quilt. It is going to be beautiful. We are also following her progress on her 'Wave' crochet blanket in some fabulous colors. She brought along some sweet pin keeps and a cross-stitch piece that she will be making into a needle book as well. Oh.....and did I mention she is training for her first marathon in the new year! She is running approximately 12 miles every other day and if you follow the weather in Austin, we have had record heat all summer! We are all amazed at what she accomplishes .

I am very blessed to know Rhonda and Janice and Doris. I hope you have enjoyed our 'show and tell'. Until next month.......

My friend Janice.....

I previously mentioned where I met Janice but I didn't mention that she taught me everything I know about hand applique. I took a Baltimore quilt class from her and then a Dear Jane class. I finished the Baltimore quilt, but Dear Jane is still waiting.....Janice's hand applique is beautiful and she also favors hand quilting. She has inspired me to improve my hand sewing skills and introduced me to the world of reproduction fabrics. Today, for show and tell, Janice brought a pumpkin table runner and a pumpkin quilt that we had seen at the Austin Quilt show last year. She has also been working on a punchneedle pumpkin piece that she shared with us and a new 'Wave Pattern' crochet blanket that she recently started.

Here's Doris.....

I met Doris through a local quilt shop in Northwest Austin and she and Janice, you'll meet her later, are childhood friends. They grew up in Austin and have been a great source of knowledge and inspiration over the past few years. Doris shared a pumpkin quilt with us today. It is a Thimbleberries pattern and it was delightful! She is also a very talented 'paper crafter' and she brought along another quilt that she is hand quilting to work on today. Thanks for sharing it with us Doris! P.S. She says Hallmark has those black 'feather like' trees that I use to hang my Halloween stockings on in a previous post.

Sewing Bee.......

I have a wonderful group of friends that I have made since moving to Austin over 4 years ago. It seems like we have been friends much longer. We meet once a month at my house for our sewing bee and it is truly my favorite day of every month. Our challenge for today was pumpkins. Rhonda brought me the beautiful pumpkins to decorate my table and Janice brought pumpkin bread, sliced with cream cheese filling, to share during lunch. The next posts will be individual posts to introduce you to my friends, alphabetically, and I'm sure you will agree, they are very talented and I'm very lucky to know them.

Stocking No. 2......

Yep! I'm almost finished with my second Halloween stocking.... It's really cute! I'm sure they will be multiplying........

Oh yeah, almost forgot, in a previous post with my first stocking, it is hanging on a black 'feather' tree. Someone asked where I got the tree and I have had it for a few years and can't remember where I got it. It is actually 'feather-like' .

Hallowe'en -1904......finished!

Just finished this quilt last night. New quilt pattern, Hallowe'en 1904 from Blackbird Designs and I used fabric from a kit I purchased from Common Threads, www.commonthreadsquilting.com, in Waxahachie,Texas Machine pieced, machine appliqued and machine quilted. I love it! I hope you enjoy it as well. I have been working on several other projects over the past couple of weeks and they are almost finished. Just had to get this one done and on my guest bed.

Almost feels like Fall around here, as we have had rain for the past five days and cooler weather. We were one day shy of breaking the record for most days over 100 degrees! Yikes! I'm glad we didn't break that one. We have also been a a drought for the past two years, so our lawns are almost gone.....maybe it's time to add more landscaping and reduce the area of grass.

Enjoy the day.....

Halloween stocking.......

I love these little stockings from Blackbird Designs and I just happened to have a small black feather tree to display them on. I just need to finish a few more......

In my sewing room.....

I've been in my sewing room for the past couple of weeks beginning and finishing some Halloween projects. Here's a look at what I've been working on......

Where has the time gone.....

Today is my daughter's 25th birthday. Happy Birthday Katherine! You are a blessing and joy to me and your Dad.

Hallowe'en 2009......

Well, half of the wait is over. I got the pattern yesterday for the new Blackbird quilt pattern, Hallowe'en-1904, and it is fantastic! Thanks to my friend Janice. The second half is the fabric......and I just ordered the fabric kit, made up by Common Threads Quilt Store in Waxahachie, Texas (just happens to be my fave quilt shop) !!! So, I won't have to wait much longer to get started on this quilt....is it possible that I will have it finished before Hallowe'en 2009? Never mind the fact that I bought the Midnight Silhouette kit about a month ago from Common Threads when I was in Waxa for a bridal luncheon. Stay tuned, there is more to follow.......

My favorite fabric.....

I purchased the fabric for the quilt 'Anna's Starry Night' about 5-6 years ago. Can't remember the exact time frame as I had just started quilting and found the pattern and I loved the fabric. Don't remember where I first saw it, but I knew I had to have it. I think the fabric is Blackbird Designs, 'Anna's Starry Night' and I don't know where I got the pattern. Possibly from the Moda website under their 'free patterns' section. This was before I realized fabric had several designs within a group. I just thought this fabric was 'randomly' chosen and put together to make the quilt. I have learned a lot since then. It was one of the first quilts I made and it is still one of my favorites. So, when I finished the quilt, I had some scraps of fabric and didn't want to wastethem, so I started hand piecing a hexagon quilt, using plastic templates called 'Quilt Patis' from Picking Up the Pieces. Once again, I bought these several years ago on the internet, so I don't know if they are even available now. From time to time, when I am between knitting or embroidery projects, I get my basket of hexagons out and sew a few together. One day I will have a throw size quilt that just for ME!

This makes me smile......

I don't know where to start with this post as I have so much to say. First of all, if you haven't seen the movie 'Julie and Julia', I highly recommend it. It is such a romantic, funny, feel-good movie. I can't wait to see it again!

Last weekend, I had friends staying with me, so I am catching up with the last couple of weeks. I finished a couple of quilt tops, as shown above. The red and brown quilt is....you guessed it.....a Blackbird Design, from the book 'Birds of a Feather'. It is hand appliqued and will probably be finished on my sewing machine. Haven't decided yet. I made it smaller from the original design by leaving out some of the blocks. Birds, flowers and vines...what could be better? The other quilt top is a Crabapple Hill pattern, 'Over the river and through the woods...' and it is a combination of embroidery and quilting. I can't wait to get it finished and hung on my wall.

I will see my quilting friends this week as we meet once a month at my house. It is always so much fun to see what they bring to 'show and tell'. Maybe they will allow me to share some of it with you on my blog.

There's more, but that's for another post......happy quilting!

Afternoon Tea.....

My daughter and I had afternoon tea today. It was her idea and she brought some lovely small sweets she bought at Walton's, Sandra Bullock's new eatery, here in Austin. She also brought a pasta salad and some cherry tomatoes stuffed with bacon, basil, and cream cheese. I made some finger sandwiches. We drank tea from the Tea Embassy ......Scottish Breakfast blend and Bavarian Chocolate. They were both really good and you can find them online at www.teaembassy.com . This was a really nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon and something that we both really enjoy but don't get to do very often. Later in the afternoon I went to my brother's house and he grilled steaks with twice baked potatoes and salad. Spent time with my two nieces, their husbands and kids. A perfect Sunday!

Socks soar......

That may be an exaggeration, for my first sock anyway. I have been working on these socks for...well.....over a year now.....off and on.....with the help of my friends at Gauge Knit, http://www.gaugeknit.com/ , several books,Youtube and a DVD. You can see that I have started my second sock and I am anticipating that it will go much quicker. I can't remember what yarn I am using. Just remember that I was inspired by Jane Brocket, http://www.yarnstorm.blogs.com/ . There is no design involved, just straight knitting, as the yarn makes the pattern as you knit. Very nice. I will make a minor adjustment to my second sock, but all in all it has been a lot of fun and I have learned a lot about knitting and circular needles. I also have quite a bit of sock yarn in my stash now, so I have to keep going! Happy knitting!

It's raining......

Just a little rain, but we're not complaining. With that out of the way.....I've been working on some hand applique' this past week. The blocks pictured above are from the book "Carrie Hall's Sampler" by Barbara Brackman. I'm doing this quilt through a block of the month from http://www.commonthreadsquilting.com. I love the colors that have been chosen for this quilt and can't wait to finish it even though we are only halfway through. And yes.....that's a Blackbird Designs block in the upper right corner from their book 'Birds of a Feather'. Have been working on this quilt for some time and am trying to finish it as well. These are great to stitch when I'm 'watching' TV at night. Like last night when I watched 'Gone with the Wind'. Forgot how long that movie is.

It's a treat.......

'Trick or Treat' quilt is finished and hanging in my hallway. I used a machine applique technique and started it, I think, in February. It has a total of 158 basket blocks plus the appliqued setting triangles. I made mine smaller than the original pattern in 'When the Cold Wind Blows', by Blackbird Designs, so that it would fit on my wall. It also makes a nice 'topper' for the queen size bed in my guest room. This quilt has moved to the top of my all time favorites! I hope you enjoy it.

Another treat.....Last night I saw Glen Hansard, from the movie 'Once" and Sam Beam, of Iron and Wine, at the Paramount Theater here in Austin. It was a benefit for the Midwives Alliance of North America and it was a great evening of beautiful accoustic music. If you haven't seen the movie, Once, or heard any of the music by Iron and Wine, you should check it out. They are very talented song writers and musicians. It was a wonderful treat!

I bought some great accent pillow covers to put on my sofa yesterday at Pottery Barn, but the inserts have goose down feathers (not so much of a treat) and I'm allergic to them, so I am out and about today searching for 'fake' goose down inserts for my cushions. Hope you have a great day...........

Finishing projects......

While I'm finishing my quilt over the weekend, I thought I would show you a quilt that I finished last year. This was my first hand applique quilt that I worked on for over a year while taking classes from my friend Janice. We worked on our own Baltimore Album quilts and it was a lot of fun to see everyone's finished quilts. Each one was very different color wise and some were more detailed than others, but they were all beautiful. Janice generously shared her knowledge about applique and helped to build our confidence for future projects. Her work is beautiful and precise. She also hand quilts most of her quilts. We all love to see her finished projects.

The blocks in my Baltimore album have some kind of family reference for each of them. The Texas wildflower basket in the center is a symbol of my Texas roots. The other blocks are a reminder of various family members or places I have lived. I hope you enjoy it.

It's been raining.........

The rain has been really nice since we have had very little rain the past couple of years! Worst drought in 25 years. So, we are very excited to see the rain.

I finished piecing the 'Trick or Treat' quilt this morning and will prepare it for quilting over the next few days. Will post the finished quilt soon. The watermelon quilt, pictured above, is a small quilt that I recently finished. I 've had the pattern for a few years, and I was in a 'watermelon' mood this summer, so hence the quilt. The pattern is by Cabbage Rose, Barbara Brandeburg and the book is titled Company's Coming.

It's been a lot of fun reading your comments on my blog. Several different countries are represented and I love reading your blogs about what you are working on. A couple of blogs that I visited over the past few days are http://www.dorryvanbeers.blogspot.com/ from the Netherlands and http://www.linenandraspberry.blogspot.com/ from Australia. Take a look, they are really nice.

I also saw my first Harry Potter movie at the theater this week. I have seen #s 3,4,&5 on DVD, but I really enjoyed seeing the most recent one with my friend, Rhonda and my daughter. They are both Harry Potter fans and Rhonda and I share a mutual admiration for Alan Rickman so that was reason enough to go see the new one. I also recently saw the 'Dateline' program on J.K. Rowling where a reporter followed her for a year while she was writing the final Harry Potter book. Very insightful as she revisited many of the places where she had written some of the books.

I'm off to walk F.H. around the block. He's my bassett hound for those of you that haven't met him yet. Take some time to do something creative today........

'Trick or Treat' Sneak Peek......

Here's a little 'sneak peek' at the quilt I mentioned below. I haven't quite figured out how to add two photos to one post yet......I'm workin' on it. There are approx. 180 squares. I made mine smaller than the original pattern as I will hang mine on the wall, but it should make a nice size to lay on a queen size bed as well. Back to my sewing machine.

I've been working on a new quilt by Blackbird Designs called Trick or Treat. I finished sewing the blocks and will start sewing the setting triangles today. Anyone that knows me, knows that I love anything that the Blackbird Design team does. I have done more than one quilt designed by the ladies, but I must say, I have never done one pattern twice........until now! That's right.....a couple of years ago I made their Midnight Silhouette pattern, but changed it up a bit. Last weekend I was in my favorite quilt shop, Common Threads in Waxahachie, Texas, and they had this same pattern put together in a kit, and I couldn't resist doing it again. It will look very different, and I can't wait to get started. I have posted a photo of the version that I did the first time, and when I complete the second one, I'll be sure to post that one as well.

Welcome to my new blog. I've been working on it for a few weeks, off and on, to make my photos larger. I love following blogs and one of the best things about them are the photos. So, this time, I wanted to make sure I had the best layout for my photos.

I had a conversation with my quilting friends yesterday about blogs. The concensus was that blogs are a great way to connect with people that have the same interests as you. Therefore, you may be a quilter, knitter, crafter, or reader. Some of you may be friends and family. Whoever you are, I hope you enjoy my blog. I will try to keep it more current than my last one.

You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter from time to time.

The photo in this post is a Blackbird Designs pattern, Justice for All, stitched on Birds of a Feather linen, color Meadow Lark, 28 count. The tea cozy in the header is also a Blackbird Designs pattern, by Maggie Bonanomi, Live Each Season, stitched on R&R Reproductions linen, color unknown, 35 count.