Oh my, Oh my!

Oh my, oh my .... where does time go?!  So sorry again for my delay in being here I can't believe it has been 3 weeks.  I have slowly been feeling better and getting back into the swing of things.  I have been busy quilting as that cannot be put aside for too long!  I need to keep making money so I can pay off this machine ... ha, ha ... that's good motivation!!

Here's the last quilt I did ... took about 3 days to finish it because it was really big ... a king size and it took almost 1 hr. to finish a row, so I would quilt a little at a time.

It looks so different here on the camera ... it was a beautiful quilt and I just did a simple swirl because that's what Jayne likes.1

You can see the detail here ... more to show you the pattern she used.  Really pretty colors ... I used Glide in the top and bobbin ... beautifully lays on the fabric.

See what I mean about how large it is?  And the pictures don't do it justice at all ...!

The next quilt was a quilt I made for my granddaughter to be ... it's a pattern of mine from several years ago -- the second pattern I ever created ... I'm teaching it this month and decided to do a small quilt to show the versatility of the pattern.

Isn't this cute?  A simple four patch alternating with solid blocks, set on point.

 The fabric I used was a new line Love to Garden by Hatched and Patched.  Have you ever seen the patterns by this designer?  They are so darn cute ... she is from Australia.

Can you see in the quilting here, that I quilted her name into it?  Kylee with a little heart at the end!  I used a beautiful King Tut variegated thread by Superior ... it just picked up all the colors so well.  I'm excited because I have at least two other quilts out of this same line of fabric, so that thread will get used.  It is so cute, isn't it?  I think this quilt will be a good one for her stroller and will match the one they picked out.

I am getting really excited ... Kylee is supposed to be coming on February 20.  Of course first babies never come on their due date, do they?  Well, I suppose she will come at the end of February ... but as my son says, she will come when she's ready to!  Ha, ha ... he is so correct ... and if this little girl is at all like her parents, she will come whenever she darn well pleases and letting everyone know about it too ... she has two headstrong parents ... ha, ha ... God help them!

Speaking of granddaughters ... here is a picture of something else I made her ...

As you can see my talents are not just limited to quilting ... I love to knit too!  Isn't this cute?  I tried it on my friend's granddaughter who is just three weeks old, and it fit, so I can't wait to make her a matching sweater too!

Last weekend I went to Borrego Springs which is about 1 1/2 hours from San Diego in the desert.  It is a really nice drive, and I went with a group of friends that are in my book group.  We had the most relaxing time and just ate, visited and walked the whole time we were there.  So relaxing!!!  A definite must more than once a year I think.  We hurriedly sped Saturday night to see the sunset ... I thought my teeth were going to rattle out of my head as Carol was driving so fast so we wouldn't miss the sunset.  The road is only accessible with four wheel drive and is really rutted ... but it was worth the trek ...

It was really overcast that day, so we didn't get a great sunset, but we brought a couple bottles of wine, and toasted the day anyway!

Aren't we cute?!  Here's to good friends ...

Pancakes and other things

Ha, that title got you, didn't it??!!  Well my sweet daughter who is back in college is the pancake maker in the house ... her friends all refer to her by name and add -cakes to the end of it!  She uses a mix, and I always have.  Have tried a couple different recipes, but never found one I loved.  In my neverending quest to be healthier and to be more domestically inclined (be quiet Jayne!), I tried a recipe last week that was good, but tried one today that was even better.

These pancakes are as easy to make as a mix is ... really, it takes five minutes.  They were described as fluffy pancakes ... the secret incredient is vinegar.  Now don't make a face ... think buttermilk ... think yummy fried chicken, think delicious biscuits ... that vinegar does something and makes everything it touches more tender.  I have a delicious recipe my grandmother used to make ... sour milk chocolate cookies with raisins (right, cousin "C"?) ... delicious ... so I knew the pancakes would be too.  I made them and tried three different varieties ... plain, chocolate chip, and my favorite, chocolate.  One of the only culinary yummies that my mom is responsible for is chocolate chip pancakes.  She used to make them for us at home after she discovered them at IHOP.  I love to make one or two ... using just a few chocolate chips for a little flavor but not too much chocolate ... my daughter and I really differ on this because she much prefers more chips!  I occasionally do chocolate ... a little bit of the batter, mixed with a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder ... you get the delicious flavor of the chocolate but not the fat of real chocolate.  Imagine a couple of chocolate pancakes with strawberries or raspberries, a little butter, and a little drizzle of honey!  Delicious!!

Don't they look good?  They puff up quite a bit when you cook them ...

It didn't seem to affect them in the cooking department, but I did flatten them out a little when I dropped them onto the griddle ...

And by the way, speaking of griddles ... there are not a lot of things I feel really strongly about in a kitchen, but here is something I do ... my electric griddle!  My darling son loves to cook and kill the inside of my pans (since the new ones are not nonstick) ... the griddle is great ... it heats up quickly, much more of a surface so you can cook more food, and clean is a breeze.  I just run my dishrag wet with a little soap over the surface, then rinse and repeat and dry ... couldn't be easier.  That is why sweet son got one for Christmas!!

Here's the recipe for the pancakes ... enjoy!!  =: ~)

Fluffy Pancakes (Allrecipes.com)

3/4 cup milk
2 tblsp. white vinegar
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tblsp. white sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt (I only used 1/4 tsp. and it was perfect)
1 egg
2 tblsp. butter, melted

Combine milk with vinegar in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour."  Combine dry ingredients in bowl.  Whisk egg and butter into soured milk..  Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.  Supposed to make 8 pancakes.

Happy New Year!

Oh my, I must apologize for not being around for so long ... I had no idea it was since the beginning of November!!!  I don't know what has happened ... there has just been so much going on in my life and I have just not been my usual self.  My son is now in Michigan with his sweetheart and her family.  He left the middle of December, and is going to stay until the baby is born ... at least ... I hope they decide to move back here, but at this point, they may wind up living in Michigan.  My heart is broken, but I know it will heal.  Christmas this year was not the same ... it was the first Christmas spent without him.

I didn't do Christmas like I usually do this year and I decided that was okay.  I just put a few decorations up in the house as my heart wasn't really into it.  I can finally say that my son is engaged ... he proposed Christmas eve, and I am happy for the two of them.

I feel like I owe you so much more of an explanation for my absence ... I did miss my online friends and my routine.  My goal for the new year is to be happier ... I think I said that last year too.  I read a book the beginining of last year called The Happiness Project and I really liked it ... I plan on rereading the book.  I also have a plan to be more organized ... there are a couple of books I'm looking at to help me with that, and I will let you know which one I pick.  I also intend to get healthier ... I eat pretty well, but haven't been exercising as much as I would like to ... and I'm working on that too!

I have been keeping busy with my quilting.  Last year I took off December and January, but it was not to be this year.  I worked through Christmas, and am still sewing ... it does help to keep my mind and hands busy!

Okay, onto some pictures ... this is a quilt I did for a customer ... it's a baby quilt for her daughter ... isn't it cute?

 

 

 

Just did a little squiggly swirl with Glide thread in top and bobbin.

Did I show you this picture yet?  I saw this little dog dressed in this raincoat and I stopped the man to ask him where he had gotten the jacket ... actually, I thought it was a jacket that he had made for the dog, it just looked just like the ones we all had when we were kids!

 



Well I am happy to be back ... I hope some of you are still out there!  I'm anxious to hear if anyone has their own New Years ideas ... I don't like the word resolutions.  And have you all been working on your quilting over the holidays, or does it get put on the back burner?  Honestly, can you believe how fast time goes ... wow!!

 

It's looking like Christmas

Well I don't have a lot of quilting to show you as I've been at the store for the last two days putting up Christmas!  It is looking so cute in there.  Want a peek?

This is just one of the few trees we have decorated ... that garland in the tree is actually metal ... you twist it and bend it and it is really slick!  We have red, white and a creamy color -- the garlands are only $2.50 and there are three on this big tree, so you can see they really go a long way.  See the cupboard to the left?  It doesn't look anything like that now ... I'll take pictures tomorrow before everyone comes in and share them with you.  It was looking so lovely when I left this afternoon.

More garland and a few trees ... speaking of trees.  Yesterday we sat and fluffed trees ... what is tree fluffing you ask?  Well, we take all these flat and bent trees and deflatten them ... turning them into ...



Aren't they beautiful?  There were trees on the tables,

Trees on the floor,

And trees up above ... not to mention the huge trees!  Tree fluffing is not something that many of us at the store like to do.  In fact, we have in the past had two very special people that fluffed trees for us ... Donna's husband, George, and Kathy and JoAnn's mom, Gert.  Well, both have retired from tree fluffing duties.  We were lucky that we got the small trees ... Joe (the owner's husband who is also an owner), had the job of the large tree fluffer ... he even has a shirt that says "tree fluffer!"  It is serious business around our store!



But the award for most excellent tree fluffer goes to our friend, Maureen.  She just came in yesterday to say hello and do a little shopping, and we quickly put her to work.  Little did we know she is a stupendous fluffer ... every little branch was unfolded and every little brown strand in between the branches arranged just so!  Don't tell her, but she will definitely be used next year for fluffing!!  =:)

So I'll just leave you with a few more pictures and remind you to come on in and see us tomorrow from 10 to 5 ... we'll have loads of wonderful things to buy, lots of kits to ease your sewing, yummy food to eat, and lots of friends to visit with!

 

 

Still some fall left, and Halloween is 50% off!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sleep

Oh to be a young woman again and have all the right amount of hormones and be able to sleep!  Every night lately is an adventure ... I don't know why on the weekends when it doesn't matter whether I can't sleep, I always sleep, but during the week, I have issues.  This morning I was up at 4:30 a.m.  Great ... tried to get back to sleep and that was just not happening.  I did finally close my eyes for about a half hour at 6:15, but sometimes I wonder if that makes it worse!

It's been stinking hot here the last couple days  ... my son's sweetie is visiting for a few days and we have just enjoyed having her around and being able to spoil her ... I can't wait until this baby is born and she moves out here.  It will really be nice to have everyone together!  I did manage to do another quilt this last week ... this quilt was my customer's first quilt she ever did.  She said she had it for years before she finished it ... I can tell why

All those little pieces are appliqued on ... and there are twelve blocks ... if that had been my first quilt, it may have been my last!

I used a variegated King Tut on top and Glide in the bobbin.  She wanted a small-ish stipple in the sashing, and I did a large stipple in the outer border ... you can't even see it anyway because of the fabric.

My favorite part is the design I did in the sunflower centers ... I really like the way it looks with the thread color.  I echoed inside the petals and outside as well.  I am always a little nervous about doing this freehand, but I have decided that it shouldn't be perfect and it is easy to just run the machine along and if I go off the line a little (or the line that I have in mind) .... that's okay too!  Nature is not perfect.

Now she'll be able to get it bound and say "I finished my first quilt!"  I did two baby quilts for her in the last couple of months, and when I called her today, she said she is finishing up two more quilts ... wow, she has been busy!

One of my sweetest customers, Judy, told us the other day that in two years since she has been quilting she has made 24 quilts!  That is awesome ... I think I have quilted almost every one of those ... she is amazing because every quilt she starts, she finishes!

Now on a side note, I want to let you know that the Country Loft is having it's grand Christmas opening on Saturday from 10-5.  There will be trees galore, decorations, gifts, Christmas cards, and if it is like any Christmas opening, full of wonderful things to see and smell ... and of course great friends!  Come visit us all there ... it's always a big day ...

Halloween Eve musings

Halloween is probably my favorite holiday of the year.  I love Christmas ... for what it represents and for the joy that everyone feels, but halloween is special because of the colors, the fun, and it doesn't carry any of the pressure that Christmas does.  Especially now that I don't have costumes to create for my kids.  I must admit that that was loads of fun, but I was always behind the eight ball when it came to the costumes.

I quickly threw up some decorations today ... since we were gone most of October, and since I've been trying to get my act in gear since we got back a week ago, I finally got some stuff up today ... some of my favorites.  This is as good as it's going to get ... no halloween quilts, but we'll save those for next year!  Oh heck, I might pull them all out tomorrow and throw them on my bench in the hallway!

This is a needle punch that a friend made me ... isn't it cute?  And a pin cushion that a friend made last year ... adorable!

No halloween is complete without a scary skeleton ... he will be flipped over onto the front of the door tomorrow evening.

 

The creepy picture frame that talks!!!



Maybe my all time favorite decoration ... you can't have halloween without a ghost.

Love my mantel ... can you tell I spend most of my time in the living room?  Now I just have to find some super cute stuff for Thanksgiving ... always harder to do.  Any suggestions?  Where do people find those beautiful wreaths that I see hanging on everyone's door for fall?

I decided to get on the ball today and get a quilt quilted.  My VISA bill came in from my vacation, and I need to get busy to help pay for all the fun I had ... ha, ha!  Really, I haven't done a quilt since I got back, and since I want to be done with my quilting by Thanksgiving, it's time to get back on track!

This is a baby quilt that a friend did and I just love the fabric.

Can you believe my friend doesn't like it very much ... well this is before it's quilted. 

Now look at it ... beautiful texture and wait until it is washed!

I love the colors in it and decided to use a turquoise thread ... did a tight swirl pattern.

I always love this part of the process ... pulling the quilt off the frame and unpinning it.  I used Glide thread in top and bobbin.

Look at the back ...

Isn't this a cute fabric?  Oh, so much cute fabric, so little time!  Doesn't the turquoise thread look good on the back?

While I was on my trip, I stopped at my dealer in Utah and I was asking her about thread and tension.  We had a conversation about Glide and while she was talking, it occurred to me that occasionally I do have a bit of an issue with the bobbin thread slipping and catching.  Instead of using the little dealy thing that goes in the bobbin case (can't remember the name of it), I bought these bobbin washers that Teryl recommended.

Turn your head upside down to read ... sorry, I don't know how that happened!  They're really nice and thick and just sit in the bottom of your bobbin case.  They changed the tension and I will say seemed to work really well.  They're a little pricey, but hey, any amount is worth not having to rip out your stitching!

Now one more thing ... my friend that I did the above quilt for does something different when she's binding ....

I trimmed her quilt for her and left 1/2" extra all around; when she binds her quilt, she sews the binding on as normal, then trims it 1/4" beyond the edge of the binding.  She likes the extra bulk that folding the binding over the extra 1/4" gives her.  I don't know why she doesn't just trim it 1/4" extra, but I'm sure there's a reason.  I'll have to ask her when I see her again.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!