Design Wall Monday - June 6, 2011

This is a block or two that is on my design wall for the Stray Threads Quilt Guild.  Our assignment is to make a 12" finished star block using red/white/blue strip fabric.  I added on a white-on-white star fabric for the background and a blue or red star for the center square.  I drew a block in my Bernina Quilter Embroidery Software  and printed out the rotary cutting instructions for it.  I have EQ7 but often fall back to using the Bernina Quilter because it is so easy to use.  I need to learn EQ7 because I can do more with it.

Go on over to Judy's Patchwork Times and see what is on all the design walls.

July Block Lotto

Stash Report - Week 23

I didn't get enough piecing done this week on the Chloe quilt to count any fabric as used.   I hope tomorrow to get a good start again on piecing.

Stash Busting -  Week 23

Added this Week: 8.5 yards
Added Year to Date: 144.29 yards

Used this Week:   0
Used year to Date:   4.375 yards

Net Used for 2011:   -139.894 yards

To see more stash reports, head on over to Judy’s  Patchwork Times.

Added to Stash - Week 23

We Have Rhubarb

Yes, we have rhubarb!  We harvested one batch rhubarb today.  Derin made 9 pints of Rhubarb jam.  It was sooooo veeerry good.  We gave some away and we may have to make some more just for us.  Then Derin made 2 big pies and one little pie (see pictures) with what was left.  He makes the very best pie crust.   See how he does the edges of the pie.  So much easier than pinch and flute method.

Rhubarb to harvest

All good pies must have butter!

Note the edges of the pie crusts

Fresh Baked Rhubarb Pie

Yum - ready to eat

Derin's Crisp Pie Crust

1 1/4  scant cups shortening
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg - beaten
5 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. vinegar

Cut the shortening into the flour and salt.   Beat egg and add water and vinegar.  Mix together.  Makes 3 - 8" pie crusts.

Joining In

I joined a quilt guild last month and last night attended my first meeting of the Stray Threads Quilt Guild.  I've been going to join a quilt guild forever, but I didn't get with it and do it.  I'm so glad that I finally did join in.  I know several people in this guild and I think I will enjoy being a member, participating in the activities and learning more about quilting and sharing.   This is a very active group, and is organized for educational purposes to encourage all member in the study of quilting and fabric arts.  To provide quilts and other sewn and handcrafted objects to charities.   Why didn't I do this years ago?

Books

I love to read books.  My husband says I read manuals.   OK, I do read allot of manuals/lessons for the software I have, but I do read books too.   And I like books,  I probably would like a kindle too, but I like to thumb through the pages during commercials, read in bed and set the books (or magazines down) to picked up later for another peek.  I don't buy many books, so far 4 books this year, a few during the year will catch my eye and go home with me.  Both of these books did catch my eye at a quilt shop.  Positioned with the fabric, of which some sample blocks that had been made, they cried out to me and I bought both - books and fabric.  You can find both of these books at Amazon.com for less than I paid but I like to support my quilt shops and I hope you will also.

Home on the Plains, Quilts and the Sod House Experience by Kathleen L. Moore and Stephanie Grace Whitson tells the stories of  some of the Nebraska families that homesteaded in the 19th century.  It also includes some of the quilts made by these families.   I found a quilt block that is done in black and white with red, perfect for the quilt guild challenge (more on that later).

The other book, a biography and my favorite,  No Time on my Hands by Grace Snyder as told to Nellie Snyder Yost is a "remarkable chronicle of the sod house era."   "As a child of seven and up," writes Grace Snyder, "I wished that I might grow up to make the most beautiful quilts in the world,  to marry a cowboy, and to look down on the top of a cloud."   Grace saw all of her dreams and wishes come true.  This is a fascinating look into women's lives in the late 19th and early 20th century and how quilting fit into their lives.  Aptly titled, No Time on my Hands, Grace was taught by her grandmother not to sit idle, but to keep busy with projects.  Grace later became recognized as one of the 100 most important quilters in the 20th century with her exquisitely hand pieced quilts.  As promised to me by the shop owner it is a book you will not be able to put down or I'll refund your money.  She is right about this book!  And so I didn't get much quilting done because I was reading, I need to limit myself to bedtime reading.

Home on the Plains

No Time on my Hands

Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day.  What did you do with your Memorial Day?  Today I've been working on my blog.  I found a great giveaway for a Box O Fabric over at  Tales at Wayne Manor.  

Design Wall Monday - May 30, 2011

We are making the Chloe Quilt as a BOM at our Software Club, and since I'm the instructor I need to get going with it.  So far I'm on schedule, but I would like to get ahead.   I've got the Chloe quilt all cut out.  I have one of the embroidery blocks completed and several of the embroidery design for some of the other blocks ready to go.  These are not really my "colors" but still very pretty.  I cut carefully and had fabric left over from the kit, some of the left over fabric is enough on the smaller pieces to replace a mistake but most are not.  One of things I dislike about fabric quilt kits, you get just enough, no goof-ups allowed, but I always buy extra just in case.  I have found several stores that are carrying this fabric line so I feel better if there is a mistake.

Chloe Quilt

Go on over to Judy's Patchwork Times and see how everyone else is doing.

Stash Report - Week 22

Judy wrote about Progress and Accountability last week.  At the start of this year I was going to join in the stash report  but since for the first 5 weeks I didn't add any fabric and I was sewing on projects I didn't join in.  But here it is the end of May and I still haven't completed any one project.  I need to be more accountable for my projects and writing it my new blog will get me going.

This week we took a 3 day trip to Lake Coeur d'Alene.  My DH is great at letting me stop and shop at the various quilt shops and fabric stores.  So while we were out and about, Memorial Day Sales and one store closing because they have decided to retire, I found some more great buys. 

Stash Busting  -  Week 22

Week 22 purchases

Used this Week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 4.375 yards

Added this Week: 19 yards
Added Year to Date: 129.269 yards

Net Used for 2011: 4.375

Go over to Judy's  Patchwork Times  and see hoe others are doing.

Book Cover

I was going to make another book cover for a new notebook.  I had made this book cover for the July 2009 Software Sampler.  At the time I didn't think I would like it because of the outside edges being bound, but as worked out I do like the way it turned out.  The book cover uses Vicki Tracey's design collection Travel 'N Style #871.  It was fun to make, I enjoyed embellishing the grosgrain ribbon with stitches and I did extra 'fancy pants' quilting on the back cover and inside flaps.

Spring Pictures

Here is the Spring pictures, you can see we have leaves coming on the Vine Maples and blossoms and leaves starting on the fruit trees.  There are some bees, more than last year - although it is warmer our weather is still not as warm as usual.  The pink dogwood is in the front yard.