Catch up...

Wishing all the joy of the season.  I missed a Christmas post trying to complete gifts and the cooking marathon.  We had a lovely day with family - three horses and two dogs dictate day trips but the long drive to Vermont was well worth the joy in my great nephews' faces as they browsed their story quilts that are yet to be completed.  I took white squares for signatures of grandparents, parents, and aunts and uncles for the back, so they can sleep under the love of family.  C wanted to know if I could have his done the next day.  I asked him for a week.  One note - when adapting to a new GPS, check the route on the directions from BIL... since we started and ended on an unpaved road, we checked that unpaved roads were OK -- somehow we never envisioned the single lane dirt track that was Goat Farm Road.  Thank goodness for four wheel drive.

I fell behind on my Schnibbles -- here is November's in Portobello Market - I seem to have a never ending bin of this fabric but I do love it still.  This is just the top but is in line for backing and quilting this week.

I can't remember the blog post about viewing a quilt through pictures and realizing mis-placed squares, but it is so true.  I love the Picnic quilt too much to leave the two sections with points not pointing, so will sit with seam ripper tonight and finish tomorrow.


My December Schnibbles - Tuffets.  A while ago , Carrie of Miss Rosie fame had a post about darling pin toppers.  I have since learned that I am quite vulnerable in the morning when I read my blogs, and ordered quite a few...so I used the opportunity to make pincushions for several of them.

And I used fabrics from stash for all. 

I do enjoy using the Miss Rosie patterns .. they sometimes test my patience but I love the results.

My immediate goals include finishing the many projects started over the past few years - I have a zigzag quilt in the quilting process with two other quilts in the wings.  Of course, I have to finish the boys' story quilts - then four waiting for piecing.  And I have to visit Knight's in Cape Neddick to use my gift certificate from my sister -

Hope you are all well -

Have a great day!

Lynda

Interlude

My sister was invited to a cookie exchange in Boston... with a note on the invitation that says that the packaging of the cookies is as important as the contents (Martha Stewart-ish).  Playing out the role of older sister, I volunteered to make 12 of these..

Our original plan was to get together tomorrow to complete the packages... but the forecast for Maine is iffy for the storm that is creeping up the East coast... so will get together today -- almost finished.

Under the watchful eye...

Meet Bagel -- Parson's Russell with attitude.  She does not like the camera!

Have a great day!

Lynda

On the table Thursday

What to do with 120 'I spy' squares as a result of Karen's (sewmanyways.blogspot.com) swap when you have the annual rush toward Christmas since it is hard to plan farther head than today (daughter's birthday)...

First, you separate all the foodie squares and make a bag for future niece who is in culinary school...

Next, quilts for nephews ...

I have some work to do...

Have a great day!

Lynda

Tuesday treats

I discovered quilt blogs about 6 months ago and one of the first that I started following daily was Pat's Little bits..of Pat.  I so enjoyed her unpacking of her Amish bag, and was visiting my mother in Lancaster just before Thanksgiving -- with a commitment ahead of time that I was not going to any of the quilt shops this time.  Silly me - I should have known that I couldn't resist the temptation when I drove by (and turned around) the one shop that I have not browsed.  So here are the results of my stop at the PA Fabric outlet on the New Holland Pike.  I can't be as creative as Pat with her tour of the Amish bag - I can't find mine anywhere...Lots of home dec fabric and...

Five yards of white quilter's cotton - two of the cream - and a handle for a ruler.

Black and red webbing for bag straps...

Eight zippers ($1) and 2 wads of elastic (35 cents)..

A bag of buttons and horse bit clasps ($3)

2 yards each of these fabrics - all cotton - at $3.50 a yard

And 3 yards of this fabric - joins my collection of horse fabric for the 2 acre horse quilt that I will make for my daughter some day.

Total purchase - $70...  inspired by Pat?  No, I will assume full responsibility.  There were numerous bins of bits and pieces... my mother wanted to purchase one piece of lace as an insert in her 'low cut' shirts but had to select 6 for a $1 despite trying to tell the clerk that she would just pay the same for the one she selected.

Have a great day!

Lynda

Monday's Musings

With camera in hand, I have finally reset my commitment to keep a diary of sorts of various quilting projects - and join the many who have shared their decorations.  I also had to update the picture from the window -- which at least is not yet covered in snow.  The metal roof on this side of the house allows the snow to slide down and create a huge pile that covered the window for the past three years.  Something about nature's insulation.  This farmhouse was completely renovated in the early 90s, leaving few original features.  The center chimney remains so that there are three fireplaces -- only two are decorated so far. 

The very prim Santa to the left of the wreath was from a giveaway by Brenda at rustythimblesalesblog.blogspot.com -- and has certainly made himself at home.  What better place than over a fireplace built in 1800 althought I missed the original bread oven on the other side.  Many thanks Brenda!

The livingroom fireplace has my one completed Christmas quilt hanging and a Santa made from an old quilt.  My quilt is one of the Schnibbles.  The close up is one of two tiny Shaker boxes painted by Susan Trenowith and are among my favorite things.

Here's the second painting on a box lid...

I have several small trees around the house - and a balsam candle to make up for the lack of a fresh tree this year.  This one is in the center hall and is the Santa tree.

Finally, in the sewing room, I have two Christmas projects in progress.  I just finished the squares for Gail Pan's stitchery and will frame and complete a small quilt this week.  The second one is Lynda Hall's Bundling Board quilt that is done in muted reds and greens that was intended as a Christmas quilt when started many years ago... and is finally waiting for quilting.

I have linked this post to SewCalGal's virtual Christmas quilt show just for fun... http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/2009/12/virtual-christmas-quilt-show.html  Great viewing!

I would like to dedicate the picture at the top of the page to Barb - it should make her picture from her window in Hawaii even more appealing!  Tomorrow, I have some pictures for Pat of the goodies that I brought back from Lancaster in my 'Amish bag.'

Have a great day!

Lynda

Invitation

Between traveling and the lack of a camera, I have neglected this blog.  I certainly have much to add, but for today, I am sending an invitation.  My niece Abby was taken from us in a car accident in 1997 just before her 15th birthday.  Each family member felt the impact - from the loss of a daughter and sister to my daughter's loss of a best friend.  This evening, we light a camdle of rememberance -- and I invite anyone who has experienced the loss of a child to join us.

Believed to be the largest mass candle lighting on the globe, the Worldwide Candle Lighting, a gift to the bereavement community from The Compassionate Friends, creates a virtual 24-hour wave of light as it moves from time zone to time zone. Hundreds of formal candle lighting events are held and thousands of informal candle lightings are conducted in homes as families gather in quiet remembrance of children who have died, but will never be forgotten

More later...

Lynda

Fort Hood Quilt

This will be in the mail tomorrow morning.  The quilt is being sent from my son's medical unit for one of those injured last week.

This is sent with our hopes for a speedy recovery and a reminder of the Army family.

Lynda

Quilt giveaway

Travel to http://bejeweledquilts.blogspot.com/2009/11/day-has-come-deed-been-done.html

Barb is having a giveaway as part of her niece's grand opening of an online store.

"I am giving this Ginger Jar quilt away in honor of my niece, Jennifers, opening of her online store. This giveaway will end on Dec. 1, 2009."

Lynda

Fort Hood quilts

I am an Army mother.  My son is a captain in the Army reserves which makes my whole family part of the Army family.  If you have not read the request for quilts, I am including the message posted on Cherry House quilts (http://lizzyhouse.typepad.com/cherry_house_quilts/2009/11/a-request-for-quilts.html)

By know, I am sure the entire world is aware of the tragedy at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. My son is Spc. Luke House, command executive assistant, STB, III Corp, at Fort Hood, and was working yesterday when the horrible events transpired. I thank God with all my heart that he was not harmed or injured, but I am so saddened about the lives that will be forever devastated by what happened.


What can we do to help? Quilts. We can comfort them with quilt.

I would like to gather 31 quilts to provide for the soldiers that were wounded yesterday. Currently the wounded are divided between three hospitals in the Fort Hood/Killeen areas.

Would you help? Do you have a quilt to spare?

If you do, please leave a comment, or email me at cherryhousequilts at gmail dot com

I would like to do this as soon as possible...I will provide an address to ship the quilts to, and we will get them to the Fort Hood Chaplain, who will deliver these to the wounded in the hospitals.

Thank you,


Cherri

I am in the process of making a quilt to send in the name of my son's unit... if you are interested, go to Cherri's blog and let her know.  She will send you the address of the contact at Fort Hood.
 
Lynda

A special give-away

http://justanotherhangup.blogspot.com/2009/10/special-give-away-give-away.html

Suzanne is offering a bag to be sent to someone you wish to honor as a breast cancer survivor. 

Unfortunately, I think most of us know far too many survivors as well as those engaged in a current battle.

October Schnibbles - Cindy Lou Who

After my disappointment in the first project, I altered my approach... completing my quilt is not a race, impatience does not pay, remember the basics. 

I wanted a small quilt to hang with this picture of my great-great grandmother Susan Augusta Brierly who was born in 1853.  Her daughter, my great grandmother, was born in 1872 - the beginning of the work of the workshop. 

I love the pattern - and the link to the past.

Have a great day!

Lynda

Check Canton Village Quilt Shop

Jackie at Canton Village Quilt Shop is having a give-away of five treasures that she brought back from market.  I have heard great things about her shop from friends - unfortunately, I don't think she was open when I lived in the next town over and had much time to kill when my daughter had her dance lessons in Canton...  I would have had about 40 minutes every week to 'browse'...

Go to http://cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/ and throw your hat into the ring. 

New England Pot Roast

I had to prepare this in order to figure out the basics as I don't have the written recipe. Since there are only two of us, I use a small cut of meat - less than 2 pounds so the ingredients would have to be adjusted for a larger pot roast.

Assemble a pot roast cut of meat, flour, beef stock, small jar of onions or one small sliced onion, carrots, cinnomon stick, grated horseradish, bay leaf, can of whole berry cranberry sauce, salt and pepper.

Season the meat with salt and pepper, dredge in flour, and brown using canola or corn oil. Remove meat from pan. Saute onion and carrots till onion is translucent and the vegetables have picked up the bits from browning the meat. Stir in cranberry sauce to melt (I use 1/2 a can for the smaller cut of meat, Add 1/4 cup horseradish at least. Throw in cinnamon stick and bay leaf, then place the meat back in the pan. Add stock to about 3/4 of the way up the side of the meat. (I used the whole container of College Inn Bold stock). Bring the mixture up to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 2 hours.

Serve over egg noodles. The sauce is thin but great flavor - you cannot tell that there is horseradish in the dish.

Autumn Recipe Swap

While in San Antonio for my son’s graduation from officer basic training, my Mother’s Day gift was a dinner on one of the riverwalk boats. It was an introduction to a very different guacamole that I tried to duplicate without success when back home. Thanks the Barefoot Contessa, I worked from her basic recipe and now provide the snack for the football games and family gatherings. After watching Everyday Italian, I added a my version of Giada’s homemade tortilla chip. No pics unfortunately – lost them in the camera!  Here's the empty bowl that I serve in...

Guacamole

4 Haas avocados

3 T. freshly squeezed lime juice (can use lemon)

1 small red onion, diced

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 t. salt

1 t. freshly ground pepper

1 t. cumin

1 medium tomato, seeded and diced

Cut avocado in half, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of the shell into a large bowl. Immediately add the lime juice, onion, garlic, salt and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced. Add the tomatoes. Mix well.

Tortilla Chips

12-6 inch soft taco shells (have used both flour and corn)

¼ cup Olive oil

1 t. dried oregano

½ t. pepper

Package shredded Mexican cheese

¼ t. salt

Preheat oven to 375. Line 2 sheet pans with foil. Whisk oil, oregano, pepper in small microwave safe bowl and microwave for 15 seconds (just till warm). Set aside for 15 minutes. Brush both sides of tortillas with oil mixture and stack. Cut into ½ inch strips and place on pans in single layer. Sprinkle lightly with cheese and salt. Bake for 12 minutes.

If you are not going to serve the guacamole immediately, cover with plastic wrap directly on the mixture and refrigerate. Place tortilla chips in plastic bag when cooled and hide – they disappear otherwise.

Check back on Wednesday for the best Yankee pot roast – cranberry sauce, horseradish, cinnamon stick… part of my shopping list.

Have a great day!
 
Lynda

Ladybug, ladybug fly away from my home!

Beware of a sunny day after a frosty night in the fall.  After spending the day looking at this...

... along with hundreds of her friends on every window... and in some cases in the house ... the news last night explained the migration of ladybugs to find a warm winter lodging.  The bug control websites cautioned about squishing them... so today I am armed with the vacuum cleaner.  If you hear of a crazy woman in Maine, running outside and emptying the vacuum container on the neighbor's property, you can say you heard it here first!  I'm not the pioneer woman in any way...

Have a great day.

Lynda

Craft Show

About a month ago, I thought it would be a good project to try a craft show as a participant rather than a looker.  Waiting for a house to sell these days is trying, so this provided a focus and creative outlet.  The show is Saturday, so I have finally started to gather the things together.  I have a wonderful neighbor who dabbles in wood and, after I mentioned the way I would like to display the bags, returned with this:

She used a quilt rack as the model -- and expanded it.  It's about 6 feet high and 7 feet long and completely portable.

I'm using some of my many baskets to display the smaller projects --

I have little tags to attach with washing instructions and prices... and, of course, several projects to finish.  One note to self - if I decide to do this again, I need to give myself a bit more lead time than one month!

Have a great day ...  Lynda

Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe: It's a Happy Halloween Giveaway!

Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe: It's a Happy Halloween Giveaway!

Brenda's Giveaway

http://pumpkinpatchprimitivequiltshoppe.blogspot.com/2009/10/its-happy-halloween-giveaway.html

I have not yet participated in this type of giveaway, and had a bit of a challenge to make all of the connections, but could not resist Brenda's post.  When you live in a 200 year-old renovated farmhouse, the spirits cry out for anything primitive and country.  Actually, the only spooky type event in our four years here has been a bat (or three) that flies around the house on the first Thursday in August... to many screams, yells, and lots of laughs.  Our method of bat removal - turn off the lights, open all doors and windows, and stand ourside for half an hour... worked each time!  Check Brenda's post...

Changes

My thoughts when starting this blog included a record of the changes outside of this window -- the first picture was taken on September 15 -- and this one on October 15.  This morning, my hummingbird feeder is crying to be taken down - the glass is decorated with frost. 

Kudos to Amy at Park City for her Blogger's Quilt Festival.  After browsing the 682 quilts, my thoughts...

Common threads:

• A quilt is made with and for friends and family.

• A quilt is made for a new baby, son, daughter, brother, sister, mother, father, friend, stranger.

• A quilt celebrates a wedding, graduation, leaving for college, leaving for deployment to a distant land, moving away, or remembrance of life.

• A quilt is made for swaps.

• A quilt is the first quilt, most recent quilt, favorite quilt, antique quilt – but always a treasured quilt.

• A quilt is made from the most recent fabric collection, gently used clothes, vintage sheets, and scraps.

• A quilt is made to find a cure for breast cancer, ovarian cancer, Alzheimers, colon cancer, MS.

• A quilt is donated to Quilts of Valor, the Linus Project, local hospitals, the homeless, and for deployed troops.

• A quilt has imperfections.

• A quilt is made with love.

Have a great day!
 
Lynda

Amy's Brilliant Idea

I 'found' Amy through the Old Red Barn quilt along -- and transformed my method of pinning with thanks to Amy ever since -- and looked forward to this opportunity to think about my quilts and what I would share.  When I started quilting again with dear friends from Connecticut, we took several classes together.  Due to my impossible work schedule, I was limited to the classes I could take with them, and this one simply fit the schedule - fortunately...

I have been drawn to small quilts ever since I acquired this ...

It is an Ohio Star with Sawtooth by Kati Adams - 1 inch to 1 foot.  The description on the back reads:

This unique folkart collectible is made from authentic antique fabrics.  Like early quiltmakers, I frugally preserve each scrap, perusing my accumulation until the right combination emerges.  Scarcity is the central design element, affording the quilts an undeniable integrity.  Flaws in fabric, signs of wear and intermediate mending and seamwork are apparent.  The use of antique fabric provides a revealing window into the quiltmaking process of the past and produces quilts that are truly reflective of the American woman's cultural heritage. 

While the quilt that I am sharing is not one of the miniature reproduction quilts, it measures 40 x 40 which I thought was a small quilt at the time, and for me represents a leap forward in my quilting journey. 

Side one -- spring/summer

Side Two -- fall/winter

Lessons learned from this -- patience, sense of accomplishment, confidence -- and some projects use a lot of thread!

Thank you Amy --

Lynda

Slow to catch on

Despite my initial plan to begin to record my progress on various projects, I have yet to make writing a more frequent practice.  So while the Red Sox play in the background, I need to do a brain dump of the past few days -- part of this exercise is to begin to create something of a journal for myself as it is supposed to support mental health! 

First, a bit of a leaf update -- we had heavy rains and wind on Wednesday so there are already some bare trees, but the ones across the street are in full color...

The farmhouse is on one side of the gravel road and our barn on the other.  The pony is an almost three year old Welsh cross with a huge personality and cute as can be. 

I have been preparing for a craft show in a few weeks - a first venture.  After 20 years of administrative work, I finally have had the time to pursue quilting and explore some options.  I've been working on a lot of bags and fabric baskets, pin cushions and beaded pins, and candle mats.  It has done wonders for my blood pressure, although as the time draws near, I may panic...

I have to run and turn off the game - the Angels just scored... I have promised my BIL, who is a diehard Red Sox fan that I won't watch as every time I turn on one of his teams, the other team scores... OOPS.

Lynda

Fall

A beginning...

After several months collecting blogs on Google Reader and lurking around the edges, I started to feel guilty (as only one who attended 16 years of Catholic school can) for not joining the conversation.  The greatest challenge has been to figure out what to share.  I have wanted to start 'serious' quilting for a long time, but only since deciding to leave my profession have I had the time.  Initially, I made a commitment to finish some projects that had been started a while ago.  Then I discovered blogs, and began to break out of a narrow approach to quilting and have been loving it. 

My stimulus to even want to create quilts came from an incident involving my great-grandmother and family history collected by my cousin.  My Dad's side of the family has a long history in Lancaster County, PA.  On his father's side, they trace back to the first German speaking settler in Lancaster County; on his mother's side, to the earliest settlers in northern Maryland.  So there is certainly something genetic involved.  When my great-grandmother passed, her will dictated that everything be sold at auction.  She was a prolific quilter and I have fond memories of her quilts on all of the beds in the house.  She apparently had made quilts for each great-grandaughter which were stacked in her front room -- but without labels.  By law, they had to be sold at auction at a time when I lacked the resources or time to attend the auction.  So somewhere out there, there's a quilt that was made for me. 

While I dabbled for a brief time, I did not become active in quilting until my dear friend signed me up for a tea cozy class and began to introduce me to the process of stash building and collecting ever gadget possible for quilting.   Since moving to Maine four years ago, I have created a quilting space in a four season room with windows on three sides - wonderful natural light until the snow covers the one side! 

My reason for finally posting - my Schnibbles project.  I love the pattern, love the fabric - do not love that I rushed through the project and did not follow my usual, methodical method of completing the piecing -- very bad points in some areas... thus a look from a distance.

... because I had to complete this for new baby who arrived on Monday.

So, I send this to cyberspace --

Lynda