Jingle Bird: Block 3 and 4

Progress continues on the Jingle Bird quilt. Block 3 is a little pot with leaves coming out of it and of course a bird!

Block 4 was originally just supposed to be the vines and leaves and little round fruit things, but then I thought - why not add a bird! This is going to a real bird lover, so my motto is when in doubt, add a bird.

I'm going to be setting this project aside over the holidays, and will pick it back up in the new year. I have four more blocks to go - it's actually taking me way less time than I thought it would to make these!

Friday Finish: Christmas Embroidery

I bought this pattern from a woman in France. I just really loved the way she used lines and textures to create this nativity scene, plus it's fun to get stuff in the mail from France! It stitched up very quickly, and I gave it to my godmother as a thank you for the annual christmas luncheon at W.A.Frosts that she hosts every year.

Christmas Ornaments

I fell in love with Larissa Hollands Twelve Days of Christmas felt ornament patterns last year, and bought the first 6 days (Partridge and a Pear, Turtle Dove, Colly Bird, French Hen, Gold Ring, and Goose-a-Laying). I managed to make the Partridge and a Pear for an ornament exchange at work, and loved how it turned out, but then got sidetracked with other things.

When this year's holiday season rolled around, I knew I wanted to work on more of these, so I've been hard at it, going back to my Partridges and Pears. I made three of each since I wanted to for sure have a pair for me, and then some extras for whoever. Ornaments are a pretty big thing in my family - I know these will find homes without a problem!

I have the pieces cut out for the Turtle Doves next, and am hoping to complete the Colly Birds as well before Christmas.

Recipe Time: Goulash

https://www.theseasonedmom.com/grandmas-one-pan-hamburger-helper/

I haven't been able to get much sewing done this week, so it's time for a recipe posting instead! This one is courtesy of my friend Angela, who found this when she googled "What to make with hamburger". The official title of this is called "Grandmas One Pot Hamburger Helper", but Hamburger Helper has never been very appealing to me, so I'm renaming this one Goulash.

It seems that every family in MN has a Goulash recipe (none of which bear any resemblance to the real dish from Hungary). They all involve pasta, tomato sauce and meat. My mom's version was made with venison from my dad's annual deer hunt, and ketchup. No offense to my mom, but I've just never really craved her goulash, so I'm happy to now have my own version.

This is one of those easy skillet dinners that come together in about 20-30 minutes, no muss-no fuss. I did make a few changes to the original inspiration recipe, so I'm just reprinting my version below.

Goulash - Serves 4

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 c. water
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 c. dried pasta (you can use elbow noodles, or whatever spiral shape you want. I used egg noodles)
• 1/2 c. tomato paste (or whatever's in one of those small cans)
• 1 t. chili powder
• 1 T. worcestershire sauce
• Dash of hot sauce
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, colby, whatever)

Saute the beef, onion and garlic in a large skillet until browned. Drain and add the water, broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil and simmer. This has to simmer for a total of 20 minutes, so when you add your pasta depends on how long it has to cook for. For instance, my egg noodles needed to cook for 8 minutes, so I added them after the sauce had been simmering for 12 minutes already. Keep an eye on the liquid levels - if it looks too dry, add more water or broth and if it looks to soupy, turn up the heat and boil it a little longer. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle on the cheese and serve. 

Endless Summer

Over the weekend I cut fabric for two new projects. I've had the "ingrediants" for this quilt called "Endless Summer" for awhile now, and I was attracted to the fun bright colors during what has been a very grey dull month here in Minnesota.

My other new project, the Jingle Bird quilt, is all applique and no actual piecing, so it's been fun to put this together using good old Half Square Triangles and Flying Geese units. The quilt is made up of two different types of blocks, and I've finished all of the one kind using prints. The next block is made up of all solids and looks a little different, and I'll start working on those this week.

Christmas Sewing

My sister asked me to sew her a christmas-tree skirt, which was a fun quick project. I cut two circles out of different christmas fabrics, sandwiched them with batting, and quilted the whole thing in a stipple. I bound it using bias binding so it would fit around the curves. It turned out really cute, and my sister liked that it's reversible so if she gets sick of one side, she can flip it over and enjoy the other.

Her boyfriend's cat Bacchus also likes it.

Friday Finish: Cross Stitch

I don't really post much about my cross-stitch projects, aside from when I finish something. There's really not much to say about cross-stitch. It's boring to write about, and they take forever to complete, so it doesn't make for very exciting reading.

That being said, I pretty much always have a cross stitch or embroidery project going. I like to work on them while I'm watching TV since it makes me feel like less of a lazy bum. This one I started way back in 2012, put it away for a few years, and dug it out last month to finally finish it up. I always lose interest once the fun parts are done and it's just fiddly stitches here and there or outlining, which gets old really fast.

I need to start making pillows out of these or something. People are cuckoo for needlepoint pillows - why not cross stitch pillows!

Jingle Bird: Block 2

The second blocks in the Jingle Bird quilt were much easier than the first one - way less leaves and stems! I made these two over the weekend, and I just love the cute little poinsettias at the bottom. I added little yellow flowers to the ends of the stems on one block, and red berries on the other one.

These red berries are supposed to be way smaller, but I found it impossible to applique such teeny tiny circles, so I gave up and made them bigger. I'm all about making life easy, and this quilt is tricky enough as it is without me fussing over tiny pinhead sized circles.

There are no birds on these blocks, but plenty more to come in future ones, don't worry!

Jingle Bird Quilt: A New Start

My cousin really likes birds. A few years back I made her this bird quilt for her sunroom, which was a big hit. It's not quite the right color scheme for christmas time though, so she requested I make her something more appropriate for holiday decorating.

We scoured the web for bird christmas quilt patterns, and finally happened on this Block of the Month quilt that Erin Russek did back in 2013.

http://erinrussek.typepad.com/one-piece-at-a-time/jingle-bom/

We're going to make a few changes - first of all, more birds! So there will be less of the quilt block blocks and more of the appliqued bird blocks. Also, the color scheme will be a little less green and more turquoise. I have some ideas for a different block layout too, so we'll see how that goes.

These applique blocks are not easy! I finished my first one last week, and it took me about 4 hours to make one. Yeesh! I still have to add little berries to the ends of all the leaf stems, but overall I think these are the cutest things. I'm hoping to finish this in time for christmas of 2018.

Friday Finish: Dreaming

Quilting this was a cinch - just fast easy loops! I've been waiting for a sunny day out to photograph it. It's been nothing but grey here and freezing cold, which is perfect for holing up and sewing, but not so great when it comes to photographing what you've sewn!

I backed this in a Jennifer Paganelli floral print, which seems like it wouldn't work at all, but somehow appealed to me. I did decide to change the binding though because of it. The original binding was supposed to be a mustardy yellow batik print, but that really clashed with the backing, so I went with this darker pink print instead. I like how it all turned out.

This is my sixth finish, and you know what that means? No more "NO NEW PROJECTS" rule! I can start new stuff! I can sew whatever the hell I want to! Believe me, I have a list. It's going to seem weird to have such freedom ☺

Top Assembly: 2015 BOM

I finally completed all the quilt blocks from the 2015 Craftsy Block of the Month, designed by Jinny Beyer. As you know, these were challenging - y-seams, applique, templates...lots of skill building!

I was worried because all my blocks were slightly different sizes, but clever Jinny made it so that wasn't a problem - the very last step was putting a large border around each block, and then trimming them down so they are all now the perfect size!

These are sewn together on point, with border strips and cross-hatched corner blocks. I think it looks really nice so far, but all this is fiddly to sew together, and will probably be another couple nights of work. THEN, three more borders get sewn on before this one is FINALLY wrapped up. That's OK though - this has been three years in the making - another day or so won't matter much!

Preppy Whales: Take Two

I started working on Elizabeth Hartman's "Preppy Whale" pattern last August for a baby quilt project, but quickly discovered that these whales were pretty complex, and I needed something faster for the baby quilt.

Now, with my self-imposed No New Projects rule still in place, I decided I'd take another stab at completing some of these whale blocks. For whatever reason, this time around I'm sailing through a lot more easily.

For one thing, I'm more organized - each of these blocks has 18 pieces in it, and I'm sewing the units assembly-line style for all the blocks. Breaking them down like this has made the blocks seem much more doable, and I only have a few left!

A Change of Plan

Way back when - two years ago now - I pieced together the Tula Pink Craftsy Mystery Quilt. I was excited, because I love Tula Pink fabric, and I thought the colors in her Fox Field collection were so fun. As I was making it, I had a few moments of thinking "huh - I'm not so sure about this color next to that one", but according to the pattern and pictures I saw online of everyone else's quilts, it all seemed to work out fine in the end.

Not so much for me. Here's what I've learned - just because it's all designed as one fabric collection doesn't necessarily mean that everything looks good together. And also, use some common sense - if you don't like the way something looks, change it for christs sake!

So, over the past few weeks I've taken the whole thing apart to be resewn. My housemate has gleefully participated in the seam ripping since she thinks it's fun (what?), and actually, seam ripping whilst LOL'ing over the new Will and Grace season is not a bad way to deal with a project gone wrong.

This 'n That

My sewing time has been grabbed in 30 minutes chunks here and there this week, so I don't have much to report. I made another block in the never-ending 2015 Craftsy Mystery quilt, so now I just have three more and then I can get this one sewn together!

I also finished two more of my little CozyBlue stitch club embroidery pieces - a cute vintage strawberry and a sort of seaweedy aquatic type thing.

I also broke down and cut out a new project. I know I'm not supposed to start any new projects, but I changed that self-inflicted rule to read that I'm not supposed to start SEWING any new projects. Cutting doesn't count! Delving into this glorious stack of solids was just too tempting to pass up.

I'm excited to have a free weekend so I can buckle down and spend some real time in my sewing room.

Sewing Room Mystery

This scene awaited me when I stepped into my sewing room after work yesterday. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but it looks like there was much going through of garbage, rolling around in fabric and hopping around on furniture. When confronted and questioned, the guilty parties all relied on the tried and true tactics of denial, feigned ignorance, and pretending they couldn't hear or see me.

Friday Finish: Pointy

Well, here it is a week later than it was supposed to be! I finished this up before I left for Atlanta, but only managed to get a picture of it a couple days ago.

This is an Elizabeth Hartman design, and it uses her signature elements of strong graphic design, solid colors, and a linen background. This was fast to sew together, but then languished in my "to-be-quilted" drawer for almost two years! I'm glad I finally finished it up, because I really think this is a cool quilt.

I quilted it in a meandering geometric squares design that I seem to use on my more "modern" quilts - something about the straight angles seems to suit these types of quilts more than my loops or swirls. The backing is a Jill Gordan print that I've had for awhile. I wasn't sure how the floral would work with the solids in the front, but I think it turned out fine.

The linen/cotton blend used as the background is a little heavier than regular cotton, so this quilt has some nice heft to it...perfect for the cooler MN weather coming our way!

Basting Dreaming

Finally, the 6th quilt in the "Finish 6 Quilts" initiative! I picked this one to work on, because like "Pointy", the top has been finished for awhile now and it just feels good to move some of those projects on and be DONE with them.

This quilt is made entirely from batik fabrics, and batiks have a much tighter weave to them than normal quilting cotton. This makes pushing the basting pins through them a bit more challenging, and my poor fingers are hurting as a result!

Look at the "frankenstein" batting for this one! I pieced it entirely out of batting scraps from other quilts. I just sew them together on my machine using a big basting stitch and a tiny barely-there seam allowance. This is frowned on, as the seams cause a ridge that could theoretically be seen, felt, noticed in quilts...but I've found that the bulk from the seams in the quilt top hides any bulk from batting seams. Would I do this for a show-quilt or something extra special? No! But for my regular everyday quilts, this works just fine. Batting isn't that cheap...might as well use it all up!

Some Travel and Embroidery

I had a friday finish all ready to go last week....but then I forgot to take a picture of it and I didn't realize it until it was 5 a.m. Friday morning and I was on my way to the airport to visit a friend in Atlanta! So no blogging, no sewing, no nothing for awhile.

Instead of all that, I had a great few days of catching up with my friend, getting a lovely massage, pedicure, lounging by her pool, and eating some good southern BBQ.

One thing I did accomplish was a little embroidery project. I belong to the CozyBlue Stitch Club, so once a month I get sent a cute little embroidery project, complete with a printed-on design and thread. I'm a few months behind on these, but sitting at an airport is PERFECT for a little embroidery work, and I was able to complete this pretty barn quilt design. The whole thing is made with the satin stitch, and I'm not such a great satin stitcher...but nonetheless I'm please with my embroidered quilt - the next best thing to making a real one!

Pointy Quilting

The "Pointy" quilt has been basted and ready to go for over a week now, but I haven't had much sewing time to start working on it! I finally sat down at my machine for an hour yesterday after work and started working on this guy.

I'm doing my sort of boxy geometric stipple that I also used on the "Aviatrix Medallion" quilt, and so far so good.

Should have this finished up by the end of the weekend!

Another Cross Stitch

Cross stitch has just been something I've been into lately, so I finished another one - more butterflies!

Recipe Time: Baked Donuts

I love donuts really a lot. I once paid $40 do go to a donut crawl, where a bajillion people stood in line in the rain for hours on end all to eat donuts from a selection of local shops. So, eating donuts I'm a big fan of. Making donuts? Not so much - the oil, the smell, the mess. Plus they're only good while they're warm, and the next day you're stuck with a bunch of cold oily pucks nobody wants to touch and a gallon of oil you don't know how to get rid of.

Enter this phenomenon called Baked Donuts! You have to buy a special pan, yes. But once that $10 investment is made at Target, you're good to go! You can make all kinds of donuts with about as much trouble as a batch of cookies, and there's no old oil, no icky smell, no expiration date of approx 4 hours.

Are there downsides? A few small ones. First of all baked donuts are not the same as fried donuts because that hot oil imparts a certain kind of magic that just can't be replicated with the oven. I'd say they're about 80% as good, like the equivalent of cauliflower mashed potatoes - you know it's not QUITE the same, but not enough for it to matter a whole lot.

I've also heard some people say that baked donuts just taste like muffins with a different shape, and I think that's where the recipe you use is really important. You want one that uses yeast for the leavening vs. just baking powder. I don't understand the science behind if all, but the yeast makes the donuts more donuty instead of muffiny. The recipe I used is from The Kitchn, and I'd say it's just about perfect but for a few small changes:

• The recipe says to pipe the dough in the pan, but it's too thick for a piping bag and I just dolloped it in the pan with a spoon instead.
• Instead of making the two different glazes, I made one batch of the vanilla glaze and dipped 1/2 of them in that, then added chocolate and dipped the other 1/2 - so 6 plain glazed donuts, 6 chocolate. 

Friday Finish: Snapshots

This is may be the cutest block of the month I've ever done. Each month was just better than the other- Teapots! Dogs! Picnic Baskets! Cake! Pretty much all my favorite things are represented in this quilt, and I've been excited to get this finally finished up.

One thing I knew I wanted to do was to fix the ice cream block - remember how I screwed this up and one of the ice cream scoops looked all weird? In that moment I didn't have energy to redo it, which was stupid because it was a lot harder to go back and fix it a couple years later, let me tell you. When will I ever learn that lesson? Get it right the first time Ruthann! I seam-ripped the offending parts out, redid it, and sewed them back in.

I quilted this with an all over spiral design, backed it in a combination of a Bonnie & Camille print from Moda, and a Connecting Threads floral, and the binding is the same print as the narrow block borders.

A very special aunt has claimed this one right from the beginning when I started working on this in 2015, so this one will be going to Aunt Alice!

Basting

I've gone through all the quilts that are small enough for me to baste at home, so I stayed later after work last night to get some of my bigger quilts basted on the conference tables here.

I only have enough pins to do 2 large quilts at a time, so I'm starting with the Snapshots quilt, because it's so cute and I want it finished, and also the Arrows quilt, which I made years ago and just needs to be done!

Colorwheels

I'm halfway though my Quilt Finishing initiative, and as promised I have not started any new projects until I finish three more quilts. Of course, I have plenty of unfinished projects laying around, so I've been pulling a few of those out when I need a break from free-motion quilting.

I started working on these paper-pieced color wheels back in February, but ran out of solid colored scraps. Since then I've worked on quite a few projects using solids, so my scrap bin was replenished and I could finish up these wheels.

There are 16 blocks in the quilt, and each block has 4 wheel quadrants. I don't mind doing curved piecing, but it is quite a bit slower than zipping through my normal straight seams. I'm about half way through with these blocks, and expect I'll have this finished up by the end of the week.

Friday Finish: Hedge Maze

I actually started quilting this awhile back, sometime in April or May, but set it aside when I got distracted by other shiny objects. It only needed another 2 hours of work on it, so I buckled down on Sunday afternoon and finally finished it up.

The quilting design is what I call "Spiky Swirls", but my swirly quilting is a little different each time I do it, and I was worried that my April version wouldn't be the same as my August version, but I think it's OK and you can't really tell any difference.

This was an easy sew - it's just large half-square triangles arranged in a cool maze pattern. This is all Kaffe Fassett material, and I just love his designs! The big, blowsy flowers, the crazy stripes, the wild color combinations...it's so much fun to work with.


The backing is a Jennifer Paganelli print I got at SR Harris. It doesn't really match the front, but I think it works just fine.

Friday Finish: Good Fortune

With all my fancy-pants quilting, this one took me awhile to finish, considering its small size. I finally snipped the last thread last night, just in time for my Friday finish!

I'm pleased with how the quilting turned out, but honestly I think I'd be just as happy with one of my all-over utilitarian designs I usually do. Oh well - it's good for me to try new things now and then!

One thing I'm cranky about is that it was impossible for my machine to quilt over all the seam joins - remember how thick these were? 16 layers of fabric! I broke two needles trying, and finally just gave up and sort of quilted around them, so now there are these strange humps in the middle of every block. I don't think it looks too bad, but it feels strange to have big lumps in a quilt. I'm hoping washing it will soften it up a bit.

The backing is the last of a Riley Blake print that I've used on a few other quilts, and the binding is leftover fabric from the front. 

Friday Finish: Strawberry Fields

No underripe tasteless strawberries here! I just love these bright juicy morsels, and the fact that I made these completely from bits of scraps makes me extra happy.

These blocks were a lot of work with all the pieces in each one, but the quilting hardly took me any time - those figure 8's are super quick and easy, and I like that they blend in nicely and aren't too obtrusive.

The backing is more of the green leafy print from the large border, and also a strip of a bright pink floral with birds I've had for awhile. I figured it was in keeping with the pink theme, and birds like berries, right? The binding is the same pink print as the narrow border on the front, and it's machine finished for extra durability.

This finished out to be a large baby/nice sized lap quilt. It doesn't have a home yet, so it's going in the quilt closet for now, and maybe I'll post it on my Etsy shop later.