Sunday Stash #33

Fun kitchen and hot chili pepper prints from a swap partner. Love the bold graphics on the fork and spoon print.

I've been wanting some Essex linen/cotton blend. That's the putty color on the far left. Not sure what I'm going to do with it, but it's a neat fabric. The black, white and pink cow print...hmmm...I don't know. I hope it was on sale. :P

My cousin and his wife are having a baby girl. It's so exciting to have a baby in the family again! I made these little shoes for Mia. My aunt is knitting a blanket and I'm sure there will be other handmade goodies for the little one.

Someone also sent me Dresden blades in 1930's fabrics. I sewed them up the minute they arrived. Dresden plates are still one of my favorite blocks. One day I'm going to make a quilt full of them.

We had family in town this weekend and a big birthday bash at my cousin's house. My cousin and I are the only family left in Orlando. Everyone deserted us, but luckily they didn't move far. I decided to bring pies to the shindig. I've had tomato tarts on the brain all summer since the tomatoes have been so wonderful. This tomato pie sounded easy and interesting.

Since I had an extra pie crust, I decided to make a dessert version. Brownie-walnut pie. I put some walnuts on top as an allergy warning. Both pies were well received and not a bit was left. Today I'm making two loaves of banana bread for Inspector Gadget to take to work for another birthday celebration. It's been fun baking and sending all of it out the door.

Fall Is In The Air

I finished my little log cabin mini for AAQI. They need more quilts to take to Houston, so if you get a spare moment, whip up one.

Oh my goodness, go look at this block Pink Penguin made. Isn't she talented?

I'm feeling a bit of Fall even in central Florida. Skinny jeans from winter feel a bit like compression stockings. Or so I've heard. Happy weekend!

Well I'm Obviously Having Fun

Oh. my. Try this roasted tomato soup at your earliest convenience. Ignore my icky picture and go look at Deb's pretty photos. I snapped a quick photo eating leftovers this morning. Best breakfast ever. The soup can be made a day ahead (recommended) with the cheese crouton added before serving. I used big slabs of homemade rye bread and sharp cheddar for my crouton. Oh no! I just remembered that I forgot the raw diced onion in the servings I made last night. I'll add that to the leftovers and see if it adds another dimension. The onion sure wasn't missed. This soup was fantastic. Melted cheddar rye bread crouton, sublime.

Yesterday, I pulled some solids out of a charm pack I've been hacking on and played with a colorful (and wonky) log cabin block. I think I'll stop while I still like it and turn it into a mini quilt for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. Today is World Alzheimer's Day and AAQI does so much to help cure this disease.

Back to work now. Maybe if all goes well, I'll be able to get crafty this afternoon. Wish me luck.

Burning Man, Not Bread

I get a bread baking urge every now and then and I had all the ingredients for Smitten Kitchen's New York Deli Rye Bread.

Inspector Gadget kept freaking out while I was preheating the oven to 450 degrees for 30 minutes. He has an unnatural fascination with the oven and must comment whenever it beeps. Since he doesn't cook, the beeps never involve him, but he is still the first to alert you when the buzzer goes off. It could be a lingering fear from the time he did cook while I was out of town and burnt a pizza to a black crisp. That was the third time the fire department came to our house. Nice. Note, I didn't cause any of the false fire alarms and our automatic smoke detectors are quite sensitive.

And I just saw this roasted tomato soup with broiled cheddar crouton. I know exactly what I'm using the leftover rye for!

Speaking of burning food, I had never heard of Burning Man until one of my favorite bloggers mentioned it earlier in the summer. Once a year, a bunch of artists, inventors and citizens (participants) gather together for a week in the Nevada desert and create a not-for-profit city dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance. It's kind of deep and spiritual to many, and I find it very interesting. Christina and her husband took quilt blocks and a treadle machine to share with their fellow citizens. If you want to see some background information, there's a documentary titled Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock on Netflix.

Sunday Stash #32

I didn't quilt or sew until about four years ago, but I've always collected fabrics. Mostly vintage or retro prints like these. I found all of these cotton cuties at an estate sale last week. It's a good thing I finally learned to sew!

I also found these two biscuit cutters which I've wanted forever. The elderly lady who lived next door to me growing up watched me after school and taught me to bake while we watched Dark Shadows and Merv Griffin. She kindly gave me her biscuit cutter which I used for many years. Even after it got mangled in the garbage disposal. Luckily my dad was able to pound it back to a round shape. Sadly, it's been lost for years. I suspect some child of mine used it for something and never put it back. Same reason we only have two teaspoons.

I Spy Some Fun

This Triangular Thread Catcher was fun and easy. Sushi, anyone?

It was such a quick and easy project, I made another. These might be handy when sewing in the family room. I usually drape the cut threads on the dog, which he loves.

I've been collecting I Spy fabric charms for a while now. I've always been a sucker for novelty prints. There are a lot of swaps out there to trade charms and you can even buy pre-cut I Spy charms on eBay. One day I'm going to make an I Spy quilt. Or 17 of them.

I also collect food-themed prints. In a fit of boredom I separated all the food prints from the other charms. Maybe a food I Spy would be fun?

But today I saw this I Spy Book tutorial and knew I'd have to give it a try. It's never too early to start teaching babies about money!

Winding Down

The gazillion swaps I signed up for are winding down. Whew! The theme for this month's Doll Quilt Swap was black and white with a splash of color. For some reason, I was stumped. I decided to go wonky, but after all was said and done, I wish I would have gone wonkier. Sometimes wonky just looks like a mistake if you don't own it.

I used this fun print for the backing fabric. It must have been on sale somewhere, because I have a ton of it. The kidlets are kind of elfin, aren't they?

My thread catcher's regurgitation. I think someone should design a fabric with an all-over thread strings print. It would be perfect for quilter's clothing. I sport that look daily.

Love these patterns for house blocks. We're doing these for our October block lotto for our guild. Some lucky quilter will win them all! Just a few more deadlines to meet, and I'll be ready to sign up for more swaps or tackle some UFOs.

It's Time To Eat!

Quickie dinner last Friday night. Salad caprese, homemade tortilla chips and chopped avocado. No muss, no fuss. If I had my way, I'd eat appetizers for every meal. I've eaten my body weight in salad caprese this summer.

I try to eat a healthy breakfast, but this brown puffed rice is not very filling with skim milk. Plus it looks a little like maggots. The other cereal I eat has flax seeds in it and they look like bugs. Maybe I'm not a cereal person. Speaking of milk, we ran out of milk Saturday morning and I had to use heavy cream in my coffee. It. was. delicious. Crazy good. Is that what they do at Starbucks to keep everyone coming back?

So an hour after breakfast and right before I pass out from malnutrition, I had to have some Triscuits and brie. My favorite Triscuits are the Deli Rye flavor. I cannot live without those crackers.

An apple mug rug for an aspiring teacher. Anyone remember Dick and Jane readers? My very funny blog buddy Rachel has a hilarious post of early reader books.

Swapdillylicious

I made a table runner for the For The Love of Solids swap. The runner measures 12" x 58". Interesting to quilt to say the least. I pulled up my big girl panties and did the best I could. Actually, the hardest part was trimming everything square. I ended up with an "elbow" in the center of my first trim. After quilting, I squared rectangled it up again with much better success.

I made a pouch and pincushion to send too. It's been a blast seeing everyone's creations with solid fabrics. I love the online quilting and crafting community. Very inspiring.

My partner Reene of Nellie's Niceties made me a gorgeous sewing machine cover and pincushion. Red, my machine is going to be thoroughly spoiled wearing this piece of art. I may never sew again and just leave this cover on to admire it. The back side has beautiful hand embroidery. I'm so lucky!

Is It Friday Yet?

Three Houses, 12.5" x 6".

A little mini I whipped up for a swap. We're making these blocks for our guild's block lotto, so I decided to test drive the pattern for this little mini. Black is so hard to photograph.

I finally put some borders on the wonky houses. Now to get this baby quilted. I might attempt it myself.

I did quilt and finally finish this table nuisance runner. My family considers table linens a nuisance.

A little linen and cotton pouch for a swap. I hardly break a sweat when I see zippers now. Progress. Just don't ask me to put one on a piece of clothing. The thought of that still makes me perspire, as a lady says. My mom always said that. I wonder if her mom said the same thing?

And one more little mini for our guild swap. Thankfully, I had a single Grandmother's Flower Garden bloom hanging around, because the deadline was looming. More swap deadlines are coming. I need a butler and a maid.

Link-o-Rama

I stumbled upon this awesome recipe site, Food Gawker. I think I bookmarked 10 recipes within minutes! Maybe I was hungry.

Photographs by Ursus Wehrli. 

Google Reader thought I might be interested in these photos. Google Reader knows me so well. This video shows how one of the photos was accomplished. What a job!

Tutorial City

I stumbled upon Gwenny Penny's adorable blog today (thanks The Long Thread). Check out Gwen's adorable pencil pouch. I wonder if college kids still carry pencils? My daughter is using my polka dot homemade laptop cover for college. I thought for sure she would have to go out and buy something "normal." I did have to pack her a lunch today. It appears that college food is just as awful as high school food. It's nice to still be needed. My days are numbered.

Gwenny Penny has even more cute tutorials right here. I wish I could spend the afternoon making all her cute little things.

Crafting blogs are so distracting. If you need something to make, my Pinterest small project board is growing with cute projects. Go make something. That laundry will wait.

Cheesy

I've been making some blocks...

Cheese and Anchovies

French Lentils

And shopping at Whole Foods. There isn't a Whole Foods nearby, but when I get over on that side of town and I'm going straight home, I pop in and spend a bundle. Most of my time is spent at the olive bar and the humongous cheese section. I could live in that cheese section. Whole Foods has so many different and wonderful products. What a fun store. I would give up my first born for a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's nearby. I wouldn't really, because who wants a 19-year-old that doesn't cook or clean? He's getting good at laundry though. ;)

Who doesn't love a country fair? Culler's french fries with vinegar, anyone? Corndogs? Cotton candy? A rock-blasting ride on the Himalaya? If you want a lower calorie and quieter version, September 6 starts the Moda Country Fair with a month-long celebration of free patterns and projects, recipes and more.

Don't forget the macaroon giveaway here.