Secret Projects

Oh hey! Did you miss me? I missed you!

This summer has been non-stop. I'm working on a secret quilting project that I can't show, but I am still finding time to cook and sew other things.

I chopped up some bright batiks to make a scrappy Irish chain for the #ohscrap along that Canoe Ridge Creations whipped up. I did the first block at home on my Juki and subsequent blocks on my Sew Day machine. The sizes are quite different, so this will be a Sew Day project. I like it!

I've received two Try the World boxes. These are a blast. The one above is from France and the one below from Argentina. We're enjoying trying all the unique items.

Yumi, my buddy from Japan made these this beautiful wallet. I needed a new wallet. I finally had a minute to get my stuff in it. She uses vintage kimono scraps. Gorgeous!

Cherry massacre. I made these Sweet & Sour Cherry Salty Dogs. Yum. Cheers and happy Monday! I hope you're having fun.

Goodies from Japan

Yumi surprised me with a big box of fun. I can't believe she gave me her very first "soccer" bag. It's tiny, so that makes it even cuter. The hexies are only 2.5" across. Yumi made several of these bags while her dad was getting better in the hospital. Her pop is home now and reunited with his beloved kitty.

The soccer theme continued with nori rice ball wrappers that transform rice balls into fun soccer balls. I guess Yumi has World Cup fever too! The green curry tuna looks delicious. I can't wait to try it. I'm going to give that coworker that opens tuna every afternoon a run for his money!

Hollywood and her charge are going to make the candy sushi. There's a video that shows how to do it. Hollywood's Japanese language skills are nil, so she might need the video.

The beautiful fabrics on the left are from kimonos, I believe. I also received the prettiest scarf, which is gigantic. Maybe I'll be able to wrap it fashionably. I love scarves, but I can never get them to look right. I bet there's a You Tube video that could help me.

College Boy was able to preview the new Harry Potter area, Diagon Alley. He bought a wand that interacts with items in the park.

One night after work, Inspector Gadget decided we should ride our new SunRail commuter train. We parked our car at the depot close to the house and sat in the upper level for the ride. I'm happy to say we didn't hit any cars along the way. Apparently, people in central Florida like to disobey railroad crossings. Luckily, no one has been hurt, but this train has only been open two month and four cars have been creamed.

We got off the train in Winter Park and had a hard time choosing where to eat. There are so many places we wanted to try. We settled on Blu on the Avenue, which had a rainbow sushi roll special. They were also practically giving away Blue Point oysters. We ate those so fast I didn't have time for a photo!

After our huge appetizer course, we split a lobster cobb salad. The presentation was so pretty.

The lobster grilled cheese was very good too. We split that as well. Definitely no room for dessert, but we did have time to wander the area and stop off for a night cap before our came to get us.

 Here comes the train. Time to go home.

Camel Day

Sorted some solids the other day. It was that or laundry. I used the brighter solids below. I had these solids out to make paper pieced blocks, but I've fallen behind on that project. Now that they're organized I can stash them somewhere and promptly forget about them.

Our guild's BOM. A wonky star in brights and black. Easy and fun.

We missed the Florida lobster season (again!), so I bought some Maine lobsters. Not as tasty as spiny lobster but much easier to get. Did you know that lobsters were fed to prisoners in the Colonial Era? I guess they were so plentiful they washed up on shore in piles of up to two feet when the tide came in. I have a local seafood market where I can get Maine lobster for $5 a piece. I made lobster stock from the heads and shells. I plan to get more lobsters and make lobster risotto.

I found a little frame for this postcard Yumi and her son sent me.

My piles of fabric have been pulled for our guild's workshops. We are hosting the talented Jacquie Gering of Tallgrass Prairie Studio for two of her workshops. I'm very excited to spend two straight days sewing. I haven't had much time for sewing and I'm about to pop.

I did make a toddler apron for Hollywood's little charge. He's starting pre-K and it was on the supply list. I thought I had a canvas toddler apron here, but I didn't find it until today. At least I got to sew a little. He was quite thrilled with it and immediately wanted to cook dinner.

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Sunday Stash #72

I found some fun novelty prints at my favorite quilt shop. Woodstock is so cute. I've always loved that comic strip. My dad read it to me everyday before I could read. I think a Peanuts quilt might be in order. Now where did I shove those Peanuts prints?

I also scored a new seam ripper at Jo-Ann's with a 50% off coupon. This one has a rubber cap that supposedly grabs the thread crumbs.

Guess who was the lucky raffle basket winner at our guild meeting? Lots of fun stuff in there. Fabric, rulers, quilt kit, and books. Now I get to fill it up for the next meeting. I'm sure I can find a thing or two in my studio. Or stop by another quilt shop and find some fun stuff.

I made this vegetarian Italian Wonderpot Sunday night. Fettuccine noodles, vegetable broth, canned tomatoes, frozen spinach, onion, garlic, and spices are thrown in a pot and all cooked together. Top with feta cheese to serve. It was too busy for pictures, but I highly recommend the recipe. It's so easy and quick too. Here's another version that replaces the spinach and feta with basil and Parmesan. I'm going to have to try that one too. I bought new pasta bowls with birthday money. Love them.

I'm still making Artisan breads. This whole wheat boule was great with the pasta. I made a big green salad to go with the pasta and bread, so dinner was a cinch. We were swimming and goofing off, so I didn't have time for my Sunday chicken dinner. I have to remember to dust the top with whole wheat flour before I cut the slits. Looks like a bird pooped on my bread. I get a big kick out of the "oven spring" when you bake one of these loaves. They really expand. Plus, the house smells like a bakery.

Yumi, my friend from Japan, sent a bunch of pretty little quilts for our guild's charity project. The animals at the shelter will be chillin' in style won't they? They're all so pretty and I'm pretty jealous of her mad free motion quilting skills.

She also sent a bunch of snacks to share. Thanks, Yumi! I know the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild members will enjoy seeing your quilts and sampling Japanese junk food goodies!

Sunday Stash #69

I may have shown this fabric before. Big, bold flowers. I unearthed it this week. Maybe I pulled it out for a special project? It's always fun to see what's under some of my piles.

Pretty batik fat quarters I found on sale. Love the aquas with the black. I'm starting to like batiks again.  Good thing, I have a slew of them.

Orange floral and pirates. Not on sale. Couldn't resist. Inspector Gadget is a pirate. Did you know that? We fly the jolly roger on our boat. And swig rum if we're not towing kids behind the boat.

Polka dots. I may collect spotted fabric. I really like it.

My pal Yumi from Japan sent me this one. Pretty interesting. Want to see what else she sent? I love her care packages!

My favorite Japan snack cracker -- Cheeza! Looks like the orange bag is a new flavor. Cheddar and red wine? Oh, yum. One of the bags has already disappeared.

Candies for the "kids." Some of these are kits where you grow your own candies. College Boy and his girlfriend had a blast making them last time.

Smart rice and the funny face fabric again. This is Yumi's favorite rice. We both love to cook. She likes to cook American food and I like to cook Asian food. Go figure. We tried the rice last night with banh mi bowls. Delicious.

The little man charm is so funny. I have no idea what he's doing with his hand in the waistband of his pants, but just look at his face. Translate, Yumi? But I do love that she translated the item on the right. With drawn pictures and everything! It's a brooch vase you can fill with water and keep small flowers fresh. I'll have to go steal some flowers from one of my neighbors. All I can grow is celery.

Let's Get This Week Started

Six more scrappy log cabin blocks to add to my growing collection. They're still not putting a dent in my scrap stash. I have 22 blocks complete. I think 10 more and I'll be done.

Any scrap or trimming under 1.5" square gets tossed. Look at my colorful trash.

Yumi, my friend from Japan, has been busy creating beautiful quilts for AAQI. Here's her last batch. I need to get these registered along with a few of mine. She also sent along some snacks that we loved.

AAQI kicked butt selling quilts in Houston this year. A banner year; they beat all previous records. I don't have the total amount they raised for Alzheimer's research, but I borrowed this image from their Faceplace page. Each pin represents a quilt sold at the Festival.

Ready for the Weekend

I had lunch with this little lady this week. Her parents came too. Here she is sleeping like an angel on the quilt I made her. We tried the new Belle Isle Bayou restaurant. Our small little community has so many nice locally owned restaurants. We have all the chain stuff too, but I really prefer helping out the smaller establishments. The cheesy shrimp grits were amazing, but the service was awful. Hope they can work that out quickly.

Why is this crazy lady taking my photo with a flash? Mia was the perfect smiley baby while we enjoyed lunch. She downed a bottle of formula. At six months old, she's not quite ready for etouffee. She has tried and loves avocado and yellow squash. I think next up is broccoli.

Seven, yes seven more AAQI quilts from Yumi, my friend in Japan. I'm such a slacker. I haven't registered the last ones she sent. We're going to have a big pile of quilts to contribute. I bet they all get to go to the International Quilt Show.

Fun Japanese candy for the kiddos. They love when a package arrives from Japan.

Yumi also sent me a charm pack of vintage kimono scraps. I'm going to have to figure out something fun to make with these. Love all the different prints.

These crab stuffed mushrooms were the bomb. The wine and butter made the perfect dipping sauce for a sturdy hunk of bread. With a green salad, dinner is served. Yum. They're even good cold for breakfast. Or that just be my odd self. I'm ready for the weekend and some sewing time.