Tuesday, September 24, 2024
And The Second One is Finished, Too
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Never Underestimate a Quilt
And as each block started to emerge and the colours were distributed across the flimsy, it really started to shine.
The end result is just lovely.That beautiful 'grunge-ish' backing scattered with daisies that Roberta provided was the finishing touch, bringing everything together oh so nicely. I liked it so much that it's what I used for my binding.Her generous offer to quilt this as her contribution to the cause meant that we would be shipping a finished quilt instead of a flimsy and the playful panto ties in so nicely with the floral backing.So, all that is needed when it lands in the Quilts for Survivors studio is for a label to be attached, the quilt to be smudged and parceled up with a note and sent off to its forever home. I hope it brings joy to the recipient; I know it has brought much joy to me....M
Monday, September 16, 2024
Binding Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope is one of two quilts that I need to bind before our Quilts for Survivors boxes are bundled up for delivery. I've been dragging my feet on making the binding but finally tackled it this week, and got it sewn on.
I forget how quickly the binding goes on these quilts. They are lap-sized and considerably smaller than the quilts I usually make so I started the hand stitching yesterday and it looks like it will be wrapped up today.
It's fine, but I've gotten so accustomed to the clips that I find myself really leery of stabbing myself now if I use pins so I was thrilled when I remembered where the clips were.
It's now all clipped and ready to be finished. No point in shedding a little blood on the quilt at this stage in the game, is there?Loving the backing that I got from Roberta; I don't think that it could have been more perfect.
Next up will be the Brown Stars (creative name, isn't it?) which is trimmed and ready to go. Think this one will get a gingham binding....MSunday, September 08, 2024
It Feels Almost Like Cheating
I tested two florals for borders. Either one will work but I think that the mauve will be the winner. But it needs a little something extra.
How about a narrow strip of this tiny floral print? Nah.But this green is perfect, so I'll play a little.Friday, September 06, 2024
Second Hand Clothes is Finished
When I opened it up to cut the borders I discovered a flaw running the length of the piece about four inches in along one edge. Thankfully I have just over three metres so I was able to trim without stressing too much.I don't know that I would have come up with the red setting triangles and brown border myself (I had imagined using blue, green and brown with it), but I do love the look.There's lots of brown left so, while everything is still out I'm going to cut a second (and possibly third) set of border strips along with the other pieces that I need and it will be a good hand sewing project for the winter. Hopefully the next one comes together as quickly as this one did....M
Monday, September 02, 2024
Movin' Right Along
Now on to the border. I'm keen to wrap this project up quickly because it's time to buckle down and make a few items for the Holly Bazaar craft table so that I can get them quilted and bound in plenty of time. I've got ideas for a couple of toppers/runners but it always helps to have a firm list to work with (you know, because those quilting squirrels like Christmas too!)....M
Sunday, September 01, 2024
A Combo
I picked up a second hand stitching project when we were away but only had time to stitch about two blocks. It's another flimsy for QFS called Second Hand Clothes, so very scrappy. I've also seen the pattern referred to as Soldier's Dream.
It's the result of yet another Pinterest browsing session and it's from the Doodlebugs and Rosebuds blog. There are a variety of versions of all over the net but I particularly liked the way Ramona used the red setting triangles. This is the first block that came together; I believe that it is called Puss in the Corner.It should come together fairly quickly as every alternate block is a solid square rather than a pieced block and because the QFS tops are lap-sized, I have downsized it so that there are only 20 pieced blocks needed. I'll sew the flimsy together by machine. The combination of hand stitching and machine sewing will move things along nicely.All 20 blocks are pieced so now it's time to cut about 30 squares. Not sure if the red in the first image will be for all of the setting triangles or if I make them scrappy. Time will tell....M
Saturday, August 24, 2024
Two For You, One For Me
First up were these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies. Oh my! The texture is so lovely, even to the very edge of the pan, and there's no frosting required. They easily received the seal of approval from the Official Cookie Tester because he is a pumpkin aficionado so they will definitely go into the rotation.
I've been baking a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe for years but these are so much faster.
The second batch were these Coconut Butter Bars (photo: Cookies & Cups) and believe me, they aren't fibbing about the 'butter'. I added a few extra tablespoons of flour to the crust because it just looked too saturated and I'm happy that I did. That said, they are very tasty too and also received the OCT seal of approval. I didn't get a pic before they hit the freezer so I am sharing the one that she has on her site.The third batch (I know, I was only supposed to bake two) was a bonus for me. While hunting through mom's recipe book I found this. Anyone who grew up in our household will recognize the type. It's a page from The Baptist Church Cookbook. This was a go-to recipe book in our house, with fantastic recipes from ladies in our community and growing up I loved these squares. It was interesting to see how much less sugar they took when compared to the two recipes that I had just made, particularly the base. It's the crust that I always think of - might be the inclusion of the egg that makes it just a little different. And well, in my book you just can't go wrong with pineapple and coconut. in my book.When they came out of the oven I was almost giddy.There might have been a little taste testing at breakfast the next day.It's only a 8" pan so they get to stay with me. Such a delicious walk down memory lane....M
Thursday, August 22, 2024
Maples Leaves and Binding by the Pound
According to my math, that's about 16 metres of binding per metre of fabric.
I couldn't get over how much they weighed so when we got home I put the bag on the kitchen scale; it's over 3.5 pounds!This is my fave.
The crew at Quilts for Survivors will be thrilled as they are always on the lookout for binding that is ready to go. As a reminder, if you would like to send QFS prepped bindings they are looking to have them cut 2.5", on the bias...M