The final quilt of 2010

As the year winds to a close, I was able to finish one last quilt. Last night, I mentioned to my dh that I just finished the last quilt of 2010, and his comment was, "are you sure?" - implying that I might get another one done before the year was over. Such a funny guy! :)

This is a little rag baby quilt for a co-worker. Her baby girl is due at the end of January. The squares are 5". I didn't actually measure it now, but it is 9 squares across, by 12 squares up and down.

I've been trying to total up the number of quilts I made this year. I don't have an exact count for sure, but I think I made 5 "big" quilts (bed sized) and 14 baby quilts. I also made 18 table runners. There were a few smaller projects too, like notebook covers, hot pads, aprons, burp cloths and bibs....

We'll see if I can keep up this pace in 2011. I'm sure gonna try!

Happy New Year everyone!

Merry Christmas!

Here's Charlie, with his new Christmas toy, wearing his elf hat, and too tired to care..... this pretty much sums up how I'm feeling right now! I hope everyone had a great day!

The Last Two......

Ok, so I know you are probably tired of seeing Christmas table runners. I promise these are the last of the bunch. They were shipped off to Colorado yesterday. I have one more project I would like to get done before Christmas. We'll see......... :)

Snowed In and working on projects

We had a blizzard over the weekend, so it was a good time to stay in and get some projects done. This is a baby quilt I finished for a co-worker. Her baby is due on Christmas Eve, and she doesn't know what she is having. I will take it to work with me tomorrow, and give it to her. The backing is yellow gingham check. Nothing fancy. I am happy with the way it turned out. It measures about 38 inches wide by 50 inches long.

On my "team" at work, 5 out of 26 women are pregnant. 3 of the 5 know the sex of their babies - 2 girls and one boy. The other 2 have opted not to find out.

The tablerunners shown below were shipped off earlier in the week to 2 of my sisters-in-law. Both of them have December birthday's. I have 2 more quilted, and they just need the binding hand sewn.

Ok, I know it's been awhile......

Here's what I've been working on.......table toppers and table runners. Top topper (how funny is that?) is about 19 inches square. It's on it's way to my niece in Alaska. Next one went to a co-worker. It's just under 15 inches square. 3rd down is for my daughter-in-law's mother. I gave one almost identical to it to my daughter-in-law. And the bottom one went to a friend for her birthday. Gonna go had sew a binding onto another right now - a disappearing 9 patch. I promise to post a picture when it's finished........

Fall Table Runners

These table runners were the projects that I had in the works. I finished hand sewing the binding on them last night. They are all birthday gifts. The one on the left is for a co-worker. I delivered one of the other ones today - I can't tell from this photo which one it was, but it went to Julie for her birthday, which is tomorrow. The third one will be shipped to Colorado, hopefully to arrive in time for my sister's birthday on Saturday. I don't think she reads my blog, so I should be safe..... :)

Quilt Tops

I finished two quilt tops today. The firs one was part of a quilt along. I am not so sure about this one. I guess I'm not exactly sure what I don't like..... too much going on with it maybe. I am not a huge fan of stars, either, and almost didn't participate in the quilt along when I saw that it was stars. I need to trim some threads, and then it's off to the quilter.
Here's a shot of the whole thing.. but the colors don't seem true in this picture.

Here's a baby quilt top that I finished today also. This one measures approx. 39 x 52 inches. I put it aside for now, but intend to quilt it myself one of these days. I wouldn't say that I love it, but it's ok....

Some fall (Thanksgiving) table runners are in the works for this week.

One more Halloween project

This one is also for the silent auction at work - for the Children's Christmas fund. I have one more Halloween table runner pieced, but I think I'll save it for next year.......

Halloween Again!

Here is another Halloween project I've been working on.... a little table topper. This one will be on a silent auction at work. We are trying to raise money for the needy children's Christmas fund. This is one wonky log cabin block........ the wonkiness might make it look crooked, but it is a perfect 15 inch square.

Tomorrow, I need to get black thread..... then I can finish the other table topper.

Another Halloween Table Runner

I'm giving this one to my dear DIL. Most of the fabric if from the "Halloween Nights" collection by Moda. I free motioned quilted it on my new sewing machine.... not the best quilting job in the world, but if you look closely, it kind of fits the Halloween theme. (you know, rather scary! lol) I will be finishing up a few more Halloween projects in the next few days.

Innocent Crush

Ok.............. I did it. I couldn't help myself. I saw all the neat stuff that was being made with Anna Marie Horner's new fabric, Innocent Crush. So, last night at 10:30, I went here.
And I ordered the fat quarters............:) And now I can't wait for them to get here!

"Pure" is finished!

I picked up this quilt from the quilter a couple of weeks ago, and got the binding sewn on last week. I almost forgot to post the picture!

Unfortunately, I do not have a good picture of the back... too hazy looking with the way the sun was positioned.

Anyhow, I'm not sure what I'm doing with this one. For now, it's a "couch" quilt!

Most of the fabric is "Pure" by Sweetwater for Moda......... :)

Quilt Show

Last Saturday was the quilt show in Des Moines. Julie http://joetulipsquilts.blogspot.com/ and I had made plans several weeks ago to attend the quilt show. Last year, her mom came with us. The three of us had a blast. This year, her mom was unable to go with us........ I guess she was on a cruise or something. I can't imagine it being as much fun as the quilt show........ :) As we were leaving Titonka, we saw a glorious sunrise to the east...

Several miles south of town, this was what we saw...

. One thing I wanted to do at the quilt show was look at sewing machines. My intention was simply to look at them. Really - it was. I have a little Kenmore seweing machine that I bought just over a year ago......It does a great job, but it has limitations. I would say it has outdone itself in the $99 sewing machine department. But there are certain things you just can't do with it. Like free motion quilt. It is not designed to let you lower the feed dog, which is really quite important if you want to free motion quilt.

So, we made the rounds....looking at all the lovely fabric........ all the neat patterns.......

I had a list of the sewing machines I wanted to look at.

First up was the Husqvarna/Viking. I just love the way that name rolls off the tongue...... Husqvarna.........

Keep in mind that I really had no idea the prices of the sewing machines I was looking for. Most of these sewing machines are only available from the dealers, and you don't usually find prices for them online or anything. So, I was looking at the Husqvarna Sapphire. I had read about it online, and it sounded like a nice machine. Again, I really had no intention of buying a sewing machine..... but then I asked the price. When she told me how much it was, I almost said, "Really? Is that all?" Not that it was "cheap" by any means, but I really had no idea what to expect, and It was a lot less then I was expecting her to say.

I was almost ready to buy it, but I wanted to look around first. I hope that lady at the Husqvarna booth isn't still waiting for me.......

Next we found the Baby Lock booth. I had seen an ad in a quilt magazine for the Melody.... It sounded like a nice machine, with lots of features I would want. We were also asked to try out a serger at this booth, to help make fleece blankets that would be donated to the Methodist Hospital.

So, while Julie played with the serger, I tried out the "Melody". As the rep from Baby Lock was demonstrating the machine, I was thinking, "There is no way I'll be able to afford this." It had even more features, but more important to me, it came will all the extra "feet" I wanted. I wouldn't need to pay extra for them like I would with the first machine. Finally I just asked her the price. Much to my surprise, it was the same price as the first machine, and if I would buy the demo model, they would take $75 off. I pretty much knew at that point that I would be going home with that sewing machine! But I also knew that there were 2 more sewing machine booths that I wanted to look at.

So, next we hit the Janome booth. Sorry..... no picture. Their reps were all quite busy, so we didn't get a demonstration. But, I did see a price, as they had a "show special". Just as I figured, the one I was interested in there, the Janome 7700, was out of my price range. From there, we hit the Bernina booth. I basically knew before I got there that I could not afford the Bernina I wanted. I do have a Bernina....... my mom's old model from 1955. It does still sew, but it is very slow...... and it is definitely not a quilting machine. The lady at the Bernina booth was very nice. She was doing some quilting, and we watched her. She made it look so easy. The main reason I would want a Bernina for quilting, is for the stitch regulator. But of course that comes at a price. With the quilting machines starting at $2000, I knew I wouldn't be taking one of them home.......

So, back to the Baby Lock booth we went.


And here is "Melody" at home.......



Needless to say, I didn't get much other stuff at the quilt show. Just some fabric, a pattern for an "argyle" quilt, and some wonderful cotton rope to make some placemats or something like that. I really wanted to find the "Dream On" fabric. It's a Moda fabric - Urban Chiks. I found it at the "Quilted Forest" booth...... our friends over in Forest City had it, but I want all the way to Des Moines to buy it! That cute cowboy print is also a Moda fabric- one that I had not seen before. I thought i would make a cute baby boy quilt someday.

Anyhow, I think I've blogged on long enough........:)

Wow....... It was delicious!

I made a pumpkin cake today, and it was so quick and easy, and delicious! I kind of improvised......I found a recipe, but felt it needed some "tweaking". So here's what I did....

Start with a white cake mix. I think I used Betty Crocker. Whatever..... just your standard regular white cake mix. Dump the cake mix in a big bowl. Then add:

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Next put in 1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin

2 eggs

and 2/3 cup of buttermilk.

What, you say? You don't have any buttermilk?? I never do either, but I found this wonderful product!


It's a powder, and sold in the baking aisle. So, if you don't have "actual" buttermilk, put in 2 1/2 tablespoons of this stuff, and then add 2/3 cup of water.

Mix together well. I used my electric mixer and beat for about 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed.

Spread in a greased 9x13 inch cake pan. Then make the streusel topping.

In a small bowl, mix together 2/3 cup of brown sugar, 2/3 cup flour, and 1/3 cup of cold butter, cut into small pieces. Mix together with a fork or pastry blender. Fold in 1/2 cup of chopped pecans. Sprinkle over the unbaked cake.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes. I actually baked mine for 33 minutes.

Let cool slightly. Drizzle with cream cheese frosting. You can just use the canned stuff, and microwave it until it is drizzling consistency. I used some homemade cream cheese frosting, leftover from Nathan's Red Velvet birthday cupcakes.

Halloween Table Runner

It looks kind of wrinkly - maybe because I just pulled it out of the dryer, and it isn't completely dry. Anyhow, here is the Disappearing 9 patch Halloween table runner. I am giving it to a co-worker for her birthday. Tomorrow. I have been working on a pinwheel table runner, with the rest of the charm pack. I hope to get it finished in the next day or two...

Would you believe??

Tomorrow is Nathan's 21st birthday! Where has the time gone? Happy Birthday, Nathan!

Only 2 Month's Until Halloween......

Over the weekend, I decided to "play" with the Halloween fabric. I think my favorite quilt pattern is "disappearing 9 patch", and since I couldn't think of anything better to do with the fabric, I decided to go for it!

I managed to get 3 blocks done. With some black fabric for sashing and borders, these 3 blocks should make a nice sized table runner.

I'll be sure to post a picture when it's finished!

Shipped to Alaska

My niece and her husband are expecting their first baby. They are currently living in Alaska. The baby is due in just a couple of weeks. I decided I better get something sent off to them, to welcome the little bundle. Since they don't know what they are having, I tried to keep things as neutral as I could. If they have a girl, I'll have to send some pink things later! The dog bone shaped things are burp cloths!

These are flannel receiving blankets. I know, it's a bad picture! One is a pale green with white stripes, one is green with dots - blue and yellow, I think, and one has a print - green, with some blue and brown.

These are bibs........ I am sending a total of 4 of them. I made 5, but let's just say that one of them had issues.....

This is the back side of the quilt. I machine quilted it myself.

This is close-up of the front.

And here is the whole thing..... I just love the monkey fabric.

If you click on the photos, you'll see them bigger!

Painting Today

We are painting the living room today. Diamond Vogel #7472, Turquoise Trick. I didn't realize that was the name of the color, until right now. It's hard to get a picture of the true color. Anyhow, painting and getting ready for this -- the sofa and loveseat, that is. Also a recliner, not pictured! I found a similar ottoman on the Target website - that opens for storage. I am thinking I might need that as well.

Which should be delivered on Tuesday. I am getting excited! My friend Julie is getting this version - also on Tuesday.

Scary Fun

I need to get started on something with these. I am thinking table runners would be a good idea. I got them both here. I'll be sure to keep you posted on the projects........

Weekend Getaway?!

The weekend before last, we took one a trip, our final "hurrah" of the summer, you might say. Son #3 whined that we hadn't taken him anywhere during the summer, and he would be leaving to go back to college soon. I took Friday off. We stopped in Mankato, to drop Charlie off at with son #1 and dear daughter-in-law. After going out for ice cream with them, we headed up to the Twin Cities. Shakopee, to be exact. We would be spending the night at the hotel/casino.

Note: none of us are in the picture. And I would NEVER sit at a table and play Black Jack. I would (and did) play a few slot machines and video poker. Son #3 was the only one that came out ahead. He seems to have a thing for red 21 on video roulette.

We ate the buffet........ it was delicious! I don't know what's on this plate (again not my picture)! But of course who would think to take any pictures of the buffet.... :). Also keep in mind that I am not very good at getting my pictures lined up with what I'm writing about!

So, Saturday morning we got up, fed the machines a little more money, and decided to leave. The plan was to go to the Uptown Art Fair in Minneapolis. Ah, but it was raining. We decided to go to Key's Cafe for a delicious brunch. Son #2 had the Italian Hash. He gave me a sample and it was delicious! (Again, not my picture. - are we seeing a pattern here?)

By the time brunch was over, it was done raining, the sun was out, and it was getting very warm. (ok, downright hot!) We headed to the uptown area of Minneapolis, for the art fair. It took awhile, but we finally found a parking spot several blocks away. We saw lots of wonderful artwork for sale, and tons of people.

We walked around for a couple of hours. It was really hot and humid. Finally, around 4 p.m., we decided to go check into our motel. We were staying near the airport, in Bloomington. I won't bore you with any pictures of the motel, since I don't have any. In fact, I really don't even remember which chain it was.

We rested and cooled off for awhile, before heading out for dinner. We ate at Psycho Suzi's - a place we had seen on Diners, Drive-In's and Dives on Food Network. This actually is my picture of the sign......

It is a tiki-bar. But this is not my picture of the tiki......anyhow, you get the idea. We had very tasty BBQ chicken pizza. It was SPICY!

After dinner, we went here for awhile....... When we used to live in Minnesota, I remember a radio jingle for the mall......... "a place for fun in your life, Mall of America." Well, they had some trouble with some gangs a few years ago, and we changed the words to "a place to run for your life, Mall of America."

On Sunday, we got up and went to Ikea.

From there, we went here....

Then we went to Slumberland. I have been wanting some new furniture for quite awhile. I offered son #3 my sofa for his apartment, and he accepted. That meant I need to get something new for the living room.

In the Slumberland ad in the Sunday paper, they had a brown sofa and loveseat on sale for a great price.

Here is the sofa --We'll be getting the matching loveseat, too....... sorry, no picture - it looks the same, only 2 cushions rather than 3. We are also getting a recliner........ but it's taking me forever to add the photos, so I'll wait and show you when I actually get it. Oh, and while I was at work today, they called. It's not coming tomorrow, but next Tuesday instead......

After we left Minneapolis, we went down to Mankato, to pick up Charlie. Before leaving for home, we took the whole group out to eat here.......

I know....... not a very exciting vacation, but we did have fun. I'll try to post some pictures of projects later this week!