Busy, Busy, Busy!

I've been so busy sewing lately that I haven't taken the time to blog my projects. Nothing fancy...just fun little things that I have been working on to beautify my home. Here's a longer version of a pattern I have for a table runner. Our kitchen table is pretty long, so this is perfect for it. I have decided that Nancy Halvorsen is my favorite fabric designer...I LOVE all of her lines of fabric, especially her Christmas ones. This is her "Garden Song" line, which makes a lovely spring table runner! (easy quilting on this one...)
This is a Nancy Halvorsen pattern, but the fabric is the "Tranquility" line. I have had this top, bottom, and batting pinned together for months...I don't know what I have been waiting for, but I finally got this to my "go to" quilter, Pat, for her to do an "all over" on it. I LOVE this piece of yumminess! (and it hangs right in my living room over my chair so that I can always see it)

Same pattern...different line of fabric. Nancy's "Cedar Mill Road" charm pack. I love that I can make a nice sized table topper with just one charm pack! Will not have a hard time finding a home for this one either...

I've had this Schnibbles top done for months too, but finally put a back to it and got it off to Pat's for quilting. I love the colors of this line of fabric - "Nature's Chorus" by April Cornell. Another Spring-y wallhanging.

And this little gem I put together in about an hour. My housework was done, it's Memorial Day (so no school) and I had time to spare before fixing dinner for the family. So I gathered my leftover charm squares from my "Glace" line, and whipped this 16-patch topper up in no time!

I even had some "Portabello Market" strips leftover from a strip quilt that I had started probably 2 years ago. I love how designer's lines of fabric go with each other!

I'd say it was a pretty productive day!

Finished Work!

The husband and kids are up at the family cabin for Memorial Weekend. Mom didn't get to go because of church commitments, chickens to feed, and the garden to keep alive through the heat of Nevada - but no fretting, because it has given me lots of free time to sew and get some things done - and I don't mean laundry. Actually, I did the laundry and house work yesterday, so that I could "play" today. So I high-tailed it on getting ready this morning and started right in on some stitching on my "Be Attitude" blocks, then on to this table runner. I decided to "stitch-in-the-ditch" it myself, and even got the binding on it tonight. It is already gracing my kitchen table. Today I had a chance to go over to Sherri's house and borrow a few patterns. She even gave me a magazine that she didn't have use for. What a true friend! I'll take the day off tomorrow to keep the Sabbath Day holy, then ready or not...here comes Monday!!

New Fabric, a Sneak Peek, and a Project

The post office has been good to me this week. I received my "Hello Betty" layer cake (to match my charm pack) and the "Timber Creek Flannel" yardage to go with my Fields of Flowers quilt that I will be starting next week with the church ladies. The other yardage is from the "Portugal" line, which I LOVE! The first charm packs I ever bought are "Portugal" packs, 3 of them...so this should make a lovely quilt when I figure out which pattern I want to use.

When my daughter saw all of the fabric coming in the mailbox for 3 days in a row, she told me that I couldn't buy any more fabric till I did all of the projects that I had started...I swear I heard her say "You can't use the car until you have cleaned up your room!" Since when does a 21 year old tell her 50 year old mother what to do?! (The worse part of it is that I know she's right!) So, here is a sneak peek, and the only peek at one project I need to finish. I can't show the end result because this is ending up a gift for Christmas. Too bad!

I decided I'd better get a move on with an already purchased fabric and mind my daughter. So, here is a tablerunner that I have planned on making for a while, made out of a lovely "Louise" charm pack. The pattern came off the Moda Bake Shop. I love the way it is turning out. I used my extra fabric strips for the back again. It is pinned and ready to stipple...the only problem is that my sewing machine is 25 years old and doesn't stipple. So I am hoping that my good friend Sherri, will do it for me. Then on to the binding, and a project is done! One down, and about (?) to go!!

What a GREAT day!

Mondays have always been a good day for me, not that I always look forward to them. Who wants to let go of a Sunday? Everyone together, no work, getting to go to our Sunday meetings, starting fresh... Mondays always mean, "Okay, here we go again!" But for me it also means, no piano lessons or other obligations, getting the wash caught up (which I don't mind), a day for ME... So what could be better than waking up to a rainy, cloudy day with nothing to do but get my kids off to school, do wash, run some errands, read, and sew? Not much...unless it involved grandkids. So today that's what I did, with some warm, Baked Potato Soup thrown in for dinner. AND I got Connie's table runner done. That was the ONE thing that I really wanted to get done today. Probably the best, most relaxing, most enjoyable part of MY day was in the afternoon sitting on my family room couch, listening to Amy Grant's Greatest Hits, hearing Kevin typing away on his computer in the other room, knowing my children were safe at home, and hand sewing the binding on my new finished project! And I DID get to buy some birthday presents for little Marcelus, so grandkids were part of that fun too. Wow...Happy Good Day to you too!

BAKED POTATO SOUP

(this is a great way to use leftover baked potatoes)

3 bacon strips, diced

1 sm. onion

1 clove garlic, minced

3 Tbs. flour

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. pepper

3 cups chicken broth

2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 cup half-and-half cream

shredded cheese

In a pot, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving drippings. Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper, mix well to make a roux. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and cream, heat through but do not boil. Garnish with bacon, cheese and parsley. You can add a little hot sauce too if you want to.

Gettin' 'er done...

On Saturday I was able to get a little sewing done after being on the couch most of the day with a fever. I spent my session in the temple on Friday with chills and body aches (after I got to the temple, of course) but was glad that I went. I was planning on getting the top of Connie's table runner put together on Friday, but decided I'd better nurse myself back to health instead. So by Saturday night my fever had broke, and I was good to go. Here is what it will look like...very elementary (it is my first), but will look great in her house. Now just to back and bind it, which I get to do today!! (after I vacuum and dust...)

STILL LEARNING...

Yesterday I started Connie's table runner for her house. It actually didn't take as long as I had thought it would. The cutting out takes the most time, but was fun too. Part of the runner calls for these 4 piece squares. The hardest part about doing these was cutting the scraps off! I am saving the scraps though...I'm sure I can use them for something. I couldn't get any sewing done today as I was feeding firefighters down at our poor church building that burned down today. But after a good night's sleep, I plan on getting the top finished. Then on to backing, quilting, and binding! (Oh man, Landon has a game in Vegas tomorrow too.) I'll have to lickety split it!

Perfect!! (Sorry it's a little blurry)

Not so perfect... (check out the middle seam, aarrgghh!) Tomorrow I have a great recipe to share with you too. Yummy pancakes that are healthy, fast, AND uses food storage ingredients. Come back...