Lazy Dayz

Well, my vacation is almost over and I really haven't done much of anything other than running to appointments or shopping. :(  I'm very disappointed with myself.  I have been so tired I just don't want to do anything.  I had my sleep study on Saturday night.  Doc thinks some of my problems are that I am not really sleeping at night which is causing my extreme tiredness/lethargy during the day.  Found out I am allergic to the adhesive they used to attach the wires to my shoulders, neck, and face :/  The swelling is going down finally, although it still burns a little and is somewhat sore where it's raised up.  I had so many plans for my time off to quilt that I didn't do it.  Sydney didn't finish her quilt top either but she has a better excuse.  My brother brought his four girls down to stay the week and Sydney has been babysitting them.  She told me she may just surprise me with a completed top when I come home from work one night. :)  I really hope she does and that she really likes it because this is something I would like to do with her on a regular basis!  Other than that there really isn't much to talk about since I didn't do much.  Later.

Kerensa

RRCB

So I have decided that my next project is going to be Bonnie Hunter's RRCB, or Roll Roll Cotton Boll mystery quilt!  The reason I chose this one is because Bonnie is so great at "shopping" her stash and making scrappy quilts.  I'm afraid of my stash of scraps so I figured this may help me get over that fear lol.  My first step is to shop my stash for all of the fabric requirements.  I don't have much in the way of neutrals for the background so I may have to buy yardard for that, but I do have plenty of fat quarters that I have picked up and/or traded over the years for the rest of the quilt.  I will post photos as I progress, starting with my stash and what I pick out.  For now, I need to go help Sydney with the rest of her quilt top.  I have decided to use Mom's embroidery machine with her Quilt Works program to quilt my table runner since my Pfaff is having bobbin tension problems right now O_o.  I'll be back later.

Kerensa

Returning to Morocco

Today is officially the third day of my 10-day vacation.  Saturday I really didn't do much, just lazed around catching up on TV shows.  Yesterday I didn't do much either but we had a really awesome storm, including hail:

View from inside the house

Yep, it's coming up fast

yikes

Two pieces of hail that hit me!  About the size of small marbles. 

The yard was covered in hail bouncing around everywhere.  I was just keeping my fingers crossed that they didn't get bigger and damage the cars.  I can say the temperature dropped about 20 degrees from 102 down to 88 or so.  Felt really great outside after the storm passed.  Unfortunately, the lightening zapped the phone box down the road and half of the area has been without phone and internet service for 2 days now!  I was jonesing really bad for Facebook and my blog LOL  Finally they got it back on around 7 tonight.  



Today Mom and I went to Margie's Quilt Shop to try to find fabrics to make the purses we got the pattern for.  We had so much fun shopping and looking around!  See what we got:

 

Fairy Frost fabric and charm squares to make this bag for mom:

That was the bag that I wanted to make but I couldn't find any charm squares in the batik colors I wanted since I really wanted the bag exactly as it is shown in blues and greens so while I was browsing the fabrics I found...Dragonfly Summer jelly roll, the LAST one!!!! :)  For those who have read my blog the Dragonfly Summer fabric collection by Moda has been on my want list since I first found it online.  So needless to say this is the fabric I chose to get for my bag:

This bag has directions for charm squares, strips, or whole cloth.  Now I have never in my life ever made anything like this before!  I'm very nervous, especially with how much the fabric cost us, so no room for mistakes!  However, mom has made clothing and other things before so she has promised to help me make them :). 

So after we went fabric and then grocery shopping I came home and told my daughter Sydney that today was a mother/daughter craft day.  She was very excited about this so I pulled out a HUGE stack of charm squares that I have collected over the years through swaps and gifts etc along with some old off-white background fabric squares and taught her first how to separate them into light and dark stacks, starch and press the squares, then how to measure and square up all of the blocks to a 5x5 size with the rotary cutter.  She then got on the living room floor and began playing with the block layout.  She is just going to do a simple lap quilt for herself.  Here is her progress so far:

Sydney pressing charm squares

Sydney playing with block layout/design

The Singer machine mom loaned Sydney to learn on and her rows of blocks labeled and ready to sew

And since I'm showing sewing machines, here is my lovely Pfaff:



While I was at Margie's today I found a long-arm quilting machine (I think it was a Bernina, but could have been a Janome) I really, really want to get one one day!  But that will be when I am more experienced.  Margies has quilting classes and I am hoping to take their Beginner Quilting class and also take the SNIPS CATCH-IT & PINCUSHION class with Sydney.  The only problem with this class is it is on Wednesdays and I have to work.  The next one is on July 13th so we shall see if I can afford to take a couple hours off to take her and then go back to work.  Who knows. 

So anyway, while Sydney was working on her charm squares I finally broke down and made my Return to Morocco table runner and I think it turned out pretty darn good!  In hindsight, I would probably change my "medium" color since it blends a little too well but overall I LOVE LOVE LOVE it and the fabrics match so perfectly with my house decor.  So here we are from start to finish:

Three fabrics to start with and the instructions

All the pieces cut

HST (half square triangles) of light and dark fabrics

HST's added to other pieces

Cut in half ready to make flying geese

Flying geese left and right

Geese combined together

and now for the grand finale (sorry, got carried away and didn't take other pictures lol)

Return to Morocco table runner

pattern by Far-Flung Quilts Carolyn Griffin

Close up

So...what do you think?  I know, it blends in really REALLY well with my wall but I haven't quilted it or put on binding yet, that is for tomorrow. ;)  I'm very proud of myself, it's a great-looking table runner, especially for my first one and it only took me about 3 hours to make from start to finish, including helping Sydney out with hers.

Well, I suppose that is about all for tonight.  Maybe one day I will get some of these patterns and photos put on their own tabs.  Need to learn more about blogging first though lol.  Until next time, happy quilting!

Kerensa





Electric Quiltin'

I haven't had much energy today to do more than watch movies and play on the laptop while doing so.  Today I watched Burlesque with Cher and Christina Agulera (sp?).  I loved the movie.  Not an actual musical like I thought it would be but really good.  Watched most of Black Swan until the kids got home then turned it off as it was a tad bit racy.  Will have to watch it later on when the kids aren't around.  Hubby and Jamie are currently watching The Green Hornet.  So while I was watching TV all day I played around with my EQ 5 program (Electric Quilt) and designed three quilts as well as did a mystery quilt tutorial from EQ.  Have a peek:

Earthy Bargello

Red and Black

Trip Around the World (with hubby's help)

Electric Quilts' Mystery quilt 'EQuinox"



So, even though I didn't actually 'sew' today, I did do some 'quilting' lol.  I'm more tired than I should be and tomorrow is back to work and training so have to get some rest tonight. Anyway, Mom just called me and she tried her hand at a homemade NY-style cheesecake and wants me to come try it.  Who can turn down cheesecake?  Not me! lol  Until next time, happy quilting!

Kerensa

Comfort Cake

Today was very draining for me.  Mom and I went to Kohl's where it was 100 degrees inside, at least it felt like it since I was sweating like crazy just strolling around.  Then we ran over to Jo Ann's fabrics and picked up some fusible felt and a cute purse pattern.  The problem is the pattern I like uses charm squares and Jo Ann's didn't really have any that I liked so I am shopping online for them.  I can't decide between the Dragonfly Summer fabric or Tonga Batiks.  Mom wants to make one for her too.  We stopped by the base and I picked up some Tom Collins mix and some Vodka now that Mom has me hooked on Cherry Vodka Collins drinks :)  I don't drink often but when I do it has to be good.  So one of my favorite liqueurs is Southern Comfort (yes, that is where I got the name Suthrn from lol) and today I found this yummy recipe:

Comfort Cake

Cake
18 ¼ oz. Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix
3 ½ oz. Pack Instant Vanilla Pudding
4 Eggs
...½ Cup Cold Water
½ Cup Oil
½ Cup Southern Comfort
1 Cup of Pecans (If wanted)

Glaze
¼ Cup Butter
1/8 Cup Water
½ Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Southern Comfort
Combine Cake ingredients. Beat medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into greased, floured 10” Bundt Pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Cool and invert on the plate. Prick the top, and brush ½ of the Glaze evenly over the top and sides. Cool the Cake again reheat the glaze and repeat. Before serving sift a little Powdered Sugar over Cake.
Glaze: Melt Butter. Stir in water and sugar. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in Southern Comfort.

I so can't wait to make it!  Tomorrow is Father's Day and my dad has to work tonight so will be sleeping tomorrow.  The kids and I have breakfast planned for the hubby and a couple gifts.  Tomorrow hubby can do whatever he wants (as long as he leaves me alone while I'm sewing lol).  I'm going to head off here and finish watching Lord of the Rings before heading to the room.  G'nite everyone and Happy Fathers' Day to all the dads out there, especially mine! <3

Kerensa

The Weekend Is Here!!

I really don't have much to talk about today.  I have been very busy at work all week training my replacement and just exhausted when I get home.  I start my new position on Monday but have to be trained the first two days so will go in 7-4 Monday & Tuesday then on Wednesday I start the 8-5 shift. I'm excited and a tad bit nervous lol.  I want to sew this weekend but will be taking Mom to town tomorrow morning so maybe tomorrow afternoon and Sunday I can get some sewing in. Maybe I will finally work on that table runner I got or possibly put a top together from my UFO blocks. Who knows. I'll make sure I upload some pics no matter what I do.  Anyway, I just wanted to post a bit since it's been a few days.  I'm off to watch something with the family.  :) Toodles

Currently Reading: Blood Canticle by Anne Rice on my Kindle

Kerensa

Clay's Choice

I just could not wait until July for the next BAB BOM lesson so I went to Quilt.com and made the June 1997 block of the month "Clay's Choice".  It turned out pretty good but I was a bit off on either the 1/4" seams or when I pinned the blocks to meet up with the blue squares I was off, but it still looks good to me. :)  I'll just have to keep practicing.

When I saved the photo of the block I also found one more photo of one of my WIPs/UFOs:

I can't remember when I made it but I do know it was a mystery quilt and I really had a lot of fun making it.  As you can see it has been stored away in a box for quite a few years now so is very wrinkly lol.  I'm trying to decide on borders since I can't find the fabric anymore (purchased at Wal-Mart) and what I do have left over is not really enough to do much with. 

I'm having so much fun getting back into the habit of sewing again! :D  I just hope I keep up with it.  This weekend I want to start making my table runner and go through fabric to make my TATW quilt.  Well, I need to go clean up the "sewing room" and get ready for bed.  Morning comes early ya know? lol

Kerensa