A head start on my summer goal

If I had my way I'd be quilting all day, every day, (except Sunday) and would be doing a daily show 'n tell here on the blog.  Wouldn't that be amazing?

Well, I can't complain.  I do quilt most days at the frames and can do applique a few days a week.

 But, most of my attention lately has been assembling photos from years past.  The stack above is from 2002.  You can see a new daughter-in-law, my sister and I at the last of the 14 quilt shops (Village Dry Goods in Brigham City, Ut) in the Wasatch Front Shop Hop. There's a signed picture of Jim Shea who won Gold in the skeleton event in the 2002 Olympics here in the Salt Lake area. My daughter#1 is there with two other competitors who went to the Goodwill Games in Venezuela and she won Gold in Karate.  There's always eating pictures because we seem to gather frequently around food.

I am determined to get caught up.  It is so different now that we have digital pictures.  I lost quite a few pictures when my computer crashed in 2008.  Thanks goodness others were taking pictures too.

I think I'm going to continue to do albums (not scrapbooking - just labeled photos) through 2010 and then I'm going to compile the pictures and order books from Shutterfly or similar places.

After I finish my family I'll go on to me as a child.  Thank goodness there aren't quite as many pictures there.  

And then it's on to my parents' family pictures.  It's a big big project............................  but, won't I feel good when it's all done.?

The bonus is remembering all the sweet and tender memories we have made as a family.  The things that make us who we are.

Love my family,
Robin

Not my first rodeo

I have been quilting on my Welsh Study II off an on since Christmas.  It is taking a long time because of the intense quilting.  I wanted to do a knife edge binding since that would be appropriate for a Welsh quilt.  BUT, I designed the little quilt to have a sawtooth outer border and didn't realize that that would make for a very bumpy and difficult binding until I had finished most of the quilting.

Once I realized my error, I did what any normal quilter would do, I rolled it up and stuffed it in the downstairs closet and went on to the next project.

The border space for the next quilting marathon.

I had calmed down enough to be sane after two months so, I retrieved it from it's dark corner to come up with a solution.  I knew I had to add another border of some kind and it would be a wrestling match with all the backing and batting attached too.  I seem to find the hardest way to do things.

I dug through my stash to see if I had anything that would match some of the colors already in the top.  Luckily I found a yard of the original toile I had already used in this quilt.  It's a miniature print that I bought in the last century.  (It was kind of fun to say that - ha!)

I cut a 2" strip and put it around the quilt but not before I had to deal with the wavy sawtooth border GASP!  Why do we do this to ourselves?

There is still a little too much fullness in that sawtooth border that I hope will quilt out.

I think it looks pretty good and will look great once it is quilted.  When I'm finished then I can do the right kind of binding for it.  And, hopefully, I won't have any other concerns to slow me down.

This was the "supposed" relief project I turned to in my frustration over the sawtooth border debacle.  I have been quilting on this at the frames (a quilt that has it's own misguided history) and am over 2/3rds  done.  I was hoping to get it done by April 30th and it May 1st today but I'm still chugging along.

If I didn't love my sport i.e. quilting so much, I'd have given up long ago.
Robin

I've wanted to make this little quilt ever since Cheri first posted the instructions here.

So today I did.
Robin

UNCLE!!!

This block just about did me in...................

Not my most accurate work but it's finished.

Robin

Basket Quilt

The gold basket quilt from my previous post is called;
   
Baskets of Flowers from the International Quilt Study Center & Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska

The pattern is in the Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting magazine  May/June 2011

I've gone through my stash of patterns to get rid of the ones I no longer have an interest in making and I'm in trouble.  I didn't put very many in the throw away stack.  The lid does fit on the box now, I guess that's some progress.

(just because I didn't want to post without a picture.)

Robin

Two new blogs to inspire

Blog reading has been inspiring today.  I read the "Quilting Everyday" blog by Rebecca and she has motivated me to re evaluate my quilting queue and work on the things that give me the most joy.

I just pulled out an applique project I started in 2001.  I only made two 18" blocks and then it got put away.  I still like it but I don't think I'll ever finish it.  I can incorporate the fabrics into my stash no problem but, what do I do with the two finished blocks and the 10 other 18" squares I have cut out?

I also read "Lining up my Stitches" blog by Juliann who is taking the time to be more thoughtful, quiet, and enjoy some simpler pleasures.  I know I enjoy life more when I don't fill it to the brim with things to do.  Just pick out a few good things and then enjoy the process. (Oh, and make sure I have a bakery item close by~)

I began going through my box of patterns from magazines and the internet to see if I still want to use them.   AM I REALLY GOING TO MAKE ALL THESE and the 100's more?

Sorry about the blurry pictures.  

I took them through the plastic sleeves and so the quality is diminished.

It is such a beautiful today that spending some time sitting in the sun and pondering will give me as much joy as I usually get by appliqueing new leaves on the latest block or making a sensational dessert. (Although dessert IS pretty important - ha!
Robin

A queenly heart, American Jane, and Biscuits/Scones

I finished block #11 for the 1857 quilt.  I am finding that some of these blocks are quite a challenge for me.  But, I keep telling myself, the only way to improve my skills is to try to do something more difficult than I've done before.

The thing I'm working on in between hunkering down with the applique blocks is this little project.  It helps me breathe deeply and not tense up. I find these fabrics just cheer me up.

I have cut out 32 blocks so far but that is only half of them.  I find it interesting that the 1857 quilt has 64 blocks and now I'm working on another one with 64 blocks.  I hope I don't confuse them somehow.

As I cut out the blocks I put them in sandwich bags.  That way, if I drop something while I'm transferring them from the kitchen to the sewing room, I won't loose anything.

The blocks are just so cute!

I made biscuits yesterday again AND I think I found a wonderful recipe.  It is from the Farm Journal's Cookbook and it's called Crusty Hot Biscuits.

This picture doesn't do them justice.  They were flaky and crisp as my teeth broke the surface and then soft and tender inside.  Just the best.  I'm still going to try other recipes but this just may be the winner.

Crusty Hot Biscuits
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 TB sugar (I didn't put any sugar in)
1/3 cup lard (I used Crisco)
2/3 cup milk
1 egg

Sift together dry ingredients. Cut lard into mixture to make coarse crumbs.  Add milk, then the egg.  Mix with fork until dough follows fork around bowl.

Knead on floured board five or six times.  Roll or pat to 1/2" thickness. (I patted the dough until it was 2" thick.  I thought 1/2" wouldn't be tall enough to have a fluffy inside.)  Cut with biscuit cutter.

Place on ungreased baking sheet about 3/4" apart and bake in very hot oven  - 450 degrees - 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 16 biscuits.  (Except since I made them so thick it only made seven.)

Delightful!!!
Robin