Absence of Stitching

Events in my life are conspiring against my getting any sewing or quilting accomplished. My beloved van has been in the fix-it shop for about 2 weeks. That prevented my attending a sewing event at Mary's barn yesterday. DD2 had to be taken to college. A significant amount of house cleaning has been ongoing for a meeting that will be held here on Thursday evening. And preparation for 2 classes at OUC has been nagging me to be completed - those classes begin on Friday.

You can guess what gets set on the back burner, right? Even though I am not currently getting any sewing done, my mind wanders to the projects that await me. I have quilting on the brain. And, to illustrate that, enjoy this cute cartoon I found a while back on Pinterest.

That section at the top that says "so many ideas, so little time" describes things for me right now.

Happy quilting, friends!

 

3 More Great Grannies

Late last week I worked off and on on more Great Granny squares. They are so much fun to make. I am thinking that I will make enough to end up doing 2 quilts - one in Kaffe Fassett fabrics and one in scraps of things I have made other quilts and projects with. These quilts might not take shape any time soon, but over time, I will make this my goal.

So here are the 3 new GGs.

 

That's all for now. Hopefully I will get more done soon!

Happy Quilting, Friends.

 

It Can't Possibly Be

Impossible!

It is all too real, however. My oldest hit his 3rd decade today - the big 3-0. How on earth does that happen? Especially when it seems like I am still in my 30s? Hmmm, time plays funny tricks on us, I think.

Happy Birthday, Adam! Enjoy your new decade!

Back to quilting tomorrow!
Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

The Quilts at Sheryll's House

Be prepared to utter a great big OMG!! after you see all the quilts that my quilting friend Sheryll has on display at her house. Her house is probably over 100 years old, and has been well maintained through the years. The rooms are spacious and inviting, made all the more so by Sheryll's quilts. What a treat! You all just sit back and enjoy the show, okay?

We'll start in the kitchen, where we always meet when quilting is at her house. It is so cozy with all the quilty treats displayed around the room.

 

 

Did you note the patriotic theme Sheryll has going on here? All these darling wall hangings - and so many that pay tribute to the Red, White and Blue! I love it. I was feeling all accomplished by just making my first patriotic wall hanging this summer, but Sheryll has far surpassed that!!

Next we will mosey on into the family room where we will continue to see sprinklings of patriotic quilts and wall hangings, along with many other beauties.

Whew! Was that a feast for the eyes, or what? Now, the family room is behind the entry foyer, which itself is a pretty big room. Let's head in there for the final bit of eye candy.

A neat little story goes with this quilt, above. The woman pictured was the owner of this sewing machine. She was Sheryll's DH's grandmother. How nice to have not only a great picture of her, but also her sewing machine! A sweet little scene, isn't it?

Was that an awesome show, or what? I like how cleverly she has so many quilts and wall hangings displayed, as well as doll quilts and table runners. A plethora of quilts!

Hope you all have a  happy week!
Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Frankfort Girls Update

We met on Friday at Sheryll's house for a morning of chit-chat, coffee, muffins and stitching. Sheryll's mom, Loretta, joined us. We had a wonderful time, as always, even though we were missing JoAnn, who was traveling again, this time in Wisconsin!

Quite a bit to show and tell, so let's go!

Terry has finished the top on her River Blues quilt! She said it was a doozy to stitch, but gosh, it looks fantastic, doesn't it? I think I want to make one. Yeah, I really do. I will have to hitch up my resolve and just do it.

The guild that all these girls belong to is having its annual quilt show over the Labor Day weekend, so Sheryll is getting quilts ready to enter. This is one of them. It is called High Cotton, a Kim Diehl pattern. Don'tcha' love it?

Another of Sheryll's gorgeous creations going into the quilt show. We saw this one in progress a few months back. You can read about it here. It's called Cocoa Baskets and was featured in McCall's Quilting in Sept.-Oct. 2010.

This is also by Sheryll; it's a pattern by Lynne Hagmeier of Kansas Troubles called Civil War Journal, and was a BOM from a quilt shop in Portsmouth a few years ago.

While Sheryll's mother is visiting, she is sewing in an attempt to get a quilt made for every grandchild and great-grandchild. They are all getting these Log Cabin quilts. This one is beige and blue.

Purple! Loretta said it was not easy finding 7 different purples that worked well together. This turned out great, though.

Here's Loretta's with her current WIP - this Trip Around the World. It is made in sections, so here are 2 of the 4 sections. I love the colors! She says she is using up her scraps, but this seems awfully well organized to be that random!! It will be gorgeous when finished, won't it?

That's it for today!
 Happy Quilting, Friends!

Sewing With Sharon

We have been rather sporadic with our sewing dates this summer, to say the least. If it's not one thing, it's another, and we just can't seem to get our schedules coordinated! We finally managed to make a date for Thursday. Since we are both in the same book club, Sharon just made a whole day of it and we went together.

The sewing: well, Sharon worked on Tag Sale and I worked on Great Granny squares. Actually, I did a bit more than that - I also made 2 pillow cases for Emma to take to OU, and a spectacular (if I do say so myself) dinner for the family to have while we were at dinner with book club.

Sharon had hoped to get all the rows completed on Tag Sale, but she still had these 4 seams to do when we had to leave. Since it's been awhile since I showed anything on her quilt, I will remind you that she is using 2 different lines of fabrics by Robin Pandolph for a wonderfully muted and relaxing quilt.

Dreamy, isn't it?

Here are the pillow cases I made for Emma. Totally the opposite of dreamy, muted and relaxed, wouldn't you say?

Do you recognize the fabric? Yes, I let her raid my Kaffe Fassett bin, and this is what she selected. I think they look great, and I honestly don't think I could have used the fabric for any other project with such wonderful results. She is beyond thrilled with them, and I have to say I am, too.

I will show you my new GG squares later. Also, in upcoming posts, I have a quilt tour through friend Sheryll's house, and an update on the Frankfort girls' bi-weekly get together. Stay tuned!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Emma's Special Dinner

We take Emma back to OU tomorrow, and this past Tuesday I fixed her favorite meal - Tuscan Chicken. She also requested strawberry shortcake for dessert. I will tell you how I prepare Tuscan Chicken.

In a large skillet, heat an ample amount of olive oil. While the oil gets hot, season a package of chicken breasts or cutlets with salt, pepper and Italian seasonings. Put the chicken in the skillet, seasoned side down and cook without moving for about 8 minutes. Lightly season the exposed side of chicken and turn. Cook for about 5 minutes. Skillet should be on a medium heat throughout this time, but you know your stove top, so adjust accordingly.

While chicken cooks, cut chunks of Roma tomatoes, white mushrooms, and white onion. Also, open 2 small jars of artichoke hearts, as well.

After chicken has cooked, add about a quarter cup of white wine. I used Pinot Grigio, just a cheap brand. And I don't measure; I just pour, so I probably use more. Add the cut vegetables and the artichokes, oil and all. Sprinkle a bit more salt on these veggies. Put a lid on all of this, and cook on a medium/low heat for about 20 minutes.

In final 10 minutes of cooking, get a pound of spaghetti going in a stock pot. Serve chicken over pasta. Garnish with toasted pine nuts. Tastes yummy with a crusty bread or breadstick. And wine, of course. Pinot Grigio, since that is what I cooked with. Delish. Yum-O.

Bon Appetit, Friends!

 

Two More Great Grannies

I'm not getting much sewing done this week. My book club meets Thursday evening (tomorrow!) and I need to get busy on Widow of the South by Robert Hicks. As of yesterday morning I was on page 28, but this morning I am on page 186, so yesterday was a good day for reading. Not so much for sewing, though.

These two GG squares were made on Monday. I am up to 6 now.

 

 

Just some random scraps from one of the fat quarter drawers. It is so much fun to see how combinations work. I started with that yellow, then found the pink. It was wonderful finding the blue because it complements the yellow so well. I figured the only option remaining was to go with a neutral. This may be my favorite yet!

 

 

The fabric in this block is a line called 1974 by Urban Chik/Moda; I bought a small fat-quarter pack about 3 years ago. These are 4 different colors of the same design. It works for me here, but mostly, I believe I will go back to variety in all the "rounds."

Last night was the last opportunity I was going to have to prepare a home-cooked meal for Emma before she leaves for college on Saturday. So I fixed her favorites: Tuscan Chicken with strawberry shortcake for dessert. Shall I blog about it tomorrow? Can you handle not just another ordinary food post, but yet another pasta dish??

Happy Quilting - and Reading!