A New Home

Sangria has found a new home.

As my Daughter was packing things up, she started folding Sangria up and putting it in a basket.

I said, "Hey, what are you doing?"

She said, "You said this quilt didn't have a home or propose, so I figured it's my new quilt."

I think that means she likes it!

Take care, Brandie

Sangria

Remember all those (35) Kaffe blocks I won at my guild meeting a couple of weeks ago?

Well I went through them and found that I could only live with 9 of them. Thank goodness I have a friend who loves Kaffe, because she will be inheriting 26 blocks.

I really tried to put them together and to like them but there was just too much going on for my tastes.

I admit it, I'm afraid of color!

But I did really love these 9, so I put them together with a few solids and I like it! It has beautiful sunset color, or a sangria. A gorgeous rosy red and a warm rosy peachy color. I can live with these.

Funny thing, when I was buying the solids, I spied another Kaffe. Yup, one that I could live with.
Don't laugh! It really could live in my stash and find many mates. It fits right in with my muddy color preferences.

Hopefully this weekend I'll find time to quilt a few lines in Sangria and get it finished. Wish me luck!

Have a wonderful weekend!
Brandie

Lady Bread

Last week Martha Stewart gave a recipe for a sandwich bread. I am always looking for a good bread, so I printed out the recipe and ordered a new loaf pan.

A Pullman loaf pan. It makes a perfectly square loaf of bread. That doesn't sound bad, right?

I made up my dough. Followed the recipe exactly. Baked it. Waited for it to cool and took a slice.

What I ended up with was a beautiful square loaf, or as Hubby called it, a bread brick.

Oh don't misunderstand, it tastes great. A really nice bread texture, a sweet-ish taste. A good bread.

My problem is that the slices are so small that it would take at least three sandwiches to satisfy a male appetite.
But they are just right for a well bred lady, like myself.

So if you are looking for a great sandwich bread, go to Martha's website and print out your own copy of the Sally Lunn bread.

You just may decide to make it in a regular loaf pan!


Take care, Brandie

Bittersweet Weekend

These last few days I have had to face the reality that my Daughter is leaving home and is not going to change her mind.
When she moved out of the family home, I learned to deal with it. Of course she was only 30 minutes away.
This move will be much farther away. Over six hours. Not a fun drive.

It has been an emotional weekend. I enjoyed our time together looking for apartments and getting re-acquainted with San Luis Obispo, but will miss my Daughter immensely!

I'm trying to look on the bright side. Yes, she will make more money.
Yes, it's a nice community.

BUT, it's not home.

She will be starting fresh. All alone.
That makes me saddest of all. But she thinks of this as an adventure. She's braver than I! The older I get, the more I enjoy being a home body.

After the important stuff like lease signing and job interviews, we did a bit of fabric shopping. I don't know if it was the sad mood I was in or what, but I didn't find much. A couple fabrics for a kids pattern I'm working on and a two background fabrics.

I only have a couple more weeks to spend with her before she packs her car and leaves home.
All this time I've crossed my fingers that things wouldn't pan out. The did and now I'm left feeling empty and sad.
If I'm not around, you'll know why.
I'm not ready to un-tie the apron strings.

Heart broken in Paradise...

Tiny Stars

These little quilts sure do go fast! I love how it turned out too!
I should only make quilts under 30 inches. I guess then that they wouldn't be quilts? More like napkins?

Now back to work. I had my fun for this week.

Take care, Brandie

A Jump Start

I've been seeing these cute star blocks across blog land. So I decided I'd get a jump on Halloween and make one myself. It also gave me an excuse to play with my new favorite fabric, cheddar.

I found the tutorials over at heartspunquilts.blogspot.com
They are fairly quick and easy and sew fun! Check it out!

They don't use too much fabric, most can be made with scrap. They are 6 1/2 inch blocks. Too cute!

No more playing for me, I have housework. Yuck.
I decided yesterday that what I really need, is a housewife.

Take care, Brandie

Over Indulgence

What a weekend! I haven't cooked or done any housework in 3 days!
My weekend actual started Friday morning.

BFF invited me over for lunch and a movie. So after our walk, we indulged in chicken tostadas with all the fixings. Yum! She knows me well! I'm alway happy with Mexican food. Than we walked outside to her Father's theater. Yup, I said walked out to her Father's theater. This has been a hobby of his for many years.
He has many, many movies on film. Lately he has added a blue-ray to the theater and so now there are NO limits. I had a wonderful time, even if our movie made us blush.

Than on Saturday I was spoiled again by my family and I didn't have to lift a finger. Ahhh, bliss!

Sunday was spent with the rest of the family for Mom's Day.
With some shopping thrown in, it was great.
What time we did spend at home has been filling with movies. Comedies are my favorite and I spent the weekend laughing. Just can't beat that!

This morning I've been learning how to use my new printer. Hubby bought me a wide format printer. I can now print papers up to 13 x 19. This will come in quite handy as I'm trying to make patterns of my quilts. First one up is that skull I've been working on. Next, I just need to figure out how to do a PDF file.
Just figuring this all out makes me long for the weekend!
Being a year older hasn't made me smarter, but I'll get by, I know a few computer experts. Oh honey!


Take care, Brandie

Fair Trade?

 Last week my friend Longarm Jo invited me over to put that blue quilt up on her machine. WOW! She has quite the set-up. Her long arm pretty much takes over her whole work space, but it is amazing!

 She offered to quilt up this monster for me as a favor. Why? Because she's under the impression that I'm a nice person. Well, this may back fire on her because I plan on moving into her closet and using her machine at night!

We had fun looking for a pattern and never once did Jo say anything about my bad points or faulty sewing. She's a keeper!

I keep insisting that I needed to pay her back in some way, and she finally said she needed a name tag.

A Name Tag! That's it? Do you think that's a fair trade?
So this is what she got, a license plate sized name tag, because I owe her BIG time!

 What was my inspiration? A beautiful oriental poppy growing in her yard.

After this, everyone will know her, because they'll see that name tag from across the room!

Personally, I think I got the best end of the deal. I didn't have to struggle with that quilt under my little machine.
Thank you JO!


Take care and have a wonderful weekend!
Brandie

Boys = Dark

I figured since I have such a hard time keeping my toes out of my pictures (pesky toes!), that I would make them coordinate with my project.

I'm working on a new quilt for my brother. Boys, they don't like pretty flowers and such. Nope, they like things a bit darker.
Next step on some thread play. I'll have some fun even if it's gray thread!

Take care, Brandie

A Little Luck

Last Thursday was one of my luckiest nights ever! I can count on one hand how often I've won anything. So winning four raffles was very rare for me.
I know you just want to see what I won, so on with the show.
I won 35 Kaffe blocks. In the picture I'm showing you my favorites. The rest I'm not so sure about... that's a lot of color!
I'm also not sure how to put them all together. I need a bigger floor! And less help from the dogs!
I did make 5 of these blocks, so that helped my chances at winning.

I also won a 5 half yard bundle of coordinating fabrics. These are pretty cool! Cosmo Cricket, from Moda. They have dots, type writer buttons, numbers and type writers printed on fabric. I don't know how I'll use it but it sure is cute.

One of the other wins was a library book.

I also won a "ways & means", which was a wrapped box of patterns, yarn, threads and a few magazines.

Back to those blocks. If any one has any suggestions (Jean), I'll take them.

I have an appointment with the vacuum. Till tomorrow.

Take care, Brandie

BOM UFO

 Last year I started this blocks in a Christmas quilt along. I know, these are not Christmas colors. As usual, I had to do it my way.
I had that lovely paisley fabric and I decided to use it instead of a Christmas fabric.

 It feels good to get another UFO out of that basket and finish it up. Another good thing, I love these colors! That's a plus.

Also this measures in at 60 x 70, a much more manageable size for me to quilt on my Juki.

Last night at our guild meeting, the unthinkable happened. I won a raffle! In fact I won 4 raffles! In the fours years that I've been a member, I think I've won one raffle. But last night it was a jack-in-the-box kind of night. As soon as I sat down, I was called again. I'm claiming it as birthday month luck. Monday I'll show you what I won. But for now I must go.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Brandie

First Red House on the Right

 Isn't it a happy looking quilt! It make my whole room happy. It's no longer drab either.

This quilt was started in March of last year. I finished the blocks fairly quickly but allowed myself to get side tracked.
I have learned from this quilt that I am an impatient sewer. I may have already know that. But this quilt has a few issue that made me put it aside.
1. Not all my roof lines match up. But I decided to ignore it. I have regrets now.
2. While I was pinning the quilt, I noticed that the big 10 inch border was wavy. So I removed them before quilting all the houses, thinking that after everything was secured down that maybe it would be easier to find the true size.
Several years ago I found that Batiks make great borders as the fabric does not wavy, at all. I also cut my borders on the length. meaning I try not to piece the borders and I buy the fabric in longest length I'll need for the longest border.
But this border was cut correctly, it was the white sashing that was the problem. It was as if that fabric had been cut on the bias. And because I had waited so long to finish this quilt, I couldn't find any more of that white. So I just made do and made it work. It's not pretty in a few places.
3. DWQ, I also regret my wavy quilting lines. The ones that look like I was "drunk while quilting". What I learned from this, a queen or larger quilt doesn't work on my machine. I should just stick to smaller quilts.

 But besides all that, I'm very happy with my borders. I just free formed a bunch of crazy feathers and I think it looks rather nice. Maximus thinks so too!

 This is as good of a picture as we could get of the quilting. between the dogs and the light, it was almost impossible!

I started with an almost full spool of red. It looked like the beige when I started. It looks like I'll only get a small quilt done with what's left.
Then there was the pile of threads that were removed after quilting. These have been recycled for the birds. Someday I'll find a gorgeous nest of threads!

Take care, Brandie

Now that I know my swap partner received her gift, I can post a completed picture of it.
Doesn't it look lovely in the fairy garden? Maybe I should make a quilt for the garden, hmmm, something to think about.

And the most exciting news! I finished my schoolhouse! I'm so excited! This has been a long road. I'm glad to be done.
Tomorrow I'll post pictures of it as it's in the dryer getting all fluffy. Tonight I will be sleeping under it.
Now back to the blue quilt.

Take care, Brandie

Swap

Last month I entered a swap over at Heidi's blog (handmadebyheidi.blogspot.com).
This was a first for me, but I'd do it again! It was fun and we all get excited getting packages in the mail, admit it.

Yesterday my package arrived, from Sweden!
Hubby bought it in and said if the was chocolate in it I had to share. #*#*! So I promised and he handed over the package.
How cute! Little hand stitched coasters and a really good chocolate bar.

My swap partner is Carin. Her blog is ullhrvan.blogspot.com. Be sure and turn the translator on unless you speak Swedish!
Thank you Carin!

I've been quilting up feathers all morning. I'm almost done!
I just had to try the quilt out on the bed last night and it's a perfect fit. I'm so excited to be this close.
So back to work I go.

Take care, Brandie