At Least That's Done

Moving on with my miscellaneous week, I finished the fourth scrappy block tonight.  Of course, I can't show you my blocks until Sunday, but it's nice to have them done so I can see how all four look together.  I'd really like to get them done ON Sunday next weekend instead of stringing them out for three days though!

Also tonight, I dug out the April sheep blanket pattern and pulled the wools I needed to kit up for my friends.  And when I do that, I prepare my pieces and get everything laid out and glued down, ready to stitch--that way, not only am I ready, but I know how the whole thing will look, and I know how big the wool pieces need to be for my friends' kits.  Want to see it so far?

I think I'll like this one too.  I've matched embroidery thread and packed everything up in a tote box to take with me on Saturday.  I was thinking on my drive home tonight that it would be nice to get the Schnibbles quilt done before then so I could work on the binding on Saturday, but I'm not sure that's possible.

I told Hubby several of you had complimented him on his caterpillar yard art and he was pleased, although I don't think he's read your comments yet.  He doesn't read my blog, you know.  But maybe he'll be curious to see what you said.  I know he appreciates it when people enjoy the things he creates.

Tomorrow night is my monthly Thimbleberries Club meeting--and I still haven't packed up what I want to take, but I'll do that in the morning.  And if I remember to bring my camera, maybe I'll have something to show you afterward.  "See" you then!

Miscellaneous

I can already tell this is going to be a miscellaneous sort of week in many ways.  Thimbleberries Club on Wednesday night means not much sewing going on that night and I'll be spending some time on Tuesday night assembling show and tell and a few other things to bring to the meeting.  And the monthly gathering of my stitchery group on Saturday means time spent this week preparing sheep blanket kits for my friends AND getting my own sheep blanket ready to stitch while we're together.  I'm not complaining--I love my groups and friends.  But it means I can't come home from work every night and play in the Sweat Shop as I usually would.

And then there are the projects I'm working on--miscellaneous stuff.  I'm about half finished quilting George, the Schnibbles quilt.  And let's not forget those scrap blocks:  I only had time to select fabrics and cut four blocks on Sunday, so tonight I pieced three of them, and I have one more to piece.  Then there was  QADD:  Quilter's Attention Deficit Disorder.  I'm pretty sure that's what made me set aside piecing the scrap blocks for awhile tonight to piece, quilt, and bind a little mug mat.

Perhaps you recall that earlier in the year, I wanted to make a mug mat for my desk at work every month or every holiday.  I think the last one I made was for St. Patrick's Day, so it was about time to make another, and I'd been setting aside random leftover pieces of the spring time fabrics I'd used in the two Easter projects I recently finished.  I guess maybe I got tired of moving aside my little pile of scraps for this project, because tonight I finally made that mug mat.

But maybe it wasn't QADD that caused me to be a little more scattered and less focused on my scrap blocks.  Maybe it was the crazy wind we've had.  Some of you mentioned it's too early for you to plant tomatoes where you live, but our temps here are expected to be in the 70s and maybe into the 80s for the next couple weeks.  Even if they dip, we're pretty unlikely to get a freeze at this time of year, but we may still get rain and winds.  The wind seems to cause strange things sometimes, and today's wind gusts got up to 45 miles per hour.  This morning I was out on the front yard patio--where our raised planter is--in my nightgown "staking" up my new tomato plants with bamboo shish kabob skewers and light kite string.  The plants are fairly well protected by the edges of the raised box, but this wind seemed like it could be stronger than my new babies could take.  I'm pleased to say that when I came home from work tonight, they all looked just fine.

And speaking of gardens, I wanted to show you Hubby's latest yard art creation.  Remember the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland?

He's been working on this one off and on for some months now, searching thrift stores for things like the teacup and saucer.  I think he's had a lot of fun making it.  The hookah lights up; I think the caterpillar does too.   Right now, this guy is living on our back patio--too bad we can't put it and some of Hubby's other creations in the front yard where they can be enjoyed by the neighbors, but Hubby's afraid they'll be stolen.  I'm glad, though, that he has a hobby he enjoys as much as I enjoy playing with fabric.

Thanks for visiting!

Fast Forward

I want to say I'm anxious for spring, but that's not quite right:  I know technically spring IS here.  It's just that I'm anxious to get a little further into spring, to the time when fresh fruits and veggies are available and I can get back into the farmer's market routine.  I know it won't be long, but I'm ready NOW.

On Saturday, a friend and I took a little road trip.  The idea began when I started dreaming of fresh tomatoes and it grew into a combination birthday celebration and miscellaneous shopping trip--my friend's birthday is coming up a little later this month.  So we had lunch out, went to a quilt shop, visited the nursery for tomato plants, and then hit six or eight vintage/antique/thrift shops in the foothill towns of Loomis and Newcastle.  Oh, and we visited a produce store called Newcastle Produce.   The shop is owned by a local farming family who also has a booth on Saturdays at a nearby farmer's market.  They carry all sorts of fresh produce, packaged specialty items, spices, etc.  They even have cooking classes.  I love that place!

During our trip, I found this pretty blue bowl at one of the vintage/antique shops, but even more special, perhaps, was this beautiful book called Farm-Fresh Recipes by Heather Cameron of Missing Goat Farm.  Heather's farm is in British Columbia and she has a blog called A Day in the Country where you can see some of her beautiful photography and her wonderful recipes.  Here are a couple pages from the book--the beginning of the spring section -- 

and the start of summer--

I found the book at Newcastle Produce.  It's such a beautiful book, I just couldn't resist buying it.

Saturday night, I did some grocery shopping and cleaned out the refrigerator a little.  I had a package of blackberries that needed to be used soon, so I made a simple blackberry sauce and served it on vanilla ice cream for dessert.  For breakfast on Sunday, though, I thought pecan waffles would be a perfect way to use the rest of the sauce--and they were! 

And those tomato plants I told you I was so anxious to buy?  I planted them in a raised bed.  It's probably not surprising that all three of these varieties I picked out are early season tomatoes!  (As an after thought, I also grabbed a yellow cherry tomato variety, but that's potted separately--not enough room in this space!)

There's a lot I like about fall and winter in Northern California, but I sure do miss the variety of locally grown fruits and veggies we have available to us in the spring and summer.  I suspect spring produce will start filling the farmer's markets sometime in the next month or so.  In the meantime, I'll just have to be patient and watch my tomatoes grow.

I'm glad you could stop by for a visit!

If You Show Me Yours, I'll Show You Mine

Welcome to all of you who have made the journey into your scrap pile, drawer, or basket and pulled out the makings of a block--or many blocks!  And welcome to those of you who are simply browsing for now, looking for a little inspiration.  Yesterday's Mr. Linky list will lead you on a little adventure to Scrap Land--just click your heels together three times and repeat after me:  There's nothing as fun and creative as using scraps to make something new and wonderful!  Then click your mouse on the names listed in the Linky list and see what everyone's working on.  Because this is, of course, Scrap Basket Sunday.  And these are my blocks for this week:

In case you're just joining us and wondering what pattern I'm using or have any other questions about what WE'RE doing for Scrap Basket Sunday, just click HERE--last week's post.

I thought I'd also show you how I'm keeping my blocks--at least for now.  I know many of you have some sort of storage idea you like to use, but here's another possibility to consider:  Wrap the blocks around a batting covered heavy duty cardboard roll and tie them with a ribbon.

Then store the rolls in a bin, on a shelf, or wherever you have some space.  I had a post about a year ago where I demonstrated how to make these and how I use and store them--HERE.

If you haven't already, I hope you'll join us in setting aside a little time each week to make blocks using your scraps.  There are tons of patterns and ideas out there--and you might just be able to find one you love by visiting the other quilters who have linked up to yesterday's post.  Scrap on!

Scrap Basket Sunday Sign Ups!

Will you be ready to show us what you're doing with your fabric scraps on Sunday?  If you'd like to invite us over for a little show and tell, and maybe a little brunch or dessert, please add your name to the list and we'll stop by:

Ladies, Start Your (Sewing Machine) Engines!

I've decided it's time for me to get a little quilting done.  Remember that basket of unfinished quilt tops I mentioned yesterday?  Well, no, perhaps I won't get all of those done, but I'm at least going to make a start on a few.  In particular, I've had two Schnibbles quilts pin basted for a long, LONG time now--probably over a year.  And I thought that before I started yet another Schnibbles quilt top, I'd get those two quilted.  Here's the first one:

The pattern is called George:

I made George back in July 2011--almost two years ago!  If you click HERE, you can see that post with the quilt top up on the design wall.  You may recall, if you've been reading that long, that I posted a poll to help me decide which fabric to use as a border--the border was in addition to the pattern as shown above.  There was a yellow and white wide stripe and a red and white narrower stripe; the red and white stripe won.

Tonight I stenciled and quilted a design into the centers of the 16 churn dash blocks (if you click on my photo to enlarge it, you might be able to see the pattern) but I'm not sure what I'll do with the rest.  I was thinking about a secondary stenciled pattern where the block corners come together, but there's sashing between some of the blocks that breaks up that area--and it probably wouldn't really enhance the quilt pattern itself anyway.  I think I'll stitch around the churn dash shapes and then think of something I can use to fill in the rest of the open space.  And I have no idea what I'll do in the outer striped border--any suggestions for quilting a stripe like that?  (Click the link above to see the border better.)  Just quilt following the stripes?

You know I haven't been posting a Saturday blog on Friday nights, but I will post a Mr. Linky list for those of you who have scrap blocks to show on your blogs on Scrap Basket Sunday, so please come back and add your name if you're ready to share them.

Finally, I've been meaning to tell you that last weekend Hubby and I went with our friends to see the movie The Call with Hallie Berry.  Before going, I read some reviews that said the movie was completely predictable.  Seriously, I read a lot of similar stuff and I didn't know what was going to happen from moment to moment.  I also read several reviews that said it was the best suspense movie the reviewer had ever seen.  I think that might be a little bit of a stretch, but I enjoyed it.  In fact, I'd give it a B+.  I told my friend Lisa that we could go only go if she promised not to scream, but she broke her promise within the first half hour.  Still, the movie was good enough that I could overlook a random scream or two.  If you're looking for a movie to see this weekend and like suspense, check out The Call.

Momma Always Told Me . . .

to finish what I started.  Of course, I hardly ever listened to her advice.  Maybe THAT's why I have a basket full to overflowing with unquilted tops.  Still, I finished something . . .

And gosh darn it, but I'm REALLY early in getting ready for next Easter, aren't I?  I guess momma's lessons about not procrastinating must have gotten through, at least!

I Miss Johnny!

As a confirmed night owl, I find myself watching late night TV quite often . . . while I just finish one more block, sew on that last length of binding, or quilt one last section before stopping for the night.  Most of the time, I'll turn on Jay Leno--I love his bits on typos in print ads, the police blotters in small towns, and wedding announcements of people with funny name combinations.  But oftentimes I find the humor in his monologue predictable, and his delivery slow and repetitive, as if he feels he must pound the audience over their heads with the punch line several times before moving on to the next joke.

I can kind of understand NBC wanting to replace Leno.  Maybe he's just tired and has run his course as a late night host.  But you know what?  I'm certainly not enthusiastic about NBC's replacement ideas.  Remember Conan O'Brien?  Conan was okay, but I always preferred Leno, and the late, late night spot seemed right for Conan.  Besides, that whole mess where Leno left and Conan moved into the early spot was confusing and off putting.  And now they're talking about doing the same thing with Jimmy Fallon.

I think Fallon's sense of humor is aimed at a 20-something audience.  Yes, NBC likes that about him, but I rarely watch more than the first few minutes before I just need to turn it off.  One of Fallon's popular, reoccurring bits is his Friday night thank you notes, which seem kind of stupid and annoying.  I don't know; maybe it's just me, but most of the late night hosts don't seem intelligent in the way Johnny Carson did.  Yes, Carson's humor was pretty dumb sometimes, but he always seemed to be in tune with the news and what was going on in the world and he came across as just a little bit more intelligent and thoughtful than today's crop of late night TV hosts, didn't he?

David Letterman was interesting to watch sometimes when he was new and fresh many years back--he was different, then, from everyone else.  But for me, Letterman jumped the shark when he started throwing stuff off the roof of the building.  Does anyone find it entertaining to see watermelon splattering everywhere?

A couple weeks ago, I turned to Jimmy Kimmel, and I kind of like him so far.  He comes across, at least, as a kind, likeable, and happy sort of guy--not one be hurtful for the sake of a joke.  The bits I've seen him do have been fairly entertaining and haven't left me thinking negative thoughts about him, his sense of humor, or his lack of kindness like I do about some hosts.  So far, I haven't seen very much of his show, but I'll probably turn it on more often now.  Maybe I'll continue to like his stuff or maybe I won't; hard to tell this soon.

I've posted a poll in the sidebar--I'm interested to see which of our American late night TV hosts you like best.  Please vote if you have a preference.  Thanks for listening to my little bit of a rant!

Just a Little Schnibbles!

Sinta and Sherri are starting up the monthly Schnibbles club that they've been hostessing for a few years now--April is the start of this session of Another Year of Schnibbles.  Have you missed out before but thought about joining in?  Now is your chance!  These babies are simple to make and so great for adding a little seasonal/holiday color to your home--or as a gift for someone else.  And speaking of "babies," quite literally, Schnibbles are just about the perfect size for a baby or toddler quilt.

The rules are easy--check out their blogs at the beginning of the month to see what the pattern is, make the quilt top (doesn't have to be quilted) before the end of the month and send them a photo with a link to your blog--if you have a blog (it's not required).  At the beginning of that next month, they'll post photos and there will probably be random prizes.  Fun, right?

April is Hat Trick month.  If you haven't already seen this pattern, this is what it looks like:

Carrie Nelson, the wonderful designer of Schnibbles patterns and head of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, is calling this one of her "vintage" Schnibbles patterns, and right now--just for the next few days--she has a discount offer in her shop if you buy three of her "vintage" patterns.  Just click HERE to check out her vintage patterns--and from there you can check out the newer patterns too.

It's kind of funny because I thought I'd made this before but I couldn't quite place it.  A search of my blog, though, refreshed my memory--WAAAAAAY back in 2008 I made my own version:

Yeah, it looks a little different, doesn't it?  But it's really pretty much the same quilt, just divided into four parts with sashing and a border added.  The colors in this photo aren't great, but the quilt is all blue and white with some yellow in the border.  I think I need to get that quilt out soon and on the kitchen table--it's a nice choice for spring once the Easter pastels are done.

But, heck, if I've already made it, am I really going to make Hat Trick again?  You betcha!  And since this was one of those patterns I gave away on my blog once I thought I was done with it, I purchased it again tonight as a PDF download direct from Carrie Nelson's shop.

I'm working on a little something else right now, but I should be ready to start Hat Trick soon.  How about you?

Easter Leftovers

Did you have a lovely Easter?  We did.  Hubby surprised my friend Lisa and me with Easter baskets while we--Lisa and her husband and Hubby and I--were out having dinner and going to a movie on Saturday night.  He was so thoughtful!  He filled our baskets with bath bombs from Lush, a gift card from Starbucks, candy from See's, and a few other goodies gathered from here and there.

Our Easter Sunday was spent fairly quietly.  I reflected on the days when the kids would wake us up early to hunt for Easter eggs.  Things have changed for us since then, but it probably won't be too many years until my kids are experiencing early Easter wake ups.

Soccer Son and his Lovely Wife joined us in the afternoon for a visit, a couple games of Apples to Apples, and some finger food--they'd been to brunch at his Lovely Wife's grandmother's house, so I didn't plan a big meal, but what we had--smoked prawns with a homemade dipping sauce, egg rolls, small ham sandwiches on Hubby's homemade honey wheat rolls, and chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches--was pretty darn good.

Oh, and I finished the Easter Toss quilt on Saturday--the binding was sewn on and the quilt was washed and dried.

It replaced an embroidered cloth on the top of the drawers in the kitchen--just in time for Easter!

When the Easter festivities wound down and Soccer Son and his Lovely Wife went home around 7 p.m., I headed into the Sweat Shop--after all, I had an appointment with my scrap basket.  But I ran into a little problem:  my iron was dead as could be!  I tried turning it off and turning it back on; I tried unplugging it and plugging it into another outlet; nothing.  And it had worked just fine in the morning.  Darn!  Where could I get a new iron at 7:15 p.m. on Easter Sunday?

Well, WalMart, of course!  So after a quick trip to the store and a delay in my appointment with my scrap basket, I finally got a little quality time with my scraps beginning around 8 p.m. while I watched the start of the new season of Call the Midwife and the first episode of Mr. Selfridge--a lovely way to end a lovely day.