Keep your fork...there's pie

Sorry, there was pie!....Look's like hubby liked it(after he told me not to bother making it). Thought I'd try my new pampered chef crust edge protector. You place it over the edge of your pie so that it doesn't burn. Worked well. This was a four berry pie from frozen berries. Pretty simple to make. Just thaw 4 cups fruit and drain then add 7 tbsp. cornstarch, 3 tbsp. water, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, 2/3 cup sugar mixing all together gently. Pour into your pie shell, top with pastry or crumble and bake for 1 hour at 375......Yummmmmmm

Sunday Sundae

This pincushion was so much fun to make. I originally saw it in this "Quilts and More" issue and knew that I had to have one. I started by buying a few 100% wool sweaters from a local thrift shop and got the sundae container from the dollar store. I felted the sweaters in the washer and dryer then copied the instructions from the book to make it. I sewed little beads on the top so it looks like sprinkles. Almost good enough to eat....but so much better to give as gifts to special quilters.

Tiny Town with a Big City feel

It's a tiny town but you feel like you're making a big city when you start cutting all the little pieces and appliqueing. It is the sweetest quilt from Bunny Hill Designs. This is the first block I have finished for the sample at the Kindred Spirits Co. Quilt store. The pattern is being offered as a BOM starting this fall. It would be perfect for a wall hanging in a little girl's room as it's all done in pastel pinks, blues and yellows. The fabrics are from the collections of Martinique by Three Sisters and Fresh Cottons by Fig Tree. So much work, but oh so worth it.

Scrap Basket Surprises

This was an awesome quilt to do for Linda. Her quilts are always beautiful, amazingly square and perfectly done. She is a joy to long arm for. She just has one problem....she gives them all away.....This one in particular is for her niece for Christmas. The pattern is from Scrap Basket Surprises and is the Mocha Swirl pattern . Done in the black and white it is very effective. She's punched it up with the lime green inner border. I quilted it in Happy Times which is both our favorite pattern. She used this fabulous backing which went from white to black and back, called Sunshine and Shadow by Jane Sassaman. Another beauty Linda.

Katie Did

My niece Katie did a fabulous job on her first quilt. It's nice to say she gets something from me? This quilt is so sweet and is for Katie's daughter Maybelle for her "big girl bed". Maybelle just turned 2 and Katie is very pregnant with her second child due in a few weeks. She had good intentions of finishing this, however, with the baby due, she just couldn't get it quite finished. She had taken the class at Joyce Hancocks in Oshawa. I give her kudos as she even put it all together, pinned and stitched in the ditch. On the weekend she gave it to me and asked if I could help her get it finished as she was "pooped". It is difficult to put a quilt on the longarm machine once it's already got the batting, backing and top together stitched, but Katie had done such a great job with her pinning and stitching that it went on perfectly. I quilted it in Angel Wings and it looks amazing. Kate had chosen a striped fabric for the binding so I cut that on the bias, sewed it on and now Maybelle has her new big girl quilt. Katie I'm so proud of you, you did a great job.

One froggy, two froggy, 3 froggy, 4

This is the cutest quilt of Margaret, my customer...it's her frog quilt and it's adorable. Each block has a different frog fabric in it.

I'm quite fond of frogs myself as we have a few regulars hopping around our backyard pond. The picture of the frog resting on a lily pad is a little fellow that I photographed this year sun bathing.

I can't believe how Margaret was able to collect all these different frog fabrics. It looks great and some lucky little boy or girl will have tons of fun looking at all the different frog antics.

Another UFO finished

Finally finished yet another UFO...it feels so good to get some of these projects that have been hanging around, finally hanging! This is called Earth Blessing and was designed by Kindred Spirits Quilt Co. The fabric was a panel from the Earth Blessing collection from Northcott Silk. It is so pretty and was so much fun to sew together and quilt.

Imagine

This is my friend and customer, Linda's quilt. Isn't it gorgeous. It's from the Schnibbles Times Two book and is called Imagine. Linda told me that this was a gift for someone who's been helping her with her daughter's up and coming wedding flowers. These gift quilts seem to be a trend with Linda. She makes the most beautiful quilts and they are always designated for someone special in her life. I told her she needs to start keeping some of these for herself...she's special too.

Pieceful Nights-Stressful days

Recently I made myself a promise not to start any new quilting projects until I complete some of the UFOs I presently have. Do you know how difficult that is......of course you do. There are so many new fabulous projects and patterns and it takes all my strength to resist. I must have at least 10 unfinished, partially started, almost done quilts that I have committed to finish. I started this BOM a few years back and it was on the agenda to get completed. It's called "Pieceful Nights", but it's causing me stressful days. I have all the blocks completed, the centre block is done and all the template pieces that go in between are finished as well.

I started getting into the nitty gritty of putting it all together, which is a bit of a challenge because a lot of the corners are mitered and there must be at least 20 template pieces to get lined up. I thought I was doing pretty well until I came across the first dreaded miter corner plus a Y setting *!@_^%!@(&^$(^$~_^

I have sewed and ripped and sewed and ripped that thing at least 5 times and last night at about midnight I finally gave up and went to bed with a headache. I just couldn't grasp it. This morning, in a better frame of mind, I called Gloria who taught the class and she has graciously offered to come and teach me how to get these corners done correctly so I can tick this one off my list. Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll post the completed one and can once again have pieceful nights and stress free days.

Mmmm....delicious

These are absolutely the best banana muffins I have ever tasted. My sister Joanne gave me the recipe and they are super simple to make.
Recipe:
3 ripe bananas
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1.5 cups flour
Combine all the wet along with the sugar and beat with a mixer. Sift all the dry together in a bowl and make a well in the bottom. Add the wet to the well and mix gently until you see no dry ingredients left. Scoop into 6 extra large lined muffin tins and bake at 300 for about 1 hour. My secret is to sprinkle the tops before baking with Sweet Caramel Sprinkle from Pampered Chef. These are phenomenal and are gone just about as quick as they are made.

My Favorite Things

Do you remember that old song sung by Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music ? "These are a few of my favorite things"....is the tune coming back to you? Let me help you-
Raindrops on roses & whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles & warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with string
These are a few of my favorite things

You can use that same tune and sing this quilt. How cute is that. I longarm quilted this for my card club friend Annabelle. It's a birthday gift for a good friend of hers. It was a kit offered by Kindred Spirits Quilt Co. store here in Niagara.

Annabelle you did a fabulous job of "mitering the corners". Your friend will love it I'm sure.

Stampin Up Fun

Once a month I get excited, (I do get excited more than once a month), but really excited because it's my Card Club night. I attend the home, along with several other card club junkies, of a talented "Stampin Up" demonstrator, Cindy Custers. http://www.stampfxwithcindy.com/
We have a great time making cards with new techniques, tools, stamps, papers and ink. It's a great night out, really relaxing and tons of fun. It's a great social outlet and I come home with 3 new cards completed every month. These are the lovelies I made tonight.

"You go girl"

The English Slang dictionary definition of "you go girl" is an exclamation of praise , great job or right on and also a phrase of encouragement . How appropriate that I could change it to fit my quilting fetish and make this great little runner "YOU SEW GIRL".

Garden Annie

This is Garden Annie, the doll I designed for a class at Kindred Spirits Quilt Company. She even has little garden gloves made from store bought ones. The ladies did really well at making her and I hope that they are enjoying her at home!

Annie's special gift

Last month was my sister in law Annie's birthday. I like my sister in law so she got a special gift, one of my favorite quilts. You know when you really like someone, when you're willing to give up a favorite for them. This was a scrappy pineapple I made from leftover fabric from another project . Annie especially liked the quilt label ( it's not really her 39th, but she's been telling everyone that for years!

OMGosh I'm getting the hang of this

I thought I would share a few pictures of the place I spend the majority of my time... my sewing room. It was originally my oldest daughter's bedroom, until she bought a home of her own and moved out. I love my daughter, but I was absolutely delighted to finally get a space of my own. A place to display quilting projects, leave your machine and ironing board out all the time and never have to juggle things off the dining room table again! I can hide my stash in all the cupboards and closets, not a good thing by the way, quite often I forget what I have stashed until I open a door. It truly is a perfect spot, the one I always dreamed of.

First day as blogger

Today is the first day of my blog...I am in no way, shape or form computer savvy...I always have to ask my boys to help me with this or that on the computer. I must admit I have surprised myself by getting this blog up and running. I'm still trying to get somethings aligned and hopefully I can figure that out in time.

This blog was started as a result of the encouragement shown by my quilting friends. It was these individuals that said " you should start your own blog, we love your ideas, projects and the neat things you do, you should share them", so that got me thinking...why not?

I am amazed by the blogs I visit and I'm in awe of what other quilters are accomplishing and creating. These blogs truly inspire me and I hope that my blog will inspire others.

I'm not a fabulous quilter by any means. My points don't always match, my stitches are prefect, but I love the art of quilting and everything about it. ....the fabrics, the patterns, the thread, and of course, I'm just "itchin to be stitchin"