Good morning.  A few years ago,  I made a mission statement.  I would take cut off scraps, any fabric from the waste basket or floor and make a litle quilt.  I would make one each week for a year and add them to the series even if they were bad. I woud call the project “Garbage to Gaa-Barge.” It was so much fun, I became know as the lady that robbed waste baskets at classes.  Fellow class members started putting their scraps on my table and wondering what I was going to do with them,  This worked well for 32 weeks and then gardening took over my time.  This year, I will finish the project and have all 52 quilts.  The first one is 18″ x 22″  It is made with triangles cut off when sewing and flipping corners.  Each little red square has eight pieces.

This little quilt is just right for a doll quilt.

Have a great day.

Good morning.  The snow has stopped.  I am plowed out.  All is well.  Today, I’m going to show you some quilts that I have made in the past.  I hope that you enjoy them.

This is a Hunter’s Star made with Deb Tucker’s Rapid Fire Hunter’s Star ruler.  Several years ago, my Maine chapter of the Pine Tree Guild challenged us to make a red and white quilt.  I searched for days for a pattern and came across a picture of a red and white Hunter’s Star in one of my books,  It was just what I wanted.  Deb’s ruler made the blocks accurate and the star points met perfectly.

This is a beginner and ender quilt.  It has 2″ squares that I sewed together before and after piecing something else. Sewing beginners and enders prevent the machine from eating the fabric. It seems as if a queen size quilt was pieced with no effort. One of my daughters admired this quilt and received it for Christmas this year. I still have a big bag of 2″ squares and may start another one,  If I orient the squares differently, it will look like a different quilt.

I needed a quilt that went with a wall hanging and the red room.  This quilt is so easy to make.  Squares are sewn together in a pattern.  A template is rotated to cut each new square and they are sewn together in order.  The best part is that the cut off pieces, if kept in order, can be cut and a smaller version of the quilt can be pieced.

Good morning.  we are supposed to have a big snow storm today, so it is a great day to sew and quilt.

I have four quilts that I have been working on a little at a time.  Eventually, they will be finished,  Canadian 150 is ready to sew the binding down.  It is a big quilt and will take several nights to complete while watching TV at night,

I once said that I would never, ever make a Dear Jane quilt.  When the Guild started a Dear Jane Club, they invited others who could work on whatever they wanted,  I was working on a Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt (more about that in a later post) and decided to join the club.  It would be one Saturday morning a month visiting with friends.

The club was having so much fun talking about Dear Jane and shareing tips, etc.  They mentioned that the quilt shop had two Dear Jane books left.  I left the meeting, went to the quilt shop and bought one.  I am hooked.

Then I bought the EQ Dear Jane download from American Quilter.  It has so much information.  – Tips on how to make each block.  – Printouts for paper piecing – colored pictures – which blocks are easy and which blocks are hard. It was easy to use as I have used EQ 7 and the files were the same.

As it is a long term project, I decided to start in the middle and add each row around the center. Each block would be hand quilted and finished in the pot holder method.  My Maine chapter of the Pine Tree Guild had a class with Wendy Canton Reed (The Constant Quilter).  Wendy taight this method and had actually make a Dear Jane this way. By using this method, the quilt could be finished at any row.

For each row around the center, I print the pattern, tips, and any other information about each block.  I choose fabric as close to the original from my stash, making sure that I have enough for the back as each back is the same color as the top. The printouts, fabric and batting are placed in baggies. That way, I can pick a baggie and work on what is inside at home or at a club meeting.  I store everything including thread, scissors, etc., in a plastic craft box in a tote bag and just have to pick it up when I want to go to a meeting.

Dear Jane will take a long time to finish, but the journey is most of the fun,

Have you ever wanted a little sweet after a meal or had someone drop by for tea or coffee and had nothing to serve with it?  Making a cake would take time and then you would have a big cake to eat.  There goes your plan of a diet. Here is your answer.  The 3-2-1 cake.

Purchase three cake mixes.  One must be Angle Food and the other two whatever you like, yellow, white, lemon, strawberry, etc.  I used a white cake mix and a chocolate cake mix.

Place half of Angel cake mix into two containers.  I divide it by scooping mix out with a 1/2 cup measuring cup and placing every other cupfull in oposite containers.  Depending on the cake mix, it will be about 1 1/2 cups for each container.  Or you could measure the whole mix and divide by half.

Divide the other two mixes in half.   Place half of each cake mix into containers with the Angel food cake mix.  The other half goes back into the box for now.

Shake containers to mix cake mixes.

To make the cake – Place in a mug –  3 Tablespoons mix   2 Tablespoons water Mix with a fork and microwave for one minute.

To make the cake extra special, you can add one to two teaspoons of yummy things.  Cherries with chocolate cake.  Blueberries with lemon cake.  Chocolate chips and nuts with white cake. Different spices, coconut, dried fruit. Anything that you have in your cupboard.  It does take 2 -3 seconds longer to bake with add ons.

What to do with the left over mix.  You could make a one layer cake or cupcakes or you could bake cookies.,……..

Basic recipe for cake mix cookies

This is for the leftover mix in the bag, not the combined mix for cake.

4 Tbsp olive oil    1 egg   1/2 box of cake mix  mix together.  Place by Tablespoons on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. You can add yummy things as above.

Ashley’s favorite yummy cookies – To the basic recipe for white or yellow cake mix, add 1/2 c raisins, 1/2 c chopped dates.  1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and 1/4 tsp ginger.

I bought a little cookie scoop and it makes the cookies all the same size.  It looks like a baby ice cream scoop.

Have a great day .

Enjoy your cookies and cake.

 

 

 

 

The seed catalogues have been coming in the mail.  Time to order from Wildseed Farms which is the only catalogue that I order from. This year, I will order wild flower seed for New England, Cosmos, and sunflowers.  I no longer plant vegetables , except herbs and tomatoes.  I can get everything that I need at the Farmer’s Market.  That way, I can buy just enough for one and the Dexer market has the best fresh veggies and herbs.  Also home made bread and other great things.   I can hardly wait for the brocolini.  Yummy.

February is also the time to root the geraniums for the gardens.  I was able to save three from last summer so should have lots to plant when it is time.

Have you thought about using flower garden pictures for quilt colors?  

Who would think to put pink and yellow or orange and purple in a quilt.  Green is a neutral color.  It pulls everything together. A splash of white would be wonderful.   Just remember to use lights, mediums  and very darks of each color for contrast.  Check the seed catalogues for other color schemes.

Kat Tucker designed this quilt.  It was in celebration of Cananda’s 150th anniversary.  We received three blocks for 50 weeks along with the story of a Canadian Women,  The quilt was supposed to be red and white, but I decided to make it in blue and white.  It was so exciting to open the e-mail each Tuesday and receive the patterns.  Thanks Kat.

The quilt is almost finished.  It is hand quilted and I have just two more evenings of quilting to finish the border.  Then on to the binding.  

I hand quilt just a bit different than most hand quilters.  My thumb is actually in the right spot for my quilting. I quilt in my lap without a hoop.   I rock the fabric, not the needle.  My right hand holds the quilt against my leg for proper tension.  I can see if the stitches are small enough or even enough before I push the needle through with a thimble.  My under finger does not get cut with the needle.   I learned this technique from Marj Murphy at the Vermont Quilt festival years ago.

February 2018

I challenged myself to finish one UFO a week.  So far, this year, I am up to date.  Of course, I am finishing easy ones.  The challenge will be harder to complete when the more complicated pieces come up.  I have found UFOs all around the house and in the attic.  There must be some reason that I start a new piece before I finish the one I’m working on.

I found a  UFO in a basket.  It was the sample when I gave a demo at the Capital Quilters Guild about flange binding.  The binding was partially sewn on and very easy to finish.  Sunbonnet sue is “trick or treating” and having a great time in an angel costume.  There is no hand sewing for flange binding.  It adds a nice touch to the wall hanging.  Now to find another easy one for next week.

 

 

My daughter came to visit today and I gave her a beautiful hand-made quilt.