The Blue Heron and Celtic Soltice and Miscellany

Christmas is over and we are awaiting the New Year.  I've been slowly recovering from my foot surgery.  I'm not having to rely on crutches or my knee wheeler.  I still have some swelling and need to keep it elevated.  I'm seeing the doctor on the 5th and I want him to see some progress.  My boot hopefully will come off around the 17th, then I'll be able to drive.  I'm just not use to relying on others for help.  I guess this is a lesson on humility.  I'm learning.

Sunday the chickens were free ranging and making a ruckus in the front yard. I went out there and I think they were worried about this:

This picture is a little blurry because I blew it up to see it.

Here's one as it was flying off

Pretty aren't they?

Celtic Soltice.  What can I say.  We are on Clue 5 of possibly 6-8 clues.  We're not sure, Bonnie's not spilling the beans. After all, she says it's a mystery. I have all of Clues 1,3,4, and 5 completed. I'm still working on Clue 2.

I've been using my Scrappy Triple Irish Chain as my Leader and Ender.  I like the idea of a Leader and Ender and eventually that becomes your main project.  I am working on my sister's quilt and have to put the borders on and sew the appliques on. I should be able to get that done by July, when I see her.

Here's the border design.  I cut them out on day a few months ago when we had a power outage.   This one is from the Fons and Porter magazine.

 Last of all but definately not least.  I won this Japanese clone on ebay last night.  I just not sure which Singer model it is a clone of.  I need to find out so I can get a manual and learn some about it.  I'm excited to get it.  I did send the Seller a link on how to package a machine for shipping.  She's mailed a couple but I just wanted to make sure this arrives in one piece.

This post is being linked to Celtic Soltice Mystery and Judy's Design Wall.  Check out the links to see what others are doing.

Design Wall 10-21-2013

I have been working on a Leader and Ender project by Bonnie Hunter.  It will be a scrappy Irish Chain.  Right now I'm sewing the 2 in squares together to form the "chain" of the quilt.

                                                                  
I don't have a picture but I will in my next post.

My design wall has my sister's quilt on it.  I just finished putting a small border on it.  The final border will have appliques on a 6 in border.

The first border is hardly seen here.  It's 1 1/2 inches in a purple batik.  

I finished my son's Crown Royal Jean quilt and he's sleeping under it.  He really likes it. 

Now my children and grandchildren all have at least one quilt.  Time to start the cycle over.

My website is under construction.  I hope to have it up and running in the next two weeks.  I imagine that a couple of the pages will be "under construction" but it is a work in progress and I'm working with a gal who has a life also.  In the meantime, I am having a short Christmas Sale.  Any quilt (except king) that I received in this month will be quilted with a medium meander for 30% off.  See details on the left side of this blog.  I hope to be able to quilt your Christmas present for your special person.  

This post will be linked to Judy's Design wall in the morning.  Take a visit and see what others have been doing this week.

Arin's Quilt

The quilt that I have been enamored with from Fon's and Porter is going to my sis.  She's so excited to be receiving it.  She'll have to pick it up when she comes stateside next summer.

Today, I'm working on the border but without the border fabric.  It's on order.  But I am preparing my applique for the border.

This is an alternate border design in the magazine for the border.  I love it and my batiks will look great in the shapes.

I really need to be working on quilting my son's quilt.  I found the backing wasn't large enough for the top.  The fabric was ordered and received.  I have no excuses.  Today, I will add the extra to the back and I have decided, after watching Eleanor Burns that the quilting will be only a single embroidery design placed strategically around the quilt.  I've decided which design I want to use already.  701.  That's so I won't forget or in case my post it gets lost.

I was looking for a picture and couldn't find one.  So I took on of the top and back.

Back

Top

Today is GET 'R DONE

Have a great day everyone.

My Design Wall 9-16-2013

My design wall last night.  I didn't have any more time to sew blocks into rows.  One row of blocks is on my sewing machine ready to go.  The top half are all sewn together.  Looks like I have three rows to go.  I did spend some time online purchasing some ric-rack for the vines.  I'm going to have a border with applique flowers, birds and butterflies.  Just like in the magazine.  No imagination.  Well, it will look great and I don't want to make the body any larger.

I thought I might work on my son's jean quilt and found out I didn't make the back large enough and I used the leftover of it on another quilt.  So I ordered more fabric for enlarging the back.  

This post is linked to Judy's Design Wall.  See what others have been doing.

I Can't Believe It's Sunday Already

I've been busy.  This morning I had my normal routine of reading my favorite blogs and of course new posts on Facebook.  I found a recipe for Cinnamon Twists by Recipe Girl.  I decided to make them.  Instead of using buttermilk, which I never have, I thought I would substitute with milk.  When I looked, I didn't have any of that either.  Ok, so I thought I had some dry milk but I didn't have the directions for making it.  It usually turns out to weak.  So I looked in my pantry and I had condensed milk. So into the condensed milk I added a tablespoon of lemon.  That's what my research said to do for buttermilk.  Is this what I've been making all along?  Buttermilk?  I thought I was just making sour milk.  Anyway.  I didn't take pictures of all the steps.  These are the twists just before putting them into the oven.

I misread the instructions and baked mine for 20 minutes.  Too long.  12-15 was the ideal and it would have been just right.

So they are a little brown, but I went ahead and glazed them.  My son came in just as I was finished and he and Doug ate one pan.  They must not have been too bad.  These were very easy to make.  The instructions call for using a pizza cutter for making the strips.  I love my pizza cutter.  I use it for a lot of things besides cutting pizza.

While the dough was rising, we hurried and gathered out onions that were already dug and drying.  The rain was suppose to come in around noon and we didn't want to ruin our crop.

This was all we got but that will be enough for us.  Last year we had tons.  We gave away lots and still ended up tossing some.

I've been in my sewing room most of the day in between chores.  I've been working on a quilt for a couple of weeks, not nonstop, I still have a day job.  All the blocks are done and I'm in the process of putting together the rows.  Yesterday, I printed out some applique which I will use in the border.  I ordered some ric-rack for the vines.  I hope it turns out.  

I hope to have a picture of the rows completed for my blog on Monday.  Check back to see it.  I am just loving the secondary pattern.  I sound redundant but I love it and am fascinated by it.

That's all for now.

My Design Wall- 9/9/2013

Wow.  I've been fascinated by this pattern.  I just kept making more and more blocks to see more of the secondary pattern.  I love it.  I think Liz Porter's quilt was out of repro 30's fabric.  This is batiks.  I've been trying to only use my stash and so far with the exception of larger yardages, I have been able to make quilts for the last couple of years with it.

Since this photo was taken, I only have two blocks to go and the top is done except sewing the rows together.

I'm going to have to take a break from this and finish one of my Get'rDone projects done.

This post is being linked to Judy's Design Wall

Design Wall 9/2/2013

This is my design wall as of Monday evening.  It is a quilt I saw Liz Porter demonstrate on Fon's and Porter Love of Quilting Saturday.  She names it Emily's Wedding Quilt.  It is made up of two blocks to create a secondary pattern.  TheShoFly block and the 54-50 or Fight block.  She used repro 30's fabric and I'm using my batiks.  After looking at the picture of these blocks, I find I need to replace a triangle square in the second secondary pattern block.  It is too light and looks like the block isn't finished.  I have since taken all that batik out of the mix.

I don't have a person in mind yet for this quilt.  It will most likely only be a double or queen.  It just depends on how long it takes and if I get bored and want to start something new.

This post is being linked to Judy's Design Wall 9-2-13

Design Wall June 10, 2013

I saw both these designs on two of the quilt shows I watch on television.  The first one is Elle's Quilt in a Day show.  I thought I'd try them both out maybe for tablerunners.  My sister is coming for her annual vacation from Singapore and I thought I may make one of these up for her.

The first one is called Twin Sisters.  I would be totally scrappy.  I experimented with a couple of sizes.  I really like the large blocks when piecing a large quilt and the small one for maybe a tablerunner or corner blocks.

I think this one is called Twirling Triangles.  This one I saw on Fons and Porter.  I just happen to have a 60 degree triangle and  thought I would try it out.  I like it.  I goes together great,.  No "y" seams, just straight line sewing.  I've made a couple of halves.  This picture was taken when I'd only had one done.   I like it.

This post is being linked to Judy's Patchwork Times.  Come have a look around and see what everyone is working on.