Muse Wanderings and Paris

Well, I've allowed myself to get "distracted" again...by the laptop and virtual shopping for fabric! Didn't buy anything yet...just looking and comparing. I feel as though I have wasted hours of valuable time...but my muse has a quilt in mind...and just can't decide on what palette is the best selection! I did manage to get her to sit still long enough yesterday afternoon, and part of last night...to work on Wilma's Paris block some more.  I made some decisions...yeah!  

  Marie Antionette could be the inspiration for this cameo lady...and Wilma provided the Dior ribbon. I placed this vingette in the top center...and trailed it to the left to help break up the long linear seam in that area.  

All of the work in other areas of the block were making the beautiful little perfume bottle...already stitched...kind of lost. So, I added some lipstick and a beaded necklace that holds a fleur-de-les focal at the end. This also turns the large lace enhanced seam into more of a table skirt...IMHO.

  Next, I tackled the blank area in the bottom right...and the blank area at the bottom center of the block. I decided on a trailing trim of lace hearts under the punk style "PARIS" keys...trailing to the right into a lace heart with love doves....and roses. This area represents love and romance. Still have a couple of more things to try and bring to the block...but, it's almost ready to go home! I'll show you the entire block later...when it is finished...so you can see how everything "fits" together  

Neutral Crazy Quilt Block Started

Found some time today to get my monochromatic crazy quilt block done for a round robin that Colleen is hosting over on the HGTV Message Board. I choose brown as my color...and my palette for the fabric are in the white to light brown...or neutral...range. The stitching can include white, eggshell, cream, tan, sand, light brown, medium brown, dark brown...and any other shade in these range!   I added my lace motifs...and the ladies will add the magic! Can't wait to see what comes back home to me when this block is completed.  

Stretch-A-Budget Recipe!

Want to know how to cook a meal for a small family ...for less than $10 And...have it taste great?  

  These seven hamburgers cost me the price of buns and a pound of beef. The other ingredients were on my shelf...but, I've allowed a little cost in my equation for them....otherwise, I'd say this is a $6 meal!!  

Ingredients: 2 eggs beaten 1/2 small onion chopped fine 1 clove garlic chopped fine (or 1 T jar kind) 1 cup rolled oats (not the instant kind) 1 pd of ground round or ground chuck (I like to use a 80/20 fat content) salt and pepper to taste  

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. I do this with my clean fingers...rather than a spoon....cause that's the way we do it in the south. Divide the mixture...and form the parts into balls. Flatten and place each into a non-stick kind of pan. Do not add oil if you want to keep the fat content down.  

Set your heat to medium. Set your timer for five minutes. Don't mess with them!  

  After five minutes, flip them over...and cook for another 5 minutes. After flipping...push them down with a flat spatula. I use my ceramic skillet for this, and you can see that there is no additional oil in the pan...just what the meat creates itself. Now, wait your five minutes...and don't mess with them! (That's a total of 10 minutes...five on each side)  

  Check them after the five minutes by cutting one in half...it should not be pink. This is how mine looked...you can cook longer if you want to...or if you stove does not cook like mine. (This one is for Buddy...so it's cut up)  I like mayo and ketchup on my bun...but you can put other condiments instead. A slice of tomato, a thin sliver of onion, and some lettuce if you like...or just plain is still great.

  I use my ceramic skillet for this, and you can see that there is no additional oil in the pan...just what the meat creates itself.   If you don't think the men in the family will want a hamburger that has "oatmeal" in it...just call it something other than a hamburger. I dub this recipe "The Italian Stallion Beef Burger". Variation: Add a Tablespoon of BBQ...and change the name to "Spicy Texas Longhorn Burger" Variation: Roll small...golfball or smaller size...and brown on all sides. Then add a jar/can of spagetti sauce...and you have super meatballs! Variation: Place the entire bowl of meat mixture on a baking sheet...form it like a loaf of bread. Bake for about 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven...and you have meatloaf!   How do you stretch your budget when cooking?  If you missed the give-a-way this week...go back and check yesterdays post. Hugs!

Give-A-Way Time!

Look what I found last week hiding in my bead stash! I had tucked these two back for some reason...and forgot about them. So, let's draw and give them to two lucky winners!   The 2 Rules for winning are simple...   1) Leave a comment that answers this question: "What would you do with a four-inch pink beaded spider?"   2) Make sure your comment includes an email address or link to your Blogger profile with email...so I can contact you for a mailing address. No email...and you are disqualified...as I simply do not have the time to "hunt you down".   That's it...just leave a comment..and make sure I can email you if your comment is randomly selected.  The time frame for the give-a-way will be until this Saturday, . So you have until midnight...CST (my time)...Friday, 5 April 2013 to leave your comment. Comments will not appear right away...as I'm still moderating. But, if you leave one...I WILL get it.  Make sure I can contact you easily! I'll select two winners at random. Let you know by email if you win...and post the winners on the blog Saturday morning (once you respond to my email asking for your mailing address). Good Luck!   So, who wants a spider?

Quick Stats Info -- Spiders Ahead

We're going to have another give-a-way... But, first...let me share this information with you...I thought it was interesting... Stats for my blog...with most viewed posts:   2020 -- Redwork Peacock 2510 -- Little Turtle Pin Cushion Tutorial 3205 -- Mug Rug & Embroidery Design 10,268 -- Don't Be Afraid (Small Beaded Spiders) 59,001 -- Beaded Spider Tutorial   Weird? Certaining interesting... the spiders are taking over!  hugs!!  

Winners!

We have winners for the three silk ribbon pendants. They have been contacted by email...so check your mailbox if you had left a comment on that post. I'm waiting for the return mail with shipping address!   I'll post the winners after I hear from them...if no response within 48 hours...I'll pick another random number and re-gift the winnings! Hugs...   Edited to Add Winners Checking In:  Mary Anne (Magpie Mumblings) (Canada) - small golden pendant Mandy (England) - large gold pendant Gina (Florida, USA) -large silver pendant   This was fun, and I'm going to do another drawing tomorrow...not today...because I don't want anyone to think it is an April's Fool joke. So, check back tomorrow...if you aren't afraid of spiders!  

Merry Merry Snowmen - Block #4

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. It was a nice day and even managed to be mostly without rain! That's not so for the rest of the week...as the weather channel predicts rain almost all week long! Perhaps I should buy a boat! While Aidan was here last week, I managed to work on the fourth block of the Merry Merry Snowmen quilt...and finished it up last night. The letters are stitched with back-stitch, and the arms and star vines are in stem stitch...all with #8 perle cotton.  

Eggs for Easter All Painted!

Today, Aidan and I spent some time painting eggs. We used egg dye to base coat the eggs...then when dry, we got out the acrylic paints and felt tip markers and had some fun! As you can tell from the eggs above, I'm no artist!

Aida did a great job with hers...and I wish I could keep them! But, after a few days...they'd be smelling pretty stinky!

Surfer chick! This is Aidan's most favorite.

Easter bunny and basket was a favorite too.

Aidan goes home tomorrow, but I have really enjoyed this week's visit. I sure do miss her when she is not here.    However, I am also very tired...she has so much energy! I'd be a rich woman if I could just figure out a way to bottle all of that energy!   So...tomorrow afternoon...I'll be getting me a nap! Hugs!

Merry Merry Snowmen - Block #3

Last night, I finished up with block three of the Merry Merry Snowmen pattern. I changed it a little, adding a moon and a large wreath on the house...and dropping off a couple of stars.  Aidan and I are still having a great week! And, there isn't a load of stitching being done...but that's okay! Today, we are dying and painting eggs for the Easter bunny...so not much embroidery will be accomplished today either. I'll be sorry to see her go home on Sunday...but school starts back on Monday!  

Spring Break Time!

It's Spring Break. In the United States, school is out for a week in the spring time...to give the teachers students a break from class work. I'm sure that there are other more "official" reasons...but, regardless of what they are...the kids get a few days off from school work. This week, Aidan has come to visit me...and therefore, not much sewing is getting done. There was a lesson in making hexagons today...and these above are the one's that Aidan completed. The one on the far left is her first attempt...then, you can see that she got better as she went along.

Before the fun...we got out housework completed. I did the dishes, laundry, made the beds and cooked breakfast. She volunteered for the bathroom ( YES!! Woot! Woot!) Here she is, taking all of the hairbrushes and combs out of the basket...so she could get to the hair bows and bands to put them back in their "right place"...and not thrown in with the hair brushes. (She's also checking herself out in the mirror)

Now, we are baking cookies. I supervise...and she mixes and cooks. 

These are not the prettiest chocolate chips ever...but, betcha that they will taste good! And, we have enough to share!

Jumbo Ironing Board Cover

See my new ironing surface? No?, then open your eyes...hugs! My brother Mike agreed to cut a piece of wood for me...measuring 24" by 60"...from a piece of OSB Plywood he had in his wood-pile. He just finished a large remodel.   

 He used my ironing board as the guide and attached some pieces of scrap 1x1 boards to one side. They were placed just outside the shape of my ironing board so that the larger padded surface would sit on top of the ironing board...using it's legs for support.  

 I covered the other side with 3 layers of batting...wrapped around the edges and stapled...then a double layer of cotton sheeting, also wrapped around the edges and stapled.  Now, I have this wonderful huge ironing surface...it is easily removed and stored against the wall...when I fold up my ironing board. Inexpensive...and a huge plus when pressing out quilt tops! (Wish I had it for those dang draperies I just finished last month!...of course, pressing them is what made me "think" about needing one) ...so, all is well that ends well!  

And, with the "left over" scraps of batting and fabric...I also covered an old extra wooden shelf...and have a mini-ironing surface to put next to my sewing machine...or I can move it to my work table.  

Simple...wrap...and staple!

Give-A-Way!!

We have not done a Give-A-Way in a little while...so, let's celebrate the beginning of spring (even with snow still on the ground in some parts of the country...and other countries!)  Here are THREE silk ribbon pendants...a large gold, a large silver, and a small gold. These are not precious metals...just plated. But, each is hand-stitched with loads of love! And, they are very pretty...and, they can be mailed anywhere that accepts US Standard First Class mail! So, all of my international followers can participate too! How to win? Easy...   FIRST: Just leave a comment on THIS POST...and tell me WHICH of these three you'd most like. SECOND: Make sure that you also have your Blogger Profile set to include your email so that you can be contacted...or put your email address within your comment. If I can't email you...you will be dis-qualified.   That's it...how easy is that! Using the random generator...I'll select three numbers...and these will folks will be contacted for shipping addresses...and advised of which pendant they have won. The drawing will take place on April 1st...so you have until midnight CST on the 31st of March to enter the drawing.    Good Luck!   4/1/2013 - Edited to add: This give-a-way is closed...winners have been selected. All of the comments to this post have now been deleted...to protect the privacy of those who entered and added their email address within their comment.  

Double Layer Cake Quilt

No, not an eating cake...a fabric cake!I've been cutting fabric, and sewing blocks for a Double Layer Cake quilt for my brother. It will be king size (100 blocks plus borders) and will be for their bedroom...the room I made the black drapes with herringbone white/black trim.They are scrappy...and I'm using load of the black on white and the white on black fabric from my stash. So, this is also a good stash-busting kind of project.
The blocks are nine inches finished. They begin with a large stack of 10-inch squares of fabric. Each of these squares is cut into two pieces...a 3.5" x 10 inch...and a 6.5" x 10 inch. (sorry no photo before sewing back together)  

The stacks of fabric pieces are shuffled to mix them up...and then these two pieces are sewn back together...making a new stack of blocks that are 9.5" x 10". They are mixed up so that you don't sew two "matching" fabric back together...how dumb would that be?...but, it has to be said. Hugs!  

 Next, rotate the blocks...and cut into two pieces that are 5" x 9.5". Each of these new pieces now has two fabric in them...because they share a piece from both of the previous fabrics.  

Shuffle the stack again, divide the stack in half...rotate one half so that the smaller square from the half's is towards the outside on each stack.  

 Sew these together, and you'll have a stack of blocks that not measure 9.5" square. The Double Layer Cake block is complete. 

  Assemble in rows, then sew the rows together to form the center of the quilt. Add borders if you like. Layer the quilt top with batting and a backing fabric...and quilt this sandwich of layers. Lastly, finish off the raw edge with a binding...and you have a quilt! Here is a computer rendition of the idea...using only four types of fabric...and I'm using about fifteen (I just didn't want to work that hard on the laptop). I'll be sewing my rows all weekend! It takes some time and effort...but is an easy-quick block to create. I stitches cut, stacked, stitched, ironed, re-stacked, shuffled, stitched, ironed...and now have 100 blocks done. It took me two days...and that's not all I have done.

   I also got a little CQ Stitching done yesterday too! The letter "S" was stem-stitched on one of my unfinished-object (UFO) blocks.  

A Mishap...and Very Happy Ending for Me

I recently ordered some batiks on-line...for another applique project. A dear, dear lady sent me a quilt pattern because I commented that I loved her finished quilt project. (Such a lovely friend indeed!). So, I want to do this quilt...but did not have enough batiks in the browns and blacks needed. I received the above two fabrics...and, as you can tell, they are both the exactly the same thing. I contacted the company...and the young lady in customer service was so nice...and helped me determine which of the fabrics ordered had not been sent. She is sending it out to me right away...AND has instructed me to keep the "wrong" fabric as their apology. Now, this is just a single yard of fabric...but still, that's a nice thing to do. So, when I need the border fabric print for this project...I'll be going back to Connecting Threads.com to purchase it...because they were so nice in dealing with this issue.