here's another flea market fancy quilt top.
tutorial here.original quilt here.
as you can see, i'm not doing well with any of my goals for this year (slowing down, making something other than lap quilts, making quilts for others....). but hey, i am using my stash, so that has to count for something. i guess if they were easy, they wouldn't be called goals, right?

When I visit my favorite blogs and I see books shown in the background, I have to admit, I am nosy and try to zoom in on the titles. I think it's totally fascinating to see what is being read, because I think what one reads can be very revealing!

On that note...I am revealing who I am....by showing you my books. Most of what I read is non-fiction. I have read so much fiction in my long life that I, pretty much, guess what is going to happen...and that bores me. I do read some thrillers or mysteries, but only occasionally.

My bookcases are in my living room, and while sitting in my cozy armchair, quilting or knitting, I can look across the room and feel comforted by the sight of my colorful books waiting for me to reopen. Yes, I do read these over and over. Is there anything more lovely then to sit with a cup of tea and revisit a well-loved and well-worn book? So take a peek, and see if there are any that may interest you. Do my book titles tell you anything about who I am?

based on this quilt (i love this quilt!)
inspired by this color scheme (love this one, too!)

knit scrap rug--30" x 19"

i finally finished the knit rug that i started back in october. i first posted about it here.

materials used:

scraps leftover from cutting quilt pieces, including some selvages. ALL pieces used in this rug were originally destined for the trash can. pieces varied in width from about 1/3" -1" and were various lengths as well. (the longer the better.)
what i did:

cast on 65 stitches on size 17 needles, knitting in a simple garter stitch throughout the rug. i joined new strings as i was knitting, knotting them end to end as i went.

i am pretty happy with the result. it is very satisfying to use up every last bit of fabric. this rug is currently in one of our bathrooms. i'm going to see how it wears before starting another one. i do love the results-it feels great under bare feet. and it will match ANY color that we choose to paint our bathroom. :)

Well, I hope the New Year is off to a good start for all of you. Did you make your list of New Years resolutions? I didn't. I thought about what I wanted to do differently but I didn't commit them to paper. My plan was to not lose my temper so easily, and to try to be a bit more patient. Ha! Broke that one already while working on a scrappy little quilt today.

I was really determined....until I started to cut out triangles.....too tedious....and not one of my favorite things to do.

Don't worry Oliver...I love you. You're a good little boy and I'm not mad at you...it's these triangles.
Okay, time to sew the triangles together....again, too tedious, and NOT my favorite thing to do!

When I first began quilting many years ago, all my quilts had triangles in them....but until today, I had forgotten how frustrating the cutting and piecing can be. No wonder I have pieced my last few quilts with, easy as pie, squares. Think I will stick to rectangles and squares.....they are a lot more conducive to my sewing serenity. Time to take a little break...Libby will be here soon to spend the night with Mema, and I want to be in a more peaceful frame of mind. I think a brisk walk and a cup of hot tea will help me to feel a bit calmer before the little girlie walks through the door. Can't wait to see her......granddaughters always seem to have a charming and delightful way of making scrappy sewing frustrations, and broken New Years resolutions magically disappear!

2008 was a big quilting year for me. I finished 34 quilts.

My goals for last year were:

1. Make more charity quilts.

I donated 6 quilts to the Linus Connection yesterday. I also donated two for silent auctions earlier in the year-one for a family in crisis and one to my church.

2. I have a few friends that I have known for a long, long time that don't have an Amanda-made quilt, so that needs to be remedied.

One went to Linda.
And one to Nancy. (those were the two i was hoping to cover last year.)

3. Finish the 4 quilts that I currently have in progress.

I think I did.

4. Make more quilts with triangles in them.

I made 4.

5. Make another 2 color quilt.

I was pretty close with this quilt.

6. Beyond that, I just plan to do more of the same quilting that I have been doing...scrap quilts, improvisational piecing and pretty much quilting like crazy. And working on my list.

Yes, I can safely say that I DID quilt like crazy. And it was great.
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Now, looking ahead to 2009...

I hope to make my in-laws quilts this year. Only my MIL has a quilt made by me. I think the rest of the family could use some quilts, too!

I would like to donate at least two quilts to Quilts of Valor, which is an organization that gives quilts to wounded soldiers. I found out about this program through one of my local quilt shops. What a great cause to quilt for!

I need to start making more quilts that fit beds and make fewer lap quilts. Last time I counted, I have 20 lap quilts in my house. That's a great plenty. I want to make more quilts for our beds so I can change them out with the seasons...but I'll start with changing them out twice a year. I have such a hard time committing to a color scheme and design for bed quilts, though.

And I hate to say this, but I really, really need to slow down. My arms hurt. I have been in a lot of pain due to my obsessive quilting. It scares me. I'm only 33, and I really, really don't want to have to give up this hobby of mine.

I don't really want to end this post on a down note...I am excited for the year ahead. I have given myself some time off over the holiday and am anxious to start all kinds of new quilts. I have a feeling this will be a big year for me...I'm looking forward to good things.

Happy New Year, friends.

Mama Urchin and I arranged a little swap a few months back. She is making me hand knit socks(!!!) and in return, I am quilting a baby quilt for her. She wanted it backed in chenille, and I wasn't sure how quilting that would work out. She wanted the crinkly quilt look with a chenille back. And in this experiment we achieved both. (This idea was inspired by Oh Fransson.)

Here's what I did....

I basted, and quilted as normal...(with batting + backing)

Then I sewed around the perimeter of the quilt (twice) with my walking foot to make sure all the edges were tacked down.

Then I threw it in the washer, unbound.
I threw the chenille in the same load, since it wasn't pre-washed.
And I held my breath.

All was fine after the wash cycle. Phew.
I popped everything into the dryer.


I laid out the quilt (again) with the chenille on the back this time.
I used my walking foot and sewed around the perimeter of the quilt.

And here it is...one crinkly quilt with chenille backing.
It's warm. And snuggly.
I'd definitely try this again.

edited to clarify:
the quilt layers are as such:

quilt top
batting
backing
chenille

the chenille is not connected anywhere else on the quilt-just the edges.
the quilt will be bound just like any normal quilt with traditional binding.

A brand new year reminds me of my unopened birthday present. You just don't know what surprise awaits you. Oh, you know, it will be something good, something you may have asked for, or perhaps, just a wonderful little mystery. And I love a mystery, don't you?

This beautiful little gift came straight from Williams-Sonoma, already gift-wrapped, and embellished with this sweet little pineapple cookie cutter. Look what was inside.....a brand new scone pan! Am I excited? Yes, I am, but I don't have any scone recipes.

So, I am going to ask a favor from all of you....will you post or email me a scone recipe you love? In the meantime.....embrace your brand new year, no matter what fate may bring you....it is a mysterious little gift, just for you, all wrapped up, and presented to you fresh and clean, and maybe, just maybe, it will be embellished with something extra, like a little pineapple cookie cutter! Have a healthy, happy, homey New Year!!!

Last night....Thai food for my birthday. Took photos of my husband's Thai snack platter, my daughter's sushi....and right before the waiter brought my plate, I took a photo of my empty place mat and then...I looked at the camera and it said...not enough disc space. Too bad, because it really was a pretty presentation of color with the red and green peppers and, also, the pretty embellishments of ginger and carrots they fashioned into flowers. The name of the dish was Spicy Takrai Seafood with shrimp, scallop, squid, mussel, mushroom, and bell pepper sauteed with spicy coconut cream sauce. It was, roll your eyes in the back of your head while doing a little dance, delicious. I love when they give you so much you have to take some home. I just ate the rest of it for lunch. Oh, I do love me some Thai!

outgoing quilts.6 to the linus connection2 for giftsthis one was already gifted before i took the photo.
mitts for gifts.i let my friends have their pick, rather than to try to guess what color would suit them best.
new fabric.from my favorite local quilt shop. i ALMOST made it to the end of the year without buying more. i figure i was close enough.

from my library. i rarely buy craft books, but i heavily rely upon my local library and their great inter-library loan system. i LOVE my library.
(from top to bottom: one skein by leigh radford, last minute patchwork + quilted gifts by joelle hoverson, alterknits by leigh radford, bend the rules sewing by amy karol, liberated string quilts by gwen marston, and Better Homes and Gardens Two Color Quilts.) not pictured: stacks of laundry and dirty dishes. both are too frightening to reveal.

celebrating my birthdaybaking and frosting my birthday cakespending time with my lovely familyopening my birthday presentseating out at my favorite Thai restaurantsitting at my sewing machine and piecing a new quiltplaying with my new fat quarters....my birthday gift to mewatching Helen Mirren on Masterpiece Contemporaryliving in the moment

I am knee deep into my addiction.....can't stop eating this luscious, delicious, delectable, yummy candy. I love, love, love it. It's only available this time of year, so I have to consume as much as possible. Will be back tomorrow for a regular posting......if I can pull my head out of my Ghirardelli bag!

May your Christmas be comfy, cozy, and sparkling with joy and serenity.

Over the weekend I was able to finish this quilt. Trying to take a decent photo of it was pretty challenging. (To say my normal spot is snow-covered would be an understatement!)

So here's one half...

and here's the other.

I love how the white thread shows up subtly on the grey in this block.

And here's the pieced back. Normally I wouldn't use quite so much white on the back, but I was determined to work from my stash. I LOVE the patchwork strip. I really really love the entire backing-it's actually 2 quilts in one. And those wrinkles at the top, those are just from the dryer.
The quilt measured about 65" x 80" before quilting. After quilting, washing and drying it shrunk up to 61" x 75". I think it's because of all the muslin. The quilt will have that just-out-of -the-dryer crinkled effect all the time. Which isn't a bad thing. At all.
Here's the time breakdown for making the entire quilt:
5 hours to piece top
1 hr 15 minutes to piece the back
35 minutes to pin baste
3 hrs 30 minutes to quilt
55 minutes to make and attach binding
3 hrs 50 min to hand stitch binding
25 minutes to make and attach label
for a grand total of 15 hours and 30 minutes.
If you would like to make a quilt similar to this, you can find the measurements here.-----
On a completely different note, Christmas vacation is kicking my butt. Yes, it is the first day. If you think I'm exaggerating, you can ask my sister. She came to visit me today and got taste of the lunacy going on around here. She'll back up my story, I'm quite sure of it. :)

A charming and cozy kitchen Christmas tree.

A lovely tabletop centerpiece made with things on hand.
Homemade gifts handcrafted with love.
The birth of a Savior.
A season full of Joy, Love, Hope, and Family.

We got 6" (at least) of fresh snow today and we stayed tucked in at home. I love that.

The kids and I are playing Sorry to try to ward off the crabbies (and the bickering).
My husband is cooking dinner. (I love him!)

And I'm doing some last minute knitting. I'm making fingerless gloves based on this pattern,while snuggling under my Christmas quilt by the fire. Ahhh. What's going on at your house?

Christmas calls to mind long-standing family traditions, and my date nut pinwheels cookies are, definitely, a generation after generation tradition. These old-fashioned cookies were made by my great grandmother, and all her relations were from England, so it makes me curious as to just how far this recipe has traveled.

Thirty years ago, when my mother and grandmother were still living, I remember talking to them, and trying to persuade them to write the recipe down for me. After a number of phone calls, I was able to write it out....you know, mothers and grandmothers never wrote things down, they just threw the ingredients together from memory. Yesterday, I found it among my massive amount of recipes, (that need to be filed in a more organized manner) and seeing my writing from so long again made me laugh. I think the time has come to rewrite this old cookie-dough splattered piece of paper.



I double the date nut filling because, to me, the more filling the better, and because it never seemed to make enough to spread over two rolls. You can use walnuts but I make them with chopped pecans. Also, I always add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dough batter.




The cookies taste really delicious with a freshly brewed cup of coffee. I guarantee you will love them because they're cookies just like your great grandmother used to bake. Perhaps, in a few years...if I am still around....I will get a call from Libby or Lulu begging their grammie for this recipe. I sure hope so.

edit...after further calculations, I changed the yardage requirement for the sashing fabric from 2 1/3 to 2 3/4 yards. (see below.)

First off, I'd like to thank Alissa for her inspiration AND her willingness to let me share this pattern with all of you.

Here are the measurements I used for my flea market fancy quilt top....

cut a 5" inch square for the center of the block.
you will need 20.
cut 2 rectangles 3.5" x 5"
and 2 rectangles 3.5" x 11".

assemble the block with a 1/4" seam allowance.

each 1/4 yard (I used 1/4 yards, not fat quarters for this, but FQ's would work, too) will yield enough pieces to border 2 blocks.
you will need 10 quarter yards for the outsides of the blocks.
make 20 blocks.

for the sashing:

I used bleached muslin. you will need 2 3/4 yards.

first, cut 2 border pieces 5" x 80" (cut this lengthwise, not selvage to selvage, to avoid seams). set this aside for your final borders. (these will be placed vertically)

cut 6 border/sashing pieces 5" x 56". (these will be placed horizontally)

cut 15 sashing pieces 5" x 11". (these will be placed vertically)

Assemble your quilt top.

It will measure approximately 65" x 80" when finished.


In the original quilt, Alissa placed some of the center blocks off center, and that can be done easily, just make sure that your square measures 11" when assembled. or you can make the block oversized and then trim as needed.

If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them in the comments. If you make a quilt using these measurements, I'd love to see it!

....my son (8) told me that shoveling snow makes him feel important.
best.
news.
ever.
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shoes are from Land's End. I have them in red, too.

My husband brought home this yummy chocolate croissant from Paneras early this morning and my mouth has been watering for it all day. Finally, Lulu is taking her nap, and I am able to take a little break, and slowly savor my warmed-up croissant with a steaming hot cup of Constant Comment Orange Spice Tea. I am pretending I am sitting at a Paris cafe, leisurely sipping my tea, eating my chocolate croissant, writing my Christmas to-do list, and watching all the smiling shoppers strolling around the specialty shops carrying huge bags full of Christmas gifts. Oh well, this may not be a bistro table in Paris, but I do feel delightfully content right now sitting at my old oak kitchen table, in my nice warm and cozy kitchen, licking the ooey-gooey delicious chocolate off my fingers......what a lovely afternoon treat!