In a stitch

So…this quilting stuff is tricky business! I have not yet attempted to actually free motion ON my niece’s quilt yet. I’m trying to practice on scraps, but I’m not very confident. I’m thinking I might just go for a straight stitch this time until I can get more practice in. My problem is that I love all my fabric, so I need to go to Joann’s and by some cheap fat quarters in ugly prints to use. I hate wasting beautiful fabric. My thought is that I’ll just use my walking foot to straight stitch the whole thing and then go back over the smaller sections with a free motion pattern – if I can practice enough to feel confident. I only have a few days to get this part done and then I need to get my binding all pieced and sewn together. Making a quilt is a lot of work! And this one is only approximately 40” x 40”! I can’t imagine how long a bed-sized quilt is going to take me! A year?! I plan to sew myself one next (for both the practice and just because I want one). It’s going to be big. I’m thinking finished…60” x 72” or so. Something big enough that I can use to snuggle up on the couch with a book. Or share with my man when we’re laying down and watching a movie. And it’s going to be more detailed than my niece’s. I made up my own pattern already. I couldn’t find one I liked, so I just drew it out. I have to transfer it to graph paper so I can get it to scale. And then select my fabrics. I just ordered 1 yard of 6 different fabrics (for a total of 6 yards) out of the Authentic Collection from The Quilted B. And I’ve already got a couple more fabrics at home I can use. I’m not sure if it will be enough though. I think I need some bolder fabrics so it’s not so cream colored. Both the fabrics I have at home are that same natural colored background. I might incorporate some of what I’m using for the niece’s quilt too. It’ll just be a big mishmash of fabrics. It won’t match anything in my house, but I don’t really care. As long as I like the way it looks. :) I’ll be sure to post some pictures here pretty soon of my progress with my niece’s quilt. I plan to [hopefully] get my quilting done tonight and begin on the binding.  

Sorry, I don’t mean to ramble about quilting. I just love it. My new hobby. Unfortunately, nobody my age shares in my enthusiasm. Everyone I know that quilts and can offer me tips/advice is at least twice my age. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It would just be fun to have someone close to my age to do it with. I’ll have to do some blog searching, I think!  

In other news…I am really ready for the weekend! I think getting through the week has been especially hard since I know I’m getting an amazing spa manicure/pedicure with my sister (in-law) on Saturday, and I am so looking forward to it!! It’s Wednesday, so it’s all downhill from here (I hope).  

I know most of my posts lately have been about sewing projects, but I wanted to leave you with some pictures from my “inspiration quilts” folder. Are these not amazing??  

[caption id="attachment_445" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="LOVE this quilt and the colors"][/caption]

 

  

New growth and weekend plans

[caption id="attachment_430" align="alignnone" width="459" caption="plum tree blossoms in front of our place"][/caption]

 

I live in Washington State…about 30 miles south of Seattle in a little town called Puyallup. In all my years here (15 to be exact), I have never seen a winter quite like this one. By that I mean that I have never seen winter come to an end so soon. We didn’t even break any rainfall records this year! It was actually a rather dry winter compared to normal, and we only got one dusting of snow. Quite unusual. A little over two weeks ago I was on my way home from work when I thought I saw flowers budding on one of our trees by the driveway at the office. “Naw…I must be seeing things…it’s still FEBRUARY for Pete’s sake!” On the contrary. I think by the end of next week all trees will be in full bloom. My allergies started taking notice shortly after my observation at work, and that’s when I knew: SPRING IS HERE! Don’t get me wrong. Washington and I were practically made for each other. I love rain. And wind. And gray. But I must tell you, there’s no place like Washington on a crisp and clear day when the tiny green sprouts are starting to come out of the ground, the bare trees are getting that green-ish tint at the end of their branches, the sky is a magnificent blue, and that mountain. Mount Rainier. Beautiful and white. *sigh* I love Washington. It’s so gorgeous here when the sun is out. The rain keeps our skies clear and smog-free, so on the sunny days everything seems to just glisten and sparkle. Days like this make me happy inside. I just wish my body agreed with my love for spring and flowers and new growth. Darn these allergies! It’s supposed to be 63 degrees tomorrow. 63 degrees!! I plan to break out the flip-flops and Bermuda shorts. Granted, I’ll be inside all day, but maybe I’ll set myself up by the window… 

Tonight we’ve got the in-laws (well, my in-laws, Corey’s mom and stepdad) coming over for dinner. I wish I could say I was making something delicious and mouth-watering, but I’m not. I don’t even get home from work until almost 6pm, so that doesn’t leave much time for cooking. AND his mom and little sister have Celiac Disease, so everything has to be gluten-free. And I’m lactose intolerant, so I need lactose-free. Yes, we’re quite a bunch. Cooking gluten-free is no easy task. So we’re just going to take the easy route and pick up some salad and rotisserie chicken from Costco. They make it gluten-free. I wish it was as warm out as it looks to be. I would move everything outside for dinner, but I think 53 degrees is a little too cold. Plus, it’ll probably be back down into the 40’s by the time they come over…and it gets dark by 6:30. So I’m out of luck. Oh well. They’re watching my niece tonight too, so I’ll get to see her adorable little face again. Should be a fun time. I love having people over. I love BBQs particularly. I can’t wait until we have a house of our own and can BBQ most weekends in the summer and invite family and friends over. Right now we can barely seat 4 (and there will be 6 of us). That’s the challenging part of our current living situation. But maybe sometime later this year we’ll have a house. Lord willing. 

Tomorrow I’m going to hunker down (of all days, I pick the nicest day of the weekend to do this) and finish up my niece’s birthday quilt. My Pastor’s wife is helping me with the binding. And I’ve decided to go outside what the pattern calls for. It’s a quilt made from strips, and they tell you to “stick in the ditch.” After talking it over with Jenny (Pastor’s wife), I think it would look much cooler free motioned. Except I’ve never done free motion quilting before. Well, I’ve actually never done a quilt before. This is my first one. So Jenny’s going to help me with the free motion stuff. It looks scary. I hope I don’t screw it up!! I’m super excited to see how it turns out. But I’ll probably cry if it looks terrible. 

Ok, I better quit typing and tidy my house up before the fam comes over. Happy Friday, all!

letting the creative juices flow!

The Saturday after next (so the 13th), my sister and I will be going craft crazy! Well, after we get some manicures and pedicures, of course. :) My wonderful hubby got me a Gene Juarez gift card (it's a really nice spa/salon in Washington for those out-of-state followers) for Valentine's day, and it's enough for me to take a friend to get their spa mani/pedi treatment. Who better to take than the sis? Woo! SO excited! We both REALLY need the relaxation. 

Afterward we're going to be up to our necks in crafts. Literally. My sweet little niece will be one on April 17th, so we're busting out on the homemade decorations for her party. We plan to hand-make all the invitations (Minnie Mouse themed of course since Kahla is in LOVE with Minnie). And then we're going to make one of these banners with thanks to this wonderful etsy shop. Except ours will say "happy birthday" and then there will be a second smaller one hanging below that says "kahla." Amanda wanted to be able to hang the "kahla" one up in her room afterward. Should be an insane day, but oh so fun! I love homemade decorations. So practical and reusable! 

 

Isn't that seriously the cutest banner ever? I'm thinking about making one for my house. Without letters. And maybe making it with triangles instead of rectangles. I think I'll hang it either in the eating area/kitchen or in my office/sewing room. Or maybe I'll make two. Who knows. But I have to finish the quilt first! Let's not get ahead of ourselves here... 

I seriously have an obsession with etsy. I'm thinking of starting my own up eventually. When I have a little more time. But that's a whole different post... 

Check out some of my favorite shops/products: 

 

[caption id="attachment_420" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="http://www.etsy.com/shop/DearGoldenVintage"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_421" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="http://www.etsy.com/shop/annajoyce"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_422" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="http://www.etsy.com/shop/annajoyce"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_423" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="http://www.etsy.com/shop/RevisionDesignAus"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_424" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="LOVE these baby clothes - http://www.etsy.com/shop/cocosailore"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_425" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="http://www.etsy.com/shop/cocosailore"][/caption]

 

Can you see why I adore Etsy??

New sewing project: my first quilt!

I'm working on a quilt for my darling niece. She's going to be one in April. It's an ambitious project - especially considering I've NEVER done a quilt before. I don't even know the first thing about quilting! I'm just following Amy Karol's book so far. Here's what I've got...

[caption id="attachment_361" align="aligncenter" width="234" caption="Taken from this book (must give credit due to copyrights)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_403" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="This is picture of what the finished quilt is supposed to look like (from her pattern)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_404" align="aligncenter" width="442" caption="a close up of my fabrics"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_408" align="aligncenter" width="524" caption="the cut strips before I lay on the green accents"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_410" align="aligncenter" width="491" caption="view of the quilt top (prior to sewing)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_409" align="aligncenter" width="524" caption="an artsy close-up :)"][/caption]

more to come as I work on this project...what do you all think of it so far? I'm pretty excited to see how it turns out! Hopefully it's a success!

First Sewing Project - Complete!

Here's an overview of my first project...COASTERS! The general design/idea was taken from Amy Karol's Bend-The-Rules Sewing book. You'll have to ignore the fact that one of the coasters (my first one) is a bit crooked...I was in a bit of a hurry just trying to get ONE of them done and decided not to use pins - bad move! I could have used my seam-ripper and redone the whole thing, but I really just wanted to get them all done. If it bothers me too much after the next couple days, I'll redo it. Here are the pictures documenting the process :)

[caption id="attachment_366" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="My crazy cluttered work space"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_367" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="My new baby! The XR9000!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_368" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Some awesome fabric I found on Etsy (all fabric used was purchased on Etsy)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_369" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="One of my coasters serving its purpose for my cup of tea"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_371" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="The finished products"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_376" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="They're all reversible"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_374" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Coaster #1"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_377" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Coaster #2"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_378" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Coaster #3"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_379" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Coaster #4"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_380" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="All cleaned up...well, sort of :)"][/caption]

A new member of the family

This is Wilma. She is my new 13” MacBook Pro. Isn’t she beautiful?

It’s an early Christmas/Birthday present (my birthday is a week after Christmas, so it usually gets combined with Christmas when I’m getting something big). I do have good reason for spending the money on one of these babies though. Currently, I have a three-year-old HP laptop…with Vista. Therefore my laptop sucks. And it’s also going crazy. I actually paid almost the same price for that three years ago as I did for Wilma. Anyway, Ms. HP is convinced she’s dying. I’ve tried to convince her otherwise, but I think Vista has polluted her beyond repair. First of all, I have a 160GB hard drive on the HP. I have roughly 85GB between music, photos and documents…and yet it’s telling me that I only have 10GB of free space. I have deleted every program I don’t need or use, run disk cleanup, defragmented, etc and yet she still thinks she only has 10GB of free space out of 160 (actually, by the time you put Vista on there it says you only have a 140GB hard drive). I can’t figure this out. It has caused quite a conundrum. It just doesn’t make any sense. Plus, it’s been really slow lately with the stupid anti-virus software that’s on it, but you can’t really go without that software on a PC. And it randomly just deletes drivers so I have to reinstall them. Like my mouse (the touch pad one that is ON the laptop) randomly stopped working. It didn’t even register it. Luckily, I have a wireless optical mouse that I use at home. I had to completely reinstall the darn thing. Theeennn…I decided to use my husband’s Western Digital external hard drive to back up all my important stuff (photos, music, documents, emails, contacts, etc) because the thing was making me pretty nervous, and I didn’t want to lost all my info. Guess what? Stupid Vista doesn’t like the Western Digital hard drive. I tried all their troubleshooting tips online, downloaded drivers, etc…nada. Since we had a giftcard to Fry’s, we decided to use it on a new hard drive for me (since Corey already has one) that I could back everything up with and that would also work with Mac (because I’ve had it up to here ^ with Vista). The nice salesman ensured us that it would indeed work with Mac and Windows. I go home and plug it in and…nothing. Really? Maybe I just need to restart my computer….20 minutes later (because Vista takes a ridiculously long time to start up) I’m back up and running (well…sort of running). I double click “My Computer” fully expecting to see the 320GB portable drive listed. And nothing. My dang HP won’t even see the hard drive. So I head on over to iomega’s website for more troubleshooting (this seems to be all I ever do with Vista…troubleshoot). Literally, there are about 10 different steps. Each one ends with the hopes that you’ve done enough to make it work, but in case that STILL doesn’t work…try this… Two days later I’m at the Apple Store trying to decide which Mac I want. Granted, it took me about 6 months to decide I wanted make the switch to Apple. I was pretty apprehensive, but after I opened that box last night…I was in love. It seriously took 53 seconds to start up (yes, I counted). Maybe part of it is because you don’t need anti-virus software for Mac. I was in awe before I even made the first keystroke. Now I just have to figure out how to get all of my photos, pictures, documents, contacts, emails, etc onto Wilma. Apple has that whole one-to-one thing you can buy where you leave your computer with them for a day and they transfer everything for you, but it’s $100 and we live 45 minutes from the nearest Apple Store, so it’s not very convenient. Plus, we won’t be able to make it back up there for another 3 weeks. I don’t really want to wait that long. I think I’m going to try the old-fashioned DVD thing for some of the stuff like photos and music (since I can’t just plug the external hard drive into the HP and transfer everything…because that would be WAY too easy). Oh, did I mention that all I had to do with my portable hard drive on Wilma was plug her in and change one little setting to make it Mac compatible? Yes, 2 minutes after the initial plug-in, Wilma is being completely backed up to the portable drive. Such a relief!

I’ll quit my little campaign for Apple now. They should publish my testimonial or something. I might feel differently if it wasn’t for Vista. But probably not. I might just not dislike Windows quite as stongly.

If anyone else has made the switch from Vista to Mac, I would love any transfer suggestions/tips. Good day!

Recipe Time

I made an AMAZING chili this weekend and thought I’d share the recipe so you all can enjoy the deliciousness of this as well. It’s my sister-in-law’s recipe – something she just made up because she’s one of those people that can just make recipes up. I’m not there yet in my level of cooking, so in the mean time, I just get all HER recipes :D

No-Bean Chili
 • 1 lb stew meat
• 1 15oz can of corn (or 1 16oz bag of frozen corn)
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 cans beef broth (you can also use vegetable broth)
• ½ onion minced (or 1 tablespoon onion powder)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 bay leaf

Throw everything in a crock pot and stir (there is no need to brown or cook the meat in any way prior to putting in the crock pot). Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low 8-9 hours. Serve over rice with a side of cornbread.

I actually doubled the recipe because I was feeding myself, my husband, my ever-hungry nineteen year old brother-in-law AND was hoping to have leftovers for lunch during the week. It’s really filling. We all only ate one serving, and I have a large Tupperware of leftovers in the fridge. Also, I actually served it WITH rice instead of over rice. I made some white rice separately in my rice cooker and then added a spoonful to each bowl as I served everyone. We just stirred it in and that made it all the more delicious! If you decide to try it, let me know how you like it. As long as you already have most of the spices, it’s a pretty inexpensive meal to make. Also, if you want to serve with cornbread but don’t want to make it from scratch, let me suggest the Krusteaz® brand of cornbread. We’ve tried several, but Krusteaz® is by far the best boxed cornbread we’ve had.