New Year's Eve Mystery Quilt

A couple of weeks ago I joined the online Yahoo group for those of us who enjoy Mark Lipinski's humor and his quilting magazine 'Quilter's Home'. Mark is very funny on many topics and the group is very active with discussions on everything from quilting to politics. One of the group organizes on-line mystery quilt sewing sessions and today was one of those days. I decided to try it out as the colorways included a scrap version as well as a three fabric version and I have plenty of stash fabrics for either. I completely bombed and posted the following cautions and warnings at the Yahoo Message board:

Now that we have a pretty good idea what the quilt will look like, I will now share my expeience with this exercise today by posting these cautions and warnings.
1. Do not decide to do the quilt with a different color way than origianlly planned without carefully reading the quantities required - 2 yards of a lucious red does not equal three yards of a dull black.
2. Do not assume that you can substitute Light for Dark without checking your quantities of each - 1 yard of a lucious light green does not equal 2 yards of a lucious dark red.
3. Do recheck your seam allowance periodically especially if you are doing another sewing project at the same time - a 1/2" seam for a pants repair does not equal a 1/4" seam of a quilt block.
4. Do know up from down and left from right - flying geese bits do not magically change direction just because you want them to at the last step.
5. Do not expect to produce a quilt equal to the mystery one even if you are really, really good at fudging things if you do not follow the instructions precisely.
I will now try to salvage something from this exercise by randomly joining bits and pieces together in some order so I can at least say that I made a candle mat today.

If I can get the bits and peices to fit together I will post a picture but until then I hope you and yours have a happy and healthy new year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

UFO #6 - UPDATED

No picture this time but maybe later. Now is later so here it is:

I solved a problem I had and finished a UFO all at the same time. I attended the introductory classes for the embroidery machine I bought in August and ended up with a bunch of scraps of fabric illustrating various techniques and with my notes written on them. I had these in a disorganized pile and did not know how to organize them. While I was finishing off a huge dust cover for the machine I realized that the best way to organize these samples was to sew them directly to the dust cover. Now my dust cover, which was pretty scrappy anyway, has my class samples attached. May not be pretty but I can now find them when I need to refer to them. One more UFO down.

Quilts needing quilting may take more time than I figured. I seem to have picked up an intestinal bug so I have not spent any time today sewing. Maybe next year :-)

UFO's #2,3,4 & 5

Yesteday I got a chance to work on a few more UFO's as part of my year end resolution. First I came across an embroidery I had done many years ago that I had made into a wall hanging. Three or four years ago I ripped off the original borders and backing as they were just too ugly to retain. Since then I have moved it from pile to pile to drawer trying to avoid redoing it. I went to my favorite quilt store (Sunflower Quilts in Houston) and picked out new fabric for borders, binding and backing. I think the fabric matches are perfect though the binding is about the worst I have ever done. Next year I will use it as a decoration for the holidays... until then I will try to carefully store it so it doesn't get all crinkled. Here is how it all turned out -

Next I came across a fabric book panel that I had started to work on a couple of months ago. I have been in love with Beatrix Potter's work for many years so when I saw this fabric I just had to have it. I had started off using regular batting as a filler and finished it up with fusible batting for the interior pages. I think the fusible was a better choice and made for smoother pages. I have no idea who will get this but I am sure someone will have a grandchild some day who would like a Beatrix Potter fabric book to chew on.

Several months ago I asked Paul's girlfriend if she had access to empty 50 pound rice bags. Her father passed on quite a few to me and I have been playing with them. I actually completed one tote and have been using it for Alex's obedience training school materials.

Yes, that is Alex's nose as he checks out the beautiful Three Ladies on the front panel.

There were two other bags I had started but not completed so in keeping with the theme of the day I finished them last night. One was an experiment in lining this type of bag. I am most impressed that even though I measured and cut very carefully the lining went in sideways. Rather than shading from darker to lighter, from the top to the bottom of the bag, it now shades sideways. Even with the cockeyed lining, I think I will use this bag for hauling other doggie stuff when Alex and the girls travel between homes.

My third rice bag experiment was a special order from Paul's girlfriend. She asked for a gym bag to be made out of the rice bags. Instead of the Three Ladies bags I used a wonderful orange dragon bag as the basis for this experiment. I had cut out the pieces at least a month ago and last night I put it together. The straps may be too long (which is an easy fix) but in all other aspects the bag should work well for her.

The girls seem quite intrigued by this bag!

I will keep working away with the rice bags because they are such a weird material. The woven plastic bags are very durable, completely waterproof and have lovely graphics. Even as simple tote bags these should be fun to use... heck I might be able to sell them.

Next up ... quilts needing quilting.

Year End Resolutions

Every year when I look the next year in the eye I make a mad rush to fulfill some of the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the current year. I vaguely remember this year's resolutions as eat less, move more, stop buying thread, fabric and craft papers. I have been moving more and eating less which has resulted in a 15 pound weight loss. I have not stopped buying thread, fabric or craft papers. Heck, I bought a new embroidery machine this year and you have to buy special thread for that and lots of fabric to try out different embroideries, right? Craft papers are just too luscious to resist with all the colors and textures.

Seeing that I have a 60% failure rate I have decided to add a belated resolution for 2007. My new goal for 2007 is to finish UFO's. Finishing includes completing the project as it was originally intended, or re-doing a project so that it has a different end result or deciding to toss a project that no longer has a desired goal. I don't know about you but there things in this house that I just keep moving out of sight so I do not have to confront my inate laziness.

My first UFO confrontation was a couple of days ago. Before I moved to Texas I took a class at a local fabric shop in Rochester, New York. The three session class was held to learn how to make a reversible bog coat and my goal was to learn how to make a simple garment. The very first class was a problem as the teacher said I was too tall and too fat to make a traditional bog coat. Talk about an embarassing moment! At the time I was pretty thin but 39" hips, even if all bone, are not abnormal and since when did 5'7" become tall? Any way, I made it through two classes and blew off the third. Although I have shown this jacket at a couple of neighborhood groups one of the cuffs was hanging loose as I had missed sewing some of the seams. I have been messing with it ever since and yesterday I finally fixed the last problem I had with one of the cuffs. Here it is in all its glory -the dark side:

- the light side:

All seams are securely fastened and Alex has given it his seal of approval by taking a nap on it this morning. A couple of things you might be interested in are the inserts. The dark side has Afghani piecing and the light side has Seminole piecing. The Afghani piecing took a ton of time as you have to do it all in order... one little seam at a time. I also ran out of fabric so the back of the neck has no piecing on it. The Seminole piecing I did on the serger as I had no confidence in my ability to sew a quarter inch seam. I ended up with a ton of it and still have a couple of feet left over even after adding the patch pockets. BTW - The dark side has in-seam pockets.

One UFO down...1,675,345 left to go!

Road Trip

Yesterday I got an e-mail from my favorite on-line quilt store that they were having a big sale on Boxing Day, the 26th. Stitchin' Heaven is in Quitman Texas, about four hours from here. Feeling a littIe out of sorts, I decided that I needed a road trip, so I headed out at about 5:30 this morning to drive to Quitman. In case you were wondering, Paul took the dogs home with him yesterday so I didn't need to worry about them.

The drive up was done mostly in the dark with rain and fog vying with mad truck drivers to make the drive a little exciting. The store is huge, the staff knowledgeable, the savings substantial and the other shoppers very funny. One woman kept asking me if I was really going to take the rest of a bolt of fabric. I offered her a yard of some womderful wool for the origianl price rather than the $2.99 a yard I was paying. She decided to pass.

I haven't felt as energized by a quilt store in a long time. I didn't spend all that much but ended up with some lovely fabric, a bunch of embroidery designs and other bits and pieces for 66 - 75% off the original prices. Now all I need is to get focused and use some of these goodies. If you are in the neighborhood or looking for a good on-line quilt store, try Stitchin' Heaven. I don't think you will be disappointed.

On the way back I noticed several things that I had missed in the bad weather earlier in the day. In no particular order, some of the oddest things I saw today...

You can take an Amtrak train to Mineola Texas but not to Houston. To take a train to Houston you need to go to San Antonio and be bussed to Houston.

All of the little cafes and dives that used to line the streets of our small towns have mostly closed to have their business now handled by the big chain junk food restaurants. Truly sad as I really needed a blue plate special for lunch today.

Why isn't there a visible beauty shop on Beauty Shop Road? I checked and couldn't see one.

Is Texas the only state in the union where many roads seem to be just very long driveways? Hall & Mark Road is barely a lane wide, unpaved, ungravelled, with a mail box on the highway. Seems to me that one mail box means one address but the driveway is a named road... go figure!

Tyler, Texas has a beautiful historical district of fine old homes. I saw at least six I could easily move into tomorrow... if I had the money and the energy! However, it was right next to an incredibly run down area of little shotgun shacks... maybe for the help? Such poverty in the midst of such wealth was sobering.

The Piney Woods of East Texas seemed to go on forever... or at least from here to Quitman. There was cleared land for cattle but the woods seemed to be the major road side feature for most of the trip.

And, finally, at one point during the drive I could only get six religious and two spanish language stations on the radio. Don't get me wrong, religious stations have their place but why do they have such bad music and sophomoric talk shows? You would think that with such an apparently large audience these stations would rise to a higher standard. I have no idea what was going on at the spanish stations. I think I need a new car so I can play CD's if I am faced with this choice on a future drive.

Puppy Christmas

It took me until just before Paul left yesterday to find where Alex had hid my camera...upstairs under some fabric wih a rawhide bone he has been hiding from Kemora! Clever boy. Here is a shot of him as model for the 2007 Christmas Puppy Ruffs. Now if I could figure out how to get rid of his white eyes, he wouldn't look like a devil dog.

Here is the official Puppy Christmas portrait for 2007. Thanks Paul for corraling the crew for me!

In case you were wondering, I like making fabric ruffs for the dogs for the holidays as coats, sweaters and dresses seem to irritate them more than those outfits please me. For the ruffs I rip an eight inch strip of fabric from selvedge to selvdge... about 42" long. Sew it into a tube, insert a 12" piece of 1/2" elastic anchored at each end. Add about an inch of velcro as a closure and voila... the puppies are dressed up and looking so-o-o-o cute ..... even if I do say so myself.

Merry Christmas!

From all of us in chilly Kingwood may you and yours experiance all the joy of the season and that the new year is healthy and happy.

(Please imagine a really cute picture of all three dogs looking into the camera with their tongues out, tails wagging and cute fabric ruffs around their necks until I find out where Alex has hidden my camera ... sorry!)

Maxine's Holiday Eating Tips

Courtesy of the Quilters' Home Yahoo Group called Pickle Road Studio at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PickleRoadStudio/.

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's.You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again .

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips;start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Remember this motto to live by:"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arrivings afely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, "WOO HOO, what a ride!"

Another Great Day

Today was one of those days that should be recorded in the Guiness Book of World Records. The weather was perfect, the dogs were out most of the day, presents got made, paperwork got done, hair got cut and my present to myself arrived. And there is still time for me to make a dent in the chaos in my kitchen.

The weather started out quite cool this morning so the morning walk was pretty short. By the time the sun went down in a cloudless sky, the temperature was almost 80 and many of the windows in the house were open. There was also a slight breeze and very low humidity. Not the kind of weather I expect a few days before Christmas.

In this beautiful weather, the dogs spent most of the day chasing squirrels, and each other, in the backyard. I even took took them on an extra walk midday to make up for my cutting their walk short this morning. Now the girls are stretched out on the couch sound asleep and Alex is in his kennel, of his own accord, snoring to beat the band. I even caught an hour long nap late this afternoon without fighting the dogs for a comfortable position on the couch.

I was able to make a couple of things for my Dad and to try out a pattern from a new, to me, designer. For my Dad I made a lumbar support pillow from stash ultra-suede that I had embroidered earlier with an appropriate seasonal greeting. I will not share the embroidery disaster that preceeded this pillow but I think the results are pretty good. I am hoping that it will help reduce some of the strain on his back when he is sitting in his wheel chair.

I also made a lap robe for my Dad so that when he is out in his wheelchair he can cover the waist and groin restraints he has to wear. I made it out of the bag he used to carry his QC robes before he became a judge. The first picture is of the bag he used for his judge's robes, which is indentical to the one I used for the lap robe except for the color. The second is of the lap robe (it's about 39" square) with Alex trying to decide if he should sleep on it, play with it or steal it. I added black fleece to the sides to make it wide enough and used the same fleece for a backing. I hope he likes it.

The pattern I tried out was for a wallet from Turkey Track Designs. I picked up the pattern at Stitch and Stash in New Port Richey with the understanding it was from a local designer. The pattern was well laid out but the instructions themselves were a little whacky. After carefully cutting out and labeling the peices with their alphabetical labels (as instructed!) all of the construction steps did not use the alphabetical labels but the longer piece descriptions. This was a pain as I cannot imagine they meant me to label each piece with, for example, 'inside large card holder' rather than a 'G'. The results are okay but that lump on the side is a velcro closed, attached, change purse which is not very attractive or useful. I may try this one again but eliminate the change purse.

The paperwork was all related to my Dad's illness and it took a couple of hours to get all the forms completed and faxed, checks mailed and phone calls made. Not a big deal but I had dreaded completing it so I was pleasantly surprised when it all came together.

The hair cut... well that was a small problem as my regular hair dresser will be off her feet for a few months as she broke her femur in a tub fall. Apparently she broke it just below the ball at the top of the femur and there is now a metal plate in her leg to assist in its healing. As a result I had my hair cut by one of her colleagues who may have done a good job but there is so much stuff in my hair that it might take days for me to see the cut unfettered by gels and potions.

The best thing that happened is that my present to myself came today. It is called the Big Board Tower Set and I got it in white. You can see it here - http://www.traceystables.com/products/img/IMG_5477.jpg. The people behind these products have been wonderful throughout the whole process. I met the guy who makes and delivers the units at the Quilt Festival. Unlike many vendors at the Quilt Festival, only a small deposit was necessary to place the order with the rest paid today. Most of the vendors make you pay for it all up front and then wait months before a delivery is scheduled. In addition, delivery was free and sales taxes eliminated because the order was processed in Wisconsin. It's in the garage right now as it will be going upstairs and I think I should wait for Paul to help me or a disaster will surely ensue. Come soon Paul, I have lots of ironing that needs to be done for my next quilt project.

A pretty perfect day. I will now go and clean-up the kitchen and settle in for another Hitchcock festival, this time with my own set of films rather than AMC's. I hope your own Friday was as good as mine and that the rest of the days leading up to the BIG ONE are full of fun and finished projects.

It's a miracle!

Today I went to a Christmas party for the Sewing Friends ASG neighborhood group. In general it was a pot luck luncheon at the home of the amazing Carol Lane Saber. You may remember my raves about her trunk show earlier this year of Japanese textiles and her incredible garments. Her home was filled with many wonderful textiles and other Japanese items. I wish I had brought a camera so you could enjoy the beautifully decorated and spotless rooms of her home. Since my home is close to a toxic waste dump right now, I really enjoy visiting homes like hers just to get away from the piles that need to sorted out from my Dad's Forida apartment.

That was not the miracle, the miracle is that I actually made something from scratch for the pot luck lunch. While we were clearing out my Dad's Florida apartment I found my mother's recipe box. Most of the contents were menu cards with desert recipes. Just what the post WWII bride would need to have a happy home. The rest were hand written file cards from the late 40's and early 50's. One that I found was for Peanut Butter Squares. I'm not sure when it was from but it is attributed to Hazel Goodwin, a neighbor from when we went to a cottage on Georgian Bay for the summer.

Here is the original recipe... with key amounts erased by some fluid spill:

Here is the result - the one piece that was not falling to pieces by the time I got home:

The women at the party all seemed to love them and, even though the icing became like a rock, I must admit they are delicious. Here is what I interpreted as the right amounts and the process:

PEANUT BUTTER SQUARES

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

Melt these ingredients together in a large bowl over a pot of boiling water as a make-shift double boiler. Do not boil the results.

Remove the big bowl from the pot and stir in:

2 cups corn flakes

1 cup rice crispies (yes, these are beakfast cereal and I used generics)

Once well mixed (it takes a lot of strength to get everything well blended) press the results firmly into a well greased 9" x 13" cake pan. I used a canola oil spray but I bet mom used Crisco.

When cool, top with the caramel icing below.

Caramel Icing

1 cup dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons sweet butter

Combine in a pot over medium heat and boil for one minute.

Have your mixer handy. Remove the pot from the heat. Quickly beat in about 1 1/2 cups of sifted icing sugar and enough vanilla to make it all combine properly.

Spread on top of the peanut butter base. To serve, cut into squares.

ENJOY!

In our family my mother made these for my younger brother as a special treat. She made pineapple upside down cake for my older brother as his special dessert. Today, someone asked me what she made for me and all I could remember is how she once made me boiled cabbage as part of a special back-to-school meal. YUCK! Maybe my brothers will remember my special dessert or maybe, like many women I know, as long as chocolate was part of the description I was happy.

PS - I think I will try these again with more corn syrup so that the cereal mixing will be less difficult.