Month: December 2007

longarm quilting · machine quilting · quilt top · quilting · quilts · stash busting

It’s Almost Vacation Time!!

Wild Rose Quilter8 Comments

One more day at my day job, and then I get to take a few days of vacation.  I really need it! 

I’ve been busy as a bee, trying to finish up some projects.  I should have a good stashbuster report this week.  I had to do a last minute fleece blanket for a customer.  Got that loaded & quilted Tuesday night, trimmed & fringed it yesterday.  I’m trying to finish my courthouse steps as a Christmas surprise for my DH, but I think that might be pushing it.  But I’m trying!

But I do have a finish to report! I finally bound & labeled Simply Leaves.  If you have Kim Stotsenberg’s “Just Leaf It” book, you will find this little quilt on the last page.  It wasn’t  finished yet! Anyway, it is a practice piece I did, trying to do leaves like Kim.  I was surprised and thrilled when she asked to include it in her book.  At least I finally got that binding done!

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I am exhausted today, but I thought I needed to post something so you weren’t seeing the same old same old day after day.

longarm quilting · pretty fabric · quilt top · quilting · quilts · sewing · stash busting

Sunday Stash Busting Report

Wild Rose Quilter13 Comments

This week I have not bought any new fabric.

I have continued to work on finishing the binding on starry log cabin.

I completed the center of courthouse steps.

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I drug out my scrap bin.  What a disaster.

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I began sifting through this mess and pulled out everthing fat quarter size & larger, and am moving it back to the fabric shelves in my fabric closet.  The rest, I am starting to cut down into sizes recommended by Bonnie Hunter. I am trying to do the leaders/enders thing she has on her site.  I hope to end up with an Oklahoma Backroads quilt one of these days from doing this.  I’ve seen Wendy make a beautiful quilt with her leaders & enders. Maybe I can do it, too. Here is my start at cutting this fabric up, and my first leaders/enders.

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Here is the cutting pile. Will I have the fortitude to stick it out?

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Now then, if you are reading this post on a site called Ester’s Sewing Blog, you are reading stolen information that has been copied and posted without my permission! Yes, I have now been added to the list of blog scraping or blog plagiarism victims.  So have several of you.  Be sure to check your incoming links.

Christmas · crafts · daily life · food · quilting

Pumpkin Bread – Round 2

Wild Rose Quilter7 Comments

What? I baked two days in a row! That like never happens.  And while yesterday’s batch is tasty, it is not the pumpkin bread of my dreams.  But the recipe, for Lynn, is the one from my old Betty Crocker cookbook, and can be found here, http://www.bettycrocker.com/Recipes/Recipe.aspx?recipeId=35695.  However, in my old cookbook, they used 2/3 cup shortening instead of oil. 

Today, I tried another recipe, found in a cookbook that was put together by my church for a fundraiser.  Again, it’s good, and it makes the house smell yummy delicious, but once again, not the pumpkin bread I’m dreaming of having.

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I’m also playing around with a fun project I found on Karyn’s blog. I found her blog through Kelli’s blog, which I found through Ruthann’s blog, which was posted on Judy’s blog. 🙂 These are all wonderful blogs, full of inspiration, and worth a visit.  You might want to make yourself a cup of tea beforehand. Anyway, back to the project in progress.  These are so much fun…almost addicting, so many different possibilities. Thanks for sharing it, Karyn.

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So what, you are wondering, is the pumpkin bread of my dreams?  My Mom’s!! And she is supposed to be copying the recipe for me. 🙂

Now I need to get back to something quilty.  I’ve been working on chopping up scrap pieces, according to Bonnie Hunter’s system.  More on that in my Sunday Stashbuster report later on today.

Christmas · daily life · longarm quilting · quilting

Just Some More Christmas Fun

Wild Rose Quilter8 Comments

Oh, the weather outside IS frightful! But here in my livingroom, it’s delightful…at least to me.  I’m not much of a decorator, not at all.  It’s something that really does not come naturally to me.  But I did get some candles for my new fireplace candelabra, and I love the way it looks in there.  So, even though everything around it is quite an ecclectic mix of stuff, I thought I’d share it with you anyway.  I’m sure it wouldn’t pass the Martha test, but I like it. 

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My big snuggly reindeer:

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Mmmmm….gotta have something sweet.

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Look at this adorable birdhouse I bought today.  It’s a chicken! And y’all know how bad I want some chickens!

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Hope you are staying warm, dry & safe. It’s icy here and will probably ruin my chances of making it to the longarm meeting I was hoping to go to in Amarillo tomorrow.  I’ve been trying to go for three months now, since I found out about them, and something has ruined my plans everytime.  Oh well, I guess it will just leave more time to quilt!  I think I will go work on my courthouse steps blocks now.  Thanks for stopping in for a visit!

Christmas · daily life · quilting

Merry Christmas!

Wild Rose Quilter3 Comments

I like the blogs that have a little pic of the blog owner in the sidebar.  However, I can’t figure out how to do that here…it may not even be an option, but if it is, I can’t find it.  So, I added a new photo to my About Randi page.  I thought I might as well have some fun with it while I’m at it.  Some friends emailed themselves to me like this the other day, and then I saw that Gayle & Steve had done it to themselves, too.  So I couldn’t resist. I elfed myself.  Enjoy a laugh on me 🙂

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1367305834

Christmas · daily life · quilt top · quilting · quilts · sewing · stash busting

WIP & Other Ramblings

Wild Rose Quilter2 Comments

Since it’s Wednesday, I’ll start with a WIP update.  The courthouse steps blocks are coming along, mostly on my lunch breaks from my day job.  Two more strip sets to sew on and they will be ready to become rows.

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I got a goodie in the mail today.  We have a pretty fireplace, but it had an ugly brass screen from the 80’s, and the doors didn’t even work right anymore.  I’ve been pondering getting rid of it for awhile, and after seeing this post on Kelli’s blog, as her Show & Tell Friday, I was inspired to actually do it! So Friday, I ripped off the old ugly screen, and ordered this awesome candelabra from Pottery Barn.

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I hope I get a chance to stop by the store for some pillar candles tomorrow.  I can’t wait to see them all lit up in there. We haven’t used it to burn firewood in a few years, so I think I will really enjoy the candles for a nice ambiance. We need to find a good chimney sweep and get it all cleaned out in there before we have a real fire again.  Anyway, thanks Kelli, for the inspiration to do this! I love it! And, this candelabra is 50% off at Pottery Barn online, while supplies last.

I am going to get to take a few vacation days, in addition to the two days I get off for Christmas.  I am really looking forward to a nice break from the real world, and getting to spend some quality time here at home.  I’m still stitching the binding down on my Starry Log Cabin, but we already have it on the bed 🙂 .  I’m just turning it as I stitch.  I should have it finished and labeled before Christmas.  Speaking of, I ‘spose I need to get off of here and go do some stitching right now.  Later ‘taters!

longarm quilting · machine quilting · quilting · quilts · stash busting

Sunday Stash Report

Wild Rose Quilter9 Comments

1.  The biggest news is that I finished quilting my Starry Log Cabin! And,….I already have the binding stitched to the front, and I have started the hand stitching! Yeehaw! Pics will follow, at the bottom of this post 🙂

2.  I have made further progress on my courthouse steps blocks.  The stack of strips left to attach has grown much smaller.

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3.  I was weak, and went to one of my favorite online sources for a fabric fix.  I told myself I would “just get some neutrals”. Afterall, my stash is lacking in those, so it wouldn’t be so bad to get some of them.  I even started picking some and putting them in my “wishlist”.  BUT I STOPPED! I did NOT put them in my cart!

So, mostly this week I guess I have stayed focused on the projects at hand, determined to have finishes and not a continuing, growing pile of UFO’s in and amongst my stash.  I think it was a successful week. 

Now for the quilt pics.  There were three pantos in the running for this quilt, but I feel confident that I chose the correct one.  I love the movement Hermione’s Fantasia gives this quilt. 

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I used Signature cotton thread in Cranapple.  I love the way it looks on the blue border.  The stitching shows up nicely, but doesn’t jump out at you.

starcabin4.jpgstarcabin5.jpgI really like the way the pattern shows up in the red diamonds, and makes them really standout.

And finally, the backing, that wasn’t really my first choice, but I already had these two fabrics in my stash, in abundance, as I have a bolt of each.  I used 3.5 yds of the burgandy, and 7 yds of the tan.  And now that it’s all said and done, I like it.  Gives it a little touch of whimsy, which suits my personality perfectly.

starcabin6.jpgstarcabin7.jpgAnd I think Hermione is right.  This panto would make a very pretty wholecloth!  For those of you that have asked, and may have missed my response in my comments, the quilt pattern can be found in an older Leisure Arts book, called Quick Method Liberty Quilts. 

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A Successful Delivery!

Wild Rose Quilter4 Comments

My cousin called last night.  Their quilt arrived in Laramie, Wyoming, safe & sound.  They LOVE it! She said it is just beautiful on their bed.  My Mom talked to my aunt last night, also, and she told my mom that my cousin told her that “it is just so much more than they ever imagined it would be”. That is exactly what I wanted to hear.  What a great feeling.  She had wanted shams, too, but I told her I wanted to wait on them til she saw the quilt on her bed, and then she can decide if she still wants them.  If so, I have plenty of fabric left and can do them later.

I have two rows and a bit of fill-in on the bottom edge left to go on my starry log cabin, and it will  be completely quilted.  I will have that finished up here in a bit. 

I woke up up right around 2:30 this morning, just like Judy, to the sound of ice hitting the bedroom window, then a loud clap of thunder, which prompted me right up out of bed to unplug my longarm and my sewing machine.  It is currently 20 degrees outside, with a windchill of 11.  A good day to stay in and quilt!

chickens · community · daily life · Lulu · quilting

I want some chickens!

Wild Rose Quilter8 Comments

Unfortunately, due to city ordinances, I can’t have chickens.  I don’t want a huge flock of chickens, mind you.  Maybe five or six at the most.  Just two to start with, then add a couple more in a year or two, so that the peak egg laying years are spread out among them.  As I’m sure, when they are past the egg laying prime of their chickie lives, I will NOT be able to eat them. I even researched which breeds were well suited to a small backyard flock, most docile, and easiest to handle, etc.  I even had names running through my head for them…Ruby, Maude, Mable, Darcy, Fancy….Yes, I realize chickens require some effort.  I know you don’t just throw them back there in a pen and be done with it.  I have a rabbit, and they require much of the same type attention.  Yes, sometimes it can be a pain or inconvenience, but I enjoy the caretaking responsibilities that come along with my animals.  It gives me a deep sense of satisfaction that I can’t really explain.  Like it feels a void or basic need in me.  I was hoping that maybe there were some minor restrictions, like no crowing roosters, or not over “x” amount.  Actually, I was told I could do it, but IF a neighbor complains, you have 24 hours to get rid of them.  I love fresh eggs, and have a local source I buy them from, but I thought it would be so enjoyable to have a small flock of my own.  I thought about approaching my neighbors to see if they would mind, and offering to bribe them with fresh eggs, but I guess I will just let it go, and dream of the day when I can find the perfect place to live, where I can have a few chickens of my own.  In the meantime, I don’t think Lulu cares for my attempt at disguising her as a Plymouth Rock hen  🙂

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Enjoy your Saturday!