A Little Diversion

Stepping away from the sewing room this morning, I took a bracelet-making class at Urban Arts & Crafts here in KC. It was a simple, mindless activity but loads of fun! Stringing beads is as Zen-like as chain-piecing, I do believe! I love beads almost as much as fabric and thread. Mostly I stitch them on fabric but occasionally like to make a piece of jewelry.

Here are some redwork blocks I have been working on at "TV Time". I was a MAJOR fan of paperdolls when I was a li'l girl. I could spend hours and hours changing their outfits and making up stories for them to live out! I don't think little girls play with paperdolls anymore. Sad. Such a fun way to stretch creativity.

And last, the third block of the Farmer's Market BOM over at Pat Sloan's Yahoo group, Blue Ribbon Pies. I love pumpkin and DH loves strawberry--so there you have it!

It was so sad to hear of Pavarotti's death. That is one of those names I've heard all my life. Such a talent. Though I'm not an opera buff, hearing his amazing voice could bring tears to my eyes and chills down my spine. You always wonder who will take the place of a legend such as Pavarotti.

Back

Just needed that short break! Thanks to Libby, Tazzie, Juliann, Gail, Karen and Mrs. Goodneedle for those sweet, sweet comments--they were very appreciated! I love my life, but as most people do, I sometimes have to take a step back and remind myself of that!!! You know, make a new plan, Stan!

I have managed to get some sewing done--yay me! My Birds of a Feather FINALLY flew back to the nest from the longarmer! It had been away from home for six months. The pattern was a KC Star block of the month in 2006. It is from Blackbird Designs and there is also a book out with all the block patterns plus lots of other goodies to sew. Wish I could get a better photo.

Also finished up a table runner from a Nancy Halvorsen pattern, Swirling Acorns, and my own little Punkins For Sale. Lots of binding going on around here LOL! I have been anxious to get fall decorating going on!

Fall is my absolutely favorite time of the year. The colors, the smells, the gorgeous leaves, back to school, football games (go Chiefs!), pumpkins and bittersweet, jackets, cooler temperatures....aah, what's not to like?

And, a big hooray--Simply Quilts reruns are back on HGTV! (7 AM in the KC area) Even though I've seen each episode several times, I still manage to pick up a tip or two each time I see one. Plus, how fun is it to watch Alex's changing hairstyles???

In the New-Fangled Department, I found this iron-on Velcro while strolling the aisles at JoAnn's the other day. It promises to get an even stronger hold after washings. It is so handy to be able to attach it at the end of a project instead of trying to accurately place it during construction. Think bags, bibs, eyeglass cases, etc. I never did like how the stitching looked when I tried to sew Velcro on to things.

This week's projects? I am stitching the redwork paperdoll blocks for an adorable wallhanging. I'll post some progress photos next time around.

Heard this amazing quote on a commercial, of all places: "The creative process is always looking for a way to come out and play." Hold that thought...

A Little Time Off...

KC Quilter will be on a short blog break.

Playing With Pumpkins

A little at loose ends today, I've spent time in the sewing room playing with pumpkins. The cute little pieced background idea came from this blog: Quilt Granny's Shoe. Thanks, Sharon! The wonkiness seemed to suggest some wonky pumpkins (punkins) so I messed around with a blobby shape and came up with this guy. The letters were first located on the computer, then printed off in mirror image. This makes them all ready to trace onto fusible webbing without having to reverse them. Next up, I'll machine blanket stitch everything, add borders, sandwich and quilt. Maybe it will make it up by Fall!!!

Today is my best friend/husband's birthday. Instead of a cake, I got him a blackberry pie. He is more of a pie man than a cake man. I couldn't resist a slammy card which read: "You're not getting old...Hell, you were old last year!" We're not the mushy type LOL! He's three months older than I so I always delight in saying I married an older man!!! I still don't have his gift, but we are going truck-shopping this afternoon. Hmmm...should have gotten him a fishing pole while I had the chance.

Tomato Mania, Wonky Circles

One of my most favorite parts of summer is the taste of sweet homegrown tomatoes. The past few years we have had NONE, NADA, ZIP, NIL. Our friendly neighborhood groundhog has seen to that. He would just devour every little red orb right off the vine (and some green ones too!). So disappointing. This year my DH decided to plant his tomatoes at a different location, an area around a building he rents for his small business. Lo and behold, we had a bumper crop this year!!! We have supplied neighbors and friends with all they could eat and then some; we have eaten BLTs out the ying-yang; we have had fresh mozzarella and tomato slices on bruschetta; we have had tomato slices with our breakfast---well, you get the picture. I decided yesterday I wanted to have that precious tomato love in the coming winter too. Back in the day I would always freeze small batches of tomatoes for use in chili and soups. So....yesterday:

I blanched a few tomatoes at a time in a large pot of boiling water for about 1 minute, then plunged them into a bowl of ice water. The skins come off so easily! Then I cored and cut the tomatoes into 8ths (removing any tough or bruised parts) and ladled them into Ziploc 1-quart freezer bags. I put about 2 cups in each bag, labeled, and stuck them in the freezer. Most will go into this great recipe:

VEGGIE CHILI: Saute about 1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper and about 1/3 cup chopped onion in a large pot in a small amount EVOO (Rachael Ray's term for extra-virgin olive oil) till tender. Add 2 cans kitchen cut green beans, 2 cans dark red kidney beans, and 2 cans of peas--all of which have been drained well. Add 4 cups of the tomatoes which have been thawed and chili powder to taste (I use 2 Tablespoons). Let simmer for about 20 or 30 minutes. Enjoy!

For a little relaxation in the sewing room I pulled out these Jan Mullen books. I fell in love with this Australian designer's free and easy techniques the first time I saw her on Simply Quilts years ago. I had been wanting to incorporate a funky sun in a wallhanging and decided to play with her circles ideas. This one was flipped-n-sewn to a piece of batting. I'll use a lightweight interfacing fabric for the real McCoy. But it sure was a fun thing to putz around with!