A is for Aardvark - BOW - "E"

Block "E"

Just click on the link above to get the free pattern!!

 

The winner of the Pink Hearts is

 

Apple Blossom

______________________________

 Congratulations to you. Just leave a comment so we can exchange info!!

 

 

A fellow blogger (I can't remember exactly who but wanted to give credit)  suggested that we quilters have plenty orphan blocks that are just waiting to get used and she was correct. The next

Mug Rug give-away comes from my stash of orphan blocks.

 

A Bulldog!

He would just love to live under someone's coffee mug, teacup or other beverage so leave a comment stating you want in and I'll draw a name and post it February 7th. 

 

 

Here are a couple more photos of my brief vacation on and near Padre Island.

 I love the old courthouse in the above photo. It's not a very good view but you may be able to see some of the details.

Another view of the beach.

 

 

 

Tea Time Teapot #7 - Early Posting

I can't believe it's the end of the month. So to get things going for February a day early, here's the next installment of Tea Time Teapots. Block 7
I was crazy smart enough to make two sets so you see how different the teapots look by changing fabrics.

Super Bowl Food - Just In Time

DeAnna over at Georgia-Girl Quilter

 shared a great sandwich (Muffuletta) that would go great

 for the coming Super Bowl game.
Lots of fans will be gathering in large groups to enjoy the game, laughing, talking and, yes, eating lots of hot wings and

drinking beverages. The Muffuletta is a great addition to all the EATS.

 

Just look at that giant sandwich....

YUMMY!!

Some of the ingredients, I'll have to substitute because our local grocery store doesn't stock them but I should be able to find most of them.

Thanks, again, DeAnna for sharing!

 

DWM

Make sure to pop over to Judy's to see what others are up to.

This is what I'm working on at the moment. A reindeer block that will eventually going into a Christmas quilt. I don't usually make Christmas-y things because all my family sees these types of things and then everyone wants one......no way could I reproduce them over and over but I'm doing to make this quilt and hide it....hehehehehe

 

Travel & Sewing

First off, greetings to all and a big thanks to Thearica at Pigtales and Quilts for hosting the sharing day. Make sure pop over to see what others are up to by clicking HERE!

 

 

I took a little vacation from life and drove to Padre Island for the weekend.

Yes, that's me on the beach. The weather was a balmy 72 degrees (in January)....loved it!!

Look at those waves!

 

 

The ferry ride was fun.

Have I mentioned that I don't like bridges.....EEEEEEeeeek!

 

Watching this video of "S" curves will make you dizzy but it was fun driving it.

The moon was so beautiful I had to try and get a photo of it before the fog set in.

And now back to life!

 

My passion this 2013 year seems to

 be making and sharing Mug Rugs which are just small blocks quilted and bound

 to use for coffee, tea or whatever beverage you like.

I like giving them away each week just to bring a smile to someone.

Some of these have already found new places to live while others are in-waiting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A is for Aardvark - BOW - "D" & Winner!!

"D" is for dragonfly.

I just love the dragonfly. They are always around our little

lake landing on stalks and reeds.

You'll find the link below this photo and on my BOM/BOW page.

Block "D"

 

 

And the winner of the Crane Mug Rug is..............  Gene!

Congratulations Gene!!!

Just leave a comment on this post and I'll get back to you for addy info.

 

 

 

Here's the next Mug Rug give-away photo.

Pink Hearts!

By now you know the drill. Just leave a comment stating that you'd like to win the Hearts and just like that, you are in the hat. It doesn't matter if you've won before or many times. Anyone can participate. I will draw a name by January 31st so that the Hearts mug rug can get to the winner's home before Valentine's Day.

Dressing Up A Bland Quilt

I don't have a photo of this radiating star quilt before I applied the flower pots but I think you can imagine how bland this quilt was without them.

I pondered a solution for several weeks before coming up with the flowers.

I started with the center one and immediately decided to not stay within the confines of the block which, in my opinion, was a smart decision.

In the following blocks I used some of my favorite textured fabrics and of course use my favorite adhesive, Steam-a-Seam.

The final measurements of this quilt is 48 inches square and I'm much happier with it now.  What are your thoughts on the subject of dressing up a quilt??

DWM

I've done very little sewing but did manage to make another Mug Rug. A flamingo! I used some of Ayden's precious pink fabric. She loves pink so I'm hoping she doesn't see this photo....LOL

See what others are doing at Judy's.

 

 Saturday morning I marinated some pork ribs using

salt, pepper, minced garlic, 1 finely diced onion, 1/2 cup orange juice, 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 teaspoon honey.

Cook ribs on a rack over a pan of the marinate and 1 cup water,  in an over on 350 degrees for 2 1/2 hours.

This is a photo I barely remembered to snapped just before they were all eaten by guests.

 

Paula, the Quilter shared the following  savings plan and I accepted the challenge. Her goal is to save enough for a quilting machine, if I remember correctly but you can pop over to her blog by clicking on her name.

I'm excited because it will be easy for me to catch up quickly.

I think I'll save up for a fabric purchasing spree.....LOL

 

 

 

A is for Aardvark - BOW - "C" & Mug Rug Give-away

Block "C" of

A is for Aardvark is here......it's a

camel. The link is below this photo and can be found on

my BOM/BOW page, as well.

Block "C"

 

And now..................... 

 

Here's my latest Mug Rug give-away. It's a crane's head. I used scraps from my stash to make it and one of my favorite pieces of fabric for the background then machine quilted everything.

Just leave a comment stating you want in on the give-away and I'll draw a name and announce the winner on January 24th.
 Anyone can participate.

Good luck to everyone!!

 

 

 

And stay tuned in for the next Mug Rug, as well. I just love making and sharing them.

 

Coffee & T-cakes

I got hungry last night and had a slight chill so I decided to make a cup of coffee but wanted something else. I looked in the frig - nope, nothing there of interest; how about the cabinets - nope, nada; then I saw a little bottle of lemon extract and immediately thought of T-cakes. So off to the kitchen I went, pulled out all the ingredients and turned on the over to pre-heat it.
Above is a photo of a few of the T-cake that made it into storage. I made three dozen and ate way too many just to make sure that they tasted good.......hehehehehehehe
I finally curled up in bed with coffee and T-cakes to watch Face-Off.
Here's the LINK to my recipe. It was given to me by my Aunt Pinky years ago.

Wintry Weather

That's ice on the trees and it's 28 degrees.... for central Texas that's cold, better known as hog killing weather.

What's it like where you live?

Quick 8s With Cream & Sugar

This is one of my favorite ways to make half square triangles HST and it's a wonderful way to use up some of those pesky scraps, as well.

I chose three dark fabrics and three light fabrics, cut them into 6 1/2 inch squares.

With right sides together (RST) using a ruler, draw an "X" on each set of dark and light combinations on the light side (easier to see).

Sew 1/4 inch on both sides of the "X".

Next cut apart on the drawn lines and down the middle and across the sides.

TaDa! You have a Quick 8 half square triangles.

Iron to the dark side and then trim to 2 1/2 inches.  If you are not a precise sewer as I am not, I use a half inch more to my initial squares....thus the 6 1/2 inch starting square. I trim a little more but there's not worries about my half square not being larger enough. Hope that didn't confuse anyone.

If you are a more precise sewer, use a 6 inch square to start with. 

 

 

From the three sets of fabrics, I now have 24 HST. Yea!!

 

BTW (By the way), if you're like me, sometimes you find a great tip but the initials confuse you, so I hope I made everything fairly clear.

Please let me know if all is well with the instructions.

 

I'll be using my HST in a project very soon.

 

Now for the Cream and Sugar

 

I have renamed little Buzzard Bait

and here's the reason why....

 See how much she's grown and how vivacious and rambunctious she is. I came up with

 Cream & Sugar

because of her light coloring.

So welcome to the herd Cream & Sugar!

Cleaning Helps/Design Wall Monday

So I was cleaning out a couple of scrap boxes of what I thought were 2 inch fabrics and fat quarters when I ran across these blocks......which are now on my Design Wall.

I immediately remembered working on the blocks over a year ago....my, how times flies. All I need to do is do some filler blocks and strips to put this little quilt together. I'm not going to put them back in the box and hope to work on them "very, very soon"......you've heard here folks!!!

Then I ran upon this block....the log cabin I worked on about 6 months ago.......what was I thinking? where was this going? why didn't I finish it? who am I kidding?

Any thoughts????

I need help.......sign!

Which brings me to this little project.....the T-bird.....so far this is it but I do want to add so scenery, maybe a road.....we'll see, I hope.

 

What have you found while cleaning out some of your scraps, I'd love to hear about it???

Pop over to Judy's to see what others are up to.

 

A Note to.........

No-response bloggers.

 

Please know that I read each comment and respond to all except the no-response ones.

 Sometimes the blogger may not be aware that your response thingy

has to be activated via your SETTINGS but I understand if you don't wish to receive responses. I know I'm babbling but I just wanted you to know that I do thank each and everyone for leaving their comments.

 

Cooking All Day

I've been cooking all day preparing for the weekend.......company is coming and I don't want to miss visiting with them.
First up on the menu is "Leftover Pot Roast Stew"

I used the last canned tomatoes from my garden from last year and added the following ingredients:

6 cups beef stock or just plane tap water 

diced leftover pot roast

4 diced large potatoes

2 cans whole kernel corn

2 cans green beans

1/2 shredded cabbage (I used red cabbage)

2 cans English peas

2 cans stewed tomatoes (or canned tomatoes from your garden)

2 onions, diced

1/2 chopped clove of garlic

1 cup of uncooked spaghetti broken into 2 inch pieces

1 can tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

 

All of these goes into a very large pot to simmer for 3 hours. The smells are out of this world.

I'll cook a pan of cornbread to eat with the stew or just serve the stew with my favorite crackers and a salad.

Here's a peek at the process. See all that steam.......oh I wish we had smell-o-blog right now.

 

Next, I've baked a hen.

 

Notice the apple poking out of the cavity of the bird? Someone mentioned that placing and baking an apple inside the hen gives it a different flavor...sorry I couldn't remember where I heard about it but wanted to give credit anyway.

I cooked the hen with peach juice that I saved from a peach cobbler recipe I made last week. No use in allowing that excess juice from the can to go to waste. I also added some whole cranberries to the mix and baked for about 2 hours. Again, the smell is delicious.  I'll probably cook some rice and steam squash, broccoli and cauliflower for a great meal.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!