Spreading Leaves & Cherries

The cherry cake quilt is getting closer to completion.  Its a really cheerful quilt to work on during dreary winter days.  Only four more applique blocks to finish and then I can sew it together and think about border choices.  What to do, what to do:  fancy  appliqued border with lots more berries, vines and baskets or just call it a day and add a plain border fabric?   Time will tell as soon as its finished!

Closeup of the latest finished block - its called Spreading Leaves from the Inspired by Tradition book by Kay Mackenzie.  This book is really great as it comes with a CD so you have options for 6, 8, 10 and 12 inch blocks all ready to print out.  Even though this is a six-inch finished block, I used the pattern for the eight-inch block as I wanted the applique to fill in more space.  I plan to use this book to make at least two more blocks as there are a couple more cherry blocks included.  Really appreciate you stopping by for a visit, and always enjoy your comments and feedback!

Cherry Wreath

New year, new month, new block for the cherry cake quilt which has been in progress for (ahem) a while now!  The pattern is from Lori Smith's Fit to Frame: Pattern Sixteen - was so pleased that its a perfect fit for the appliqued setting blocks.

Progress so far on the cherry cake quilt. All good intentions to stay on track and finish this during the first six months this year.  I'm really pleased with it so far, and just passed the half way point with the applique blocks.  The cake stand blocks came from a friendship swap within a Reproduction Quilt Yahoo group, and I just love the colors, so don't want to let them languish any longer.

I appreciate you stopping by for a visit - tomorrow I'll be cheering for the 49ers and working on the next block!

Blue Pedestal Block , Trains & Lavender Sachets

This fun filled summer has been busy, but managed to snatch a few moments here and there to finish this blue pedestal block for the Tulip Farm quilt from Blackbird Designs.

We celebrated my husband's 60th birthday with a fun train trip to Reno.  We challenged ourselves to take all public transportation and foot transportation during this trip, and it was such an amazing experience.  We walked to the bus stop from our house and took Amtrak to Reno 9 about a six hour journey.   This was our first train trip, and I highly recommend train travel, and can't wait to take a longer train trip in the future.  During the trip between Sacramento and Reno, docents from the California Railroad Museum provide interesting stories about the gold rush era and how the early train tracks were built over the sierras. 

This is a view of Donner Lake, and the docents described the harsh winter fate of the doomed Donner Party during the winter in the 1800s when emigrating to california by wagon train many perished.

Just harvested some lavender that I used to fill this little sachet.  These are fun to stitch and the pattern is in the June 2011 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting.  So enjoyable to pick up a quick stitching project during the dog days of August!  Hope you are all having an enjoyable summer, and are getting some stitching in.  Thanks for stopping by!

Leaping Hare

This is the latest block from the Tulip Farm quilt by Blackbird Designs, and it just cracks me up to look at the proportion of the tulips and the hare.  This is what I love about folk art quilts - the sense of whimsy and unperfection which is so me...

Two weeks ago we had our latest folk art class at the local quilt store, and we were so sad to hear that our leader, Gretchen, was retiring from teaching.  But the next day I got an email from the quilt store that they are going to keep the classes going.  So, so pleased to hear about this as I would really miss getting together with the group every month to share our progress.

This is the latest red and white transferware find.  I was thrilled to pieces yesterday to find the large Jenny Lind platter at a thrift store, and not a chip in sight!  I have been so taken with bone dishes since I started seeing them on the Blackbird ladies' blog.  They are perfect for catching tiny applique pins or bits of thread when you are sewing.

This is my favorite picture so far of Jamie and her Dad at the wedding, taken by one of her friends.  We are patiently waiting for the rest of the pictures.  The photographer emailed today and said she is sending the rest of the pictures to us tomorrow.  We are looking forward to getting together with the family for Father's Day, so it will be fun to see the rest of the pictures together.  The wedding was really beautiful and so touching to see our daughter's wedding day.   Hope you are all having a lovely early summer with time to get a few stitches in!

Tulip Farm - Blue Vase Block

 Took the last stitches in the latest block from Blackbird Designs' Tulip Farm quilt.   Seriously love making these blocks.  I have always been a fan of their designs and this quilt is one of my all time favorites.

Snowballs in Sacramento?  Yes, these are the closest we get to the real thing, and just love when they bloom every year, no matter how fleeting their appearance.  The wedding is next Saturday, and I think we are about as ready for it as we can be at this point.  The weather is predicted to be in the 70s, so should be a wonderful Spring day.  Hope you are all having a lovely weekend with time to get a few stitches in!

Tulip Row

Finished this row of tulips for the Tulip Farm quilt. The red tulip that is second from the left kind of looks like a parrot tulip - at least that's what I was going for. What do you think?

A picture of our real tulips just blooming at 8:00 a.m. this morning.  Still pretty dark outside!  

We are enjoying the progress of bulbs we planted in pots this year.  The daffodils planted in the ground are long gone, so its fun to see the next round of spring flowers.  The lilacs are blooming later this year.  Its been a colder Spring here in Cali. 

Off to look for a dress for the wedding this afternoon.  Hopefully I find one so yet another think to mark off the list!  Hope you all have a great weekend, and have time to get some stitches in and enjoy some Spring flowers!

 

Garden Club - Grandmother Block

Decided to include this Grandmother block from Country Threads' Life in the Country book instead of the girl block in the original quilt.  Since I'm not sure how well this block will fit, I plan to add another rectangle at the back and probably will applique a basket of tulips behind Grandmother.















I'm taking a hand quilting class once a month and tomorrow is the day that I get four hours of uninterrupted quilting bliss to work on my Millenium Garden quilt!  Since the hoop and I do not get along, I'm just laying it out flat to hand quilt it and hopefully it won't turn out too wonky - tried to baste it fairly close.  I'm really loving the thimble pictured on the quilt - not sure of the brand name but its so comfortable.

Will leave you with a little spring - the daffodils are late this year, but its so nice to see their sweet little faces on a dreary day. Planted most of the bulbs in pots this year, so looking forward to seeing what comes up! Hope you all have a lovely weekend with some time to stitch or work in your garden.

Tulip Farm Block

The last couple of months were super busy with the holidays and wedding preparations, but finally took a little time out to stitch this block from Blackbird Designs' Tulip Farm quilt.  I really feel a little more balanced now - stitching does work wonders for the soul.

Also finished the chicken block from the Garden Club quilt.  I'm pleased with how the little feathers turned out - tried a new technique I read about where you clip in between a small area just ahead of stitching to deter fraying, and it worked well!

Found these darling railroad dishes in an antique store, and my husband bought them for me for Christmas.  I have long been fascinated with the romantic idea of train travel before airplanes were around, and railroad china has further piqued my interest, and its hard to find.

The wedding is now three months away, so every weekend we get a little more done.  The wedding dress is ordered, the rose garden where the ceremony will be held is reserved, we went to preview wedding cake ideas last weekend, and today we went to a wine store to learn more about champagne.  The goal is to enjoy the experience a little at a time, and not overdo.  We were planning to make the buffet food for the reception ourselves, but friends are trying to talk us out of it or at least having part of it catered.  Would love to hear your experiences and recommendations on wedding plans, as we still think its possible to make most of the food ourselves.

Tulips & Travel

Finished the tulip block for the garden club quilt.  Its not the same block as used in the original quilt.  Used the tulip block from Blackbird Designs' Tulip Farm quilt instead.  One of the red fabrics is from French General, and it is a dream to use for applique.  Highly recommend it!

We were lucky to travel to New Orleans with our family in October.  It was a dream trip, and we just loved walking through the Garden District and checking out the awesome homes.

Sad to hear that these cool water meter covers are disappearing as they are becoming collector's items.

A picture of the courtyard where we stayed.  My husband's brother has a timeshare here and we all got to stay together.  Such fun!

Baked our friend Cindy LaNier's famous butterhorn rolls for Thanksgiving.  Topped with homemade apricot jam we made last summer - they are scrumptious, and such a treat that we only make them for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.  I'll leave you with the recipe below, and happy holidays to all of my dear blog friends.  Really appreciate your visits, and hope you have time to get a few stitches in!

LaNier's Butterhorns

1 package yeast

1 cup warm water

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs, well beaten

4 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in water.  Add a couple of tablespoons of the sugar to proof the yeast.  Let rest for at least five minutes.  Meanwhile, melt butter and add sugar.  Stir to mix and set aside to cool.  Add to yeast, and add salt, eggs, and 3 cups flour.  Mix well by hand and add remaining flour, mixing until well combined.  Either dough refrigerate overnight or let rise in a warm spot on the counter for at least four hours.  Divide dough into four pieces.  Roll each into a circle, and cut each circle into 12 triangular pieces.  Roll from large end to short (crescent shapes) and place on a well greased baking sheet.  Let rise (1-2 hours) and bake in a 400 degree oven for eight minutes.  Makes 48 scrumptious rolls.

Petunias and Diamonds

Just finished the petunia basket block for the Garden Club quilt.  I love how the Country Threads ladies designed the petunias.  They remind me of my grandma's garden when I was growing up. I still remember the smell of petunias in the warm summer sun.  The other big news is that our oldest daughter, Jamie, just got engaged!  She and Brian, her fiance, are so happy and we will be planning a wedding for next year!

Feels Like Fall

Took a road trip yesterday to Apple Hill which is a local area in the Northern California foothills where the farmers are known for their great apples.  This trip is an annual event for our family.  We don't use a lot of apples, but we selected a couple of each type to sample.  Just love to spread sliced apples with a little nut butter for a snack!  Also got a gallon of homemade apple cider which is so delicious heated up to drink in the evenings.

Finished sewing the first Garden Club block - next I'm on to making the chicken and the bee skep blocks.

 

There are wonderful vendors at Apple Hill who sell handmade items.  Couldn't resist this wooden basket made from old barn boards.  The gentleman who makes these hand forges the iron braces and the handle.  The basket is just so unique and sturdily built, and a super bargain at $35!

I'm leaving you with a delicious carmel apple cake recipe that we always enjoy every fall during apple season:

Carmel Apple Cake

Beat well:

1 cup oil

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

Sift together and add:

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix in:

3 cups diced raw apples

1 cup nuts (optional - we don't use)

Pour into a 9 X 13 inch pan and bake at 300 degrees for 50 - 60 minutes.

Carmel Glaze

Melt 1/2 cup butter and stir in 1 cup brown sugar, and blend well.

Add 1/4 cup heavy cream and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Take off stove and cool slightly and add 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Spread over warm cake and enjoy with hot coffee!

Hope you are enjoying your Sunday and have time to get a few stitches in - thanks for stopping by!

Garden Club

Our Prim Group is making the Garden Club quilt by Country Threads as a block of the month at our local quilt store, so I'm working on the prep for the first block.  Decided to use backgrounds that remind me of 1940s aprons.  The original quilt doesn't have the sprigs and buds on the sides near the bottom of the vase, but I thought the block needed a bit more so added those.  Was inspired to choose electric blue for the dragonfly when I saw several in our garden this weekend.  May add more flowers to the top of the vase, what do you think?

 

Just purchased these little applique scissors designed by Karen Kay Buckley, and highly recommend them - they are wonderful!  They are really sharp and the little tips are just right for trimming a seam or clipping into a little corner while appliquing. 

Fruit is so plentiful and tasty at the farmer's market this month.  We made strawberry freezer jam and peach cobbler - soooo good...the jam is perfect to stir into a cup of plain yogurt.  Thinking of all of you on the East coast who are weathering the storm this weekend - hope everyone has time to get a few stitches in and thanks to all who stopped by for a visit!

State Fair Quilts

Attended the California State Fair today, and wanted to share a few photos of the wonderful quilts which won awards this year.  Pictures taken with permission of State Fair staff, but unfortunately I didn't note the names of the quiltmakers as there was a large crowd and I had to keep moving!

Blackwork Beauty

Loved this quilt!

My favorite this year!

Gorgeous applique!

Sweet house quilt - must make this!

Who doesn't love Charley Harper?

Gorgeous crocheted coverlet - it was lined with fabric too!

We visited Yosemite Park in May and the falls were magnificent this year. The photo doesn't do them justice! Thought the little cabin at Yosemite was just adorable.

Yosemite Falls

/Adorable Yosemite cabin

Peaceful picture in Yosemite

We have been working on house projects, so not much on the quilting front, but did manage to finish some churn dash blocks for the Jo Morton Churn Dash Swap.  Pulled out a Stars Quilt I finished some time ago and will hopefully get it quilted some time this summer.

Jo Morton Churn Dash Swap blocks

Star Quilt from a McCalls Magazine pattern

Hope you are all enjoying your summer, and thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Laurel Cherry Block

Just finished the laurel cherry block last night. 

This is the halfway point to finishing this quilt!  Many, many thanks to my virtual quilting friends in the US, Australia, Canada and Europe for contributing the Lancaster cake stand blocks for this quilt.  I am really enjoying making the applique blocks so much.  So excited that a new quilt store is opening close to home today, so of course, I have to run over and check it out.  Fingers crossed they will have a selection of reproduction and prim fabrics!  Hope you all have a lovely weekend and time to get a few stitches in.