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!