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.

Orange Peel Petals

Started a new project in Spring colors called Orange Peel Petals.  The quilt is designed by Temecula Quilt Company, and its a really fun project that can be picked up quickly to get a few stitches in with easy, peasy needleturn applique.  Most of the fabrics are from the Little Pink Stars line.

We visited this lovely place about an hour from home recently.  Its called Daffodil Hill, and is located in an old gold rush area.  The weather was perfect that day!  Its well worth the visit if you get a chance.

Always appreciate those of you who stop by to visit my blog, and hope you all have time to get a few stitches in!

Four Hearts

In honor of the red and white exhibit that was this weekend, appliqued a few red hearts on a cream background this weekend.  Just love this fabric collection, so plan to make a heart in every print and put them together into a little quilt.  The pattern for the heart block from Blackbird Designs is here: 

Its been cold and rainy here this week, so made chicken and dumplings for dinner.  My husband said they are "almost" as good as his grandma's!  No problem here - I agree that nothing is as good as memories of grandma's cooking! 

Just finished reading "Room."  Have any of you read it?  Almost quit at the beginning but it definitely got better and it is thought provoking.  It reminded me of how I felt when reading "Little Bee" last year.  I haven't forgotten that one either - what a story!

Cherry Seeds

Finished the latest block for the Cherry Cake quilt yesterday.  The pattern I drew for this block was inspired by an antique block and a Jan Patek block from her Millenium Garden quilt.

This is how the quilt looks so far - plans are percolating for a bird block, a house block and a laurel cherry block.  My thoughts today are with the brave people of Japan as they deal with the tsunami tragedy.  Thanks so much for visiting my blog and hope you find time to get a few stitches in!