On to the Basting

The back is ready, on to the sandwiching and basting.  Almost two weeks left to have a finish for March, and I'm committed now, lol.

Fllimsy Amy's BOM 2010

I'm on track to keep up with my goal of at least 1 finish a month.  My version of Amy's BOM 2010 January thru May is now a flimsy.  It should finish up about 58 x 86, so it will be a generous sized lap quilt, no cold toes or ears.

DH and I had gone through my little stash and found a fabric for the border, but I just couldn't get happy about it.  Yesterday we went to our local quilt shop and the cupboards were almost bare, they had taken half the store to a quilt expo show.  However, they did have 1 fabric that had the colors I was looking for and big fish, too.  I wasn't too crazy at first about the big fish, but now they have grown on me.   This quilt doesn't have any destination, but I'm sure that something will come up, or maybe it will be for me.   That's what I think about all my quilts until something or someone comes up.

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day
This is the day of the year when my 1/16th Irish comes to the forefront and likes to brag, lol.
Irish Soda Bread for breakfast. 

Irish Soda Bread

When I was part of the work force we had a lady in our office named Kathy McDonough who loved St Patrick's day.  We had an office that started out probably about 50 people and ended up closer to 100, and each year before St Patrick's day she started baking and freezing Irish Soda Bread.  On St Patrick's Day she would bring in many many loaves, enough for everybody and we would feast on Irish Soda Bread.  She did this for probably at least 10 years maybe more until they closed our office.  Grrr corporate America.  She was kind enough to share the recipe with me after I nagged for a year or two and I'd like to share it with you if there is anyone interested.  It is tried and true and delicious, Happy St Patrick's Day  a little early:

 

                                                   Irish Soda Bread
4 cups flour
1 1/2  tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 or 2 Tbsp. caraway seeds
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup raisins
2 Tbsp. melted butter
2 lightly beaten eggs
1 1/2 sups buttermilk (if no buttermilk, you can make sour milk by adding a couple of Tbsp. of vinegar
          or lemon juice to regular milk)

 Sift flour, soda and salt together and add seeds, sugar and raisins.  Mix butter, eggs and milk and stir into flour mixture.  I then wash my hands spray them with Pam and finish mixing with my hands until will form a soft little bit floppy ball.  I bake mine in 2 greased 6 inch cake pans (the picture above is a double recipe), but you can bake them in 1 greased 8 or 9 inch cake pan.  Cut a cross in the top about 1/2 inch deep, all the way from end to end.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/4 hours for the large loaf or about 50 minutes for the small loaves.  Cool and wrap in foil.

Enjoy the caraway raisiny goodness.  DH and I love it.

Sewing Buddy? Amy's BOM 2010 and RRCB Progress

On Quiltvillechat they talk about the snails of which I am a snail extraordinaire.  I now have 22 of my 60 string blocks prepared for my RRCB.   The other day a lady DH and I knew from work came over to sew with me.   We had run into her different times over the past few years, we don't live in a really big town.  The last time about 2 weeks ago it came out that she's working on her first quilt, a baby quilt for her new great-grandbaby, and I invited her to come over and sew with me.   We had a nice time, I helped her a little, and got these two blocks made, and we went and had BBQ, one of my favorite parts, lol.   There is a Shop Hop coming up, she's never been and she and DH and I might go together, also I think that we may sew together again.   I haven't had anyone to sew with before, except for making the tote bags with my daughter, so it was nice.  She is new at quilting, but not at sewing.  She amazed me by having made her daughter's wedding dress years ago.

I was going to go for a setting of 4x6 blocks on Amy's 2010 BOM, but when I got to figuring, I decided that that would be a little bigger than I would want.  I figured it again and with a 3x5 setting and borders I should end up with about 58" x 86" which is just about the size I like for adult lap quilts.  I'm trying to use my stash as much as possible and I had this batik with mostly the same colors so I decided to use it for sashing and I have a purple and yellow print to use for a small border and a Kaffe Fassett fabric with blues, yellows, greens  and  pinky lavenders to use for the wide border.   The color combos may be a little strange, but most of mine are, lol.   I still want to do more of Amy's blocks, but I think that I'll switch over to red, white, and blue.   That will be after I finish my paintbox quilts and hopefully Iowa (Carolina) Christmas.   Meanwhile, I have about 2 weeks to finish this one and I'll keep up with my goal for at least one finish a month, Yippee.

Amy's BOM a Lot Late - Giveaway Win

Better late than never.  These are last years May blocks from Amy's BOM.  I am not going to do all the blocks at this time, but I am doing enough to make my version of Linda from Living4Quiltings pretty flimsy.

Block #2 "Follow the Leader"

Block #3 "Ohio Star"

Block #1 "Road to the White House"

My DGS moved into a new apartment, works at Publix, so he needs ironed dress shirts daily and he didn't have an iron.   I gave him mine which was pretty new, but I had never been really pleased with it because it didn't seem to be hot enough even when set to linen.  I got this non steam iron from Vermont Country Store and boy does it get hot.  I had to set it back to cotton.  I've only used it a few times, but I think I'm really going to like it.

And best of all, I won Anita from BedofRosesMQ's giveaway.   Bonnie's book is just as good as I expected with lots of information and gorgeous quilts.  Now I have all three, yea!  Thank you so much Anita for your generous gift.

Giveaway!

If you haven't gotten your copy yet (I haven't and hope to win this one) and would like to enter a fun giveaway form BedofRosesMq, Anita has an extra one to give away to a lucky winner.   You can enter until next Friday the 25th, so there's still plenty of time.   Good luck, if I don't win I hope you do. 

Organizing

My sewing room won't win any awards, but it sure does look better.  This bookcase has three shelves and I donated two shelves worth of books to the library to make room for fabric.   It was painful as they were mostly quilting and cook books.   I have more fabric than I thought, some that I didn't remember at all.   There really isn't any special organization, just about a yard and over pieces here.   This is folded over a 6.5 by 24 ruler. 

These shelves are pieces bigger than a fat quarter but around a half yard or so.  These were folded over a ruler 4.5 inches wide.  Also, there are two boxes about 8 x 13 size, one filled with fat quarters, and the other with long quarters.

This is scraps that I had organized previously by colors there are quite a few.

And even more scraps.   There are going to be quite a few more when I get back to my RRCB and all those string blocks.   I'm thinking that for Valentine's and my birthday maybe I'll get an accuquilt go and make some scrappy quilts.   I know some people love to have scraps, but these have multiplied and are stressing me out, lol.   I also have a box of scraps about 11 x 10 x 17, the kind for reams of paper, and it is almost full.   I am still not completely organized, but it is so much better.   I think that I figured out my problem.   About a year ago I got a new canister vacuum cleaner and the only place I could think of to keep it was in my sewing room closet.  I could no longer get to things and it became more and more out of control.   I cleaned my bedroom closet and made room for the vac and I hope that it won't get in that state again.   I have confidence, lol.   Also, when cleaning my bedroom closet I found a purse that looks quite nice and I don't even remember buying it.   Cleaning, it's a good thing.

Fourth Finish Landon's Quilt

Landon's quilt is finished and we saw their family at church Sunday, so he is out of the hospital.

Cecilia Marie's Quilt Done

Cecilia's is ready in time for the shower tomorrow.  She isn't due until March, but I don't get to see that branch of the family very often so it will be nice to delver it in person.

The back isn't super girly, but I was with Marcy my DGDIL and she assured me that she thought the plaid was cozy.  I added the panel down the center with pink angel bears to make it more girly, and as Marcy said, I think it is cozy.   It is from another flannel sheet set that was on sale at Target.  The twin top sheet was enough for this quilt and baby Landon's too.  His is basted and ready to quilt so it will be done soon.   His father had told Marcy that they expected to be home from the hospital yesterday, but now they are hoping for today.  Poor little guy.  I'm sure his parents must be stressed and exhausted.

It's a little hard to put everything that I would like to on the label with the embroidery machine, but hopefully this will suffice.

I Tried But I Couldn't Do It

Maybe someone can add just one, but not me.   Blogger wanted this picture at the top of my previous post and I wanted it at the bottom so we compromised, I am doing two in one day, lol.   I wanted to add this as my grandson Caleb has a girlfriend named Gabby who seems to be quite an artist.   I don't know if she made this like a quilt on purpose, but I think that if she were a quilter she would be a darn good one.   Can't you just see this in fabric.  I can too, but since I am scared of applique I'll just have to continue to imagine it.     P.S.   Sorry about the gigantic magnetized pencil holder thingy holding it to my refrigerator.