Table Runner progress (finally)

This evening I finally made some real progress on my Table
Runner for the swap I joined over at SewHappyGeek blog.

Yay!  I only hope that my partner is liking what I am making
for her!  She has been kind of quiet.  The photo is not great as
it was dark and I had to take it in my sewing room on the floor.

Here is a close up of one of the blocks.  This is my favorite block
in the runner.  Although now I am thinking that I probably
should have added one more block,hope it isn't too short!

In other news,Gil called me tonight to let me know that he had
received his 2 packages.  Wow!  That was fast :+)  He is very stoked,
to put it in his words.  He said I am all cozyed up in my  blanket mom!
I wont freeze tonight  :+)

Linking up to...
WIP

Cherry Chip Scone recipe

(Sorry no photo)

Ingredients needed...

2 cups flour                                                   
2 teaspoons baking powder                            
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon                                  
1/4 teaspoon salt                                             
1/2 cup buttermilk*                                         
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup cherry chips
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1stick) butter cut into small pieces
2 eggs divided
1 Tablespoon milk                                  

* If you don't have buttermilk,place 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice or distilled white vinegar in a measuring
cup and add enough milk to measure 1/2 cup.  Stir and let the mixture stand at room temperature for 5 minutes.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees...

Combine flour,baking powder,cinnamon,baking soda,salt,sugar, in large bowl.  Stir well.  Cut butter into mixture with a pastry cutter or two knives until mixture is crumbly.  Combine buttermilk,1 egg and vanilla in a small bowl; mix well.  Add to dry ingredients,also add cherry chips and mix gently until dough comes together.

Spoon dough onto baking sheets,using 2 Tablespoons of dough for each scone.  Leave 1 inch between scones.  Combine remaining egg and milk in a small bowl; brush over tops of scones.

Bake  for 12-14 minutes on a well greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet,or until scones are golden brown.  Transfer to wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 24 scones

This & that

Today I shipped Gil a little something to keep
him cozy while he waits for me to get his quilt
made.
He requested eagle,globe & anchor fabric.
Since I have to find some he will have to make do
with this for now.

His favorite NFL team is the Raiders,so I decided
to use it on the back side of his fleece blanket.

This was the favorite choice of most of the
peeps in the Table runner/wall hanging swap
that I am in.
This and the next 2 photos were test blocks that
I made.

This one had a few positive votes,but not many.

This one also had a couple yes votes,but the first one was
definitely the favorite.

Yay,squishie mail!

First up is this Super Cool Zip bag and a smaller snap pouch
too!
Isn't this awesome fabric?  I love how Melissa at sewbittersweetdesigns
combined all this different fabric to make this zip bag :)

This is the other side of the zip bag.  I really love how you could
have either side be the front side,as they are both equally beautiful.
Even tho this side has more green,I love both sides and can not
pick a favorite! 
So I guess the whole bag is my favorite :)

The little snap pouch has 3 different spaces for cards,such as
credit cards,or loyalty cards.  Melissa added decorative stitching
on the edge of each slot.  She used a pearl snap too!

I signed up for her Pay ~ It ~ Forward a while back ago and had
forgotten about it!
I on the other hand will probably not be able to get to my Pay ~ It ~ Forward
until after the first of the new year when things slow down :(
However I will get to it!

This is my second squishie that was in the box today!
It is my second block for October from the Christmas Block
Swap/Exchange that I joined here  Come join the party!

I am so happy with this block,I just love how the geese draw
your eye into the center of the block!  Also this will go nicely
with the other blocks as the colors in the other blocks are
also blue,silver and white.  :)

This is the first block that I sent out this month.  my partner
received it today,so I can now show it off here :)
She wanted traditional Christmas colors and,she also requested
this specific block pattern.

Winter Stitchin projects List

Sarah over at FairyFace Designs has put up a linky just like the one
she did for summer.
I am joining in!  It was such a great way to keep me on track and
helped motivate me to get my projects finished up.

So these projects are not in any order as far as the photos go.

The picture above is fabric I have picked for making the Table Runner
for the swap I joined.  Waiting to see what comments my partner
leaves me in the group before starting tho!

Next is my box of WIP's  Do not let the size of the box fool you!
It may not look like much...
but ....
six quilt tops
two place mats
one mini-quilt
three wristletts
fabric snow flakes
I am sure that there is more but,at the moment I am drawing a blank?

Some patterns that I want/need to make up.
From left
Mug rugs ~ 1 for each of my parents for Christmas
Quilt pattern ~ hopefully Gil will like this one for the quilt he requested
Spruce it up ~ Christmas Tree mini quilt (Mr. P requested)
Tortilla warmer ~ for Jolene (part of her "B" day list)
Key fobs pattern
This~N~That patterns

Not pictured..
Also on Jolene's "B" day list
Sprocket pillows
Amanda bag
Tissue holder
Apron

This is a fun little Christmas Tree pattern made up of different
sized yoyos  (started making some already)

These are ornaments I purchased last year on clearance.
You will have to wait to see what I have in mind !

This one is for me :)
I purchased this pattern from etsy,so far have not had the time
to start on it.  It is for a credit card/loyalty card wallet.

Swap fabric from my Quilt Guild's Christmas swap.
The theme is in the kitchen.
I have decided what to make,so next week I will get busy on this one.

5 panels with 2 doll dresses each,for an 18" doll.

Shirt off my Bag bag.
This is from the Fresh Fabric Treats book.
Hoping to make up a bunch of these for Christmas.

Three bags of various size  Pinecone ornaments in progress.

Whew!  And that is the short List!
Wish me luck :)

Swap blocks

Today I received some more blocks from my swaps!
The first one is from my Christmas Block swap.

I am loving it a whole lot :)  The light blue around the outside is
a winter scene with snow.

Thank you partner I am super happy with the block you made
for me :)

Also received a couple more owl blocks today! 
I am really really happy with how these blocks are turning out :)
They are all so adorable!

This quilt is going to be very hard to part with.

These are some blocks I was trying out from a pattern that I
purchased this past weekend,while in the city.
The smaller ones were made using scraps,and the larger ones
were made from 2 1/2 inch wide strips.

I see a quilt from this pattern in the future!

Christmas &Sew Bee Blissful Blocks!

Today was a great day for mail!  There were 3 different
packages in my box.  Each one of them containing swap
quilt blocks!

First up is my Christmas Block  for September!
My favorite color is green,which this wonky star has
quite a bit of.
It is not something that I would have made
for myself.  Because I have not ever made a star block yet.
(need to try that one of these days)
I really like it tho!
Thank you Partner :)

Next up are blocks for my Sew Bee Blissful block bee.
Sorry the photos are not very good,I was trying to take them
outside on my deck.  The wind came up and so I had to
snap them quickly before it blew them away!

I requested 2 blocks for my month,a signature block,and if my bee mates
wanted to and had enough fabric another 6.5 scrappy block,also for
the back of the quilt.

For my "little"extra I requested a goodie recipe for the up coming
Holidays!
So in the future I will be posting about these as I try them out :)
These blocks are so adorable!  Love how other people put
the fabrics together.
This is going to be a super cute quilt.

This week has been such a crazy busy one.  With inventory
at work.  Which meant working 7 hours and then going home for
about 3 hours and then back to work for another 4 hours.
I am so glad that it only comes once a year!

Sewing was out of the question for most of the week.  As I usually
do that in the evening after dinner.
So this evening I had to get in a tiny bit of sewing.  Didn't do much
because I am tired.
However I did make a potholder :)

This is the back/bottom.  I added a loop for hanging in one of
the corners.
This was so easy peasy,I got it right the first time!
I found the inspiration for this project here.

Gil (my son) recently asked me to make him a quilt!  I am so
excited about that :)
So I will be playing around with some trying out some blocks
and then sending him some pictures to see what he likes.
This is the first one,it is a 9 patch but isn't exactly square.
I made the blocks 2 1/2 x 3 1/4

Hope everyone has a sweet weekend :)

First October Christmas block received!

Isn't this a awesome quilt block?
Yep,I thought sew too!
Thinking that this one is going to get framed and hung above
my sewing table.  That way I can admire it every time I sit
down to sew :)

My partner got me to a T!
Mr. P enjoyed the gummy candy that was included :)

On another note I only made a handful of yoyo's last
evening :(  Which is why I generally craft/sew in my sewing
room instead of in the living room.  But sometimes I have to "come
out of my cave" as Mr. P calls it.  LOL!

Fall Scarecrow mini quilt & other sewing

First up,the Fall mini quilt that I made today.
Midas decided that I needed some help with this photo,so he
jumped up on the bed to help :)

I finally persuaded him that his help was not needed.  So he
turned his attention to the mini-blind rod on the bed beside
the quilt.

Here it is in its new home.  The lighting made it hard to get a
good photo!

Next up is a tortilla warmer that I made for Jolene.
The pattern from Teachers Pet,that I used only called
for warm & natural in-between the two bottom pieces.

I am not happy with how this turned out,so will be making
another one with another piece of batting added to the two
top pieces as well.
The whole idea is to keep the tortillas warm,and without
the batting in the top pieces,I don't think that the tortillas
will stay warm for long.

Next up are some bath towels that have been sitting
in my to do pile,for a year now!
It was high time for me to get these done.
The first set is a dusky blue,which I added a strip of
duck fabric to.

The second set is also  blue,but a lighter shade.
On this set I added some fishing fabric.

Next up is my favorite set.  This set is white and
I found a perfect strip of Christmas fabric with
candy on it. :)

Lastly is a deep red/burgundy color set.  For
these I added a strip of fall harvest fabric.
It feels great to finally move these to the done
area of my sewing room :)
I still have one more single white towel to do,but I
haven't decided if yet wither or not to purchase another
towel,or just make a single one.

These will be going to the craft fair with me on the 22nd
of this month.
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend :)
I am off to watch some football with Mr. P,while making
a pile of yoyos!

Pics of Midas & some sewing

Today after work Midas finally was still long enough for a
couple of pictures!
In this one it looks like he is talking,as his mouth is open.

See my plant there covered with plastic?  It seams that Midas
thinks that this (and my other large planters are an alternative
litter box!  NOT!  So for now the plastic will stay,and Midas
will stay Out!

There was a squirrel running back and forth on the fence outside
the windows.  Midas was trying to figure out how to get beyond
the window to the squirrel.  It was quite comical!

This is a project that I worked on this evening.  It is not quite
finished yet.  Although it is all quilted and bound.
More on that later.

Here is a view of the backside.
I just used a zigzag stitch to quilt it with,because the front side
has printed zigzags in between the snowman and the other blocks.
As you can see from the photo I need a whole lot more practice
in the binding area of quilting.
So I will just keep practicing.

T-Fal Ultraglide Review

Did you think that I had forgotten about posting
a review ?
Sorry that it has taken me so long to get the
review up for you!

As you can see from the photos,I need to change
the placement of the lighting in my sewing room.

On to the T-Fal Ultraglide easycord  Iron.
One thing that I really like about this iron is the
extra stable heel rest.
I can set it anywhere,even on my cutting mat!
Without worrying about what it might do if I
leave it there longer than a minute or two.

Another thing that I am loving is the easycord system,
which keeps the cord out of the way while you are ironing.
With my old iron I was always wrinkling the fabric that I
had just ironed.

The one thing that I am not to thrilled with is where the dial
for the fabric setting is located.  However that is a minor thing
as generally speaking I don't change it often.

It has a easy to fill water tank.  Which is designed
to take tap water!  However if you have hard water like
I do,you can use 50% tap water and 50% distilled
water,and get the same results.

It has a steam boost with extra vapor for those
really stubborn wrinkles. 
It also has 0-35g variable steam.

Another feature is the 3-way auto shut-off.
If the iron were to fall or get tipped over somehow,or
if for some reason you were to leave in sitting on
your fabric or ironing board in a horizontal position,
it will automatically shut off in 30 seconds.
If you leave it unattended in the upright position for
8 minutes,it will automatically shut off.

It also has,double anti-scale and anti-drip too.
You can steam while holding the iron vertically.
The sloeplate gives you optimal steam diffusion,smooth glide,
maximum durability,and it is easy to clean.

So I would give this iron a Definite Thumbs Up Rating!
As stated above,the only thing that I didn't like was the
position of the dial,other wise I LOve my New Iron! 

Owlie blocks & Sneak peaks

This is one of the test blocks that I made for my month
in the Sew Bee Blissful  Quilting Bee.

Here is the second one.  They are quite fun to make.  I sent
out all the fabric last week,so far 5 of 11 peeps have received
their fabric!
I am on pins & needles!  Can hardly wait to see the Awesome
blocks that are in progress this month :)

If you would like to make some up for yourself go here
for the tutorial.

This is Sneak Peak # 1 for one of my Christmas Block Swap
partners for October!

Sneak Peak # 2 for my second partner this month!
Hope they like what they see :)