Modern Quilting Bee

I have joined a Quilting Bee on Flickr!!! 

I am so excited about it!  

Have you heard about online Quilting Bee's?  

   I decided to start out simple and joined a block exchange. 

The group I'm in is called Bee Simple.  There are 12 members of the group from all over the World!  Each quilter in the group chooses a month and what colors they would like for their quilt.  Then we make 2 blocks in their color choices from our stash or local quilt shop.  Then we send them out.  On my month I will get 11 blocks from the group!  (I love Happy Mail!)

 Here are March's Blocks. 

   

I don't normally work in these colors, but I love them.  

I can't wait to see the finished quilts! 

It has been exciting to try new color combinations and a great excuse to build my stash!

Would you like to join a Bee?  

Click Here.  

Go to the end of the list for current Bees you can join.  

I would love to here about your experiences with Quilting Bee's.

Cherilyn

Link Parties:
http://quiltstory.blogspot.com/

http://sewchatty.blogspot.com/2012/02/made-with-love-link-up_26.html
http://conniekresin.blogspot.com/

http://carolynshomework.blogspot.com/

Card Exchange

Have you ever participated in a card exchange? My Sister hosted one last week.  Everyone in the group  designed a card then brought everything to make 24 cards.  She had 8 people participating in the exchange so everyone assembled 3 of each card.  They said it was a fun afternoon full of laughter and treats.  When the party is over each person had a bunch of super cute cards and lots of fun memories.

Although I live far away they included me in the exchange.  (I love my Sisters!) Because I was mailing my cards I needed to assemble them all too.  I started out with some elaborate ideas but then realized it would take me forever to put 24 cards together.  So I simplified things a bit. I saw a super cute card on Pinterest with buttons and  printable stems.  

I went here to check out this amazing blog How About Orange  and print the stems.  

 I didn't have enough buttons for all the cards so I punched out flowers instead. 

 Here are all 24 cards! 

 Whew! 

All done! 

Now to get them in the mail!

 

A few days ago these cuties arrived!

They are all so unique and fit the personalities of the card makers!  

I could tell which sister designed each card. 

I am excited to use these cute cards, but I think I will save one of each just for me!

Happy Card Making!

Cherilyn

Link Parties:

http://www.yesterdayontuesday.com/
http://www.somewhatsimple.com/sys-blog-link-party-with-chalkboard-paint-crafts/
http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/
http://alliemakes.blogspot.com/2012/02/making-it-with-allie.html
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2012/02/27/made-by-you-monday-89/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+skiptomyloublog+%28Skip+To+My+Lou%29

Happy Valentine's Day!

My Sweet Farmer surprised me with these beautiful roses!! He is such a sweetheart!

 I made heart shaped Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast.  This is my Mom's recipe she made them often while I was growing up.  I loved coming home from school on a cold winter day and Mom would have chili on the stove and a big pan of these cinnamon rolls. They are my absolute favorite!  

Mom's Cinnamon Rolls

1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 cup butter

2 Tablespoons yeast

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

5 3/4 to 6 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl add yeast and sugar.  Warm milk and melt butter.  (I microwave them for about 2 minutes)  Make sure it is not to hot.  Add to yeast and sugar mix well.  Stir in eggs and salt.  Add flour one cup at a time.  Knead and add flour until dough forms and is no longer sticky.  Cover and let rise until double.  Roll out on a floured surface into a big rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.  Spread with butter then sprinkle on brown sugar and cinnamon.  To make heart shape:  Start rolling from the long end towards the center.  When you reach the center stop and roll from the other long edge to the center until they meet.  Cut into 1 1/2 inch slices. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise again for about 15 minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Drizzle with icing while still warm.

Icing

4 Tablespoons of melted butter

3 cups of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Milk 

Mix first three ingredients then add milk a little at a time until you get desired consistency.

 

 Happy Valentine's Day!

Cherilyn

Link Parties:
http://todayscreativeblog.net/craft-apps/
http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/
http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/
http://housewivesofriverton.blogspot.com/

Dreams of Gardening

It is 4 degrees with the windchill!!

I can't wait for summer!

Our 60' X 100' Eat and Store Garden

  I am dreaming of warm summer days working in the garden.  One of my favorite gardening books is "Joy of Gardening" by Dick Raymond.  We plant an Eat and Store Garden.  Which gives us plenty of fresh produce to eat fresh all summer and enough to can and freeze for the winter.  Our garden plot is 60' x 100'.  We plant wide dense rows and till between the rows to help keep the weeds down.

I have been collecting beautiful seed catalogs and enjoy looking through them planning for this summers garden.  We have our trusty favorites like Peaches and Cream sweet corn, Beef Steak tomatoes, and Yukon Gold potatoes.  Along with lettuce, sweet peas, pickling cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, jalapenos and bell peppers.  

Wagon full of Veggies!

Each year we try something new.  Last year we grew brussel sprouts.  The boys loved them!  They froze well and we ate the last of them a few days ago.    

We also grew giant pumpkins.  They were so pretty.  We put them on the front porch to decorate for fall.  Unfortunately the chickens thought they were pretty and tasty too.  They ate right through them! I wish I had gotten a picture of our chickens standing inside the pumpkins happily pecking away!

 I love "shopping" from the garden for dinner.  Nothing is better than fresh fruits and vegetables that we grew ourselves. Our little ones are more likely to try new dished made from garden vegetables.

The sunflowers were so pretty!

My Grandma always plants flowers along the edge of her vegetable garden.  Her garden is just amazing!  We decided to try this too.  We grew Sunflowers at the back of the garden and Zinnias in the front.  They were beautiful!  I had fresh cut flowers all summer and into fall.  The Zinnias grew like a hedge they were 3 feet tall bushy plants and just covered with blooms!  Ranging in color from yellow to hot pink.  They are a new staple in our garden.

A Zenia hedge!

 A pretty pink Zenia from our Garden!

 I am so excited for this year's garden!

Cherilyn

Candy Hearts Table Runner Tutorial

Our kitchen table needed a little brightening up for Valentine's Day. I searched through my fabric stash and found the aqua pieces of Sew Cherry by Lori Holt. I love this fabric!! Then found a few scrap fabrics that coordinated. I love it when I can just shop my stash!

The table runner is made with an uneven nine patch blocks and heart appliqué blocks. This was quick and easy to put together.

Here is a tutorial so you can make a Candy Heart Table Runner too.

Materials
1 1/2 yards of white back ground Fabric
1/2 yard of red fabric for heart and binding
1/2 yard of aqua for uneven nine patch blocks
Scraps of coordinating fabric for heart blocks
Batting (I used scraps. It is so nice to use up those little bits of leftover batting)

From the white background fabric cut:
4- 3 inch strip width of fabric (WOF)
2- 2 1/4 inch strip WOF
5- 6 1/2 inch squares

From aqua cut:
2- 2 1/4 inch strip WOF
1- 3 inch strip WOF

From red cut:
3- 2 1/2 inch strips WOF for binding

From scraps:
Cut five hearts

For the Heart blocks

 Cut a piece of paper 6 1/2 inches square. Fold in half and draw half a heart on the fold. Make sure that you leave enough room for seam allowances. Cut along your drawn shape to make a heart.

 Use your paper heart as a pattern and appliqué your scrap hearts to the center of the white blocks. I used needle turn appliqué.  I traced the heart on to freezer paper then cut it out and ironed it to the right side of my scrap fabric. Shiny side down. Then traced the heart shape into the fabric. Clipping the curves I stitch the hearts to the blocks.

For the Uneven Nine Patch Blocks

For the first strip set sew 2 1/4 inch white strips to both sides of the 3 inch color strip.

 For the second strip set sew 2 1/4 inch aqua strips to both sides of the 3 inch white strip.

From the first strip set cut 5- 3 inch blocks.

From the second strip set cut 10- 2 1/4 inch blocks.

 Sew a 2 1/4 block to either side of the 3 inch block to make an uneven nine patch block. Make 5 uneven nine patch blocks. Should be 6 1/2 inch blocks.

Now alternate the heart blocks and the nine patch blocks so that you have two rows of 5 blocks. Sew together to form rows then sew your rows together.

Add borders. Make your quilt sandwich. I machine stitched in the ditch between all the blocks and in the seams if the uneven nine patch blocks. Then I used floss to stitch around the hearts and in the border.

Add binding.

 All done!! A bright fun Candy Hearts Table Runner!!

Cherilyn

Link Parties:
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2012/02/06/made-by-you-monday-85/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+skiptomyloublog+%28Skip+To+My+Lou%29

http://sewcando.blogspot.com/2012/02/craftastic-monday-link-party-time.html

http://www.thegirlcreative.com/2012/02/just-something-i-whipped-up-valentine.html

http://www.craftskeepmesane.blogspot.com/2012/02/motivate-me-monday-108.html

http://makingtheworldcuter.com/

http://sewchatty.blogspot.com/

http://itssoverycheri.com/
http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2012/02/mop-it-up-mondays-party-2.html
http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/2012/02/too-cute-tuesday-linky-par-tay-69.html
http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/
http://housewivesofriverton.blogspot.com/
http://conniekresin.blogspot.com/
http://quiltstory.blogspot.com/
http://www.cloverandviolet.com/2012/02/stash-project-new-beginning.html
http://thecraftyblogstalker.blogspot.com/2012/02/blog-stalking-thursday-27.html