An old quilt

As most of you know, Al and I love to browse in the antique stores. Sometimes I have my camera with me, sometimes not. I love to get ideas from old quilts. Well, this is a picture of an antique quilt that was part of a trunk show at our guild. Sure am glad I had the camera with me that day. It's a very well done and well preserved quilt.

Wouldn't it be beautiful quilt done in just pinks and browns... maybe civil war fabrics. While I was here in Arizona, I bought a few more Jo Morton fabrics from her "Annabelle" collection. This would be a perfect pattern to use and and you know, it's really pretty easy. One block is a snowball block... think it was about 12" square and the other block is just a double nine patch. Then set on point. EASY.

Found some vintage patterns and threads

Yesterday Al and I went out for a little bit. I was feeling somewhat better but today I'm almost as good as new (except for this hacking cough). We stopped at my favorite shopping place (Goodwill) and found these wonderful retro patterns and old threads on wooden spoools. The threads aren't any good for sewing anymore since the cotton is very weak (the silk threads are still ok) but I like to have them for decorating my sewing room. I fill up old jars with these. Aren't they pretty? The bag of goodies came with all this and more... lots of thimbles (one is sterling silver), old tape measures, threaders, elastic, binding, needle books (I love these), buttons and more.
The patterns are going to be hung on my walls unless one of my girls wants a dress or shirt of this style. It's so funny to see the sizes on the patterns... a size 16 is like a 34 bust! I'm thinking I would need a size 20... AT LEAST. No good for the ego :(
The one pattern, way on the left, is newer and I might just stitch that up this spring. It's a cute wrap top. The collar needs a little updating but I like the general idea of it. And the baby pattern... well, you just never know. Someday I might be a grandma (wishing and hoping ...sigh...) so wouldn't the little bunny pjs be daring for my grandaughter's doll?

sick in bed

deb wanted me to let everyone know she is sick in bed today. hopefully she'll be back at it tomorrow. al

Well, darn it, I'm sick again :(

I woke up this morning, sick again and it is NOT convienent. (but then again when is it?!) I have a special green gift to make for someone. We're doing another swap online with the ladies from BC (but now we're S&H.. scrappyandhappy). For this swap we traded names and are making a secret gift for our partner. Only rule: it needs to be green. I'm still trying to decide between two ideas. I bought the fabrics yesterday... some really pretty and bright lime greens. SO today was going to be the day to work on that PLUS I need to finish up the scrappy strip blocks that are going out to Sherry. I'm running behind on all my swap this month. The mug rugs sidetracked me a little. They sure were fun to make. OH, that's another swap I signed up for. We're going to be swapping mug rugs on Q&N. That should be fun... those little things are addictive!
So anyways, here I am at Paradise with a cookie and a HUGE cup of tea. Hoping between that and the Dayquil I took, that I'll be feeling better soon. It's a shame to be sitting out here in this beautiful sunshine and wishing I was back home in bed.

Happy Valentines Day to everyone!

Happy Valentines Day to all of you... my family, my friends... and especially to my special sweethearts.. LIsa, I found a picture of you from your trip..I love this one and Jenn, you always seem to have Jon next to you (not that that's a bad thing.. I can add him to my list of sweeties)!

By the way, Lisa, CONGRATS on being on the Dean's list... when I was searching for a pic I found the list... why didn't tell me?!!!!

Another beautiful evening here in Phoenix

Al and I are sitting outside at the bookstore, getting internet service so that I can post some pictures of my newest mug rugs. It's just beautiful out... so nice and warm. And check out the sky... I took this on the freeway as we drove here!

So here's Mom's set of mug rugs. Yes, mom, you have a set coming in the mail too. Al thinks the one above looks like Gizmo (mom's dog)... I think it does! The one below is an artist rendition of mom and her cooking with the kids looking on.. couldn't fit all 6 of us so two will have to do. Now don't hit me because the ham is green...and your facial hairs are showing..hehe

Happy birthday to you!!

Just wishing MOM a Happy Birthday!!!!

Hope it's a good one :)

Four "mug rugs" finished

Today I finished up the mug rugs. They were pretty easy to make except for the binding of course... not that binding is hard, just something I put off. The piece of red dot that I used as a binding on the first two came from that scrap bag I bought a while back for $4. I cut my binding 1-1/2" wide since these are so small... I wanted the binding to be fairly small. Usually I use a single binding. Most quilters seem to use a double one and I can see the reason in a large quilt.... you get twice the thickness so it wears longer. But on something small like this I don't want it heavy. Doing a single thickness binding is how I do most of mine... maybe because old habits are hard to break and this is how I was taught... MANY years ago. Well, now that these are done, they're just waiting to be put in the mail. Jenn and Lisa, let me know which set you would like (if you both want the same set I'M IN TROUBLE :).

Shopping for 30's fabrics...

Just got done shopping at a new quilt shop (well, new for me :) and here's some of the goodies I found. I'll share some with dd2 who is doing a yoyo quilt using 30's. The rest will go into my seven sisters quilt... YES, I'm still working on that. I haven't done too much lately but at least I can collect more fabrics for it. The shop I found was in Chandler AZ called Zoe's Trunk. She carries lots of Free Spirit, Amy Butler and other more modern prints. A very "young" feeling quilt shop. I know my daughters would love it.

And yesterday I went to this shop below. I found some cute batiks to add to my collection and a few pretty homespuns. I also bought some thin batting for the mug rugs I'm making. It was a poly batting but I'm not sure I like it. It seems to really shrink up if you press the final project. Before I put my binding on I gave it a little press (on pretty hot I have to admit) and it scrunched up, A LOT. I don't think I'll be buying this one again. I never thought poly would shrink... anyone else ever have that problem? Maybe it was just this particular one?......

Working on mug rugs with my Dr. Seuss fabric

Working on Mug Rugs using my Cat in the Hat fabrics and some pretty gray.This is the first of four that I'm making... two for Jenn and two for Lisa... SURPRISE! To Jenn and Lis: When I have the four done, I'll post them and you girls can tell me which you want.

I started putting the binding on this one last night but my hand started cramping up so I had to stop. I can machine sew and quilt for quite a while but if I try to do hand work, I have problems. Hoping to have all four done in a few days but we shall see.

This mat is about 7" square. There will be two this size and two that are a little longer but narrower. The ones I've seen online usually have room for a mug and maybe a cookie or two.

Carrot Orange Cookie Recipe :)

When Al and I were out shopping in the resale shops last week, I came across a vintage cookbook for 50 cents. It's from about the 1950s. We didn't bring any cookbooks or recipes down here and I've been wanting to do some baking so I tried this one... I have plenty of oranges and we bought lots of carrots to snack on. Here's the recipe I tried.. and yes, it's YUMMMMY!!

Carrot Orange Cookies

1 cup cooked and mashed carrots (about 2 cups raw)

1 cup sugar

1 cup shortening

zest from one orange (about 1 heaping tablespoon), reserving orange

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 cups flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients, beating well. Mix together the next 3 dry ingredients then add to above. Mix well till all is combined. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake about 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire rack then drizzle with orange icing.

Orange Icing

Squeeze juice from the reserved orange. Start with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, mixing into juice. Add more powdered sugar until you get a nice consistency. Should be thick but still pourable. Drizzle or frost cookies. Let them dry.

Al found a nice Volvo... just wish it was for sale

Al and I were out bummin' yesterday. We stopped at a bookstore for a bit and look what parked next to us. A cool old volvo. No for sale sign on it but Al found the guy that owns it and found that he bought it in Colorado but he wasn't ready to part with it. Sorry, Lisa, we tried .....

Cute vintage fabrics in this old quilt

I'm working on repairing the great old quilt I found and wanted to show all of you some of the cute fabrics in it. Some are feedsack... like the little bubble girl and the one below it. I love the first one that is gray and an odd green. This has been a really nice pastime for me... checking out all these fabrics as I repair. Pretty soon I'll be replacing the binding, though. It's worn right through. I'm going to see if I can find the exact color of lavender but if not, I'll use one of the other solid colors that are in the quilt.

Freezing weather even here in Phoenix!

This sure doesn't look like Arizona, does it? This is the fountain at the entrance to my BIL's street... freezing as it pours out..LOL. Reminds me home....sigh.....

Working on a new southwest quilt pattern....

Some of you will remember this quilt from last winter. It's the one I made for my BIL for his house down here in Arizona. I've had a few reqests to make this into a pattern and so that's my current project. I didn't keep all my notes so I'm remeasuring and making new ones. PLUS Al would like one of these for himself... big surprise, huh?... I think he'd take one of every "guy" quilt I make..LOL. I'm happy he loves quilts as much as I do but pretty soon he's going to have a larger collection than ME! The weather outside is COLD and that's coming from someone from Michigan! It's a high of 47 today... but right now with windchill it feels like 18 degrees. Could have gotten that stuff at home! Tomorrow is looking much better... will be back into the high 50's/low 60's. I really can't complain (even though I am..lol) because of what is hitting the rest of the country. Hope all of you are staying warm and have electricity. Lisa said school was cancelled (just what she was hoping for) so she can stay in and keep warm. Take your vitamins, Lisa (she caught a cold) and drink plenty of water/juice.
Al and I are headed out to some antique stores in a bit. I love to wander around them seeing what I can find. I mostly look for Fiesta and quilt/sewing stuff but I also like to nose around old books. It reminds me of Grandma's attic... used to go up there and find old Bobsey Twin books and other treasures. It was ice cold in the winter, hot as h_ _l in the summer but sure I loved it up there. Well, Al is pacing... he wants to GOOOOOOO....