BLOCKHEADS 2 - Week 45

This week's block is brought to you by Betsy Chutchian and it's a winner!  You can get the directions HERE. I hope to start putting all these blocks together this weekend. Hope to, because things here just got real with finalizing new patterns and getting new fabric shipped from the mill.  It is all hands on deck getting the new quilts ready for our next fabric group from Moda Fabrics.  Expect some sneak peeks next month!

In other news....... I finished my scrap quilt this week.  I made this using scraps entirely.  You would think that the scrap loss would be noticeable, but you would be wrong.  It's starting to get concerning. Do you think I've tapped into some scrap parallel universe? Some neverending scrap worm hole?  The laws of physics do not seem to apply.

 It doesn't have a name yet.  This was the best picture we could get.  The clothesline in the backyard was unapproachable due to ice.

I can't wait to get it back from being basted so I can work on this in the evenings.

Laters,

Laurie

BLOCKHEADS 2 - Week 44

Sorry about last week's non-post. I just did an iOS update and the photos were not cooperating.  I think everything is fine now.  Here is Blockhead 2 - block number 44

Here she is before she got her haircut.  This week's block is brought to you by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique - and here are the directions .

And just to make sure I really did do block 43 - here it is.....

What else has been going on.... I've been working on that long term scrap project. My days have been filled with lots of cutting, pressing, and stitching.

I've heard that Crystal Lake is shipping this month!!! I am taking pre-orders on some of the kits.

The kits for Our Best Friends can be found here and the kit will have the directions and fabric to make both mini quilts.

Rolling Stars kit is HERE.

The Cobblestone kit can be found HERE

Laters,

Laurie

BLOCKHEADS 2 - Week 42

It's week 42 and this block is brought to you by Carrie Nelson. You can find the directions HERE.

The countdown has begun..... only 10 more blocks!

I'm writing this post Tuesday evening and I will post it early Wednesday morning.  I have to go out and about today - and I will be dressed accordingly.  The vortex is coming. If you are somewhere in the middle of America and you don't have to go out - don't.  Many local businesses are already planning on being closed.  When I do get back home this afternoon - homemade chicken noodle soup is planned.  The stock is being made now.

Speaking of recipes.... here is one for a winter salad.  I love salads, but the traditional green salad doesn't sound very good to me in cold weather.  Learning from good cooks, I make a salad on what is in season - even in winter.

This is my favorite - made from heirloom navel oranges (1 to 1 1/2 orange per person), avocado ( 1/3 to 1/2 avocado per person), pickled red onion (1 slice of red onion per person), and toasted pine nuts (1 tablespoon per person)

I plate the orange, avocado and pine nuts and prepare the onion and dressing: Simmer 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon kosher salt until the salt and sugar dissolve.  Remove from heat.

Segment the red onion slices into rings and boil in water for 4 minutes until soft.  Remove the red onion rings from the water and marinate the onions in the vinegar mixture for 10 minutes.  Layer the red onions on the salad.  Mix the vinegar mixture with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of water, and 2 teaspoons of whole grain mustard.  Add pepper to taste and dress your salad. 

A little birdie from Moda told me that I can expect new, top secret fabric soon.  When it arrives it will be a bit manic here - making all the quilts......  In the meantime I've started another quilt from my bins of scraps.....

This is it - in progress - on my design wall.  This is about 1/4 done.  Maybe I'll have half of it done before I have to put it away for awhile.  

I posted this photo on Instagram and we had a little surge in sales of the 99's

Yes, it's 2 lbs of Minick and Simpson 9" x 9" squares - 99 total.  We sold so many I had to cut some more.  You can find them HERE

Here are the 99 different fabrics that are in the current bundle. There are a few left and then.... I'll have to cut some more.  :)

Laters,

Laurie

BLOCKHEADS 2 - Week 41

This week's block is brought to you courtesy of Me And My Sister.  You can find the instructions HERE 

Like quite a bit of the country, we got snow this weekend. And frigid temperatures too.  Sadly, today we are getting rain.  Maybe I'm in the minority, but I'd rather have snow than mud.

There are lots of creative vibes happening here, but you can't see quite yet.  Actually you probably wouldn't want to see quite yet as it's just bin, after overturned bin, of fabric being shifted around the studio. Creating is messy.

Hibernating with some relaxing hand stitching seems to be of the moment right now.  Our Somerset Patchwork/patterns/templates have been selling like proverbial hotcakes.  We are now restocked and have them in our Etsy shop.

 Honeycomb Quilt

Hexagon Star-a-Day

Star-A-Day

 We also have some helpful notions for hand piecing - these are especially nice for long winter evenings....

Portable LED Lamp

Beam N Read

We also have these new patterns back from the printer..... Tapestry quilt patterns

Laters,

Laurie

BLOCKHEADS 2 - Week 40

It's week 40 people! we have quite a pile of blocks with only a few more to go!  This week's block is courtesy of Lynne of Kansas Troubles. You can find the directions HERE.  This little cutie finishes at 6" square.

What else has been going on here? Well, I've been working on new patterns (more to be revealed) and getting out an older long term project. This is Somerset Patchworks Hexagon Star A Day.  It's perfect hand work for winter evenings watching new episodes of Vera.  We have the pattern in our Etsy shop. 

We also have this new pattern in our Etsy shop - Tapestry. It was inspired by a fragment from an antique kilim rug. This pattern uses Jelly Roll™ strips - or we used Bella Solid yardage and cut our own strips. 

We also have KITS!!

Laters,

Laurie

Blockheads 2 - Week 39

We are at week 39 - and this big girl block is brought to you by Corey Yoder. You can find the directions HERE.  At 24" square she takes up some acreage. It was a delight to make and I'm starting to get antsy, wanting to sew all my blocks together.  None of that yet, as we still have a few more weeks to show individual blocks.

What else is going on around here? I have no pictures to show you from the past week. Ironically, it's not because my iPhone isn't working.  Everything else has gone t*** up though. (that bawdy slang is courtesy of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - our holiday binge watch. It's grand!)

I believe there may be some disturbance in the Force.  My "to-do" list is mostly caught up. I have done my tax paperwork and inventory.  I decided to try some new recipes this week. 3 to be exact. All major fails.  Major. I won't even go into it, except to say, Bill has been looking at me side-eye thinking I have lost my culinary mo-jo.

That is not all. Some disheartening mechanical failures have happened too. 3 phone charger cords have broken. I even bought a wireless charger and it only works sporadically.  My new and expensive iron/steam station died. The only good thing I can say about that is I am experiencing above and beyond customer service. I will report on the finished repairs when they happen. Oh, and a 2 month old (and expensive) lamp died yesterday. Mysterious and unsettling. Do I need to make some sort of sacrifice to a mechanical spirit?  Burn something in effigy? Do I need to apologize to some tech genie?

Hope you all are experiencing a no-fail January.

Laters,

Laurie

BLOCKHEADS 2 - Week 38

 This week's block is brought to you by Lisa Bongean. You can find her instructions HERE.

Things here are unexciting, but productive. The Christmas tree is down and put away for another year and I'm knee deep in paper work getting the taxes ready for the CPA.  Inventory is next. Whoo-hoo!

Gibby rang in the New Year with his new toy - a hedge hog who grunts when you squeeze him.  That made him happy, even though he doesn't look it in this picture.

I did finish my red and white Indigo Revival quilt. 

You can see the quilting stitches here a bit better.  I answered lots of questions regarding the quilting of this on Instagram. I used thicker thread (aurifil 12 weight) and a longer needle (John James darning needle) and those 2 things pre-dispose it to big stitch quilting.  Same mechanics as traditional hand quilting, but with the bigger equipment comes bigger stitches.  I marked 2 big curvy lines on the quilt top and quilted them, then echo quilted away from these lines, by eye (no more marking). It was easy and quick and I liked the natural, organic lines on the top.

I tried a new binding.  No binding! I just turned under the front and back edges and continued with a running/quilting stitch.  I like the look.  Granted, it probably isn't as sturdy as a traditional binding, but I don't expect this quilt to get a lot of wear.  And, if I ever need to have a sturdier binding, I can sew the binding on right over the already turned edges.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Laters,

Laurie