Yo Mama's Big Fat Booties

I just love this slipper sock pattern! I'm not sure if it's because the socks knit up fast with worsted weight wool, because they fit so nicely and keep my feet toasty warm or just because I love the name of the pattern so much...Yo Mama's Big Fat Booties! Either way, this pattern makes a great pair of slipper socks!.

The Ladies of the Valley Quilt Guild's Show

The Ladies of the Valley Quilt Guild of Addison, NY held their annual quilt show this past Friday and Saturday. This guild was just formed in 2008 and has already grown to over 40 members and judging by the quilts that were on display, they are a group of very talented ladies! As you can see, gorgeous quilts covered almost every square inch of the Addison Town Hall. It was well worth the trip to see the quilts that they have been working on for the past year and I'm already looking forward to next year's show!

Kim Diehl Trunk Show

The pile of quilts in this photo are just a small representation of the quilts shown by Kim Diehl during a trunk show and lecture that I attended last Friday night. Kim showed quilt after quilt from all four of her books including quilts and projects from her new book, Simple Graces, that is due out in a couple of weeks. My first quilty love has always been country folk and seeing these quilts made my heart literally skip a beat! I had almost forgotten how much I enjoy this style of quilt. I think it's time to put away the bright colors and hand dyed fabrics for awhile and go back to my country colored roots!

Fall-O-Ween

Get ready for the big Fall-O-Ween blog hop! For the next ten days the designers listed below will be offering a free fall themed pattern. As if a free pattern isn't enough, at the end of the blog hop there will be a grand prize drawn randomly from all of the people who commented on each of the ten designer's blogs, so make sure you pick up your free pattern each day and be sure to say thank you when you do!

September 27 - Gudrun from GE Designs http://www.gudrun.typepad.com/

September 28 - Sandy from Pieces from my Heart http://www.piecesfrommyheart-sgervais.blogspot.com/

September 29 - Roseann from Rosebud's Cottage http://www.rosebudscottage.typepad.com/

September 30 - Kari from New Leaf Stitches www.newleafstitches.com/blog

October 1 - Terry from Atkinson Designs http://www.terryatkinson.typepad.com/

October 2 - Heather from Anka's Treasures http://www.ankastreasures.wordpress.com/

October 3 - Terri from Whimsicals http://www.whimsicals.typepad.com/

October 4 - Carrie from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co http://www.lavieenrosie.typepad.com/

October 5 - Linda from Linda Lum DeBono http://www.lindalumdebono.blogspot.com/

October 6 - Pat from Pat Sloan & Co. http://www.patsloan.typepad.com/

About The Name

I need to acknowledge another person who helped with "Sugar and Spice and Everything Bright"...Julie of Me and My Quilts ~ Exploring the Possibilities. Julie gave me the name for this quilt! Back in July she was asking opinions about names for a quilt that she had just finished and offered "Pink at Play" and "Sugar and Spice and Everything Bright" as options. I commented that I thought she should name her quilt "Pink at Play" because "Sugar and Spice and Everything Bright" was the perfect name for the top that I had just finished! She emailed me right away and graciously told me that I was welcome to use the name for my quilt. Considering the story of how the quilt came to be there really couldn't have been a better name for it!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Bright

"Sugar and Spice and Everything Bright" is my entry for the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's 2010 Exhibit. It is the quilt that I made with the help of my two oldest grand- daughters over the past few months. I knew that they would get a huge thrill out of seeing a quilt that they worked on hanging at the art center, so that is why I chose this one for the exhibit. It was such fun taking the girls to see all of the quilts on display, but the most fun came when a woman stopped to admire the quilt while we were there and getting to see the proud looks on their faces when they said, "I helped make that quilt!"

Happy Fall Y'all!

And so it begins...quilting season! Today is the first day of Fall and around here Fall brings cooler temperatures, less daylight and long boring football games on TV, all of which equal more time for me to spend in my sewing room! Happy Fall y'all!

AAQI Ties That Bind Competition

One of the other challenges for this year's Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild Exhibit was to make an Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative donation quilt. The theme was "Ties That Bind" which required that each entry to contain a piece of a necktie. As you can see from the photos a wide variety of quilts were entered with no two alike! At the close of the exhibit all of the Ties That Bind quilts will be donated to AAQI to help raise money for Alzheimer’s research.

To find out how you can make an AAQI donation quilt, please visit www.alzquilts.org

"Out of the Box" Challenge

The challenge for the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's 2010 exhibit was "Out of the Box". Guild members were asked to make a quilt (less than 36" in any direction) in any shape quilt other than the traditional square or rectangle. My entry turned out a little more rectangular than I had hoped, but it certainly was a leap out of my box. I used all of my own hand dyed fabrics, free pieced curves in the style of Ricky Tims' Caveman Quilt's and then I "quilted it to death". The whole project was a real stretch for me, but it was fun to step "Out of the Box"!

Dear Jane Progress!

The borders are finally on and I can now say that my Dear Jane top is finished! It took me two years to get to this point, but that's with it sitting untouched in the closet for a good part of that time. My plan is to keep it out of the closet and finish it this winter. If the winter is as long and cold as I anticipate, then I will have lots of time for hand-quilting!

We Must Never Forget

Apple Dumplings

What in the world could you possibly make with ingredients like refrigerated crescent roll dough, apples and Mountain Dew? Apple Dumplings! I honestly thought twice about trying this recipe, but The Pioneer Woman has never steered me wrong and I needed a quick easy dessert for a crowd, so I threw caution to the wind and made Ree's Apple Dumpling recipe. They were, as The Pioneer Woman says, "beyond imaginable".

Apple Dumplings

2 granny smith apples
2 cans (8 oz.) crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
cinnamon, to taste
1 can (12 oz.) mountain dew soda

Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.

Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauce from the pan over the top.

Dear Jane Inspiration

It was over two years ago when our guild began the Laurel Janes, a Dear Jane support group. Several members have completed their quilts and there are two full size Dear Jane quilts and one wall hanging on display in this year's exhibit. I decided long ago that I would not be making the full size quilt, but even with that, my progress has been painfully slow. After seeing these beautiful quilts hanging in all their glory, I have a renewed determination to finish my Dear Jane project. Yesterday at the monthly meeting of the Laurel Janes I finally finished the pieced border that I have been working on! Now to get the borders sewn on and get the top sandwiched, so I can start hand-quilting it. Yes, I said "hand-quilting", so don't expect to see my Dear Jane finished anytime soon, but maybe (just maybe) I might be able to get it done for the 2012 exhibit!

MLQG Exhibit 2010

I think it is safe to say that the opening of the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's biennial exhibit was a complete success! By 8:00 pm the gallery was filled with nearly 150 people, all admiring the beautiful quilts and enjoying a wide assortment of refreshments. I'll admit that coordinating the event was a bit of work, but the end result was worth it! This weekend I'm taking a break and spending some time with my family. As soon as I catch my breath, I'll post more details and photos of the exhibit.

Tonight's The Night!

The quilts are hung and everything is finally in place. Tonight's exhibit opening promises to be nothing short of amazing! There will be refreshments, door prizes and over 90 gorgeous quilts on display, so if you are near Wellsboro, Pennsylvania be sure to stop by and enjoy the festivities!

There Is Going To Be A Quilt Exhibit!

It doesn't look like much in this photo, but by Friday evening this mess will have been transformed into one of the best quilt exhibits in the history of the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild!

For more information about the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's Exhibit 2010 visit their website at www.mountainlaurelquiltguild.org