Progress!

Last night when I shut the light off in my sewing room the cowboy quilt was actually starting to look like a quilt! The vertical rows are all done, now all I have to do is trim them to length and sew them together. After that, all that is left is the miserable job of removing the paper from the star blocks...I hate that chore! I did use Carol Doak's foundation paper though and it really is a lot easier to remove than regular copy paper, so maybe the job won't be as bad as I am anticipating.

Rainy Days And Mondays

It was perfect quilting weather here in north central Pennsylvania this past weekend...chilly, gray and wet! Unfortunately, I didn't get to spend as much time quilting as I would have liked, but I did manage to finish the five pointed star blocks for the baby quilt. I won't have much time for sewing today either. Miss Three makes sure that I don't get any free time on Mondays, but I'm hoping to find a couple of hours to work on the baby quilt later this evening. As long as I find an hour or so each day this week to devote to the cowboy quilt I should be able to make my goal of finishing the top by Friday.

Five Pointed Stars

One of the things that my son and daughter-in-law asked to be included in the baby's quilt was five pointed stars. I knew that I didn't want to applique the stars, so I went in search of a pieced star pattern. I found the perfect paper pieced five pointed star pattern at Quilter's Cache. I started working on them yesterday and they are going together a lot faster than I expected and certainly a lot faster than I could have appliqued them!

GiddyUp!

I have a design worked out and the fabric has been purchased, so now it's time to start cutting and sewing the cowboy quilt for the new grandbaby that is due in December. The plan is to have vertical stripes with five pointed stars (which will be paper pieced) throughout. I am in hopes to have the top pieced this week so that I can at least show that much at the baby shower next Saturday. Yes, that only gives me a week to get the top done...I guess I'll be spending every spare minute in my sewing room this week!

Boo Baskets!

Are you tired of looking at fabric baskets yet? I made these up this week using Halloween prints. Won't they be great for holding trick-or-treat candy?

As Promised...

As I mentioned in another post, I've been taking some grief from my friends who are dieting about all of the cookie recipes that I have been posting, so as promised here is a more diet friendly main dish recipe.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 1/2 pounds ground beef sirloin
Salt and black pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, cut into bite-size dice
3 green bell peppers, seeded and cut into bite-size dice
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoon basil
1 quart chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)
1 cup orzo pasta
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano, to pass at table

In a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat brown ground beef and season with salt, black pepper and allspice. Transfer browned ground beef to slow cooker and add garlic, onion, peppers, basil and bay leaf. Stir in chicken stock and tomatoes and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Add pasta and turn crockpot to high 30 minutes before serving. This soup gets very thick, so watch it very carefully the last 15-20 minutes of cooking, stirring often. Serve in shallow bowls with grated cheese.

Addicted To Yarn!

Hello. My name is Susan and I am addicted to yarn! I just went into the yarn shop for a small skein of something pink and fuzzy to use in the cuffs of the baby girls socks that I am knitting next. I found that easily enough, but I had to look around the store and before I knew it, my arms were full of yarn! A wonderful beige cotton with flecks of red, green, gold and blue through it, the softest variegated blue bamboo yarn, a self-striping acrylic wool blend called "party time", and a wonderful shade of blue merino superwash wool...I couldn't stop myself! Does anyone know of a 12 step program for yarn addiction?

World Alzheimer’s Day

Today is World Alzheimer’s Day. It is a day to remember the millions of people worldwide who suffer from this horrible disease. Ami Simms, an advocate for all those with Alzheimer's, has designed the virtual quilt patch to help raise awareness and honor all of the people who have/had Alzheimer's disease.

My purple patch is in honor of my mother-in-law who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's several years ago. She is getting to the point where she no longer recognizes most of her family members, doesn't remember ever being married or having children, grandchildren or great grandchildren. She is still able to live on her own with some assistance, but the day is fast approaching when we are going to have to make the decision to move her to a more supervised environment. I dread that day...

Ami is also the founder of the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) which is a volunteer effort to raise awareness and fund Alzheimer's research through art quilts. Find out how you can help by visiting http://www.alzquilts.org/giftsthathelp.html.

Another way to help Ami in her efforts is to join in the Priority Hope Challenge that Tonya at Lazy Gal Quilting recently posted about. The deadline for this challenge is November 20th (which is right around the corner), so don't delay!

It doesn't take a great deal of effort from any one person to help and together maybe we can help the researchers and doctors find a cure for this horrible disease.

One Down...One To Go

Here is the baby blue hat and socks all finished...finally! Obviously, I don't spend as much time knitting as I do quilting or sewing! I'm going to have to spend more time at it though because I still have a pink set to make and time is getting shorter...the results of the last ultrasound moved Miss Four's due date up to November 27th!