What Was Lost, Now Is Found

Remember the story of the lost needle from a couple of weeks ago? Mystery solved...Miss Two found it "the hard way" yesterday. Miss Two was in the living room laying on her belly with her feet under the sofa and sure enough, the next thing I knew she was saying very nonchalantly, "I found it." "Found what?" I asked. "The pin that you lost." she said, as she held up her foot with the needle still sticking out of it! About that time I started to panic, but thankfully it wasn't that bad, just a little poke, no blood and not even any tears. All was made better with a foot massage and being named the one to select the lunch menu for the day. If only all of life's problems could be solved with a good foot massage and macaroni and cheese "the box kind"!

What Is On Your Design Wall?

For the past few Mondays Judy at Patchwork Times has asked the burning question, "What is on your design wall?" and because I actually have something on my design wall this week, I thought I would join in.
These are my Dear Jane blocks in position and waiting for setting blocks. I've decided to use the fabric shown in the lower left corner for the setting blocks. (The color isn't quite accurate...it is actually more tan and not nearly as gold as it is showing up in this photo.)
Stop by Patchwork Times to see what other quilters have on their design walls this week and add your latest project to the list too!

Just Watching The Clouds Go By

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.

~John Lubbock

Black, White Or ???

I mentioned the other day that I am going to take the Ami Simms String Quilting workshop next week. The supply list calls for 2", 1 1/2" and 1" strips, so I spent the evening last night cutting batiks from my stash for the class. Now I need to decide on what color set fabric I should use. From the sample photos shown HERE, it looks as if most people have used black or white. I love black with batiks, but I wonder if another solid might look just as nice? Something like a bright electric green or deep purple? What would you choose?

Mmm...Biscuits

Mmm...Biscuits! Biscuits and butter, biscuits with jam, biscuits drizzled with honey, biscuits smothered in gravy, biscuits layered with whipped cream and berries...no matter how you serve them, there's nothing better than hot fluffy biscuits!

Mama's Biscuits

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg, unbeaten
2/3 cup milk

Sift flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and cream of tartar into a bowl. Add shortening and cut into flour mixture with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour the milk into flour mixture and add egg. Stir until dough pulls away from side of the bowl. Turn out onto lightly dusted board and carefully knead four times (do not over knead). Pat dough to 1 inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter and bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Ami Simms Is Coming To The MLQG!

You may remember that our guild held an AAQI (Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative) Mini Retreat in April for guild members who wanted to make mini quilts to donate to the Ami Simms Priority: Alzheimer's Quilt Project. The mini quilts in this photo are the ones that I am donating to Ami when she visits our guild next week. Yes, I said next week! It seems like we have been waiting such a long time for this day and it's almost here! Ami will be giving a lecture at the MLQG's monthly meeting Friday evening and then Saturday she will be teaching an all day string quilting workshop. I'm looking forward to attending both events!

Poppies

Is there anything more cheerful than bright red poppies dancing in the breeze on a warm sunny day?

May Giveaway Day Winner!

A special thank you to everyone (all 326 of you) who entered my giveaway! I loved reading each and every comment and finding out a little bit more about you.

The winner was chosen by random.org, which generated... #34

LFinn said...

Thanks for a great giveaway! I love to sew, but Quilts scare me--I am working through that! I live in North Carolina, and want to sew well enough to make clothes for my little girl.

May 27, 2009 11:57 AM

LFinn is the winner! I'll be emailing you for a mailing address so I can send out your prize! Congratulations!

DJ Mini Retreat Report

What a wonderful time we all had at the Laurel Janes Mini Retreat yesterday! It was a great day filled with friends, food and fun! I will say that I was feeling pretty insignificant with my 32 little blocks when this beauty was unfolded though. I've been working on my blocks for a year and it seems like this one was put together "overnight"! (Although the maker assures me that it took a bit longer than that.) There are several others in our group who are getting fairly close to having all of their center blocks completed as well, each in different color schemes and each just as beautiful as the next! Seeing these center panels so close to completion was almost enough to make me want to keep making blocks, but that didn't last long once the setting suggestions started coming in for my blocks. I think they all must have hatched this plan together to keep me in the group for life because I have been talked into putting a solid neutral colored block in-between each DJ block and then hand quilting it. Yes, even with only making 32 blocks this is still going to be a lifelong project!
(The last photo is a small section of Anya's Dear Jane quilt. You can follow her progress at Hills Creek Quilter.)