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.