More Quilts On The Line

If you would like to see more quilts from last weekend's trip to the Airing of the Quilts visit Hills Creek Quilter and have a look at the beautiful slide show that Anya has put together!

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Breezes Of Hope

I don't consider this one of my favorite quilts, but it is one of the most special ones that I have made. Those who follow my blog will recognize this quilt right off...it's the one that I made for my sister after she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma this past summer. My sister was terribly ill and in the hospital when she asked if I could make her a "Linus Quilt". I knew that this wasn't going to be an easy quilt for me to make. The circumstances definitely made this a difficult quilt to work on, but I also knew that the quilt would have to be purple, my sister's favorite color and my least favorite. (Sorry purple lovers...please don't send hate mail!) While the quilt was in the planning stages I decided to add fabric from one of our father's white dress shirts. Another difficult task, I hadn't had the heart to cut into any of his shirts since he passed away, but I knew that my sister would be comforted knowing that one of his shirts was given new life in her quilt. However, the real challenge came with the quilting. Normally I send my larger quilts out to be quilted by a pro, but this one I wanted to do all myself. Straight lines wouldn't have been a problem, but I wanted curved ribbon quilting. It wasn't the easiest thing to do on my machine and there are a few imperfections, but I pulled it off. I gave my sister her quilt just before her 39th birthday in July. As soon as it was unwrapped she said that the pinwheels looked like they were blowing ribbons of hope all through the quilt which led to the name "Breezes of Hope". My sister's latest scans and tests showed a dramatic improvement just half way through her chemotherapy treatment, which has given us all more breezes of hope that she will have a full recovery.

You can read the full details of the making of this quilt by clicking on the following links...

The Color Purple
Shirt Tales
No Slacking
Binding Back-Story
Made With Love And Hope

Thanks to Amy for organizing this virtual quilt show! Be sure to visit Park City Girl for a complete list of all the participants.

The Blogger's Quilt Festival

Have you heard about the Blogger's Quilt Festival that Amy at Park City Girl is sponsoring? The Blogger's Quilt Festival is a giant online quilt show in which all quilting bloggers are invited to participate. It's easy to enter and there are some great giveaways involved too! Visit Park City Girl for all the details.

They Say It's Your Birthday...

...It's my birthday too, yeah!

Peanut Butter Brownies

If you love chocolate and peanut butter together, then these are the brownies for you!

Peanut Butter Brownies

1 egg
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Cream together egg, brown sugar, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir just until combined. Pour into a greased 8"x8" pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool. Frost with Creamy Brownie Frosting (below).

Creamy Brownie Frosting

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk

Cream butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla in a small mixer bowl. Add confectioners' sugar and milk; beat to spreading consistency.

One Weekend...Two Quilt Shows!

Yes, it is definitely quilt show season in northern Pennsylvania and southern New York! Yesterday a few of my quilty friends and I visited the Tompkins County Quilters Guild 17th biennial quilt show in Dryden, NY. The theme of the show was Traditions and Beyond and yes, there were some beautiful traditional quilts on display, but the "beyond" is what caught my eye at this show! Oh, all of the beautiful colors and wonderful designs...simply amazing!

Airing Of The Quilts

Yesterday was much too beautiful of a day to spend cooped up in my sewing room with a stack of instruction manuals, so Anya and I got in the car and went to Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania for the annual Airing of the Quilts. After a solid week of rain and temperatures that barely got above 50 it was wonderful to walk up and down the streets enjoying the warm weather and sunshine while looking at beautiful quilts displayed on front porches and picket fences. I can't think of a better way to have spent the day!

Some Assembly Required

Yes! It's here! For those of you who haven't heard (Could there possibly be anyone left who I haven't told?) I purchased a gently used Juki TL-98Q machine and a Grace quilting frame from a friend who is upgrading to a larger system. I have lots of reading to do and a few pieces to put together, but hopefully it won't be long and I'll be happily quilting away on my new baby!

Brazieres For A Cure

The Common Threads Quilters Guild of Vestal, NY is sponsoring Brazieres For A Cure, a Breast Cancer Awareness project to support women in New York's Southern Tier. In all, 82 bras were decorated by local quilters and artists throughout the region. The bras are now being displayed in a traveling show at various locations in New York state. At each place the brazieres are displayed, the public can donate $1 to vote for their favorite bra. At the end of the month the bras will be auctioned off with all proceeds being donated to the American Cancer Society and ENCORE Plus, a program that provides uninsured women with free screening for breast and cervical cancer. For more information and a schedule for the traveling exhibit go to the Brazieres For A Cure blogspot.