This and that

I am going a bit crazy trying to get packed to go out of town for a few days. It seems as if I am trying to put everything into two small bags. Half of what I am hauling I am sure I will never touch until I am home unpacking again.

One of the projectrs coming along is the large hexagon top. I'm trying to decide on what to do to finish this one off...believe it or not I am getting tired of hex's!

The sampler class is going well. We did the first block this week. In the end I will have two sampler quilts - one cowgirl and one roses. The cowgirl one is going to my niece in New Mexico. Not sure what will happen with the roses. They are cutting into the stash though which should make the move back to the states in a couple of years a bit easier! (back to packing again...I think my brain is finally focused on something....)


It has been really cold the last few days but the sun has finally started to stay around a bit longer. Brownie found the brightest spot in the house and claimed it for her own. Sun and some soft quilt blocks and she is one happy cat!

Focus, Focus...hey look at that

I have so many projects started it is even starting to bother me! Last week I pulled out some tops I had finished and started piecing backings. I finished the backing on the right for my nephew's quilt and have three others in various stages. The problem with this project is I end up spending way too much time in the quilt room rummaging through piles of fabric and coming up with ideas of new projects. Say, string piecing perhaps? I pulled a large basketful of fabrics that I no longer thought I would use and cut them into strips and have now made twelve 10-1/2 inch blocks. That was while I was supposed to be piecing backs!

Focus, Focus....Before I was supposed to be doing the backs I was working on a sampler quilt for a class. The cowboy Desden Plate in the photo is the newest addition to the group. I have twelve blocks finished, but now do not like 2 of them (too dull)....do I redo or just make more strip blocks or backings. Oh ya....I also got into making a small quilt to using the block from the first class (this Wednesday.) I was making great progress until Brownie (see post 2 below) decided to "help" so I rolled the whole thing up. and hid it under the sewing table.


Focus, Focus...I started to lay out the string blocks this weekend so I would get them done and then I could get back to the backings but my leg started bothering me again so I snuggled up on the couch and played in the hexagon bag instead...before you know it there is half a quilt there. This will need a back soon....maybe I should go play in the fabric stacks for awhile. There is the great lighthouse fabric that would make a great border for an Around-the-world that I've always wanted to try....and what do yo know I found the 3/4 finished blue log cabin that only needs the a few hours work to pull it together.

Focus, Focus...what was I planning on working on? Why is it I never finish anything?

Day after the storm

Just a few moments after I posted yesterday we lost power due to the wind storm. We didn't get it back until almost 24 hours later! Yikes. Not too much damage at our house...a broken lamp and some scratches on the front door when a broken branch blew up against the house and part of the roof blew loose on the garden shed. There are several trees down in the village. The ground was so wet they just blew over.

It is amazing how different today is...bright, sort of warm, and just a slight breeze. The two days couldn't be more different. I did check on the flowers emerging in the garden and they all came through the storm OK.

I spent most of yesterday cutting up strips of fabric in the kitchen. (It has the best natural light and the island counter is so comfortable.) I filled two baskets - one with brights (in the photo above) and the other with traditional fabric. This morning (when the power came on!) I strip pieced some of the traditional. It moves along very fast. I think I prefer using paper as the foundation rather than fabric. I have piles of packing paper in the garage that I may cut up...another blackout is needed for that project!

Backwards Day

Just after I posted yesterday I grabbed the puzzle block to put in with the other cowgirl blocks and stopped dead in my tracks...yes Calico Cat there is a block turned in the wrong direction! I haven't decided if I'm going to pull it out and restitch yet.

I'm blaming it all on my cat Brownie. She has turned into an evil quilting cat this week. After spending an hour setting up all my thread on a new shelf I went to get my camera to take a photo of it (if I do say so myself it looked great!) No, decided Brownie, there can't be anything as cute as me in the house. I walked into my sewing room just in time to see her batting the last spool onto the floor. I'm still waiting for the glue to dry on the wooden spool rack that broke in the fall. Maybe it is just the camera she is jealous of...when I tried to get a photo of some Amish blocks you see what happened. She like to run across the room and dive into the blocks so she can use them as a sled and slide across the carpet. It is my own fault for not using my design wall but the wall is full at the moment and this was just supposed to be a quick project (are there quick projects with cats?)

The wind is so strong today it blew my baseball cap 20 feet up and is now caught in a tree branch along the walking path! It reminds me of when I worked at a TV station and the weatherman would try and think of silly ways to demonstate how strong the wind was by dropping different objects and measuring how far they blew, how heavy the rain is by putting pails out on the roof, how hot is was by either "frying" an egg on the pavement or leaving a Vidio on a case inside a car and showing how it "melts." Those were some slow news days!!

I did go out and cover the flowers that are coming up with some leaves to help protect them. Most of what is coming up are small and under other vegetation so already are protected. We have a lot of these little white flowers in the photo on the left. I think they are snowdrops but not sure. I love their shape and white sort of glows in the morning. )Yike, I just looked outside and it has started to pour...Anne is right, it is going sideways!)

I was going into town today but with the weather it seems like a good day to stay in and sew. Like I need an excuse!

I have one last blackberry and apple pie in the freezer and a container of Tikka Marsala sauce that I made en-mass over Christmas so if I can just get the chicken to defrost dinner is basiclly covered. I'm just going to "hunker down" and sew out the storm!

First signs of spring

This morning I found a flower blooming in our garden...it was so nice to see some color after all the rain. Looks like there is a chance we may even glimpse the sun today!

Yesterday I was really worn out so I did some mindless organizing in the sewing room. There's nothing like folding fabric and lining up spools of thread when you barely have the energy to pick up your cup of coffee. (for me that is saying alot!)

My big achievement however was to pull fabric to piece backings for three of my quilt tops! I knew I had some in there that would work and with just a little persistance and a few seams I am both one step closer to finishing these quilts and did some significant stashbusting! I estimate I used about 9 yards of fabric to but them together. I need to put in an order for some batting now and resist the temptation to buy more fabric while I do it! I may get really ambitious and cut some binding too.

I finished another of the cowgirl blocks. This one is called bachelor's puzzle. I've decided to alternate dark and light blocks and not do a sashing. At least that is the plan for now.

I've also started a small quilt using the blocks we are doing in the first class. I'm using Amish fabrics which have been in my stash for at least 10 years! Some even longer. I was looking at the first Amish Style Quilt that I made and was amazed when I read the label - 1987! Twenty years! Amazing. Some of the fabric I'm using now may even have been scraps from that quilt. The good thing about solids is they never really go out of style!

Long weekend

Boy was I surprised to see Quilt Mavericks mentioned in a recent article in British Patchwork Quilting January Issue! One of the women in my quilt group loaned me the magazine last week and I just got around to reading it last night. There is a very good article by Helen Conway on Quilter's Blogs and in a sidebar she lists five quilting blog rings including Artful Quiltiers, Quilters who embellish, Quilters Lounge, Stash quilts, and Quilt Mavericks!

I think I really overdid it this weekend....too much fun and I am paying for it! Saturday my DH went out golfing so I took over the Kitchen counter to cut fabric for the sampler block demos. I cut fabric for 15 blocks! I had printed out the directions on Friday so now I have a binder ready to go for weeks. I have 9 of the blocks made up in cowgirl fabrics too. I also made Kung Pao Chicken so he wouldn't complain about the kitchen becoming a quilting room too!

Sunday we drove up to Broadway again...or should I say he drove my car to Broadway. Very scarey! He brought his car over from the US and so has not made the transition to having the steering wheel on the right side of the car. He wanted to take another shot at it and we thought a Sunday morning may be the safest for all concerned...everyone but me. By the time we got to the village I was a white-knuckled wreck! The worst part was how the car would bump when he went off the road (I'll leave off how many times that happened!) It was torture on my leg! On the way home we got caught in a Cotswold traffic jam - a road full of sheep! At that point he gave up and let me drive the rest of the way home.

On Monday I went on a coach/bus trip with the Anglo American Women's group to Stoke-on-Trent. The town has dozens of Pottery/China outlets. It was incrediably organized and exhausting! It was about a two hour drive to our first stop - Burleigh. I never would have found this on my own - tiny sidestreets and almost invisiable signs - but this ended up being my favorite shop. (lucky for my bank account I didn't know that then!) The pink mug, pitcher and blue cow creamer all came from that stop. I got a few more of the pink mugs in diffent patterns for one of my sisters. I may have bought more but we only had 20 minute at this stop...and they were serious about keeping on schedule - the train system could learn from these women! The coach drove about 10 minutes then stopped at the Dudson Outlet. I was better there and only came away with a postcard and 30 pence plate (the brown one in the photo!) Again this was a 20 minute stop and we were quickly off to the Royal Doulton factory shop for yes, another 20 minute stop! I was starting to need caffine...that may have influenced my picking up the white teapot.

They said there was enough time to eat your bag lunch before the next stop but they must eat faster in this country because I only got half a sanwich and two sips of juice in before we pulled into the next outlet. I bearly remember that one - I went straight to the coffee shop with the bus driver...fading fast! The next stop was in the town. There is a huge Spode outlet with several other outlets and a museum. We had one hour and 15 minutes there. Still caffine deprived and without enough energy to finish my sandwich I had lost the ability to make a decision. I love spode but wandered around aimlessly and left without anything in my hand! We walked up the street to the Portmeirion shop. I was starting to panic...the boot of the bus was starting to fill up with boxes and bags...my stuff fit into the overhead compartment! Obviously I wasn't trained for this! I grabbed the jar with lilacs on it for my Mom. Panic shopping.

There was one more stop at a place that had 3 shops...vague memories. They opened up a few bottles of wine, some cheese and chocolate and passed them around as we drove back home. I'm glad I went even though I can barely walk this morning. I think I'd like to do it a bit less frantic pace (maybe just do the Burleigh and the Spode then "tuck-in' for a good lunch somewhere!

So today I will spend clearing my fabric out of the kitchen again and maybe making a few more cowgirl blocks...

More cowgirl blocks

I finished a few more blocks for the cowgirl sampler quilt. It feels funny doing such large blocks - 12 inches! The group is mainly beginners so I am trying to keep it easy. I did realize after doing the color confidence class with them that I should try and limit the number of fabrics I was using...that is tough for me! So after being careful with the these four and getting a bit frustrated I have decided the cowgirl quilt could have lots of fabric (yahoo!) and instead the blocks I do as demo's in class will be limited to only 7-9 fabrics. I hope it doesn't confuse the group too much.

The log cabin on point block has some of the fabrics I will use for the demo quilt. They have been maturing in my stash for quite a while...always thought I would get around to doing an antique rose quilt. Some of these fabrics are in that middle ground - too much of it to just use as a scrap or filler and not quite enough to use as part of a backing. I wasn't able to sew much today...sitting is just too painful...so instead I cut fabric and put together packs for the first 8 blocks. Unbelievable for me - one of the original last minute quilters!

The leg pain is still pretty bad. I went online to find out if there was anything else I could do and the advice on the MD Website was to stop wearing tight clothing, lighten the toolbelt, and lose weight. So I guess no more spandex and big leather carpenter belt around the house anymore! Seriously though - my DH describes my clothing style as "Amish" I'm not sure how much looser it could get and stay on! I don't wear belts or backpacks. Unfortunately that leaves lose weight. I think in the second year of medical school the baby-docs are told if you can't cure them then just tell them to lose weight. So as I have been re-examining my New Year's resolutions (ya, I know it is almost halfway through January...) I've put weight loss back onto the list. So I guess I am on a fabric and food diet for the next few months. The question is how to make this fun?!

Cowgirl sampler

Sorry I have been bad about posting. I've had a bad case of Meralgia paresthetica...which is quilt literally a pain in the butt! I can't sit in one position for more than a few minutes before the burning in my lef and "hip" muscles becomes unbearable which makes doing anything on the computer tough! The option is to take lots of pain-killers (which I hate to do!) or tough it out (stiff upper lip and all that!) I'm finding a happy medium between the two.

I have been working on a new sampler quilt as teaching aide for the new quilt group. The phto on the left has four of the blocks. Our first block is going to be the London Stairs (lower right) and the the variation (the one with the cowgirl in the center.) I've tried to find blocks that have something to do with England. A bit of a challenge. The project will keep me on a schedule though and hopefully I will finish it! There will be a total of 25 blocks which at this moment feels like a lot.

Winds and flooding around our area the past couple of days have been bad. The cats are being very needy and are battling for the warm spot in the hallway in front of the radiator. I'm hoping it clears out by the weekend so we can get out and do some sightseeing again.

Happy New Year!

I thought about writing out a list of New Year's resolutions but then I realized that my list was the same for the past five years...lose weight, exercise, get financials in order, take a class, finish more projects...almost verbatium! So I'm, going to take a bit more time and make sure that none of them are repeats!

The big ball hanging from the tree in the photo is mistletoe! Since the leaves have fallen you can see big balls of it high in the trees around our house. It finally dawned on me where the "kissing balls" came from that I used to make back home. (If you look closely you can see the sheep too!) We are going to walk up the village hill today. We are so relieved to see sunshine we have to get out of the house. This morning I saw the two peacocks in our neighborhood. Their feathers have all grown in and they look beautiful! They make a horrible sound though.

I've started to work on the sampler quilt for my quilt group. I looked for quilt blocks that has something to do with England. Our first is Roman Pavement. I'll have photos in my next post. My camera is acting up again...I think the battery isn't sitting correctly.

Tourism Day

I finally got my DH to drive down to Cirencester to visit a local museum there - Corinium. It was really interesting and a very neat little town. We are both reading the Libertus Mystery series (set in Roman Britain) and the first book happens very close to Cirencester. The artifacts and exhibits there also helped visualize some of the book passages as well. The photo on the left is of one of the Roman tile floors that was excavated in the area. I'm adding them to the list of things I need to include in my Cotswold quilt.

Because it gets dark so early I can't drive too far from home right now. Driving in the dark is a bit iffy for me...even with DH driving the headlights blind me a bit and make it very uncomfortable - OK I was holding the door handle so tightly I lost feeling in my arm! DH is not a great driver and it is even worse when I can't see how badly he is doing! Does that make sense?!

I've started pulling together fabric for a color confidence workshop for the new quilting folks. At the same time I am trying to pull together my quilting room. It definatly needs a few more days with long hours! My goal is New Years Day...we'll see...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone.

We finally have the house decorated and a few dozen cookies to wash down with eggnog. We went out this afternoon with friends but are spending tonight watching Christmas movies...Patrick Stewart in A Christmas Carole, the Grinch, Charlie Brown, to name a few. They have caroles at midnight at the village church if we can stay awake that long!

Fog, Fog, and more Fog

Well I'm back from the states and in the land of Fog! Yesterday I couldn't even see Mac at the end of his leash! It took a few days to get used to being on this time zone but I think I'm just using that as an excuse for being so far behind in getting the house ready for Christmas. Yesterday I did a marathon decorating session...the tree is up, dozens of santas are spread around the house, and all my cookie making supplies are spread across the kitchen counters! This is as Christmas as I'll get this year...there are still 4 boxes marked xmas in the garage but I've run out of energy and space!


I brought the quilt I am making for my great-nephew (yikes!!!) home to see if he would like it. What a fun kid! He first wrapped himself up in it, then spread it on the floor and laid down on it, then draped it on a chair to sit on it, he then covered the coffee table with it and then finally put it over his head and walked around the room....yes, my camera was going the entire time and may have contributed to his fun.

With all the fog and darkness right now (all making it very difficult for me to drive) I should be able to finish quilting it over the holidays. When someone shows that much appreciation for a quilt it is easier to finish it and to think of making them another!

We went into to town today to do some last minute shopping. It was crazy! Typical Christmas crowds. I was amazed the candy store we usually go to was almost stripped bare! I did find some chocolate covered raisins so I can make my DH's favorite Oatmeal cookies. It is hard being away from home for Christmas.

Computer problems

Sorry about the down time on posting...computer has been acting up. Seems in the move one of the connections in the back got loose so when one of the cats would jump on the CPU it would disconnect me!

I've been really busy trying to get ready to go back to the states next week and to get ready for Christmas. Our choral group sings on Sunday and I've been sewing capes like a crazy person! Hopefully I'll have some photos on Sunday. They came out nice...makes us look more like a group.

Also I took a roadtrip up to another base to see a new doctor...what a waste of time! The man was soooo rude and dismissive. I thought my DH was going to come out of the chair and hit...which only made me more nervous then I normally am when at a doctor! I don't know what the phobia is when you start shaking when you enter the doctor's office, sweat through your shirt, mind goes blank...my DH once brought me to the emergency room because of a Kidney stone and when the doctor came in the room and asked how I was doing I said "fine" then threw up and passed out! The problem with doctors is they always find something wrong with you that you didn't go in for in the first place....


Anyways the photo is of the horse Macbeth and I pass each morning on our walk. He is feasting on the small apples the wind has blown down from the tree next to him.

Some things always fit

I was reading Lois R.'s blog - Thoughts of Home Quilting about how she is repainting here new house to make it her new home and it made me think of this quilt. I bought this little quilt at an auction during the American Quilt Study Seminar around 1997. (The label says it was made by Janet Aronsen, Florida...no date.) I've moved 4 times since I've bought this little wallhanging and it is always one of the first things I hang. Isn't it odd that one of the quilts I've made doesn't hit the wall first? I've hung 5 small quilts and none of them are ones I've made! My own are sitting in a pile on top of the dresser in the guest bedroom waiting until I find a spot for them! I think if it hadn't been so cold the last couple of weeks I wouldn't have any of my own work out - fortunately the quilts on the bed are my own work or I wouldn't look like I did anything but buy fabric! (something my DH has long suspected!)

Today I am off to a small Christmas market in town and to pick up my medical records so I can go to another doctor next week. Sometimes MS feels like a full time job!

I've mentioned the red berries a couple of times in my blogs. I'm not sure what kind of bush/tree they are but now that the foliage is dropping the berries light up the hedgerows. They are beautiful! My neighbors are amused at how I carry my camera with me all the time and take pictures of odd things like hedgerows, phonebooths, sheep, horses, and, someday, a pheasant (so far they have been too quick for meand all I have is more hedgerow shots of where a pheasant used to be!)

One more picture of London...I liked the flowers and how Mary Poppins looking the rows of houses were on this street. Our hotel is the building on the left.

It just really hit me today...this week it will be December and there is less tahn a month before Christmas! It sort of slipped in there on me....I put out one little Santa that Brownie immediately attached. I now have one little broken Santa! Guess I need to go out to the garage and dig out the Christmas boxes!

I packed the gifts I had already picked up today. I'm going back to the states for one week in December so I get to deliver them in person! I still need to find something for my policeman brother - he isn't easy to buy for.

The quilting group is coming along well with their tablerunners. It looks like they will get at far as getting them quilted before I leave for the states. They should have them for the holidays. In January we are starting a sampler quilt. I showed them the Christmas one I made a few years ago (and that Bonnie quilted for me!) They really liked it. I will have to change a few of the blocks (no need for a Santa unless they want a Christmas one too!) Gettting it all organized is a bit of a challenge for me but I will make myself sit down and just do it!

Today we drove to the medium-size U.S. base so I could see a Doctor about getting my U.S. medicine again. Formularies (spelling) are different for some of my meds here and DH and I decided we'd rather not mess with what seems to be working pretty well. Besides it is a beutiful ride through some gorgeous Cotswold villages like Chipping Norton and Stow on wold. The little roads and driving on the other side of the road don't freak me out as much anymore so I can enjoy the sheep, stone walls, and bright red berries. Stopped for luch in Deddington...DH was in hurry so I didn't get to investigate the really interesting looking antique shops (this is a reoccurring theme - my not getting into the fun antique places...I've got to work on that!)

I was told of a fun woolen mill that still operates near here...DH is soooo not coming with me on that trip!

back from London

London remains one of my favorite cities. Museums, shows, window shopping, and people watching were our main activities this past week.

We took the bus up which took just over two hours. It dropped us at Victoria Station and we took the underground/subway to Paddington Station (yes, like the bear!) Maybe it is because I grew up outside Boston and taking the subway was associated with going into the city for special occasions like looking at Christmas lights, school shopping trips, or seeing the tall ships enter the harbor, but I love trains, trolleys, or subways!

We usually stay in Kennsington but this time we decided to try a different part of the city. In the end I like them equally well. Kennsington is a bit prettier and closer to the museums but Paddington had more breakfast places and seemed to be closer to the theatre district.



Anyway, the first night we just walked around the area and went to a Lebonese restaurant. The food was excellant! We got up early on Thursday, had the big British breakfast - eggs, toast, bacon, beans, hashbrowns, fried tomatoes, coffee, and juice! We got an all day pass for the tube and our first stop was Knightbridge to wander through Harrods. The windows were a mixture of James Bond and Christmas! A bit different! (I wouldn't mind finding him under the misletoe though!) I picked up some things in their food area to bring home to Mom - tea, turkish delights, fruitcake and christmas coffee. Then we headed to Leicester Square to get some theatre tickets. This is where DH can drive me crazy - we wandered around for at least 45 minutes while he checked out dozens of discount ticket places. In the end we got tickets to see Guys and Dolls with Patrick Swayze (He was really good!) We grabbed a pint at the Sherlock Holmes Pub (that is me in the photo!) Then we window shopped...a lot! We went down Regent Street and I visited Liberty of London...a great building and the stationary department on the first floor is gorgeous! I ended up buying some christmas ornaments and some pens as presents. Even the deep purple bag is beautiful! We took the tube to Bond Street and wandered through there as well. It is a great place to people watch!

That night we ate curry at a restraurant near the Piccadilly Theatre. To think a few years ago I thought I didn't like Indian food - now I eat it all the time! The show was excellant. Swayze can still move and surpisingly can sing well...just never thought of him as a singer! He still smiles like a little boy and even from the balconey you think he is looking right at you. He is as good or better on stage as he is on screen.

On Friday we ventured out of the hotel for breakfast then headed up to the discount places for tickets again. This time the lines were really long at most of the booths. I was happy though since we got good tickets for my first choice - A Voyage Round My Father, starring Derek Jacobi (I Claudius, Cadfael.) I had not heard of the play before but it had great reviews and of course it had Derek Jacobi one of my favorite actors! It was a bit cold and threatening to rain so we headed over to The Sherlock Holmes Museum. OK, so it is very touristy and a bit wierd how much I love Sherlock Holmes but we all have some wierd spot somewhere! The photo on the right is me sitting in Sherlock's chair with the tour guide dressed as Dr. Watson. It is actually a cute little museum though it did only take about 20 minutes to get through.

We then headed over to the National Museum, which can neither be called cute nor little! What an amazing place. In two hours we only got through a couple of exhibits - the Egyptian and the Greek. Both are amazing. There are dozens of Mummies with all that goes with them on display. I'm a big fan of the Amelia Peabody mystery series and going through this reminded me of her books!

The exhibits of mosaic tiles were fascinating....this one reminded me so much of a quilt! Flying geese can be found everywhere! At this point I was starting to wear out...big time. I crawled back to the hotel and got a nap before dinner and the show. My eyes were starting to act up - I couldn't see very well in the dark and the actors on stage all had funny halos around them - but even with the eye problem the show was wonderful! ( Funny that it was about a man who had lost his sight!) I love Derek Jacobi's voice and to be fair the other actors held their own. The story reminded me a bit of my own family. The main character was blind but no one ever talked about it! He loved his son and daughter-in-law but never talked about it. In the end the son became very much like his father.

Saturday I was pretty much worn out. I wanted to go to one of the antique markets but thought better of it and will do it on the next trip!

Happy Thanksgiving

We are off to London for the holiday. This is our first real trip since moving over here and I am really looking forward to it! The other night DH and I were going through the travel guide and planning what we would do each day. He mentioned Harrod's and I said, " we need to do that when we get there on Wednesday so we don't get caught up in the Thanksgiving crowd on Friday..." There was a long silence. I started talking about the shows at the West End hoping he would not notice what a silly statement I had made...they don't have Thanksgiving so there is no "out of the gate" shopping day for Christmas like in the states! No such luck..."we could just go to Harrod's on Thursday and beat the rush all-together," he said smuggly. Uhgggg.

The photo is of the shelf in my kitchen. The little quilt was made by Angie (my Georgia guild.) The pottery is Irish.

I tried to think of what I was happy for this year...
1. My stepsons are all settled and doing well.
2. My mom is 88 years old and still living at home. She has been much healthier this year.
3. We are in an interesting country and have the next couple of years to explore!
4. DH has a slightly less demanding job - no more calls in the middle of the night and he can actually stay home a day if I get sick.
5. Pets have made the transition really well - Brownie is growing back all her hair and Macbeth spends hours in the back yard.

So Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

A finish!!!

I can't believe it....I actually finished the tablerunner in time to hand it in for the auction! This hardly ever happens. I was using a new thread in my machine so went back to a brand I used to use (the color wasn't my first choice) and there we were - the machine worked fine. How fickle! Now I have three spools of quilting thread in a color I love that I can't use! Some bargain those were...

So now I can concentrate on other things -like getting the alien baby quilt quilted for my niece! I don't do a lot of machine quilting sor these are a bit of an adventure for me. For things like tablerunneres and babyquilts I think machine quilting makes a lot of sense.


We did go out the visit Winchcombe on Saturday. It was sunny but the wind cut right through you so we didn't stay out too long! It is a beautiful little town though. We stopped at the Farmer's market which they hold every-other Saturday. I bought some preserves to bring home to Mom, some organic cheese made by a local farm, bread, and a bag of root vegetable to use making soup.

Sunday we went to a local American groups Thanksgiving celebration. DH and I got our fill of turkey, mashed potatoe and pie so if we don't find any while we are in London this week we'll be OK! DH was very upset when he got to the dessert table and all the pecan pie was gone though so I may have to make one tonight to make it up to him. For a man who claims not to eat sweets or desserts he sure can put away his red licorice and pecan pie...occasionally a brownie and a biscotti...chocolate chip cookies and bannana bread - but he doesn't eat desserts!

I've been collecting images that I would like to use making a quilt while I am living in the cotswolds...thinks like this carving around a door in Winchcombe. I haven't worked out how I want to do the quilt yet - Baltimore Album style, photo transfer with piecing, pen and ink...so many choices! I may start with some small journal quilts like the ones I saw displayed at Lowell. That way I can change my technique on each piece if I like until one really grabs me!

Things I would like to include:
1. black faced sheep under an apple tree
2. pear tree with cats
3. black and white thatched cottage
4. roses...lots of roses
5. white cow with the curley "bangs" (don't know what kind she is but they graze in the field between us and the pub!)
6. hillsides
7. bushes with lots of berries
8. roman style statues and the roman floor mosaic of a rabbit

That is it for now...though I know I have a few more....always time to add on to any list!

Sunny Day

Today I was going to work on a tablerunner that I want to donate for a charity silient auction tomorrow but the sun is shining and I really want to get outside! The last couple of days have been cold, wet, and windy. I'm learning that when the sun shines here you need to quickly take advantage of it!

Also my machine is acting up. Not that I am the greatest at machine quilting - still like to do that part by hand or by mail! But I can't get the tension to stay correct. I run a test piece through and get it just the way I want it. I work on the tablerunner and after about 60 inches of quilting you can feel the little nubs from the underside thread. I may end up making bannana bread tossing it in a basket and giving them that instead (lots of single folks at this dinner so I'm told baked goods always sell well!)

The block in the photo is from the Totally Insane Quilt...block one. I haven't squared it off yet but it isn't as wonky as the photo looks! Anyway, this is one of the quilts on the list of "I have the fabric but haven't started" so I made one to see just how small those pieces were going to be! I am missing a lot of my reproduction fabric so need to rummage through a few more boxes in the garage before I can go too far with this project.

Small thing to be happy about

Blogger finally is letting me post photos again! On the left are some cards of vintage buttons that were also in the package from my sister. I bought them at the Lowell quilt festival this summer. The blue ones are so cool I am thinking of just framing the card!

Well I am getting around a bit better today - somthing to be thankful for! DH is still worried though so he took the morning off from work to drive to the doctor with me and to help with the grocery shopping. I can't beleive what I found a the store - Hershey's Mint Chocolate Chips!!! Big jump-up-and-down (if I could!) happy!

One of my favorite cookies at Christmastime is a Chocolate Mint Snowtop and you need a bag of the mint chocolat chips to make them. I know on some web sites they tell you that you can use regular chips and just use more mint extract - so not the same. (my first clue should have been that I was on the Nestle web site not the Hershey one!!!) We listened to Christmas music all the way home - amazing since DH can usually only take a few minutes of it!

My first year in Georgia I bought a bag of the chips around Thanksgiving. A couple of weeks later I went back to our grocery store - no mint chips! They only distribute them around the holidays and the manager told me they were out. He was nice enough to call a few other stores for me and I ended up drive to the next state (OK only about 12 miles...but next state sounds soooo much more impressive...) Since he had been so nice the next week I dropped of a tin with some of the cookies in it for him at his store! The next year I was walking though the store around Halloween and I hear, "hey lady...excuse me miss...miss mint cookies from Boston..." It was the store manager racing down the aisle towards me. They were in. We went out back and there was the case - unopened. I snagged 4 bags! He, and three ladies from the meat department, also bought some with the promise I would drop the recipe by that week.

So here is the recipe that I got from my sister who got it from my cousin at a family Christmas party. They are good the first day, but better the second or third. If you store a piece of bread in the container with them they will stay nice and soft. Do not store them with other cookies unless you want the other cookies to also smell like mint!

Chocolate Mint Snowtops

1-1/2 cup cups flour
1 10-oz package mint chocolate chips
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
6 Tbsp. butter
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
confectionery sugar

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Over hot water, melt 1 cup of mint morsels. Stir until smooth. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until creamy. Add melted mint morsels and vanilla. Beat in eggs, then gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in remaining mint morsels. Wrap with plastic wrap and refridgerate until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 dgrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in confectionary sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes on cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.