Field Trip to San Francisco

My quilting buddy Jeanne and I went on a field trip today. We live across the Bay from the city of San Francisco. My DIL gave me a gift certificate to Britex Fabrics at Christmas so Jeanne and I scheduled a trip into the city to check it out. It was so much fun! It's not geared so much toward quilters and the fabrics there are pretty overpriced, but this piece of 100% silk had my name on it! It is stunningly gorgeous!!!

I found it on the fourth floor where they have the remnants. The ladies on the fourth floor are very nice. The other floors' employees were a bit snobbish for my taste. We started on the fourth floor and worked our way down. After we visited all the floors we went back up to the fourth floor and this is when I found this beauty.

I think I'll either make a blouse or a jacket out of it. Now I'm in search of the perfect pattern. There's only about 1 1/2 yards of it so it'll probably have to be a short sleeved blouse.

After shopping at Britex we went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Another first for me and it didn't dissapoint either! I had fish tacos. Yummy!!! Even though our lunch was more than filling we had to have cheesecake. It isn't called Cheesecake Factory for nothing! Jeanne and I shared a slice. There are so many kinds of cheesecake to choose from it made it difficult to pick one. We chose something with lemon and raspberry sauce. It was delicious!

On the way back to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) we stopped in at the Ghirardelli shop. Such a fun day and perfect weather to boot. We'll have to schedule more field trips in the future!!!

Tagged again! Six random or quirky things about myself

Ugh! Looks like my computer froze after I was almost finished with this post and I lost all of it so I have to do this over! Here it goes.

I was tagged by my friend Sharon. I'm supposed to list 6 random or quirky things about me. Following my list are the rules and the next innocent victims.

here goes:

1. Whenever I've wanted to learn how to do something in life such as sewing, quilting, or baking bread; I've read books and taught myself how to do it. Trial and error came into play as well which leads to number 2.

2. When I was a teenager trying to bake bread I baked an awful lot of bricks. I would use water that was too hot and killed the yeast. The dough wouldn't rise and I'd have baked bricks instead of bread. I'm happy to report that I now make bread regularly. Hardly ever have to buy it in the store anymore! Yay for me!!!

3. I'm not afraid of spiders or snakes. Just last September at our Son's rehearsal (BBQ) dinner we found a tarantula and I held it which freaked out a few people. It was so cool. I will often catch spiders in the house and release them outside. They are amazing artists!!!

4. We used to have ducks as pets. It started with Peety and then Fred & Wilma, then Bigfoot and Waddles, then Harold & Hannah.

5. I hate to shop unless it's for books or fabric. Even then I've slowed down quite a bit.

6. I'm like the Princess and the pea. My bed has to be soft and comfy. The sheets and quilts have to be just right or I can't sleep well. One time we stayed at a small Inn in Pismo Beach, the bed was so hard I woke up crying!

Done, Whew!
Now the following people have been tagged! (Sorry!)

Kim at The Mad House
Aleyta and Matt at The Wife Diaries
Carolyn and Jeanne (no blog yet but I'll try to get them to start one)

I know I don't have 6 people tagged which breaks rule number four, but rules were made to be broken!

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Put the rules on the blog.
3. Write 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

Alphabet Meme

I was tagged once again by my DIL. Thanks Aleyta!!! Here goes...

A - Available or Taken: taken
B - Best Friend: besides my daughters (including DIL), Jeanne is my BFF
C -Cake or Pie: cake I guess
D - Drink of Choice: diet coke
E - Essential item you use everyday: quilts
F - Favorite Color: love ‘em all!
G - Gummy Bears or Worms: not a fan, chocolate please
H - Hometown: Hayward, Ca
I - Indulgence: pedicures
J - January or February: January.
K - Kids & ages: Kimberly 25, Matthew 23, Savana 21, Grandkids; Brandon 3 1/2 & Adam 18 months
L - Life is incomplete without: family
M - Marriage Date or Most Memorable Date (and why): marriage 07/25/81
N - Number of Siblings: 3 brothers
O - Oranges or Apples: a good juicy navel orange
P- Phobias or Fears: Probably heights if I had to choose something,
Q - Fave Quote: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. I try to live by it!
R - Reason to Smile: my crazy cute grandkids.
S - Season: Spring
T - Tag 3 or 4 People: If you'd like to do this, go right ahead!
U - Unknown fact about me: When I was in high school I took a needle arts class and went to school with my ‘super yarn mart’ bag along with my books. Got teased a bit about that but I didn’t care!
V - Vegetable you don't like: I don't like brussel sprouts or radishes. Yuck!
W - Worst Habit: procrastination - but I work better under pressure!
X - X-rays: yup, broken wrist, broken ankles, broken leg, broken toe, bad hip, arthritic thumbs, TMJD. Hurts just to mention ‘em.
Y - Your Fave Food: La Pinata Mexican food all the way baby!
Z - Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Charming Skirts!

I've been busy making these cute little patchwork skirts made from 5" charm square packs. Each skirt takes one charm pack. The skirt above is made from the Smores line and I can't remember what the one below is made from. I got the pattern from this tutorial. I added a waistband and a cute little trim on the hem.
I wish I were five years old again and could wear one of these! I hope the cute little girls that will receive them like them as much as I had fun making them!!!

I've been tagged by my daughter in law and I'm supposed to turn the items I've eaten bold and have some friends do the same. So I'm now tagging Sharon and Pam! Have fun!

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush (don't like it one bit)
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream ( my absolute favorite ice cream flavor!)
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche (actually just the ice cream flavor)
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka + Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips (the real thing's much better)
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. ratatouille
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict (mine is the best!)
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100.Snake

Amaaaaazing Bread!

Yesterday I was reading one of my absolute favorite blogs here and started searching online for similar processes. I found a 10 minute no knead bread video here . I couldn't figure out how to put the video on my blog. I'll keep working on it but in the meantime go to the video link and check it out. I thought this was something I could do so I did it. Even though it says it's a 10 minute bread, that just describes the actual amount of work involved in making this bread. The whole process takes 18-24 hours. Let me tell you, it is well worth it! The bread is absolutely delicious! It's the best bread I've ever made!!!

It makes a perfect crust and crumb. It is amazingly simple and so good! Try it, you'll love it! I'll try to post a tutorial on it in the next couple of days.

Catch up time!

A couple of weeks after retreat I took a trip to visit these two guys! They live smack dab in the middle of potato country. Actually it's the southeastern portion of potato country. I sure wish they didn't live sooooo far away!

Adam is a big ham. He saw I was taking his picture and immediately started smiling. At the same time he's preparing for the flash.

Brandon is seen here posing with his I Spy Quilt that I made for him for his second birthday.

While I was visiting at my daughter's house we went to one of the craft stores in town and bought some place mats, purse handles, and fabric for lining. These little purses are really fun to make and I got the directions here. I made my daughter make one too. She didn't like the handles she chose. They were not the right size for the bag. Live and learn.

About a week after returning from Grandkid land I had to move my mother with Alzheimer's into our home. It will be a challenge and I don't know how long this arrangement will work. I'm just taking it a day at a time. All I can say is thank god for the Alzheimer's Day Care that she's been attending for about eight months now. The people that work there are so good at what they do. They are definitely angels on earth.

Thanksgiving was one of the best we've ever had. It would have been the best if our daughter Kimberly and her family were here. My new daughter in law made place cards and decorated/set our dining room table. I'm so glad she did too. It's my least favorite part of having guests over. I'm usually scrambling at the last minute trying to get it done. Now that she's showed us her talents, she's got the job as long as she wants it!

The last item to catch up on is the Advent quilt I made for my grandsons. It's all filled and on it's way to them. It will get there in a couple of days but they're too young to know what date it is anyway! I know they'll have fun looking inside the pockets for the treats. Next year I'll just have to send the treats and my daughter can put them inside the pockets.

Whew! That was a lot to catch up on. I'll be posting later on some cute little skirts I'm making. Till then happy sewing!

Quilt Retreat Projects

This past weekend I went on retreat with a group of women that have been retreating a couple times a year for over 10 years. It's the best bunch of women. We all seem to get along really well and just enjoy each other's company, ideas, and encouragement. Pam is in this group as well as Sharon, however Sharon didn't make it this time. She lives a bit far away now so she isn't able to make it twice a year. We missed you Sharon! : (

We stayed pretty close to home at a local hotel that caters to business travelers. They offered their conference room at a discount because we used it on the weekend (Friday through Sunday). They also gave us a group rate for anyone who wanted to stay there. It was so nice! My friend and I shared a two bedroom suite. We each had our own bedroom with a queen size bed and our own bathroom. There was also a livingroom and full kitchen. The hotel offers a full breakfast bar in the morning which was yummy! We all decided that we want to Retreat here three times a year instead of just two times.

I didn't know what I was going to work on prior to coming to the retreat so I made sure I packed enough projects to work on. I think I must have brought about 6 UFO's and another 6 yet to be started projects. In the end I worked on just two of the UFO's. I guess I was a bit more optimistic about what I would get done. I worked on putting these Garden Exchange blocks together in a quilt.

I wanted to give it a garden 'feel' so I chose to put random floral fabrics in with the blocks to unite them all. I really had fun creating this quilt although it took much longer than I thought it would.

I really like the way it turned out! I have the back just about pieced together so it will be ready to send to my friend Shari to do her magic with the longarm machine quilting!


Putting the binding on this quilt was the other project I worked on during retreat. It's kinda funny how these two quilts seem like companions. They have a lot of the same fabrics in them. It's very flowery and springlike. It'll make this winter seem like spring!

Tushy Cushion from a great Tutorial

As I said in a previous post, I have been spending time reading lots of sewing and quilting blogs. I found this great blog http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/ This blog has lots of tutorials and I've been perusing them for awhile. I saw this great tutorial for a cushion here. http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=527 I thought, "I could do that"!



My close friends and family know that in my kitchen I have a built in desk area where I spend most of my day doing paperwork and playing, I mean working on the computer. I sit on a chair with two pillows under my tushy. I like to be sitting taller than the chair alone gets me. I thought it was time to make my own fancy tushy cushion. Here is what I came up with with the help of the tutorial mentioned above.

The tutorial explained everything very clearly. It made piping easy! The zipper was even easier!!!

It even has handles so I can take it to my quilt retreats. I'll definitely be bringing this to my next retreat which so happens to be on Friday!!! I can't wait.

PIQF and honest quilters!

Last Thursday I met my friend Jeanne at PIQF as we have done for several years. Every year it amazes me. There are so many talented and creative quilters out there. This story however is about the amazing honesty and goodness that quilters possess.

As you know, my son was married not too long ago and he and his bride honeymooned in Mexico for two weeks. Upon their return we had them over for a "non salsa, non tortilla, beanless " dinner on Tuesday. They brought me this lovely turquoise bracelet from Mexico.

I wore this bracelet to the quilt show and didn't realize it was no longer on my wrist until the next morning. I was just sick about it. I realized that it must have been lost at the quilt show. I dreaded the fact that I would have to explain to my son and brand new daughter in law that I had lost the bracelet they gave me.

That evening I was talking with my husband and commenting on how maybe someone had turned it in at the quilt show. He said that whomever, if anyone, had found it would just pocket it.

The next morning, Saturday, I searched online for a phone number for security at the convention center. I called and they said they didn't have it but they gave me the number for the quilt show registration desk. I called that number and told them about losing the bracelet. The nice lady on the phone asked me to describe it which I did. She said it was there! I couldn't believe it!!! I told her I was on my way.

When I got there I went directly to the registration desk and picked up the bracelet. I asked if anyone had left a name or an address so I could thank them but there was none. I hope that the person who turned my bracelet in had the best feeling inside when she did so and I sure hope that something amazing happens for her. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Whoever you are!

I wasn't planning on returning to the show but since I still had my entrance band on I thought I should take another look around in celebration of finding my bracelet.