The Trishas Bus Blankie

I finally finished The Trishas quilt last night! The pattern is called New Wave by Elizabeth Hartman who blogs at OFransson! She shares the pattern here. I also bought her book The Practical Guide to Patchwork which just as the name states is a very simple to understand practical guide to quilting. I found a lot of inspiration as well as technical info and tips she learned along the way. It has been a big help as I navigate the this new obsession.

I made this for an all girl band called The Trishas and I call it a Bus Blankie. When you are on the road traveling as much as they do in a van or someday soon, a tour bus, it is nice to have your own comfy pillows and blankets. So I thought I would make some for my girls. (They are technically not my girls but I consider myself Mother Trisha so it is my duty to make sure they have proper linens, right?)

Anyway, pictures taken now off to be washed with lavender scented all natural laundry soap and delivered with lots of love :)

Stacked Coins Quilt Finished!

I finally finished the Stacked Coins Quilt! It is my first quilt and was made for my 17 year old son. It was fun to make and although there are many flaws in my eyes, he loves it and that is all that matters. I learned so much as I was piecing it as well as quilting it. The first and foremost; do NOT try and machine quilt your first project if it is this size! I tried free motion quilting after watching a couple videos and thinking "Ok, I can do that". Well maybe I can with a lot more practice! LOL! Had to take out my stitching and ended up just straight line quilting instead. Overall I am pretty happy with it and can't wait to finish my next one.

I found the pattern and instruction in a great book which has a lot of smaller projects as well for beginners to more experienced sewers. It's called Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. I have already earmarked 5 other projects which I MUST make :)

Stacked Coins Quilt

I am finally on the home stretch of my first quilt. I started making this quilt for my sons bed around September with the intent of having it ready for Christmas. The pattern is "Stacked Coins", sometimes also called Chinese Coins". There was a much bigger learning curve than I thought but I learned so much along the way. Tomorrow I will square it up and start the binding!

My New Favorite Book

This new book by quilter Malka Dubrawsky found it's way to my home on Christmas. Well OK,,,,I bought it for myself for Christmas but the details don't matter. It is my new favorite, go to, quilt instruction, inspiration book. I first found out about Malka while surfing the quilt sites several months ago. She has a blog called A Stitch in Dye and the beautiful colors in her hand dyed fabrics caught my eye. I was thrilled to find out she is a local Austinite as all of the other blogs I read are quilters on the other side of the country and I just kind of wondered if there were any modern quilters around here. Then a few months later I was cruising the Austin Quilt Show and landed in her booth. Her fabrics, quilts and pillows filled the room with the vibrant color combinations which is her signature style and she was both warm and friendly to chat with. I purchased a couple pieces of fabric and immediately went home to make some "Malka coasters"! Since I am new at all this it was fun to be able to make something right away that actually turned out pretty good. I think that is one of the reasons I love this book. Simplicity. Her writing style feels like you are sitting in the room and she is explaining a technique over a cup of coffee. It is not intimidating or overwhelming like other quilt books I have purchased yet it is not so much a beginner quilt book either. I see it as one of those books I will go to time and time again even as my skills improve. Not only for the how to's or tips she shares but the inspiration I get each time I revisit it.

Homemade Cornbread....

Now I hate to admit this as it is an embarrassment being as I am southern gal and all but I have not ever made cornbread from scratch until today. Yep that's right been tearing open a package all these years. But not any more! Made the best batch of cornbread I have ever tasted in my entire life today. Really...could have sat down with a stick of butter and a spoon and eaten the whole skillet. It was that good :) It doesn't take that much longer to make from scratch and it tastes ten times better, I promise! So here is my version since I can't seem to follow anyones directions exactly.

Preheat Oven to 425

1 cup corn meal

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Take a #5 iron skillet and pour about a teaspoon of vegetable oil in it. Take a paper towel and rub the oil all over the inside of the skillet so it is completely coated. Now put the oiled skillet in the oven and let it heat up while you are mixing the cornbread ingredients.

I just went down the list and added each ingredient in order. Once they are all in the bowl then mix them up with a spoon (not a blender) making sure you don't get carried away here as mixing too much does something no one has ever been able to explain to me but all the old timers say don't over mix so I figure they have a good reason. Just mix so everything is moist and some of the big lumps are out but it doesn't need to be completely lumpless as they disappear when cooking.

Now grab a hot pad (very important step here) and take the now hot skillet out of the oven. Pour your mix into the skillet and put back in the oven.. I can tell by looking when cornbread is done and you will too after a couple batches as the top will be a nice golden color and the edges just a bit brown. You can also stick a knife in the middle and if it comes out clean with no batter on it then it's done. 18-20 minutes will be just right. Take it out, cut it in like a pizza into triangles and serve with real butter...YUM!

Raindrops and Surprises

There are so many reasons to love the rain. I would be happy if it rained most every day. Our house sits on a hill surrounded by 5 acres of trees and the rain makes it feel like some enchanted forest. Everything is green and interesting wildflowers seem to grow in random places. I love walking the land and finding these little surprises. Today there were some wonderful new blooms in my garden. Taking pictures in the rain.....life is good.

Sewing Class and Counted Blessings Stitch Along

Saturday and Sunday I took a beginners sewing class at the quilt shop nearby. The teacher was fantastic and I learned so much about basic sewing techniques. I didn't realize there was so much I didn't know! We made a table runner which I will post when I finish it. Dea, the quilting teacher has been quilting for 60 years and is a wealth of knowledge. It's great to find someone who has a passion for what they do and is also so generous about sharing their knowledge.

Friday I got my fabric ready and Sunday started stitching the grid for my next project, The Counted Blessings Stitch Along. I will be blogging about my progress here: Cherokee Blessing.

Hope you will stop by and say hello.