Flying and Patriotic

Kari and Kijsa are hosting a “Fabulous Flag-Flying Fourth”. I only found this picture that was taken back in 2003 with the flag when we were snowed in:

I am grateful for the men who stayed and persevered in the bitter cold of Valley Forge during their winter encampment. Historical accounts found that they were in dire want - they were in want to clothing, shoes, and sustenance. Some marched without shoes, and their blood trailed after their path in the snow that covered the formidable terrain of Valley Forge during the winter. What courage, what sacrifice! No wonder, their general, Gen. George Washington, earnestly prayed for them and their cause in Valley Forge:

Prayerful and Patriotic

My all time favorite print in the house, “The Prayer at Valley Forge”, (it came framed) that graces the wall in our foyer:

“I consider it an indispensable duty to close this last solemn act of my official life by commending the interests of our dearest country to the protection of the Almighty God and those who have the superintendence of them into His Holy keeping.” — General George Washington at his resignation of his commission as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.

Plates and Patriotic

Dish-aholism and Patriotism find a common ground - PLATES!

The Independence Hall from the Staffordshire Liberty Blue Collection:

From the Bicentennial Collection by Royal Copenhagen, and Bing and Grondl:

My favorite, by Mottahedeh:

I hope your Tuesday is a blessed one, everyone!

Old World and Patriotic

In honor of America’s upcoming celebration of her independence, I thought this quilt is apt because of its colors. The center block has machine-embroidered motif with free-motion quilted background quilting:

I used a fabric that has the flavor of the “Old World patriotic look.” The sawtooth border was decided upon learning its popularity in 18-19th century pieced quilts. Perfect marriage of the two!!

Then I decided to try for the first time some free-handed feathers. I thought even if I messed up, the busy fabric would cover any unsightly quilting. But I was very pleased with the effect, and have since loved to free-hand my feathers for background quilting:

*** Happy Monday, Everyone! ***

Petunia Mania

This is my first experience with petunia. I wanted some cheap annuals to cover up the spots where the tulips had grown. The petunias were on clearance at the store a few weeks ago, so I grabbed some thinking that even if they don’t do well, I wouldn’t be out too much money. They have surprised me by growing 3-4 times as big as I had first bought them, fulfilling their role of covering some bare spots in the flower bed:

I am so manically proud of my petunias!

Have a safe weekend, everyone. I will see you Monday!

How I caught the bug

… the quilting bug!

I made my first quilt after much encouragement from my quilting mentor and friend Barbara.  I had the perfect excuse to venture into something new — a newborn in the family!

I had the most fun picking and choosing the different fabrics for the quilt.  The applique was really fun too.  My favorite part of the quilt is the “bunny-go-around”:

To keep the ever running bunnies well-stocked with energy, I picked a backing fabric FULL of carrots :

I was smitten by the quilting bug after this first quilt, and am glad that it hasn’t left me so far!

Have a fun weekend, everyone!

A bit of “special”

I set out to make an ordinary dinner special. I started with the basics:

My “secret “in making the dinner special is simply adding some details to the tablesetting…:

… and some prettier serving pieces:

Not too long after, food items began to materialize:

Now, I present to you the “star” of the show — Mexican Casserole (now you see why I called it an ordinary dinner) — it wasn’t Chicken Cordon Bleu; it wasn’t Porterhouse Steak; it was just a heartily cheesy Mexican Casserole that happened to be a favorite in my house:

The little bit of effort in setting a nice table sure made an ordinary dinner extra special. Here is my recipe:

A bag of corn tortillas

5-6 cups shredded cooked chicken

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 can water

2 cans 4 oz green chilies

1 medium can sliced olives

12 oz block of marbled cheese (Monterey Jack and Cheddar), or 1 1/2 blocks of 8 oz blocks, shredded

Chopped Jalapeno Peppers (to taste)

1 large onion, chopped

1 large tomato, coarsely chopped

Salt, pepper, chili power and ground cumin to taste

For garnish (optional) - extra olives, cilantro, tomatoes and sour cream

1. Heat soup, water and green chilies on stove top.

2. Meanwhile, mix chicken together with onion, olives, tomatoes, and chopped jalapeno peppers. Season with salt, pepper, chili power and cumin to taste.

3. Layer the bottom of 9″x12″ baking dish with corn tortillas.

4. Top with half of the chicken mixture, and then half of the soup mixture.

5. Sprinkle half of the shredded cheese on top.

6. Repeat layering one more time with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, soup mixture and cheese.

7. Bake in 350 F oven for 30 minutes.

8. Garnish if desired.

We had Apple Enchilada for dessert to keep with the Mexican Menu. Husband was very pleased, and therefore, I am pleased!

Have a wonderful day, everyone — do stop and enjoy some cheese if you remember!

Inspired by Rouge

I find many of the French cross-stitch patterns beautiful in their own way - simple, and yet timelessly elegant. I simply couldn’t pass these French patterns up when I was shopping at a needlework store a while back. The rouge on linen is just too pretty:

They also came with cute little charms:

I have a long list of projects to do — and I think I just might have to bump these pretties up on the list!

***

Now, lest you think I never finish anything I start, how about an actually finished project? I made this for one of my closest friends because her favorite Scripture passage is Psalm 23. The cross-stitch motif, stitched on Belgian Linen, is patterned after traditional 18th embroidery motifs. The finished size was something like 20″ x 25″ before framing:

I hardly do anything twice, especially when it comes to needlework. But I liked this so much that I started one for myself with colors reflecting the Americana theme. I was just about finished, when I realized my border on the right hand side didn’t “close” up properly. So, I am in the process of taking stitches and trying to figure where I have erred — I was just going to fudge it, but my conscience wouldn’t let me rest… so, technically in every sense of the word, my Psalm 23 sampler counts as an unfinished project. Would anyone like to help me out here?!

Road to California

I made this quilt with the “Road to California” quilt blocks a couple of years ago for my brother when he had the opportunity to intern at a winery in Northern California. I had chosen grape-themed fabrics for obvious reasons:

I had the brilliant idea to quilt feathers on the quilt. Keep in mind that I had only been sewing for a few months and had NO expertise in free-motion quilting. All I knew about the machine was that I could use it for straight stitches. So, I set out to quilt these feather wreaths using straight stitches (feed dog up) by turning the quilt every few stitches in order to sew the circular shape:

Needless to say - it was pure torture to me that I had brought upon myself. I couldn’t be happier when the quilt was finished, simply because I just couldn’t stand to quilt the feather wreath on the umpteenth block with straight stitches! That was when I decided I was going to learn free-motion quilting to make my life easier. That was also when I decided that I was going to the Bernina Stitch Regulator to make my life even easier. I haven’t looked back since! And thank goodness for TECHNOLOGY!!

Instant Gratification

For me, feather quilting is one of the most appealing aspects in quilting. Traditionally, quilters have used the double-stuffed “tranpunto” method to achieve a more dimensional look for their feathers so that their feathers would “pop” out. The trapunto technique is of course an old-world technique originated from Italy in the 1300’s.

Now, we quilters can have instant gratification achieving the trapunto effect — WOOL BATT!

1. Easily maneuvered to fit under the small “neck” of a home machine — the lightness definitely is a plus!

2. Realizes the trapunto effect instantaneously as I quilt — no more double-stuffing for me. See how the feathers just pop?

(The above pictures are from “My Wholecloth Sampler”, published in “The Quilter” Magazine in March 2008. The feather designs are original, and the pattern sheets are in the March Issue available for sale from “The Quilter“).

3. Drapes wonderfully well, and the dense quilting does not make the quilt feel like a piece of cardboard. It makes a beautifully and densely quilted quilt feel soft and snuggly.

4. It quilts like a DREAM! I absolutely love it!!

I highly recommend the wool batt made by Heirloom Hobbs (especially the Tuscany Wool). It might surprise quilters that Hobbs Manufacturing of Texas actually makes things other that batting. Checkout their website to see what other interesting things they make. I find their range of products fascinating from an engineering perspective!

If you are looking for something new to incorporate in your quilts this summer, may I recommend WOOL?

Meanwhile, HAPPY MONDAY, everyone!