Inspiration

Hello my friends,

Here's a Smilebox creation to keep you inspired. I even included two blocks that are almost completed that you will be receiving soon. I've said it before and I'll say it again.....quilt every day even if you only quilt for 10 minutes. All of your "10 minutes" add up to hours and before you know it you have a completed block then a completed quilt. Break the project down into manageable sections and don't get overwhelmed with the big picture.

Remember you are creating an heirloom quilt which will belong in your family for years. It will take time, patience and creativity. Enjoy the process and the journey.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

As always,

Lynn

A bear ate my bird feeder

Hello Quilters,

We used to have a cute little bird feeder in the shape of a red barn with a silo on the side. The silo section of the feeder had special seed for the more colorful birds in the area. Well, we apparently have a bear with a very discriminating palette since it decided to chow-down on the silo side.



Unfortunately, the critter cam was aimed at the backyard, not the deck and we didn't catch any video of the marauding bird-seed-bear last night. I'll change the location of the camera tonight and maybe we'll have some creature features to share in the morning.

Ten years ago, we bought this wild azalea plant. It has survived the harshest of winters and rewards us with huge flowers every Spring. It's like being in Hawaii all over again. Wouldn't these flowers look great in an applique design?

Break time over......time to get back to my quilting.

As always,
Lynn

Wedding in Hawaii

Aloha Blossom of Friendship Quilters,

Take a look at the gorgeous colors of the flowers. They are almost as breathtaking as my son Kade, and his bride Athena! The whole Wilder family was in Hawaii last week for a beautiful wedding in a tropical paradise on Oahu.



I shed a tear of happiness as my son and his beautiful bride exchanged their vows at a location called "Above Heaven's Gate" on the southeastern side of the island.



Life revolves around unforgetable moments with family and friends. It was a week we will always cherish and we feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family.

I have a cross stich that I made for my parents years ago which now hangs in my entrance hall. The message means more to me now than ever before.



So here's to your family. Treasure them, protect them, laugh with them and love them.


As always,
Lynn

Happy Mother's Day

Good Morning Everyone,

I'm always looking for new brunch recipes to make for company at the cabin. I found this recipe for Puff Pancakes in a book called "Cooking in the Litchfield Hills."





I was a little concerned that the altitude would have an adverse effect on the "puff", but as you can see they "puffed" nicely. Add a few fresh strawberries and powdered sugar and you have a fabulous breakfast. The combination of nutmeg and orange juice are just delightful and your kitchen will smell oh so yummy.

Here's the recipe:

6 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
4 tablespoons butter
Fresh berries
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place first 8 ingredients in blender and mix well. Put 1 tablespoon butter into each of 4 one-cup ramekins. Place in hot oven just long enough to melt butter. Pour batter into each hot ramekin and bake 20 minutes. When done, remove and cool 5 minutes or until puffs fall. Place berries on top and sift sugar over them. Makes 4 servings.

I'm always looking for good brunch recipes to prepare for company. If any of you would like to send me a recipe, I'd love to receive it! I'll make it and post pictures on the blog site. My email address is: patched55@comcast.net

I hope everyone enjoys the day.

As always,

Lynn

The House on Edgewood Lane

Dear Quilting Friends,

I spent four days last week machine quilting my first and new design. The pattern which I named "The House on Edgewood Lane" will soon to be in a quilt shop near you!! Can you guess what quilt shop will have it in stock first?



Just when you think the design is finished, you end up making changes along the way that you think will enhance the "look" of the quilt. I have more notes of changes than actual notes! I used Beach House fabric by Blackbird Designs for most of this quilt. Then I threw in a little Rhubarb and Ginger and Sweet Romance....two old favorites of mine from my plentiful fabric stash. Just when I thought I was seeing daylight at the end of the tunnel, I had to machine quilt it!

In my opinion, machine quilting is extremely creative yet exhausting at the same time. It took me one whole morning to mark the crosshatching in the border and then mark the areas for the circular feathers.



Then another hour to load the backing and quilt top on my Handi Quilter (HQ16). Finally, let the quilting begin!!! It's the same as saying, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" I don't know if I'm just slow or just a perfectionist. It's not that I agonize over every stitch and thread color choice....well I guess I do. There are some problem areas, that I'm not going to stress over because in the grand scheme of the overall quilt, I'm the only one that will notice....I hope.




I've had a great time designing, piecing, machine quilting and doing the applique on this quilt. It's been a real learning experience and makes me appreciate all of the talented designers in the quilting world. Now I have to transcribe all of my notes that I made while creating Edgewood Lane and get them into an easy to follow quilting pattern. I'll work on the binding today until my arm tells me to stop and hopefully the quilt will be in the shop Monday morning for all to view. I have more ideas on my design wall and pages of drawings of new creations....."Let the designing begin...after I finish the borders of Blossom of Friendship!"


As always,

Lynn

Month #7 Miss Poppy

Hello quilting friends and welcome to Miss Poppy, our beautiful little May basket.

For those of you out of state, the poppy is the California state flower....so why did I make mine red instead of orange?? I'm clueless I guess. When I was selecting the fabric for this block, the great red fabric had just arrived at the store and I really wanted to incorporate it into the block...so I did....but I should have used it in a different flower. So for all our you purest out there, please feel free to change it. I may even change mine before I start putting the quilt together. Also, the little flower on the right-hand side should have two leaves instead of flower petals. I'm changing that one for sure.

This weekend at the store, I was absolutely delighted when Patti brought all of her blocks in to show me! Patti is making her quilt larger to fit a king-size bed so she enlarged the blocks by 250%. She's done a fabulous job putting her own "touch" to each block. She puts me to shame because she's also finished her embroidery. I'd better start putting it into high gear as a couple of you have almost caught up to me!

When you lay out all of your completed blocks to admire, you will notice that Miss Poppy has the largest flowers and least number of pieces in the whole quilt. I may add a hummingbird or a butterfly....we'll see. That's the beauty of quilting. Make the quilt your own by making changes and additions. Add in some of your favorite fabrics or toss in a few circles for added interest.





I selected the vine fabric for the border this week and Melissa ordered three bolts for us. Our Blossom of Friendship heirloom quilt is really starting to come to life and I'm loving mine!

Everyone take care and enjoy each day.

As always,

Lynn