Ramblings From My House

Hello Everyone,

Not much new to report on the quilting front.  I was busy teaching and preparing for Easter last week, so my quilting was put to the side.  But, I did quit a bit of baking for the 16 people that were going to be at our table for Easter brunch.

 

In honor of our granddaughter's pig that she is raising for FFA, I made a batch of pigs in a blanket.  In this case I guess I would call it a pig in a pig.  I just used thawed dinner rolls and formed them around a small piece of cooked sausage. The pigs look like they are having nasal surgery.....no worries....they were fine.  I had to plug up their noses so they couldn't smell their peppercorn eyes. (It's early here folks and I haven't had enough coffee yet!)

 

After baking at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, they came out of the oven looking like blowfish.  It's the thought that counts, right?

 

 

Most people take their dogs for a walk.  Harleigh takes her pig, Kevin, for a walk. 

 





I also made some fruit tarts.  I bought prepared pie crust, (the first time in my life I haven't made my own).  I cut out two sizes from a flower-shaped cookie cutter. Dusted the bottoms with flour and inverted them on the back side of cupcake pans.

 

  I thoroughly poked them with a fork.

Watched them like a hawk while they baked at 450 degrees for 9 minutes and they still got a little scorched.

I filled the with fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and bananas in a strawberry glaze.  The were actually very easy and looked pretty too.

 

Before all of this cooking began, I gave my machine quilting room a thorough house cleaning.  The room was beginning to look like a junk drawer.  Everything for my booth, patterns, props, etc. started to fill in, around, and on top of my Handi Quilter.  I didn't take a "before" picture because you wouldn't think very highly of me if you saw my mess!  I'll just show you the after photos.

 

Mr. Joe put the wonderful cubbies together for me to store all of my patterns and books.  To get the assembled cubbies on the counter, we had to take everything out from under the machine and slide them under, then up lift them up on the counter.  They are heavy!  Mr. Joe's pinched nerve in his neck only lasted a few days.

 

 

The cubbies sit on a 10' long counter with lateral file cabinets underneath.  It is a great work surface for me when I fill pattern orders.  I can also see at a glance what I need to have printed.



Today is quilting day!  Yippee!!!  Tomorrow is potential jury duty day.....BOOOO!!  I have served on a murder trial, and an armed robbery trial in the past.  I think I've fulfilled my obligation to the court system.  The facts from the murder trial still haunt me. 

I will try to think happy thoughts and quilt the day away until baseball tonight. I got the inside scoop from the assistant coach (our son), that Jess is pitching one inning, and catching another inning.  He's going to be one busy little guy.

Play ball!
Lynn

Patchwork Math Class Was In Session

 

Hello Everyone,

 

I spent Wednesday with some fine ladies in Turlock at Cloth and Quilts. They dug right in and started learning the formulas and started making components.  Here's a small sample of what they accomplished.

 

Pat made quite the assortment of shapes and sizes.  She wanted to supersize her components, so she did the math and created larger sized components.

The Y-squares make wonderful pinwheels......and quickly too.

The girls learned the formulas to create HST, Y-squares, Flying Geese, Square in a Square, Double Flying Geese and Quarter Square Triangles.  Now they can make them any size they need for borders, sashings, or blocks. 

 

They all went home with a folder full of components to play with and create beautiful blocks.  I think they learned a lot and I had a good time getting to know them.  Thank you all!

 

Soon,

Lynn

 

P.S. Linda, where are your components? I totally dropped the ball and didn't get a picture of your creations.



Updates

Hello Everyone,

 

I only have time for a quick post this morning as I'm off to Turlock to teach Patchwork Math at Cloth and Quilts.

 

The borders are on Butterscotch Baskets!  I had a few words with myself the other night as I worked on the triple mitered border.  Lots of cutting, measuring, and two bobbin windings went into the making of the borders.  So worth the effort to make the center of this quilt look like it's floating. 

 

During my Sew'n Wild Oaks class yesterday at In Between Stitches, I worked on the applique border for Walk in the Park, a Kim Diehl pattern.  Since I can never leave well enough alone, I changed the appliqued border and made it longer.  The design you see here will be reversed and down the left side too, along with all four corners.  I will enjoy my night job stitching away on this beauty while watching television.

I'll have lots of pictures to show over the next couple days of my classes.  But right now I do feel like the Mad Hatter, I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!  No time to say "Hello", "Goodbye" I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late.

Soon,
Lynn

Two Halves Make a Whole

Hello Everyone,

 

The needles have been flying under the pines at Wilder's Last Resort this week. I have been so busy working on my two large quilts for Spring Quilt Market, that I've fallen behind on the block of the month for In Between Stitches.  So sister to the rescue to pitch in and help for a couple of days.

 

Gail came up to the cabin and made 12 blocks for the Lil' Orphan Scrappy quilt.  I wanted to play "Stump the Chump" and gave her blocks to make that had a ton of directional fabrics.  I'm such a nice sister!  Now there are 56 blocks finished out of the 76 blocks that need to be made for the BOM.

Gail here...Sweat Shop Central has reopened at the cabin for a brief 2 days.  Yes, about those directional fabrics...Lynn gave me 3 in the first block!  She swore she didn't do it on purpose but I think it was a test after my 3 hour drive!  I'll have you know, I passed with flying colors!  I had a new task added to my duties this time around...dog walking.  I'm not so sure that's in my job description but being a huge Mazey fan, I did not complain.  I braved the early morning hours, before daylight, to walk Mazey.  Fortunately, I did not think about the possibility of bears until after I returned!  Well, it's time to pack up and hit the road.  Stay tuned to more episodes of Sweat Shop Central and Thelma and Louise.

Lynn here......In my defense, I waited until it was light enough for Gail to be able to see the bears before I sent her out with Mazey. 

While Gail worked on Lil' Orphan Scrappy, I worked on Heritage.  The week began with the quilt looking like this, give or take a few stray blocks.  I pretty much stayed at the machine from dawn to dusk and finished making all the blocks.

Since I really didn't have to worry about color placement, I sewed the blocks together after each one was completed.  I didn't have that huge job left at the end of stitching 85 blocks together along with their setting squares.  Now that was a relief! 

I finished it early evening while there was enough light left outside to get a picture of it on the railing.  It is such a relief to have it this far along.  I just have the corner blocks to make, then I'll add the double border.  I'm going to be spending a lot of time standing at my Handi Quilter over the next few weeks.....once I decide how I'm going to quilt it.



My goal is to have both quilts finished by the end of April.  That is doable unless I get selected for jury duty!  What is it with the Wilder family getting summons for jury duty this year?  First my husband in January for Federal Court jury duty, then my daughter for Superior Court jury duty, and now me for Superior Court jury duty. Let me just say that the plight of citizens appearing in court should not be in the hands of the Wilder family!

 

I don't sit and sew all day.......I take occasional walks down the street and down to the lake.  You can see the toll the pine beetle is taking on the pine trees. The trees are so stressed from four years of drought, they are easy pickens for the beetles. Once the tree starts to yellow, the tree is dead within three days.  The pines look like they have been in a forest fire.  All of these trees will have to be removed.....soon.  Every time we drive up to the cabin, we breathe a sigh of relief when we see our healthy trees.  I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before our little haven is attacked by the beetles, and we'll be faced with thousands of dollars in tree removal.  Fingers crossed our trees are healthy enough to withstand an attack.

 

 

We are headed for home today.  It's time to watch all of the little Wilders play ball!  The first game is at 2:30, followed by a 4 o'clock game, finishing off the day with a 7pm game under the lights.  These cheeks will be warming the pines (as in bleachers).....and I don't mean the cheeks on my face!

 

Soon,

Lynn

 

International Quilting Weekend

 

Hello Everyone,

 

The good people over at The Quilt Show.com are offering great prizes this weekend in honor of International Quilting Weekend.  Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims are also giving you free access to all past shows from Series 1-17.  Click on the picture and it will take you to the contest.

 



Here are just a few of the other prizes.

Now you can watch my show for free!  Go to the show list and find show #1604 - Taking the Fear Out of Math for Quilters.  I have totally stopped cringing when I watch myself now.  Filming in front of so many cameras and people was a bit daunting to say the least.

 

My Math classes are available for free forever.  Go to the LEARN tab at the top of the page, and then go to classrooms.  All of my classes are there for many different quilting components.  If you go to the downloads for classes, I have many examples for free blocks.  I've already done the math, you just need to make the blocks.  Here's an example of some of the blocks.

There are many, many shows available for you to see.  I've you've always wondered about a technique, search the TQS website and it will be there.  Need to learn how to do a "Y" seam.....it's there!  Along with many other tips and techniques.

Go ahead, stay in your PJ's all weekend and watch TQS.  It's continuing your quilting education.

 

Good luck in the contest.

Soon,

Lynn

Going Back To My Heritage

 Hello Everyone,

While I'm waiting for the border fabrics to arrive for Butterscotch Baskets, I'll turn my undivided attention to Heritage.

 

This was my progress the last time we spoke.  I still have quite a few blocks to go before I can call this a flimsy.

 

 

 

I took my block layout sheets out of their binder yesterday, and started placing the pieces on them for design placement and accuracy.

 



 

Let the sewing begin in earnest today......tomorrow.....the next day..........

I'll resurface soon and hopefully have a lot of progress to show you.

Soon,
Lynn

Butterscotch Baskets Meets Thimbleberrie's

 

Hello Everyone,

 

Just add borders and she's ready to be quilted.  I'm very pleased with my Butterscotch Baskets made in Lynette Jensen's Autumn Landscape fabrics.

 



There is going to be a triple mitered border on this one......so I'm not out of the woods just yet.  I have to request the border fabric from RJR once I decide on the fabrics.  What I thought was going to work, isn't going to work.  All of my precise border planning was futile.

How many times have you bought border fabric and in the end put it back in the cupboard?   I'm guilty several times over.

The 8am baseball game of the day has been cancelled due to wet, soggy fields.  I doubt that the fields will dry up in time for the 11am game.  Looks like it's going to be a day of quilting for me!  I'll miss seeing the kids and cheering them on, but having some extra time is a real gift that I'm going to open slowly and use wisely.

Soon,
Lynn

Old Sturbridge Village Anniversary Collection

 

Hello Everyone,



I was upstairs yesterday in my quilting room when I heard Mazie bark downstairs.  She doesn't bark very often, so I came downstairs to check it out.  An unmarked delivery truck was parked in front of our house. I flippantly said, "I'll bet he's bringing a box of fabric to me!"  Then the doorbell rang.  It was a box from Marcus Fabrics arriving out of the blue.

  

The box contained this wonderful collection of Old Sturbridge Village Anniversary Collection by Judie Rothermel.

Great border fabrics.  Great everything fabrics!  I need to sit and fondle this fabric for awhile and let the creative juices flow.  I will try not to drool.....promise.

First I have to finish everything I'm working of for Spring Quilt Market in Salt Lake City in May.  Two major quilts in three months has kept the sewing machine and me in overdrive. My goal is to finish both quilts this month.  Next month, I'm going to camp out in the machine quilting room and try to work some quilting magic. Large quilts take me forever to quilt.  Note to self: Next time design smaller quilts. 

On another note, our oldest granddaughter is in FFA (Future Farmers of America) in high school.  She is raising a pig to show and sell at the county fair in June.  I don't know how she is going to part with her cute little piggy....Kevin.  As in Kevin Bacon.  Too funny. 

Have a great weekend.  We'll be on the baseball and softball fields tomorrow watching the grandkids.....if the rain subsides. I'm taking the day off from quilting to share some enjoyable time with the family.  I'll be renewed and refreshed to start all over again next week.....unless I sneak into my sewing room and fondle fabric!

Soon,
Lynn

Sew'n Wild Oaks Class was in Session

Hello Everyone,

 

Another wonderful day was had by all in the classroom at In Between Stitches.  We cover just about every topic you can imagine from politics to movies from the 1960's, and theme songs.  We love to talk about music so Susan will sing to us!

 

Cindy brought in her adorable, Jo Morton wall hanging. Precious.

 



 

Barbara brought in her completed Once Upon a Vine all quilted and bound! 

 

Lora Zmak worked her free motion quilting magic by adding grapes and grape leaves.

This beauty will be on display in the shop very soon for all to see.  Great job!

 

Suzanne is adding grapes and fruit to her cornucopia for Harvest of Hope.  Wonderful fabric selection.

 

Diana is determined to finish her Toyland Tree quilt.  I love displaying my Toyland during the Holidays.

Judy is making good progress on her hexies for Grammy Squares.

Cindy is working on her cute little hexie flowers for Winter's Warmth/Summer's Blush.  I always say it took me an hour per flower on this one.  There are something like 48 flowers......but who's counting?

Gail is putting beautiful combinations together for her Lil' Orphan Scrappy quilt.

 

Now we have the parade of blocks for a Walk in the Park by Kim Diehl.

 

 

The blocks go together very quickly.

Lynette decided to add a new little spark to some of her centers by adding a quarter square triangle instead of a plain square.  I love to see the girls add their own touch of creativity to the designs.

 

I saved another finish for the close of my post today.  Jeanne has her whole top completed for Lil' Orphan Scrappy.  She used her scraps from her Country Charmer quilt.  That is the reason Lil Orphan Scrappy got her name.  The largest scrap you need is 5-1/4" x 5-1/4".

 



Love the border.  Jeanne also found an omission on the pattern.  The HST around the border need to be trimmed to 4-3/4" x 4-3/4".  That measurement has now been added to page 7 of the pattern. Well done Jeanne!  You get extra credit for discovering my blunder.....I mean omission!

When customers pop their heads into the classroom, it is fun to see their expressions of joy and amazement when they see the different projects around the room.  It is magical.

Make some magic today.

Soon,
Lynn