Working hard....

This is what I am currently working on.  It's  quilt for my parents.  They commissioned me to make them a quilt for their  home (to cover an unsightly wall).

Full disclosure, this is the "teachers" quilt from a class I took at Quilt Fest.  Mine will look the same but different.

I love taking classes, I don't have to think about the pattern, and this class had the fabric all ready for us.  Pretty awesome.

As I am piecing this though, I keep wishing the whole thing was put together an easier way.  Some parts are stretching, and moving....argh.  But, I am a quilter, I can make it work!  Plus, this is fun to work with.  The colors are amazing, and I can already tell it is going to be perfect for my parents.

Hem those jeans

I found this fun and EASY way to hem levi's this summer at a family retreat.  I actually just overheard this way of hemming jeans, so I may do it a little different....and that is okay.

Step  1.  Measure - figure out where you want your jeans to fall.  You'll figure out how to measure once you read the whole tutorial.

Step 2:  Sew -   now sew along the folded edge....just like the picture below.

Step 3 - hey, do the other leg too...

Step 4 - this is how the inside of your pants should look.  YES, you could use matching thread, but I thought you might want to see the thread....also I am too lazy to change the bobbin thread.  

Step 5-   Now,  place the fold on the inside of the pant leg, so you can see the original hemmed pant leg.

Step 6 - tack the fold down.  I sewed along the seam edge just to the top of the fold.  Please, secure your stitches.

You are done!  Sew easy  (ha ha ha).  Seriously, I like this method because there is no cutting, nothing permanent, and it can be done in about 5 minutes.  That is my kind of project.  Happy Sewing.

Congratulations...the winner is....

Congrats to BEV from Mapleton, UT.  She is the winner of the new book....

Which project will she make first?

you can....SEW the PERFECT GIFT

It's a wonderful surprise to find a manila envelope on right outside your door.  It's an even better surprise to open it up and find a book with a few of your projects inside.  It's been so long since I have worked on this, that I almost forgot about it.  Phew.  Now, I am wondering where my projects are....but that is another story.


HELLO...this book is adorable.  I had no idea what to expect from this book.  We authors are all a little different in our styles, project preferences, etc....so I was excited to see how it all came together.  It came together perfectly.  It is so fun.  It's very rare that I look through a book and want to make all the projects.  They are all so super cute.


So, who wants to win one??????  Just enter your name, and where you are from for a chance to win!  I'll draw the winner next week.


Okay, here are my projects.  When I was making them, I so wanted to share what I was up to.  That is what is hard...I can't prepublish my stuff...but I totally want to.  Okay, so here is the pillow I designed....I had almost forgotten it.   Hello friend, I can't wait to see you again.

And below...that is my take on the "three trees,"  I can't help but be a little funky.  I absolutely loved how these turned out.  I loved making them, I loved it all!  So fun.

Okay, below are some of my favorites from the book.  This is a super cute bag pattern, and guess what I just bought at Quilt Fest?  Tons of fabric.  

This apron below is perfect.  Not too big, not too small, and I LOVE seriously LOVE the use of laminated fabric.  Man, I love that stuff.

Here I am, in Provo, Utah at the Annual Quilt festival for the Utah Quilt guild.  I have gotten in trouble a few times today for my lack of awesome blogging.  Oops.  At least there is always room to improve, right?


Today I met some blog readers, and that was a treat.  Sometimes, I feel like no one is really out there in blog land, and it is fun to hear readers stories.  The woman I met today, is around my age (probably younger, I am getting to a ripe old age).  She became acquainted with quilting by reading my blog, which she found from my friend Summer...(thanks Summer for directing people my way).  Now, she has started quilting, and brought friends along for the ride, and I feel so excited.  Excited, because the whole point of me writing a quilting book was to help others to LOVE quilting.  It sends warm fuzzies all over my little heart to know I have made a difference in at least one persons life.


Now, I am preparing to return to my sweet family (thank you Facetime for letting me see them each night).   I can't wait to see my perfect little babies and the fabulous love of my life.  Yet, I am sad to leave my home state, the wonderful FALL weather, and the inspiration which surrounds me at Quilt Fest.  


There is always next year....

ADORABLE!

Isn't that the cutest little guy you  have ever seen.  Yep, I am a little partial to my sweetheart of a baby.  But, oh my goodness, he is heart melting.  Yummy.    Okay, moving on.

What are these itty bitty tiny quilts?  They are little wall hangings I made for our church.  We are doing a service project for sweet little babies in other countries.  These babies are having a hard time developing the ability to see because they have no contrasting colors..staring at white walls all day.  

Here comes the little quilts.  So, to do our part to help these little ones, we are making little quilts for them to gaze at.  

My goal for this project: 1) get it done in a couple of hours, 2) make the quilts using lots of contrasting colors.  So, I sorted through my scraps, I used only left over quilt blocks from samples I have made, or blocks left over from big projects.  Get it done in a couple of hours.....CHECK.  This really was a fun project to do, it took so little time, but I still got to sew (I am missing that with my little joy ...shown in the pictures above and below), and I know it is for a good cause.

If you are looking for a small project to tackle, maybe you need to get your feet wet in this new hobby, consider sewing a little something for someone in need.  It will fill your bucket! 

 I promise.

Master chef....

Our kids have been watching Master Chef this summer.  They are absolutely adorable...they keep saying I should go on the show, and cook my best meals.  I know better.  I am no "master chef,"  I cook to stay alive.  Of course, if I am going to cook it better taste good, but I can't say that cooking is a passion of mine.


However, this summer has seriously cramped my creative style.  I have had very little time to do anything that could be described as creative.  Unless you call cleaning and entertaining children a creative outlet.  So, when my kids challenged me to be like the Master Chef's and make them eggs benedict, I did it.   The kids loved it, and it was good for me to try my hand at something new, and actually succeed.  


Want to try, here is the recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 3 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 pinch ground white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 eggs
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 8 strips Canadian-style bacon
• 4 English muffins, split
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened

Directions

1. To Make Hollandaise: Fill the bottom of a double boiler part-way with water. Make sure that water does not touch the top pan. Bring water to a gentle simmer. In the top of the double boiler, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, white pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tablespoon water.
2. Add the melted butter to egg yolk mixture 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time while whisking yolks constantly. If hollandaise begins to get too thick, add a teaspoon or two of hot water. Continue whisking until all butter is incorporated. Whisk in salt, then remove from heat. Place a lid on pan to keep sauce warm.
3. Preheat oven on broiler setting. To Poach Eggs: Fill a large saucepan with 3 inches of water. Bring water to a gentle simmer, then add vinegar. Carefully break eggs into simmering water, and allow to cook for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Yolks should still be soft in center. Remove eggs from water with a slotted spoon and set on a warm plate
4. While eggs are poaching, brown the bacon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and toast the English muffins on a baking sheet under the broiler.
5. Spread toasted muffins with softened butter, and top each one with a slice of bacon, followed by one poached egg. Place 2 muffins on each plate and drizzle with hollandaise sauce. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve immediately.