Why I Love Marigolds

Several years ago I received some marigold seeds in the mail.  I tossed them into the flower bed out back.  Since then, they have volunteered every year.  They start blooming in July and usually bloom until Thanksgiving.  This past week has been colder than usual, and the foliage is starting to droop and turn brown.  But they are still blooming their little heads off.

UFO DONE, Stash Report

I got a top completed today.  These were blocks that I started about a year ago.  My plan was to make 2 baby quilts for a friend who was expecting twin girls.  The original pattern came from one of Bonnie Hunter's books,  but I can't find it right now, so I can't tell you which one.  I had the blocks made, but when I went to sew them together, I found that the seams weren't pressed so that they would nest, and when I tried to sew them together, I had bulky seams and sloppy points.

I ended up finishing 2 different quilts for the babies, and put these blocks aside.  http://sewingoutofmycomfortzone.blogspot.com/2012/02/baby-quilts-complete.html

This week I pulled the blocks  out and realized I could fix the bulky seam problem by putting sashing between the blocks.  I used one of the oldest pieces of fabric I have in my stash, a blue calico circa 1988.  All the fabric came from my stash or was given to me by my friend Holly.

 I ended up making one twin sized quilt instead of 2 baby quilts.  I think the blue gray of the sashing helps it look less like a baby quilt than it would with just pastels.  Now I think I could finish it and use it in the playroom (blue couch, yellow walls) or give it to a niece for a high school graduation gift.  I'm not sure who gets this one, but I'm pleased with how it turned out.

 

 

Best of all, I have something to report in the Used category this week!

 

Used this week: 4 yards

Used Year to Date: 78.25 yards

Added this week: 0 yards

Added year to date: 38.75 yards

Net Used: 39.5 yards

 

For more stash reports:  http://www.patchworktimes.com/2012/11/04/stash-report-week-44-2012/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PatchworkTimes+%28Patchwork+Times+by+Judy+Laquidara%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

 

Big Needlework Give Away

The Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe is having a big December give away.  You have to be a follower to enter.  Here's the link:

http://victorianmottosamplershoppe.blogspot.ie/2012/11/25-days-of-christmas-and-25-give-aways.html

How a Project Becomes a UFO

We had minimal damage from the hurricane.  We got off easy this time!

Here are the blocks on my 'design floor'.

 

They are blocks from my 'Test Your Skills Sampler' Variation. 

 

I have been trying to get a lot of UFOs finished up this year, and that got me thinking about why a project becomes a UFO.  I have more cross stitch UFOs than quilting ones.  Cross stitching is more labor intensive than quilting.  You can make a 12 inch quilt block in a half hour, if it is not a difficult pattern.  It would take most stitchers weeks,  if not months,  to cross stitch a 12 inch square pattern.  So size of project is one of the main reasons a cross stitch project becomes a UFO.  It is important to keep up enthusiasm for a project in order to get it done.  If my enthusiasm goes down, the likelihood of a project becoming a UFO goes up, and if the project (whether quilting or cross stitching) takes a long time, there is more of a chance for the enthusiasm to plummet.

 

Loss of momentum is another reason a project becomes a UFO.  If I am working on something daily, I will see progress, and that progress can keep me excited about a project.  If I put a project away, to say, clean up my house for company or get ready for a holiday, sometimes it is hard to get it back out. 

 

A project that I am emotionally invested in like a quilt for a family member will get done on time.  A project that I have been dreaming about for many year and that I have spent a lot for on materials will not become a UFO.  I feel too guilty about spending a lot of money on a project unless I'm going to really complete it.

 

Most of my UFOs are projects that I started on impulse, bought on sale, were a class project or were gifts.  Sometimes I can tell in the first 2 hours of work that this project will probably become a UFO.  Sometimes it is because I'm not good at a particular technique (like surface embroidery, sewing curves or paper piecing).  I'll try to power though these future UFOs, but they eventually wear me down, and I give up.  Some projects become UFOs because I change my mind about the colors or don't like the materials (like floss that wants to shred and tangle).

 

I'm working hard to reduce my UFOs. They take up valuable space and weigh me down mentally.  They make me feel guilty for starting something new if I have a lot of them.  So if I want to start new things with a right good heart, I need to finish up the old ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting for a Hurricane

We have taken in the porch furniture and anchored the swing.

 

Turned over the basketball goal, so it doesn't fall on the cars.

 

 

The trash cans, grill and pots are in the garage.  We have ice, food and batteries.

 

  My mom said it had already started to rain in Tidewater, and they already have flooding in some places. Some of the schools there have already cancelled classes for Monday.

 

  They are telling us to expect power outages, and the lights just blinked a few minutes ago.  I'm a little concerned about our trees, but we have been good about taking down the dead ones.

 

 

 

Now we wait.

 

I'm wishing the hurricane out to sea. 

 

 

 

 

Mark's Star Quilt, Blogger's Quilt Festival Entry

This is a 'company' quilt.  I put it on my son's bed when we have overnight guests.  My son doesn't get to use it because the dog sleeps in his room, and the dog has occasionally chewed on a quilt.  I don't want this quilt damaged because I really like it.

I chose the combination of blue and orange when I saw a man dressed in a blue oxford cloth shirt and a bright orange tie.  The colors were so pretty together, I had to try it in a quilt.  After I made the blocks, though, the quilt looked sort of dead.  Then I added the yellow, and the whole thing magically worked.  I've only made one 2-color quilt that I really liked.  My 2-color quilts usually end up getting an accent color added towards the end of the piecing.

 

This quilt is 88x88 inches and includes all kinds of fabrics from batiks to 30's repros.  I didn't worry about the style of fabric, just the color of it.

 It was professionally quilted (pantograph) by A Needle Runs Through It.

 

 

To see other quilts in Amy's Creative Side Blogger's Quilt Festival, http://amyscreativeside.com/2012/10/26/bloggers-quilt-festival-fall-2012/

 

 

Nutty Caramel Corn

I had moment of panic today when I thought I had lost a recipe.  The ladies in my bunco group request my caramel corn when I host, and it took me a over 20 minutes to find the recipe. This is a recipe that was in Southern Living several years ago, and it gets rave reviews even from people who don't ususally care for caramel corn.  If I post it here, I'll have it the next time I need it.

Nutty Caramel Corn

3 regular sized bags micorwave popcorn, popped (or 6 quarts freshly popped corn)
1 cup pecan halves
1 cup cashews
1 cup butter
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 light corn syrup
1 tsp salt ( I omit this because I'm using microwave popcorn which has salt)
1/2 tsp  baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pick through the popcorn and remove all the unpopped kernels.  This will save your teeth!  It is much easier to remove the kernals before the caramel goes on it.

Combine popcorn and nuts in a large roasting pan (a disposable foil pan works well).

Melt butter in a large saucepan.  Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil 5 minutes without stirring (temperature will register about 250, but I don't use a candy thermometer).  Remove from heat.  Stir in baking soda and vanilla.  Pour over popcorn and nuts.  Stir well (eat the popcorn that falls out of the pan---YUM!).  Bake at 225 for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.  Cool and break into pieces.