Sunday Quilting Upate

First I have a funny story for you. I made my Christmas valences and curtains in 2006 because we had a floor in the house and the floors were not done until the week before Christmas, so to help dress up the house I made valance and curtains. Yesterday while ironing the one for the living room I noticed something. I'm sure the picture will help you see what I finally noticed on the 4th Christmas I have used them. The other three sets are fine. Luckily this one hangs over the Christmas tree and no one will notice. Heck it took me four years to notice and I made them. I guess I focused on making sure all three panel went the same direction, that I didn't notice which end I put the top rod pocket.


I don't know about you but sometimes I get a little ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder. Or is it RQS Restless Quilt Syndrome. It's not like I don't have enough things to work on that I need to work on now. Like Krystal's Horse for Christmas, the Give Away wall hanging, my DJ Christmas Quilt. But last night I had the urge to do some mindless work. I did the prep work for two parts of my Washington Medallion Quilt. I just did the sewing on the triangle on a roll paper. I didn't feel like cutting them or making the blocks but just sewing on the lines. So I did both parts. At least now I don't feel so far behind.


My Dear Jane Christmas Quilt has four side borders to quilt. I finished quilting from top to bottom and had turned the quilt to do the side borders. I finished the side triangles and started one of the borders and my machine started to make a lot of noise. That was Friday night. I thought well it's time to quit for today and I'll clean it, re-thread it, oil it and try again in the morning. No improvement in the noise. So I took the quilt off the frame, the one pole off and the machine off and took it to the machine hospital. I hope to have it back by the end of the week. I was so ready to be done with the quilting on that thing. Here it is just before I turned it.

I also made 3 nine inch blocks as a surprise for a friend, its a group surprise. I can't say anymore. I don't want to spill the beans.


Here is the picture you are waiting for, the center of the Anniversary Give-away quilt. It isn't finished yet, but close. I just need to cut some triangles and join those top two rows together. I'm liking how it looks I hope you do also. Be sure to see the post from Nov 26th to see how this could be yours.

Night for now, take care.

Man Cave Update

My husband has been very busy over his 5 day weekend for Thanksgiving. He has made a lot of progress on his "Man Cave". This first picture was taken on Wednesday evening. Boy am I looking forward to having an empty garage. My poor car has been sitting outside with all this work going on this weekend. He moved all his saws out into the center of the floor.


This is what he had accomplished on Thursday and Friday. He worked on the wall on Thanksgiving while I was inside cooking. This picture was taken Friday evening.


On Friday he finshed the wall but had to wait for the kids to come home from work to help him lift the wall and secure it in place. One wall done, the one with the door he got free from his work. They were going to throw it out so he had permission to take it. This is just the frame the actual door is still in the garage. I was a little worried that the wall would fall down during the night. I was relieved it didn't.


Here is how much he was able to finish on Saturday. I even had to help lift the 3rd wall. Believe me when I say it was a snug fit. He uses a big truck jack to get it up off the floor, so it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but it is heavy. His brother was here helping also.

Holiday Recipes Baked Corn

Before the oven.


One of the things I love about this time of year are the special recipes that come out of hiding,are made,served and eaten with great enthusiasm. Part of what makes them special are that they are served only at special times and the other is the memories that are attached to them. I have four special recipes that I make for the Holidays, my husband & I love them. The kids not so much but they only like green bean casserole, which is OK but these recipes are way better. My taste buds like them anyway. I'm going to share one a day, feel free to try them. Today we have Baked Corn. One of my co-workers shared this recipe with me around 1985.

Baked Corn or Corn Custard
3 eggs well beaten
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp corn starch
1 Tbsp melted butter
1 can cream corn
1 cup of milk
Pinch of salt
Mix sugar & starch, I use a sifter
Add to eggs, add other ingredients
Pour into 1 qt baking dish
Sprinkle nutmeg on top
Bake 350 degrees for 1 hour
I usually double the recipe and use a 2 qt oven proof dish.

There is a custard that surrounds the corn.

After baking.

Anniversary Give Away

A few weeks ago I mentioned a Give away to celebrate the one year anniversary of my blog. I was originally thinking I would buy something and give it away but that feels so impersonal. So instead I have decided to make a small wall hanging for Christmas. I just decided this yesterday so it isn't ready yet. I have drafted it in EQ6 so you can have an idea. If you think it looks a lot like my Dear Jane Christmas Quilt you are right. I even have some of that lovely border fabric left. I'll mail it to the lucky winner as soon as it is finished.


Here it is as of 11.29.09, well on it's way. I will update the picture as it is completed.

So here are the rules:
Look at the list of give away activities below and decide how many activities you want to do. Then add up the points after you've done them, and then email me the information below to enter this give away. Your name is entered for leaving a comment and for each five points you earn I'll place your name in the drawing for the little quilt. That gives you up to four chances to win.

Copy & Paste this information in your email to enter this giveaway.
Then send your email to me at mebowden at cox dot net.

My Name is:
My Email is:
My Blog Address is:
I completed the following requirements:
I have _______ points.


Point Actives:
1 point for leaving a comment on this post. So even if you don't have a blog you can do this, but you will need a Google account to leave a comment.
5 points if you want to add me to the blog list on your sidebar or if I am on your blog list.
5 point for creating a post on your blog and linking to my giveaway.
5 points for being or becoming a follower on my blog or if you are one.

The giveaway will END on Saturday, December 5th at Midnight.
I will then pick a WINNER on Sunday December 6th in the early afternoon.

Now to go make my spread sheet to keep track of all your points. I better print those paper piecing patterns for those blocks also and get sewing.
Well Good Luck and Have Fun!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It was a year ago Thanksgiving that I started my blog. It has been a fun year in blogville, I have meet new people and made some new friends. I have also connect with established friends, does that sound better than old friends? Seen some wonderful blogs with beautiful quilts and great stories about live, love and living to the best of our abilities. As well as living with the things live gives us.
When I think of the things I'm grateful for the list hasn't changed.
Here it is:
There is much to be thankful for we are truly blessed. We are all healthy, all working, and all happy. We have good jobs that we like. We have a lovely home in a good neighborhood. We have good friends and good relationships within our family. We have hobbies we enjoy to enrich others. Most important we have a sure knowledge of the Lord’s Plan of Salvation, of His divinity. The sweet whispering of the Holy Spirit tells us this daily. My heart is full of gratitude. Plus this year I can add a daughter has been married and is happy. My son & his wife came to live with us which has been hard but good because I have gotten to know my daughter in law better.

So to all of you I wish a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Making Progress

Just in case you didn't notice it is one month until Christmas!

Now I just wanted to share with you my quilting plan my Christmas Dear Jane. I have been planning on the feathers in the alternate blocks for a long time. I have been drawing them on paper and my white board for a month or so. I'm not a very good at drawing, but they have gotten better. I'm sure my co-workers think I'm crazy with my doodles. I start small and them increase them in size when I use paper. I do bigger on the white board. Today I started quilting on the quilt, the top border is done and I took a picture of it so I remember what I did on the top by the time I get to the bottom I usually forget. Several quilts ago I thought take a picture so you remember. Today I finally remembered to take the picture. I'm going to be turning this quilt to do the side borders. The outside borders is just a free motion loop-de-loop meandering. The green borders are small e's all in a row. Nothing in the red border and I'm just doing the side triangles and the alternate blocks the pieced blocks I'm leaving alone. Or that is the plan today. It's always subject to change. I just kind of create as I go.
That is my clear piece of Plexiglas that I practice with on the quilt while it is on the frame. I use Vis-aVis by Expo wet erase to draw with.

Today will be a busy day, lunch with Kierra & Will, since they both are working tomorrow on Thanksgiving so we are meeting to celebrate today with them. Pies and cranberry sauce to make and a bird to stuff. Our church ward (small local unit)does a turkey pit every year so the bird has to be ready to put in by 8 or so. It cooks all night long until 12 noon tomorrow. It's a fun activity and good tasting bird.
Somewhere in there I have to do some cleaning.

Well back to quilting for a little longer! I'm sure you will see more pictures later.

I Amazed Myself...

...with the dumb thing I did. I just had to ask myself what was I thinking and the only answer I can come up with is I wasn't. I went to one of my favorite quilt shops, Cutting Edge Quilt Works to purchase the backing for my Dear Jane Christmas Swap Quilt. Of course I took the quilt with me to show off. I found some backing I liked and it was even extra wide backing fabric. I was so excited I won't have to piece the back and I'll have some left over for a small project. So instead of pulling out my piece of paper with the finished quilt dimensions on it. I laid my quilt top on top of the fabric and cut a width about 6 inches wider. I thought that was easy, I cut my fabric, paid for it and went home. Once home I added two more borders to my quilt top. Do you see the problem now?
So today when I did my very scientific measurements. I held the backing up to the quilt top to see how much bigger it was you can imagine my surprise when I realized it was smaller. I measured the quilt top and the backing which was smaller than the quilt by an inch. You guessed it I ended up piecing the back.
It gets better. I loaded the backing on to the frame and I went to find batting, I could have sworn I had some batting here big enough to use for this quilt. Nope I don't. I could piece some but I'm not big into piecing backing. I might try it another day but not today. With what I had here it would have had two seams in it or one long seam right close to the border seam on the quilt. Neither of those options seemed like a good idea, especially considering my luck so far today I decided against it.
I'm sure I'm not the only person in the world that has done that, but I might be the only one mentioning it on her blog and admitting it. Not one of my brighter moments in my quilting career. I would never let a student do that. Oh well, just a small delay. It is now just waiting on the frame to be loaded tomorrow.



So I took a nap instead. After dinner I did sandwich and start quilting the applique horse for my daughter in law, it's her Christmas gift. I finished all the stitch in the ditch around the borders. I know I'm going to do some meandering in the center and on the outer border but not sure what else I'll do in the pieced border.

Well I guess I better head to bed, of course with that hour nap this afternoon, I'm not sleepy now but boy was I earlier.

Well take care and if I don't drop in again before Thanksgiving have a great one.