The Imelda Marcos of Bags

I think I'm becoming a bag lady...

I made this for summer from a cheery charm pack I picked up a while ago. It's the same pattern as I showed here.

Road Trip!

Since my machine needed to be dropped off at a shop a good distance away, it was a great excuse for a road trip with a few of my quilting friends. Our first stop was the farmers' market in Lewisburg, PA...I was so overwhelmed by all the sights, sounds and smells that I forgot to take pictures in the short time that we were there. I'm sure I'll be down again soon, so maybe then I'll take some photos.

After buying some yummy Amish baked goods and some spring produce (local rhubarb and North Carolina strawberries), the next stop was Verna's Fabrics in Mifflinburg, about a 15-minute drive (by car, probably a bit longer by Amish buggy) from Lewisburg.


This store is owned by Mennonites, so there is so much more in there than just plain old cotton fabric. Plenty of polyester, too. Verna has a great selection of pre-quilted fabrics and great flat-fold bargains. Her quilting fabric selection is extensive (including batiks!) and at great prices.

After having lunch at the Old Turnpike Restaurant in Mifflinburg, we headed back north for our last stop at Our Gathering Place quilt shop in Montoursville. Look at those yummy sherbet-colored batiks...

I left my machine down at OGP for servicing...I guess that means another excuse for a road trip when I have to pick it up...any takers?

Jell-O Anyone?

Earlier this week, my son's Spanish class was celebrating Cinco de Mayo, so I decided to make this Broken Glass Jello as a treat for them. I had found the recipe for it on the Food Librarian's blog a couple of months ago and saved it because I thought it looked like something fun to make someday. The Food Librarian even said that she had seen variations of this at Mexican grocery stores and eateries -- the class party gave me a chance to give it a try.

It was very easy to make and Nick tells me that it was a hit...no leftovers came home.

No, that's not "mayo" in the Cinco de Mayo party food... (sorry, bad pun).

Please, Just One More Before You Go...

I was still pumped up from Monday's Laurel Janes' gathering, so I had to quickly make up another block using the raw-edge machine-buttonhole stitch method before my Bernina goes into the hospital today. I'll be working on paper-pieced blocks until it comes home.

This is "B-11, Melissa's Cross", an intermediate-level block. I paper-pieced the center and used my favorite applique method for the curved pieces.

Moving Right Along

Now we're getting somewhere...

This is what I managed to accomplish at my guild's Laurel Janes' gathering yesterday. It's actually starting to look like a quilt rather than just a bunch of little UFOs. There is still a very long way to go, but I'm starting to really like it. The colors look so much better in person.

Time For A Rest

I've been making a lot of blocks using the raw-edge machine buttonhole-stitch applique method lately because on Wednesday my faithful machine will be going in for some much-delayed servicing. There is nothing wrong with it (except for the broken needle threader), but I've put in a lot of sewing hours on it since the last checkup, so it's time. I do have another machine that I mainly use for sewing away from home, but it doesn't have as nice a buttonhole stitch as my Bernina. So I'll use it for other projects until the main machine is ready.

It will be a good excuse to go on a road trip with a few of my quilting friends to a couple of quilt shops and a farmers' market.

This is "A-10, Which Points West?", an intermediate-level appliqued and rotary-cut block. I saw no reason to sew the background using Y-seams as shown in the software; straight seams work well enough.

Have You Seen This?

If you haven't seen this movie, you must. It's one of my favorites, based on the book by Whitney Otto... (sorry if you have to watch an ad first, but I couldn't find the video without one)