Stashmaster

Post-Thanksgiving Picnic

I finished my Picnic quilt - November's Year of Schnibbles project.   I love how this little cutie turned out!   I used American Jane's Recess charm packs and I adore the little baskets - especially how they make a star in the center of the quilt.

I took it with me to work on Friday and because it wasn't super busy, we hung it up in the shop - it's super cute against the red barn walls!

I'm not sure if I will participate in December's project, but if it's another one that I love as much as this one - count me in!

Lisa's salad

This year, like most years, we are going to my oldest brother's house for Thanksgiving dinner.  Every so often, our hosts have the audacity to make other plans for Thanksgiving, and I am left to my own devices for dinner.  About 11 years ago, they went to visit relatives in California and so I hosted my very first Thanksgiving dinner.  Having never done it before, I searched the Internet to find some interesting recipes.

I found this salad recipe on Allrecipes.com and it's definitely a keeper.   I have made it for Thanksgiving, Christmas and potlucks in between, countless times since 1998.  It's always a huge hit.  It's official name is Winter Fruit Salad With Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing, but my family calls it "Lisa's Salad," and I would like to share the recipe with you.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons diced onion
• 1 teaspoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
• 4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 cup cashews
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 apple - peeled, cored and diced
• 1 pear - peeled, cored and sliced

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard, and salt. Process until well blended. With machine still running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds, and process just a few seconds more to mix.
2. In a large serving bowl, toss together the romaine lettuce, shredded Swiss cheese, cashews, dried cranberries, apple, and pear. Pour dressing over salad just before serving, and toss to coat.

I use only about half of the prepared dressing - the whole recipe is way too much for the salad.  I hope you will try it and that you like it as much as my family does!

A tisket, a tasket

Look at all my baskets!   I have completed all my baskets for the November Year of Schnibbles project.  I might have finished the top this week, but I've been down for the count with a horrible cold all week.  Seriously - when was the last time you missed 4 days of work from a silly cold?  But I'm finally back to work today (hey - nobody picked up the slack for me while I was on my deathbed?) and hopefully will feel up to spending some time in my sewing room this weekend to get the sashing done for this cute Picnic quilt.

Alrighty then

I finished putting the borders on my Red Velvet quilt - a wonderful Thimbleblossoms pattern that went together beautifully and easily.  People at my retreat were just raving about the French General Rouenneries fabrics, and I love how the aqua fabric from Simple Abundance adds so much whimsy to those serious prints.

I made a decision at retreat to come home and send 2 quilt tops off to be machine quilted.   I have put it off for months, but I have a little extra pocket money and now the decision is - which 2?  My brilliant friend Rani suggested sending my Indian Orange Peel quilt (click on my quilt album on the sidebar to the right and you can see a picture) - a quilt I had completely forgotten about!  I seriously love her for reminding me.   I have been waiting to find a quilter I trusted enough to quilt my "masterpiece" - that quilt took me 7 years to finish - and now that I have someone, I simply must send my quilt.  Like, RIGHT THIS MINUTE!

Back!

Oh brother, now that I'm back from retreat at a real computer, I see how horrible my last photo of my basket blocks was, taken on my cell phone and posted from my Blackberry.  I promise better pictures as soon as I am unpacked and settled in at home.

It was one of the best retreats ever!  We shared a work table with Mary Hickey and Judy Pollard and had the best time hearing their stories about quilts and life.  I can't remember the last time I laughed so much.

I finished 15 of the 16 basket blocks for my November Schnibbles quilt, Picnic.  I left the rest of my charm squares AND my pattern instructions at home, or it may have gotten finished this weekend (sigh).

I finished my Rouenneries layer cake quilt and can't wait to get the borders on so I can show you.  What a beautiful and simple quilt to make!

Picnic Time!

I threw this project into my retreat box at the last minute (and forgot to bring my pattern instructions). I love these little baskets!



Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Cindy Lou, Woo Hoo!

I didn't think I would meet this month's Year of Schnibbles deadline, but I finished Cindy Lou Who with time to spare!  I love how it turned out.  I used Minick & Simpson's Winter fabrics.  I can't wait to see what our November Schnibbles will be!

My memory fails me!

Yesterday I embarked upon Part Two of my sewing room clean-out.  The previous round consisted of tidying the easily-accessible piles, but when I read about Allyson and Nicole's challenge to make this snowball quilt, I decided I needed to go deep in the recesses of my sewing room closet to find the boxes of fabric sorted by color so I could decide what color to make my snowball quilt.

I knew that I wouldn't have enough reds, but I've always loved blue and knew that my biggest box was full of blue fabrics.  Of course, it was the furthest in and on the very bottom of a pile of other boxes.  While on my way there, I sorted through each color box, pulling out fabrics that no longer appealed to me.  Yes, I was right - woefully short on reds.  Not surprisingly, judging by my blog header, I have a very large stash of orange fabrics.  But I wanted, not another orange quilt, but something different.

I have some lovely purples, but most of those have already been cut for a scrappy purple and cream quilt that I have not yet started.

Digging deeper, I finally reached my tub of blue fabrics, finding some treasures along the way that I know have lived with me since I started quilting and collecting fabric in 1993.  I opened the box of blues, and after culling out the prints that I no longer loved, here - voila - is my "huge" stash of blue fabrics.   Oh my.   For somebody who subscribes to Carrie Nelson's More-Is-Better Theory of Scrap Quilts, this will never give me the ultra scrappy look I want.  Good thing I work at a quilt store.   I think I need to go shopping!

Green Piece, month 1

I signed up for Moda U last year at the shop where I work part-time.   I was there for the "after party" from the previous year's Moda U and it looked like so much fun.   Sadly, there weren't enough people for the Thursday evening class, so they dropped it.   I still got my block packets, but no fellow students to encourage me to finish them.  And so I didn't....

This year Joyce convinced me to join the Moda You Green Piece BOM.   It wasn't hard to convince me - her blocks have been displayed in the shop for the last few weeks and the fabrics are just beautiful.  We had our first meeting last Thursday and the group is really fun.   It will give me a reason to finish my blocks each month for "show and tell."

Here are my first two blocks - each month we will have 2 pieced stars and 2 wool applique blocks.  The wool hasn't arrived in the shop yet, so we won't get started on those until next month.

I also worked this weekend on Cindy Lou Who for the Year of Schnibbles and also made good progress on my stunt sewing project (rows all completed, half are sewn together!).  Yes, that's right - I have 3 projects layered on top of each other on my sewing table.  This is NOT how I usually work.  I work on ONE project at a time.  This is making me certifiable.  But the good news is - I'M SEWING AGAIN!!!!!

It's Alive!

Well no, not really.  But my stash has seemed to take on a life of its own and started to take over my sewing space.  The need to clean and organize has been pulling at me for months, but I haven't been able to make myself do it.

My car accident has changed things for me.  I am no longer able to sit and sew for hours or even minutes without excruciating pain in my lower back.  Oh how I miss sewing.  I miss my machine, I miss watching Friends on my DVD player next to my Pfaff.

 

I went into my sewing room on Friday night after dinner.   I just received Camille's new Red Velvet Cake pattern and finally knew how I was going to use my prized Rouenneries layer cake.  I sorted squares and started cutting, but then the mess all around me stole my focus.

 

I started to think how I could sort and organize my collection of fabrics.  I started to pull things off shelves, off the floor, out of the closet.  I started to open storage boxes.  I needed MORE storage boxes!  I woke up early Saturday and went out to get more storage boxes.  I would corral these projects strewn around the room into some semblance of order!

 

I worked all day Saturday and oh, my back was killing me when I went to bed, and still hurting when I woke up on Sunday.  I completely overdid it - my body is not healthy right now and all that activity really took its toll.  But I was determined to finish what I started.  I took some ibuprofen and surged ahead.

 

I worked all day Sunday, taking time out to iron my clothes for work this week and to make a killer pot roast for our Sunday dinner.   I was brutal - if I didn't love it, or thought there wasn't a snowball's chance that I'd ever finish it, out it went!  Projects were gathered together with all the supplies and labeled in storage boxes.

 

My room looks fabulous.  I feel a great freedom and also feel my creativity returning.  Sometimes purging can be a very good thing.   Stay tuned for my upcoming stash reduction sale!