Paper Piecing for the First Timer

Man, oh man! I joined a quilting swap to have some fun, have other folks make great blocks, learn some new techniques and step out of my comfort zone. It all started yesterday afternoon when I got the mail. Breathe and Sew (Carrie), from my Fall Bee swap sent us instructions to make a starburst with fabric scraps. Seems easy enough (I thought), I can even knock this out tonight and put it back in the mail tomorrow. Not even happening. Figuring out where to put the fabric, to pin or not, right sides together or wrong sides together (the seam ripper and I got very close with this block) and to know if I should cut the pieces of the pattern, or not. Accck! Today when I got home from work, I tackled this and won. It was a struggle but....now that I am on the other side and the block is completed - Whew! Will I paper piece again in the future? It really is too soon for me to think about an answer. The block turned out quite well, at least I think so.

Friday Fabric Sale

This morning I was greeted with an email which told me about 25% off the entire site at Z and S Fabrics. You don't even need a special code, it comes off at the bottom and is good until September 3rd. They carry many colors of Kona Cotton Solids at a regular price of $4.49/yard. This sale bring the price of a yard of this goodness to only $3.37/yard - YEAH! I happily placed my order for just a few (27) fabrics that I don't really need but will find a project for at some point, you've never done that have you? I ordered from them once before and it took a week and a half to get my order but don't mind the wait for the fantastic prices. They are in the middle of offering more sales and products so go check them out!

Fort Worth Modern Quilt Guild

Hi!
Last night I attended the first meeting of the newly formed Fort Worth Modern Quilt Guild. My favorite part was the show and tell portion. There was a woman who had participated in Oh Fransson's Tokoyo Subway Quilt Along and as a supplement she made a map of the United States out of leftover fabric from her swap partners. Another tidbit that was shared is when you are folding your quilt top, you should fold it with the wrong sides touching to reduce fraying of your edges. There were different ages of attendees but there was a lot of knowledge in the room last night and I look forward to getting to know the group. This is the initial stage of forming this group, so I expect a lot of slight bumps until a happy balance is reached and we will be on our way down the road of inspiration, friendships and most of all, modern quilts.

WIP Wednesday - NuBees Blocks

It seems that in creative blogland, Wednesday is a day to showcase the projects in process so let me present to you....my workproduct for the NuBees Block Swap. In this bee, each member decides on the block but makes it according to the recipients color palette. There are six of us in my Hive (#4) so these represent half of my blocks and I am still toying with the color arrangement for the other 3.

Sock Monkey Quilt

The sock monkey quilt is completed! This is for one of my nieces, Sam. All it needs is a label and then it will say goodbye to me and hello to a new useful life. My favorite fabric is the red with the yellow bananas. Perfect for this ensemble! This quilt was purchased as a kit and super easy to make. I cut one night and sewed the top the next two and it was done, ready to be quilted. I decided on a meander for the quilting because it is more durable. The back has just a small taste of the front, which I really like to do and you get a glimpse of Ro-Ro too. Still working at photo posting in blogger, so I apologize the photos are not the same size and proportion.

Dog Days of Summer

Texas has been so hot lately and I wanted to do something for the dogs. A couple of weeks ago, we went to the Weatherford Peach Festival and the Banfield booth had a doggie goodie bag which included a recipe for frozen dog treats. I made a test batch and the dogs loved them so today I made another. The paper cup alternative is what I used and bread boy loves to bite it in the middle and swallow it up. Ro-Ro on the other hand likes to lick it for a while, let it melt and then crunch it in the middle and eat the pieces.

Peanut Butter Pupsicles

* 4 cups rice milk or vanilla yogurt
* 1 medium mashed banana or 1 6 oz jar of baby fruit
* 2 tbsp. honey
* 2 tbsp. smooth peanut butter, without salt

Directions:
Mix ingredients well in a blender, then pour into 3 oz paper cups or ice cube trays. Do not use popsicle sticks of any kind! Freeze for four hours or more. When ready to serve, tear off the paper cup or pop out of tray and place pupsicles in a bowl.

Nutritional Information:
Protein: 17.74%
Fat: 19.88%
Carbohydrates: 62.38%

Calories for entire recipe (please create portions appropriately) 1302


Enjoy!

The Beginning

Hi! I intend to share my quilting projects, helpful hints and just whatever else comes to mind. I have joined a Rainbow Charm Swap and am looking forward to deciding what project I will make with my charms.