Wrapping Clothesline!

When my brother-in-law, Jim,  hears what I've been doing, he's going to give me a hard time.  What is the purpose--he would say.  One time when I was "making paper" he dropped by and said I had too much free time.  But he just doesn't see my "creative side".  : )  That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

Anyway, I spent the day yesterday making bowls from wrapped clothesline.  It was fun.  I probably would have made more but I ran out of clothesline!  My bernina sewed through that clothesline like butter.  My dealer had suggested using the double cord #59/59C foot, but I tried using my open embroidery #20C and had no problem at all.  Having the grooved foot would be useful though if you had one.

I used 3/16"  polypropylene reinforced cotton clothesline.  The book which I used was "It's a Wrap" by Susan Breier  You can make coasters, purses, bowls of all kinds, lids, and embellish with all sorts of things, like buttons, beads, yo yos, etc.

I may try more later, but probably not. Need to finish some old projects that I've started and pushed aside.  Sometimes you just have to stop what you're doing and try new things.  I think I do that too often.  Oh, well.  Life is too short not to do what you want when you want to do it.

Tonight we're going to my sister's house to bring in the new year.  A quiet evening of playing cards and maybe a game of Wii.   Hope it's clear enough to see that "Blue Moon".   HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Oklahoma Blizzard 2009!

Oklahoma had 14" of snow on Christmas Eve!  If that becomes official it will set a record.  I personally don't think we had that much but the wind was so bad that the drifts dealt a lot of people a lot of misery trying to get home to their family.   One being my nephew who was stranded on I-35 for 10 hours.  He made it home finally just in time for Christmas dinner.  We all were so happy to see him!

Christmas was wonderful.  Just sorry that not all of my siblings could make it to dinner.  But that is okay, rather to be safe and warm than have an accident.

Now after the snow and wind has stopped, yesterday and today was wonderful for the kids to go sledding and build a snowman!  My grandkids had a ball as you can tell from my photos.

Embroidered Eyeglass Case

 This eyeglass case was made at a "make it and take it" class at my Bernina dealer's Christmas Sale.  Actually, it was more of a "watch it and take it" deal!  It was all done "In the Hoop" except for the last step which was folding it over and sewing it together which I did at home.

It is a design by Bernina--check it out at your local dealers!  I'm going to make more after the holidays.

May all of you have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Embroidered Fleece Throws

Today I'm finished some very quick easy gifts for my great nephews!  I was going to purchase some fleece and make the throws but realized just buying the throws was quite the time saver!  I used "Alice" font for their names and my Bernina whipped them out so quickly.

Four of the boys are in one family and each have their own throw now.  So they'll be no more fighting.  Each will have their own special throw.

I also made pillowcases with glow in the dark names embroidered on them.  They turned out pretty cute.  However, I already wrapped them, so no picture.

Just have one more item to make for Christmas.  Better get on it!  Hope your projects are all done!

Secret ingredient sweet bread!

This morning I tried a new recipe--a quick sweet bread.  It's similar to banana bread but no bananas.  It's also going to be a fun recipe to share with friends and family because of one special ingredient.  I'm not going to even tell them what it is.  Well, maybe I will if they like it!

Now don't be turned off when I tell you what it is, because when baked you cannot tell that it's in there.  Are you ready??  A can of Pork and Beans! The recipe is from a book by Joanne Fluke--The Plum Pudding Murder.  All her Hannah Swensen mysteries have lots of recipes in them because Hannah has a bakery, and Fluke incorporates the recipes in her stories.  Her books are quick, easy reads and I love reading the recipes. They all are a little different from the usual things I make.

PORK AND BEAN BREAD  (I'm changing the name on my recipe to "Secret Ingredient Bread")

1 15-oz can of Pork and Beans, undrained, pureed with blender or food processor
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil (not canola or olive)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
3 cups flour

Stir eggs with beans. Add oil and vanilla, mixing well.  Add sugar, then mix in soda, powder, salt and cinnamon.  Mix all this well and add nuts.  Add the flour in one cup increments, stirring after each addition.  Spoon batter into 4 small, greased and sugared loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.

I also made the Easy Cheesy Biscuit recipe that was in the book.  Really good!  The recipe had cream of tarter, sour cream and two different cheeses.  This would really be good with stew or beans.

My local library has several of her books.  This is her website:
http://www.murdershebaked.com/index.htm

Try one, they're delightful!

Finger Pincushions

These little pincushions are so easy, quick and handy to have!

We needed a craft for our Christmas guild party and this is going to be it .  (We've done that the last few years instead of games.)  I had seen these for a long time but just hadn't made any.  I whipped up one in minutes.

All it takes is one 3 1/2" square of fabric.  Fold it in half diagonally, stitch 1/4" seams leaving opening for turning.  Stuff, whip opening closed and pull corners together to fit finger and whip together.  That's it.  How's that for something quick!

The only thing you need to remember is poke the pins in sideways NOT in the top.  If you do, you'll be feeling it!  : )

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving this year!

The extended family had other plans but my kids and grandkids were here and we had a great time!  Lots of food!  On Friday we did a little shopping to see what the kids like and then took in a movie.  It was A Christmas Carol 3-D with Jim Carrey.  We did NOT like it.  I have seen many versions and this was definitely the worst.  Too scary!  Lyndey hid her eyes a lot.  And they used a lot of the text from the book which was a little hard to follow, especially for the kids.  Not a feel good movie for the holidays at all.  We did take the kids to see Planet 51 earlier in the week, thank goodness.  That one was delightful!

Now to take down the Thanksgiving decorations and get Christmas started!!

Embroidered Bookmarks!

Just made these neat little MAGNETIC bookmarks on my Bernina 730e!  Are they bookmarks or bookmarkers???  I never know for sure what to call them.  The design called them bookmarks, so that's what they are today.

They embroider as one piece, you add the two magnetic strips and the top folds back to catch the pages in a book.

Things I'm learning with embroidery projects--no matter how small you think the project is, always start with a FULL BOBBIN.  And each one of these bookmarks takes almost a full bobbin.

My non-embroidery friends are amazed that these are just thread--no fabric.  I love the different designs.

My granddaughter, Paige, is here (school's out in Texas the whole week of Thanksgiving) and she wanted to make one for her teacher.  So she chose purple thread for the background and away we went.  She couldn't believe the sewing machine would make lace by itself.  I love to share my sewing and crafts with her.  She's always willing to try my projects AND I get to do some fun stuff while she's here.  Brother, Jake, is into computers, so that keeps him busy.

The picture is not too clear UNLESS you click on it and that magnifies it.  You can then see the images better.  Don't know why.  I'm hoping Santa gets me a new camera for Christmas.

A few more stocking stuffers done!

Take Five

Today I finished putting the borders on this quilt. Talk about a quick quilt, this is the one to do!!

A friend and I are wanting to do some pro bono quilts to bust our stash and wanted to try this pattern.  We took our fabrics AND scraps to our local quilt shop (who by the way, donates her AccuQuilt to use for pro bono projects) and used her "Take 5" die to cut enough for five quilts in short time!  It takes longer to line your scraps over the die than it takes to roll it through the cutters.

I'm so impressed with that machine.  She has multiple dies to cut--squares, triangles, dresden plate, and strips in several sizes.  She rents the machine out for $5 an hour if you are a guild member.  It is definitely worth it.

My friend, Nita, has made one too, also using just five fabrics which the pattern calls for.  BUT, in an effort to use those small scraps of fabric we have, we have chosen 12 fabrics instead of five and going to make some really scrappy.  We'll see how those turn out.

Scrap Therapy

Recently I attended a class of "Scrap Therapy".  I won this class at the Ultimate Embroider Seminar I attended a while back.  I was planning on taking the class with a friend earlier and we had to postpone, so it worked out well.  I got to go free--always love that.  Of course, it cost me anyway I had to have some patterns.

Basically, the idea is to get your fabric scraps cut into workable sizes.  Then they have patterns (if you need them) that use the 5", 3 1/2" and 2" squares.  Once you have the squares cut, you just grab the plastic shoebox which they give you with the  class and start sewing.  Someone once told me that those scraps are still just as expensive as when you first bought them in bigger yardage.  USE THEM UP!!

We also got to use the quilt store's AccuQuilt cutting machine too. Wow!  You can cut 10 layers of fabric and the 5" cutter has 8 squares.  That's 80 squares a cut!  That's the way to go if you have many blocks to cut and so accurate.  The quilt store lets you rent the machine if you want and I plan on doing it.  Much  cheaper than buying the machine.  lol

The time you'll save using this machine will get you sewing so much quicker. What do you think our grandmothers would think??  I like to think they'd love it.  Scrappy quilts here I come.

Travel Trays

These little fabric trays are addictive.  I have made seven so far and plan on making more for little Christmas gifts.  They make up very quickly too!  When we took our cycle trip recently, I took a couple with me (gave one to my friend) and they are so useful.  I can't tell you how many times I have almost lost jewelry because I either forgot it OR  knocked it off the dresser.

The tray keeps things--jewelry, coins, glasses, etc. in one place and won't get knocked off and lost.  When you are ready to leave, the trays lay flat and can be packed in your luggage and hardly take any space.  The neat thing is that you could make these in any size you like.

The instructions for these nifty little things are on Angie's Bits and Pieces website:

http://ajpadilla.com/patterns/bom/christmas-all-year-round/travel-tray

Her site is great and has lots of patterns, tutorials, and freebies.  She has given me permission to post this, check her out!

Halloween Pics!

Julie and Tom had a family Halloween party in Texas.  It was a family party and all the guests dressed for the occasion.  They had a ball!  Tom fixed up a spook house in the garage--strobe lights, fog, etc. I guess all the kids loved it.  Sure wish we could have seen it.

The "rock group" looked great!  Jake and Paige were really loving it!

My nephew and his wife and son live in the area and they got to go.

 Timmy, Jessica and Matthew--The Flintstones!

And here in Perry, my daughter and granddaughters dressed up too!

Stacey, Kayley and Lyndey!  What a trio!  Don't they look cute!

Motorcycle weekend trip!

Over the weekend, my husband and I rode 662 miles on our Yamaha Roadliner!

Some good friends of ours invited us to ride with their Gold Wing club to southeast Oklahoma.  There were 10 vehicles-- six Gold Wing cycles, three Gold Wing Trikes and us--the LOUD BIKE.

When we left at 7 am Saturday (Halloween) morning it was 44 degrees!  Brrrr, it was cold.  We were prepared though.  I had thermal pants, jeans and chaps.  I also had a t-shirt, long-sleeved t-shirt, sweatshirt AND my leather jacket.  Thermal liners under my socks, two pair of gloves and a fleece hood really kept my neck toasty.  I felt like that little boy in "A Christmas Story".  LOL  You definitely wanted to give yourself plenty of time to go to the bathroom!!

By the time we got home late Sunday afternoon, the temp was 74 degrees.  It really turned out to be a wonderful fall trip.  The good thing about layering is that you just peel off a layer as the day warms up!

Now about those Honda riders.  Rob, my husband says they were really a great group of people--despite what they rode.  : )   He has always driven a Yamaha (he has had five) and loves them. He kept "revving" up his bike to tease the other bikers.  You know the Gold Wingers are known for being very  quiet AND comfortable. I was a little envious of all the comfort those ladies had. 

We would really like to have a trike.  As you get older, thats the way to go!  Only thing is Rob won't give up his two wheeler and we can't afford two cycles, so it's probably not going to happen.

Our friends had gone on a ride with our Yamaha club a couple of years ago and our group had told them we wouldn't hold the fact that they rode a Gold Wing against them, so all the teasing from both clubs was in good fun.  Motorcyclists are a great bunch of people!

Texas Weekend!

This weekend we went to Texas to see my daughter and family.  We started the day Saturday with going to a game to watch Paige do some cheerleading. She's in first grade and this is her second year cheering already.  The girls are so cute and do a fantastic job.  Paige likes it but would much rather be on the field playing.  She plays soccer and really likes that.

Their team is improving so much.  When all teams start--the kids ALL chase the ball.  This year the team is passing and really working well together.  She is amazing--such a great little player. Here lately, she has been the goalie and hardly ever lets a ball go by her.  She also is a little cheerleader and we got to see her cheer at another game.  So cute.

We were suppose to see both kids play in their soccer games.  Jake's was canceled though because of soggy fields, disappointing, but we did get to see Paige's.

This is a photo Julie had taken earlier. We were sorry we couldn't see him play this time!  It's tough on grandparents that live away from their grandkids.  We are fortunate that we see them as often as we do!  Julie does a good job of keeping us up to date with pictures of what we do miss.

We also went to the new COWBOY STADIUM in Arlington.  Wow, it is big.  The Star War Concert was being held and it was great.  The orchestra was fantastic and those huge screens are HUGE.  What everyone says about them is true.  The picture is crystal clear, high definition--amazing.  The football games there have to be unreal!

We also attended a "Hogwarts Festival" held nearby which was pretty cute.  A lot of high school students made this a very fun fall event for kids of all ages!

Of course we tried a new restaurant--"Pazzo's".  A very good pizza place.  Always get to try something new when we go there.  When you live in a small town of 5000, you get pretty tired of the same old thing all the time and I love to try new things!!

Window on the East finished!

Today I put the binding and label on this wallhanging.

(My pictures are looking very fuzzy and it's not my camera--it must be some setting I have wrong.  If anyone can tell me what the problem is, I'd be eternally grateful.  It is so frustrating! )

Anyway, back to the wallhanging.  Even though, it turned out okay,  I will NEVER make another one.  When I purchased the pattern at the shop hop a few months ago, I thought it was so cool.  Then I got it home, opened it and discovered there was 13 pages of instructions in this tiny little package.  AND, it had 16 mitered corners!  Got that figured out and then came the quilting.  Another struggle, but persistence paid off and it is DONE!!  Scratch one more project off my "to do" list.

Ultimate Embroidery Seminar

Today two friends and I attended a seminar at my LQS on Bernina embroidery products and projects! It was very informative and I learned a lot. Being a new machine embroiderer, the information they gave on the different stabilizers was especially useful. Lots of really cool projects, too.

Of course, I wanted everything. And of course, everything was 20% off, but I restrained and paced myself. One great, but inexpensive thing I did get was an "Embroiderer's Wand", original price $2.50. You use it for scoring paperbacked stabilizer, which I need because I used scissors last week and got a little carried away and went through the whole stabilizer--not good. Another use is to to poke back thread loops to the back of finished pieces, if needed. Now to find a handy place to keep it without loosing it. Then on the other end of the price range for me was the new "Variegated Garden" OESD designs. Can't wait to use that!

But before that happens, I need MORE thread. No one told me I'd be buying thread forever. I found out today that Isacord has more than 378 colors. All these beautiful designs takes lots of shading and it seems like they try to use every shade that is possible. I will just take my time to build my inventory. : )

It was a fun day and to top it off, I won the first door prize! I received a free class of "Scrap Therapy", which I have been wanting to attend anyway. It helps you cut your scraps up into manageable sizes for specific pattern pieces. Looking forward to getting organized.

Misty, yucky day--so it's a BAKING DAY!

Today it is just one of those days, not raining, just misting and chilly--enough so you don't want to do anything. So it's time to go to the kitchen and bake.

I decided to do pumpkin bread. It just makes the house smell so good and it IS good.

The recipe is one given to me in 1966 (I know, I'm so old) by a co-worker in the office where I was working. She was a fantastic baker and shared all her terrific recipes. It's very easy and quick.

PUMPKIN BREAD

3 cups sugar
1 cup salad oil
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin or one can
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cup flour
2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla
chopped pecans, optional (But who wouldn't want them)

Mix together and bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until done.
Makes 4 medium loaves.

9-Patch Pizzazz

Today I finished the binding on my 9-Patch Pizzazz quilt. Woohooo!

In March, a friend and myself are giving the program at our guild on nine patch quilts and what you can do with them. So I am trying to come up with some different quilts to do so. This one was really interesting because you use a big print (sometimes you just can't CUT into that fabric) and cut them into 6", 12", or 6" x 12". Then you make 9 patches that travel across the quilt.

I used "minky" (that wonderful soft stuff) for the backing and then had it quilted with red thread. Kind of scary--but it turned out really nice, I think. I really should have made it bigger, but it didn't happen.

Some of the quilts, I've got down is a sudoku, wonky, split nine, curvy nine patch, disappearing 9-patch, double 9-patch, and stretched 9-patch. If any of you have any ideas for other nine patch quilts, please let me know.

Embroidered all-occasion cards

The last couple of days I've been experimenting with my embroidery module by making cards. It's been lots of fun and they are so cool!

I've used several different papers trying to decide what I like best. The vellum is nice and the mulberry is okay but you can't have too many leaves or whatever in the paper because it distracts from your design. I like just the colored papers with small designs on it best. What's really nice is being able to use up some of my old scrapbook papers.

I think I'm making Christmas cards this way. Guess I'd better get started, it will be here before you know it.

Halloween Banners!

Julie, my daughter that lives in Texas has made the cutest Halloween banners! She is having a Halloween party and decided to make this banner. So cute!

Well, she overestimated the amount of fabric she needed and so far has made FOUR. They are about six feet long. She's selling them for $30, plus postage. If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll get you in contact with her. I think she did a fantastic job and love the fabric she chose for them.

Anyone need Halloween decorations?

Kayley's First Quilt

My granddaughter, Kayley, turned seven years old in September. We started in August to make her first quilt. She lives in the same town as me and I see her and her younger sister very often. Kayley is one month older than her cousin in Texas and when she saw that Paige had made a quilt this summer while she was visiting, decided she wanted to do it, too!

She and her sister, Lyndey, come to Nana and Papa's every Wednesday evening for supper and an evening that always includes a "Plan B". A "Plan B" is a project of some kind, usually crafty, but sometimes can be a park excursion, games or if Nana and Papa are tired--a movie of their choice.

So, we went shopping for fabric and began her project. She loves pink and purple, so we found some fabric with butterflies she liked and began her quilt. Most of the Wednesdays, we sewed, while Papa entertained Lyndey, four years old. I basically, did the same as I had done with Paige, showing her how to use the sewing machine. I didn't trust them with rotary cutters yet, so I did all the cutting, but they did do the pressing. She did very well, just like Paige, BUT, those girls are not alike. Paige is quiet and Kayley is NOT! She talks all the time while she's sewing and then stops to talk. She took twice as long as Paige in her sewing. At the end, when Kayley was sewing the rows together, she got stuck a lot and didn't like that part at all. I tried to tell her to keep the fabric folded in her lap, but she couldn't manage that part very well. She was glad when it was done and I hope she forgets that part. I had her sign a label and I got the quilting done! So two granddaughters' first quilts done and Nana has three years before Lyndey is ready to do hers! I may need the time! : )

4-Patch Stacked Posies

Today I finished putting on the binding on this king size quilt. It took me over 5 hours just to do that. I have tried putting it on by machine but I just can't get it to look like I like it. I don't mind doing it by hand at all, so I just watch tv and do it.

I'm really pleased at how the quilt turned out. All the blocks are made from the border fabric. Just three fabrics in the whole quilt and I fell in love with that fabric when I saw it last year. Yes, that was LAST YEAR. I got all the blocks done, sewed them into rows and then decided I needed to make the quilt bigger. By then, the fabric store I had bought the fabric from had sold it all. So I got online, found some and finally got it done as big as I needed. Another project finished!!

Volunteering!

Every Monday morning I volunteer at "Operation Blessing". This is the local store that anyone can come and choose whatever they need at no charge whatsoever. The local citizens donate whatever they don't need and let me tell you we get just about everything donated!

The building is only open three times a month for "shopping" but if there is a need can be opened at any time. The volunteers are there everyday taking donations, going through them and putting them in their respective departments. Hard work, but I enjoy the people that work there and it gets me out of the house! LOL But, also, when I was a child, times were tough for our family and we were recipients of charity. I think we all should give back a little if we are able to do so.

Sick grandkids!

Three of my four grandkids are sick!

Paige had a severe stomach virus last week and then she got the N1H1 flu. That really scared me, but she's doing fine now and hasn't had a fever today, so I think she's about over it. But her brother, Jake, is sick now. Julie, my daughter, is keeping close tabs on them, so I'm sure they'll be fine, but it's still scary for us being 4 hours away.

Kayley, one of my other granddaughters, woke up in the middle of the night with big red welts all over her body. They had disappeared in the morning but reappeared in the middle of the day. She does have allergies and evidently something she has eaten or come in contact with, has dealt her a lot of misery. Stacey, my daughter can't come up with anything out of the ordinary that Kayley has eaten or been around, so it's a real mystery to us. Hopefully, she will be fine tomorrow, otherwise, to the doctor she's going!

Little Lyndey, 4, the youngest grandchild, is the well one. Let's hope she stays that way!

Marsha McCloskey class taken!

Friday was my class with Marsha McCloskey. Wow, it was great! She is such a nice person and a great teacher. This specific class was on "blended quilts".

You use a variety of florals, big and small, paisleys, toiles, etc., and the parts of the block blend together. It's very hard to explain in a couple of sentences and a very different quilt than I'm accustomed to making. Usually you want contrast in parts of a block, this technique you are trying to achieve blending and the block pattern is secondary most of the time, letting the fabric do the work. In my runner I have low contrast, medium contrast and high contrast blocks and in a large quilt you would want lots of each.

It's really a different type of quilt, very unusual and very interesting. The type of quilt that you stare at and can see lots of things happening in it.

Marsha lectured all morning and then we sewed in the afternoon. After choosing the fabrics for the Ohio Star pattern, which took forever, I finally got three blocks done and made a table runner with them. I loved the suggestion of putting a four patch in the center sometimes, more interest in the block pattern.

It was a fun day and such a learning experience. I was lucky to have had the opportunity to learn from her, thanks to Randa at Prairie Quilt in Hennessey. Whenever you have a chance to take a class from a well-known teacher/quilter, do it!

Paige's First Quilt

Paige's four patch "frog" quilt is all done! She is a great little sewer. I took video of her at each step and it is delightful to watch her.

This is a fuzzy photo, I must get another one of her and her quilt!

I also had her make a label for the back. Just had to have documentation in her handwriting, I think that is so important. In fact, in my local guild I am the one (there's one in every guild) who is always hammering everyone to get a label on their quilts.

Paige Sewing

My six year old granddaughter from Texas spent a week this summer with us. She wanted to sew so we went shopping for fabric and she sewed her first quilt. Paige was very patient and listened to everything I said.

I had her sew without thread on notebook paper for learning how to sew straight lines. She didn't sew over pins, taking them out as she approached them and her seams were very precise! She did a fantastic job and best of all, she wants to do it again next year!

Jake's Quilt

At my grandson Jake's baby shower (before he was born), I provided squares of fabric and pigma pens for the guests to "predict" what occupation he might have when he was an adult. I incorporated the squares in the "Jacob's Ladder" block pattern.

Right now his favorite color is black and I wanted something that wasn't too cutesy, so I thought this turned out pretty good.

By the way, his birthday is next month, he'll be NINE!! Better late than never.

Marsha McCloskey Class!

I just found out that I won a $75 class at one of my favorite quilting stores! Marsha McCloskey is teaching a class on Blended Quilts and I'm so excited to be able to learn from such a gifted teacher/quilter. Fun, Fun!!

The class is this coming Friday so I have to go shopping for fabric soon. And I do hate having to go to the quilt store--yeah, right, you know that's true.

This week will be busy. Tuesday I have my embroidery class, Wednesday, a class on a long-arm quilter and then the Friday class. My mind will be spinning by the weekend!!

Halloween wallhangings done!

Finished the bindings on the Halloween quilts yesterday. I used the BSR (Bernina Stitch Regulator) on the stippling and I really like that thing. Those stitches look so much more uniform than I've done in the past, which is just what it is suppose to do. The more I use it the more I love it.

I also put labels on them a different way. It was quick and easy since you fold the fabric and sew on a corner before you put the binding on it. Check out the photo.

New Look!

Thanks to my computer whiz daughter, I have a new header design and I love it! She found just the right look with the quilt/fabric and the hearts that look like cookies. And pink and brown is my favorite color combination right now. Thanks so much Julie!

Today was another wet, lazy day in Oklahoma. It seemed like a day for a casserole and since I had turkey leftovers, I made turkey tetrazzinni. It was a new recipe and really good. Here it is:

Turkey Tetrazzini

6 slices cooked turkey (1 pound) (I chopped mine)
2/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup oleo
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. sherry
1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms, undrained
1 pkg (7 oz) spaghetti, cooked, drained

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook and stir onion in butter until tender. Blend in flour and seasonings. Remove from heat. Gradually add milk. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Add 2/3 cup of cheese. Add sherry and mushrooms to cheese sauce. Place layer of spaghetti in 12 x 8 inch baking dish. Cover with layer of turkey and layer of sauce. Repeat the layers. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup cheese over top. Bake 25 minutes. Yummy! Add a salad and some hot bread and you're set for a great meal!

Good news on freezer!

The freezer is working. Woo hoo!!! So the door (it's an upright) must have been left ajar. It was a big mess, but no meat was ruined and I'm thankful for that.

Now if we can get the insurance settled on the car accident last week, I'll be a happy camper. Why does everything have to be such an ordeal? I'm ready for things to get back to normal!

I did manage to machine quilt one of the halloween wallhangings and have the binding ready to sew on tomorrow. That new stitch regulator (BSR) is pretty sweet. I did see a posting today of a blog that was very interesting. It's "365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs", by Leah Day. I think I'm going to love it. http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com My goal is to do much more of my own quilting instead of sending the quilts out, so I'm hoping I'll learn a lot of new designs.

New Wallhanging started!

After putting a turkey in the smoker, a roast in the crockpot and cooking up some stew meat, I've decided to steal a few minutes in my sewing room. We still don't know if the freezer is "cooked" or not, as we decided to go ahead and defrost it. Yes, it needed it badly. My neighbors benefited from this calamity also. They both have young kids and were thankful for the extra meat shared with them.

I started a new project (why do I do that, I have several I need to finish!!) and it's "eating my lunch"!! The pattern is "Window on the East". A wallhanging that looks like you're looking through a window. I really liked it, but I didn't really think about the 16 MITERED CORNERS in it. The pattern has 13 pages of instructions. That should have been a clue, too, but of course, I didn't read the pattern before I bought it. I love the fabric I chose, red cardinals, and when it's done, it'll be the one and only, 'cause I'm not making another. I'm determined to finish it though, no matter how long it takes!

What Next?!

After a wonderful weekend with daughter and grandkids from Texas visiting, this evening was the pits!

After having some Blue and Gold sausage delivered from the local FFA, we discovered our freezer went out!! Either that or we left the door ajar. Doesn't matter, the meat was almost all thawed. Tomorrow we'll find out if we need a new freezer or not. Hope not!

So we delivered a bunch of thawed meat to my three sisters and sister-in-law and I've spent the last two hours cooking hamberger. Tomorrow I'll be cooking roasts. At least then I can re-freeze. And we'll be having steaks for supper. Just when I wanted to spend the day quilting!!!

Last week it was the wreck, this week the freezer. They say things happen in threes--I'm afraid of what's coming next. Okay, my husband will freak when he sees this. For some reason, he says I shouldn't even speak those words. As if I have the power to make things happen.

I did take my second lesson on my new machine this morning. These basic lessons are really pretty BASIC, but I think you always learn something when you go to classes. Last week, it was the first thing the instructor said. She said, "Open your accessory box by opening the little legs". What legs???

And of course, they always have something new to show you that you just have to HAVE!! I am NOT a garment maker, but today after seeing the ruffler and gathering feet, I want to try sewing something!! When my daughters were young, I did sew clothing for them. When they hit about third grade and wanted to wear jeans and t-shirts only, I gave up. As far as sewing garments from patterns, I do okay, EXCEPT when the patterns needs adjusting. Not gonna do it. Don't like it, can't do it, and don't want to learn. Let me just make quilts and wall hangings!

Two-Tone Apron

After the "accident" Tuesday, I needed to make sure my machine was okay, so I made the"Two-Tone Apron" from Bernina's website yesterday. It was really a quickie, which I enjoy doing! And to make it even better I used my stash for it. Aprons are sure making a comeback. I'm pretty sloppy in the kitchen, and always grabbing towels, so I plan on wearing them more often! Our grandmothers would certainly be happy. I love the following poem and I'm not sure who wrote it, but I really agree with it.

GRANDMA'S APRON

When I used to visit Grandma. I was very much impressed

by her all-purpose apron, and the power it possessed.

For Grandma, it was everyday to choose one when she dressed.

The strings were tied and freshly washed, and maybe even pressed.

The simple apron that it was, you would never think about;

the things she used it for, that made it look worn out.

She used it for a basket, when she gathered up the eggs,

and flapped it as a weapon, when hens pecked her feet and legs.

She used it to carry kindling when she stoked the kitchen fire.

And to hold a load of laundry, or to wipe the clothesline wire.

She used it for a hot pad, to remove a steaming pan,

and when her brow was heated, she used it for a fan.

It dried our childish tears, when we'd scrape a knee and cry,

and made a hiding place when the little ones were shy.

Farm produce took in season, in the summer, spring and fall,

found its way into the kitchen from Grandma's carry all.

When Grandma went to heaven, God said she now could rest.

I'm sure the apron she chose that day, was her Sunday best.

The machine was fine but I am pretty stiff yet, so taking everyone's advice and going to get checked out by my doctor. Better to be safe than sorry.

Car Accident!

Yesterday started out as a great day. Had my first lesson on my new Bernina, went shopping and was headed out of town. (Dealer is 40 miles from home.)

I was stopped at a stop light when "BOOM", I was rear ended. I wasn't hurt, but my poor Nissan is in bad shape. The estimate is $10,007. My first thought was "Is my machine alright?" I think it is, I'm going to go sew soon to check it out. And it had better be. Thank God, it wasn't in the trunk. I have pictures but they're on my cell phone and I need to transfer. Maybe later I can show you my poor car.

I'm not as sore as I thought I'd be today, but I am a little tight in the neck and shoulder area. I'm sure I'll be fine.

So the day, didn't end as good as it started, but no one was hurt and that's the main thing. Tomorrow I'll get back to quilting and learning more things to do with this blog.

Halloween Wallhangings