Tuesday, October 31, 2017

The 27 Ingredient Chili


Are you looking for a good chili recipe? One that will feed a crowd?? Look no further!

I discovered this recipe many years ago when I was reading a cozy mystery, The 27 Ingredient Chili Con Carne Murders by Nancy Pickard. The recipe was in the book.

Yes, there are 27 ingredients. But it's not hard to make - just a bit of chopping. And it makes a ton of chili!

I hadn't made it in years and couldn't find my copy of the recipe, but I found it HERE. This chili is SO GOOD! I made this batch last week. It freezes really well - I put most of it in the freezer for Iron Bowl weekend. We've found it makes for a fun evening to let your guests try to guess all the ingredients. Eat and enjoy!

Monday, October 30, 2017

My New Love....



Here I was last night...hand basting that lovely linen piece I showed you. Yes, the fire is going in the background. I am loving doing this! Forget about the appliqué...I just love this process!


And here is the other side with the navy Grunge. I love the way it looks on both sides, even without doing the appliqué. Wouldn't this be beautiful as a bedspread???? Just like this???? It's so soft and luscious. Hmmm..... My wheels are spinning and lightbulbs are going off in my head. I want to buy yards of natural linen and keep stitching. But for today, I simply need to buy another spool of button and craft thread - mine is almost gone and I really want to work on this today.

We were lucky enough to have both daughters around here this weekend - always puts a smile on my face!

Enjoy your day!

Sunday, October 29, 2017

New Quilting Project



Have you seen this Edyta Sitar subtle print? It's an appliqué layout. I have a sweet friend who was getting rid of a few things...yes, I'll take it!



  


I decided to go simple and use only one fabric - a navy Grunge. I'm rather excited about this! I have put the Grunge on the backside, facing out. I'll make the front of the piece the real backside and use the appliqué placement lines to baste along.... Today I'll begin the basting.


It's a chilly morning around here and little Mickey is enjoying the fire. We are enjoying it, too!

Friday, October 27, 2017

Pulling Fabric



Yesterday I pulled some fabrics for a new project or two. I kept this pile out on the coffee table overnight hoping for inspiration. And this morning I think I've figured it out! Yay!



Last night while Hubby was watching sports... I headed back to the bedroom to watch Project Runway...with my two buddies.


I think they slept through the best parts. But I enjoyed it.

Have a wonderful day!



Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Dress Questions....


I'm finding it interesting that I have received exponentially more views from recent posts of dresses I've made than on my quilting! I've gotten lots of questions, so here are the answers.

What is the pattern for the knit dress?
Simplicity 8383

Where did you get the fabric?
I ordered it on-line at www.marcytilton.com. She has a gorgeous selection of knit fabrics (and other garment fabrics, as well).

Was it hard to sew with knits?
No, it wasn't bad at all. I did use a 'stretch' needle.

I can make quilts, but have never made a garment. Would this be an easy pattern to make?
Yes! The instructions are very good. If you've never made a garment, just know that the seam allowance should be 5/8 inch instead of the 1/4 inch we use in quilting.

As you can see above, I stitched the stars on top of the circles to finish these blocks...ready for the vase!

Have a nice day!

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Black Bean and Smoked Sausage Soup


Last night I worked on appliquéing the circles. These are fun! Yes, I did some nine patches during the day, but I can't show them to you yet. #secretproject

Yesterday I concocted  a soup recipe from my pantry. And it was so good! I want to save the recipe so I'm going to share it here and then I can pin it.

Black Bean and Smoked Sausage Soup

3 cans black beans (I drained the juice from 2 of the cans, but not the 3rd)
2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (or one packet)
1 package smoked sausage (we like Conecuh brand), sliced thinly

Put all ingredients in a large pot or dutch oven. Bring to boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. If you need more liquid, add a cup of water. 

Not sure what I'll sew today, but I'll sew something...
Enjoy your day!


Monday, October 23, 2017

Another Dress Completed


Ta Dah! This was quick and easy! I still have to hem it, but that won't take long.


You can see that I used a coordinating fabric for the back and sleeves. It's very comfortable and fits well.

It is POURING rain this morning, making it a great day to stay in a sew. I think I'll work on some nine patches that are waiting for me...

Happy Monday!

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Circles are Ready...



Yesterday I wanted to prepare these circles for appliqué...and I did! Edges are turned under and pressed. These are ready to appliqué to the little backgrounds for the next Bring Me Flowers block. This goes to show...a little bit of progress each day can go a long way.


While I was sitting still watching football I decided to polish my nails. Do you think this is too bold and dark? My kids have convinced me that it's 'in'. The color looks navy here, but it's really a deep teal. I think I like it????


Here's a shot of my three fellows...the four legged ones want to lick the bowl. Typical.

Enjoy your day!





Saturday, October 21, 2017

The New Dress


I thought you'd like to see the pattern for the dress I started this week. This is Simplicity 8383. I'm making the version on the model. I liked this pattern because of the 'cold shoulder' sleeves and the fact that the bottom of the dress flares out a bit from the body. I also like that the sleeves come almost to the elbow, covering my arm flab. Haha! I am a smaller size in the chest and shoulders than I am on the bottom so I cut out the dress accordingly. Maybe I will find time this weekend to finish it - I don't have much left!

I love to watch Project Runway and every season I feel inspired to sew garments, but I never actually do it. I'm so glad I'm actually doing it now!

Speaking of clothing, recently I went to a CAbi party. Are you familiar with CAbi clothing? I wasn't, but I fell in love with them! The quality is fabulous and the designs are so cute. I ended up ordering 4 pieces and I got them yesterday.


The sleeveless blouse can be worn alone (with the camisole under it), or it can be worn under the pullover sweater with the cute collar sticking out, or it can be worn under the long cardigan. The two sweaters will also mix and match with other items I already own. I feel like I have a new wardrobe!

Yesterday I had coffee with some friends in the am. And then I hit a wall. This week was busier than I had expected and I was tired. I sat and relaxed all afternoon - except for walking Cooper. Today I want to prepare the next Bring Me Flowers block for hand stitching. And that's it! A slower paced day is what I need!

Enjoy your day!

Friday, October 20, 2017

Dress Progress and Guild Meeting


I worked on this dress yesterday. The neck is finished and the front and back completely sewn. I only have to finish the sleeves and hem.

Last night was our guild meeting - here are a couple of my favorites from show and tell....

   



Our program was the shop owner of Sunday Best, from Georgia. She is all about coming up with new ideas for products and has invented cool stencils that help in making lots of half square triangle quickly.


She brought several quilts and patterns using half square triangles.



She found this pattern on an antique quilt - Seven Dancing Sisters - and came up with the idea of using English Paper piecing to make it. Paper Pieces is now manufacturing the paper pieces for this at her request.


Yes, I fell in love with this pattern when I saw it! But I think I will hand piece it inset of using papers. 

When I first moved to Auburn over five years ago (!), I thought I would hate evening guild meetings - we had them in the morning in Birmingham. But I've found that I love them in the evening. Even driving home after dark isn't too bad because it's not a long drive and not much traffic. 

This has turned out to be a busy week - I'm pooped and ready for the weekend!!! TGIF!

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Dress Cut!


I did get the dress cut out yesterday. This will be a casual knit dress with 'cold shoulder' sleeves. The front of the dress will be the fabric on the left. The back of the dress will be the fabric on the right. This plan was out of necessity: I only had one yard of each fabric. That wasn't enough to make a dress from one single fabric. These two knits go so well together so I think it will be cool. Hope so!

Late in the afternoon I went to Walmart for a grocery pickup I'd order earlier in the day. All went well, except when I came home I found the doggies had eaten their weight in doggy treats. UGH! I had left the laundry room door open and Cooper managed to reach them. I think he brought a few to Mickey, too. What a pair! 

Now that we're have cooler weather, I'm craving something hearty and hot. So I've got a beef stew in the slow cooker. 

I think I'll spend the day doing some machine piecing. Have a wonderful day!

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Another Block!


I finished this block last night - I love it! I can tell Fall is here, not only by how cool it is this morning, but also because the light is changing...hence the poor photograph. It looks so much better in person! I think I'll have to find a new spot to photograph during Fall and Winter.

I'm still trudging away on my 'secret' computer project and it seems to take away from my sewing time. But I still try to sew some every single day.

I cooked a shrimp dish last night and it was really terrible. I thought I was adding garlic powder, but added garlic salt instead. It was WAY too salty! But Hubby ate it without complaining and I managed to get it down, too. But it was pretty disgusting. It happens sometimes.

Today I think I'll cut out another dress. I'll be using a different pattern and some pretty knit fabric I have on hand. And maybe I'll work on one of my piecing projects? Sounds like a plan!

Have a great one!


Monday, October 16, 2017

A Kitty Cat Vase


I didn't stitch long yesterday, but I did make the flower vase for the block I'm working on. Yes, that's Tula Pink - love the kitty! As you may remember, I'm making all the flower units from one jellyroll of fabric. But I need a bigger piece of fabric for the vases, so I'm having fun picking bright, fun prints from my stash.


In the late afternoon we took Cooper for a walk on campus. Cooper, that's Samford Hall in the distance.


Cooper, this is Langdon Hall where Mom and Dad had their first date - free movie night! Don't step on that big medallion coming up or your won't graduate.


There's a jujitsu demonstration going on! And one of the instructors just had to say hello to Cooper.



And Cooper, this is Toomer's Corner and that the place where you get the fantastic lemonade.

Cooper loved his campus tour. And we enjoyed it, too.

Have a great day!

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Another Little Flower


My football stitching yesterday was another little flower block. Now I'm ready to make the little vase/pot that will go with them. Hopefully today?

We are so thankful that a cold front has come through. It makes walking Cooper much more pleasant. The heat and humidity down here can be just plain awful. But this week should be much nicer.

Someone commented recently on how much I get done. But I rarely sew for more than an hour or two a day. It's amazing what you can get done in little pockets of time if you are consistent.

Okay peeps, have a wonderful day!

Saturday, October 14, 2017

Friday Night Lights



Last night we drove into the sunset...


...for a high school football game. Our son-in-law is one of the coaches of this team. They got a BIG win! Fun night!


What I have to show for yesterday? I got a little carried away at Ulta. I don't wear makeup often, but when I do.... Everything I owned was old. So I splurged on EVERYTHING new. Sometimes you just have to throw out the old and bring in the new. And boy, did I!

I did sew a bit yesterday on some nine patches, but I didn't get a picture.

Today I'm a bit exhausted. We didn't go to bed until almost 1 am, but of course the doggies were ready to get up at their regular time this morning. There is definitely a nap coming up in my day...zzzz


Friday, October 13, 2017

Playing with Blocks


I don't have a lot to show for the last couple of days. We ran some errands. A friend came from out of town. And I didn't sew in the evenings. But I did lay out the Bring Me Flowers blocks to see how they would look. Did I mention that I made all the four patches several weeks ago? These four patches will have curved pieces appliquéd to them before the blocks are stitched together.

I still have lots of blocks to make, but it was fun to play for a few minutes.

Today I think I'll work on some nine patches for another project. And watch last night's Project Runway!

Have a nice day!

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

A Farmer's Daughter - FINISHED!


I finished binding A Farmer's Daughter last night!  I'll throw it in the washer and dryer today to get it nice and soft. I love the way it turned out, nice and scrappy with pops of orange. This was fun to make with all the hand piecing. And it went faster than I expected.

Thanks so much for the kind words about my Kaffe Fassett dress - still cannot believe how many hits my blog got yesterday! 

In addition to the binding, I pressed in the hem for the dress - just have to run a seam along the bottom and it will be finished, too. Boom and Boom!

So what up for today? I think I'll work on another little unit for Bring Me Flowers. Sounds like a plan!

Have a good one!




Tuesday, October 10, 2017

My New Kaffe Fassett Dress!


As promised, here is my finished dress. Okay, it's not quite finished - I still have to hem it.
Excuse my bare feet and mussed hair!

I had just about given up on garment sewing. I never liked the final fit. Or the piece looked too 'homemade.' It just seemed to be a waste of time and money.

But I have to say, I LOVE this dress! The fit is perfect - I made a size L. By the way, this is a Vogue pattern, V9112. I plan to hem it by the end of the week. I could even wear it in the Fall with a navy cardigan. I think my favorite part is the collar. The only unfortunate thing is the fabric placement, with that big circle right in the middle like a bullseye - hahahahah!

I did make one change in the pattern. I noticed that the backside of the fabric would show on the inside of the collar. For many fabrics (batiks, knits) this wouldn't matter, but for this Kaffe Fassett fabric I knew it would. So I cut out 2 collars and sewed them together (right sides together) and then continued on with the pattern. This worked beautifully.

Last night my fingers were itching to do something while TV watching - so I finally began hand stitching the binding on I'm A Farmer's Daughter. Hope to finish in the next day or two...

Enjoy your day!

Monday, October 9, 2017

Nate Was Nice




Nate wasn't so bad. We had lots of rain and a little wind, but no harm done here. We are still getting rain today, but that just means another day to hand sew, work on my computer project, and maybe watch a movie. I'm almost done with another little  unit. I hope to finish it today.



I took this photo a couple of days ago during a walk with Cooper. We counted 53 geese. So beautiful!

Have a wonderful day!

Saturday, October 7, 2017

It's Almost a Dress!


 I'm making progress. I only have one more curved piece to stitch in place and then I'll be ready to finish the arm holes and add the collar. If you noticed that gathered spot at the bottom...it's supposed to be there.


Here's what it will look like. The details will not be very visible with this busy fabric, but if I like the way it fits I plan to make it a more simple knit. Cute pattern, isn't it? I wonder if my daughters would like one, of course in a more sophisticated, work appropriate fabric.



Dinner last night: frozen supreme pizza. I rearrange it before it goes in the oven because Hubby doesn't like pepper and olives and I do! We are both happy - haha!

We have another hurricane headed toward us. Nate is not as strong as the last one, but this time we are on the 'bad' side. It's expected to be here tonight and tomorrow. 

Hope you have some relaxing time today...












Friday, October 6, 2017

Another Flower


I got back to Bring Me Flowers yesterday - yay me! First I made this little diamond unit.




And then I appliquéd it to the unit. These are cute, aren't they. I need to make 2 more of the little units to make one block.


Hubby and I went out to lunch. I looked down and realized my clothing totally matched the napkin at the restaurant - I fit right in!

So what's up  today? I would like to sew a couple more seams on that dress. And make another little flower unit. And I really want to find a small pile of blocks I made years ago - I have an idea for them, if and when I find them - haha! I know they're here somewhere...

TGIF!

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Quick Meals


I did sew some on the dress yesterday. I'm making progress!

Since I'm busy with this October non-sewing project and don't have much sewing to share...I thought I'd write a post on quick meals today. We all have those nights when we need a fast meal, don't we?

Have you ever eaten corned beef hash? I just dump this in a lightly oiled skillet and crisp it up. Serve with scrambled eggs and toast - delicious and fast!


These Chile Lime Chicken Burgers from Trader Joe's are a good option - another fast one. Try Trader's Joe's frozen Butter Chicken individual meals, too - so yummy!


And here's another one - frozen burritos. Only 310 calories! I zap them in the microwave and serve them with salsa and a salad.

Okay, I know it's not that cooked-from-scratch, full-of-fresh-vegetables, home-cooked-goodness. BUT, for busy days everyone needs a few quick meals in their wheel house! I hope this gives you a few ideas.

I've got my list of three thing to do made for today - and it includes working on a quilt!!!! Yippee!

Have a great day!