Four Seasons Holiday Swap

Revealed here is the quilt and ornament I made recently for Jeanie Wiggs in the 4 Seasons Holiday Swap hosted by Margaret. It was great fun making fabric choices for the quilted gifts and now I'd like to make a version for myself. It will probably have to wait until my Christmas vacation as I'm pretty busy with work at school right now. Making the crazy quilt portion of the ornaments forced me to sort out most of my embroidery supplies, so I am getting anxious to get back into making this style ornament.

Check out the Flickr group pictures to see more of the lovely quilts in the swap.

(Click on the image for a close up view of the CQ stitching)

I did get the idea to submit the quilt photo to my school's Artsonia page and have some Christmas cards made up for my husband and I to send out this year. They will have the quilt image centered on the front and it will be surrounded with blue snowflakes. The cards will probably arrive at my house on Monday and I will post a picture soon.

Featherweight For My Mom

For several years my mom has been hoping to run across a Singer 221 at a yard sale. She doesn't have to hunt anymore, because now she has one! About a month ago, my generous friend decided to give my mom a vintage featherweight. We had her close her eyes and sit on the couch while we took it out of the case and set it on the coffee table.

There are just a few little missing parts to search for on e-bay, but it is in good working order and sews a very flat even seam, so she's really happy with it. The case was in very good condition and it is one of the boxes with the lift out tray. My own featherweight did not have a case with it, so I carry it around in a soft sided carrier that's like a black shoulder bag. For now that works, but I'd eventually like to find an original case.

Clues About 4 Seasons Christmas Quilt Swap

I'm excited to hear when my 4 seasons swap partner receives her Christmas quilt package! I sent it off earlier in today's mail. Hopefully it doesn't take long for it to arrive at her doorstep. I think she may live somewhere very near Chicago.

It turned out that I made her goodies all fit inside a Christmas stocking.

When I wrapped the package I tied on a handmade crazy quilt ornament to finish off the gift.

Perhaps I could give just a clue, but I have disguised the look by giving the photo a sepia tone.

When I hear that she has actually opened her box, I will definitely post more photos.

Black Friday Shopping Spree

Black Friday Shopping Spree
Originally uploaded by quilterinagarden

The Friday after Thanksgiving Sale at the Quilt Corner in Sparta was not to be missed!

It was a great event this year. We were in and out of the store fairly quickly compared to other years in the past. It is fun to get ready to go to the sale. To get the best discount you have to get dressed like you're going to bed. We also brought along mittens and food donations. This year I went with a carload of others. I took my mom, and my friends Debby and Shelly. After the big sale, we all went out for pizza. We were still in our PJs. Two other tables got filled with quilters, so we felt right at home.

Christmas Mini Quilt Swap

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Here's a special little slide show to let everyone know how wonderful my new Christmas quilt looks in our home. Press the play button and enjoy the show. When the cursor is on the slide some magic stars get sprinkled on the screen. Many thanks to Phyllis for her lovely work and dedication to this fine project and cute, coordinating ornament! I love it!

More Details of Christmas Mini Quilt

I'm getting even more inspired on this little quilt that I am making for Margaret's Christmas mini quilt swap. It is a secret project I will be sending out to my partner soon. I did work directly from a pattern I had at home called "Delightful" by Sandy Gervais. I love her fabrics and patterns that she designs for Moda and her pattern company Pieces From My Heart.

Previously I had made a cute table runner for Christmas called Table Attire and I just love the cheerful look during the whole holiday time. I changed the pattern just a bit, when I modified the 3 ornaments with crazy patch piecing.

What's for Supper? Taco Bake

If you'd be interested in another recipe swap, Amy of Park City Girl is doing a blog swap of family dinner recipes.

Here's a recipe everyone in the family seems to enjoy. We made it for several evening meals this summer and had it for lunch once. It is came to me from my sister. With a few subtle modifications, even my husband liked it. I needed to disguise the sour cream and the bean have to be sprinkled only over the part of the dish, but those things are easy to change.

Taco Bake
1 to 1.5.lbs of lean ground beef
1 small onion chopped
1 can black beans
1 package of taco seasoning (I used Ortega)
½ cup water
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
Shredded romain lettuce
Chopped fresh grape tomatoes

Brown beef with onion until done. Add water, black beans and seasoning. Pour meat mixture into a 9x13 pan. Top with sour cream, cheese and crushed chips. Bake 18 to 22 min at 375 degrees. Top with lettuce and tomatoes and serve immediately.