STILL PATCHING-A-LITTLE

Just thought I would post a picture of the little medallion quilt with the new birdie! I made yet another in order to have the correct bird in the center. I am getting quite good at making this little quilt. They go together now with my eyes closed. This is #5. Sigh. I really need to move on.
The second photo is of project #2 for Patchalittle. See the little red bird on the branch? This was lots of fun to design. It is approx. 15" x 17". I have got an idea I would like to try for project #3, if I can ever get that far. I still need to finish up on pattern directions for one and two. And no, I still didn't finish cleaning my sewing room. I don't know how Judy L. gets all the quilts designed, stitched, quilted, and then posts directions on her blog for us. She is amazing. But then I say that about so many of you. I just keep plodding along. I will probably come back in my next life as a turtle.
I am waiting for the repairman to come and fix our heat pump unit. We called them Thursday and they finally said they would be out today. It is supposed to be under a policy warranty. I get much better service when I call my regular guy.
Leftovers for dinner tonight, so at least that is not a pressing issue.
OK, I will go to my room and put scraps and things in their appointed place while I wait for this guy. Have a Happy!

EQ6

I have done some stitching this week. I need to get batteries for my camera and then I can show you my new Patchalittle Project. I love it! These digital cameras eat up the batteries, don't they? I prepared directions for my little bird medallion quilt for class. This is the EQ illustration. They have a wonderful new feature in EQ6 where you can just pop a picture from your computer photo file right into a block! I was so thrilled! I took a picture of my little birdie center, clicked the button, and presto change-o, it appears! It is so fun to learn something new that you can use. So much easier than cutting and pasting. I mean literally cutting and pasting! We all did that for years! Now I am making this little quilt for the fifth time! I already made two for gifts and one for me, and one for the shop to display. But now that I have changed the bird I am making another one for the shop. They go together so quickly. Especially whan you have made so many!

I started another little Blackbird Design project last night. It has an alphabet embroidered on it, so that has to be done first. Alma Allen says in the book that she just freehand emboidered it. I didn't have the confidence that I could do that, but I am doing it just fine. It is turning out well. Sometimes I just have to dive in, then I do better than I would have expected. I wonder where all the insecurity comes from?

Sometime, in between these projects that I just can't pull myself away from, I am going to have to clean my sewing room! It is out of control again. I love seeing everyone's work spaces in various conditions. Mine tends to get buried, but I can handle that for only so long. After a few months it gets to me. Ha! My husband has this joke about closing the door and pretending it is a closet. We are there.

SIGNATURE BLOCKS

I picked up a Quilt It for Keepsakes magazine this weekend, and surprise! It has a couple of nice signature quilts in it! There is no date on the cover, so it must be a special edition. I EQed one of the blocks for you. I wonder if it is the same one that Patti mentioned? I thought this was a really cool setting. The block is so simple, especially if you need to make a ton of them.
While at Jo-Ann Fabrics I noticed that they carry that cute little iron that I showed a while ago. It is the same price as the LQS, $9.99, but if you have a coupon... Lightbulb moment: they also have regular sized irons that you could use a coupon on. Hmmm.

I made a really easy TACO SOUP this weekend. I thought I would share the recipe. It is one of those things that you can throw together in five minutes, and you could easily have all the ingredients on hand. The recipe comes from my aunt in Arizona.


EASY TACO SOUP
In a large saucepan combine:
2 cans (13-3/4 oz) chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 jar(11-1/2 oz) Pace Thick & Chunky Salsa
1 can Mexican style corn (11 oz) drained
Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Pour into bowls and top with Crushed tortilla chips, grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream, if you wish. Sooo yummy!

A NEW BIRD ON THE BLOCK

Not a very clear picture, but at least you can get an idea of the bird I came up with to go in the center of the Medallion Doll Quilt for my class next week. (Remember the bird I originally used was not my own). The shop is doing up kits for the class, so that makes it easy for people. It seems like everyone loves kits lately. I love it when they make them for my designs because then I sell patterns! February is always a good month because of the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival. The local quilt shops get lots of people coming through on their way to the show.
I have a new little project for my Patchalittle class in February. It is still under construction, but by next week I have to have it finished to show the class. My friend, Joan, saw it yesterday and got all excited, so that is a good sign! The past couple of weeks seem to have moved in slow motion, as I was not feeling well. But I think I am about back to normal, which is to say I am more sluggish, but not is slow motion. No, really, I feel lots better! I actually went grocery shopping and cooked a meal!
Did I mention that I got a perm last week? I haven't had one in years, but my hair is so straight and so flat that I thought I would give it a try again. I looked pretty funny for the first week, but I think it is finally calming down. It actually looks ok now. By the end of the month it will probably be flat again. I can't win, I know that, but every once in a while I try. Have a good weekend everyone!

RESURFACING

I have had a yukky week. I was feeling better after my trip, then BAM, I got hit with a head cold. So my week has progressed slowly. Yesterday my husband made me leave the house and we went for lunch at Bubbas, a local seafood place on the bay. It was actually nice enough to sit out on the deck to eat, although it was quite breezy. But still, we are Minnesotans, and to sit outside in January is rather unheard of. I opened the widows at home in hopes of eliminating all my coughing germs. Nice to feel some fresh air. I am still on the nightly Nyquil routine, so my energy is lacking during the day. I know, it's only a cold and will pass. Thank Heavens!

I actually did some sewing yesterday. I have bounced around the blogs a bit and saw what Tonya and Bonnie were doing on their retreat. Such fun! So on the spur of the moment, I pulled a scrap box of florals out and started jamming. Not nearly as vibrant as what they were doing, but it was sure fun to do. No concentrating on blocks turning out just right, just totally free form. This is a fun project for when my brain is OTL. Actually, that is quite often the case.

I also got a kick out of Judy's blog showing her design wall. I agree, a bigger wall would be nice. My projects are getting laid out on the floor currently. But the wall shows WISPs that I really need to work on, so I leave them up to remind me. Life so often interrupts. Can you see my little bitty iron there? It is a new purchase and I love it. It is only about 6 inches big and perfect for pressing little pieces. Plus the whole big iron doesn't have to heat up the joint.
I have also been playing with my EQ6. My first thought upon loading the program to the computer was, "I think I am too old to keep learning new tricks". But after spending a good part of the day experimenting with it, I can say, "I know I am too old to learn new tricks". Really, I will need lots of training, but there is some really cool stuff on there. My work is cut out for me, so to speak.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Goodbye Arizona, hello Virginia! (That's the desert waving goodbye to me). I am finally back home! We had a great Christmas holiday with our four kids and six grandkids, my Dad, and other relatives. Also Lisa, our Hong Kong "granddaughter", was with us. Lisa took the cactus photo, actually. She has lots of desert photos to share with those back home in HK.

Unfortunately, some of us did get sick, and I am still feeling the effects of some flu bug. It never fails--we always seems to get sick at Christmas. Ugh!

I haven't been on the computer for almost a month and I have a lot of blog hopping to catch up on. I also am anxious to get back into my sewing room and "create"! So many ideas are spinning in my head that I really need to focus and decide where to start...and in some cases finish! I am doing a series of classes at the local quilt shop this spring that I am calling "Patchalittle Projects". (Remember my pattern company is Patchalot Patterns?) I have a project for January, the little medallion quilt I posted a while back, but I have to design a new center for it because I borrowed a bird from Jo Morton and obviously I can't give her design away. Then I have two more little projects to create for February and March. I always have lots of ideas that I want to do, but it is always a puzzle knowing what will go as a class. I found an interesting little doll quilt (blue and white) on a really cool website today. I love getting ideas from old quilts, so maybe something there will inspire me. Check it out, if you like. http://www.quiltstudy.org/about_us/index.html

Now I need to run some errands and accomplish something today. It will take me several days to catch up on everyone's blog.I look forward to seeing what you have been doing. Happy New Year!