Catching Up

It's been a few days since I last wrote.   Hope everything is going good for you.

I've been working on the log cabin quilt.  I was going to wait until I finished it to share it; but I took a picture of the fabrics I'm using, earlier in the cutting stage, and thought I would share them with you.  I think it is going to turn out pretty.

The log cabin has a chain running through it.  The chain is done with the red fabric.

The larger piece, shown at the bottom of the picture, is the backing.

I plan to use the "quilt as you go" method. That way, when I'm finished sewing the blocks together, all I will have to do is bind it and label it.

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The interview I had on Tuesday went well ~ just waiting on the result.  I will know, by next Friday, if I am hired or not.

I'll consider it a good thing either way.

It will be good if I get the job, but if I don't, I will consider it practice for the next interview; since it had been several years from the last time I interviewed for a job.  :)

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Yesterday, I spent most of the day with my parents.   We went to a new antique & flea market shop, for me anyway, and I found an oil lamp I like.  It is not antique or vintage but it is made in the USA and I like the style.  Plus, it only cost $7.  :)

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Today, I tried something new.

I have several knit patterns for dish cloths, afghans and such but am not a knitter.  I have tried knitting with needles in the past with no success.

However, I can crochet.  

I found the Knook!  Knitting with a crochet hook.  Go figure.

So, I followed the beginner instructions, practiced a little bit and then took the leap.

Here is the beginning of an eternity scarf I am knitting.

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I think I'm caught up now, on what's been going on in my world.


Until next time,

God bless and keep you,
Sonia

Come on Spring!

This month is almost over and I'm ready for Spring.  

I was in Hobby Lobby earlier buying fabric for the Log Cabin w/Chain quilt, I've mentioned in previous blogs.   While I was there, I bought items to make this wreath.  I thought it would be nice to hang on my front door welcoming or wishing Spring to be here soon.  :)

I've been ready for Spring, since my hubby gave me my Valentine card.  It had Spring flowers on it.  :)

I read a quote today that I thought would fit in with today's blog.

"If spring came but once in a century instead of once a year, or burst forth with the sound of an earthquake, and not in silence, what wonder and expectation there would be in all hearts to behold the miraculous change.~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow"

God bless and keep you,

Sonia

Hungry Hook Primitives: Second Annual Anniversary Giveaway

Hungry Hook Primitives: Second Annual Anniversary Giveaway: Well gals, running true to form, I am again late getting you the details for my big spring giveaway, but alas, it is indeed underway , so le...

I thought to myself...

This morning I woke to rolling thunder.

I've always like the sound of thunder.   I knew though, that it was not an ordinary thunder shower.  

It was a thunder, rain/sleet shower.  Yesterday it snowed all day, then through the night and this morning rain/sleet, with temperatures at freezing or below.  

Since I didn't get out much yesterday or today, for that matter, I took care of a few fabric scraps.

At my last quilt guild meeting one of my friends showed a love quilt, that I thought was just too cute.  :)  She mentioned that each time she finishes a quilt; she takes the scraps and cuts them into 2" squares.   The quilt she showed had some of the 2" squares she has collected over time.  

I thought to myself, I need to so that with my scrap fabrics.

I have a small tub of scrap fabrics (my scrap tub).   I took a big handful of scraps out of my scrap tub and decided I would cut them down to 3" and 2" squares.

I started with cutting 3" squares and got quite a few from this first batch.

Then I took the squares and put them together in groups for quilt tops.  I came up with three different groups and as I go through the rest of the scrap tub, I will add to them or create new groups.

What do you do with your fabric scraps?

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I received a call for a job interview today.  

It will happen next week.  

The interview will be my first, since my layoff.

☻☻☻

That's all I have this evening.

Hope you have a fantastic Friday!

God bless and keep you,

Sonia

Lil' Izzy...

Here is lil' Izzy the Iguana.  He was suppose to be an alligator but since I used a light green and dark green yarn, his coloring is more like a lizard of some sort, thus his name.

I will make another in a solid color and it will be more like a lil' gator. :)

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This evening the Logan County PieceMakers had their monthly meeting.   It was good to see everyone again.   The last time we met was in December, due to the weather being bad in January.

There were several quilts and quilt tops shown.  All beautiful of course. :)   

The program given this evening was on a new way to baste a quilt, using boards.  Now I know you are wondering, boards?...  so I looked up on YouTube and found a video by Sharon Schamber.

 I think this method would work great for tying a quilt too.

Here is the quilt we will be giving away this Fall.   Tickets for this quilt will be available in March.  It is a beautiful quilt and this picture does not do it justice.

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That's all I have for now.

Until next time, 

God bless and keep you,

Sonia

What would you do?

This morning I woke with a recipe running through my mind.  I wondered if it would be good.  So I got up and started making it, writing the ingredients down as I went.   It turned out tasty.

Oatmeal Apricot Muffins

1. 1 cup oats
2. 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3. 1/2 cup all purpose flour
4. 1 teaspoon salt
5. 1 teaspoon baking powder
6. 1/3 cup sugar
7. 2/3 cup brown sugar
8. 3/4 cup milk
9. 1/4 cup vegetable oil
10. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11. 1 heaping tablespoon apricot preserves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a bowl mix the dry ingredients 1-5 and mix well.  In a separate bowl mix ingredients 6-11 and mix well, adding this wet mixture to the dry mixture.  Mix well and then fill greased or lined muffin tins with batter to about 3/4 full.  Back for 15-17 minutes.   Let cool in pan about 5 minutes, then turn out on to rack to cool rest of the way.   I think this recipe would work good with other fruit, preserves or jams (peach, apple, raisin, banana) too.

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This afternoon, I planned out the fabrics I will need for the log cabin quilt I plan to start next week.

I am going to quilt it, as I go, one block at a time.

It is going to be a log cabin with a chain.   The blocks will 9" square when finished and it will be a full size quilt when I'm done.

I will be making it in variations of blue with the chain being a contrasting color, I'm leaning toward an antique white.

The only thing I have left to decide, is if I will make it a scrappy quilt, using the blues I have in my fabric stash, or if I want to buy fabric.  Again, I'm leaning toward the fabrics I have in my stash.

What would you do?

God bless and keep you,

Sonia

Cookies, Treasures and Quilts

Oh the smell of cookies baking... yum.  :)  

I baked sugar cookies last night and pulled my last batch out of the oven around 10 p.m.  The smell of baking cookies, cakes and bread is one of my favorites.

Each year the WMU (Women's Missionary Union) in my church (First Baptist of Paris, AR) hands out cookies to the widows and widowers.  This year we added the singles.  

So several of us ladies baked cookies.  All kinds of cookies ~ macaroons, oatmeal raisin, sugar, chocolate chip and peanut butter, that I can remember.  

This morning they were bagged up with name tags and will be delivered to the recipients Sunday morning during Sunday School.

I think this is a sweet way to let them know they are loved.  :)

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at an time.  If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us. ~ 1 John 4:10-12

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Going to flea markets, antique shops, and craft booths is one of the fun things I like to do from time to time.  This morning was one of those times.  So I went to a shop, one of my friends owns ~ Sabrina's.   Here are the treasures I found.

A hand blown solid glass blue bird of happiness, signed by artist Ron Ray 1989.  

I've always like these cute little things.

He is now sitting on a shelf in front of two of my McCoy pitcher and bowl sets.

Then I found this neat little item.  It is a vintage cut crystal table lighter with frosted roses.

I no longer smoke, but thought this was a neat looking item.  So it now sits with my other crystal items.


As I was searching I spotted this.  An old corset.  

Sabrina told me it was from one of her great-relatives.  I can't remember if it was her great-aunt or great-grandmother (?), anyway we discussed it and she told me that she felt it was hand sewn as her relative sewed all of her own clothes.  This item has definitely been around for some time.  I didn't purchase this item, but I figure the right person will come along and it will find a new home.  :)

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I finished the Grandmother's Garden quilt, I mentioned in my last post.   I think it turned out very pretty.  It is close to a full size.  In this picture it is on a queen sized bed and covers most of the top but doesn't drape over.

I added a dark green border then backed it with a pretty fabric.  I used the backing as the binding as well and it frames out the dark green border nicely.

I tied this quilt as the flowers are hand pieced.  I didn't want to take a chance with my machine pulling the hand stitches out.

I'm glad to have this finished.  It has been hanging over my head for quite some time.  I knew I needed to do something with it and finish it out, but kept putting it off.  Now, I can move on to my next quilt without this one weighing on my mind. :)

Well, that's all I have for this evening.

Here's wishing you wonderful weekend!

God bless and keep you,

Sonia