Blushing Peonies, Dahlias, and Kale--Oh, My!

My latest quilting project uses a beautiful fabric line by Moda called Blushing Peonies. The focus fabric showcases peonies, of course, in vibrant shades of deep coral, charcoal gray, and apple green. 

I am using a simple pattern with blocks large enough to feature the focus fabric as well as the companion fabrics. Here you can take a peek at some of the blocks sewn together ready for the borders. 

Pattern: "Take a Walk Around the Block" from Take 5: Quilts from Just 5 Fabrics by Kathy Brown

The inner border will be a lighter coral, and I'm using the focus fabric for the outer border and binding. 

I'm eager to add the borders and finish the quilt top, but today was a beautiful day with sunshine and temperatures in the 70's. I took a break from my sewing machine to travel with my husband to a greenhouse about 30 minutes away from where we live. This greenhouse is our go-to place for herbs, vegetables, and flowers for our garden and yard. However, this weekend at the greenhouse included a special festival with music, craft vendors, and food booths. The many blooming plants were simply a feast for the eyes.

And these ladies came to the festival dressed for fun!

My husband and I had a delicious lunch, viewed all the crafts, tasted homemade pesto made from local basil, and came home with some ready-to-bloom dahlias. 

In addition, we will add another variety of kale to the varieties already planted in our garden. One of my favorite spring treats is a kale salad made with freshly harvested kale, sliced almonds, shaved parmesan cheese, and dried cranberries. Yum!

Tomorrow may be a rainy day where I live, so I may again be at my sewing machine for the afternoon working with flowers on fabric as I put the borders on the blushing peonies quilt top. 

I have received no compensation for the mention of companies, patterns, or fabrics in this blog post. All opinions are my own.

Quilt 'Til You Wilt Days and A Few Other Favorite Things

I just love those days when I wake up with nothing on my schedule. After a leisurely breakfast followed by a steaming cup of my favorite tea, I decide what I want to do for the day. 

Most often, on these "free" days, I choose to quilt. Because I have the whole day in front of me, I can "quilt 'til I wilt." (I borrowed that phrase from a quilt shop, Tiny Stitches, in Marietta, Georgia. An eight hour group sewing day called "Quilt 'Til You Wilt" is offered once a week at this shop.) I have had a few of these quilt 'til you wilt days at my own sewing machine in recent weeks, and the product of those days is a quilt top that is about 3/4 complete. The quilt consists of just three fabrics and some whopping 18 inch blocks. Here you will see a partial view of my mostly completed quilt top featuring some of my favorite colors.

Pattern: Dream On designed by Jocelyn Ueng from Quiltmaker March/April 2013

I paused in my quilting to travel for a long weekend. My husband and I drove a little more than two hours to a neighboring state. Our main reason for choosing this particular weekend was to hear our favorite singer/songwriter, Peter Mayer. Peter is from Minnesota, but just once in a while he travels to perform in the southeast. We try to catch his concerts when they are within a few hours of where we live. The lyrics to his songs range from inspiring to nostalgic to funny. He is a master on the guitar, and his voice is engaging and quite pleasant, like no other songwriter I've heard. Below is a sampling of Peter's work, a song he wrote called "Dorothy's Pie" from his CD Novelties. The song references a true story about his mom and dad, and it is one of my favorites. My husband spoke to Peter during the intermission and unbeknownst to me requested this song, knowing it was a favorite of mine. During the second half of the concert, Peter honored the request, and so I was able to hear him sing it in person, much to my delight!

Among the activities during our long weekend was a visit to Congaree National Forest. As you may know from previous posts, visiting national parks is one of my favorite parts of traveling. We didn't know quite what to expect since this newer national park is smaller and not very well-known. We were pleasantly surprised as we walked a 2.5 mile boardwalk through beautiful vistas of trees and water. 

Several rivers drain into this area causing flooding at least once a year. It was interesting to see trees that flourish in this environment and to learn about the benefits of the flooding that bring necessary nutrients to this wilderness area. 

We chose a good time of year to visit this particular national park. Because of the abundance of water and the heat during the summer months, mosquitoes can be a major problem in the park. We were glad that the posted mosquito meter was only at a "1" during our visit in early March.

Back home now from my long weekend away, it's time to think about spring, one of my favorite seasons (the other favorite being fall). Even though it is not officially spring, the daffodils in our yard are in full bloom. 

Just like this time last year, the snap peas, lettuce, spinach, and broccoli are planted in our garden, and a few stalks of asparagus are pushing through the earth. I'm eager for the time coming soon when I can walk into the backyard and harvest these favorite spring vegetables to use in a healthy and delicious meal.

Over the years, I have enjoyed collecting pottery. My husband was recently gifted a new piece of pottery made by Peg Morar of Asheville, NC. It is a unique piece in shades of blue and sage green with dots of red. This may have become my favorite piece of pottery that we own. I immediately placed it on our dining room table along with a quilted table runner in coordinating colors.

So, when will I have another of those favorite quilt 'til you wilt days? Well, I'm not sure since very soon I will be at another of my favorite places--a quilt and sewing expo. Stay tuned as I might just share that experience in a future blog post. In the meantime, please leave a comment and share a few of your favorite things!

I have received no compensation for the mention of items or companies in this blog post. All opinions are my own.

What Do You Do on a Snowy Day?

You sew, of course, on a snowy day! I used my indoor day to complete a tote bag and make new throw pillows for my sofa. If you will recall, I spent quite a bit of time at the end of this past year making multiple items for a fall craft show. That left me with an unfinished project from early in the fall when my husband and I traveled to Sequoia National Park. While visiting the park, I bought some souvenir inserts for a tote bag, but I didn't get a chance to start the tote bag until just recently. I chose green fabric for the main part of the bag. 

I have made a few tote bags through the years, but the souvenir inserts came with directions for a bag. 

I used the directions to make the front of the bag, accenting the green with a couple of brown strips. Patterns are not created equal, however, so I ended up using my tried and true directions for the remainder of the tote bag. And here is the result! (To see another tote bag that I recently made, visit my friend Debbie's blog here. By visiting her blog post, you can also read a great book review.)

The majority of my sewing time today was used to make new throw pillows. I pulled out some of that fabric-in-limbo that has been waiting in a drawer for a while. I will use this fabric not only for throw pillows but also for a new valance for my family room. 

It has been a long time since I've used home decor fabric. Since I mostly quilt now, I almost always use 100% cotton. I will say, this drapery weight fabric was nice to use for a change as it doesn't wrinkle as easily as quilting cotton. Most pillows I've made recently have had a pieced front where I have combined several fabrics such as in this pillow below.

The pillows I made today went quickly since I only used one fabric for the fronts and the backs of the pillows.

Stitching the back of the pillow

Finished pillow back

It's nice to freshen the decor in my home a bit on such a snowy day. 

My next project will be making that matching valance, and maybe even a coordinating quilt for the back of the sofa will be in the works sometime this year so that I can use more of my fabric-in-limbo.

Sandpiper Bali Crackers by Hoffman Fabrics

Linked with: Wonderful Wednesday, Linky Tuesday Freemotion by the River, Needle and Thread Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things

A Holiday Aspiration

How do you capture the wind on the water?

How do you count all the stars in the sky?

How do you measure the love of a mother?

Or how can you write down a baby's first cry?

These are the opening lines of my favorite holiday song, Candlelight Carol. This carol, written by London composer and conductor, John Rutter, has been sung by choirs and individual singers. I first heard this song while listening to a holiday CD by my favorite singer, Neil Diamond. While the entire carol is beautiful, it was the first few lines that captured my attention and my heart. 

Each year now, I try to simplify throughout the holiday season. Trying to honor family traditions during this time of year while not getting so caught up in having all the preparations take over one's life can be challenging sometimes. The message of our culture's focus on the hustle and bustle of shopping, decorating, and preparing for a "perfect" holiday season surrounds us during the last two months of each year. 

The first lines of Candlelight Carol remind me that the most important parts of this season, and of life in general, are those things that cannot be measured. The words of the carol are also helpful to me on days when the turbulence of the world seems overwhelming. May each of us be able to focus on the mystery and the immeasurable parts of life throughout the holiday season and beyond.

Making and Canning Applesauce

Fall in the mountains of western North Carolina always means a trip to a nearby apple orchard. My husband and I travel to our favorite orchard in a nearby county where we view and sample the varieties offered. 

We almost always drift back to our favorites--Mutsu for cooking and Pink Ladies for eating. The Pink Lady variety is not quite ready yet, but the Mutsu apples are abundant. 

After visiting the orchard, we set aside a day each fall to make and can applesauce. Our first step is to wash the apples. Then we core, peel, and cut the apples into pieces that will help the cooking process go more quickly.

Adding a small amount of water, we cook and stir for a while until the apples break down, soon resembling applesauce. We could stop the cooking at this point if we wanted chunky applesauce, but we usually cook it down until we have a smoother texture.

Normally, after taking the applesauce off the stove, we spend some time using a potato masher, continuing to break up the last bits of apple. However, this year my husband had an idea. He said, "Why not use the immersion blender to break up the apples and get the desired texture?" What a great idea! And it worked perfectly!! In only a few seconds using the immersion blender, we had exactly the texture we prefer. It does pay to be careful when using the immersion blender, however, since just a few seconds too long might result in the texture of baby food.

Now that the applesauce is finished, it's time to begin the canning process. With clean and sterilized jars, lids, and rings, we use a funnel to fill the jars. It's important to keep the edges of the jars free of any drips of applesauce and to tighten the lids and rings as much as possible.

Our pressure canner will hold seven pint jars at a time, so we fill the canner with the jars and begin the process of canning. It only takes a few minutes in the canner to seal those lids.

We repeat this canning process several times until we have 28 pints of applesauce! It has taken a bushel of those Mutsu apples and a whole day, but it is rewarding to look at all those jars of applesauce cooling on our kitchen counter. Applesauce, anyone?

Linked with: Marilyn's Treats

Preparing for a Fall Craft Show

My news for the fall is an upcoming local craft show in which I will be a vendor, selling handcrafted fabric items. I have spent time in the last few weeks planning, choosing fabric, and sewing small items to sell. 

The fabric bowls that I learned to make recently are favorites of mine. The sample fabric bowl shown in these two photos is reversible. They are great as small holiday gifts or hostess gifts. Used alone as a table accent or filled with candy, nuts, dips, or even paper clips, these bowls may appeal to those who prefer practical gifts. 

There is a Scandinavian legend that if one sprinkles bird seed by the front door on Christmas morning, it will bring good luck. I made these tiny tote bags to honor that tradition. I will be filling each bag with a packet of bird seed and a card that explains the legend.

A bottle of wine is a typical hostess gift any time of year. My colorful fabric wine totes will allow a gift of wine to be a little more special.

I had fun deciding how to incorporate some inspirational fabric quotes into a small project. After thinking about it for a while, I had a "lightbulb" moment one evening, and the next day I set out to craft the three inspirational pillows that you see here as well as several others.

Although most of my items to sell are small gift items, I can't resist including a small quilt or two. I used some red, blue, and yellow paisley as the focus fabric for this table runner that has a French country feel.

In the craft fair, I am also including this small tea themed quilt which can be used as a table topper or a small wall hanging. In a previous post, I explained both the inspiration and the technique for making this quilt.

So if you live in western North Carolina, please save the date for the OLLI Art Bazaar on Friday, November 10 and Saturday, November 11 in the Reuter Center at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Friday hours will be from 11 AM-4PM; Saturday hours are from 11 AM-3 PM. There will be 42 vendors selling a variety of handcrafted items. Each vendor has donated an item for drawings throughout the two day show, so by just attending you have a chance to win a unique handmade item. There is free parking, and some of the proceeds from the art bazaar will be donated to a scholarship program at UNC Asheville. 

Stay tuned as the date gets closer when I will share more details of my preparations for this craft show as well as a few more items to be featured on my craft show tables.

Linked with: Marilyn's Treats , Wonderful Wednesdays, Linky Tuesday Freemotion by the River, and Needles and Thread Thursday

Getting Ready for Fall with Pottery and a New Quilt

As I recently looked back over previous posts on my blog, it was hard for me to believe that my last post was one showing how I was getting ready for spring, and now we're close to fall. What happened to summer? Well, I was a caregiver this summer as my husband recovered from major surgery. The bulk of the summer went by in a blur. My routine has regained more normalcy now, and I'm ready to blog again!

Since sewing and quilting are such big parts of my life, my first thought in preparing for fall is to replace spring or summer table runners with a look of autumn hues. Here you can see a quilted table topper that I recently completed. The center is a novelty fabric that includes cherries, but the colors of deep reds, taupes, and olive greens remind me of early fall. 

Thanks to the generosity of friends and family as well as a few purchases of my own, I have a small collection of pottery. Fall seems the right time to pull out some pieces of pottery and experiment with displaying them as a centerpiece on my new table topper. Here I try a crimson bowl. It hides most of the quilt's center, but it showcases the pottery. 

Next I place a small pitcher with swirls of tans and golds on the table topper. Years ago, I owned a dance studio and taught dance. One of my dance students gave me this lovely pitcher. To my dismay, the pitcher was broken on a cross-country move. I glued it back together, and although the cracks can be seen, I think it might just add to the charm of the piece.

I enjoy cutting flowers from the yard and bringing them inside. Flowers are prolific in my yard during the spring, but it's a little more challenging in the fall to find blooms to bring indoors. However, my favorite flower never fails. Hydrangeas are beautiful during the summer with their bold periwinkle color. In the fall, these blooms turn more muted. The blooms are now green tipped with purples and reds. I can't resist loosely arranging a few of these hydrangeas in my small pitcher.

I am pleased with how well this fall hydrangea arrangement coordinates with my new quilted table topper.

Fall is the last season of the year when we will be able to enjoy our screened porch. I decide to cut a few more hydrangeas and place them in a different pitcher for the table on my screened porch. This pitcher has tones of green and purple, which makes it a perfect vessel for these autumn hydrangeas.

I feel fortunate to live in an area where there are four distinct seasons, each with special traditions to enjoy. 

What are some of your favorite things about fall? Do you have special ways of preparing for different seasons? Please leave a comment and share your ideas.

Linked to: Marilyn's Treats