Steps to the Altar

Steps to the Altar is exactly what is happening right now with my family, more specifically my son and future daughter-in-law. They are taking all the steps toward the big day, June 8, 2013.

The past few months have been filled with fun wedding events, including two showers, one given by each family.  My gift at the Abraham shower was their wedding quilt, appropriately titled, Steps to the Altar.

I started to design the quilt in January after Erin chose her bedding which is a mono-chromatic nickel. I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go from there. I had a few decisions to make and I’m not gonna lie, I did stress about this a bit. I needed to decide on the pattern, colors and fabrics and get moving.

There were so many different quilts that I had in mind but I ended up choosing the Steps to the Altar block while working on some samples for the block of the month class that I teach. We are working on Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler, the spin-off book from Jennifer Chaiverini’s novel The Master Quilter. I was flipping through the book, deciding which blocks to teach and came upon Steps to the Altar. After some research and looking at several block layouts, I decided on a block a bit different than Sylvia’s. After a bit of math for all the fabric calculations I was ready to pick some the fabric . After a few trips to a local quilt shop, my own stash and some internet stores, I decided on the block fabrics in greys and blacks, and I chose a border from The Morris Apprentice collection from Moda. Quilt construction went very smoothly – lots of HST’s and 4-patches. Did I mention this was queen size, quite a lot of fabric!

Quilt calculations, layouts and quilt journal

HST’s and Four-Patches

Steps to the Altar Block

The blocks came together and then it was time to measure the borders. I absolutely LOVE this border fabric. I thought it tied everything together. Steps to the Altar was just steps away from being finished.

I was able to find an awesome black quilt back online – no piecing, 108″ wide. So as soon as the quilt top was finished, I handed it over to my friend Darlene (SewBusy Quilting) for machine quilting. Darlene did an awesome job. Binding was on, quilt label too, and then wrapped and ready for the shower! And with the quilt there needs to be some pillowcases, so with the leftover fabric, I made two sets.

Quilt Label

Matching Pillowcases

I couldn’t end this post without a few words about the shower, and also share some pictures of the bride and groom. The shower, hosted by my two daughters, was champagne themed, a bubbly bridal shower. We got a lot of great decorating and recipe ideas from Pinterest and made place card holders from champagne corks which the guests could later use as photo holders. We also had beautiful layered candles made by Antoinette’s Candles.

Bubbly Bridal Shower Invitations and “Save the Date” in the wedding colors, silver and purple

Dessert Table, Blueberry Cupcakes and Chocolate Kisses

Chalkboard Champagne Bottle Vases and Layered Candles

The bride and groom as they open their quilt.

Michael and Erin

It was a beautiful day with friends and family. And as the happy couple continues to take their steps to the altar with more pre-wedding events, they look forward to their big day!

Congratulations to Erin and Michael!

Winter Retreat 2014 – Registration has begun!

 

Registration has begun for Winter Retreat 2014 to be held January 31 through February 2, 2014 at the Westin Chicago Northwest, Itasca. Sewing begins at 9:00 am on Friday morning and continues through Sunday.

All details can be found at: http://winterquiltretreat.wordpress.com/, including a registration form. Join us for a fun and productive weekend of quilting. Bring your own projects, no classes required, meet new people and enjoy the weekend away!

Spring To Do List

2013 is going to be a very busy year for me, at least the first half. My son is getting married on June 8 so the time will be filled with shopping, bridal showers and parties. Not a lot of time to sew but a time to enjoy the activities and the anticipation.

In the sewing room, I keep a journal, mostly with my current sewing to-do list. I have streamlined this list considerably for the next two months, working on the must-do’s only so that I will have plenty of time for wedding preparation.

My sewing to-do list:

1. Sylvia’s Sampler - I am teaching 16 blocks of Sylvia’s Sampler (Jennifer Chiaverini, Elm Creek Quilts series) to our Firehouse Group from February to May and then again September to December.

2. I’ll Be Home For Christmas (Primitive Gatherings) – our Breakfast Club is doing this wool applique, one block each month

3. Secret Quilt

4. Secret Quilt

I’ll write future posts on all of the above. Needless to say, #3 and #4 are surprises so let’s keep them a secret!

One project that I have completed in the last few weeks was a baby pillow – or should I say a bridesmaid’s dress made into a baby pillow, which my daughter, Michelle, discovered on Pinterest.

Michelle’s friend Bridget got married in 2009 and had an adorable baby girl, Isabelle Jamie, on February 5. Bridget knew she was having a girl so when Michelle found this idea on Pinterest, asked me to make the pillow. I didn’t get around to actually making the pillow until the day Bridget went into labor, but I assured Michelle that I could get it done in a matter of hours – and I did!

Michelle, the Maid of Honor (in the dress that would become the pillow), with Bridget and Mike on their wedding day.

The first step was to find a pillow form that would work. I needed  a size small enough for a baby’s room but big enough to showcase the different parts of the dress. I decided on a 12″ pillow form, and  I went about cutting up the dress and then just started to sew.

I was able to use the under skirt as the base of the pillow, the ruffled waistband across the center, and the lace skirt at the bottom of the pillow, which ended up really resembling the original dress.

As Michelle pointed out to Bridget when we visited little Isabelle, the bride chooses her bridesmaid dresses but doesn’t have one for herself, now she does . . . or rather Izzy does!

Winter Quilt Retreat 2013

We couldn’t have picked a better weekend to lock ourselves inside with our sewing machines and fabric!

The 12th Annual Patches & Prints Quilting Retreat, at the Westin Chicago Northwest in Itasca, was three days filled with lots of sewing, sharing, and catching up on a few projects.

Friday started out a little slower than expected due to our first real snowfall in the midwest, but by late Friday morning, the sewing machines were humming.

This was the first year that we did not feature classes as part of this event. Instead, everyone brought their UFOs (UnFinished Objects) and it seemed like we were all working on something different! Whether we were stitching wallhangings, tablerunners, kids’ quilts, hexies or unfinished blocks, we all managed to get a lot accomplished throughout the retreat.

Barb was super-productive this weekend!

Mary’s log cabin tablerunner

The Cat in the Hat – Ellen’s kids’ quilt

Sharon’s Postcards from Hawaii with actual Hawaiian fabric

Flying geese blocks for Ginny’s Stars Over Lundar Beach

Mary’s beautiful batik quilt and Lori’s Star Trip

Nancy’s hexagon quilt – what was she thinking? Y-seams?

Bernice is always making kids’ quilts to donate to her Silver Threads group at St. Alexius.

We also saw a fair share of small, even super tiny, blocks this year. Check out the size of the blocks compared to the I-Phone!

Laura’s Dear Jane blocks, or DJ as we call it!

Darlene finished all those tiny little blocks for her 2013 Block of the Month from Primitive Gatherings.

Friday night we had “Show and Tell” with quilts from last year’s retreats along with a dessert reception filled with complementary coffee from the hotel and delicious cookies by Michelle.

Brenda and Debi, the same quilt pattern, String of Lights, totally different look.

Crazy Eights from last year – Lori, Laura and Linda.

Treats!

Coffee time

You might wonder, does anyone get bored, sewing all day and night long? Absolutely not!

The three days are filled with fun, friends, late night sewing and lots of completed quilts! How could anyone possible be bored?

Reorganization 2013!

Happy New Year!

2013 is starting on a very positive note for me, sewing wise. On New Year’s Day, I spent a lot of time reorganizing my sewing room.

Leftovers from Holiday 2012

I began with the leftover Christmas scrap fabric and divided it into groups: Wine Totes, Christmas log cabin quilt,  Christmas stockings and Miscellaneous.

You may remember from my last post, I made several wine totes for gifts this year. These totes are super easy, super cute and require two coordinating fabrics (each cut to 14×16″). I matched fabrics, cut each to size and made up kits for 11 wine totes, ”for Christmas 2013.”

Next I took the remaining fabric and determined if any could be used for a Christmas log cabin quilt (2 1/2″ strips). This quilt is still in the planning stages but I have a lot of leftover scraps from Circle of Friends, a block of the month we did at the Itasca Firehouse a few years back. I don’t want it to look like the same quilt, so I will be adding some other leftover scraps to add some variety to the quilt.

Finally, I have 2 1/2″ squares cut for Christmas stockings.

Christmas stockings made from 2 1/2″ squares

Then, I began cleaning out the “hand sewing” basket and tote. Needless to say, these two containers held much more than hand sewing projects . . . a dog quilt, dog clothes (don’t need the Bears jersey or.  Rufferee costume till next fall), Winston, our fake puppy, Santa hats, fabric basket supplies AND the hand work.

“Hand Work” Basket – Before

Sonny took care of his things, including his friend Winston.

There was enough cording and batik strips for one more basket.

I re-organized the redwork and wool projects. Hopefully I will get back to the stitching soon. I’m working on the wool projects and plan to complete them soon now that my hand is recovering. Hand sewing is back!

Finally, I was ready to tackle the last box, our project for Breakfast Club 2013, I’ll Be Home For Christmas from Primitive Gatherings. We bought our fabric and wool back in September, and have been working on preparing the pieces for our monthly get togethers. I have all my pieces cut, half square triangles sewn and binding made, all in the box AND

FINALLY ORGANIZED!

New Year’s Day 2013 was a very productive day for me. I even got buttons sewn on that have been waiting since the summer. My wish for all of you for 2013 is to complete all the projects you start and to stay organized throughout the year. Happy New Year!

There’s still to time . . . 12 days and counting!

Last minute procrastination for the holidays – YIKES!

If you’re still looking for some holiday sewing ideas, I’ve got a few that worked for me. Since full-size quilts must be quilted and then go through various stages of binding, labeling and embellishing, holiday ones should probably be tackled long before we turn the heat on, but there’s still time to create these last minute projects!

My favorite, and the absolute quickest thing that you can whip together is the “Ten Minute Tablerunner.” I was introduced to this wonderful little project two years ago at my Fall Quilting Retreat in a kit I purchased from That Quilt Shop (Woodstock). Therese, the shop owner, has been a vendor at the retreat for the past few years. She demo-ed this runner and yes, it only takes ten actual minutes to complete! The complete project is just  four seams, some pressing and of course a great pairing of a novelty print and coordinating fabric. In order to avoid any copyright infringements, I will let you google the pattern originally created by LaRae Bunnell Clark.

As you can see, I’ve made a huge assortment of these runners. There are so many awesome prints out there, especially foodie favorites including everything from sushi to pretzels, beer and wine! I also made some runners to cheer on our Chicago teams.

Ten Minute Table Runner Assortment

“Ten Minute Tablerunner”

Wine Tote Assembly Line

My next mini project is the wine bottle tote, which once again showcases a variety of novelty fabrics. It may take longer than ten minutes, but you can easily set up a bunch of them and sew them assembly-line style. Plus, this one is eco-friendly, you get to gift a bottle of wine without using wrapping paper!

Wine Totes

Olive oil and Balsamic Gift Set

The pattern I often use is Terry Atkinson’s, from her book Let’s Do Lunch. It’s quick and easy, and you’ll have to buy the book to get it! Back in my old shop days, I created a pattern for a Wine Bottle Bag, which I will share with you now. Beware, it’s a little rough – at least 10 years old!

WINE BOTTLE BAG

1/4 yard fabric and coordinating ribbon

Cut fabric to a length of 40½ inches.  You may choose a width of between 6 and 7 inches, depending on the size of the bottle.  Press fabric and fold in half.  Sew up both sides of bag, right sides together.  Turn and Press. Press unfinished edge 2 inch towards the wrong side of bag. Press this edge again 3 inches to wrong side of bag, to form a cuff. Top stitch around cuff, 2 3/4 inches from top.  Turn bag wrong side out so right sides face each other.  Match side seams to fold line on bottom of bag. Sew across both triangles approximately 1″ down from point.  Turn bag right side out.  Press.  Tie with ribbon.

Finally, my favorite quickie quilt is made from either a panel or a fun print that you just can’t bear to cut into smaller pieces. Simply trim the panel or cut the print to any size, border with a skinny border and add the final border of flying geese units and a 4″ solid border. I always use the fast flying geese method which always gives me perfectly accurate geese. Once again, google this technique and you will use it often.

Quick and Easy Flying Geese Quilt

Love this fabric!

Fast Flying Geese

I hope this post finds you with time to spare – all your decorating is done, cards sent, presents wrapped, cookies baked and many days of relaxing before the busy few weeks ahead!

Right, I’m not at the point either but things always have a way of getting done in time.

On a completely separate note, I wanted to add-in some information about a really great product line my daughter introduced me while she was living in California. The line is called KiwiFox and Michelle raved about it the moment she discovered it at an Oscar lounge. I’m telling you about it just in case you have a few gifts left to buy and are thinking about anything like this – especially the eyelash growth serum – FoxyLash. Michelle received a few of these product for free to test them and since she’s blessed with long lashes passed this one on to me. It’s very easy, just like mascara and takes about 30 seconds to add into your morning routine. Plus, like all of these products, it smells amazing! I’m still using the product so I don’t have definite results yet, but I’m hoping for long lashes for Michael & Erin’s wedding in June!

In closing, I wish you all a VERY Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and a safe, happy and healthy holiday season!

Fall Quilt Retreat 2012

The Abbey at Lake Geneva

The Abbey on Lake Geneva always provides us with a great venue for the Fall “No Frills” quilting retreat. ”No Frills”, meaning no classes, no meals included, no schedules, no required activities . . . just an open sewing room for quilters to have fun and be productive! Our hotel accommodations were wonderful with spacious comfy rooms. Our sewing room was also perfect for the weekend, well lit, large workspaces and comfortable chairs.

First-timers for Fall Retreat 2012

Sewing began on Friday morning and continued throughout the weekend. There were always people in the sewing room often until the wee hours of the morning. But there were diversions, on Friday afternoon, part of the group headed out to Delavan to The Stitchery where we were welcomed with wine, cheese and the pups! Carrie and Nancy always have some fun seasonal kits, great samples and now more fabric than they have ever had before.

The Stitchery Pups

Shopping fun at The Stitchery.

Therese from That Quilt Shop in Woodstock set up a mini-shop in our sewing room and held a demo for the adorable Toastie Mittens. On Saturday, Megan with Thirty-One Gifts also brought holiday shopping to us.

Therese demos Toastie Mittens.

Saturday night dinner diversion.

Finally, here are pictures of some of the quilts and from Sunday’s Show and Tell.  It is always fun to see what everybody worked on during the weekend, some holiday projects and some quilts that have been on the ToDo list and finally got FINISHED.

Blitzen

Cat in the Hat

Show and Tell

Our weekend in Lake Geneva always goes by too fast. We all had a lot of fun, got a lot accomplished, and enjoyed the company…and are now looking forward to the next event, Winter Retreat 2013.

Goodbye to Lake Geneva for another year.

What I have been doing since . . .

If you’ve noticed an absence in my posts, say since mid-summer, I really do have a valid excuse. I had hand surgery, much more complicated than expected and have been recovering. I had a cast on my arm for the first four weeks followed by a removable one for much longer than I wanted. Since 2008, I had been experiencing pain and was diagnosed with arthrits in my right hand (thumb), my sewing/cutting/writing/typing hand. I put up with the pain and the clicking and everything else, cortisone shots included until surgery seemed to be the best option, basically a joint replacement and reconstruction using a tendon. Enough said about that. Little did I know that the recovery would be so long. Six weeks after surgery I started physical therapy and am happy to say that I finally ”graduated” last week! And today, I saw the doctor. Though not pain free or at 100% mobility, I am able to do about 80-85% of things I could not do when the cast was removed. This is progress!

my second cast, black to coordinate with the dress I wore to a wedding!

There has been pretty much NO sewing (or typing for that matter, thus no blog posts) at all in my life, since pre-surgery (May) but I am happy to report that I am now able to do some limited rotary cutting and hand sewing, also pressing with a travel iron. This couldn’t happen at a more opportune time, as the annual No Frills Quilt Retreat, at The Abbey in Lake Geneva happens to start on Friday (more on that later).

One of the my first post-surgical sewing projects was my daughter’s Halloween costume, “Ursula”, the sea witch from the Little Mermaid, re-cycled from a French maid costume she wore a few years ago. I thought I would be able to sew the tulle on by machine without a problem but ended up hand sewing it. This was my first hand sewing with the new joint, a good first as the needle went through the tulle and polyester easily. Next up, trying to get back to that wool applique. I’ll keep you posted.

Halloween 2012

During the sewing hiatus however, I did attend the Madison Quilt Show in September with my Breakfast Club buddies. We had a nice road trip that included stops at Patched Works in Elm Grove Wisconsin and Primitive Gatherings in Manasha. Any trip involving this group is always a fun time and the shop owners were happy to see us coming. Our 2013 BC project just happens to be Lisa Bongean’s (Primitive Gatherings) Home for the Holidays Block of the Month so we were all set to buy the coordinating fabrics and wool and WE DID. We all enjoyed the quilt show, more purchases and then back to Illinois. Now to start on all those projects!

Patched Works

Primitive Gatherings

One week later, I traveled to Minnesota with friends, Ginny and Deb, to Junk Bonanza (see last years post), one of our favorite junking adventures during the year. We couldn’t make this trip without stopping at a few quilt shops, Rosebud’s Cottage in White Bear Lake and Eagle Creek Quilt Shop in Shakopee. Eagle Creek is a converted old train depot, beautifully landscaped on the outside with old architecture and antiques inside complementing the quilts and fabric.

Eagle Creek Quilt Shop, Shakopee MN

A little more about the No Frills Quilt Retreat this weekend . . . there are 48 ladies attending, a record for this event. Here is a little preview of our weekend. As a UFO (UnFinished Objects) retreat, everyone brings many projects, some are “must finish” for the holidays while others might be projects that have been on the list to complete SOMEDAY. Sewing begins on Friday morning and continues non-stop. On Friday afternoon, many take a break to visit The Stitchery in Delavan where they  have welcomed us for many years to have a Wine and Cheese Event to accompany the shopping. The Stitchery always offers great kits, especially for the holidays. We will also welcome Therese from That Quilt Shop (who also is an attendee) who brings merchandise from her shop directly to the sewing room – how convenient! On Saturday, our friend Megan will bring bags from Thirty-One for more holiday shopping. Sewing usually continues to the wee hours and finally on Sunday morning, we have show-and-tell before everyone starts to pack up for home. So now, back to the retreat prep, pack the projects and get ready for a fun weekend!

Fall Retreat 2011

12th Annual Winter Quilt Retreat Registration Begins

It’s time to register for the 12th Annual Winter Quilt Retreat!

The retreat will be from Jauary 25 through January 27, 2013 at The Westin Chicago Northwest in Itasca. This year’s retreat will be a UFO theme, participants will bring their own projects to work on. A great way to catch up on everything you’ve been trying to finish this year!

Follow this link for all information regarding hotel accomodations, registration information and a printable registration form:  http://winterquiltretreat.wordpress.com/

The retreat will start on Friday at 9:00 am and run through Sunday.

Quilt Show in the Garden – Recipes

My 2nd Annual Quilt Show in the Garden was full of beautiful quilts. I also whipped up some delicious garden inspired food. My last post showcased the quilts and now it’s time to share the recipes.

Strawberry Carmelized Pecan Salad

• Mixed Greens
• Red Onions (thinly sliced)
• Sliced Strawberries
• Mandarin Oranges (1 can drained)
• Feta Cheese Crumbles (3 to 4 oz)
• Caramelized Pecans (recipe below)
• Salad Dressing (recipe below)

To prepare dressing:  1/3 cup raspberry wine vinegar, 2/3 cup olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 tsp salt. Combine ingredients, whisk together and chill for at least 1 hour.

Caramelized Pecans: 2 TBS sugar, 1 cup pecan halves; Brown pecans in saute pan with sugar, stirring constantly until sugar melts and caramelize around them.

Chicken Salad Puffs

I found this chicken salad recipe, Chicken Salad Supreme, in the Daily Herald Food Section. I made mini cream puffs and stuffed them with the chunky chicken salad.

Mini Puffs

• 1 Cup Water
• 1/2 Cup Butter
• 1 Cup Flour
• 4 Eggs

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat water and butter to a rolling boil in a 3 quart saucepan. Stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about one minute. Beat in eggs, all at once, continue beating until smooth and glossy. Drop dough by slightly rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake until puffed, golden brown and dry, about 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Fill with cream or salad mixture.

Shrimp and Tuna Tea Sandwiches

I served Shrimp Spread and Tuna Walnut Spread on cocktail rye bread.

Shrimp Spread

• 1 Small Can Deveined Shrimp, Drained
• 1 8-oz Cream Cheese Softened
• 2 TBS Onion; Chopped Fine
• 1 TBS Mayonnaise
• 1 Hard Boiled Egg, Chopped
• 1 TBS Lemon Juice

Mash together with fork.

Tuna Walnut Spread

• 1 6-oz Can Tuna
• 1 3-oz Cream Cheese
• Lemon Juice
• Chopped Onion
• Chopped Walnuts
• Pickle Relish

There are no measurements, just mix to taste.

Tequila Sangria

• 2 Bottles of Red Wine (750 ml each, not Merlot)
• 1/2 cup Triple Sec
• 1/4 cup Tequila
• 1/4 cup Sweet Vermouth
• 1/4 cup Fresh Lime Juice
• Sliced Lemons, Limes and Oranges, Sugar to taste
• 2 cups Sprite or 7-Up

Mix wine, triple sec, sweet vermouth and lime juice in container of choice. Add sliced fruit and refrigerate for a few hours, just so your alcohol picks up the fruit flavors. You can also add slices of apples and grapes. After mixture is thoroughly chilled Serve over ice and add sugar and Sprite/Seven-Up to taste.

For dessert we served my daughter’s version of  Sparkling Surprise Carrot Cupcakes, her carrots weren’t exactly the same as the Pinterest recipe, but just as adorable and delicious.

Finally, a few more pictures . . .