This is the 2nd year that Friendship Quilters had a holiday themed sew-in for three days. I normally just go to these things for two days as I get complaints about my being "gone all the time". Uh, 3 meeting days a month ordinarily is NOT being gone all the time but perception is reality??? DJ, recalling all the times I skipped out on his birthday to go to the AQS show in late April, could not believe that I would want to go to the sew-in on MY day Saturday. While on one hand it was my birthday and I should be able to do what I want, I opted to keep peace and attend on Thursday and Friday instead of the usual Friday and Saturday. My buddies signed up for the same dates since we share rides. A friend pointed out that it was sweet that he wanted to spend time with me so that really changed my perspective from resenting his telling me what to do. Smart friend---you know who you are!
Anyway, the wonderful program gals pick some things that could be given as gifts and stocking stuffers displaying them at our previous meeting. We sign up for what we are interested in making so kits or partial kits can be prepared as needed. Peggy led us through a microwave cozy bowl. I used some of the leftover backing from my PopStix quilt and shared some of my batting bits too rather than the kitted stuff. Here we go posed with what we will have for one meal today, leftover turkey pot pies from last night. I probably should make a few more since I know they will have to be laundered.
Denise did a wallet and mug rugs. I messed up and had to use another kit to replace the pieces and then the backing check wound up on the front. It still needs quilting and a replacement backing, LOL. However I got it this far! She also did a magic wallet but I needed to work on my hexie project.
Judy S led us throw a cup painting session passing out stencils, graphite paper and markers for this purpose. They were baked in the oven the next day so I'll be picking mine up at the next meeting. Mine is that white one between the clear glass and the soup bowl with a stylized L on it.
Then Shelia did a session on making a mug carrier similar to this one that Norma had made for me several years back. I love 30's fabrics and she knows it! I was signed up for this but they called a short executive board meeting. I'm the secretary so I have to do notes. By the time that was finished, my three pals were packing up, it was close to 3 and when we said we were going to go. I have a kit to finish up and it would coordinated with the mug rug.
I HAD planned on doing the Magic Christmas Stocking that Erika was leading the group in making. That got moved to Saturday and I was not going to be there. Erika said she would get me the pattern at the next meeting. I think I may have found a tutorial for something similar or at least one I like and would consider making, LOL. Of course, it was on pinterest but try this link from Diary of a Quilter.
I don't bake my own birthday cake but I DO occasionally bake a few days before my birthday. After all, I needed a dish to pass for the sew-in. This time I made a Peanut-Cola Cake with a cooked Peanut Butter Frosting. I thought when I first looked at the recipe that it was supposed to be baked in a jelly roll plan as you do for sheet cakes BUT nope, 13 x 9. I did it in the sheet pan anyway and just baked if 20-25 instead of 30-35 minutes. The icing is cooked and you put it immediately on the still warm cake, just like all the other sheet cake recipes I have made. Strictly for quality control we did test it out on Wednesday afternoon, LOL. Uh, the cake was still too warm and we had to sort of chase the cake bites in the frosting puddle. Yeah, I know you should not try new recipes on folks without testing it out first but I figured if it was a flop I would just grab some chips or something at the store instead.
Well, that was the only piece of cake that HE got. I'll make one for Bama Belles later in the month and be sure more of it stays home for him. One girl told me to never, ever make that again as she could not make herself quit eating it. I also made our youngest members day when I handed her a printout of the recipe on Friday morning. Shelia had shared the link I had posted on Facebook so I knew Mallory was looking for it. I think it was a hit since the pan came home empty. I should say to store it in the fridge. Someone had put the leftover in a ziploc bag and the frosting got watery come Friday morning. NOT that people quit eating it, LOL.
DJ took me to Panera Bread for lunch since that was my request. He had been hoping that I would pick his favorite, which was located across the road but it was not his turn to chose. Besides, he could go to Golden Corral's buffet anytime he wanted to pay for a meal out or wait till I am gone to Illinois in October. The day was pretty quiet. I did some sewing (no surprise there, I am on deadline), listened to the ball game, spent a peaceful day at home.
I got my hexie project finished up late Monday evening taking the last seams in the borders and backing about 11 pm. Constant unsewing and re-arranging trying to keep various prints away from each other---well, you'll see soon enough. Let's just say that it was more time consuming that it needed to be. I was determined to be done so I could pin it at Bama Belles yesterday. Bev helped me, I helped her pin one of hers but I had yardage to iron. Some of the others had come in by then and she had help for the 3 tops she needed to pin. We had a good turn-out in spite of the 5 girls that were not there. Some of them went out to lunch but I had brought mine for a change. I kept Janet company while they were out. (EDITED: Because my reason for ironing at the meeting site was not clear. While I can iron at home, it was easier to be able to let the fabric fall on both sides of the table. You see, my ironing board actually lives at the meeting place and I just use the table top with a covered board. Drawback: the table has to sit in the corner of the room so I end up rolling up the just pressed yardage. That okay for smaller yardage but not 6 yards of fabric.)
The girls were so kind to give me a lovely card with some birthday money that I will put in my serger purchase fund along with what DJ gave me. He asked if I had room for another machine. Uh, probably not but I could probably part with the one I use the least and/or make room. I have been doing so much non-quilting sewing lately that I want one again, low end model that I can afford.
One of the reasons I signed up for the hexie hop was to jump start that old Stack and Whack 60 degree Triangle Magic from way back when (2001 or 2?) I posted about it back in January of the this year. Norma and I both had blocks but she has turned hers into 3 different projects. Mine are still sacked up.
BUT I have a plan. I know what I am going to do. That is why I was ironing all that fabric. I made a template of the hexie shape by getting out the trusty compass and drawing pad. I know how I'll cut the 60 degree equilaterals and it won't necessarily require my following Ms. Reynolds instructions. Ready all that confuses me a bit but I know what it is supposed to look like in the end. I was doing some cut and pasting on something I had copied from the book for my mock up at midnight last night. I don't have to make any extra blocks so other than cutting those triangle units in a bit, I am good to go. I can talk about this project because it has already been featured on here and is NOT a fresh, made specifically for the hop project. The blocks are in THIS POST for a preview of coming attractions. I may not get it quilted for the hop but I will get it moved forward. I'm stubborn and will get it that far, you know I will. LOL
DJ and I will be heading into town to get our car tags, library drop off, lunch at KFC with that "BOGO" coupon from the Sunday's Parade section---lunch for 5 bucks for two of us. I can't cook for that most days. He also has another stop in mind but I hope I can put that off for today. I have things to do and the affect of it is a year away, to my mind, it could wait. He won't see it that way probably.
And sew it goes-----
I LOVE your posts - you cover so much territory!! I'm only going to hit four things -
ReplyDeleteFirst - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! - late!! - ;))
Second - and you KNOW that I'm just teasing you when I tell you this - ;)) They have a thingy that you can use when you iron yardage and it lets the fabric fall on BOTH sides - it's called an ironing board - haha - ;)) But seriously - I know what you mean - if I need to do tons of yardage - I take mine to the kitchen - use my super-duper 5-foot long ironing pad and iron it on the kitchen island - it falls off the other side and I'm a happy little clam - ;))
Third - I bought a serger a few years ago - call him Sergio - ;)) He's a Brother 1034D - got him at Walmart on sale - can't remember how much - but reasonable. I turned him on once (pun intended) and want/need to learn how to use him - just never got around to it - ;))
Fourth - And I never did get around to finding my Stack & Whack project, either. One of these days - ;))