Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!
These are the two Scrappy Bargello's that I've been working on this winter/spring. They are finally finished, and on their way to their respective new owners. The twins' birthday is today. I hope they will be pleased.
I will start 2 more the week after next. They will also be for twins- however, these twins won't be born until Nov or Dec. Must be the year of the twins!
I am also taking another EQ6 class at Quilt University. This one is Patti Anderson's Applique Drawing class. We are working on how to draw and use the tools-and then save the collections in the libraries for future use. I am having fun with it. Today is lesson 2 and we are working on posies, vines and borders. One thing about EQ- I can design and make quilts to my hearts content and they are all on paper! I can make more this way then on fabric. But I get to play this way. I have the Scrappy Bargello put into EQ and then I can go in and just recolor and see how I like the way it will play out. If I don't like it- I can change it- BEFORE I buy any fabric.


We were up at Mt Rainier the first week of June. The weather was typical-grey and misty in town, raining at Longmire and snowing heavily at Paradise. It was really beautiful. We also stopped at Narada Falls. It is beautiful at anytime of the year-however, after the water went over the falls-it disappeared under the snowpack for quite a ways- then popped up in a hole and then disappeared again. It was really neat to see. We had lunch at Paradise Inn. The food was wonderful and we sat between the fireplace and the large windows, so that we could watch the snow falling. The next morning (we were home by then) they had and additional 10 inches and were expecting 5-7 more.

Happy Father's Day
Cheryl

Back to Sewing

I finally think I have things working again. My sewing machines are home and running and I think I have my computer finally where I want it. There might be a few more tweaks to do, but for the most part things are installed and useful. The backup didn't work like it was supposed to and I lost all my pictures from the last 3 years and all of my current recipes. For that I am heartsick. I will do things differently from now on. I also now have an external hard drive and that should help as well.
Back to sewing. I have a long list that needs to be done now and I am hoping to get busy on that this morning. Also got some new ideas floating around in my head as well...
talk to you later,
Cheryl

Love them computers...

I've been having trouble with this computer being slow and a few other problems. So after discussing it with my techie (DH) it was decided to reformat it and add an external hard drive. It has taken 2 days to do the back up and begin to reinstall stuff. I am finding some of my critical discs are not working properly and that some stuff didn't get backed up right. What a nightmare. It's a good thing we don't do this very often.
I just want it up and running.
But for tonight, I am thru dealing with it. I am going to pour a glass of wine and sit in my chair for the rest of the evening.
night.
Cheryl

Grey May Days

This has started out to be one of those months. I wrote to this blog the other day and went to save it and my computer refused to cooperate, so nothing was saved.
Then hubby has been laid off for 2 months. That has put my schedule out of whack. But at least he didn't have to go out to sea this time! Glad we are done with that. Then he was out trimming tree branches and one caught him in the eye. It's still tender and bruised.
I had been working on a design for my secret pal and was going to embroider it out yesterday. I discovered that my new machine all of sudden wasn't working properly. UGH! I did all the usual things- rethread, change thread, change bobbins, change needles, switch from emb to sewing... and cleaned it. To no avail. It was going to have to go in for repairs.
Well, I have a backup emb machine-but had not used it since I got it. So after a couple of phone calls, I got it all installed and ready to sew. Only to find out that one of the major items on it was broken.
It was time for a trip to the shop for both machines yesterday. I still have one machine that I can sew & piece with, but will have to put my mother's day project & Secret Pal project on hold. Not that I don't have plenty to do!
Molly went in for her grooming this week- they trimmed the underside of her tail and she's feeling very naked and skittery. A breeze comes by and she jumps. Poor dog.
On the other hand we did spend time last weekend with some good friends. That is always fun. It was a beautiful day, we had taken Molly with us and she had met a little dachshund named Allie who just wanted to play. Molly preferred to just sit in the car thank you. On the way home we stopped at Point Defiance Park so she could have an adventure. The beach was full and we had to park in the last parking spot in the 3rd parking lot up the hill. So Molly and hubby went hiking up the trails. Molly may be little, but she is curious and loves to go on short hikes.
I guess today will be spent backing up the computer so that we can clean it up and do a reinstall of things. See if we can work out the bugs we have developed. Hubby is off to get what he needs to do that while I start on the backup. Guess I won't get to that much needed sewing today.
See ya
Cheryl

Catching Up

Finally time for a quick breath! I finally finished the apron wall hanging that I was working on, and I finished the 2nd bargello since Feb and got it off to be quilted today. I will have both bargello's back by mid May to finish up and get off to my customer. Now on to the last 2 quilts that I need to get finished. One is a lighthouse quilt that I designed for my dad - about a year ago. My goal is to finish it by July 1- his birthday. Then I also have my " Beyond Color Purple" that I really want to have finished by Sept.
Now that baseball season is upon us, I am spending more time on my handpiecing as well. I am working on my Grandmother's Flower Garden that I started quite a few years ago. Maybe I will even get the top finished this year?? I hope!! The end is in sight! I have 2 more light green blocks to go and then a round of dark green blocks. We won't discuss how long hand quilting might take!!
I did find a great new recipe that we like. I just need to refine the technique for it. Take flank steak, pound it out thin, then add a layer of fresh spinach, provolone cheese and some italian seasoning & salt. Roll up- jelly roll style. Then add more seasoning. Slice into portions and bake/broil until done. Now mine fell apart. So the next time I may use a toothpick to hold it together or I may cook the whole thing and not slice it until after it's cooked... still playing with the recipe a bit. Any suggestions would be welcomed.
The weather reports state that we are due for more snow possibly tomorrow and Fri. I hope not. I am SOO ready for warmer weather!!
Talk to you soon!! Keep warm,
Cheryl

April Fool's Day

Was our weather fooling us yesterday or what?? We were watching the opening game of the Mariners and wow, wasn't expecting to see hail, and snow! Had it all yesterday. I was sure glad I was sitting here in my nice warm house watching the game. I had my Grandma's Flower Garden quilt top that I've been working on for a number of years in my lap and working on it. Perfect TV or game time project. Maybe this will be the year that I will actually get the top done? I've said that the last couple of years. We'll see. I started collecting fabrics for it when we lived in Mare Island CA- probably around 1992. But didn't cut it out and start sewing until after we moved in here 1998 or 1999. So you can see it's taken me awhile. But it's my hand project and it's very relaxing.
Today has dawned cold -but sunny. I hope the trend for the rest of the week will be to get warmer. My Valentine scrappy bargello is being quilted and the 2nd one I have the panels sewn and will cut out today. I am also working on an old fashioned apron quilt-wallhanging. I'll get that finished by the end of the week as well. Today I'll get it layered and pinned and maybe even start quilting. We'll see.
Time to walk Miss Molly and get busy with my day. Hope you have a wonderful sunny day.

Time Flies

Been awhile since I last posted! I've been busy sewing, cooking and all three of us have had the "crud" that's been going around at least once. But I am back on track.

I have been reading Rachael Ray's magazine and find most of her recipes easy to make and modify for our needs. In the April edition there were several that were very good and one in particular we found we like alot. It's a Crunchy Parmesan Chicken-which is basically crushed cornflakes and parmesan cheese mixed together for your coating. Dip chicken breast in coating, then in egg, then in coating, brown on both sides and then bake until done. Super good and moist.
The other one that we liked was a ham and asparagus lasagne. We've been looking for a good lasagne-without a tomato sauce and this one is good. The only modification I made to it was I substituted chicken broth for the milk. It would have been creamier to use the milk- but milk & soy allergies prohibited that. Turned out really good.
Now Molly liked the Orzo with carrots & peas for pets. Chowed it down. The carrots were pureed and then blended with the peas & orzo. Then we discovered molly is allergic to peas. So next batch will be made with her other favorite veggie: green beans.
Then over Easter weekend we cleaned house and rearrange furniture. I was putting some cookbooks away-and thumbing thru a few of them too. :) Came across a nice, but quick one.
Put on a pot of couscous (3/4 c couscous & 3/4 chicken stock) to cook. While that is cooking, saute some onion, celery, red & yellow bell pepper, matchstick carrots, for about 5 min. Then toss in 1 grated zucchini and saute an additional 5 min (it will take about that long to get the liquid out). Also add in some rosemary, thyme and a little salt.
When the veggies are done & the couscous is done, mix together and serve.

On the quilting side of things I finished some Easter drawstring bags for the kids-they were quite pleased with them. I have the Valentines Scappy Bargello being quilted and I am working on a blue and pink bargello.

I will try to keep this up better... :)
For now I need to get to work.
See ya,
Cheryl