Cook & Tell .. & .. Quilt Tree

Today Amy's Sew and Tell Friday has included cook and tell for thanksgiving!


This thanksgiving we went to the Hill Country for the week and decided that everyone would make a dish for the meal and my youngest decided to make pretzel jello salad. As far as I can tell, if you are from the south you know of this dish, but otherwise you are scratching your head as was I the first time I heard of this. It was even discussed on The View this week as a dish that Elizabeth was making and Barbara asked if the pretzels got soggy. The answer is no, they don't, but the secret is in sealing the cream cheese layer so the jello does not reach the pretzels. I didn't take a picture of the dish, but wanted to give her credit, so here she is making Blueberry muffins this summer!



Speaking of blueberries, well of the color purple... today I received a Purple Tree Quilt letter in the mail. This is the classic pyramid chain letter, but with 6 inch squares! I got 2 squares and need to send two squares to the name of the letter and invite 4 more people to participate sending them both the letter and 2 squares.... if all works out in a couple weeks I have 32 different purple squares sent to me!



Want to play? If you want to be one of the 4 people that I send 2 squares to (you then have to send a total of 10 squares yourself) let me know either in a comment or email me your address!

These are the square I got! Aren't they pretty!

vacation!

Day one of vacation and I already have the project I brought with me done. Hubby had some work to do and kids did homework, so I kept myself busy. This is going to be a baby quilt for some friends.... all cut ready to sew. I had my Necchi out to bring with me, but decided not to. Now I kinda regret it.... but... I did find a fab store the other day and bought fabric and found another to visit as well :)

Do you take projects to work on when you go on vacation?

Sew-n-Tell!

It Friday! And I have another set of table runners done! This is a Christmas gift that is being sent out today so that it will be enjoyed through the season. The topper is 25" sq and the matching runner is 16" x 48". The pinwheels are made from 5" squares of a stash holiday holly print and unbleached muslin which is also the backing. The binding is a matching red swirly print with gold metallic accents.

I have three more runners that just need the binding sewn on and I think that might be it as the gift list will be satisfied. If I get up and go finish them I will add them here :)

Penny's wonderful blog celebrating Flea Market Fancy (or as I like to call it after seeing the prices being asked on etsy and ebay... FREE market) is hosting a great giveaway. Love her little button!

wonky fence rail - continued

Thanks so much for the input on where you get your fabrics!

A couple of weeks ago I showed my first cut of fabrics for Cheryl at Naptime Quilter's quilt along. Cheryl had to put the project on pause but now is back at it again so I need to commit!

I keep wanting to put my new county fair prints in here (gold and brown) as well as the Dewberry (3rd from top), but these are heavier fabrics ... The fabric info on the web sites for the line says it is appropriate for quilts, but I am wondering if I should wait till I gather enough to make one exclusively of the heavier rather than mixing with lighter weights?

Anyone have experience, good or bad, in mixing these light weight designer decorator fabrics with quilting fabrics?

Where do you buy fabric?

This is not the holy war of quilting question.... Joanne Fabrics vs 100% designer fancies.... This question is when you are ready to buy a lovely Amy Butler print or a piece or two of Katie Jump Rope, where do you go? Do you have a local quilt store that you go to or do you buy fabric on-line?

I have shared my fortune in finding some outlets that carry wonderful fabrics at bargain prices. I have been lucky enough to find some of my favorites there but sometimes I see a print in one of your creations that I really want. Such was the case yesterday when I had a very unfortunate experience at the LQS and will now try my darnedest to not return there... (they shut off the lights in the store very much on purpose at 4:59 when I had fabric in hand ready to be cut... not the first time I have left this store seething).

My option is to travel about 20 miles further, which is not bad but a hike, or enter the world of online purchasing. So far I have only purchased pre-cuts from Missouri Quilt Company (LOVE the deal of the day). I just received the Snippets turnover yesterday from them ... deal of the day on Friday this was FREE! I found the other in a dark corner in a interior design outlet yesterday and thought they matched nicely.

Do you buy fabric lengths on-line? Do you use Etsy, Ebay or an e-store? Whats your favorite?

Winner!

Have you been following the Cross Country Christmas blog hop? I have and have been enjoying the great projects and stories from these designers from around the country. Yesterday I found more to enjoy! I was notified that I was the winner of the 100 Quilt Block magazine from Pat Sloan's site!

This fabric is just eye candy at this point, gathered for a project that I vetoed. (executive decisions in a management chain of 1?) I am sure you will see these turn up again in the new year.

yard sale anyone?

After my recent fabric shopping sprees in the warehouse districts I decided I really had enough random stash and need to limit my fabric purchases to things required for a specific project if and only if I was unable to meet that need from said stash.


Well, that all sounds good, till you meet up with a yard sale while taking the kids to school that has BOXES of fabric.... 25 cents a piece (not yard), holiday for 50 cents, and notions for 5 cents!


This is my haul... nothing smaller than 2 yards...there is 8 yards of the holly print ... 5 yards of the Santa.. the small green flower is a backing and is super wide, and there is 4 yards... so all this fabric was $3.50.... total! And I got 20 of the vintage rick rack for me ($1 total) and 18 mixed with bias tape to send to my mom. So much for good intentions!