Quilt Gifted and another one coming.....

I have been working off and on on my courthouse steps quilt. Finished 32 blocks and am a little burned out - I need 64 total - so I think I'll turn back to my unquilted table runners and get those done for the craft show in October. I really haven't done a lot of the things I wanted to do for that show - the ADD kicked in and I got distracted - but I will have to get back to some of those! (I am tracking the variations of courthouse step blocks in a spreadsheet of all possible combinations of the fabrics in use - so there's a lot of work, not just creativity in this one!)

I gave a scrappy quilt to my son's friend Tony this past weekend. He is a great guy and we really have enjoyed his company over the years. This past Thanksgiving he house/dog sat for us while we vacationed in Seattle and on Sunday he brought his GF Caitlyn over for dinner. She is also a very nice young woman. Giving Tony a quilt was just an extension of the care we feel for him. Then, last night I got a text msg forwarded from Stephen that says Tony's mom loves his quilt and would I make one for her? Well it turns out I have so many already made that she is going to come over on Thursday and decide if she likes one of them (that I am willing to give up) or if I will make a new one for her. This will be a gift also - just because.....

I will however have to get back to Thomas' college quilt if I am ever to get it done for christmas! I am mailing him a box today full of home baked cookies and a SBSP (Sponge Bob Square Pants) tin lunch box with a coupel of Sponge Bob pillow cases inside. Yes, he's in college, but he still likes SPonge Bob - so what the heck - at least it will make him smile! I'll probably also get another email out of it!! LOL.

I was on a baking binge Sunday night - made Lemon Poppy Seed muffins, then two batches of cookies, one tollhouse and one with M&Ms mixed in, then 3 batches of buttermilk jalapeno cornbread. Mark requested the cornbread to take to work and it was a hit there on Monday. We had one batch with dinner Sunday night - ham with Tony and Caitlyn and it was good! Leftover cornbread worked last night also with a big crock pot of beef stew that smelled so good when it was bubbling all day!

More later - want to check the elections in Provo to see if NieNie's dad is winning - hope so - he sounds like a great guy! Ciao!!

Stephen's Quilt

I finally got pictures of the quilt I finished for Stephen several months ago! It's not looking it's best - pulled straight off his bed and tossed over the log pile in the back yard, but I had to take a picture of the Fourth Annual Scraps to Treasure quilt I finished at 3 am this morning so I thought .. as long as I was out there getting a photo of that one - I'd throw this one on the pile too!

Stephen has always been intrigued with knots. When he was little I would keep bow-biters on his shoes to protect the laces because given a minute he would have the ends knotted over and over till there was no lace left just a line of knots. He got out of that finally, but when I saw this Celtic knot fabric I knew I had to get it for him. I made the top probably 4 years ago and it sat waiting for me to find the black batting that was stored in the garage. If you use white batting in a black quilt, you run the risk of seeing white at the stitch holes when the needle pops in and out. So - probably 6 months ago I found the black batting, and finished his quilt. It is meander quilted in red thread, which is striking up close.

Stephen loves it and that's all that matters. I have another in the works for him - queen size for when he moves out (if ever! LOL)

Can't share the picture of my scrap quilt until after the contest ends - but that will be forthcoming in a month or so! In the meantime I am bust working on a courthouse steps quilt and as always planning more projects.

Found a lovely little quilt shop out in Huntley, IL that carries a LOT of batiks, so I had a great time picking up some new pieces today. I am gathering for two wall hangings. Now I just need more time to work on all these projects!!

More soon - hugs - Toby

Chuckles

I went to the microwave at work the other day to heat up my Smart One lunch and while waiting for it to heat, I turned and looked at the vending machines. I was surprised to see Chuckles in the machine.
I hope you remember Chuckles - I had a friend in my youth turn me on to them and I have had a life long love affair with jellied candy ever since. Chuckles were just the best for clear fruity flavors and good sugar coating, I always saved the red one for last.
Then I discovered those jelly orange slices!! Heaven!! and a neighbor down the road had a recipe for cookies with little snips of those orange slices mixed in - I must ask Mom for the recipe from her box.
But I haven't seen Chuckles for a long long time. I used to get Sunkist jellies at Joann Fabrics - but they don't have them much anymore. And now - here are Chuckles just down the hall.
I went to the vending machines a minute ago to get a drink and checked to see if the Chuckles were still there. Yep, still there neatly stacked between the coils of the silvery spring that twirls to deliver your treat. Then I noted they are a dollar. Wow - a dollar for the same little six pieces of jelly bliss that were probably 35 cents when I first fell in love with them.
Complaining about the price makes me feel like an old woman "I remember when..." instead I should be glad I can afford the dollar and just take the ride back to my youth as I work my way through the packet, still saving the red one for last!