Creepers Peepers Birthday Surprise

It is so hard to be patient when you have new fabric shipping to you!  Alas, the wait is over!  Thanks to super-fast shipping at FatQuarterShop, my birthday present to myself arrived just in time.  I'm now in posession of Creepers Peepers by J. Wecker Frisch for Quilting Treasures!


All those fat quarters are almost too pretty to cut!

"Creepers Peepers" by J. Wecker Frisch/Quilting Treasures.

On the far left, you can see the Green Character Boxes Quilt Panel, which has 6 designs from the line for some quick work-up projects.  There is also a larger panel that is adorable, but you'll have to check out the links above to see it in all its glory.  On the right, from top to bottom, are the (1) Cream Character Patchwork, (2) Green Jack-O-Lantern Toss, (3) Black Jack-O-Lantern Toss, (4) Cream Music Sheet, (5) Black & Cream Border Stripe,  (6) Black Spider Webs, (7) Cream Spider Webs, (8-10) Gold, Orange, and Green Texture Dot, and (11) Cream Music Owls.

They are all vintage-y goodness, and feeling that soft cotton under my fingertips makes me smile.  What a lovely birthday present!

Here is a closeup of my favorite print from the line: Black Jack-O-Lantern Toss.  *grin*

 

I'm not sure what I will do with it yet.  Wall hanging?  Door decor?  Table runner?  Blankie for Jr?  All of the above?  One thing is for sure - I will certainly have fun doing something with those darling vintage Halloween prints far before October!

What would you do with these little darlings?

Enough chit chat!  I'm doing block-by-block quilint on my Dresden Plate/Bear Paws quilt, and I'm aching to get back to the bobbin and make more progress.

Boo!
Dana C.

Memory Lane Monday - Pupcake

So I start a blog about reading, writing, and sewing...and what do I post?  Cakes!

Silly, I know.

Maybe I just need to remind myself that I won't always be a beginner quilter.  I started out as a beginner cake decorator, too, right?  Right.  Everyone starts somewhere.

Here is one of my favorites:  The Pupcake. 

It was a huge 14" round cake, two-layers, covered in vanilla butter cream ("VBC") basket weave, topped with hand-formed sugar daisies and, you got it, "pup"cakes.  I used Wilton's Mini Wonder Mold pan as the base, then just improvised with VBC for the little pups: a Dachshund, a Lhasa Apso, and a Westie.  The little pink ears and tongues were with Wilton's Sparkle Gel in Pink.  I remember trying to tame that Doxie "fur" smooth was a P-A-I-N...but totally worth it.

It was a lot of work, and I wish I could re-do that basket weave in hindsight.  Slightly wonky, but hey, I'm not exactly competing against Ron Ben-Israel.  :)  The handles were fondant colored to match the VBC, and dried overnight to stiffen and stick inside the cake firmly.

Hey look here...I forgot I even had a butterfly on there! 

I used the Wilton Color Flow to make that, with a hand-drawn template of a butterfly under wax paper.  Color Flow is great - it acts somewhere between cookie icing and royal icing, but dries with a gorgeous shine (unlike RI).

The cake was for Ashlie, my second cousin - a beautiful young lady with the prettiest little smile you've ever seen. 

I'll stick to the topic next time...except for Mondays when I'll allow myself a bit of nostalgic whimsy.

Have a wonderful week!

Cheers!
Dana C.

Monday, Monday

Happy Monday, Dear Readers! 

Sadly, I only finished 1 out of 3 UFOs this weekend. 

I took a short holiday from Dresden Plates to do the Bear Paw blocks that will offset the design.  Once again, many thanks to the directions at The Quilter's Cache!  It was fun, and I'm starting to get better at HST's (Half-Square Triangles).  I was wishing a little for the Triangle Paper I'd seen at Fat Quarter Shop.  Maybe next time!  So....I did work on my Dresden Plate quilt, just not on the D.P.'s themselves.

Camera is still MIA.  Argh!

I did finish Lover Reborn by J. R. Ward  **SPOILER ALERT!!!**.  I had a hard time with this.  First, let me say that I think Ward is great.  Words of the 4-letter variety aside, she has a wonderful command of sophisticated vocabularly that is refreshing.  You can also tell she really loves her characters and takes pride in doing them each justice throughout her BDB series.  I just have issues with Tohr moving on already, and was never all that excited about No'One.  There was a lot of time spent on Xhex and John Matthew also, which was sort of *meh* for me.  They're great, but I would much rather have heard more from Butch, or V, or Z (who was barely even mentioned).  With a growing cast, I suppose it is increasingly difficult to give each air time. 

My only other complaints are with her publisher.  There were several typos in the Kindle version.  Seriously!  Hire me as your editor, Warden, I've got your back (and an English degree!).  :)  It was also hard to pay almost as much for a Kindle version as the hardback.  Aren't we saving you lots of money on production costs?  At least a little?  Like....more than $1.44/book savings?  No? 

The last 50 pages had me on edge!  Quinn and Blay?  WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN?!?!?!?  Layla?  Wow!  I'm bummed that it will be a year before I get my next fix.  Complaints notwithstanding, I still loved it.  I'm sure I'll read it again.  I'm also sure I will still pre-order her next book and have it read in less than a week, too.  I can't help it.  BDB Junkie = Me.

Hope the rest of your week is delightful!

Cheers,
Dana C.

I Heart Blogs

What genius invented blogs?  A year ago I barely knew the word.  Now there a couple dozen I follow regularly and more that I visit every day.  So much to learn from others, so little time!  Which are your favorites???

So (sew?) here I am beginning my own.  Multiple revisions and a title change later, I finally zeroed in on my blogging goal.  My three favorite pastimes: writing, reading, and crafts (lately quilting).  I'm not going to be posting any weird fan fiction, or giving profound book reviews, or being an artsy-fartsy snob.   I also won't be using Comic Sans...ever...but that is a different story.  I just want to share, hopefully with you, and maybe we can both learn something new along the way.

Here's my UFO list for the weekend...

(1)  Finish "Lover Reborn" by J. R. Ward.  It is the 12th in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series.  Guilty pleasure?  Very.  *nervous giggle*

(2)  Complete last 2 Dresden plates for my uber-girlie pink quilt top.   It is so much easier with the right tools!

(3)  Find and recharge my camera!!!  I typically use my handy dandy iPhone, but methinks a blog will require something a bit heftier in the quality department.  I have a Lumix, which I love, and which is currently MIA in the kitchen.

Have a great weekend - hopefully you'll enjoy some sunshine like we have here.  Hooray for spring!

Cheers!
Dana C.

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

St. Patrick's Day Blessings Upon You!

I'm extremely proud to descend from Irish heritage on my mother's side.  Having recently become addicted to Ancestry.com, she and I have both squealed like little girls every time we verify a connection to our Emerald Ancestry.  For another project, which I'll explain another day, I also did some research on the language (i.e. I'm no expert, but if you are, please excuse any mistakes! *smile*).

So, in honor of St. Pat, I'm showing you my Irish UFO (Unfinished Object).

I picked up the fabric from Jo-Ann's a few months ago.  I did keep the selvages this time, but they didn't say much.  I'm a new quilter, so for the most part I'm using more bargain fabric.  The top is from Fabric Traditions, the second is made in Japan, and only stated "Color Collage D#6494."  Aren't those tiny shamrocks lovely?  The bottom, my favorite, said only it was designed and produced specifically for Jo-Ann Fabrics.

Here is that Irish fabric solo.  I love that it's a novelty print with sophistication: deep jewel tones versus neon greens, and it says nothing of St. Patrick's Day, only of Ireland.  After all, Erin Go Bragh (Ireland Forever), not just in March.  

  

And what do you do with Irish Fabric?  An Irish Chain Quilt, of course!  I've used the template for a traditional Double Irish Chain from Marcia Hohn at the Quilter's Cache, which results in a different-looking block than the traditionally pieced methods I've seen.   Marcia has such a wonderful site - be sure to visit!  I have two blocks complete and all I can say is Thank Goodness for Strip Piecing!


That's all for today, lads and lasses.  I'm off to play with my own little leprechaun ... and I don't think my hubby is wearing green, which means I will have some of my own shenanigans today.

Regardless of your own proud heritage, remember:  Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day!

Slàinte!

D. C. 



Kidney Stones, English Paper Piecing, and a New Kit

Well my week started off with a bang...actually it started off with a kidney stone.  Fun?  Not so much.  Unlike childbirth, it is not a pain you forget (remembering one from the late 90s like it was yesterday).  Also unlike childbirth, you don't have a sweet little baby afterwards.  For me, it was 3 days in bed with no sewing machine!  I'm so thankful for my dear hubby, who in his most incredible way, managed the house, a pre-schooler, and a high-maintenance patient.  J.R. surprised me today with a bouquet of flowers - he knows just how to help Mommy feel better!

So, no sew via Singer.  Being a glass-is-half-full type, I decided to start English Paper Piecing.  Then, I decided I should have a little sewing kit for all those little paper pieces.  Once the big pain passed (pun intended), I was able to sit up with my fabric, notions, Netflix, and a bottomless glass of Light Cranberry Juice.  I followed a fantastic tutorial from Holly at chezbepperbebe - check it out here.   Her kit is adorable perfection and mine is...functional but cute imperfection?  I wasn't brave enough to try the embroidered pin cushion, but you have to see how cute it is!  Anyhow - it was a fun pattern to follow and the finished kit is great for bed-rest piecing.  Thanks, Holly!

You can see my mess inside already *blush*, but isn't it adorable?  I keep unpinned papers in the pocket, along with a tape measure.  I also improvised on the pin cushion and trash bin.  I never had a needle book before, but her pattern was really easy to follow and came out super cute.  I did a plain white interior so it was easier for me to find things.

Here is a closeup of the fabric.  Like a cotton-headed ninny muggins, I trimmed the selvage and tossed it before writing it down.  I bought it at Hancock's Fabrics a couple weeks ago and the salesperson said they tend to sell it out quickly.  I hope to go back and update this with the name, etc.  *drat*

That's enough excitement for one day.  Taking pictures of the kit atop my new Ikea Skruvska chair was the only time I've spent in my hobby room this week.  Hopefully I"ll be back in the saddle Skruvska again soon!

Cheers!
D. C.

Memory Lane

It was nearly a year ago that I decorated my last cake.  I get kind of depressed thinking about it, cursing my tennis elbow, and hoping I can pick it up again someday. 

The good thing about quilting, my newest obsession, is that I don't gain weight in the process.  You have to look at the bright side! 

Anyhow, here are my proudest accomplishments...along with some not-so-brief descriptions of their design and execution.  And a little rant about design theft, too.


Sweet 16 Cameo Cake
Light Pink Fondant with bright pink and black fondant accents.  Cameos are royal icing hand painted with pearl dust.  Black buttons and daisies are pastillage, with hand tipped accents in pearl dust, royal icing, and dragees.  Fondant bow with dragees and sugar paste tag painted with black food coloring. 
Original design - appoximately 24 hours to create. 
Winner - 1st Place - Birthday Cakes - New Mexico State Fair (2010)

  

Enchanted Wedding
White Satin Ice Fondant with black and turquoise fondant elements accented by dragees and candy-coated sunflower seeds for mock "turquoise" gemstones.  Bottom layer features a squash blossom design, with embossed "belt," second petal-shaped cake features small mock-turquoise and mock-coral flowers with silver dragee centers, next hegagon layer features Sunface motif alternating with triple feather design, and top layer shows a pottery design.  Cake topper is hand sculpted from fondant and pastillage, featuring a Wedding Vase, calla lillies, fantasy flowers, a silver chain, and Zuni cornmaiden and hand with heartline.
Original design (Despite the uncredited knock-off version published by a local bakery - groan.  Seriously - I spent weeks researching Native American design and symbology to incorporate elements from a single tribe and ensure everything would actually be on a wedding cake - then the locals mucked it up and got credit a few months later.  I think this is part of the reason that I quit competitions.  Unlike quilting, there is no way to really "copyright" a cake design.) Appoximately 60 hours to create post-design. 
Winner - 1st Place - Wedding Cakes - New Mexico State Fair (2010)
Winner - Best in Show - New Mexico State Fair (2010)