I love crazy quilts...I started to make some blocks two days ago from by bag of left over scraps. We all have scraps right? I just started to upload pics in no paticular order so it goes faster. Below is what I've done at this point. I have now made 20.



I started inserting cat pics as I went along and really liked it. Cats are so cute in quilts ...it's like they belong there.



This cat is from yard goods I had bought long ago when I was making my crazy cat-coat. The yardage has about 4 different cats and they are the best. I wish I had bought more of that fabric...well we all know that story.


Here is another fabric of quaint cats. Imagine these are all scaps that normally get thrown out. I am making a quilt out of nothing. Oh and Ms Mel's hand dyed scraps are in there too.

Here's a real jazzy cat.

This was the first block I did. Well I made 4 in all before I decided to add the cats.

Well so far so good. I will post the entire quilt when I get in done.

Finally! I have finished quilting my undulating art quilt. I had such a hard time with it. The thread kept breaking. I think I need a stronger number thread because the fabric is all painted. Remember the 100 yards or 200? that I painted some months ago when I was in a fit?



I quilted it on the longarm machine. Here are some close-ups of the quilting. I just do anything and since it's my own quilt, I practice a lot lol.

I used Deco Americana acrylics...I used the entire fabric line...shimmering peals, so soft and metallics and I also use the regular acrylic with added fabric medium. I like these paints because the pigment is strong....

Yesterday was a great day to go to the quilt show in Mount Dora. It's still going on for the rest of the weekend in case some of my quilter friends didn't know about it. Mount Dora is a quaint historic town with lots of those neat little quilt shops and little resturants with home cooking.

I actually spent some money at the show. I bought a couple panels and some other neat stuff to paint fabric with...here are some of the quilt pics...

I like this version of "Trip around the world".

Here is another version...

This was a bagello pattern...

All applique, very nice.

This was adorable with the clothes and all.

From the book of "Quilts without corners"....

All applique...

This was different. Please excuse the quality of the pics...I had to switch to economy as the batteries were very low ...




All applique....very nice...

I have changed the way I write to blogger now...I upload all the pics first and then I write what needs to be written. It saves time of cutting and moving etc. I have also changed to the new blogger where you sign in with google and blogger has really been working very nicely. No more pictures missing and not uploading etc.

I did a strange thing today, I painted lol. A friend is coming over tomorrow to paint and I haven't touched a brush in a while so I thought I'd get my hand in motion.

I have been needing a bag or something to put my new project of knitting in. I have these sachels with a company name on them, the perfect victim.


Here is the sachel in the first stage. I have blocked out the name and sort of blocked in a design...



Then I sort of put in some more stuff...


Then I finished up and will add some more finishing touches tomorrow. I used acrylics and extender. The design is folk roses.

It's 40 degrees in Longwood, Florida and that means it's colder than a witches tit for us. Anyway it's great weather to be knitting. I am fairly new at knitting, a rank beginner. I spied this "heartbeat" pattern over at Melody's blog and just had to have a go at it. If it has instructions, I'm game. So I ordered the pattern. This is what I've done so far. I think it took me about 4 days but not constant knitting.


http://www.justonemorerow.com/9/206.htm?553

That is the front or back. Now I have to do another one just like it for the front or back, then the sides and the little sleeves. It's not hard at all. I got a bit confused at first but after reading a couple times, I got it. It's the modular knitting style and I like to knit that way. I find it enjoyable. As you can see the bottom is not square and it's meant to be that way. It just softly rounds of at the bottom and the middle goes up a bit. Very stylish I think.

I haven't invested in any fancy yarns as yet. I need to get my feet wet first. I just go to Joann's or Walmart and buy the baby sport or some sort of yarn in that catagory. It's good enough for now and its has to be yarn for the Florida weather. I can't let this hobby grow too big as my painting is my biggest hobby. It takes up a whole wall in my garage from floor to ceiling with wood pieces to paint. Then there is the quilting part, major hobby number 2 and that takes up several chest of drawers and one closet and half the studio with the long arm. Then there is the ribbon and regular embroidery but that is kinda small. A few ceramics lol. I do crochet too. So far I have a tall cabinet, one basket and one short tub filled with yarn. Life is wonderful isn't it.....

I just made myself a gigantic cup of cinnamon tea. I use the real tea. My sister brings it to me from England. I brew it in a small pot with a cinnamon stick and it's just enough to fill this cup hubby gave me for Christmas .....I love chickens. He also got me a set of canisters that are just lovely French chickens

The cold weather brings out my cooking spirit. I have been saving a recipe some time now and I have been dying to make it. It is a flan recipe. It is called "Flan Napolitana." I remember eating this flan once and it was not like other flans, it was a bit different and soooo good. Well some time ago a someone posted it to a chat board and it sure sounded like the one I've been dreaming of. It calls for 1 can condensed milk, 1 can evaporated milk, 5 eggs, 1 block of cream cheese. vanilla and 4 tbl sugar. A double boiler is needed. Put the 4 tbls of sugar in a pot and cook until caramelized and pour into the double boiler or a corning bowl and set aside. Beat the softened cheese with the condensed, evap. and eggs, add vanilla. Pour into the bowl or doulble boiler with the sugar. Cover the bowl or DB with foil. Now lower the bowl into the pot with water and boil for 45 minutes. Take care that the water doesn't rise above the bowl, use med. heat to boil. Here it is and it is the one and is delicious....I show it in the back in the pot. I put a plate on the foil and I did cover the pot. Just keep an eye on it...

Then I cooked a piece of sirloin tip roast and a 6 bean stew. I mix all kinds of beans together and cooked them... and some seasoned rice.

Then I mixed up some yeast bread, actually I called them buns with coconut milk. Here is a pic of that coconut milk in the can. It is so nice and thick. It will make the bun delicious, they are still rising.





In the meantime. I thought I'd show you how to load a quilt on the longarm. First the top of the quilt is thrown right side up over the machine. Then the top center is marked and pinned to the center of the fist roller canvas. Then it is rolled up on the roller and let to hang loose for now.



Then the quilt back is then thrown over the machine wrong side up and the top is centered and pinned to the center of the second roller, then rolled up part way. The bottom of the backing is then pinned to the take up roller and the batting goes on top of that and pinned together with the backing.


Then the second roller with the backing is rolled up and the batting is pushed between the two bars in the front to hang free. The backup roller now has the backing and batting pinned to it and the top of the quilt is then floated on top and pinned temporarily and a line is sewed accross with the long arm. Everthing gets rolled up in place again, the side clips are put on both sides. The side clips hold the batting and the backing, never the top. The top is just pinned on the sides to the back and batting.
Oh the coconut milk buns are done and here they are....

I finished quilting the dog quilt, just need to bind now. See how rich it looks once it's quilted? It seems to gain demension.






Another view...



I have changed to the new blogger. It's so much faster and has so many more perks. I haven't had time to read all the perks yet. Here is another view.

Oh boy, I'm quilting away on the dog quilt. Here it is all loaded up and a close- up of the stitches...I do free hand quilting...





Here is another set of close-ups. The green fabric is one of the fabrics that I painted with fabric paint.

Ok, I didn't use the crazy quilt for the borders on the dog quilt. I have other ideas for that one. I decided it needed to be more crazy.



I made new strips. I tore many 4 1/2 inch stips the lenght of whatever fabric I picked and then cut those into different lenghts and threw them in a bin and just picked and sewed. Once I had a piece long enough for one side, I sewed it on. I have three rows on so far. The first row is a piano key border all even stips. All the other ones will be any size.....I like it already.

Oh look what I found! I was rummaging in my bins and found this lovely wedding promise quilt that I had started to make about five years ago. Instead of appliquéing it, I decided to paint the hearts and then add some fru fru. I don't know what yet but I'm thinking. The hearts have lovely saying like: With this ring I thee wed, unlock love with key, etc. etc..There were nine blocks but I only did six and heaven know where the other three are. I wish I had the pattern now. I would paint the other three. I think I got rid of it lol. The fabric I used to paint the hearts on has some round swirls on it and it really adds to the block.....I used fabric paint.




Well back to rummaging to see what I can find to finish this quilt. I kinda like it now.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL.

It's good to be back to blogging and New Year's Eve is a great time to start.

I started to sew again the day after Christmas. I decided to sew the scraps. You know? The scraps you save from sewing all those quits? Yeh, I save mine in a large plastic drawer. It's called, making new fabric out of old lol. I put a big sheet on the bed and dumped all the saved scraps on it, what a mess...

Next, I set up the ironing board and just started pressing a bunch of anything, no plan or nothing.

Then I just started to sew any which way. Here is a piece...



And here is another piece...

Here is a bunch of scraps sewed together. They are a bit crooked but I'm going to cut it into strips anyway and put the strips around a large picture block, which I will show you later.

Ok here is the picture block...I am going to build a quilt around this block...so I have to use more than just the crazy strips..



This is the companion fabric. I'm making this quilt for my son. He always like those gambling dogs. lol

Hi Everyone, just popped in to say hello. I will return soon. Just getting some things ready to paint and sew and I'll be back to normal in no time lol.

In the meantime I am cooking up a storm..Here is a huge pot of meat sauce. I will will making ravioli and knoces and lasanga, so I''ll need lots of sauce. I also made a "Tres Leches" cake and it is yummy. At the moment it is still soaking in the milks.

I then made the ravioli and some pasta (all home made now) and after I made 6 ravioli, I decided, nope! I'm not doing all this when lasanga taste the same and less work hahahaha....anyway we ate all the pasta before I could take a pic.
Here is a pic of the Panettone...

And that little rude Teddy dog. He belongs to my son and is visiting and he wants to beat everyone up immediately...so we have him in Teddy care...which is a fenced off area that he can't get out of, in my studio...so now he just glares at the other dogs through the fence....lol

I told my son that Teddy Care can be expensive lol....well more cooking will go on tomorrow. I hope to make an apple strusel from my German side of the family and something I have always associated with Christmas. If I have time I will also try some lebkuchen....

Trick or Treat Everyone? Well it's been a while since I've visited my blog. I have been so busy with my ebay stuff. I thought I'd cook a witches brew and post it for halloween and keep in touch so you wont' thing I got lost or anything. I have had the painting bug bite me real hard lately and pretty soon you will be seeing some stuff, promise. I might even show technique as I'm painting along...just don't give up on me yet.

Anyway, here is the witches brew. Here is an 8 pound roasting hen all cut up, seasoned and browned real nice. Add tons of onions and garlic. Then I strain this recardo (seasoning) and keep adding water to the recardo and straining it and adding the liquid to the chicken in the pot. I simmer it for one hour...then cut up a very large tomaoe and add that and cook another 30 minutes. It is still cooking right now. I will have to taste it to make sure it is ready as I have not cooked this dish since the last witches convention some 15 years ago ahahhahahaha....I will then make my homemade tortillas to go with it and yum yum...oh the dish is called, "Renello Negro"..."Black Dinner" so fitting for halloween hahahaha

The Black Dinner whooooooooooo

This is the seasoning. It comes from Yucatan.