The Big Reveal

Sounds like one of the home decorating shows, doesn't it?  I had mentioned a project I was working on, but didn't want to show it, because the intended recipient mentioned that she has read my blog.  My coworker, Catrice, is expecting a baby at the end of this month.  Yesterday, we had a shower for her at work, and I gave her this. 

 A small quilt, made with 1930's reproduction fabrics. Here's a picture of the back.

 I used the Jelly Roll 1600 inch quilt pattern, however, instead of using forty 40" pieces, I used forty 20" pieces.  I couldn't wrap my mind around the math, and hoped it would turn out to be a good size.  What actually happened was it turned out just as long, and only half as wide.  So I took off several rows, cut them in half along the length, sewed them back together and used them for the long side borders.  This made it shorter and wider.  Here's a picture before I sewed on the borders. 

This pattern is super easy, and I loved the way that a simple thing like sewing the strips together at an angle added so much interest to the quilt.  I think the new mom liked it, and she seemed surprised that I had taken the time to make her something.  Hopefully it will be babies favorite lovey, and she will drag it around everywhere. 

I really like the 1930's reproduction fabrics.  I like the little designs, the pastel colors and they remind me of feed sacks.  My mom talks about clothes she had made of feed sacks, and I have one small tablecloth that her mother made and crocheted a lace border on. 

I have another quilt cut out using this fabric, and have plans for another.  Better get busy, hadn't I?

I'm sharing this on Coloradolady's Vintage Thingie Thursday .

Cindi

I'm Happy!

A nagging problem in the backyard has been solved.  The ground at the base of the deck steps was always a muddy mess.  It gets walked on a lot, it's deeply shaded, it's in a corner and the leaves seem to pile up there all winter, smothering the bit of grass we have managed to grow during the summer.  We have seeded and reseeded and even sodded and the grass just ends up dying.  Then we're back to mud again.  Recently we were plant shopping.  I went out the door from the shop to the garden area, looked down, and saw a landing of  cobblestones.  Pink granite cobblestones.  I love pink.  I love pink granite.  And we even have some cobblestones that were just sitting in a heap, waiting for a brilliant idea.  I enlisted the help of my stepson, and this is what we came up with. 

We only have 9 cobblestones, but I've found a source for more and plan to put two more rows in.  You will note that there is grass seed between them, I'm still hoping for a bit of grass.  My theory is that if we are not stepping on it, maybe it will agree to grow.  I"ll let you know how it turns out.

Cindi

Mystery Solved

This is a picture of a quilt that was made by one of my sweetie's relatives.  Unfortunately, he doesn't know who.  Possibly an aunt or his grandmother. (For you quilters out there, this is why we label our quilts.) I have wondered what the pattern is called.

Here's a view from another angle.  The blocks all are scrappy, but the center of each set of three diamonds is either red, deep pink or red and black fabric. 

Here's a close up of one block.  Judging by some of the fabrics, such as the blue, green and black piece in the lower left, my fairly uneducated guess is that this was made in the 1950's. 

I've been thinking of doing a tumbling blocks quilt, and while researching those, I came upon a picture of this block.  It's called Flying Swallows, or Swallow in a Star.  Most of those I saw had all of the diamonds the same color, and they do look something like a swallow.  I don't know if this pattern has a different name when it is scrappy. 

I love the scrappy look, and love the way that quilters "make do".  If you don't have the exact color, use something close.  You may be able to see that the green background is two shades of green.  

I'm sharing this on Colorado Lady's Vintage Thingie Thursday.  Enjoy!

Cindi

P.S.  Can someone explain how I add the Vintage Thingie Thursday button to my post?

The yard is continuing to look better.  Just took a walk around and took some pictures to share. 



The peonies opened today

 



The clematis are going crazy.  My sweetie built a lattice wall 3 years ago, and they seem to love it.  There are 3 varieties, this is the first to bloom.



                                                              My vegetable garden.
We have a fairly shady yard, and I was unsuccessful at growing a garden.  Until I filled this tub with soil and started a salad garden.  I have radishes, spinach, mesclun, black seeded simpson lettuce, onions and spinach in here.  Should be picking radishes in a few days.  We usually get salads for a couple of weeks from this. 



 Ninebark, a native flowering shrub.



Golden Alexander in my native plant area.

Hope you enjoyed the walk in my yard. 

Cindi

I invented a Pizza!

Decided to make a pizza for dinner.  I keep prebaked pizza crusts in the freezer, so I'm ready for pizza at any time.  We buy them 6 at a time at the Italian grocery store, way cheaper than the ones made by Boboli.  I usually make 'clean out the fridge' type pizzas, using whatever I have on hand.  My sweetie had bought spinach at the produce store today, and I started thinking about spinach and Alfredo sauce.  So opened the fridge and started pulling out ingredients.  I sliced up a couple of cups of spinach leaves, threw in a teaspoon or so of minced garlic, chopped up 6 or 8 marinated artichoke hearts, diced 2 green onions, then gathered up my cheese.  I had about a cup of grated mozzarella, a small chuck of pesto Havarti (from The Osceola Cheese Factory ) and a huge wedge of Parmesan.  I grated maybe a half cup of Parmesan and added all the cheese in.  I just stirred it all together, instead of layering it.  If I had had some Alfredo sauce, I would have spread it on the crust, but I didn't.  After arranging it all on the crust, I grated some more Parmesan over the top.  It came out looking like this.

I preheated the oven to 450, then baked it for about 12 minutes.  When it was done, it looked like this.

I can now report that there is not a speck left!  All gone and very good. 

Looking forward to a Happy Mother's Day, hope you all have one also.

Cindi