New Pattern! Prima

This is the one that started it all:

 Thank goodness for a small window of opportunity in the sky and changing seasons for the perfect backdrop!

 Prima is a simple 3 color quilt that is perfect for beginners. It looks quite complex, but I promise it isn't.

 I went to town on the quilting on this one and I wouldn't change a thing.

 The border fabric from this quilt actually inspired the red paint for our bedroom. One day when the dogs are gone this is going to be the quilt on our bed... (or so I hope)

 The stars are interlaced like a puzzle, so each star uses it's own points. No points are shared between the two colors.

At 94" x 94" it's a nice large size. Also, the outer edge is irregular even though the quilt is square. All stars end completed which gives the edge the random appearance.

Now would you believe that the fabrics used for the center of the quilt are blenders that are available at most quilt shops? If you choose a border first with this pattern as I did and then choose the star colors from that it'll look stunning no matter which color combination you choose.

This pattern is printing as we speak and should be ready to purchase in a couple weeks.

So what do you think?

Days of Fall

So, personally the best place I like to be when the weather is switching over to Fall is in my hometown. Conveniently, that happens to be where my quilting machine is with wonderful views of the outside.

Last week I was there several days. I stayed home over the weekend and when I returned on Monday the leaves had already started to change! But the dogs have a different pace, the cows are feeding constantly, the air is more crisp, everything changes.

So how about we take a picture journey through my Fall days?

 So this is the newest baby moo cow and one of the new bulls. They were inseparable that day.

 The hay buffet for the moo cows.

 From where I was taking pictures of the newest pattern, the cows were just off to the side. And they were very intent on what I was doing (at least the ones that weren't stuffing their faces).

 The colors on the leaves have already started to change.

 Ever had beagles before? They are notorious for being escapees. Just look at the hole Miss Joy is trying to dig to China under her house. This is Paige above, weren't not sure exactly what she's mixed with but it has to be terrier because she can jump straight up and look you in the eye.

 This is Joy. She will try to squeeze every ounce of her being through the fence if she could to love on you.

 But when that doesn't work she falls asleep in your hand.

 Paige again, love that old scruff!

 And now onto the other mongrels. These guys are normally not fond of the camera but they were so konked out that I had no problems snapping pictures of them. Tucker is the little brat. He and I have a love/hate relationship. But he is cute!

 Hershey, Hershey, Hershey. Does anyone else have a dog that sleeps like this? It doesn't look comfortable.

 And Miss Abby Sue. Here she is being the ham that she normally is...

But this was how I found her that day. Normally as soon as you walk in the room she rolls over like she was doing something wrong, but I managed to snap a picture or two on this day.

Love the critters, especially when they're lethargic and quiet. Unlike yesterday when my brother was "tuning his goose call" and it was driving the dogs insane, which was not a fun time to be had...

More updates about the newest pattern coming up soon!

The best laid plans...

You want to know how to make God laugh? Make plans.

I had the best intentions of taking better pictures of the new stitchery patterns but was just waiting for the perfect lighting to come along. And so did the clouds and rain and storms.

Granted for the perfect outdoor photos you want a hazy overcast day, but not like the week we've been having here. However I did manage to take these yesterday in the small window of opportunity between full sun and rain.

 The lighting wasn't exactly perfect as the ground is a bit under-exposed, but I'll take what I can get. This one above is the new Sea Creatures pattern.

And this one here is the Bundle of Joy pattern featuring everything baby. These patterns should be available in another week or so. I'll let you know when they will be available for purchase.

Back soon with more new patterns!

Machine Quilting - Mixing Techniques

Here's the other Rapid Fire Hunter Star that we have as a sample at Cottonpickers.

 This was made with a mix of Jo Morton's fabrics, but it mainly used her Ember Reds and Evergreens line for the colors. This is the 5" block using the Studio 180 Rapid Fire Hunter Star Ruler.

 First I machine quilted the top but I left the stars alone until after I unloaded the quilt. (I've done this a couple other times and I love this new technique) Once I got the mostly quilted project home I used some Pearl Cotton and utility quilted in the stars.

 I'm very proud of myself as I try to build my quilting skills and these were the first border feathers I've ever done! They were so much fun to do!

You can see more detail of the utility quilting here and the dense meandering I did in the rest of the block with the machine.

Combining these techniques are fun and add another dimension to the quilt that would not be able to be had otherwise. This is definitely something I would encourage you to try, but you'll have to discuss it with your machine quilter beforehand. They would most likely do the machine quilting and you would then have to do the utility quilting (and yes I would do it in that order).

Have you ever seen this before? What do you think? Let me know! Don't forget, new patterns should be premiering very soon!

The Wonderful World of Quilting Retreats!

So I was finally able to attend my first ever quilt retreat last week. We had a group of 24 women that all went up to the Riverside Inn in Cambridge Springs, PA for a few days. We arrived Sunday afternoon and stayed through Wednesday morning and sewed until our little hearts were content.

 The Riverside Inn was built back in the 1800's and features over 70 guest rooms I believe that are all decorated with glamorous quilts and lovely furniture. There are several lamps that hang on the lower levels and many of them are different.

 Outside there are lush gardens and this wonderful porch.

 This is the ballroom where we held our Retreat. This is how it would be set up for weddings or parties, but imagine this with cutting tables in the middle, sewing machine and ironing boards set up along the outer perimeter, and plenty of room to lay out quilts. (This picture was borrowed from their website because I was working so hard I forgot to take pictures... Ooops!)

 I did take these though! Our friend Judy and her Mom had a party while we were there. It was Mom's 89th birthday and she had a wonderful day including this wonderful cake, flowers and a tiara!

 Here's some really bad, but sufficient enough for sneak peek, pictures of the newest stitchery patterns. Look for a feature with good pictures later this week! The one above is the Baby themed stitchery.

 This pattern features Sea Creatures.

And another pattern due out in the near future would be Prima. I'm working on the quilting now and this should be on the market very very soon.

So, besides finishing these quilt tops and half of my rings for my Bali Wedding Star, I also started some charity quilts as side projects too. Hence why the photos aren't the greatest and they are the only ones that I took while we were there.

We had girls doing all sorts of things from pillowcases to table toppers, lap quilts, paper piecing, large grandiose things and I didn't get a picture of any of them... Dang! Guess that means we have to do it again! Well, speaking of quilting, I better get moving if I'm going to get that finished today!

Back from Retreat!

I'll post more about retreat later, but for a quick note I had a blast! I don't think I've ever quilted so much in such a small time and got so much accomplished.

I went with many projects, but here's how I made out:
* I finished two new Alphabet Stitchery quilt tops
* I put the borders on another massive quilt which will be a new pattern in the near future
* I started a charity quilt
* AND I got half of the rings done for my Bali Wedding Star!

I'm going to take a small break from this project so I can focus on other quilts and projects that need to be completed for upcoming shows and more Machine Quilting I need to do. Considering how fast this part of the quilt went, I should have no problems completing the Unit B (the other half of the rings) and then it's the melons and completing the blocks. It's going a lot faster than I imagined it would.

Back soon with more quilting and retreat updates!

Machine Quilting: Get Your Sunglasses

You've been warned and so was I when I got this quilt from Marge. This is for her grandson, Alex, who is in 1st grade. Alex lives with Marge so she had to take advantage from his summer trips to put it together.

 There were several fun fabrics in this quilt, I really think it's perfect for a young boy but he'll be able to grow up with it too and it won't be too juvenile either. Good job Marge!

I quilted a version of swirls made popular by the famous Kim Diehl. They worked so well with the fabrics, there wasn't a better design for this quilt.

Thanks Marge! Now it's your turn to get out the sunglasses!

My Famous Glazed Kielbasa Recipe

Do you have that go to dish that works for just about everything? Need a potluck dish - try this one. Need an appetizer - try this. Need a quick main dish - try this. Need a snack - you get the point.

I made up this dish somehow and I couldn't tell you how it happened if I tried. All I can think of is this came out of those many hours I used to spend watching Food Network back when.

I've made this for several things and this is the one dish that gets rave reviews and insane amounts of requests every time I make it. The best part for me is it is sooooo simple!

 Here's the five ingredients you'll need to make this dish:
Kielbasa or Smoked Sausage
White Wine (Semi Sweet or Dry, not too sweet)
Yellow Mustard
Brown Sugar
Parsley Flakes

 First things first, if you're not already dealing with an open bottle of wine, crack it open and have a glass!

 Remove the kielbasa from the package and cut it into three more manageable pieces as shown.

 Cut the kielbasa into 3/8" thick slices at an angle (to get the most surface area possible). Using a serrated knife helps to cut the sausage rather than tear it apart.

 Cut all of the pieces and set them aside. Heat a pan (preferably non-stick) to medium high heat.

 Once the pan is heated, add the kielbasa pieces and cook them until they get a nice brown color.

(In the following pictures you'll see I kinda burnt mine, I got a new pan that I'm not quite used to yet. It's either not hot enough or too hot, but it works)

Add in just enough wine to cover the bottom of the pan. Stir the kielbasa frequently and it will start to soak up the liquid.

 Keep and eye on it because once it starts to soak it up...

 It disappears in no time. Don't let all of the liquid disappear, this is a good time to go to the next step.

 Sprinkle in a small handful of brown sugar.

 Then squirt in some yellow mustard. I do a small pattern of lines in one direction and then the other, just enough to get a taste like shown above.

 Mix it all together and in seconds (Seriously!) It turns into this magical glaze (Notice why the non-stick pan is important? Ask me how I know...

 Sprinkle in some parsley flakes for some color (Honestly this step can be completed removed, but it makes it look pretty)

 Mix it all together and serve!

Add in some roasted potatoes or your favorite side for a quick meal (start to finish this takes only about 10 minutes including prep). Like I mentioned before, I've made this for potlucks making several batches and putting it all in a crock pot to keep it warm. It's a staple at our house and it's soooo easy to make. Why don't you give it a try, it'll be a favorite of yours too I'll bet!