New Books

I finished the Christmas Arrowhead quilt.


It is 45" x 64". I used Warm and White cotton batting, with red flannel backing. I used 12 fat quarters (and an extra 0.5meters for the binding) of Figgy Pudding by Basicgrey. It was quilted on my home sewing machine using a #80 Microtex needle (the free motion quilting foot on my machine doesn't like a finer needle - the screw goes in too much and this is what caused the last FMQ foot to break), with light khaki Invisafil in the top and red Aurifil in the bobbin.


I decided to quilt a simple, all over design, because I didn't want the quilting to be the focus, I thought that the placement of the blocks and the pattern they created should be the focus. That is why I chose the Invisafil thread (it is a very fine #100 thread - hard to see in the picture).

The back - holly leaves and swirls.

The blocks of this quilt were designed by Anita Grossman Solomon, and I thought that the blocks were so ingenious that I decided to order the book they come from.

"Rotary Cutting Revolution" is a wonderful idea book - there are no quilt patterns - it is a book with 8 incredibly described quilt blocks! They are all wonderful and so well explained. You can preview the book here, click on the "google preview" symbol.

This "No Waste Windmill" block is one I want to try next, or maybe this "Old Italian" block....



I also ordered (to get the free shipping!!) this "my bread" book by Jim Lahey (not from "Trailer Park Boys"!). It was recommended by my parents and sister, and the book sure doesn't disappoint!

This is a "no-knead" technique to making bread that is so simple! It only takes less than 10 minutes of actual working time to make the bread - the secret is letting the ingredients (flour, salt, small amount of yeast and water) to sit for 12-18 hours, and then cooking the bread in a covered enameled cast-iron pot. I have made a few loaves so far and they have been delicious.

The taste and texture are amazing - like the best artisan/European bread. And so easy!!

Update - Here is a link for a version of the bread.
Update#2 - Here is an even better link with lots of cute pictures!!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!! ♥

Blocks Sewn Together

I sewed together all the Arrowhead blocks. The designer recommended starching the fabric and pressing the seams open, so that is what I did on these blocks - first time for me. Because of all the diagonal seams and the fact that all the edges are on the bias, I was glad that the seams were open and that the blocks were starched!! I think there could have been problems otherwise! The blocks all went together beautifully. Now to decide what to quilt?


We had the last of the purple carrots from the garden today - delicious!

The Christmas cactus is blooming - seems to bloom earlier every year.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!!♥

Projects Update

Happy Halloween!

stained glass pumpkin I made a few years ago

I have been working on different things this weekend.

I started sewing together the blocks for the arrowhead quilt.

This is the layout I chose.

I have been doing a bit of work on the Romanian Point Lace table center,

and still working on the braid that will surround the table center, a centimeter at a time - I need almost 2m!

Still doing tatting - this one doesn't take much concentration, and so is great in the evening watching TV (the thread looks variegated in the picture, but it is just plain beige).

I also pulled out this cross stitch I started a few years ago - maybe I will finish it for this Christmas?! It is in the basket in the picture for my blog header. This one is hard on my eyes and so has been taking a while. Yesterday I finished the beard and did everything under it!! Hours to do two square inches - I'll be lucky to finish it for Christmas!!

It is a kit by Lorri Birmingham.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!! ♥

Bloggers are the Greatest!

Thanks to everyone who made suggestions on the layout of the Arrowhead quilt!
My favorite layout was the lighter in the middle one -

Some people suggested I try a random layout, so here it is -

I think my favorite is still the lighter in the middle.
One of the best suggestions I received was to think of how I was going to quilt it! (Thanks Cheryl!) What a great concept and one I never think of!! I think I could try quilting something different in the lighter section.

Tomorrow I will post Block #4 of the Quilt Along and I need to work on the Quilt Whisperer course that I am taking. Lesson #2 is full of quilt design ideas for us to try out - so I have some homework to do (my children find this hilarious!!).

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!!♥

Decisions, Decisions!

I finished putting all the Arrowhead blocks together, now I have to decide how they will go together. I tried out a few layouts -

All the lights in the center

The lights running through the middle

The lights at the top

I even tried the pictures in black and white to see if that would help -

What did we do before digital cameras??!

I think it will take me longer to decide on a layout, than the time it took me to make the blocks!!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!!♥

Good Things Come.....

I have had this collections of Figgy Pudding by Basic Grey for over a year waiting for the right pattern to come along - and yesterday I found it!!


I saw the pattern on Happy Cottage Quilter. She has all the instructions.

After I made a couple of sample blocks yesterday, I cut all the squares I would need to make a (46" x 65") lap quilt (35 blocks altogether, so 70 squares of fabric).

Sewing two squares together.

Some squares cut and ready for sewing into blocks.

Half of the blocks made.

The pattern is called "Anita's Arrowhead" by Anita Grossman Solomon (be sure to check out her blog, lots of ideas, and she also has a great tip on how to enlarge any page on the internet!! - Very useful!).
The block is so simple to make!! The design of it is ingenious!!

If you want to try the pattern out, the block would work in the Thread Head Quilt Along quilt. I also think you could convert the pattern to use a layer cake, keeping the squares 10". Hmmm... Lots of possibilities!!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!!♥