Random: Resting

 #35 Flower Basket

 #36 Flower Garden Path

I took a few days away from blogging and just resting at home and slowly pick up some projects here and there. I finished my newest Farmer's Wife quilt block. I think it made me 1/3 way through the whole project which has 111 blocks. I have had most difficult time to match the # 36 and didn't like how it turn out! I will make another one and use paper piecing method for it. It might have a better result. The flower basket is so sweet! I love the SK fabric for the center piece!

 S and I spent most of our days here read and sew. She reads and I sew!  Our forever favorite drink is sprinkle water and added some berries, have you try it? um... it is {YUM}; very fruity taste! I also found some old patchwork pieces that I sewn in the past and left in the piles. I took them out and give them a new look. { as you can see from the sewing room photo, it is pretty messy around here, but it all gone back to clean again}

We have had some mild wind and temperature here for last two days. S went out and make this snow sculpture. The snow sculpture is {LUCKY BOY} He is S' puppy in Taiwan! Very cute and smart as well! He is a bigger boy now! We do skype with him once in a while. All he does is look around and try to find who is calling his name. Once S played piano for him via Skype.

Continue using up fabric scraps, batting scraps, and finally they are made into something now! I am not sure what I am making this yet! It is pieced into a piece of  patchwork look, but maybe a zipper bag! I need to run to the store get two zippers for it!

So, how do you like my French Press Cozy? Ok! I think it is a bit too small in size! I found some old hand-pieced hexes this weekend and though a French Press Cozy is what I needed! So here I have a mini cozy! Nothing better than keeping warm coffee.

This is second week of school Although a day off from the holiday, but I am getting busier! The class I teach taking some time to prepare and also gather my ideas and try to enhance students learning experiences. I might be in and out this space for this week.

xxC

Random: on the list

The Holiday baking round ii is done! My {to-do} list has a few items crossed off since last couple of days! It is busy around here and the winter seems has {just} arrived in northern land! Some more snow on the ground as I looked outside of our window! I shall prepare my day and get ready!

xxC

a personal {464 Handmade}

I wondered if you have a blog friends or a group of blog friends that you became closed friends and enjoy the same interest you have in sewing, quilting, life, and more. I have a few blog friends that I became closed with and RosaMaria is one of them.  She has been a very supportive friend of my! We've been friends since 2009. We began talked about a private swap back in summer 2011 while I was in Taiwan. After exchanged emails for awhile we have decided what to do. The idea is a mini quilt and some little handmade.

 I had to ran to the post office and picked up the package this week. RosaMaria overly spoiled me {see above image}. She sent so much goodies and surprises as I unveiled each lovely package.

 {front of mini  quilt}

 {back of mini quilt}

How I loved the colors! All the solid colors are well match to each other. I {want} this mini quilt to be on my sewing room wall, but I will save it when we have a real home ourselves. It has so much of the her personality in it! { Love}  

The sweet treats that she sent along. Check out the Mexican chocolate! S and I are making the drink this weekend! We will have it with our friends who will visit us this weekend.

The fabric she sent is so pretty and soft! I knew what I am going to make from these! My stashes at home are so happy that they have new family members!

Guess what are these? These are paper! I kept thinking if these are made into fabric would be so fabulous! These are {great. great. great. great} for my mini book project! S will be sharing these paper with me. She has a mini project in mind as well.

The photos on these cards are taken by RosaMaria. Have you check out her flickr? She takes great photos. I have just joined her recent group called { i'm looking down}. There are lots interesting photos have been shared in the group already, so make sure check it out.

 Her {464 Handmade} etsy shop is where she sells her wonderful handmade goods. She is very talented and I love so much of what she makes.  All the goods she made is from the love of making and I love her sweet mini quilts.

 My little personal note card she made and the twine she sent along! They are so sweet and touched!

 My very personal {tote}! This would be so great with my spring day out!! Lots space for my stuff!

 Her personal tags! Aren't they just lovely 

I am so happy and lucky to come cross RosaMaria in the blogging land! She is such a sweet lady and shares what she loves with people! I kept telling her that we need to meet in real life someday and all we will do is drink coffee, sew, and talk about fabric!! I just knew that we will meet someday somewhere! Although the technology has taken many direct personal interaction, but it also shorten the distance that we live and allow us to meet people from other side of the world?


{Thank.You} RosaMaria~ your extended friendship is so kind and sweet!

xxC

Patchwork tote

A new patchwork tote for myself! Don't remember when was the last time I make a tote. During the school weeks I have about 4 bags to carry with. Almost like a mom with an infant and her personal belongs. It has been an issue for myself and I knew in mind that a bigger tote is needed for things that I carry!f Unfortunately I never took the action up till this week.   

I used my scraps fabrics for the entire project. My Suzuko Koseki fabric that I kept in large scale in the intention of the {sewing prints}. The sewing method I used was from this tutorial  and I highly recommend it! I haven't never use this tutorial for making a quilt, but for the project that I have done here is perfect! I love all the detail quilting lines in different directions and it helped to make it {patchy. work} look.

{Thanks} my little helper, S. She took the photos for me. As you can tell it is a big scale tote. Inside I have a 3" inches binders and two books already, but it looks like still lots room for {stuff}. On this side of the tote I made small patchwork then combined the small patchwork blocks together. It really created a nice look!

On this side of the bag, I used large fabric prints created on patchwork look. I spoiled myself with my favorite fabrics. With the handles that I simply cut a 5" strips and quilted the straight lines. It is great to have a new tote for a new semester!

I really like the patch {log.cabin} look. Won't it be great to make a quilt in the similar method and fabric choices? 

xxC

Alphabet Day : E is for

E is for Enjoy

Each day, I {enjoy} much from reading emails to a small conversation with someone. 
Each day, I {enjoy} much from observing the daylight changes to the changing of clouds.
Each day, I {enjoy} much from S' music practices to the radio music.
Each day, I {enjoy} much from my western cooking to the eastern cooking.

We both were  craving {fried chicken} and { fried sweet potatoes} lately! Both of dishes take about an hour to make.  We cooked  the food and at the same time we ate! We were both hungry! Ummmm and they were tasty! 


xxC

Random: {ready. set. go.}

Does this picture looks attempting to you? I got the taste of home {ultimate Cheese cakes} from the local grocery store around Christmas! All the pages are so attempting and I want to make each one of them if I can. Tonight we will be attended a friend's party, so I made 2 dozens of this mini cheese cakes!

This is my version of it! I would love to have some mint leaves and maybe some wiped cream, so the raspberries can top on the cream. It is a delight cheese cake and creamy as well.

Continuing my holiday baking part ii. One of my closed friends were gone for the holiday vacation, so I postpone to send her gifts. I am making almond cookies and lemon cookies this time. I think both of them will be great treats for her during her coffee time. She is alike a mother to me, so I often call her my American MOM! She sends pound cake on my birthdays and I can never make the same pound cake that she makes. I am sure she probably has a {secrete ingredient} that  she didn't tell me, maybe these cookies would allow me to get that {secrete ingredient}. We shall see about that!

#35 & #36 Farmer's wife quilt blocks fabric are picked. These are some my new favorite fabric and colors. I would love to get them finish by next weekend and move on to next two.

S has open a store today. I bought a couple of things from her store and this is my check. Currently, she is busy with her customers. I am sure I will make my next stop soon.

{Swoon} pattern by Camille Roskelley. This is the pattern that will be use for mom's quilt. I  need to read through the lists and purchase the fabric and hope mom will like the pattern and the quilt when it's made. This is a such lovely pattern that I love! Have you visit the flickr group?  I often visit the group and just amazed by the quilters who made their fabric choices.  The plan is use the same pattern to make one for my sister as well. Originally plan was her Denyse Schmidt's single girl quilt. However, the idea of making the same quilt, but different fabric is more attractive to my mind.

I am slowing down the smaller projects around here. It is amazing how the small projects accumulates. By the time, when I pick them up,  the ideas and motivations are decreased! It would be nice  I could have a few days in the sewing room and just sew. That would be nice, isn't it?!

My school tote is working in process! It will considerably be a large tote. The school binder is 3" wide and total of 6 books to carry and other sewing materials that will be needed in school. I hope to make two totes by tomorrow. I like to send one to my aunt who also is a sewer. She never has a professional training on sewing, but she makes her own clothes from her own patterns. She is also one of my sewing teacher. I learn much sewing clothes from her!


Although it is sunny out today, but the making school tote is more interest to me. Maybe a short walk will be taken.

xxC

Random: where to begin?

The first Friday of 2012 has arrived! It is a bit sweet day for me. I am off to school lunch with S later today. I am sure it is nothing surprise or special for the American culture/Western , but for me, it is! I grew up with bring my own bento box {lunch box} to school. Each classroom would have a big steam tray where we put our lunch box. The first thing we arrived our classroom is put the lunch box in or we will have cold lunch instead. The classroom helpers would then bring the tray to the school steamer get steam while students in the class. Each day, the class assigned two helpers for the day. Their responsibilities were wipe the chalk board, carried the steamer tray to the lunch room, etc.  The first time, I went to lunch with S was when she was in kindergarten.  I didn't know what to prepare for the lunch day, so I had to emailed the teacher at the beginning of the week then the same week of the Friday I went. It was crazy and kids have so much to talk about- I mean anything!  Later on, I try to visit her in lunch room once a month. I get to know all her buddies closely and the lunch moment at school is a special mental treat to myself! {With all the fun kids!}

Lately the half of me is a bit pulling away! I have learned about two of best friends got very ill since Christmas. I have been praying for them in my heart and head everyday. Keep them in my thoughts everyday! I am not the best person in handling sad news or shocking news. They both gone to a major surgery and removed the cancer cells recently. At that moment, I wish I can fly or just drive over to visit them, but the land of America is grater than I could handle. I begin to write letters to them and tell them {be well} and {be positive}. We can only wait till the summer arrives then we can take off and begin to travel and make each stops and visits. Time will not fly away itself, but I can work towards to that!

A while ago, I received a negative email, but I never respond to the sender.  But I decided to respond here because I knew the person who have recently stopped by my blog and read. {If you are reading, maybe consider go back  to words that you typed and read it aloud to yourself. All the judgements and the words you said weren't  any true! All the harsh words that you typed were all the fears that you have in yourself.  I am everyone' friend, but not ones who harsh their friends in the negative words and hope you can learn to be happy and cheer up! Life is so much better if you can look out!  Life is so much sweeter if you can open your heart}.

Last night, I map out our summer plan! It will be a great summer that we are looking into. We are taking a great road trip to west coast! { Do I have any west coast readers here?} We'll be making a 2 weeks long trip. The goal is camp out and grill out all the way till we get to the destination. I hope to do more research on how to budget the road trip. Also my greedy mind is hoping to have a few days in Yellow Stone National Park. We have done varies road trips in last couple of years. S has done well, but she gets  car sick and air sick easy. We often needed to stop for her to get fresh air and breaks. If we were in the air, chances are I need { lots} baggies for her! Last year, she has done well. No air sick on our trip to Asia,  she was so proud to announce that her body is {strong}.

Our winter season so far seems very {comfortable}. We had 46 degrees in northern land yesterday. Snow either melted away or evaporated into the air. It is not usual in the winter time, however, we took the advantage of the sunny day and off a short walk. The day light seems getting slightly longer now. In my morning drive to school I often enjoy the morning clouds and the light reflection. It was a habit that I started when I was living in Iowa. I'd love to photography sky's in different states if I can. Maybe I need to look into my image folders and find all the sky photos that I have taken from years ago..  { good idea?}

Thank you for visiting! This little blog is my little personal outlet to share what I do and what I think. Maybe my writing isn't great, but I am trying! I always re-read the posts few times before I click {publish} then later on I found mistakes then I went back change again. It is a good way of learning my mistakes. This weekend, I plan to use this sewing method to make my tote and a few bibs for baby Mila. If the weather is too attempting, I might skip a few project and off some walks with S.

xxC