Random: Made a quilt top and made a sweet

 

Thank you for the recommendation of the quilting book.  It is in my Amazon shopping cart now! I can't wait to get the book and try something new!   Do you like getting new books?? S and I both love getting new books. I prefer look over the photos before I read, but she prefers reading from the first page to the last!   But at the end, we sign our books with our name and date. We share what we read and show each other the most interest pages.

If you need some tasty summer dessert, try the {Lemon bar}. It is surely delicious. The recipe called a full cup of fresh lemon juice, but we only used a 1/2 cup instead, but we had 3 tbsp of lemon zest. The crust is crispy and the filling is sweet and soft.   We brought some to our friends last night and had dinner together. We all think it would go well with bitter coffee.

The green, blue, and yellow quilt top is finished. I have never finished a quilt top in a day. It is a simple patchwork piece. No fancy blocks, but what I really like about this quilt is the simplicity of it.  I named it Lemon Tree Quilt!

xxC 

Random: quilts, quilts, quilts

My mind gets a little full when I have many projects that I {wanted} to attempt or projects that have been waiting for me to finish up. Today I try to map out which project that I need to take priority and which project I {wanted} to start. The {patchwork sampler} has been done for a few weeks now. Originally, I plan on hand-quilting, but later on decided to work with machine quilting instead. The loop pattern is simple and fits well with this sampler.  Lately, I  have been searching some good machine quilting books. If you have any, please recommended to me. I'd like to take a step forward on machine quilting.

Finally, finally.. I cut into {these fabric}. It is crazy and scary at the same time! Lots my favorite prints are being cut into 1.5" wide strips. I might need some more blue print that Kerry swap with me, but I hope I can get some similar color to sub.  One of my large fabric order was the low contrast prints.

The traditional log cabin quilt is one of the quilt that I wanted to make ever since I started to quilt. When I visited my friend's house duirng this spring. She has a w.i.p log cabin quilt and I kept asking her how to make one. As you can tell, I admire this old pattern very much!  I love many layout possibilities when there are many blocks being made.  I love the idea of building up the block by added different prints.

It took me 15 minutes to make one block. The center piece is always going to be red, but then I will go with different prints after that. It might be something new and fun afterwards? The light shine through the block and really reflected on the sewing seam.

{Big book of Scrap quilts} is an excellent quilting book! It has many quilt patterns and clear diagrams. I love the idea of using scraps. Did you see the old school house pattern on the right? Another wish to make quilt. I would like to make a old school house with only red and cream/white prints. 

So far, I have three blocks made and the rest of strips are hanging around the basket.  I hope to get this quilt made in October, so I will have a new quilt to snuggle with in the Fall .  When I finished this quilt it will be time for S' 9th birthday quilt. She hasn't talked her quilt, but I am sure it will not be confirm until Christmas time. I will wait!

Another quilt! I really am loving quilts that made with green, yellow and blue lately. After seeing Svetla's quilt I started to pull out fabrics and getting fabric stash together. Some of prints are only fat quarters. I know I will be feeling sad to let go some of these print from my stash, but it is time for a new summer kind of quilt. Simple patchwork quilt is what I really am looking for.   Let's keep quilting!

xxC

Random: Weekending

Books, food, sewing, games, preparation.. weekend is all about being home buddy and rest well! Nothing like being home.  The fan is still running and helps air moving around.  S was busy with her games and reading while I was working on the hexie patchwork sewing.  It is always nice that we both occupied by our own projects, but share some thoughts and chat to each other. 

Thank you for all the sweet comments on the {patchwork placemats}. Each patchwork piece measurement is around 4"x5". Each placemat finished at 11"x16".  I trimmed off the sides to get make the size.

Off some editing and hope to share the hexie patchwork project with you soon!

xxC

Random: Patchwork Placemats

Thank you for the sweet comments on the {dumplings}. Have you download your template and try one out?
We are getting some good rain here and the air is cooler and feels good! I was able to sit and sew again! Remember these {patchwork pieces} I made? I decided to turn them into placemats. I have much love to use up scraps even small pieces. This year, I try not to have too many w.i.p.  projects. I like to  finish them in a certain time frame. That helps to limited the ideas gone away and limited too many projects going on at the same time and that would make me feel I never accomplish anything.

I have been thinking what to give for my friend Amy's wedding gift. It is hard for me to think any. Certainly it is a different culture here compared from home. Amy's wedding is going to be the second wedding ceremony that we will be attending.  We are excited about her wedding that's coming up soon. Amy was S' kindergarten teacher, but we have been known each other long before S started school.  We are very closed to her family and miss them very much since we moved away.

I am not sure if she will like these placemats. I chose off white with light green lines to sandwich the patchwork pieces. I have the idea about summer time having a party in the prairie when I was making these placemats.

Each patchwork is different and I think they are a nice set together! I used scraps binding for it. Thanks to my flickr friends who swap some of their scraps to me.

This time I used machine binding on the placements. Somehow I like the stitching lines on the back side of the binding look. It looks like a drawing line on the binding. Now, I need to think of a way to wrap these placemats together. Do you know that I am always nervous sending my handmade gifts to people? I'll let you know what Amy thinks when I meet her in a few weeks. 


xxC

Random: Dumplings

The humidity is back to normal. On the 4th the humidity  reached the highest point of the week, but now we have some really nice breeze came in from windows.  Yesterday morning, I woke up early in the morning and start making these dumplings. It is simple and easy to make. I plan enlarge the pattern and make larger version.

 You might have remember my{ swoon quilt} that I made in April. I used the leftover scraps made a {patchwork handbag} and still have two pieces of patchwork left. I though would make another tote for daily use, but simply mistakes happened. The measurement was 2 inches off and I don't have much leftover fabric for making up plan. 

I saw these cute dumplings in Flickr few weeks ago and download the pattern { you can click and download your own}. These dumplings are fast to make the only trick is baste zipper by hand then sew that  would make the zipper stay in shape!

This is the {harder version} which is resulted very small, but I think it is fairly easy to make if you are a sewer who sew most of the time.

This is the {easy version}, which is the same to the other one, but only bigger.  I plan to enlarge this version to make a larger ones. I think these dumplings are great for storing small sewing project such as hexie patchwork or storing sewing needles, thread spools, and small scissors.

With two leftover patchwork pieces. I was able to make 4 dumplings. Yes, as I mentioned earlier. I am  sad that I had to wasted some of patchwork pieces in order to get the pieces cut. I saved some large pieces and I hope I will transfer them into something else. It is a great feeling that I have used up all my swoon quilt fabric scraps for different projects.

This morning, I set out two jars for sun tea. One is raspberry tea { of course} and the other one is rose tea. It is raining this morning and the weather is cooler. We are back in long sleeves and windows are half way down.

xxC

Random: mistakes

{oh no.. it's a mistake!}

{ i'm fixing}

It is disappointing that I made mistakes on this tote that I had in mind.  I did the machine quilting on this piece and though I'd make it a new tote for daily use. I ripped the handle threads off and feeling sad that I wasted much fabric. I will take a few days off since it is still hot here. It seems like the weather is going down to the 80's this Friday and will get a little comfortable here. I do feel a bit green when I see/ hear our neighbors have their air conditioning on. Our fans have been running most of the time and it is getting better with fresh air in now! The heat is slowing going away, hopefully will be normal temperature again.

We got half quarter gallon jars today { 6 of them}. Two are in the fridge with sweet raspberry tea and S is asking for some green tea. Have you try iced green tea?? mmm.. It is very delicate! The best way to make iced green tea is brew the green tea  first added ice while the tea is still hot then added few tablespoons of corn syrup { One is good for me, but some people like their tea sweet}.  I worked in the tea house when I was a teen back in Taiwan and learn lots tips for making good iced tea.  I shall share more later with you. 

Wish you a great 4th 

xxC

Random: Accomplishments

Thank you for the kind comments on the { Tutorial:  English paper piecing hexagon patchwork}. Please do let me know if I can be more helpful!  I love taking pictures when I work. It is a way of documenting my work in process steps and also reminded myself how long does it take for me to accomplish one project.  The strawberry jam is a success! Although, it is not very jam alike, more like sauce. We had our first half jar opened and spread on the toasted toast. Yumm... We might try to add some on ice cream.

I finished the hexagon patchwork hand-quilting and would like to start the second tutorial soon. It has been really humid and hot here for last two days. Since we don't have an AC, so I went and got a second fan. The hot air is running within our place, so it is hard to sit and sew.b Hope the air cools down soon, so I can be more productive! As I was in the hardware store, I saw some half gallon jar in the store and though they are going to be perfect for making more sun tea. Awhile ago, I broke our sun tea glasses { two at the once. One jar slipped off my wet hand and my other hand was trying to catch then the other one just came after...}  and haven't found one.  We love drinking cool sun tea and I think these half gallon jars are going to be perfect for making sun tea.  Do you like sun tea?? My favorite is raspberry tea and added two pieces of fresh mint and some frozen fresh raspberry.....


I made some new patchwork pieces since the scraps bowl was full again!! I got a good stash going on and will make them into either placemats or a table quilt. I am waiting the air cool off, so I can sew again. Meanwhile, we spent most of day time in school studio and getting more artwork done, drinking sun tea and enjoy long summer listed movie, and some summer reading.  Stay cool if your place is running a heat wave this week.. Drink lots water and stay inside..

xxC