Ugh!

I had such grand plans. Such enthusiasm and hope. Excitement!

Inspiration!

I was even organized!

But I just wasn't feeling it. I put it all away for another day. Does that happen to you? Do you push through or move on?
I think it needs some more simmering before I go back to it.
On a much more productive note the sashing and cornerstones are complete and ready to be sewn on. When all else fails get the UFOs out!

Kelly

What's On Your Design Wall?

Have a great weekend!

Kelly

Ole Ole

Saturday I took a class and made this small quilt. While I love the fabrics, my choices do not have enough contrast, something I always struggle with and always AFTER the quilt is done.....

This was the teacher's sample, she used batiks with a white on white print that had lots of contrast!

The pattern is made using the Quick Curve Ruler by Sew Kind of Wonderful.

I had success making the solid curves (the red ones on the right) but was having trouble with the pieced ones, they just didn't fit. So I decided to take the class to figure out what I was doing wrong.
The teacher had us do all the tedious sewing at home so we could get right to work sewing our curves.

The very first one came out perfect......we think my strips of fabric that were sewn together were the wrong size...I guess reading the pattern more than once is important!

Within an hour or so mine was all together.

I did a lot of fancy quilting because it was small and I need to experiment more.

This gives you a better idea of the quilting.

Ok so I named my post Ole Ole, yes it is Cinco de Mayo but it is also the first 2 words of one of my favorite Zumba songs "Follow the Leader" by Jennifer Lopez. If you want to hear the song and watch the video you can go here.
Zumba also has a lot of salsa dancing, so in the spirit of the day....I am going to give you a great Salsa recipe that I made yesterday and can't stop thinking about....

SALSA!
1 ( 35 oz) large can of tomatoes---- I used Tuttorosso large peeled plum
2  (10 oz) cans of Rotel Mexican Lime Cilantro diced tomatoes
1/2 c chopped onion
4 cloves of chopped garlic
1 jalapeno.....be brave and leave the seeds in!
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro---do not leave this out, it makes it taste so fresh!
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
Juice of 1/2 lime if you couldn't find the diced tomatoes with lime.

Throw all of it in the food processor and pulse only a few times, you want it a little chunky not a lot or it falls off the chip. This made 2 quart jars so you may need to make it in batches depending on the size of your food processor. Seriously, the best ever, try it you will like it!

Kelly

This and That

One of the blogs I like to read is called Sew Kind of Wonderful. I have been wanting her special ruler for a while now and finally got one. As you can see above, the block I made turned out perfect! I am not by any stretch of the imagination a good piecer but this has changed that.

This is the ruler. Not only can you cut out all the pieces you need to make your block but you can square them up with it too. Jenny also has some cool patterns and I have one I can't wait to make.

Her directions are great and she has PICTURES! Yes yes yes! It helped me figure out how to do it and I made no mistakes. She also has great tips on piecing curves. You can tell a lot of thought went into her product, it makes it worth the price. I love to support people like this.

I also made a cute little design board that I saw on the blog Bee In My Bonnet. Lori seems like such a fun and upbeat person and I enjoy her sewing skills, not to mention she loves retro stuff. Now mine does not look nearly as good as hers but it will do. That binding connection at the left hand side is really bad, not because of her instructions but because of my lack of skill with a glue gun!

I spent the last 2 days with my newly married daughter working on her kitchen, organizing, cleaning and decorating. It was fun and I like how she is becoming a little bit Susie homemakerish. Can quilting be far behind? We will see......

Kelly