Z

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ ...

A long winter nap!

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Stash Report - week 52

WONDERFUL LIFE

Completely done and going on my bed next month!

Used this week:        01.50 yards

Used year to date:                         287.50 yards

Added this week:     00.00 yards

Added year to date:                      110.00 yards

NET USED 2017:                                               177.50 yards

A decent final number for fabric usage, but the stash is still enormous!  The 177 yards consumed were the equivalent of approximately 2 tote tubs that are now empty.  I have about 30 more tubs, and two 5-drawer dressers still full of fabric.  Do the math: I won't be using up all my fabric in this lifetime, seriously.  Sigh.  I'm toying with the notion of a "no-buy" year next year --  even just a "no-buy" quarter once in a while would help.  

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I had a good showing this year in the Completions category also.  These are my own shorthand notes, but this is 31 completed quilts!  I currently have 9 tops that need to be quilted ... but I've progressed to not-more-than-two-years-old for that list!

1.  Red basketweave  54 x 66  01/17

2.  + Pax RWB lap 42 x 42 (Lutheran Ft Worth TX)  01/17

3.  Westering Women 51 x 66 01/17

4.  Purple Flutter flannel crib 43 x 53  01/17

5.  + Mini Bowties RSC 43 x 53 (Doves Nest)  01/17

6.  + QBVS mystery pink 45 x 45 (Doves Nest)  01/17

7.  Yardbirds RSC 42 x 48 02/17

8.  Aqua Daisy flannel crib 43 x 53 02/17

9.  30s Steps 64 x 74 03/17

10. Emma 42 x 56 03/17
11. Shortcake 41 x 63 03/17
12. + Morris Strippy 42 x 64 (Doves Nest) 04/17
13. Blue-yellow D9P flannel crib 42 x 55 04/17
14. Seed Packets 30s 9p 45 x 72 04/17
15. Green-purple D9P flannel crib 42 x 56 05/17
16. After the Gold Rush VFW1 25 x 25 05/17
17. Century 89 x 89 05/17
18. Mitford Stars 45 x 60 06/17
19. Sunflower VFW2 13 x 16 06/17
20. Hickory Hills 45 x 60 06/17
21. Sunnyside logs 42 x 60 07/17
22. Pickled Beets Kingwell 55 x 66 07/17
23. Mickey Mouse Luciano 36 x 45 08/17
24. + Steamboat Springs 54 x 70 (SBNF Fire Lookout 2017) 08/17
25. Static 42 x 72 08/17
26. + Halloween 9p 36 x 36 (Doves Nest) 09/17
27. Thaddeus Stevens Stars 48 x 48 10/17
28. Palmateer Point 20 x 20 10/17
29. Visions of Sugarplums Kingwell 61 x 77
30. Red Plus 20 x 30 12/17
31. Wonderful Life 88 x 88 12/17

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Reading List 2017

JANUARY

1.  Village Life in America 1852 - 1872 Caroline Cowles Richards

2.  Susan McCord's Quilts - A Farmwife's Legacy Nancy Villa Bryk

3.  Ho for California! Sandra L. Myres

FEBRUARY
4.  Rustic Country Abby Ruoff
5.  The River Midnight Lilian Nattel
6.  Italy the Beautiful Lorenza De'Medici
7.  Goddess Embroideries of Eastern Europe Mary B. Kelly
8.  Mittel Europa Suzanne Slesin
9.  Country Quilts Linda Seward

MARCH
10.  Bird Egg Feather Nest Maryjo Koch
11.  Preserving History Julie Hendricksen
12.  In Nonna's Kitchen Carol Field
13.  The Springs of Joy Tasha Tudor

APRIL
14.  Honey From a Weed Patience Gray
15.  The Zookeeper's Wife Diane Ackerman
16.  A Time to Keep Tasha Tudor
17.  The Secret Life of Bees Sue Monk Kidd
18.  Putting the Heart in Your Home Jean Lemmon

MAY
19.  A Very Storied Wood Linda Burgess
20.  The Summer Book Susan Branch
21.  American Williams-Somona
22.  Christmas With Country Living Susan Ray
23.  Grill Italian Clifford A. Wright

JUNE
24.  Italian Family Feast Valentina Harris
25.  Stillmeadow Calendar Gladys Taber
26.  New England Buttrey Shelf Almanac Mary Mason Campbell
27.  The Private World of Tasha Tudor Tasha Tudor and Richard Brown
28.  Place Names of the San Bernardino Mountains Lewis Garrett

JULY
29.  Celebrate Summer Gooseberry Patch
30.  American View Raymond Waites
31. Guide to Big Bear Vol. 6 Bill Mann
32.  Goddesses in Every Woman Jean Shinoda Bolen
33.  Conversations With the Goddesses Agapi Stassinopoulos
34.  Ho! For California Jean Ray Laury
35.  Country Kitchen Cookbook Edward Harris Heth
36.  Country Gardens Nina Williams and Rebecca Sawyer

AUGUST
37.  New England Buttery Shelf Cookbook Mary Mason Campbell
38.  Around the Year Tasha Tudor
39.  Anno's Journey Mitsumasa Anno
40.  Anno's USA Mitsumasa Anno
41.  Corgiville Fair Tasha Tudor
42.  When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple Sandra Martz

SEPTEMBER
43.  The White Deborah Larsen
44.  Autumn Accents Lynette Jensen
45.  Country Harvest Linda Burgess

OCTOBER
46.  The Old World Kitchen Elisabeth Luard
47.  Quilt Lovely Jen Kingwell
48.  Pumpkin Moonshine Tasha Tudor
49.  Autumn Steven Schnur

NOVEMBER
50.  Mayflower Nathaniel Philbrick
51.  Quilts from the Civil War Barbara Brackman
52.  This Old Quilt Margret Aldrich
53.  Christmas  Peter Spier
54.  Quiltfolk 1 - Oregon Michael McCormick
55.  Christmas Squirrels Nancy Rose
56.  Christmas in the Heartland Marcia Adams

DECEMBER
57.  Remembering Adelia  Kathleen Tracy
58.  Cucina di Calabria Mary Amabile Palmer
59.  Alias Grace Margaret Atwood
60.  Christmas from the Heart of the Home Susan Branch
61.  Finishing Touches for Christmas Lynette Jensen
62.  Christmas Williams-Sonoma
63.  My Calabria: Rustic Family Cooking from Italy's Undiscovered South Rosetta Costantino
64.  Quiltfolk 2 - Iowa Michael McCormick
65.  Vanishing Big Bear "2" Richard Keppler

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Yankee Diary

This is the final month of Barbara Brackman's 2017 BOM series, YANKEE DIARY .

This month, Abraham Lincoln's assassination was discussed. The corresponding block is called

Yankee Mourning

The block design is reminiscent of a commemorative mourning cockade.

My top is assembled!

It is my plan to add a navy print border, and do some primitive 'big stitch' quilting with this assortment of

red threads.   

Thanks, Barbara, for another informative series!  My applique skills are primitive indeed, so this year has been a particular challenge for me.

The 2018 series, entitled ANTEBELLUM ALBUM will begin in January.

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A year in the life ...

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January Project

Enzo will be moving up to a toddler bed soon, so Lucci can go from the cradle into the crib.  Jess has requested a new "big-boy-bed" quilt for Enzo.  The walls in the boys' room are pale gray, and there are some vintage Disneyland posters and artwork on display.  After discussing various possibilities with her, we've settled on "Steam Punk" with mixed gray backgrounds, white blades and bright rims.  My test block worked out perfectly, and I hope to get started cutting in the next day or so. 

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Merry Christmas!

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Y

Yule

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Stash Report - week 51

Red Plus

This was done for a mini red and white challenge for a group I'm in

Used this week:       01.50 yards
Used year to date:                             286.00 yards

Added this week:    00.00 yards

Added year to date:                          110.00 yards

Net used for 2017:                                                  176.00 yards

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Friday

Holiday lights in the Village

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Solstice greetings

May the blessing of wonder be upon you
May your soul awake to the glow of the new born sun

May you find your life is a fresh page
waiting to be written upon
May you begin again
Be born again
A new self
A new journey

May you turn the wheel again towards hope

  "The Blessing Of The Child Of Wonder"
Joanna Howell Colbert

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Luciano

Uncle Nick and Auntie Stacey have arrived from Boston,

and they met Lucci for the very first time!

Our little cutie pie is more than

three months old already!

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Flea Market Dash

Another row done, and this is it for sewing till after the holiday.

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Snow Summit

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X

Xmas lights in The Village

 

 

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Stash Report - week 50

Used this week:       01.25 yards

Used year to date:                             284.50 yards

Added this week:    00.00 yards

Added year to date:                          110.00 yards

Net used for 2017:                                                  174.50 yards

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Went down the hill and spent a lovely peaceful afternoon with the boys at the Aquarium.  Enjoyed some pre-Christmas-chaos grandparent time with them :)  Next week will be increasingly crazy -- Nick and Stacey arrive from Boston on Tuesday, and every day after that is full of fun!

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Spumoni Cookies

SPUMONI COOKIES

About 12 dozen cookies

2 cups butter, softened

2 cups sugar
2 eggs
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon rum extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon almond extract
green food color
½ cup finely chopped pistachios
red food color
½ cup maraschino cherries, finely chopped

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat eggs into mixture.
Add flour, baking soda and salt, and combine all well.
Divide dough into four parts.
Add ½ teaspoon rum extract to first part.
Add ½ teaspoon rum extract and 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder to second part.
Add ½ teaspoon almond extract, green food color and chopped pistachios to third part.
Add ½ teaspoon almond extract, red food color and chopped cherries to fourth part.
Roll each part into a long rope. 
Lay all four ropes together and roll to form a vari-colored log.
(It may be easier to use smaller portions of the ropes, and form two or three logs.)
Wrap logs in foil and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours.
Slice chilled dough ¼” thick and arrange on cookie sheets that are lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 350* 8 – 10 minutes, until edges are just beginning to turn golden.
Cool on racks.

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Flea Market Dash

Another row done, and this is the only piecing I've done all week -- we're in full-on Holiday Prep mode here! 

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Monday

Ravioli!

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W

Winter - Snow Summit Resort this week

West - sunset view down the lake 

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Stash Report - week 49

A queen-size back and new kitchen curtains consumed a decent amount of yardage this week!

Used this week:       12.25 yards

Used year to date:                             283.25 yards

Added this week:    00.00 yards

Added year to date:                          110.00 yards

Net used for 2017:                                                  173.25 yards

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A VERY old UFO!

Using this Jan Patek Girl Gang pattern, circa 2005, I began a quilt named "It's a Wonderful Life."

I adapted it to suit my own requirements, as you can see by comparing the pattern and my final result.  The applique was completed in September of 2007.   Right then a number of life events interrupted my momentum, and the top was folded and stored.  In the meantime, other priorities jumped ahead, and this project just never got going again.

Well, today I finally quilted it!!!  It has moved forward to the binding pile, so we're in the home stretch at last. 

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Wednesday

This week's progress with Flea Market Dash.  Not spending much time in the sewing room right now, too many holiday activities distracting me.  I did piece a large back yesterday, so maybe I'll get to some layering and pinning one of these days.

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December

Christmas Stars

A very old sampler quilt

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Yankee Diary

This month at YANKEE DIARY,
Barbara Brackman's Civil War BOM series,
 victory is being celebrated!

Victory is Grant-ed

Block #11 - Dog and Bird

Barbara's pattern included a hound dog,

but I personalized my block.

My model, Jake. 

One more block to go!!! 

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V

Veterinarian's office 

The Village

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Stash Report - week 48

Used this week:       01.50 yards

Used year to date:                             271.00 yards

Added this week:    06.00 yards

Added year to date:                          110.00 yards

Net used for 2017:                                                  161.00 yards

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December

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