Gypsy Wife quilt along 2019

Have you heard about this quilt along? 

I found out about this from an online friend and I decided to join in!!

Here is the link to her blog post

 http://madakamom.blogspot.com/2018/12/2019-gypsy-wife-quilt-along.html

and there is a facebook group to join called Gypsy Wife quilt along 2019. 

This group just formed last week and there are already over 1300 members.

It is a pattern by Jen Kingwell and is not a new pattern.  It has been out for several years.  I had never heard of it but couldn't stop thinking about it once I saw it and looked online at all the images and possibilities for colors!

Here is a photo of the quilt that is on the FB group that I have joined.  I am waiting to receive my pattern.




Let me know if you are joining in on this fun project!  It starts Feb 2.

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

Merry Christmas to those who check out my blog.  We are having a light drizzle here in San Diego and it is 55° right now at 8:30 am.  Wishing everyone a thankful and blessed day!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Memories from quilt retreat

 This was my second retreat and here is the first retreat blog post   https://carylquilts.blogspot.com/2017/12/my-first-quilt-retreat.html

We are a small group that meets every week and have decided to have a retreat at this time every year!  We all enjoy being together and have a lot of laughs and get inspired by the creativity of the group!  There is always someone to help with a project that has challenging directions!  And lots of design walls to help make decisions on block placement! 

I took photos of the room from the corner looking to the left and then to the right.

The food there is so delicious and this is one of the lunches.  Angus slider, broccoli soup and salad bar.  There is a salad bar for every lunch and dinner with lots of choices.

The second day some of us went to one of the local quilt shops and this was my first time going to this shop.  Needle in a Fabric Stash.  They have an excellent selection of fabric with lots of fat quarter bundles.

I was learning how to take a selfie in the car so everyone was in the photo.  I finally figured it out after taking a bunch of photos.  Then I got this shot at a stop light so the driver could be in the photo too! 

Here is what I purchased at the quilt shop.

I finished several projects that I put in my last post.  I was also sewing the binding on Strip Maze.
Here is a placemat I started doing the quilt as you go method.

Improv sewing with a center Santa that was given to me.  Just adding strips and figuring it out as I went sewing along!!  I did some other improv sewing...no photos.
I am doing a retreat journal again this year and took photos of everyone working on their projects and will be adding those to the journal.  I will be stamping and coloring and making it fun!

Here is a photo of all of us.  I am in the middle of the ones standing.

If you ever get a chance to go on a retreat.....be sure to go and take plenty of different projects.  It is more fun if the projects are not too difficult and something you have done before.  The time goes so fast.  We got there on Monday morning and left Wednesday late morning.  Next year we are going to add another day to make it longer. 

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Jelly Roll Jam II finish

I finished this quilt this week that I started on Jelly Roll Day and blogged about it here

The fabric is Attitude Girls by Mary Engelbreit.  I took a photo before I opened up the jelly roll!  Now ....doesn't everyone do that??  

 The pattern is a shortcut free pattern from fatquartershop.com.  A very fun quilt to make!!

 I did the serpentine stitch with light green thread.  My "go to" quilting lately!

 And the backing is also a fabric piece from the same line.  And the binding is the same fabric as the back.  I finished this binding at a quilt retreat this past week.

I brought my Hello Kitty machine to the retreat and finished another little mat.  I also finished two others in different sizes this past month.  I used the blocks from improvisational piecing...crazy piecing like I have blogged about before.  I will be doing another post with more about the retreat.

I am linking to:
   crazy mom quilts finish it up Friday
   Freemotion by the River Linky Tuesday

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Cool Cats quilt and some fall small project finishes

 What a fun quilt to make!  The pattern has borders but I am not adding borders and will quilt and bind it.  The fabric is Spirited Halloweenie by Bird Brain Designs.  It is so whimsical and fun!

 I just hung in front of another quilt in the living room for now with wonder clips!

 I blogged about the Cool Cats several weeks ago.  I had the blocks laying on the back of another quilt on the floor and it was so difficult for me bending over, etc.....and then last weekend we put the quilt pieces on that quilt backing on two folding tables side by side in our dining/living room.   What a wonderful difference.  It takes up a lot of room but is so much easier than on the floor.  I had taken a photo of the layout I had planned and I kept referring to that photo over and over.  You will notice in the photo that the bottom left cats are sewn backwards.  I didn't notice it until I did the same thing with another group of cats.  That is what seam rippers are for!!  It is an easy pattern to make but you need to pay attention to placement! 

 Here is the pattern by Peggy Martin.  Very well written instruction.

 I finished this little mat/coaster/mug rug that I have hand quilted and blanket stitched around the outside edge.  I used it as a project to work on with my Tuesday quilt group.  I also finished the larger mat in the photo.  I blogged about it in this blog post   last week.

I am linking to:
 crazy mom quilts  finish it up Friday
 freemotion by the river   linky Tuesday

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Log Cabin Loonies week #11

 AND this might be my favorite layout so far of my log cabin blocks.  I have 123 blocks made and I am still making more.  I have been trying to get a photo this week and gave up the idea of laying the blocks on another quilt for the photo...too hard to work with that many blocks on the floor!  Today I cut out a large piece of batting and pinned each block on the batting while I had it on a long table and that worked great.  Then I could transfer it to the floor for the photo....whew!!!

I finished this little table mat this week.  It matches the fabrics in my fall placemats I made several years ago.

Linking with Julie   http://juliekquilts.blogspot.com/2018/10/log-cabin-loonies_23.html

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Projects and recipes

 One of my favorite ways to quilt is with my walking foot.  I had planned to hand quilt this little tablemat but decided to finish it up by machine.  It has been sitting here waiting for awhile.

 Layout for Cool Cats and I am now ready to start sewing.  I will blog about it later with other photos.
I am still working on my log cabin blocks every day a little at a time.

I have been making peanut butter banana bread quite a few times in September and October after I found a recipe to make it low points.  I have had requests on IG and WW Connect for the recipe and decided to add it to my blog.  THEN....I decided to start another blog....it will contain recipes and I am calling it "hungry to lose".  That is the name of my blog I had on the WW site several years ago.  There was a community of blogs and challenges and all kinds of different groups at the WW site and they did away with the community and now it is called Connect. 
I am posting this recipe here today but from now on I will put food related things in the new blog.
Anyway....here is the recipe:

Peanut Butter Banana Bread
If you are searching on the internet for a banana bread recipe, it might be called salted caramel banana bread or another name.  The original recipe was 8 WW smart points for the whole thing.
I made changes to the recipes I saw and this is my version:

3/4 cup Kodiak cakes crunch peanut butter
3 scoops Quest peanut butter protein powder
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Mix these ingredients together.  (I put these 5 things in plastic bags to be ready to add the wet ingredients whenever I am ready to make this recipe.)
2 ½ - 3 bananas mashed (this measures to a heaping cup)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup water
Place in greased bundt pan and bake 375° for 30 minutes
12 WW smart points for the whole thing

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Log Cabin Loonies Linky Party week #9

 This week is a totally different layout.  An idea from my friend Jan Krentz to use the friendship star design.  I am using the back of a quilt laying on the floor for my design wall.  In the first photo we used some colored log cabin blocks I had left from another project from the last log cabin loonies!  We put the medium colored blocks in the centers of the friendship star design.

The second photo we took out the centers for a different look.  AND I could make all dark log cabin blocks to fill in these centers.  We only used part of my blocks for creating this design.  My total is now 99 blocks! 
Let me know what you think of these designs!

We are having fun with this Log Cabin Loonies quiltalong!

Link to Log Cabin Loonies juliekquilts  and Linky Tuesday Freemotion by the River
https://conniekresin.com/2018/10/linky-tuesday-october-9th.html

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Log Cabin Loonies Linky Party week 8

 There are a bunch of us having a lot of fun making these tiny little blocks with juliekquilts.  It is fun to check the others that are following this quilt along and see what they are making.

I now have 90 4½" blocks and..........this time I reversed the block design....put the light in the center instead of the dark.  It is hard to decide which one I like best.  But there are other designs I want to try too.  AND I am still making more blocks!

 Here is a double photo of the Jelly Roll Jam II quilt I am making.  I will post the separate photos when I finish the quilt.

 I needed a backing fabric for a small mat/coaster/mug rug I wanted to hand quilt at my Tuesday quilt group.  I pulled out this fabric I bought many years ago that had the color offset (top part of photo).  I used copic markers and made it look soooo much better!

 I have been enjoying iced coffee this summer and adding a little chocolate to it makes it soooo good!

The last photo is about October goals.  They are mostly WW related but apply to all of life!  Goals....we need them......we need a plan of action....and we need one another. 

linking to juliekquilts and Freemotion by the River

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Log Cabin Loonies Linky Party week 7

 Another week of making log cabin blocks with JulieKQuilts quiltalong!!  Now I have 70 of the tiny 4½" blocks using 1" strips!  I like this design with the blocks and I am not sure how many more blocks I will make and not sure what the design will be when I finally finish making blocks??  I am just loving making these blocks and having a blast!

I got out some of my fall tablerunners and placemats and decided I needed a center mat to go with the placemats I made several years ago with Awesome fabric by Sandy Gervais.  Now it is ready to quilt and finish.  I am jumping between new projects and working on UFOs....variety is great! 

I am so happy to welcome fall and cooler weather...it was way too hot here this summer!

Linking  juliekquilts  http://juliekquilts.blogspot.com/2018/09/log-cabin-loonies_25.html
               Linky Tuesday  Freemotion by the River
https://conniekresin.com/2018/09/linky-tuesday-september-25th.html

Smiles and hugs....Caryl
   

Log Cabin Loonies Linky Party Week 6

 This week I started several new projects.......one was starting to make log cabin blocks in black and white!  I had these black and white 1" strips that I wanted to use and also started another project with them...shown later in this post.
My total now for my other log cabin blocks that I have posted in the past weeks is now up to 55 little blocks!

 Saturday was Jelly Roll Day and I had to do something with a jelly roll....I just had to!!!  I picked Attitude Girls by Mary Engelbreit from 2008....a jelly roll I have had for a long time!!  I posted photos on IG on that day.  There is something about opening up those jelly rolls and actually deciding what to do with them that is a problem sometimes..........but I got it started!

 Here are some of the strips sewn up.....I am doing Jelly Roll Jam II a shortcut free pattern from fatquartershop.com.

 We had our 57th anniversary yesterday and this is a selfie taken in Julian sitting on the bench on Main Street.  We love going out into the country and it was a grand day!

 We ate lunch at Lake Cuyamaca and I had a turkey burger and fries.  Usually their fries have a special coating that makes them better than anywhere......but these were just regular.  But still good.  I don't eat fries very often and when I do.....they have to be special or forget it!!

Here is the project I started that I mentioned earlier...but I am taking it apart and got a photo before it is apart.  I will make the color smaller and it will be a small project....if I finish it!!

So I am linking with juliekquilts and the Log Cabin Loonies
and Linky Tuesday Freemotion by the River
 https://conniekresin.com/2018/09/linky-tuesday-september-18th.html

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Log Cabin Loonies Linky Party week 5

And now I have 48 tiny 4½" log cabin blocks.  This is a fun quilt along and I am having great fun!

Linking to juliekquilts

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

HST placemats and easy triangle tool

 These did not start out to be placemats......
to make these I used the easy triangle tool I had purchased and used in 2012 and then forgot about it!!
Several weeks ago I decided to use some charm squares of Pat Sloan's Hometown Girl to make a mat.

 This photo is the second one I finished this past week after I decided these would be placemats.  The size is a little different than my others....16 ½" x 8½".

I blogged about a runner I made with this tool in 2012 and it is http://carylquilts.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-hst-runner.html  and there is a link on that blog post to the September 2012 blog post where I show the ruler.  Designed by Wendy Mathson.
This ruler is called fast2mark easy triangle tool   You mark on the lines and SEW on the lines.  AND no need to square up afterwards!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next I am going to tell about something I usually don't do..........decide to quit on making a quilt that I have started!!  But I decided to quit making the Regatta quilt that I started in January.  It was with a sew along with Home Sewn by Us.  I have photos I took this week of what I had done so far.  I had half of them in the strip sets with the light strips.  I have them draped on a long table ready to continue but I woke up yesterday and decided I have too many other things I am doing and I will use all of this fabric for other quilts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Weight Watcher lifestyle~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is some really good peanut butter banana bread I have made serveral times now using a recipe on WW site and IG.....Kodiak cakes and Quest protein powder and it is low points.  There are many versions of this recipe and might be called salted caramel banana bread if you are searching for it.

 The WW lifestyle is all about choices and planning and tracking!  This is not a diet and you can eat any food you choose as long as you track it.............and there are NOT lists of things not to eat like the old WW days!

Linking to crazy mom quilts    finish it up Friday
                Freemotion by the River Linky Tuesday

Smiles and hugs....Caryl