December

Since it is December...
it was time to change the header...
these photos are from last year...
the village was in my kitchen last year...

this photo is inside the front door...
you can see the tree lights outside...
the quilted Sweet Trimmings tree on the wall...
this was from the blog hop last year...
free pattern by Gudrun of GE Designs...
and the kitchen is in the background...
on the other side of the kitchen...
is the buffet with village and lights...
Smiles and hugs....Caryl

4 patch charms tutorial

on flickr I called this fall essence charms tabletopper...
I used essence fabric by Sandy Gervais....

I used 8 light charms and 8 dark charms...
and matching essence fabric for borders and binding...

on the back of 8 light charms draw lines down the centers each way...
put right sides together of a light with a dark....
sew 1/4" on each side of one the drawn lines...

cut on the drawn lines...
you now have 32 pairs....

press to the dark fabric...
lay out pairs ready to 4 patches...

sew into 4 patches and you now have 16 4 patches...

place in a desirable arrangement...
I started with the middle four blocks to decide on the positions...
sew blocks together in rows....

add 2" borders....

sandwich the backing, batting and top and quilt as desired...
add the binding....and enjoy...
Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving greetings to everyone!!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

kitty envy no more!!

We haven't had any animals at our house for 8 1/2 years....
I love seeing pets on other blogs I visit...

She was pet of the week several weeks ago...
and we couldn't resist and brought her home...
one of her very favorite places to nap is my chair by my sewing machine...

her eyes are so pretty...light green with a tint of blue..
and she is so sweet and soft and cuddly...

the name they gave her at the Helen Woodward Animal Center was Clove...
I previously posted her photo and writeup about her on FB..
we are going to change her name but not sure what it will be...
I think we might settle on PC....for purrrrfect cat...
Smiles and hugs....Caryl

road trip to Oak Glen

Oak Glen is a place I always enjoy visiting...
and we go there at least every fall...
Law's Coffee Shop is a great place to eat...
if you go there plan on a long wait...but very worth it...

The Apple Tree Gift Shop has lots of Beatrix Potter...
one of my favorite gift shops and had to get some more BP fabric....

Five Seasons is another favorite shop I really enjoy...

we must not forget the mini apple cider donuts at Snow-Line...
it is fun to watch them (see video below) as you wait in line...

gorgeous fall colors and temps in the 60s....
I got the following from the Snow-Line website:

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

apples and pears

We received a Harry and David basket of goodies....
I have a favorite recipe for salad using apples and pears....
I add romaine lettuce, shredded cheese, craisins and cashews...
this makes a very yummy salad...

I also made 1 point chili...
You can see I have already messed the bowl by having some as I was cooking...
there are 10 things in this including:
ground turkey, onion, zucchini, tomatoes...
yellow squash, black beans, FF beef broth...
celery, chili seasoning packet and green pepper...

It was a warm evening and we ate outside...
the reason I took the picture?...to document the moment!!!
Smiles and hugs....Caryl

block exchange

on Sunday I finished the two blocks for my guild block exchange....
I put them on flickr and forgot to post them here....

these are the french roses blocks and they are fun to make...
the templates are easy to make using freezer paper...
and very forgiving if you don't cut exactly on the lines...
I just used the fabrics that were in the bag and none of my own...
and used my decorative stitches with threads with color changes...
I wonder how the blocks I chose for others to do are coming?...
Smiles and hugs....Caryl

guild block exchange and UFOs

this is UFO started 2007 and got to this point in 2007...
from Fons & Porter Love of Quilting mag Sept/Oct 2005...
I got the kit in MT in 2007 for $14....
didn't have the right color thread to quilt...
soooo it has been sitting ready to finish..

the french roses blocks are samples blocks for my guild block exchange...
from magazine BH&G Quilt Pink 2007...
every month we get a different bag of directions and blocks to make...
I am working on mine and will post when done....
Smiles and hugs....Caryl

nice ride in the country and UFO Buster

what a glorious day for a motorcycle ride to the mountains...
perfect fall day in southern California...

we rode to Julian and to Lake Cuyamaca...

California turkey burger and fries for lunch....yumm...

I decided to join in Pat Sloan's UFO Buster group...
even though they started this several weeks ago!!
got started with several photos on flickr...will add more to the list!!
Smiles and hugs....Caryl

saying goodbye to my sister

On 10-10-10 my sister was riding her motorcycle to Pilot Mountain in North Carolina and was in a tragic accident that took her life. She was going to retire next year. I had many plans of spending more time with her when we both weren't working...time to remember growing up together and just having fun together!!!

Now I am trying to get back to normal...but I know that life has changed forever. Here is one of the sayings she had in her home:
"Do not put off till tomorrow what can be enjoyed today."

For those reading my blog...I wanted you to know...and I will get caught up on reading all the blogs I follow as I can...
Smiles and hugs....Caryl

guild block exchange

yesterday I made these two blocks...
the top photo is Nikki fabric by Pat Sloan...
the other photo is yellow Moda marble swirl and black Laurel Burch fabric...
last month I received the directions and sample blocks...
wacky tic tac toe featured in Quilters Newsletter Apr/May 09 by Pam Rocco..
following are the 3 sample blocks...



every month we get a different bag of directions and blocks to make...
another time I will show what I put in my bag for people to make for me!!
Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Fall-O-Ween blog hop

The blog hop is on day 9 of 10 days....
the designers are sharing great projects...
with directions to print out...
I have had limited time to do projects...
BUT this weekend I got started on GE Designs runner from day one...
this is a super fun project to make...
photo shows to the point of being ready to trim off the excess batting...
check out all the blogs and make comments on THEIR day...
to be in the running for the grand prize!!!
I have just a few more weeks of full time and on call 24/7...
and then back to part time!!! yipppeee!!!
Smiles and hugs....Caryl