Meander Pattern

You've been asking about a pattern for Olive's new quilt, and I am happy to let you know that the wait is over! Here she is! And yes, I quilted every single one of those lines on my Bernina = I am crazy.

When I made Olive's, I was sort of playing around and found that there were a few things I wanted to change for the pattern. So here it is, in perfected form, made of Joel Dewberry's "Aviary 2" fabric. The orange/aqua/browns go really well with my living room, so it just might live here.

It seriously took me a million years to quilt. We're talking 3 whole spools of thread for this quilt. That's 1200 yards of thread if I'm not mistaken.  Sheesh. 

Luckily, I love how it turned out--so that solid week of quilting was well-spent.

The pattern is available in paper or PDF. (PDFs are e-mailed immediately.)

 

*giveaway is closed* 

Oh and you know I like to celebrate the birth of a new pattern, so I have a special prize today.  One lucky winner will get my new pattern with a little bundle of Aviary 2 fat quarters.  Just leave a comment telling me what you are making for dinner tonight. (We're having Hawaiian Haystacks...yum!) You can leave another comment (extra entry) if you share this giveaway on facebook. The giveaway will go until Saturday night (3/3) at midnight (EST) and the winner will be announced the beginning of next week.  Good luck!

Six

At last!!! I have finally added three more "Swoon" blocks in with the others. What do you think?

It sure is a crazy mix of colors.  It's my Circus Swoon! (Or at least that's what I think to myself when I look at it.) My favorite blocks are the orange/blue ones.  I think a whole Swoon quilt of those would be really something special.

Three more blocks to go! 

English Pudding

Most Saturday mornings at my house begin with a hot bowl of English pudding for breakfast. My mom used to make this for me and my brothers and we always loved mixing in our favorite ingredients. My childhood favorite was frozen raspberries; they begin thawing immediately in the hot pudding and leave streaks of color as you stir them.  I'm also a big fan of banana slices.

It takes ten to fifteen minutes to make, and you'll feel mighty fancy starting off your day by tempering something.  Let's get started!

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 1 C. milk

• 1/4 C. granulated sugar

• 3 T. flour

• pinch of salt

• 1 egg

• 1 T. butter

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• Fresh or frozen fruit 

First, put the milk in a microwaveable bowl and heat for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, mix the eggs, flour, sugar, and salt together in a small bowl with a wire wisk.

Now for the tempering!  The goal is to combine the egg mixture and hot milk without making scrambled eggs. Begin by pouring a little of the hot milk into the egg mixture while simultaneously stirring.  Add a little more milk--I probably end up adding 1/2 cup of hot milk to the egg mixture in total.

Now that the egg mixture has been "warmed up" a little, you can go ahead and incorporate it into the big milk bowl.  Just make sure you are stirring the milk as you pour the egg mixture in. 

Put the big bowl back in the microwave and cook in 30 second intervals, stirring the pudding in between intervals. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl since that is usually where it starts to thicken first.

Once the pudding is thickened, add the butter and vanilla extract and stir well.

Divide among bowls and serve with your toppings! Easy peasy!

Olive's Alphabet

I just have to share this fun little project I have been working on all weekend. I took a little break from sewing and used up a Shutterfly coupon that was begging to be redeemed. Big thanks to Modern Parents Messy Kids for the clever little toddler book idea! I had such a good time putting it together for sweet Olive. Here's a preview:

   

I hope Olive enjoys it! My favorite page is U...what's yours?

Swooning in February

Let the scrap liquidation commence! As I mentioned in a previous post, I have banned myself from buying any more fabric until I can use up some of my existing supply.

The first project I'm working on is "Swoon" by Camille Roskelley.  It's going to be colorful!

Three blocks down, six more to go... 

A Good Excuse

Recently, I've been wondering aloud when Olive should be transitioning from crib to bed. (She is eighteen months old.)  I got a variety of opinions; mainly, to keep her "trapped" in the crib as long as possible.

As I discussed the idea further with one of my best friends, she sold me on the idea that these tasks are best handled sooner than later. (Okay, I also was more than thrilled to have an excuse to use "Ruby" fabric in a large project.)

I love how it all came together! It's a nice sight to see when I come into her room. Oh and did I mention that Olive has been sleeping in it ever since?!  I don't blame her, I would sleep in it too.  The pattern is finally here!