I know…two posts in one day…BUT…
Did you see that over at Green Fairy Quilts Blog that they are giving away a free Kansas Winter Turnover with every purchase over $10?  Act fast though…the deal ends TODAY!
I love the idea of something free….BUT.  I haven’t been a fan of turnovers.  There just aren’t many patterns out there for turnovers.  I did make the the stack and whack quilt (haven’t shown it to you yet) that is featured in the tutorial over at Missouri Star Quilt Company…but beyond that, I haven’t seen a turnover pattern that has appealed to me.

Like I said, I love a good deal but I don’t need any more fabric just sitting around and waiting for inspiration.  If you have a turnover idea, PLEASE share it….because I have a Snippets Turnover in my stash waiting for just the right project.

I was happily sewing along.  Working on my March Schnibble, Round About.

I had all 100 pieces sewn together and ready to trim when…..UGH!  I sewed all but two in the WRONG direction.

I got my seam ripper to begin my task of unsewing….(I hate unsewing!!)  What a daunting task!  Rip out 100 pieces…UGH!

I began to tell myself “you are not allowed to PANIC”.    (yes, I do talk to myself when I sew)
Then I started looking at the pattern and tested a theory….Could it work?  Could it prevent me from having to rip out ALL of those seams?  Well….IT WORKED!

My blocks end up being left handed instead of right handed….but I am good with that. 

I always wanted to be left handed when I was a kid….I just loved the way lefties could crank their wrist around and write.  So lefty…here I come, at least for this quilt.

So now, I have two pieces to “unsew”….much better.  Good thing I didn’t PANIC.

I am typically quilting, not stitching….but my daughter volunteered me to make this…

It’s a little candle mat from Bareroots. 

Currently my two teens are participating in the play The Egg and I.  It’s about a dad having a mid-life crisis and moves his family to a chicken farm in the country.  My son is the father and daughter is the daughter. 

The cast always gets the director a present that is signed by each of the cast members.  While in an area quilt shop, Kalissa saw this pattern and squealed.  I have been working on getting Kalissa interested in quilting so I checked to see what was up.  Well it was this pattern….not because she wants to make it….because she wants ME to make it. 

I cut it out lastnight and started assembling.  Once it’s finished we are matting it in a larger picture frame.  We are having the cast sign the mat…with a deadline loaming, it looks like I’ll be stitching for a few nights.

About seven years ago, hubby and I visited the Amish in our area and had a carpenter custom build an entertainment center for us.  I LOVED it! 
BUT…fast forward to flat screen televisions that are MUCH wider, digital television, and the need for large screens, our entertainment center had lost it’s appeal.

The television used to sit in the middle area, filling up much of it but our new television just didn’t fit.  Someone asked, why didn’t you purchase a television to fit in the hole?  Well, we would have had a sardine can sized television. 

In despiration, we put the television on top….talk about ugly and neck aches after watching a movie….
So I, yes I, came up with the suggestion of removing the top, lowering the shelf, cutting off two feet and setting the television on top….guess what?!  It worked!

We took it to a local craftsman and he did the work….all for $88.  That sure beats the cost of a new entertainment center!  I love REAL wood furniture.  It lasts, and it allows a person to remake or restore.  You don’t get that from particle board furniture.

Now that I saved a little money there…you know what that translates into….MORE FABRIC!

I finished binding my two twister quilts lastnight.  I patiently waited for the sun so I could take pictures…no luck!
But I figured you were wondering

how it turned out so we’re giving you a little peek.

Gracie wanted her picture taken with the quilt.

so we tried to get her to pose.

Kalissa ended up laughing like CRAZY…

35 pictures later, I am selecting the first two photos I took….
Here’s the large view.

and here’s a close up view.

I swirled the red border…andswiggled the pin wheels.  It’s all ready to be donated to the church mission trip fund raiser.
If you want to know more about this quilt, check out these previous entries.
Getting Twisted
Baby Sister Twister

Sorry about the picture….but we did have a huge laugh fest.

Remember the Twister quilt I was working on last week….
Well….here’s its’ baby sister.

I took all the scraps from the large one and cut them to be 4.5″ square.  Then I sewed them together and added 3.5″ borders. 

I put the mini version of the ruler on the intersection just like before.  I cut around around the ruler then assembled the pieces back together. 

I am hoping to get both of them in the quilting machine soon, but life seems to be plotting against me and not letting me sew much lately.

If you want more information about how this Twister quilt began check back to this entry….  I am off to try to get the quilt in the machine before everyone starts wondering what is for supper.

It’s no secret, I LOVE blogs.  I like to see what other people try, projects their working on, and witness talents they have.  Lately I’ve read a couple that inspired me to make this…

Wondering what the “white stuff” is?  It’s yogurt.  Yes, yogurt.   I got the recipe over at Frugal Girl.  I never imagined I’d be making yogurt.  I followed the directions and it’s SUPER easy….and the vanilla version is tasty.  This batch was made with one percent milk and 1/2 cup sugar.  I plan to try to make it with splenda and fruit and see where that takes me.  My mom made yogurt when I was a kid but it always seemed like a huge undertaking.  This was a sinch.

I took my yogurt and started making a yogurt/oatmeal concoction for breakfast that is WONDERFUL….that recipe is over at Iowa Girl Eats.  It’s my new favorite breakfast.  Scroll down the entry to find the recipe.

I’ve also tried some awesome bread from Just Another Hang Up.

I made these yummy bars from jam that I had made over the summer.   I was the biggest jam eater in the family and now that I am watching my weight, it’s not getting used.  This bar recipe is perfect for using it up. 

I TOTALLY apologize to the blogger that posted this recipe….I can’t find the blog again….but here’s the recipe.

Jam Crumble Bars

Crumb Mixture:
1 1/4 c flour
1 1/4 c quick cooking oatmeal
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c margarine softened
1/2 t baking soda
2 t vanilla

Filling 1-10 oz. jar of preserves…use any flavor

Heat oven to 350 degrees.   Mix the crumb ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Save 1 cup for the topping and press the rest into a 9 x 13 pan.  Spread the preserves over the crumb mixture in the pan.  If you keep the preserves a bit away from the edge of the pan, it will be less likely to stick.  Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the top.  Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool and cut into bars.

My goal has been to use up everything I presserved last year so we’ve been enjoying apple crisp, rhubbarb pie and salsa….with this recipe, I can use up the remaining jam. 

Now I am on a hunt to find recipes to use the applesauce I canned, any ideas?

I just found a blog, Mennonite Girls Can Cook.  I can’t decide which recipe to try first…there are SO many good looking ones.   My hubby thinks he needs to shed a few pounds and has politely requested I bake a few less sweets.  So, I think I am going on a bread baking adventure.

What have blogs inspired you to try?  Recipes, quilting projects, decorating ideas….

I just finished my block for the jelly roll quilt-a-long.   Here’s it is…

I am using a Swanky jelly roll that was sitting in my drawer waiting for inspiration.  I coupled it with a Moda marble fabric.

Do you want to join?  Check out Moose on the Porch for more details.  There is a Flickr group that you can visit and see everyone’s blocks.    A new block will be posted every other Monday through August.  I am hoping to get this quilt finished in time to donate to our music booster raffle in November.

In a previous post, I mentioned that I sometimes purchase notions or quilting tools, only to have them sit in the drawer and never use.  After watching a tutorial at Missouri Star Quilt Company featuring the binding tool, I was willing to chance the purchase with the hope that a binding tool might make my binding look a little better and WOW….does it ever.

Here’s a few photos to give you an idea.  I put two pins in along the side of my quilt that are 12″ apart. 

I cut my binding strips and sewed them together.  I folded the strip in half and sewed it to the quilt, starting at one pin and stopping at the last pin…making sure I allowed 10″ extra on each side.

Using the directions on the tool and watching Missouri Star Company’s tutorial again, I cut the binding and sewed the pieces together. 

I pinned the cut ends in place and sewed.

I turned the binding strips over and sewed them in place.  I honestly, can’t tell where the binding was spliced together…

It was SIMPLE and easy and well worth the cost of $8.95.  Head on over to Missouri Star and watch the tutorial on the binding tool.  I am warning you, Missouri Star has lots of tutorials that I LOVE!  They are quick and fun.   You might find yourself watching several of the videos.

Just to let you know how much I LOVE the binding tool…I am storing it with my rulers because I plan on using it a lot….No back of the drawer storage for this quilting  jewel.

Here is my February Schnibble, Sunday Best.

Mine is made from my scrap basket of 30’s prints, some leftover white fabric from a different project and a piece of fabric from Goodwill on the back!  I think the person who donated the fabric intended to make pink curtains but never finished them….so the would be curtains became a cheap back for my Schnibble.  I added some strips to the back to make my fabric go a little bit further.  I am hoping that I will be able to get another small back out of the same pink fabric. 

I didn’t cut my borders in half as the pattern suggested.  I am donating this quilt to our church youth group for their upcoming silent auction to raise  money for their mission trip.  I thought a baby quilt might sell better than a wall hanging so I needed it just a touch bigger.  I also set my blocks in the barn raising pattern rather than circles.  All in all, I am very happy with it.

I just did a meandering type pattern with hearts for my quilting scheme…It shows up wonderfully on the back of the quilt.

It’s all bound and finished, waiting for it’s debute at the big Schnibble parade hosted by A Quilting Life and Pink Pinchusion.  Head on over there on the 1st of the March to see the parade of Sunday Best Schnibbles.