Ghastlie Family Tree

I visited Quilted Works today and saw this amazing
Ghastlie Family Tree quilt: (sorry, awful quality of a phone photo)

The quilting is just beautiful on it!

Blog Hop Alert - Batiks!

Want to play with batiks? Then head over to Sew We Quilt to hear the news. Mary just needs an email from you saying: "I Want To Twist" Mary: quilter dot maw at sbcglobal dot net

Superior Thread And Fabric...Sweet Stuff!

I ventured out by myself today to visit a new-to-me store in Utah...Superior Threads. My mouth hung open and I had to try not to drool as I looked around. Seriously, it was awesome!

One part of the building had fabric. Lots and lots of fabric! I was so awestruck I didn't even take pictures of the fabric area, but I did pick-up just a little  some  a pile of fabric. The sales people were over-the-top helpful and nice. I also picked up a couple patterns and was lucky enough to meet the sweet lady who created them. Annie of byAnnie.com gave me some wonderful hints on wool felt. I'm SO going to try it! She also showed me a couple hints about a pattern of hers that I bought...I was so impressed!

Next stop was just around the corner (or down the elevator) at the thread warehouse. OH MY GOSH! I was really in thread heaven! There were rows and rows and rows, etc., etc., etc, of thread of every color and type imaginable.

Just a little of what I picked up...yes, there is purple in that pile!

I need to venture out like this more often!

Hexie Hop Winner Is...

SHERRY 

from Quilts, Fabric, and Thread Tales

(She'll be receiving an email from me)

Congratulations and thanks for visiting my blog!

She won a gift certificate to Quilt Taffy.

A Pineapple Angel Of A Cake

I need to stop looking at:

Food blogs

Pinterest dessert pins

Facebook food recipe sharing

Or...maybe not!

This is what's for dessert at my house tonight

 (it was shared on Facebook--no idea where it originated):

One box Angel Food Cake Mix

One 20-ounce can crushed pineapple (don't drain it)

Mix until frothy and no cake mix shows

Pour into greased 9x13 pan

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes

Serve warm, cold, plain, with whipped cream and/or with blueberries

Is this just too easy!

It was yummy!

A LITTLE SOAPBOX RANT: I have often been totally shocked by the negative comments that are left on food blogs just because someone doesn't like what's in a recipe. If you don't like things made with a package mix, don't make this. If you think it is too sweet for your taste, don't make it. If overall this DOES NOT look like something you want to make or would eat, please do not make it. Most of all, I'd rather you don't tell me what's wrong with this recipe and what ingredients are going to rot my teeth or put more fat on my body. Really, I like sweet things in moderation (or sometimes I like to pig out.) I like package mixes for their convenience. In fact, I thought this was pretty darn good for something quick when you're short on time or just lazy (like me.)  Stepping off the soapbox now. 

P.S. I'm so thankful that no one has ever left me a comment telling me my sewing project was ugly and they hated it. LOL! Quilters are just the nicest people!

This is from That Other Lady:

My Hexies Hopping Here!

Madame Samm and Debby Kratovil are leading the way

to Be A Hexie Queen...thanks to you both!

It's HEXIE time and I hear there are some quilters out there 

who are loving making those hexies.

For me...not so much loving it, but giving it my best shot.

I tried a couple different ways to make hexies and finally gave up

and went the easy way with the a snowball block.

Well....they look like hexies to me!

Okay, so they have eight sides...I must have been hexed and thought

there were six sides. That Other Lady will win the Hexie Queen title for sure.

One of my Monkey Boys has claimed this as his own so it will

"remind me that my birthday is at Thanksgiving."

Of course, if he wants it, he gets it! I'm a sucker for those sweet boys!

I love the little kids in this Alexander Henry "Happy Thanksgiving" fabric.

My quilt with a view.

Britt-Inger from Hill Valley Quilter sent me a hexie pattern based upon a

needle case made by her friend, Karin, but I've never been very good at 

following directions. Karin's was so nice and fancy!

Mine was pretty simple, but I love it with those

Ghastlie ladies and some rhinestones to add some bling.

The inside...

If you're interested in the pattern, stop by her blog to ask about it.

There's a giveaway, of course!

(By the way....Quilt Taffy has Ghastlie fabric!)

The usual giveaway rules..blah, blah, blah

1. Leave a hex of a comment. 
2. This one is important! Make sure I can contact you if you're a no-reply blogger. *If you don't get a reply from me, you're a no-reply blogger or something else is screwed-up.
3. I'll mail it anywhere...yes, even to the other side of the world.
4. Giveaway ends at 6 p.m. PST on August 28th. Entries after 6 p.m. PST on August 28th will not be included in the giveaway.

Check out today's hexie queens and their projects:

Thursday, August 22

    

Negligent Style 

    

Sue Mac Seeds   

The Tilted Quilt

    

Julia Plunket

Just Let Me Quilt 

    

More Stars in Comanche 

    

Be a Quilter 

    

Sew Me Something Good 

    

Cherrys Prairie Primitives 

    

Words and Stitches

Ice Cream And Flour Equals Bread

Since I had nothing else to do after getting my carpet cleaned…

“it will take three hours”

…and please leave those noisy “fans going for 24-hours”

…oh, and "try not to walk on it." 

Huh? How am I supposed to do that? 

The hallway to my bathroom is carpeted and my sewing machine is calling me!

ANYWAY...

As I was saying before I rambled on, since I had nothing else to do after getting my carpet cleaned AND my refrigerator repaired…$$$$....I decided to make Ice Cream Bread.

Yes, I said, ICE CREAM BREAD!

I love ice cream and I love bread...works for me!

I saw a post on my sister’s Facebook page about Ice Cream Bread and because I was trapped in my kitchen (with no carpeting) it seemed logical to try making this strange combination of ingredients. It seemed simple enough, but would it taste good?

Start with 2 cups of your favorite ice cream (use the ice cream with fat not the yogurt or nonfat kind.) Melt/soften that ice cream until it is soupy so that you can easily stir it (if it isn't melted enough, it is REALLY hard to stir.) Add 1½ cups of self-rising flour (not regular flour.) Stir them until they are just barely mixed together.

Once you stir the ice cream and self-rising flour together you can add extra ingredients like banana, chocolate chips, or anything that would mix with your favorite ice cream and make your Ice Cream Bread just a little more yummy. I added half a banana.

Shovel the mixture (it’s really thick) into a small greased loaf pan (about 4" x 8".) 

Double the recipe if you want to use a bigger loaf pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a 

toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.

My thoughts on this thing called ICE CREAM BREAD:

• It was easy to make
• The texture was really good
• It looked pretty
• It was moist
• It smelled yummy
• It needed chocolate chips or something else to add more flavor
• Maybe a little vanilla or sugar would help?
• It wasn't very sweet, which can be a good thing for some people
• Banana in it was good, but I would use a whole one instead of a half
• Maybe a different flavor of ice cream would make it taste better

Have you ever made Ice Cream Bread?

Zoned Out...Or In?

I'm not sure which ZONE I'm in, but That Other Lady's got me thinking,

because she's shared this cute graphic with all of us:

PSYCHO ZONE

The place I go as I'm cleaning/packing up two houses to get ready to sell.

TWILIGHT ZONE

The place where I pretend I like cleaning/packing up two houses to sell.

ZOMBIE ZONE

How I feel by the end of the day after cleaning, blah, blah, blah.

WARM MILK ZONE

The area in the kitchen called "the refrigerator" that has quit working

...repairman comes today, thank goodness!

WATERED DOWN ZONE

Where I was a couple days ago when the sprinkler system broke and I had to call 

my sister to the rescue. Trust me, I would never win a wet t-shirt contest.

I JUST WANT TO SEW ZONE

The carpet cleaners are coming in a little while...no sewing today.

HEXIE ZONE

The place where I try to like those darn hexies.

Two more days for all of you to see the

HEXIE ZONE!

Just Some Other Stuff

I took a little ride today with my hubby to take some pics of my hexie project (I'm not crazy about hexies, but I'm giving it a good try.) The place we went to take those pics had a gorgeous view...

...and a little cottontail wondering what the heck we were doing in his park. He looked a little scruffy!

That Other Lady had a post today that showed off what she's up to with her hexies.  It looks like she's really making something very cool...good thing I'm not competitive or I'd be worried.!

I bet there are some amazing hexies being sewn right now!

Debby is the queen of this hop...can't wait to see what she makes.

Where Did All This Fabric Come From?

We're selling our house, which means the fabric and sewing supplies have to be boxed up to move.

UGH!

I'm avoiding having my husband help box it up because he might see EXACTLY how much fabric I really have in that room, though I think he gets it since he's the one carrying all the boxes downstairs. It's multiplying faster than I can box it up...kind of like that Star Trek episode with the Tribbles!

My three year old Monkey Boy said, "It looks like a tornado in here." 

Yes, it does sweetie, but I assure you it is all good stuff and

NO you don't need your headlamp to find your way through the fabric! 

My six year old Monkey Boy told me to make sure the next house has a craft room. 

He knows what's important! 

I have a section in my sewing room that is set-up 

just for the Monkey Boys to work on projects of their own.

YES, Debby K., I am working on my hexies in the middle of packing.

Monkey Baby wanted to help with those hexies. He loved watching all those

stitches switch from one to another...and another...and another. 

But, who cares! Look at those big brown eyes!

Off I go to sew, pack, sew, pack, sew, pack...whew!

I'm too old for this moving stuff!

Another fabulous blog hop coming our way beginning August 21st!

The Hairy Cuddle Fabric Monster

I happened by this cute quilt store that was LOADED with 

Minky and cuddle fabrics...it even had a Minky sofa!

(The name made me think of Lesley at The Cuddle Quilter.)

I saw this gray hairy cuddle fabric and thought it would work well with

a project I've been working on...wrong! It wasn't the right shade of gray...darn.

It will end up becoming a birthday present for the oldest Monkey Boy.

I learned some great tips from Becky at the Cuddle Cottage., like:

Throw the cuddle fabric in the dryer without heat for 5 minutes to help remove

the fluffy stuff that flies in the air and gets everywhere when you work with it.

To smooth it out for cutting, place the fabric face down on a flat surface.
Scrunch it up towards one end and slowly pull it away from the end.

Scrunch again and pull it away.

Yep, scrunch again and pull it away.

Keep doing it.

It's amazing how flat and smooth it gets!

To cut that hairy cuddle fabric slide your scissors up under the back lining
 (see the scissor blade in there?) Slowly cut the back lining keeping your scissor
blade close to the lining, not the hairy fur.

Look how smooth and even it comes out!

After cutting, throw it back in the dryer for five minutes with no heat to 

remove any stray fluffy pieces that might be left after cutting.

This is how it looks if you cut it without sliding your scissors up near the lining back.
UGLY AND CHOPPY!

To sew it to another piece of fabric, use blue paint tape to hold those floppy
and hairy fluffy things down and out of the way. Just don't sew on the tape...
it's really hard to dig it out of the seams.

I added a gray chevron flannel to the back. No binding, just turned it inside out.
It is so soft!

I'm still not crazy about sewing on hairy fabric, but at least the tips helped a little.

The Hairy Cuddle Fabric Monster Quilt