JL Arrangement 2

I'm kinda liking this arrangement...

...altho I think I will move the red roses print away from the red mini-print.

Jacob's Ladder Finished Blocks

I finished the last four Jacob's Ladder blocks and put them up on my design wall.  The blocks were in a better arrangement until they started falling off the wall.... so I pinned them back up in a semblance of the arrangement I had at first.

I will be moving blocks around until I figure how to:  1) balance the lighter and darker fabrics, and 2)  not have so many obvious "L" shapes.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

 I don't keep peanut butter in the house because I like it too much.

So, when the grandbabies were visiting last weekend, I got a jar of peanut butter... what I thought was a jar of peanut butter, that is.

It was in the peanut butter section... and I picked the "reduced fat" because I like to pretend that peanut butter can be "healthier"...  see that big, bold "REDUCED FAT" on the label?


Do you see what is printed in a much smaller font on the label right beside the Peter Pan brand name???

 Yes!   It's not peanut butter... it's peanut SPREAD!  And right below the "peanut spread," in even smaller font, it says:  60% peanuts!  Yes!   ONLY 60% peanuts!   So, just what is in this so-called "peanut spread?"

Ingredients list from the label:   Roasted peanuts, corn syrup solids*, soy protein concentrate*, sugar, less than 2% of:  hydrogenated vegetable oils (cottonseed and rapeseed), salt, minerals (magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, iron phosphate, copper sulfate), and vitamins (niacin, vitamin B6, folic acid).  CONTAINS: peanuts, soy.  

See the little asterisk (*) beside the second and third ingredients?   The label addresses that:

* Ingredients not in regular peanut butter.

So... just when (and WHY?) did someone start messing with my peanut butter???

 

If I wanted "corn syrup solids" and "soy protein concentrate," I would have had those on my shopping list!    

You can barely tell there are peanuts in this stuff at all!  

 

Who would have thought we've have to start reading labels on peanut butter?


<\rant>

Poverty Fabric

While working on the Civil War BOW last year, I first heard the term "poverty fabric" to describe piecing scraps of fabric to make pieces large enough to use for a part of a block.  The term made me smile as I thought about our foremothers who made do... or did without.

In the beginning, I wasn't as careful cutting out the fabrics for the Jacob's Ladder blocks as I should have been and, as I got closer to finishing the 48 blocks, I started running out of fabric.  So.... I pieced some scraps to finish a block.... 

I had to get a bit creative with some of the piecing...

...but was able to use just about every bit of fabric from the FQs that I had selected for this quilt.   

I think my foremothers would be proud of me!

The Quilting Bee by Morgan Weistling

The best thing about blogging....

...for me has been all the wonderful folks I've met in Blog-Land!  It's not so much fun to be a lone ranger with no one to share my quilting adventures.

One of the nice folks I've met is Debbie at Stitchin' Therapy... she of the "I need to make a zillion doll-sized quilts before Christmas" adventure, who turned it into a online group project titled Get Your Mrs. Claus On!

Well, Mrs. Claus.... I mean, Debbie recently presented me with the Liebster Blog Award!  

 

The Liebster Rules are:

1. Post about your win on your blog.
2. Link back to the blogger who presented you with the award.
3. Copy and paste the award to your blog.
4. Present the Liebster Award to 5 blogs that have less than 200 followers that you think deserve  to be recognized. 
5. Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog. 

So, I'm gonna share some blogs that I enjoy that you may not have visited yet.... and spread some bloggy love!

• Tink's Mom at Selina Quilts  - currently working on making cool granny square quilt blocks!
• Miki at Miki's Fabric Creations - does some cool stuff with made fabric!  Check out her house blocks...
• Michelle at Daisy Hill Quilts - not only does she make beautiful quilts, Michelle has gorgeous flowers growing in her yard and raises the cutest chickens!
• Alycia at Alycia Quilts - goes thru more fabric than anyone else I know in her QOV project in Colorado!
• Sheila at Sew, Cook, and Travel  - a motorcycling quilter who recently retired and is free to get into all sorts of quilty fun!

I hope you'll visit these fine ladies and see what all they've been up to lately... 

This week's reminder to self...

...do not try to arrange Jacob's Ladder blocks when you're tired.

I suppose it's time to spend some quality time with my seam ripper.  Fortunately, I caught the mistake before I finished sewing the first block together.

Jacob's Ladder QAL Progress

Long day at work yesterday but I was able to sew together the component parts of the next four Jacob's Ladder blocks.

I'll get the blocks assembled after work today.

Gratuitous early spring flower

Fritillaria meleagris,  F. meleagris; also called: 

Guinea Hen Flowers, Snake's Head Fritillary,

 the Checkered Lily. 

c. 1575

 

Jacob's Ladder Redux

It's been quite a while since I made a Jacob's Ladder block but was able to find where I had stashed 'em in December.  I had to do some figuring about just how to cut the FQs to maximize the fabric but was able to get a block sewn last night.

Quilt-along participants are finishing up their quilt tops and some have even finished quilting!  Check out those who have finished their Jacob's Ladder quilts or are nearing completion:

• Miki at Miki's Fabric Creations
• Debbie at Angel Scraps Quilting
• Patty at A Stitch in Time
• Roos at Quiltwerk in Uitvoering
• Mary at Hill Country Quilter
• Lillian at Lillian's Cupboard
• Cynthia at The Quilting Post
• Michelle at Daisy Hill Quilts

For more photos, you can visit the Jacob's Ladder QAL site on Flickr!

Three Questions

1.  What federal holiday did the US celebrate yesterday?

2.  What closes on a federal holiday?

3.  Did the red quilt get mailed yesterday?

Answers below.

Answers

1.  Presidents Day is the federal holiday celebrated by the US yesterday.

2.  The post office closes on all federal holidays.

3.  No.......

Red Hometown Quilt: Finish!

Yes!  The red quilt is finished and ready to ship off to my sister for her birthday this week...

...of course, the largest shipping box that I have is too small.  I'll be stopping by the post office for a larger one tomorrow.

Saturday Night Sew In

Since I was a bit under the weather for the February FNSI, I staged a Saturday night sew-in to catch up on my sewing.

Two movies later, the binding on one long side, one short side, and about 3/4ths of the second long side are sewn down.

The plan is to finish sewing the binding down today, get the quilt washed and all soft and crinkly, wrap and package it up so it can go out in the mail tomorrow....  that is if the "trace" of snow that is forecast doesn't turn into a major snow storm!

We've seen nary a snowflake all winter.... so we are a bit excited about the possibility of getting snow...

FNSI Results

Here is how I spent Friday evening...

Not sure what it was.... one of the bugs running thru the schools or a reaction to possible MSG in the food Thursday night or what.  However, lots of rest and swilling liquids did the trick...

So today, along with chores, I'll be sewing down the binding on this...

Help Get the Word Out!

Another Stolen Quilt

 "Farmer's Daughter" by Sally Schneider

Bonnie Hunter blogged about this lovely quilt that has gone missing; you can read all about its disappearance HERE.

Spread the word.... 

Happy Valentine's Day!

UFO Progress: 2nd day

I've finished the quilting on the red quilt and do like how it turned out.  There were such strong vertical and horizontal lines, I went with diagonal quilting.

Even on the backing, the diagonal lines "work"...

Next, I will get the binding sewn on.   "And what, pray tell, did you select for the binding fabric?" you ask.

 Nothing dull and boring for me!   Back to the machine...

UFO Progress

With a list to spur me on, I've been a busy girl today...

...sewed the blocks together, pieced the back, sandwiched, and pin basted!

Decided on a grey thread...   and started quilting...

Hope to finish tomorrow and get the binding sewn on. 

That way I can sew down the binding after work this week.

2012: The Year of UFO

There is something so exciting about planning a new quilt, assembling the fabrics, cutting those fabrics, and beginning to sew.   I had a lot of  fun last year....  resulting in a lot of unfinished quilts lying around for one reason or another... primarily because my machine went down mid-December.

So... my mission... if I decide to accept it.... is to finish all those UFOs before I start a new one.  First, I must identify all the UFOs floating around my place:

1.  Pink & White double 4-patch with flower border (piece back, send to LAQ)

2.  Lilac Hill quilt (send to LAQ)

3.  Bottled Rainbows (sew together quilted blocks and bind)

4.  Smokey Mtn Stars (bind and label)

5.  Fish Camp Trout Pond (piece back, sandwich, quilt, label, bind)

6.  Tumbler quilt (label, bind)

7.  Civil War quilt (sash, assemble, borders, piece back, send to LAQ)

8.  Jacob's Ladder (finish making blocks, sash, assemble, border, sandwich, quilt, label, bind)

9.  Eleanor's red quilt (assemble top, piece back, sandwich, quilt, label, bind)

Yup, them's a lot of UFOs!

I need to be spending some quality time with my machine...

...and stay out of...

...and stop looking at...

...'cause I got some UFOs to attend to!