Welcoming 2012

I know that it's a little cliché to review the last year and make goals for the coming year, but it feels satisfying somehow. In the past year there have been many accomplishments and some difficulties.

I have a faithful God who loves me and will always be with me.  I have a loving and supportive husband.  My family relationships and friendships have been deepened and strengthened.  I am blessed with two great jobs and wonderful colleagues. My health is good and is even improving.  We are home-owners and have been blessed with everything that we need.

Even in the midst of unexpected difficulties and hardships, I can be joyful and filled with hope for the future.  I know that my character is being stretched and grown.  I am becoming more of the person that God wants me to be and I am so thankful for this.

In the coming year I have a lot of goals, hopes and dreams.  Some of them are small and some are large.  Some are public and some are private.  I'll share some with you.

:: to make relationships a priority
:: to visit family and friends regularly
:: to teach a quilting class
:: to finish many of my unfinished projects from 2011 (I have three quilts basted that are waiting to be quilted!)
:: to do some of the quilts on my long list
:: to use up lots of my fabric that I already have
:: to be wise with my time
:: to finish crocheting a couple of baby blankets
:: to significantly cut down my sugar intake
:: to make myself do things 'now' rather than 'later'
:: to purge my house of unnecessary clutter and stuff
:: to be a peacemaker

I have heard of people choosing a word to remind them of their top priority for the year and I'd like to do that too.  I'm just not sure what that one all encompassing word would be.  Maybe the word delight. It has the conotation of being content and joyful and thankful.  It makes me feel happy.  I want to take delight in what life offers me.  I want to delight in the Lord.  Yes, that will be my word for the year.  Delight.

xo Nicole

Grandma's Quilt

I finished sewing Grandma's quilt up last weekend and sent it off to her on Monday.  She received it Friday and is so thrilled with it.  She says that it matches her decor perfectly.  I am so happy that she loves it, because by the time that I was finished with it, I wanted to keep it for myself.

I ended up inserting a little strip in it to make it longer. When I originally cut up the squares I had decided on a certain dimension, but when it came time to sew the squares together, I didn't remember what I'd decided.  So I just guessed, and it turned out wrong. I had wanted to do 9 squares by 12 squares, but I sewed them together in 10 by 11 (and I had to cut a few more).  Then the quilt was too short and I had no more scraps to add in.  I was thinking about just adding a top border, but when I mentioned my problem to Katja, she suggested adding in a strip instead.  So I did, and I really liked the way it turned out.

I ended up quilting it in a zigzag pattern in the squares, and did a little stipple in the floral strip section.  I bound it in a peach check that was perfect for the quilt.  After I washed it up, it was so crinkly and soft and even better than I imagined.  I know that it will keep Grandma company through many evenings of TV watching.

I better go get going on my next quilt!  I have a long list of quilts to make....

xo Nicole

I'm Teaching!

This quilt is called Reversed Rainbows and I will be teaching a class on November 1st.  If you want to make one of your own, please sign up this week at Katja's Quilt Shoppe in Kamloops.  Hope to see you there!

xo Nicole

Placemats

 I made up a set of four placemats for my cousin for a wedding gift.  She just got married on the September long weekend.  I had some fun fruit fabric (alliteration anyone?) and combined it with some other fabrics in my stash.  I enjoyed putting in some colours that didn't match exactly, but I thought they spiced it up a bit.  When I tried adding colours that were a little closer match to the fruit fabrics, it looked really dull.

I added a fun striped fabric to the back so they can be reversible.   I quilted straight lines about 3/8" apart and a solid green binding was machine stitched on.  Once washed up they still look great.  The only thing that I am not so happy about is the way that the fabric looks like it has chevrons from the quilting.  Oh well, next time will be better.

xo Nicole

Doll Quilt Swap 11 Received!

I actually received it about a month ago, but forgot to blog about it!  I don't know why because I really love it.  It was made for me by a lovely woman, Wendy.  On Flickr, she is known as On a Whim / Little Whimsies.

She posted some sneak peeks during the construction phase, and I had commented that I really loved it and the colours were awesome.  I never dreamed that I would be receiving it!

She also included a couple extra goodies - magnets covered in coordinating fabrics, some fun pins and a little sticky note pad.  I love these too!

She called the quilt "Teddy Bear's Picnic" possibly because in one of my comments I mentioned that the tiny bear paws could be teddy bear's paws.  Whatever the case, I sincerely love it and it's hanging up behind my sewing machine now.  It inspires me everyday with it's tiny loveliness.

Have you ever made a mini quilt or a doll quilt?  You should - it's fun and fast!

xo Nicole

My Beet Soup

I can't say that I know how to make Beet Borscht or anything. This is just my made up recipe and I think it tastes good! This is a great time of year to make things with beets.

1 onion

2 stalks celery

2 cloves garlic

5 or 6 beets

2 carrots

1/2 head of cabbage

1 large can diced tomatoes

farmer's sausage

bullion cube

s & p

dill

I start with onions, celery, and garlic. Chop 'em up and throw 'em in a pot with some olive oil and cook them while you are preparing the next stuff. I chop up the beets into small cubes and add them into the pot. Same thing with the carrots and cabbage. Then I throw in the canned tomatoes and some water and a bullion cube. I turn up the heat to make them boil, then turn it down to simmer. I also cut up some farmer's sausage and add it. Totally optional, but it tastes really good. Then I just cook it up until it's done, maybe one and a half hours. Before serving, I throw in the dill and when it's in the bowl I blob in some sour cream or plain yogurt. You can even sprinkle in some more dill if you like. Eat it up with some fresh bread. Yum!

Pretty simple and very tasty. Let me know if you try making it sometime or if you have any questions.

xo Nicole

One of my Works in Progress

This weekend I started with a pile of fabrics that are leftovers from a quilt I made for my mom and added in some solid peach fabrics. I'm making a quilt for my Grandma V.

I recently visited her and she was showing us her new digital cable box and trying to figure out how it worked. I thought that she would enjoy having a quilt to keep her warm while watching her favourite shows this winter.

Her favourite colour is peach and I thought that it would go well with these florals. I think that it makes a lovely simple patchwork. My stack quickly was cut and began to be pieced in a few evenings.

I currently have all the rows sewn together and will hopefully finish the top tomorrow. The squares are cut 5" and the quilt will measure about 45"x 50", big enough for a lap quilt on her recliner. The colours are better in real life, but that's what happens when you sew at night and have a crappy camera.

I'm generally not a huge floral fan, but there are some prints in this quilt that I really love. I hope that my Grandma will love them too.

xo Nicole