Savoring Autum

We brought home and carved three of these beauties  :)

Swedish Apple Pie

peeled & chopped apples, enough to fill your pie plate level without mounding

1 tbs white sugar

1 tbs brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 stick butter/margarine melted

1 cup white sugar

1 cup flour

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

pinch salt

In a bowl, mix the apples with the next three ingredients.  Put them into a buttered pie plate.  Now, you don't want to over fill your pie plate because the 'crust'/dough will roll off while baking if you do.  Also, try not to leave huge spaces in the apples, or the dough will flow to the bottom of your pie.  {where it will still taste yummy}  This is why I chop instead of slice for this pie :)

Mix together the remaining ingredients, and pour over top of the apples.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until brown.

*note: there is no bottom crust, unless yours flows to the bottom.  This happens to me sometimes {but somehow never to my Mom?}.  It still tastes good, it just isn't pretty {can you guess why I don't have a photo for you?}.  Even with the crust on top where it belongs, this pie isn't much of a looker, but it is yummy.  Like a big cookie baked on top of cinnamon apples :)

UFO review

In January, I decided to round up all of my UFOs, make a list, and finish them by the end of the year.  This being October and all, I've decided to check out how I'm doing.

First of all, I've made a change to my goals.  I am going to aim to have quilt tops finished, not the quilting & binding.  This is mostly because I have some big quilts that I need my Mom to put on the longarm, and she just broke her foot.  I was going to start seriously guilting her about a couple of those tops, but I guess I have to be nice now ;)  {if you are reading this, I'm just kidding Mom.  mostly.}

The List  {que dramatic music}
1.  a red white & blue picnic quilt - see it up there at the top? I still have a long way to go on that top2.  fruit and veggie quilt top - waiting on Mom's foot
3.  a butterfly quilt I'm hand piecing.  I also plan to hand quilt it.
4.  a machine applique flower quilt
5.  a twin size quilt with penguin fabrics for my youngest son.  This is all cut, I need to get sewing!
6.  some pretty brown and pink fabric has been waiting to become a purse  yeah, no.
7.  a small tote bag that will be made from purple and green floral fabrics   finnished!
8.  a blue and white strom at sea that my husband and I started together a few years ago   I really don't want to do this quilt, so I'm repurposeing the blues and putting them in the penguin quilt. 9.  a Christmas wallhanging   I cut this up into 2.5" squares to put in a scrap quilt.10.  an old-fashioned album quilt - eek, I forgot about this one!11.  an abandoned block of the month quilt in pretty lilac fabrics
12.  the same block of the month pattern in Thimbleberries fabrics   finished!
13.  a quilt top for my sister-in-law Quilted & Bound!
14.  a quilt top for my oldest son - waiting on Mom's foot15.  a handful of orphaned blocks made into potholders

so let's see, the tally is 4 finished, 3 ditched, 2 on hold, 6 I need to move my butt on.  In the last two months of the year.  While getting ready for Christmas.  Bring it on, baby.  I'm ready.

I'm going to link my little bit of insanity up to WIP Wednesday and Thursday Think Tank.  Check 'em out if you don't already.

Thursday Think Tank - What was I Thinking?

On my UFO list I have a pink & brown purse that I need to make.  Now, besides the fact that I am kind of over pink & brown {at least enough that I no longer want a purse of it} there are a couple problems with this project.

I lost the pattern.  Haven't seen it in 2 or 3 years.  I don't expect to see it again until after I finally do something else with the fabrics.

Speaking of the fabrics...

Have you ever looked at a stack of fabrics that you put together ages ago and wondered why?

None of the pinks go together, and see that print on the far left?  What I thought were brown lines are actually a deep burgandy.  The same deep burgandy as the shoes I'm wearing, actually - I should have taken a picture for you :)  {can you see me walking into a quilt shop asking for fabric to match my shoes to go with it?}

And I actually bought them all from the same place, at the same time.  What was I thinking?

I was going to amend the plan and make a small pouch from just a couple of the prints,  but I can't find two that match {except maybe the dots and the paisly, but the dots remind me of a dress I had in elementary school.  I hated that dress.}

So, what do you think?  Should I try and rescue the project by making a pouch?  And if so, with what fabric combo?  Or should I ditch it and move on?  {but what will I ever do with that fabric?}

Ok, I'm taking this dog & pony show on over to Rebecca's - why don't you come see what everyone else is Thinking about?

simple stitches

Ok, so I'm too late to the 100 Quilts for Kids party.  Since I was already planning on making a quilt to donate before I found out about this, I'm not feeling too bad about missing this deadline.  100 Quilts for Kids did motivate me to stop thinking about it and start cutting, though. 



There is a group of quilters who meet at the library in town on Saturday mornings, so last weekend I packed up my Janome & fabric squares and headed down.  Usually I can't make it because of my kiddos, but they were having a sleepover with their Dad.

The fabrics range from pawprints to pirates to John Deere tractors.  They are nearly all leftovers {I always buy way too much for a quilt project - I have a fear of running out}

Right in the middle of blissfully {and relatively mindlessly} feeding squares through my machine, somebody asked who was going to the quilt show that day.

Really, a quilt show in town today?  How did I not know this? 

I think you know where I went after the library :)

Most of my pictures came out really bad, so I won't bother posting them.  But there was one {I think} vintage quilt that I just loved.  Here is my favorite block from it:

Just to clarify, I didn't make the butterfly quilt, and even though I *really* wanted to bring it home, it doesn't belong to me.  I don't know anything about it becase I was too busy admiring it to look for tags.

Ok, I'm headed over to Freshly Pieced to see what everyone else is doing.  See you there!

a fabric bucket

Edited to Add: I'm linking up with Sew Modern Monday & Manic Monday. I may even do some more linking on Tuesday, because this is one of those finishes I just have to wave around for everyone to admire.  Thanks so much for humoring me  :)

I was putting away all my fabric like I said I would, when I came across some Hungry Catapiller scraps.   They said they were tired of sitting around unused, they wanted to be made into something.  Now. 

{yes, my fabric talks.  doesn't yours?}

I used a tutorial from Pink Penguin.  The fabrics are scraps from a quilt I designed and made for my son. 

I think this bucket is so. stinkin'. cute. - if I do say so myself {grin}

Ok, back to what I'm supposed to be doing...

tote your fuit & veggies

A few days ago I gave you a little peak at what I was making with some fruit & veggie fabrics.  {go here to check it out if you would like to} Well, this is what I was making:

I made this tote with scraps from a quilt I haven't finished yet.  Has anyone else out there finished a project from the scraps of another project that isn't finished yet? 

Would you like to see the quilting close up?

What's that? You want to see the lining? Sure:

Everything I used for this tote was scrap, including the batting.  I love using up my scraps  :)
Once I was all done, you know, when it it too late to fix a mistake, I noticed this:

I tried so hard to avoid two pieces of the same fabric landing side by side. I took pics of my layout and checked them with every seam I sewed.  I'm a bit disgusted with myself, I mean, it shouldn't be that hard to keep just 36 rectangles in the right spot, right?

Oh well, I hope the bag's new owner doesn't mind.

PS - This is the project with the deadline of bright & early tomorrow morning. I made it with a few hours to spare, yay!

I'm jumping into the Think Tank!

{I have no idea why the button is in a box.  I'm going to pretend I meant to do that.}

I'm taking this show on the road to making rebecca lynne today for Thursday Think Tank!

I've been thinking about my to-do list lately.  Well actually, I've been walking around silently screaming in my head because of my to-do list lately.  There is just too much of it.

Today I stopped screaming and decided to list out my priorities.

 Every pile of fabric around here without a deadline coming this week is getting put back in the stash. {its the kind of deadline you either meet or forget about it. no late gifting this time.  but I'll tell you more about that in another post}

This is the only pile I'm keeping out to work on - the most important project to me right now:

I've had an idea bouncing around in my head for who-knows-how-long.  It keeps getting pushed aside by other projects, but today I decided that this little pile needs to be my top sewing priority.  I'll tell you more about it when I have some actual progress to share ;)

So, what's bouncing around your noggin today?

PS - I sew very. very. slow.  I probably won't have anything to show on this for a week or two. 

PPS - did you notice my frogs don't match?  I didn't, until I got home from Joanns.  I've decided I like it that way, since the alternative is a 1 hour drive both ways to exchange an itty bitty frog.  :)

PPPS - If you are wondering about the photo from my last post, I won't keep you hanging much longer, promise.

a side of veggies

Just a little peek at what I've been doing today.  I'll show you more soon.

one little block

I do like how this block has turned out.  It is block 10, Ohio Star, of the We Can Do It! Sampler.  It was my intention to get caught up with the QAL this week, but this is the only block I finished. 

You see, a few days ago I managed to poke myself in the eye with one of those plastic-coated wire twist ties.  Nothing too serious, just bothersome enough to keep me from doing much sewing or blog reading.

The weather here is supposed to be beautiful the next 2 or 3 days, so I'll be doing some furniture refinishing.  If I get that done, I'm hoping to get some quality time in with my sewing machine. 

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Did you hear it?

That loud thud a few weeks ago.

That was me, falling off the wagon.   I'm so far behind on the We Can Do It! Sampler, it's scary.  I think I did one of August's blocks, and none of September's. 

Here is the one I stiched in August & forgot to post about:

The closest thing I have to a design wall is the boulder in the back yard.  It works pretty well as long as the wind isn't blowing :)

Since I'm so far behind on the sampler, and I've only got three more months to finish the rest of my UFO's {New Years is my self-impossed deadline}, I've decided to join a quilt-a-long.

Makes perfect sense, right? {and let's not forget Christmas gifts}

Small Blog Meet-up & Fresh Sewing Day, Fair Edition

Hello Everybody!  Happy Saturday Morning to my lovely followers, and any sweet people hopping over from Lily's Quilts today!  I'm so glad you are here :)

I know these are two different link-ups, but I'm going to quickly mash them both together in one post because 1) my coffee is getting cold and my applecider doughnut is in serious danger of being snitched while I'm not looking and 2) I'm in a hurry to get back to the Fair between rainclouds today.

*Before reading any further, there is something you should know about me.  I'm completely obsessed with The Deerfield Fair*

If you are ever in New Hampshire the last weekend of September, go.  You'll thank me  :)

Do you have a fair near you that you love?

This year I entered a quilt and a quilted bag.

This is the beast that I've been franticly basteing & quilting lately. All those problems while I was under deadline.  Because why would I enter a quilt that was actually finished before entry forms had to be turned in? {did I mention I'm a procrastinator?} Yes, that is a blue ribbon hanging from it!  Yay for me! 

This quilt is lap-sized, and headed to my sister-in-law.  We struck up a deal awhile ago.  She wallpapered my kitchen, I made her a quilt. 

Remember this?

My little shopping tote got a blue ribbon, too!  And unlike the quilt, I didn't have to finish it at the last minute.  Maybe I'll try making my entries in advance for next year :)  {probably not}

would you indulge a proud Mama for a minute?

There is a pumpkin faces competition for the kids, which my three boys entered.  These two are Santa Clause and Obi-Won Kanobe.  {I wonder what spell check would do if I asked it to check my Star Wars spellings? :) }

And this is Yoda {displayed backwards. he really does have a face on the other side.}

All three of my boys earned blue ribbons!  {three of my nephews also entered pumpkins and earned blues}

It has been a great Fair year, despite the rain trying to wash us away this weekend.  And luckily, my sons are as die-hard about the Fair as I am, so they are willing to risk it.