Last set for swap...

Here is the third and last set due for my 3 1/2 " unfinished 9-patch swap with my 1800's group.  You can see my first set here and my second set here.

We each traded in sets of eight and as I made each one I made extras so I think I have enough to make a whole quilt just out of the extra ones I have made.

Next thing up will be to pick out a background fabric for the 9-patches.  I think that means I might have to go to a quilt shop. Bummer. :)

Be sure to head over to Patchwork Times and check out what other bloggers are working on....

Chicken, anyone?

When visiting the Scottish Fair last weekend we saw a number of different food booths.  Of course, each of them were selling food derived from recipes familiar to the ancestry of the Scottish people.  One of the booths had a unique variety:

Scotch Eggs are what drew me to this booth; unfortunately they were sold out.  As we approached the line we saw the gal (in the far right corner of the picture wearing purple) waiting in line.  I noticed she had something white and fluffy on a leash....then realized it was a chicken.  The Ukester, who just couldn't help himself, asked her (as he was pointing to the "Scotch Eggs" sign), "So, are you here to visit the kids?"  The lady standing behind her started to laugh right away.  Then the lady with the chicken realized what he was saying, smiled, laughed and said, "No! But it is part of the McNugget Clan!".

So, if I haven't spoiled your taste for chicken, I want to share a recipe that I tried in the last week that I think is pretty good. 

Chicken with Cherries Salad

Poppy Seed Dressing:

2 cups mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)

2 T. Dijon mustard

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 T. White wine vinegar

2 T. water

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

1 tsp. salt

Combine and add to salad right before serving.

Salad:

1 lb. Rotelle pasta, cooked and cooled

1 T. olive oil

2-3 c.  chicken, cooked and diced

3 oz dried cherries (not cherry flavored dried Cranberries)

1/2  yellow onion, diced

3/4 c. celery, diced

3/4 c. slivered almonds, lightly toasted

Only mix in 1/2 cup of the almonds with the salad. Use 1/4 of the to top the salad before serving.

This recipe makes a pretty big bowl and kept several days in the refrigerator.  Let me know if you like it.  Enjoy!

Guid eenin!

Good Evening!

Each year the Twin Cities area (Minneapolis/St. Paul) has a Scottish Fair and we have talked about going from year to year. Today we decided to go since it was close to our house, a beautiful day and we didn't have anything pressing to do on our calendar.

Of course, we saw lots of kilts and bagpipes; but there were plenty of other things to see and do there too.  They had a section of animals that come from Scotland such as Highland cattle and miniature rams  -  of which I didn't get the exact name.

An interesting line of British cars were on exhibit; some really old, nice cars and some not so old.  This Morris Minor really caught me and the Ukester's eye:

We saw lots of little tykes like this wandering around....

And few of these too...but I was surprised that Fala's decendants were not in attendance today.

It wouldn't be a Scottish Fair without the various clans that were there coming out on the field to represent themselves.  Below is a picture of all of the clans, represented in person today at the fair, with their clan tartans flying in the air.

Over the years I have been told that my maternal grandfather's family line came from Scotland but in my searches I have not been able to figure out which clan they originated from.  While we were at the fair today I was able to talk to someone who was able to look up the name and identify the clan Colquhoun so I feel I now have a place to start doing more research.

Of course, we cannot forget food!

Scottish Meat Pies (left) and  Bridies (right) with Diet Coke (we passed on the Tea Tent) were a welcome break between the various activities. The sauce was a cross between a steak sauce and BBQ sauce - it added a nice tang to the pies.

A Border Collie demonstration kept many captivated for a while.  These dogs are extremely smart and well trained to herd cattle.  In this case it was these cute sheep who kept looking at the dog like, "Do ya think you could leave us alone for just a few more seconds?  Huh?  Well, do ya?"

And lastly, the most unusual thing we saw were these historical artifacts, still in use!   :)

Celebrate your heritage, have a wonderful rest of the weekend and thanks for reading.  

Guid cheerio the nou!  Good bye!

Happy Mother's Day!

Yesterday I was able to spend the afternoon with our son.  We only live about 1/2 hour apart but are not able to see one another that often because he lives a very busy and active life.  So, time together is very precious.

Of all the things I have experienced in life, being a mother has been the most challenging, and yet, the most rewarding.  I am so thankful that God blessed me with such a wonderful son.

Art Play Day...

Lately I have been taking a class that is all about playing.  Once a month we gather at this LQS and are taught a creative, artistic quilt technique.  Most of the techniques apply to making art quilts but could be used in other endeavors as well.  It has been fun to meet new people and just to play!

I thought I would show you some of the stuff I have been doing.  First, we applied resist to PDF fabric and then painted a dye on it to creat a Faux Batik. This was a two step process - so we met for two weeks for this one. (Click on pictures to enlarge.)

The picture above is one yard of fabric that was brushed with cooked oatmeal and then dyed with hot pink, bright yellow, teal and one section of bright blue.  I folded the fabric over so the yellow mixed in with the teal.    When I washed out the dye it faded to much paler colors as you can see.  But the effect of the oatmeal is neat.

The above picture is of PDF fabric that was designed heavily with a blue school glue gel resist and in the left lower corner I drew flowers with baby rice food from a hypodermic syringe.  This was then painted with bright orange dye which faded to pale, pale peach when washed.  I thought this one would have been really cool if it had stayed bright orange.

The third resist I tried was mashed potatoes.  I painted that with bright yellow but it also washed to a pale yellow and because of how I applied the mashed potatoes  there was more white than yellow.  So, I will save that one and over dye it sometime.

Each are very usable pieces of fabric - just wish the colors were more vibrant.  The teacher thought perhaps her dyes were old and apologized for that.  And, as I have learned from dyeing fabric before, it truly is a learning experience - which is what the class was all about. So, I am not disappointed at all with what I ended up with.

Next up was paintsticks. This is the second time I have taken a class concerning this technique for quilting.  The last time it was included briefly in a quilt embellishing class. Sorry the picture is blurry.  

I am not impressed with this technique (for quilting) and can say that I will not be running out to buy the supplies - but I am glad I got to try it again.  The top two are rubbings over a texture plate, the bottom left was achieved by rubbing over a plastic needlepoint thingy, and the bottom right was a stencil.  (Most of the students made more things than I did but I just did the four things since I wasn't that thrilled with this technique and I had the idea.) In 1991 I stenciled my entire kitchen ceiling border using paintsticks - I would likely use them in a craft like that before using them on a quilt.  But I have been known to eat my words!  :) 

Most recent was a fabric Post Card class.  This was not actually part of the Art Class - but most of us signed up for it anyway.  I knew how they were done - but it was the fun of doing it, and again, I learned a few new things along the way.

My favorite one of this is the clothesline - I love clotheslines!  The one thing I miss the most about living in a townhome is not having a clothesline.  I always hung my clothes out to dry in the summer - to me, there is nothing that beats the smell and feel of clothes dried outside! (My old (several generations) fantastic rhubarb patch runs a close second to the clothesline - I really miss it too.)

Can you guess what the butterfly (or is it a fly?) is made out of?  It is a tea bag!!  We traced the creature using a Sharpie and then were supposed to sew on the black lines - which looks very nice. But I was too impatient and just sewed around it and then used my stamping chalks to color it in.  I will personalize it with a stamp when I use it - that is why there is nothing in the left hand corner of the post card.

It has been fun to take these classes because I am able to sample different techniques to see what appeals to me and what doesn't.  I have felt like I am back in grade school having fun in art class, making messes and playing around.  :)

I have chattered enough - if you have read all the way through this - thank you!!

Be sure to go to  Patchwork Times  to see what everyone else has been working on.  Thanks so much for stopping by.

Keep your creative juices flowing.....

Here they are...

Here is the 2nd batch of 9-patches for my 1800's swap.  I showed you my fabric choices here.

I made 64 of them; eight groups of eight.  Now I will start on the next set.  I already have the sets of fabric picked out.  :)

Oh, and thank you for those of you who tried to help answer my question about the top right block's fabrics as to whether or not they are reproduction fabrics.  I still don't know anything about the dark brown fabric.  The light striped fabric I found I had another piece with the selvage on it.  It is a Windham Lewis & Clark - close enough since I don't know about the brown!

The blocks I received in exchange were, once again, so fun to look through and a great variety of browns, tans and whites.

Back to my sewing machine - I have several projects going which hopefully I will be able to show you soon.