After Turkey

The holidays can be great fun, don't you think. Last Wednesday, after finishing up a few things at my desk, I got down to the real business of making pies for a family Thanksgiving get-together.

Each year, we head to my in-laws, usually Dave's brother's place about an hour's drive away. But this year, thanks to a little goof-up by the local power company, something went wrong with some repairs to the power lines leading to John's house, and while there was no catastrophic damage, nearly all his electronics were 'fried.' I suppose if you're a fan of football on Thanksgiving that *could* be considered catastrophic.

Anyway, the turkey venue was changed to Dave's sister's family home. A little further away, but no big deal. The weather was clear and good to drive.

Unfortunately, Harley (my brother-in-law's red-haired golden retriever) had restricted access to the house. As you can see, he's playing up the sympathy card from the porch with his pathetic glare. Don't worry, he got some frisbee play time.

My job, was to bring desserts. I made the typical holiday fare - pumpkin and apple using my mom's recipes for pies and crusts.

And also went a bit non-traditional with the chocolate thing you see up front.

I found the recipe for the Dutch roll cream pie in a foodie magazine. I hadn't made this one before, and it was a big hit!

Simple, too! Here's what I did:

Cut about 1 and 1/2 boxes of Ho-ho's into 1/2" slices and lined the sides and bottom of a 9" spring form pan. Made 3 packages of instant chocolate pudding and poured it onto the Ho-ho shell. Then topped with one container of defrosted whipped topping (cool whip). The chocolate bits that fell off the sliced Ho-ho's were reserved to sprinkle on the top. 

Super easy, and a HUGE hit!

Thank thank you to Bob and Julia, our friends who made their way to their winter home in Florida before they could use their season tickets for the last home football game of the season. We were the lucky recipients of their tickets for the final home game on Saturday.

I'm sorry to say that the Syracuse Orangemen (my alma mater) football team has had a less-than-stellar season this year.

However, this last game was one for the memory books!

By the end of the game, the score was tied. 30-30. In college ball, that means overtime - one possession for each team until one team scores more than their opponent.

It wasn't looking good for our Orangemen! Wake Forrest (the opponent) was about to score a touchdown for the win!

But an exciting, heart-stopping play leading to a 97 yard dash for a touchdown locked down the game and the season with a win! It's hard to read, but the final score in the picture above is Wake Forest 30, Syracuse 39.

Yay!! (Are you a WF fan? Sorry, not sorry! *wink!*)

Win or lose, the graduating seniors make a final lap around the field after the last home game to greet fans and receive a heart-felt send off.

A nice tradition, made even more sweet with an unexpected WIN!

That's probably more football than you wanted or needed, and more than I typically share. (Thanks for indulging me!)

In other news, this week has been full of stuff I can't fully share. For example, I've been putting the final touches on the December FLOCK kits (the bird remains secret until it arrives in mail boxes) that will ship next week. Have you been considering joining The FLOCK? If so, now would be an especially good time to start your collection.

The photo above is a sneaky peek of the secret December bird, and just between you and me, this month's kit will include a special little giftie, just because. Are you in?


In other stitchy news, things are moving right along inside the members-only Stitchery Crossover area of the Hummingbird Highway website.

Are you a member? Check out the latest info. (Log in required)

If you're not a member and would like more info CLICK HERE and scroll through for the deets!

I know that for some of us, these few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas can get a little crazy. My holiday season wish for you is that you take a moment to experience the magic of the season. Take in a holiday concert or movie, prepare something decadent for yourself or to share, enjoy the company of friends and family.

And just breathe!
 

Happy Stitching
Joan

Even More Cookies

This cookie 'thing' has been going on for several weeks now.

Three weeks ago, I took aim at a stack of scrappy four-patches. The following week, an adorable cookie border stripe print inspired a holiday cookie mat. And last week, a few more four-patches and one last bit of the border print sent me on a new journey with less-than-pleasing (to me, anyway) results.

By the end of my sewing session, I had a light bulb moment and promised to share the results this week.

The problem was that green and white check seemed to 'need' something else.

In the far reaches of my mind, I recall having a roll of printed fusible interfacing with holly leaves and berries - Zig-Zapps by Quiltsmart.

Yet another stash-diving adventure turned up the very roll!

One panel will do. . .

I cut two 2" strips for the binding for this last installment of the Great Cookie Mat Caper . . and had just a skonch left for red berries.

Another stash-dive turned up a just-enough chunk of green.

I rough-cut the interfacing. . I'm opting for the larger of the two holly leaf shapes . .. and cut a slit in the middle of each interfacing shape to use for turning later.

Then placed the interfacing bumpy side facing right side of the fabric.

I fussy-placed the berry circles over the snowflake icing motifs.

Then sewed on the solid lines of the interfacing. . .

. . . .and trimmed on the dotted line.

Turned the fabric right side out (the bumpy fusible side is on the back.

Time to head to the ironing board with my in-the-ditch quilted cookie mat (second in the series).

Then arranged and fused the holly shapes.

Then blanket stitched around the edge with bright red fabric to off-set the green checkers.

And added a bit of free motion swish for the holly leaf veins.

Wa-la!

Ready for cookies.

Or gifting!

I'll tell you one thing, I'm ready for a new project (or an old one) that doesn't involve four-patches!

Happy Stitching!
Joan
 

More Cookies!

Last week, I started with the statement that 'some projects are meant to be.' This week, I hafta say, that sentiment continues.

You may recall that two weeks ago, I was lamenting the stack of scrappy four-patch blocks in hibernation on the small table next to my sewing cabinet. The four-patches were, for the most part, intended to be made into puffy, scrappy pin cushions.

Within the stack, also lived nine matching holiday-print four-patches.

Last week, I took notice of those, and made a small (maybe about 15" square) cookie mat from nine four-patches and some 'found' cookie-themed border stripe fabric in my stash.

At the end of the article last week, I took aim at this short stack of 20 matching green and white four-patches.

I was away on business for the last part of last week, and I sat down at the sewing machine on Monday with a sideways glance to the green-and-white stack.

Plus, there was one last strip of cookie stripe leftover from last-weeks cookie mat.

I laid out the checkerboard four-patches at the top and bottom of the last bit of stripe . . .

Sewed two rows of five four-patches into a panel, pressed, then added the trimmed stripe to the long edge of the piecing.

Then, I trimmed the edge of the stripe so I didn't have to guess where to place the second checkerboard panel.

"Wa-la"!"

Cookie Mat, Second in the Series, is nearly complete!

Back to stash-diving to unearth a couple chunks of holiday prints and one last itty-bitty strip of the stripe - you should try saying that.

Stripe strips! Strip stripe!

It works both ways and it's kinda fun to say. . .

(Okay, I'm weird)

Moving on. . . .

I layered with batting then ran out of sewing time for the day.

Only thing that bugs me is that the checkerboard is kinda plain against the stripe strip *a-hem*.

It's a little stark and it needs something else. But what? . . . stitching? a fussy quilting pattern? hand quilting? . . . What?

And then it dawned on me! I have it! But I'm outta sewing time!

That means, you'll have to wait for next week's installment to see if my light-bulb moment worked. I think it's going to be sweet and very festive!

And this added bonus . . . Look at my stack of scrappy four-patches!

Two weeks ago, the four-patches were flirting with the top edge of the storage box!

With 29 four-patches re-purposed (or almost) into finished 'somethings,' my four-patch pin cushioning project is looking a lot lighter.

I'm on a roll. If you're a four-patch, watch out! 

Happy Stitching!
Joan 

The Magic Cookie Mat

Some projects are just meant to be.

I mentioned this stack of four-patches sitting next to my sewing machine last week. Most of the 3-1/2" four patch blocks are in wait-mode to become pin cushions.

Some, as it turned out this week, have a different destiny.

As I thumbed through the stack selecting my next pin cushion target, I spotted exactly nine similar four-patches. Solid green, plus candy canes and boughs on cream. Holiday themed.

They seemed to tell me they wanted to be one project, so I sewed them together. No idea where this was going.

The four-patch seams were already furled (or rotated) on the wrong side of the block. . . .

I simply continued the furling as the blocks were sewn into rows.

Makes for a flat, lump-less checkerboard center.

Now what?

The search was on for coordinates.

Down to the fabric storage in the basement (AKA the Ford Underground). I was hoping for some solid reds and greens, but what I found was an adorable Christmas cookie border stripe fabric illustrated by Janet Wecker-Frisch. Several years old. I had 1/2 yard of the border stripe, and 1/2 yard of the deep red with white cookie icing.

Once I found the fabric (buried in a box full of larger, set aside pieces) it was clear what this was going to be . . . a holiday cookie tray mat! Perfect!

Cutting carefully, I had just enough fabric for a small border of red, then the lightly iced row of cookies from the border print.

I mitered the corners on the top and had just enough of the border fabric to make the backing.

You know how the rest of this goes.

Prep for quilting.

I layered backing, batting, and the cookie mat top, and pin basted.

Quilting.

Binding.

DONE!

Ready for a quick photo (along with a couple elf models I made from a Heidi Boyd pattern).

And, of course, a holiday cookie tray. But that'll have to wait a little while longer. Thanksgiving, first, then cookies!

Nonetheless, I'm ready when the cookies are.

Even the back is cute with the red/icing fabric in between three of the alternate stripes.

This little project took a grand total of about 2 hours of sewing time - start to finish, including quilting and binding.

And a lot of luck. I'd bet that the right fabric is always right there in your stash, the luck comes when you put your hands on the right fabric at just the right moment.

Now . . .

These 20 green and cream four-patches could use a little Christmas magic, too!

Alternatively, I'd settle for some Thanksgiving magic. Jus' sayn!

Happy Stitching!
Joan

The Die-hard Pin Cushion Project

Sometimes it's just time to move things out. Or on to the next step. Or to the 'done' pile. Or to give up. . . Give UP?? No-no-no-no-no!

This particular project seemed like a good idea at the time. . . years and YEARS ago . . . when I started it.

I have this stack of 4-patches, some of them scrappy, some of them matchy, some of them just squares-waiting-to-be 4-patches, some of them onesy-twosey leftovers from a bigger four-patch project (you know those last couple cuts when you strip-piece) . . . .

None of the four-patch blocks are any larger than 4 or 5" square. Eventually, they get trimmed to 3-1/2" square if they aren't already that size. Once upon a time, as I created the four-patch stack, I paired each set with four 1-1/2x3-1/2" strips. And they're all in a semi-neat stack in a small storage box on the 'staging' table next to my sewing machine.

Every time I finish a seam on whatever I'm *actually* working on, I grab from the box and sew a seam. Instead of a scrap piece of fabric to catch the thread ends between seams, I make one step of progress on the 'four-patch project'

This has been going on forEVER!

Once I create two 'matching four-patches, I attach a strip to each side of one of the four-patches, like four little ears flopping around.

The paired four-patch and it's fraternal twin with ears are stacked in a soft-sided basket - a different one from the box on the staging table - for the next step.

Each 'twin' set looks something like this.

The next step is to add surface embroidery and maybe some beads to the 'eared' twin, then after that's done, the twins come back to the sewing machine to sew them into a squashed cube.

. . . Like this.

Kinda pathetic looking, right?

It'll get stuffed with scrap batting (there is a 1 to 1-1/2" opening on one of the longer seams) then closed and tufted with a button.

 . .  To make fun puffy pin cushions.

The trouble is, there are about a million of these things in process between the two stacks - the one by the sewing machine and in the soft-basket.

(Okay, I'm exaggerating a little - maybe not a MILLION, but truly there must be about 50 or so, easily).

The log jam is the embellishment. I just have to be in the right frame of mind to add the stitching and beading creatively. It has to be fun or it just doesn't come out.

On the plus side, it's a great way to practice surface embroidery stitches and play with my fabulous thread collection on a small, fast-finish project. And little by little, scrap batting disappears into these little pillows of cute.

On the down side, aside from having so many (does anyone *really* need 50 pin cushions?), I'm not as excited about finishing all these little guys as I once was when I started collecting them. I mean, I am and I'm not.

Why didn't I just throw away those last bits of strip piecing way back when?

You know the answer to that, and so do I . . . I just couldn't.

So now I'm pacing myself. One at a time, I pull one pin cushion set of the basket for embellishing. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. . . or 50 of them. *wink!*

Happy Stitching!
Joan

Out and About

It has been kinda crazy around here, so I took advantage of a tiny break in the action to run away on the annual sisters trip to Fly Creek Cider Mill in Fly Creek, New York. (Kinda near Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame)

My two sisters and I head there every fall for a fun day of shopping and sister-stuff.

It's about a 90-minute drive with the opportunity to see lovely fall color along the hilly-twisty back roads. 

For several years in a row, feels like we've missed the color and managed to drive through snowy, gray weather for the annual trip. This year, we got a little of the color, but had a damp weather day, despite the prediction of sunshine.

No matter, it was still fun to guess the weight of the giant pumpkin (my guess, I'm afraid, was way low), feed the fluffy-headed ducks . . .

 . . . And, of course, get some apples (the selection is much better in October than November) and fresh apple cider.

And stop for a yummy lunch in Herkimer on the way back home.

It's a fun once-a-year day! 

Back at home, on Tuesday, Dave had a routine medical test (everything's fine) that required that I drive him there and back again. The doctor's office is located near the Syracuse University campus, so I took advantage of the short walk to grab some early-morning breakfast at the coffee bar. Marshall Street (the main shopping and eating street located in the heart of university hill) hasn't changed much since I went to school at SU way back when.

Back at home, I've only just started a quick little project that I hope to share with you soon.

The fabric is cut and the sewing is just getting underway.

Happy Stitching!
Joan

Old Friends, New Friends

Over the weekend, the Thomas J. Corcoran High School Class of 1979 (my alma mater and class year) celebrated 40 years of life after high school with a reunion event at The Palace on James, a local historic theater.

We were also treated to amazing decoration from Balloons Over Syracuse! The Palace was completely converted to a party atmosphere with Maroon and White balloons everywhere!

My friend and classmate, Kathy Eastman, and I were in charge of organizing the event.

No small task to gather class mates from 40 years ago for an evening of delicious food, adult beverages, and lots and lots of laughs and smiles.

As you can see from the picture below, we barely managed to pull the crowd together in one place for the group photo. Looking at the correct camera in unison was another challenge entirely. 

The party was a HUGE success, lotsa laughs, hugs, and remembrances. Some folks are already strategizing about the next meet-up. It's nice to have some good old friends who know you 'once upon a time.'

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This week, I also spent some time with my new 'friend' the Learning Curve Ruler. I mentioned this in-between project a few weeks ago, here and here.

I have finished all the units I need for a longish scrappy table runner.

Almost. . .

I started sewing the rows together, but planned out the pressing configuration for the two units or 'methods' I'm using - method 3 and method 6 as per the instructions that come with the tool.

With the curved elements coming together near the seam intersections, the seams stack up and get bulky. As shown in the photo below, I rotated or 'furled' the four-patch seams (circular arrows) while pressing the Method 6 blocks (in different rotational directions) on each end of each row. Then pressed the middle seam on the Method 3 unit (in the center of the row) so it opposed the two four patch seams on each end (mini straight arrows). That way, the seams that join the 3/6/3 units nested nicely and distributed the bulk evenly across the intersection (squiggly arrows).

There is a lot going on in this photo, and I know it's a little confusing. Basically, I planned ahead and used common pressing techniques as I constructed the elements to accommodate bulky seams.

Did you notice? The blocks aren't complete! Each one is missing its center.

I have the scraps picked out, and I've cut the blue dots from the yardage for the 'background' centers

Why not sew them into place!?

Why not, indeed!

The secret to the next step on this project is lurking somewhere inside the new Stitchery Crossover membership group. CLICK HERE to learn more! And to be honest, I'm not exactly sure what that next step is. BUT, I have an idea.

Perhaps, we can find the answer together.

Jus' sayn.

Happy Stitching!
Joan