Sweet Seasons ~ Block #4

2011 Redbud Block of the Month

April!

Fabric Requirements:

Fabric A: Purple

4 - 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles

4 - 2 1/2" squares

4 - 3 1/4" squares

Fabric B:  Green

1- 4 1/2" square

4 - 3 1/4" squares

Fabric C:  Pink

8 - 3 1/4" squares

Mark a diagonal line on back

Fabric D:  White

4 - 2 1/2" squares

Make Half Square Triangles:

Pair 3 1/4" squares right sides

together in the following combinations:

A/C - 4   B/C - 4

Sew 1/4" away from both sides of

drawn line.  Cut on drawn line.  Press

seams to the darker fabric. 

Square to 2 1/2".

Make Corner Units:

Layout units as shown.  Sew

Fabric A and Fabric D 2 1/2"

squares together.

Sew rectangle and 2 patch together.

Square to 4 1/2".

Make 4.

Make Center Outer Units:

Layout units as shown.

Sew together in 2 rows, then

sew rows together.

Square to 4 1/2"

Make 4.

Assemble Block:

Layout units as shown.

Sew together in 3 rows, then

sew rows together. 

Press final seams open

to reduce bulk.

Square to 12 1/2".

The Ethnic Kitchen

What's In Your Fridge?

Okay, no bones about it,

it has been a long, rough

week and it's only Wednesday.

I knew the cupboard was bare

and decided to see what we

needed from the grocery store.

That's when I noticed we  really

had NOTHING to eat, we only

had condiments left and they

are all foreign.

Lots of paprika that I bought

in Budapest, Italian cheese...

Mexican and Asian sauces...

Lots of Indian chutneys and

sauces, Hungarian mustard,

Italian pesto...

Spanish olives, hummus,

mustard I bought at the

 Duty Free in Munich...

Tortillas, French goat cheese,

feta...

Leftover Chinese take away,

which may be dinner tonight

with the Baileys for dessert...

I guess I better head to

the grocery store!

What's in your fridge?

Me Time - April 5

Friendship is a Sheltering Tree

Today at Me Time I was

lucky to have my friends.

Irene caught up with

some of her Brackman

blocks.

She made alot of progress.

Susan is on Spring Break.

She finally got to do

some quilting.

Dawn was working on a binding.

I picked out some fabric,

and started a new project.

It is a sad day for the

Murphy Clan, Grandma

Murphy passed away today.

My Mother-in-Law, Mary

Ellen, always used to say,

in her Queens, NY accent,

"That Ellen, she's so clevah."

Who will call me clever now?

RIP Mary Ellen, May God Hold

You in the Hallow of His Hand.



April Showers...

Without the gray of Winter,

would the color of Spring be as thrilling?

The rains of April are

with us today.

It is the time of year when I

don't mind the days of rain.

The rains seem to awaken the

plants and encourage them

to start peeking through the soil.

The vibrant color of the

Spring flowers lets

you forget the bleakness

of Winter.

The happy flowers can

almost make you

forget the rain.

Civil War Remembered ~ Block 14

Fox and Geese

We are following along with

Barbara Brackman's 2011

Civil War Quilt.

http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/

We are in Week #14.

Fabric Requirements:

Fabric A: Light

2 - 3 1/4" squares - mark

a diagonal line on back

1 - 5 1/4" square - mark

a diagonal line on back

Fabric B: Medium

4 - 2 1/2" squares

2 - 3 1/4" squares

Fabric C: Dark

1 - 5 1/4" square

Make Half Square Triangles:

Pair 5 1/4" squares right sides

together and 3 1/4" squares

right sides together.  Sew 1/4"

away from both sides of drawn

line.  Cut on drawn line and

press seams to the darker fabric.

Square 5 1/4" half square

triangles to 4 1/2".

Square 3 1/4" half square

triangles to 2 1/2".

Layout small half square

triangles and 2 1/2" squares

as shown as sew together

in 2 rows.  Press seams to

the 2 1/2" square.

Sew rows together.  Make

2 small 4 patch units.  Press

this seam open to reduce bulk.

Square small four patch

 units to 4 1/2".

Layout all units as shown

and sew together in two rows.

Press seams to the large

half square triangles.

Sew rows together and

square to 8 1/2".

Press seam open to

reduce bulk.

Check out everyone's work

at Dustin's flickr site:

www.flickr.com/groups/civilwarquilts2011/

This is an example of:  Don't

quilt when you are tired.

There, that's better...



Travel Tales: Shoes on the Danube Promenade

Remembrance in Budapest

The beautiful city of Budapest

is divided in two by the Danube

River.  One side is called Buda

and the other Pest.

On the Pest side near the

Hungarian Parliament is a

haunting tribute to the Jews

who fell victim to the Arrow

Cross militiamen during

World War II.

Sixty pair of period-appropriate

shoes made of iron rest along

the banks of the Danube.

The tribute shows the shoes

left behind on the bank from

victims who were shot and

pushed into the river.  This

was easier for the militia, since

they did not have to deal

with burial of the bodies.

The victims had to remove their

shoes since they were considered

valuable at the time.  Sadly, their

lives were not considered valuable.

Poisson d'Avril

April Fool's Day ~ French Style

Oh to be in France today!

I find I could make a statement

like that almost any day but I

would especially like it on a

day like today.  April 1 in France

is called Poisson d'Avril, literally

April Fish.  People, especially children,

try to attach a paper fish to a

"victim's" back without being

noticed.  I would allow the child

in me to surface and have a

stack of fabric fish to attach

to Parisian fashions.

Since it is France ~ delicious

treats must be involved.  I'd

pick up a few of these cute

cookies for tonight's dessert.

I would enjoy a small

sack of these chocolates

as I walked through my

neighborhood, hoping 

someone would put a

fish on my back.

Happy April!