Chock-A-Block Wednesday

Empty Spools

This is a fun block!

Fabric Requirements:

Fabric A: Dark (Red)

2 - 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangles

1 - 4 1/2" square

Fabric B: Light (White print)

4 - 2 1/2" squares - Mark

a diagonal line on the back.

2 - 2 1/2" x  4 1/2" rectangles

Layout 4 1/2" square and 2 1/2" x 4 1/2"

rectangles as shown and sew together.

Place 2 1/2" squares right sides together

with 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangles as shown.

Sew on drawn line and press to the corners.

Trim back 2 layers of fabric to 1/4".

Layout units as shown and sew together,

  press seams open to reduce bulk. 

Square to 8 1/2".

And a full spool.

It would make a pretty quilt.

I like it even better with sashing.

The Year of Living Dangerously

I Did It and I Plan to Continue...

One year ago today I started this blog,

it was a ~ umm ~ milestone birthday for

me.  In many ways it was also the start

of a new life for me.  Within the year both

of my kids would be living at school and it

was time to reinvent me.

It was a grand year for travel, I visited

12 countries on 4 different continents.

I used many forms of transportation

including, camels, elephants, tuk-tuks,

trains, bicycles, horses, boats, and planes. 

 We even circumnavigated the globe.

I visited places I couldn't even imagine

and I fell in love ~ with the people, the

food, the culture of these exotic lands.

I challenged myself physically from

hiking the Alps in the ice and snow to

jumping off dive boats to snorkel reefs

in Mexico.

But most importantly I have rediscovered

me.  I'm living life the way I want to, not the

way others expect me to live it.  I have no

interest in following the same path all the time.

If a new trail presents itself I'm willing to

explore it.  And even if that trail is not well

paved and is a bit bumpy, that's okay with me.

So stay tuned, the blog continues and hopefully,

so will the new adventures.



Treasure Hunting

Antiquing in Small Towns

To kick off the Christmas shopping season

here in America, Saturday was called Small

Business Saturday.  People were encouraged

to get out of the shopping malls and support

the local merchants.  I decided to make it

Small Business Weekend.

I love driving through the countryside,

looking for interesting things.  I may be

a city girl but this country life I now live

has captured me!

Wherever I am in the world, I love to

visit small towns and villages.  Sadly,

in America, we are losing many of our

small, downtown, Main Street shopping

districts to the mega malls.  So, when I

find a thriving downtown, I feel it is my

civic duty to support them.

And I head to the local antique stores.

I'm not talking about the fancy places,

with everything washed up and put in

glass cases, that bores me.  I want an

old junk shop where I can rummage

around and poke through old bins to find

something that will be a treasure to me.

Her's a look at what I found this weekend:

A few old wooden spools, now relics

from a time when there were mills

all over this country.  My other

obsession after all is fabric, so I guess

that's why they appeal to me.

A beautiful old piece of English

ironstone, no lid ~ no worries, I

still love it and for 50 cents, who

could complain?

Another piece to add to the

blue & white collection.

A beautiful set of candlesticks marked

Handmade - Shirley Pewter.  I visit their

shop whenever I'm in Williamsburg, VA.

A sweet little silhouette.

Buttons ~ I can't resist them, I have

tons but always need more...

And what may be my new collection.

Amethyst Glass Bottles.

They turn this color by exposure to

sunlight, I thought it was because they

were buried in soil, but my bottle guy

set me straight on that.  I know they

aren't that old and I know they may be

 faked to look old but I do love the color...

Get out there and explore the

small towns near you.



Civil War Remembered ~ Block 48

West Virginia

We are quilting along with Barbara

Brackman's 2011 Civil War Quilt.

http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/

Fabric Requirements:

Fabric A: Fussy Cut

1 - 4 1/2" square

Fabric B: Gold

4 - 3 1/4" squares - Mark

a diagonal line on back.

Fabric C: Blue

4 - 3 1/4" squares - Mark

a diagonal line on back.

Fabric D: Cream

4 - 3 1/4" squares

Make Half Square Triangles:

Pair 3 1/4" squares, right sides

together, in the following combinations:

2 - C/B     2 - B/D     2 - C/D

Sew 1/4" away from each side of drawn

line, cut on drawn line and press:

C/B to the Fabric C

B/D to the Fabric B

C/D to the Fabric D

Square to 2 1/2" .

Thank you Regina!

Make Outer Center Units:

Layout Half Square Triangles as shown

and sew together as shown.  Press seams

open to reduce bulk.

Layout units as shown and sew together

in 3 rows.  Press seams in rows 1 and 3

to the left and seams in row 2 to the right.

Sew rows together and press final seams

open to reduce bulk.  Square to 8 1/2".

Here is another one I made, I

like this one better.

Elle's Kitchen: Turkey Soup

For those that are not tired of turkey...

Remove meat from turkey carcass and

set aside.  Break carcass into large chunks,

place in pot with 1 medium onion, halved

and a stalk of celery, cover with water, add

1 teas. ground pepper and 1 teas. salt.

Simmer a minimum of 4 hours but overnight is best.

Skim fat off surface, strain through a fine strainer,

reserving the liquid.  Put liquid back in pot.

Add 3 medium onions, chopped and 1/2 bunch

of parsley, finely chopped and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and dice 4 carrots, dice 3 stalks of

celery, and chop 1 pound of mushrooms.  Bring liquid

to a boil and add the carrots, celery, mushrooms and

the turkey meat.  Turn off and let sit for 2 hours or

if in a hurry, simmer for 20 minutes.  Prepare 1 cup

soup pasta or noodles according to package directions

 and add to soup with 1/2 teas. thyme.

This is a nice way to take off the chill after you put

up your outdoor Christmas decorations.

Enjoy!



American Homestead's Thanksgiving

We Cooked, We Ate, We Collapsed...

We had a traditional American Thanksgiving

 at our American Homestead yesterday.

Mashed potatoes

Creamed onions

The turkey

Cornbread stuffing

Corn pudding

Butternut squash

And then we had the pies!



Happy Thanksgiving

An Irish Blessing

Wishing you always ~

Walls for the wind

And a roof for the rain

And tea beside the fire.

Laughter to cheer you

And those you love near you

And all that your heart might desire!

It is Thanksgiving Day here in the

United States.  It is a day when family

and friends gather to give thanks

for all we have and to feast on turkey,

cranberry, stuffing and all the harvest

of the season.

Here at Avalon, our American Homestead,

we are cooking up a storm in the kitchen,

the table is set and we are waiting to feast

later in the day.

Wherever you may be in the world,

I wish you a

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chock-A-Block Wednesday

New England Block

The New England block looks more

complicated than it actually is.  It looks

interesting when placed side by side.

Fabric Requirements:

Fabric A - Light (white & green print)

4 - 2 1/4" squares

4 - 3" squares - Mark a

diagonal line on back.

Fabric B - Medium (orange)

4 - 2 1/4" squares

1 - 1 1/2" square

Fabric C - Dark (green)

4 - 3" squares

Fabric D - Medium (rust & white print)

1 - 2 1/4" x 8" rectangle

Fabric E - Dark (purple)

1 - 2 1/4" x 8" rectangle

Make Half Square Triangles:

Pair Fabric A/C squares right

sides together.  Sew 1/4" away

from each side of drawn line. 

Cut on drawn line, press seams to

the dark fabric.  Square to 2 1/4".

Sew Fabric D & E rectangles

together along long edge.

Cut a small piece off one short edge

to make sure it is even, then cut 4

1 1/2" units.

Make Corner Units:

Layout units as shown and sew

together in 2 rows. Press seams in row 1

to the left and seams in row 2 to the right.

Sew rows together.

Make 4.

Layout units as shown and sew

together in 3 rows.  Press seams in

rows 1&3 to the inside and seams in

row 2 to the outside.

Sew rows together and press

the seams open to reduce bulk.

Square to 8 1/2".

Here is another one I made.

I kept thinking this block would look

good with a log cabin block.  Perhaps

call it "New England Cabin?"

I think I would adjust the block size

so the red center squares were the

same size.  I think that was why I

kept thinking of a log cabin block.