Skelanimals!!

This is a fabric which I have a serious crush on. Not only is it in rainbow colours. but it has animals and skeletons on it! How much more awesome does this get?

One of my new favorite customers wanted to make pillow cases for her Niece who is going through chemo treatments so I picked out a few different fabrics and this was one of them. She loved it sooo much she told her Aunt she wanted her WHOLE room done up on this.. Now although we can't actually do that her Aunt decided she did want a quilt done up and since she is very busy she asked me to make one up.

So I put my projector on the fabric and blew up the faces and made little appliques of the faces.


I think they turned out super cute.

And THEN just when I thought I couldn't make it any cooler.. I quilted it with.... wait for it.....

worst blog photo EVER!!!

GLOW IN THE DARK thread! That stuff has seriously been sitting on my shelf for like two years and I had a great eureka moment with it. I had a ton of fun just randomly quilting just letting my needle take me to wherever.. then needle down...and keep going. I think it kept the feel of the quilt funky.

LOVE! Can't wait to hand this one over too!

Silk tie Quilt

After a few hiccups ( one broken sewing machine and a burst water pipe ) I finally got this commission done.

I was approached by a young woman who's father passed away, when she told me her idea of turning her Dad's ties into a quilt I couldn't wait to get started. 

Truthfully I haven't turned ties into a quilt before, but I got some amazing advice from Mamaka Mills who helped me get over the fear of ties simply by interfacing them with a light weight fusible web made it easy to sew. You would never know there was so much fabric in a tie! I was surprised.

We used a Robert Kauffman dimensions fabric which is a beautiful weight and weave. 

My friend Denise let me hijack her long arm and helped me quilt it up last weekend. 

It turned out  beautiful and I can't wait to hand it over this weekend. I'm so pleased with how elegant it is.

Tomatillo Salsa

No I did not misspell tomatoes (Jen...:P) This year at a seed fair I spotted these at a table and snatched up a package. I've been using them for a few years to make an light and yum yum salsa so the idea of growing my own was a) rad b) surprising as I thought they would only grow warm.. but the evidence is clear......

YAY!!!!!!

And there are still dozens to be picked and made into... SALSA!

I wanted to share my salsa recipe with you. 

You'll need:

about 12 med sized Tomatillo's

1 avocado

3-4 jalapenos

2 cloves of garlic

1 tbs ground cumin

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Cilantro fresh and minced

1/2 red onion

pepper to taste

Take your Tomatillos and mince up.

Mince up your red onions and garlic

Remove the seeds from your jalapenos and cut up... use more if you like spice like me of course.

Cut up your avocado in half and remove by spoon so you can dice it up.

I like to use a cup to "snip" up my Cilantro.. it's waaaay cleaner and easier to chop.

Add your spices.. I LOVE love cumin, Mr.Aftercraft doesn't quite as much.... so I add more when he's not having any.

squeeze some fresh lime over top... and viola!!

Oh did I mention wine goes fab with it?

Enjoy!

It's catching on...

I'm getting pretty excited. I have had a few people trying out my pattern! Sales have been pretty good and I'm pretty fruitin' pleased.

My new CLAIM to fame is that the amazing Nettie from A Quilt is Nice who is one of the twelve ladies who wrote one of my new favorite books ( for me and my customers at work )

Click over to her blog if you haven't already and check it out!!  She's a busy lady and I'm really chuffed that she agreed to test out the pattern.

Another friend whom I adore Knoxville girl gone Manchester who writes Stitch me Lane has been busy busting out blocks and I have to say I love love her choice in fabrics. Even when I was in England I got the joy of being able to raid her stash.

Thank you M'am

Thank you sooo much ladies! And to all those who have purchased the pattern. I would LOVE to be able to sneak into everyones sewing rooms and see what and how they are making them. 

Do you have a blog and want to make a Union Jack quilt? contact me! I'd love to do a trade for a little exposure.

Alright than. Off to make freshly picked blackberry apple pie... as soon as this mountain of laundry is dealt with.