rig-a-ma-role

So..
Those of you who are following your favorite blogs
with Google reader 
have probably heard that Google reader
is shutting down at the end of this month. 
 
If you have no idea what the heck I'm talking about,

join the club! :)

I'm trying to keep up with all the "new tricks"

- linking, listing, following, etc.

And hopefully as I'm learning, I'm not messing things up!

It's still fun to me, so I guess that's the main thing!

If you have been following me with Google reader,

this is just to inform you

that you can now follow me by using Bloglovin'.

And if I'm understanding the whole rig-a-ma-role,
in order to do so, I have to claim this blog.
Drumroll!!!!!

Here's me, staking my claim:

Dibbs.

Shotgun.

MyLifeIsAStitch.blogspot.com is mine! 
All mine! 
My ramblings, photos, sharing.

So, if you'd like to be notified when I write a new post,
just click on the Bloglovin' button on my sidebar to sign up.
That way you'll be notified when your favorite bloggers have something to share.
At least that's how it's supposed to work.  :)

Here's hoping it's smooth sailing!

Finally, I leave you with a picture from a NYC trip...
from the top of the Rock,

a little nautical and quilting inspiration:

 :)
Happy sailing and stitching this week!

more meandering aka quilting

Jean made this great table topper:

and I got to quilt it!

She did a wonderful job - no splaying corners in her log house :).

It finished about 42 inches square

and I used the Sashiko machine to quilt

each "log" in the cabin and the two borders. 

This is the quilt pattern and kit that made me think I needed this particular quilt for my bed/size and made to summer weight.  Hasn't happened yet, but it's still in the back of my mind.  AND I certainly have the stash to use, so it may just happen yet.

loving Lucy

Lucy -
as in Lucy Boston...
Patchwork of the crosses...

My blocks for May:

The colors in the picture are a little funky - sorry.
The top left blocks is red, gold and blue - all Jo Morton fabrics I think.
The bottom right block is a great blue and cheddar. 
And it needs eight more pieces put on,
but I've not found the right fabric yet.
You know what that means, right?
Stash enhancement time!!! :)

Still lovin' those elongated hexies!

sweetness!

With all the gatherings last weekend,
I, of course, did some cooking and baking. 
I love to cook for family...because they so appreciate it!

Daughter had sent me a link to a cake recipe she thought looked & sounded good.
I gathered the supplies and created this monster of a dessert:

Chocolate Oreo Cheesecake with White Chocolate Icing

 

(I didn't take a photo of the cake when it was whole and pretty looking, but I did take these shots after the party was over and the cake was a little saggy.)

So, the cake's original recipe (link here) called for a

made from scratch chocolate cake,

a scratch cheesecake with broken, double-stuffed Oreos,

and

scratch icing made with melted white chocolate.

Oh, yeah, and dotted with mini Oreos for polka dots.

 

I mostly bake from scratch, and rarely do I not change something in a recipe.  This was no exception. 
With three different scratch recipes to make, I did change it up just a little...

I used a box cake mix for the chocolate cake part.

So what you see is a two layer, dark chocolate cake,
"filled" with a separately made, steam-baked Cheesecake with broken Oreos,
then iced with a very sweet icing of butter, whipping cream, powdered sugar AND melted white chocolate.

All of those parts of cake would have been individually GREAT...

but layer all together, with white chocolate icing between and all over?

WAY too sweet for my taste!

Sure didn't stop the family, though. 
And THAT is why it's great to cook for family-
they SO appreciate it (even if it's way too sweet)!

another baby quilt plus a question

Another baby, another "small" finish:

I cut 2 1/2 inch by 10 inch strips and

did my own small version of Trip Around the World

(with five-square blocks).

All scrappy strips, and border & backing from stash.

Can't tell from my picture, but that's a pretty, purple batik border (that finished about 2 1/2 inches), so a made-in-a-day quilt for a baby shower gift.  I was unable to make it to the shower, as we had a BOAT LOAD of  "stuff"  for this past weekend, so I sent it along with the grandma-to-be.
I sure think it turned out cute.

Now the question:
Do you gift quilts? 
And if you gift a quilt, do you intend, like or dislike
the gifted quilt to be used?

I know that a gift is just that:

a gift.

It's use, how it's used, or not,

 is up to the recipient's discretion.

I have no control for after it is gifted...I'm not questioning that.

 

I'm just surprised by the number of folks that I quilt-gift to

that choose to "put them up"

for the child to have when they are grown.

OR, an adult who's received a quilt and "puts it up for good".

I guess that while I'm making a quilt:
cutting and piecing and quilting and binding,
that I'm enjoying the whole process
and envisioning the comfort, smiles and USE that the quilt will bring. 
I never have imagined that it would be "put up" as an heirloom...
I might have to re-think my quilt making!  Heirloom??!! - pressure, pressure! :) 

Thoughts?

Now, back to the shower-quilt-gift, shown above...
the shower was for a good friend's d-i-l,
but to be held at a location over two and a quarter hours drive one way.
I explained to the good friend about all the "stuff" I already had planned for the day
and she totally understood (as her daughter lives out of state also).

So with daughter home/airport pick-up and drop-off,
family in for dinner to visit out-of-state visitor,
two grad parties and a wedding shower this weekend, 
PLUS the out of town baby shower,
I chose to stay home and visit, not travel the almost 5 hours to the shower.
I decided I needed a Jethro Gibbs-like "rule" (:no # yet:) -
RULE:  I have to be able to stay at a party longer than the total drive time
or I can't make it. :)

So, the weekend is over, & my boat-load has (mostly) disembarked...
company is gone, dinners (plural) done, parties & showers over for this weekend, some laundry going & dishwasher running now.
AND it's almost Monday! I need to do some stitching to relax!

Hope your weekend was great, too.
Happy June!

lost, not found & a small, quilt-y finish

Finally, I've finished the quilt top

for my new, great-nieces' birth quilt/gift.

She was born on the 4th of May,
so now that she's here and named, 
and I've quilted her name into the quilt,
I've stitched up the binding this weekend.
It's a cute finish, if I do say so myself.

So, the Finally?  The: what's been the hold-up? 
Well, as I shared a few weeks ago,

I COULD NOT find my Lil Twister ruler.

Anywhere.
It wasn't in the "ruler stand" where it should have been...

I searched high and low,
at least twice daily all that week and the next, 

through folds of fabric in stacks,

through the small, "magic crock".
(the Magic Crock - that held over 50 patterns!!),

and I never did find it.

I finally gave in and bought a new Lil Twister ruler.
Now it will show up, won't it?

Something I did while searching for the missing ruler,
was to take a picture of the layout of the fabrics...

pieced charm squares, ready for sub-cutting.

I like to take pics beforehand as it helps me to "step back" 
to see if there are any little fabric squares not playing well with their neighbors.

Maybe I should "step-back" and

start taking photos of my rulers after I use them? :)

Memorial Day

In memory of and honor for 

those who have fought to keep our country free.

My deepest thanks to all who have served.

 



I hope your Memorial Day is a safe and wonderful one,

spent with those you love.