Sweetie Day

I can't believe it is the middle of February already!!!

Where does the time go?

Here's my sweet for my Sweetie...

OK, not decorated yet, I know...

But, they are baked and

the icing is made and

decorating sprinkles are ready...

Does close count???

:)

Hope you have a great V-day,

ready or not!

p.s.  I really didn't just show him the icing and pile of cookies... :)

week two on "Aurelia's Journey"

Top to bottom, left to right:  Crossways, Devil's Claw, and two Criss-Cross blocks.
These first blocks are nine inch blocks.

Piecing blocks is a good time to reflect... to reflect on the history of our United States...

If you don't want a history lesson,

then skip the remainder of this post.

It's short and maybe not exactly concise,

but how my mind worked through the history book...

and the "A Path to the Civil War"

by Sarah Maxwell and Dolores Smith.

The Missouri Compromise of 1820: 
Missouri Territory sought statehood in the early 1800's...

at the time, there were 22 states in the Union, 11 of them were slave-holding. 
Missouri, the territory, had slaves. 
A New York representative proposed to allow Missouri statehood IF they banned slavery within the new state.
The proposal passed the House, but not the Senate...
so the bid to statehood stalled.

It stalled until Maine wanted to be admitted to the Union as a free state. 
If both slave-holding Missouri Territory and free-state Maine were admitted at the same time, this would maintain "balance" in the equal numbers of states that were slave and free states.
Thus, Missouri became the 24th state in the Union in August, 1821.

The language of the Missouri Compromise Bill 

prohibited slavery 

north of the 36*30' Latitude line

and it remained so for 30 years.

In Love

I am IN LOVE!!!
(Well, I was already in love-and Sweetie knows it,)
But,
 check out the stitching on this baby!!!:

click on the pic and then click again to see the stitching - up close and personal!

THAT, my friends is my NEW LOVE...

The SASHIKO machine by Baby Lock!!!

(no promotional fee given for this "ad")

I have this machine that stitches this way!!!---

the vintage look of the hand-made Utility Stitch!

Done by machine!!

Yeah, I know that's a whole lot of

Exclamation Points and Caps!

Sorry,

but totally worth it!

I have a couple of friends who also have this machine -

and they are loving it just as much as I am...

Go to your local Baby Lock dealer and try it out, I'm tellin' you!

You could have a new love, too!

NOW, to get the electricity to stay on long enough to use it again!

These winter storms with ice are really cutting into my stitching time!

Happy Stitching!

With or without electricity!

Concentric Log Cabin

Isn't this a keeper?

I love it!

The pattern is Concentric Log Cabin from
"Small quilts with Vintage Charm" - a Jo Morton book.

Remember, I talked about buying a kit and I don't usually buy kits?
'Cause, One, I already have gobs  tons  LOTS of fabric,
and Two, I REALLY enjoy choosing the fabrics for my own projects.
And there's more, but two's enough for now.

Anyway, the kit:  I really liked all of the colors and the fabrics and the price seemed right, SO...
I was thinking hard on it and the shop gals said there was a "kit sale" going on...
"SOLD"!  And since I already had the book -- well, only made sense!


Of course, knowing me, I would NOT be able to make the pattern/kit as it was kitted up...
No, had to add more strips - to fit a certain table, you know.

So instead of 25 "rounds", I did 35.  Yes, that is a whole lot of one inch strips to cut...
But totally worth it, don't you think?

Wait until I show you the close-up!!!  (tomorrow!)

Happy Monday!

week one on "Aurelia's journey"

My count-down  and reflection begins...

the count-down to April 12th...

the 150th anniversary

of the start

of the Civil War.

left to right, top to bottom:

North and South,

Ohio Star,

Bow Tie,

Ohio Star

"A Path to the Civil War"

by Sarah Maxwell and Delores Smith

is a quilt pattern based on

an antique sampler quilt found in New York...

The quilt sampler by

Aurelia Bevins of Broome, NY

was stitched by hand.

The original was dated June 2, 1875;

 with the size, the number of pieces and different fabrics,

it undoubtly was stitched during and after the time of the Civil War.

I will stitch my blocks mostly by machine,

for the next ten weeks.

1861
     "did women turn to quilting as a way to relieve stress and take their minds off troubling topics?" A qoute from "A Path to the Civil War" by Sarah Maxwell.


2011--our nation nears the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War...
     DO women today turn to quilting as a way to relieve stress and take their minds off troubling topics?

winter sunshine

Someone brought me some

Florida fresh tomatoes...

Toast with (room temp) tomato

and a couple of shavings of sharp white cheddar cheese on the side.

The breakfast of champions

here in cold, wintry, blizzardy Ohio.

:)  yum

January 24, 1991...

Do you remember the Gary Larson comics in the newspaper?

(Do you remember newspapers??!  Just kidding.)

But I have a feeling it may be coming to that -

no printed local newspapers.

Anyway,

back to the subject at hand...

The Far Side by Gary Larson...

I'd like to share one of my favorites

from The Far Side...

and,

considering the weather hitting

across the U.S. of A in the next 24 or so hours...

this is one from the end of January,

Twenty years ago...

(and, yes, this was one that I clipped and saved...

it still makes me smile)

Happy snow and ice and blizzard day to you!

Hope you are safe inside today, all warm and cozy.

I'm off to do some stitching...