Project Report

Huge, huge progress has been made on the half square triangle quilt. When last I left you I was hoping to get all the squares cut apart and ironed by the weekend so I could start the (re)assembly of the quilt top. Not only did I do it, I got two of the blocks put together. Since then I have completed two more.

This weekend brings the completion of the final two blocks. And if I’m really ambition I might even sew those six blocks into a completed quilt top. But that’s something like 120 feet worth of seams to iron so that may be more than I’m up for. Perhaps daydreaming about what the back will look like is more my speed.

What’s on tap for your weekends?

Headlines

Magazine covers make all kinds of impossible claims. Walk off 20 pounds by tomorrow! Look ten years younger with one simple trick! Best brownie ever!

It seems they may have gotten that last one right. Bon Appetit proudly proclaimed they had the best brownie recipe ever inside its February issue. I like to judge these things for myself so I made a batch. They were right.

My Shame

If any of you were big fans of the show Friends you’ll understand this analogy. My fabric scrap basic is like Monica’s secret locked closet of junk. You see, Monica and I are very tidy people but we have a little secret we hide behind a door. Her secret involved the inability to get rid of anything but mine just involves the inability to get rid of any little scrap of pretty fabric. Until it got completely out of control, that is.

See that photo up there? It doesn’t look so bad. What I’m not showing you, though, are all the piles that had found their way to the bottom of the closet floor. As a tidy person with a tiny house, it was driving me crazy!

I had to be ruthless. I pulled every scrap bit out of the closet and onto the floor and set myself in the middle of it. (It was a totally rockin’ Saturday night.) If I didn’t absolutely love it, it went into the garbage bag. What I ended up with was a totally manageable basket and nothing on the floor. The sweet success of a bit of organizing!

Now to find projects that use up my best scrap pieces. I’ve been thinking about making some doll quilts and maybe tackling some paper pieced hexagons. How do you use the bits you can’t bear to toss?

Number 8 on The Nest List

Mary Poppins

At the end of last year my mom surprised my grandma, sister, and oldest niece with an afternoon at the theatre to see Mary Poppins. Each enthusiastic review, from the youngest to the oldest, ended with you MUST go see it. It immediately became an item on the list of experiences.

But before I get into that, let’s start with how our evening started, dinner. We went to my favorite French bistro style restaurant, Gaslight, for their restaurant week menu. Overall, the meal was a solid B, a bit below previous experiences. The appetizers and French bread were great. My main was a bit of a misstep with the unfortunate appearance of some canned artichokes atop my perfectly cooked cod. The dudely’s main course, however, was phenomenal, out of this world. I had a hard time keeping my fork on my own side of the table. It was being magnetically drawn into his braised beef cheeks. But, oh, how sad was dessert? Sad! How can a French bistro make crepes that taste like rubber? Oh, Gaslight, thank goodness for your appetizers and beef cheeks. You saved yourself from a flunking grade because I hate losing favorite restaurants.

Onto the main feature: Mary Poppins. I cannot say enough good things about this show. From the acting to the music to the costumes to the sets, everything was amazing. I found myself leaning forward out of my seat, singing along with the music throughout the entire production. I guess that could have been annoying to my neighbors but everyone was doing the same thing! Mary Poppins is such a classic movie and the stage version managed to honor that while adding different bits to the story.

As Mary Poppins would have said, “Practically perfect in every way.” But Mary must have been modest. It was absolutely perfect in every way.

Number 8 on The Experiences List

Birthday Suits

It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since the Bean, the Bear, and the Bandit were welcomed into this world. Wow! One minute those teeny, tiny babies are being wrapped like burritos and in the next minute they are standing all by themselves. Again, wow!

I tossed a few different ideas around in my head as to what I should make to mark such a significant milestone. The only idea that kept coming back over and over again were the Oliver + S playsuits. I kept picturing three little girls toddling around the backyard this summer sporting coordinating playsuits. And that mind’s eye picture was all I needed to convince myself that not only was it the right present, it was the perfect present.

The girls may have been more interested in the ric rac and fluttery pennant I made for the front of the gift than they were in the playsuits inside. I think it is safe to say, though, that their mommy and daddy were more than a little smitten.

Happy Birthday, sweet girls. I wish you hours of blissful play.

I Heart Coconut

Exhibit A: Triple Coconut Pie

It wasn’t until my sister pointed it out to me that I realized just how much I love coconut. We were talking about some baking I had done recently and two out of the three things I mentioned prominently featured coconut. Hmm, I guess she’s right. Any recipe with coconut piques my interest.

Exhibit B: Classic Coconut Cake

So it didn't take long after I saw the Classic Coconut Cake recipe in this month’s Bon Appetit before it was sitting in my pretty cake stand. I’ve been slowly working my way through this awesome cake. However, if the dudely has anything to do with it the cake will be gone by tonight. If the slice of cake doesn’t serve at least three people it just isn’t big enough for him. I guess my love for coconut is more like infatuation while his is a true love.

The Half Square Triangle Quilt

My obsession with half square triangle quilts started after the doll quilt. I adored the crisp white with the pops of colors and the precise geometric arrangement. I had to make a human sized one.

It just so happens that my need to make intersects with Little Miss Lou’s need for an Auntie made quilt for her newly decorated big girl room. Of course, that big girl room prominently features her favorite color orange along with doses of white and turquoise. Sounds like the perfect quilt combination!

I had a few oranges and turquoises already in my stash and the rest came as a result of a 40% off sale at Joann’s. Then came the backbreaking part: cutting out 378 squares, each measuring 4 and 7/8 inches with the goal being a finished block size of 4 inches.

I am now deep into the block assembly process. All the squares have been stitched together and I am spending evenings at the ironing board. I alternately snip them apart into their half square triangles and then iron all those seams. (Oh, how I wish I could hire out the seam ironing!) The plan is to get all this done before the weekend so I can start on the fun part, the layout and quilt top construction!

Wish me luck.

No. 4 on the Handmade List