Tree Perspective

My quilt Tree Perspective has been published in 

One Line at a Time, Encore by Charlotte Warr Andersen.

The quilt is part of the background for the Gallery title page as well as on it's own page.

And if that isn't exciting enough for me, my quilt, 

Flower Wreath is also in the gallery section.

The book shows you some easy ways to create great quilting patterns using the walking foot on your Home Domestic Machine.

The book is published by C&T Publishing and is hopefully in your local quilt store very soon.

More Zentangling

This was a relaxing way to spend a Sunday evening.  I didn't realize how out of balance this butterfly was until I was completely finished.  But somehow I like it anyway.

I taught my youngest daughter, Annie, age 14, how to Zentangle and as usual she just took off with the concept.  Here is what she did while I made my butterfly:

Zentangled

This week I learned how to Zentangle while attending the Utah Surface Design Group.

Here is the drawing I made at the meeting

Just a sharpie pen and lots of fun lines.

It's very relaxing.

I loved the designs so much I just had to draw more the next morning:

A very strange creature indeed but I like her.

I love this bird I drew. 

I wasn't brave enough to watercolor the bird on paper so I played with  the coloring in photoshop:

Not bad but I would like more color.  I'm still not sure if I have the nerve to color the real drawing.

Have you ever zentangled?

Failure

MMMM Oatmeal.

I LOVE OATMEAL!

Especially this oatmeal served at The Grove in San Francisco.

Steel cut oats cooked overnight and served with fresh fruit, nuts and brown sugar.  My mouth waters thinking about it.  I've been craving this oatmeal for months.  I decided I wanted to make it here at home so I've been looking at mini crock pots to make it in.  Turns out my oldest daughter had a mini-crockpot she never uses so I borrowed it.  I found a recipe online that I thought said I could use regular oatmeal since I didn't have any steel cut oats or groats in the house.  I threw the oats, water, sugar, sliced up a nice apple and threw some crasins in the slow cooker wrote a sweet note for the family and went to bed.

This is what greeted the family in the morning.

I think I made pectin. :S

And I want to throw up every time I look at this picture.

So it's a big time failure.

Do I cry and complain all day because I failed?

I could.

I could take it personally and say that I am a failure because my oatmeal failed.

Thankfully I have a great example of what to do.  My friend Jane experiments with foods all the time.  I am always amazed at what she makes and with her wonderful attitude toward her adventures.  So thanks to Jane I will blog about my failure and figure out what I can learn so that I can move on and succeed.

So what did I learn? What will I do next?

1. Don't use this recipe with regular oats - nope, never, na-dah, just don't do it

2. Perhaps try it again with regular oats but with half the water - would the long cooking time still be bad with half the water?  Something to think about

3. Definitely buy some steel cut oats and/or groats

4. Try this again once I buy some steel cut oats and/or groats

5. Pray that the family will be willing to try it again once the above corrections have been made

What failures have you learned from?

Winner!

I'm a little slow posting but I am happy to announce the winner of the International Quilt Festival:  Quilt Scene magazine is:

Sylvia said...

Carpooling with friends!

Congratulations Sylvia!  I will contact you about getting your prize!

Last Minute Entry

I've been watching and spying on Amy's Creative Side blog for some time now.  Every year I watch as hundreds of people post a quilt entries into her Blogger's Quilt Festival and I always think "I should do that!" and then I doubt myself, "but what would I post, what would I enter?"  Time passes and I miss it entirely.  This year I decided I should post before it's too late (nothing like waiting until the last minute as it ends today!).

Here is a photo of "Sistah's Quilt"  before the binding went on because I was a dork and never took a picture of the quilt once it was completely finished.

  Over the years I have made quilts for my children, husband and some friends but had neglected to make one for my sister.  I love my sister dearly and really felt terrible when I realized this great mistake.  I've made other things for her, just not a real quilt!  How could I let this happen?!?  I decided it was a mistake I must correct.  Last year at the state's quilt festival I had the opportunity to take a class with Norah McMeeking using her pattern, Bella Bella, which is based on Italian Mosaics.  I decided this would be a great quilt for my sister as she has loved everything Italian since she was a child.  I didn't finish it quite in time for her forty *cough, choke cough* - oops I mean twenty-ninth birthday but she received it shortly after and has been delighted. Many of her friends question why it isn't up on a wall and she lets them know that I gave her specific instructions that she was to use it everyday because I wanted her to remember my love for her every time she wrapped herself in it.