It's Just a Pile of Leaves

It's Just a Pile of Leaves
Originally uploaded by tigglegiggles.com

I love that the kids saw a pile of leaves and couldn't resist the temptation to play in them and have them scattered everywhere! I saw the pile of leaves and thought of the work involved and they saw the fun involved.

I'm going to try to take their attitude and translate it to everything I have to do in the next six weeks and make it as fun as possible.

This is my to do list:

Clean and organize Basement/Sewing/Craft Area
Sort Craft Magazines Books Supplies for Swapping
Plan Miss B's 2nd Birthday party
Make my Secret Santa Gift
Bind Quilt
Bind Quilt
Make Fabric Paper Dolls
Make Hexagon Mini Quilt
Make Cookies for Book Club Swap
Make Christmas Goodies for Gifting
Help Kids make Christmas Gifts
Make Reading Pillow
Make Messenger Bags
Finish Circle Quilt
Make my FMF Patchwork Squares Quilt
Make Munki Munki Christmas Quilt
Make Handmade Christmas Ornaments

I'm sure this list will change, some items will be finished, others added and hopefully a lot crossed off.

Well I'm off to jump into my pile of leaves - the basement/craft area. It's been ignored all summer and now that it's winter it is time to move downstairs so the kids can play and I can work. i'm hoping once I jump in, it will be fun to discover the new creativity the space will afford us.

What's your pile of leaves?

Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

I like winter cooking better than summer cooking.  Especially soups with good crusty bread!  Which reminds me, I need to call mom and get her to start making artisan bread again- oh so good!  I like soup for weeknight meals after work and this is a favorite.

Cauliflower Cheddar Soup adapted from Fine Cooking

1 small head cauliflower (about 1 lb.), cored and cut into 1-1/2-inch florets
2 Tbs. butter
1 medium yellow onion, small diced
1 medium clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cayenne
2 cups organic chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk
1/4 tsp. thyme
4 cups grated sharp or extra-sharp white Cheddar (about 14 oz.)
Freshly ground black pepper

---

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the cauliflower until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. Trim the stems from 18 of the cauliflower pieces and cut the crowns into mini florets about 1/2 inch wide; set aside. Reserve the trimmed stems with the remaining larger pieces.

Melt the butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and 1/4 tsp. salt and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 10 to 12 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook until the aroma subsides, 2 to 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, add the flour, nutmeg, and cayenne and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in the broth, cream/milk, and 2 cups water. Add the thyme and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cheese until melted and simmer for 5 minutes to develop the flavors.

Stir in the larger cauliflower pieces and reserved stems. Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender. Return the soup to the pot, season with salt and black pepper to taste. Add the mini cauliflower florets and reheat gently before serving.

*I've made this pureeing the soup and keeping it chunky.  I prefer the chunky version just mashing it with a potato masher.

Print Recipe as pdf

Miss B's First Birthday

Vintage Decorations from Etsy
Originally uploaded by tigglegiggles.com

The beginning of November for most people means the start of planing the holidays with gifts to buy or make, and parties and meals to plan. Well for me it also means planning Miss B's birthday party right in the middle of December. It is going to take me a few years to get used to the extra planning but it is also a happy time of the year to celebrate.

Last year's first birthday party was vintage themed. I found vintage invitations, decorations and gifts on etsy. It was so fun hunting for these treasures.

I'm thinking this year's 2nd birthday party will be Baby Einstein themed. She's quite obsessed with the dragon and calls him "blah". I wonder why Baby Einstein doesn't have fabric yet so I can make a quilt for her, oh that would be so cute!

Happy Hallowen from Disneyland

Happy Hallowen from Disneyland
Originally uploaded by tigglegiggles.com

We're back from the happiest place on earth. Halloween was such a fun time to visit. The weather was beautiful and so were the Halloween decorations. We went to California Adventure for Mickey's Trick or Treat Party and if we lived closer we would go there every year. It was the perfect place for Superhero C to be Buzz LIghtyear.

Returning home on November 1st has me a little freaked out. Christmas to prepare for, Miss B's second birthday party, Thanksgiving right around the corner - and a super huge craft room/basement reorganization. Oh and the latest quilts to photograph and small projects to finish.

Maybe I'll go back to the happiest place on earth until January 1st!

Adventure Time

Placemat Swap
Originally uploaded by tigglegiggles.com

Not much crafting will get done this week. Off to Disneyland for an adventure. With 2 kids under the age of 5, I'm already in Disney overload but it will be still be exciting and magical.

With the help of my mom I was able to get all my projects finished up and in the mail before vacation so that is great. Placemat Swap, Baby Gift, and my Handstitched Embroidery Swap.

I've also gotten a number of quilts back from my quilter, Sue, so the bindings are being attached (by mom, of course!) and I'll have some show and tells coming up.

I'll be reading catching up on blogs during my downtime so I can't wait to see what everyone else is up to. At 200, I have some google reading to do .

Antique Hexagon Quilt

Antique Hexagon Quilt
Originally uploaded by tigglegiggles.com

I was so excited to see this quilt considering my latest obsession with making hexagons. This quilt came to my friend Sue in very poor shape. I believe it was made by her grandmother and she said it was black with dirt and years of ick and being poorly cared for.

After carefully washing the quilt many times with a specialty quilt soap she was able to get it clean and honestly it looks like it's been stored in linen closet.

The next problem was how thin the fabric was along with many rips and frayed edges. The seams of these hexagons stood the test of time well but after trying to hand repair the quilt and having other seams rip, Sue turned to the sewing machine!

Of course an antique quilt dealer may have issues with a quilt like this being long arm quilted, but this is a family quilt that is being saved for future generations and I have to tell you it is beautiful!

I think this is a terrific way to save a family treasure that is too fragile left by itself but once it is secured with machine quilting then it can be used and loved some more.

And hey, let's give our ancestors some credit. I bet you they would have loved to have the option to hand quilt or machine quilt. They were busy too!

I love all of the hexagons in this quilt, but this one is a favorite.  Sometimes I think too much thought goes into making quilts and how perfect they have to be.  This quilt has scrappy and matchy hexagons and it's lovely with both

Placemat Swap

I'm so excited to making placemats for Katherine. We are making placemats for each other's children. I'm making 2 for her boys and she's making 2 for my kiddos, Miss B and Superhero C. (those are now their blog names - dorky, I know).

The picture is actually a doll quilt for Katherine's little girl because she just can't be left out and I now love making these hexagons.

Of course, I can't take all of the credit. I wouldn't get anything done if I didn't have my go to person - my mom! What I thought was a cold turned into the flu so as always, she's behind the scenes taking care of my quilting obligations. Thanks mom!

Just wait till you see the finished doll quilt - it is fantastic and we have a little surprise planned also.

Heading back to bed to watch HULU and make more hexagons!

Halloween Giveaway Winner

So I have to show you my new toy before I say who the winner is....he he!  Ok, so I don't have it yet, but it is on the way.  It's the AccuQuilt Go!  My longarm quilter, Sue, has one and is also selling them.  I've been looking at them forever and of course can always use a shortcut, so once I saw it in action - I was sold!  I just got the starter kit but even cutting 16 charm squares in 60 seconds is worth it for me.

So now on to the winner of the Halloween Goodies!  This is a fun one....Katie Jump Rope Fabrics.  Martha Stewart Halloween Banner.  and CANDY CORN - WOO HOO!

So giving all credit to random.org the winner is NUMBER 20 - KATY who wants the candy corn - HA!  Oh so much pressure for one of my favorite candies.  So congrats Katy.

If you are STILL reading then stick around next month  -  it's going to be a good giveaway announced on November 10th. 

My Perfect Hexagon

I Did It!!!
Originally uploaded by tigglegiggles.com

I'm SO happy! I finally mastered the hexagon. My previous attempts have ended up scrapped - not even usable - so I thought I would be destined to live my life without hexagons.

I have tried a number of different hexagon tutorials and even the shortcuts. Nothing seemed to work. They ended up wonky and I don't want to start a wonky hexagon trend. I'll leave that for someone else.

I finally found what works. Using a square of fabric instead of trimming the fabric to within a 1/4 inch of the template. Every time I trimmed the fabric to 1/4 inch, it became harder to handle and control the movement in the fabric.

With some help from Posie Gets Cozy's suggestions of using the square fabric and then The Sometimes Crafter's encouragement that I too could make perfect hexagons, I did it!

Using the 2 1/2 inch square made the hexagons so easy to form. There is more room for basting and hardly any movement in the fabric. The lines stay crisp and straight.

I've tried a number of websites to print out my hexagon papers, but incompetech is the one I keep coming back to.

This might be the project I take with me on my trip to Disneyland. Small enough to carry with me on the plane and I can have all my squares and papers cut out ahead of time. It will be my son's (he likes to be called Superhero Disney) first time to Disneyland and he's only 5, so we will be including lots of down time.

Opportunity for Hand Sewing

Opportunity for Hand Sewing
Originally uploaded by tigglegiggles.com

So that's why I keep unfinished projects sitting around. So that when I'm sick, I still have something to do. Hand sewing doesn't require much thought or attention. And no rotary cutting with a fuzzy head ... I've cut myself once before and I don't wish to repeat that experience. Plus hand sewing is perfect while sitting and catching up on favorite tv shows....oh there are so many! Glee, Fringe, Top Chef, Project Runway....and The Office Wedding was perfect.

This is some botanical embroidery I finished a long time ago. Just looked at botanical pictures and made it up as I went. I really like the result. These four are my favorites so I'm thinking a wall quilt.

I'm enjoying reading all the Giveaway comments this month. Soon I will be back to eating my candy corn and sewing on the machine. But right now it's time to get back to my DVR and Halls Mento-Lyptus.

October Giveaway Ends 10/18!

So it would help to actually publish the October Giveaway! Ha...I was having all kinds of fun at the pumpkin patch assuming my October Giveaway post was up on Saturday. Well better late than never, especially when candy corn is involved!

I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but I sure do love candy corn, it has to be Brach's. If I'm going to eat it, it must be the best. Just like chocolate....only Fran's Chocolates will do. Even before President Obama said it was his favorite, my friends and I were planning trips to Seattle just for the chocolate. Of course mail delivery works also, but fresh from the shop is the best! The gray salt caramels are delicious!

So tell me what your favorite sweet indulgence is and I'll pick a winner for the October Giveaway on Sunday the 18th.

And of course I have to show a pumpkin patch picture!

Fall 2009 Quilt Festival

My entry for parkcitygirl's quilt festival is this wee quilt made from Amy Butler's Midwest Modern 2 fabric. The fabrics are actually left over from some other projects and i just sewed this together without any plan.

Then my mom (I call her the master beginner machine quilter) took a very plain quilt top and turned it into something fabulous!

The quilt came to life. I love that about quilting. You can never guess what the final product will look like.

This is quilted differently in every section. Wavy lines and curlicues give lots of movement to the already fun fabric.

What turned out to be a scrap quilt to practice machine quilting became one of the best wee quilts I've made yet.

October Giveaway Sneak Peak

October Giveaway Sneak Peak
Originally uploaded by tigglegiggles.com

In case you were wondering....of course an October Giveaway is going to have orange, black, and candy corn in it!

Will post the full giveaway items on the 10th.

Back Baste Needle Turn Applique

Have you tried the back baste needle turn applique technique yet?  If you haven't then you will be amazed at how easy it is finish an applique project.  I have tried every form of applique there is, freezer paper needleturn, raw edge, and fusible web.

My first applique class was using Elly Sienkiewicz's Baltimore Album quilt book.  Looking back it was a little overwhelming.  I'm glad I had such "formal" training, but any applique I do now is much siimpler.  I do have some baltimore album quilt blocks to finish up and make somthing with but I don't intend applique so formally for a while.

Recently a class taught by Grannie G at the NW Quilt Expo intriqued me enough to sign up and give it a try.  I was pleasantly surprised by the technique and it is just what I need to start appliquing again.  I'm so excited.  It is so easy.  No template to make.  No overlay to trace onto.  No freezer paper to mess with!

There are many tutorials about back baste applique and I'm not going to do one, just show some pictures of the basic process.  I find the most important aspects of any type of applique is the thread and needle.  You don't need an applique needle, I prefer to use a sharps, the needle just needs to be comfortable for you to use.  Also, a quality thread is very important.  I've found the lesser quality thread breaks too often and doesn't glide through the fabric.

1.  Trace your pattern onto the BACK of your backing fabric.  Place your applique underneath the backing fabric (both fabrics will be facing up once you flip it over) and baste stitch around your tracing lines.  I actually like to baste just within the line. 

2.  Turn fabric sandwich right side up and trim the top fabric which will be appliqued to the backing fabric 1/4 away from your basting stitches. 

3.  Bury your needle in between the layers and I like to start appliquing on a straight edge.  Cut your basting stitch just ahead of where you will be needleturning the fabric and stitch away. 

4.   Complete stitching around your applique shape.  Press and start another because you'll be hooked!

I hope this inspires you to try this applique technique and seek out more information about it on other blogs and tutorials.  It really has made applique so much simpler for me to accomplish.

Quilting as Decoration

Housewarming Gift for some friends
Originally uploaded by tigglegiggles.com

The word quilt and quilted gets thrown around so much that it gets hard to discern what a person is talking about. I think quilting is a process that starts with design, piecing, quilting, then finally finishing or binding the quilt.

Whenever I think of something being quilted other than a blanket or covering then I think of those quilted jackets from the late 70's and early 80's. Probably because I wasn't cool enough to have one to go along with my only pair of A-Smile overalls - sighh. Although I think I will be ok if quilts as clothing does not make a comeback.

Now quilting as decoration is very cool - especially with such awesome fabric like this Moda Arcadia. The strips are from a honey bun and are pieced together then quilted on to a canvas backing to give some dimension but not be puffy. I really like the look and can see myself making more. I may even consider making an orange macrame planter to go with it.

*The cups are from anthropologie and I know some people have luck finding the vintage ones.

Crazy Jack

So what does October mean to me? Well I get to see Crazy Jack again! I love him, he just makes me happy!

This fabric is from the Pumpkins Gone Wild line by Sandy Gervais and it really is one of my all time favorites.

This is an easy pattern and one could make it up on their own using a fall colored charm pack. But there are still some kits out there in online world to purchase.

I think my quilting co-horts and I have made four so far and no doubt there will be more Crazy Jacks in our future.

My Rainbow

WIP - My Rainbow
Originally uploaded by tigglegiggles.com

My best friend in elementary school had a huge bedroom. She was an only child (i have a little sister who I love dearly now) and seemed to always have the best toys. I loved to go to her house for sleepovers because she had a huge rainbow with a cloud painted on one of her bedroom walls. Of course painting murals in bedrooms is commonplace now but not 30 years ago.

To this day I still remember that rainbow on the wall and exactly how it looked. It would take me forever to fall asleep because I couldn't stop looking at the moonlight hitting the wall with the rainbow on it.

Lucky for me everything old become new and rainbows are now retro and cool! Trying to fall asleep one night I remembered that rainbow of my childhood and came up with an idea to make my own rainbow.

I love American Jane's solid pez fabrics and even though there isn't a purple, I still have a plan. This quilt is still in progress and I haven't yet decided how big it will be. But it will forever be my rainbow - not just the rainbow of my memories.

Munki Munki Pajamas or Fabric?

So for those of you in Munki Munki darkness, I will enlighten you.

Heather Ross created and designed Munki Munki pajamas. They have to be the absolute cutest pajamas ever as well as being a quality product.

The designs and quality of the cotton poplin is so fantastic that us fabric lovers/quilters have taken to de-constructing the pajamas to use in our quilt blocks and crafty items.

Once you are hooked, it becomes an addiction. But at least it is one you can share with other Munki Munki lovers.

Heather Ross also designed a line of children's wear and those are even more in demand. I love the clothes and frequently stalk ebay to find the items for Miss B to wear and unfortunately they do also meet the seam ripper - but the cute fabrics and patterns will live on in our creations!

I do know that some of prints of pajamas have been found at Marshalls for $15 which is an absolute steal but I don't have that store in my town. For those people who are looking for Munki Munki pajamas to wear or cut up and use for fabric then ebay's prices are coming down, there are some sellers on etsy,  and these are some online shops that have great deals:

Bra Smyth has Candy Corn and Dogs for $40

Road Runner Sports has Lipstick and Shoes for $30

Blueberry Forest has Holiday Sweaters for 50% off

Honfleur Home has a 10% coupon to use and has Munki on sale

Shoplingernow has Polar Bears for $63.00 and Munki Munki donates a portion to help save the polar bears

These are online shops that carry the different patterns of Munki Munki and have sales at different times:

Details Direct
Horizontal Life
The Pajama Company
Sleepyheads (they have brides! - so cute)

So if this gets you on the Munki Munki bandwagon then you can blame me completely.

Simple is Best

Cheater Quilt
Originally uploaded by tigglegiggles.com

Sometimes things just have to be simple. This project is just that! Beautiful cheater quilt fabric from Anna Griffen. The quilting is finished and all I need to do is put on the binding.

The perfect Christmas present!

Crewel Embroidery Floral Bunch No. 1

Crewel Embroidery Floral Bunch 1
Originally uploaded by tigglegiggles.com

I made this last winter from a vintage crewel kit that I purchased from etsy. The "yarn" that came with the kit was hideous! Thick and really ugly colors. I loved the printed canvas and knew it would be beautiful remade using the New Crewel color palette from Katherine Shaughnessy.

I love working with this Appleton Wool and with these crisp fall mornings I'm thinking it's time to pull out Crewel Embroidery No. 2 which I put away once springtime came.

I had originally intended to sell this in my etsy shop, but after revisiting it and remembering the 20 plus hours I put into making this, I may just have to find a frame and keep it for myself.