Chatbug Karen

Holy cow! I happened upon a website of a quilter who was part of an amazing project! I don’t know how the organizers of this project pulled it off. I have trouble getting my card group to decide on a place and date to meet for dinner. You would think I asked them to buy term life insurance! LOL

The author of Suzy’s Artsy Craftsy blog was inspired to participate in a project she found advertised in the back of a quilting magazine. Suzy told how Teresa Drummond was trying to organize the assembly of a quilt that represented each of the fifty states. Her plan was to find one person who lived in each state to commit to designing, piecing and sewing together a 12″ quilt block that represented their state.

Now, this would be quite an undertaking in itself. It didn’t stop there however. Teresa wanted each quilter create a total of 50 blocks of their own design. Then the blocks would be swapped so that each participant would receive 50 blocks.

To read about this fantastic undertaking, click on the photo of her beautiful quilt. Find out how the quilters designed blocks, put them together and even got together to meet as many of the quilters as possible. This sounds like so much fun! I definitely would have been an Indian and not a chief on a project of this magnitude.

Ahhhh! A big sigh of relief has been emitted from my being. Does that sound too intense? Not if you knew about all that has been happening around here. I am too old to worry about my children but too emotional not to. Thankfully, they have worked out their roadblocks and all is well. Sorry to be evasive but I don’t want to put their personal lives out there for all to read. I know that many of you can relate to the saying that you never stop worrying about your children.

Today must be comfort food day. My husband just made waffles and threw butterscotch chips into the batter. I will be looking at those best way to lose belly fat ads in a whole new light today!
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My daughter just moved from her apartment. I have been thinking about how awful it would be to move. We have lived in this house for twenty-five years and have accumulated so much stuff. I keep sorting and cleaning but the stuff keeps multiplying.

Have a great weekend everyone!

When the kids are visiting, any healthy eating goes out the window. I refuse to listen to hemo rage reviews and read information about diet supplements! Life is to be enjoyed and when my family gets together, we entertain around the dinner table. Last Tuesday was my birthday and so, my daughter and I decided to make a cake. I recommended cherry chip because that is her favorite birthday cake and since we didn’t get to celebrate with her in January, we could eat her cake now. My favorite dessert is cheesecake. We put the two together and came up with this recipe. We were in the grocery store looking up recipes on her iPhone. I love being able to do that. Too bad I am too cheap to get a phone like that for myself. My son has web access on his phone too and was able to make us dinner reservations while en route to the restaurant. It was fun being seated ahead of the crowd of people lined up at the door.

Cheese cake recipe
from halfhourmeals.com
2-8oz packages cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
9in graham cracker crust
chop up cherries
Beat ingredients together, mix in cherries, bake at 350 for 30 min. Add desired topping, bake 10mins, til center is set.

Oh my! I have not written here for a while! My son and daughter in-law and my daughter all came for a fun visit. We cooked, shopped and ate out. We watched tons of movies on DVD. I’ll be highlighting those later. My two dogs are very lonely now that our house is quiet. I am too.

Before company invaded, I was sewing. I made a few more chicken table runners.

And, I got a quilt ready to quilt. I don’t need a work out when I baste a quilt! I am sweaty by the time I finish.

I can’t wait to start machine quilting. Unfortunately, today was spent getting tax stuff ready to take to the accountant. Tomorrow is earmarked for sewing!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

I seem to be on a roll with my infatuation with aprons. I was looking through tutorials on how to put a zipper in a pillow and ran across this account on the importance of aprons. This was written as a prequel to instructions on making an apron. Remember, this was written in 1926.

Did you ever stop to consider how many different kinds of aprons there were? A great, big, roomy, coverall apron for mother when guests are expected and important things are happening in the kitchen. A wee bit of a lace apron for the person who is in charge of the tea-urn at five o’clock. A smart bungalow apron to make household duties seem pleasant, and a rather petty apron with deep pockets for the sewing room. And, of course, sweet little aprons for the kiddies—gaily colored and bound with an almost grown-up regard for smartness.

You see, there are really so many interesting kinds of aprons that the subject deserves a lesson all by itself. We’re going to teach you little important points about tea-aprons and work-aprons, children’s aprons and chafing-dish aprons. And when you are all finished with the lesson, you are actually going to make a pretty apron for yourself.

Do not make the mistake of thinking that an apron is a not-so-very important garment. As a matter of fact, it is really quite as important as a dress—for who can tell when an unexpected guest is going to “drop in” for a chat and find one at the disadvantage of being aproned! But the disadvantage can be changed to an advantage. The apron can be made a very delightful garment. One may actually feel proud to be found wearing a pretty combination of lace and ribbon and soft white dimity—or a rather trig apron-affair of gingham and muslin ruffles.

And then, of course, there is the feeling of utter neatness and satisfaction when one is wearing a crisp little apron. Even though it does hide the pretty dress underneath, it can be so very pretty itself that one hardly minds. And that’s what we’re going to do—we’re going to teach you all about pretty aprons that you can make at home and that you will be delighted to wear.

Today hopes to be a very productive one. Years ago, I put vinyl floor covering in my cupboards, remember we own a carpet store, and it is time to change it. The edges curl up and it has begun to drive me crazy! I also need to clean a few spots on the carpet. Poor Brody had an incident and I need to work at that spot.

We finally watched the movie, Secretariat. I highly recommend it as one the whole family will enjoy. I have always been a bit afraid of horses. They are so big! But, this movie showed a side of horses much like any other pet. The value of race horses is so high that I am sure equine horse insurance is a must in that industry. My health insurance is expensive, I cannot imagine the cost of horse insurance! Anyway, this movie showed how preserverance pays off. One might call the attitudes portrayed by several of the characters as stubborn. On a side note, I loved seeing the fashions of the 1950′s. Can you imagine wearing heels while cooking?! No cell phones in this movie. LOL

I will admit to being very reluctant on mentioning a giveaway on a fellow blogger’s website, Three Fates Design. That is because I want to win this! If you enter, you have a chance to win this beautiful brooch. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, This giveaway will end on Friday, February 11, 2011 and she will have a winner announced on Monday, February 12, 2011. If you are like me, you are about ready to make funeral arrangements for this long, horrible winter. What better way to lift your spirits than winning a beautiful brooch!

Remember making an apron in Home Ec? Read below:

The History of ‘APRONS’

I don’t think our kids know what an apron is unless it is a customer service representative work apron provided by a fast food restaurant!

The principal use of Grandma’s apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material. But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children’s tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids..

And when the weather was cold Grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow,

Bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.

After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It would even become a private prayer closet when she used it to cover up her face for an urgent time of prayer in a busy household.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ‘old-time apron’ that served so many purposes.

Or did you listen while the Super Bowl was on? I listened and sewed. I get so wound up watching a game that my stomach begins to hurt! That is why, I only listen. Sewing relaxes me. I have made piping for a few of my bags and thought that some readers might wonder what I was talking about and how to make piping.

I don’t know how the professionals make piping but this is how I do it.

First, I cut strips of fabric. I recommend cutting the strips at least 2″ wide. You want enough fabric to be able to sew the piping onto your project.

Sew enough strips together to enable you to go completely around the pillow, purse or whatever project you are working on. Press open the seams.

Position the cord in the center of the fabric. I buy cord by the yard at the fabric store.

Sew as close to the cording as possible. Sometimes I use a zipper foot. I get my best results with my walking foot.

Mark the pillow and position the cord so that the cord falls just inside the marking. You want your piping to show when you sew the backing onto the pillow front.

You might need to clip the the fabric when making corners. I don’t cut all the way to the cording. I stay about 1/8″ from the cord.

Pin the cording to the pillow front. When I come to the point where the ends meet, I cross one end over the other and pull both ends towards the outside of the project. Sew over both ends. Sew as close to the piping as you can.

Pin the backing onto the pillow front. Sew using the stitching, from sewing the piping on, as your guide. Leave an opening if you didn’t sew in a zipper. Turn right side out and check to see if everything is sewn tight. If not, get a little closer.

I used piping on this bag.

I also used it on this pillow. So much faster than making a ruffle!