Trip

This is the first in a series of five cat blocks coming your way this week! All five are based on actual cats I was asked to replicate. The description of this guy, Trip, said "swirly grey and black fur, brown collar, and orange eyes." Ok, that's what ya got! Plus an embroidered name tag.


The green will be the back ground of all the cats, and they are going to alternate with heart blocks for a cat lover.

Got Cats?

Help! I need two new cat block patterns to finish a new quilt comission. Got cats you can spare?

I'm making the quilt as a Christmas present for my friend to give her friend. It needs to include five cats, all based on the recipients actual five cats. I'd like to use a different pattern for each cat to make them unique, but I only have three patterns.

Here are the restrictions for the block patterns I need:

* must feature a whole cat, not just the face (like the ones i'm showing here)

* representational of a real cat, not cartoonish

* must be pieced, not appliqued or paper pieced

* must include cutting directions for a 12" block - or at least a 10", I can add a border if needed

Can anyone help???

Half Done!

It's half done! The ginormous quilt I'm making for myself and Mr. Babyquilts is halfway there. It's ten 12-inch blocks by nine 12-inch blocks, not counting sashing!

This is "his" half, the blue and green half, all sashed and ready to go. It also includes the 'snuggling' row on the right which are blue/green combined with red/pink. Now all that's left to do is four more rows of red/pink to attach to the right hand side.


Here's a six year old child and a koala for scale. It's huge! Click a photo to see the square themes better.

You know, it looks all innocent and fine and dandy now, but boy was I mad last night. I carefully pinned and sewed one whole sashing the long way, all the way down. Then when I opened it out, guess what, it was sewed onto the wrong side of the block strip, so the seam was on top! I was hopping mad! I had to then hand rip the whole seam, re-pin and re-sew. It took me several hours to get back to where I should have been. Oh well. Days like that really make me want to buy a machine, especially with all of these straight seams. I like piecing the blocks by hand, but sashing and borders by hand are straight up boring!


Wolfie says hi. "Hi!"

Amazing Blueberry Streusel Muffins

I know it's a quilting blog, but I just had to share this recipe! Believe me, they taste about 1000% better than they look. They sit there, unassuming and boring looking but when you taste it - wow! It's like a blueberry cloud in your mouth. So light and moist and popping with blueberries, plus the crunch of the oatmeal topping.


Gigi thinks about trying one....I don't know, they look kind of boring.


Ok, I'll try one, but they're still hot!


She loved it and so will you.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins
Makes 18

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream (I didn't have any, so I used just under 1/2 cup of sour milk and 1 1/2 T. butter extra)
1/2 cup milk
1 t. vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (or raspberries, or blackberries, or a combo!)

Heat oven to 400. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg, then sour cream, milk and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add them to the mixer, don't overbeat, just until moistened. Gently fold in berries. Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full.

Now to make the streusel for the top:
Wash the mixing bowl and paddle, replace. Put in 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup oats, 3 T. sugar, 1/4 t. cinnamon, 1/8 t. salt and 1 1/2 T. brown sugar. Combine. Then put in 3 T. butter and mix well to cut in. Sprinkle mixture over each muffin until it's all gone.

Bake 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes before removing muffins to rack.
Eat while warm!!!

Felt Thanksgiving Meal!

How cute is this??? Learn how to make a felt food Thanksgiving meal from Dana at Made!

Come on, the grapes velcro on individually and the broccoli is stuffed!

Double Your Fun

Hi All,
I've got a new internet quilt commission! Lovely Amber, together with her mother, wants to get a quilt made for her sister who is having a baby soon. Awwww!!! So sweet. Check out her blog, she's got a funny article about pants up today.

Amber wants the quilt to be super soft and she loves Japanese prints, so she is picking out some Echino double gauzes! Now everyone knows about the Heather Ross Far Far Away double gauzes but not many know about the Echino ones.

Here's an article about using double gauzes in quilts. Will you try it???

Book Giveaway at Pink Chalk Studios!

I love Malka Dubrawsky's blog astitchindye and respect her as a fellow Austinite and crafter. Well she has a book out now! Go team Malka! It's all about how to dye your own fabric and it looks amazing.

If you want a chance to win a copy, jet on over to pinkchalkstudios, Kathy Mack's blog, and leave a comment. I know I did! I'd love to get my hands on it.