Favourite Things Friday: Lori Holt

Her needlework both plain and ornamental was excellent, and she might have put a sewing machine to shame. –James Edward Austen-Leigh, about Jane Austen



Lori Holt is one if my favorite pattern designers. She creates the cutest vintagey appliqué quilts, ever. And her hand work is absolutely amazing. Not only is she creative and talented with appliqué, but everything she does is done with precision, beauty and style. And she's one nice lady.

I first saw one of her quilts at my favorite LQS during Shop Hop in Spring 2009. It was hanging on the wall half-way up the steps to the loft where all the best fabric treasures are hidden. I marveled over it for what seemed like hours. I couldn't get enough of looking at this amazing quilt that had a vacuum cleaner and a broom and a mop and furniture polish and a roll of paper towels appliquéd on it. The tag said it was made by Lori Holt. And I loved it. Then I noticed a basket on the stairs under it with the pattern sitting in it. There was just one pattern left in the basket, so I snatched it up and marched straight back down the stairs and bought it.

As soon as I got home, I read through the pattern from start to finish. I loved looking through it and soaking in all the amazing details in this quilt. As I was finishing up, I noticed on the back cover that Lori Holt was the pattern designer and she had a web-site. I got right on the computer and browsed through her projects. I fell absolutely in love with her work. I ordered two more of her patterns on-line that night. Then I started collecting just the right fabrics for these fabulous appliqué quilts. I prepared all of the freezer paper templates for that Woman's Work quilt, and then I got involved in other projects and my appliqué quilts have been waiting patiently for me to get back to them.

What with Grace being on holiday and everything, I thought now might be a good time to bring out the hand work for something to do in between cleaning the refrigerator and organizing the Little Bugs' toy area. But let's face it; making an appliqué quilt about housework is way more fun than actually doing housework, so I fear that all my plans of being Wonder Woman while my machine is in for repairs might just come to naught. Look at what I've been doing instead of cleaning the living room carpets.

A roll of paper towels! In fabric! I mean, how cute is that? Go ahead and click on it so you can see it in detail. I'm doing the broom next. And I suppose when I finish with it, I'll find an actual broom and do some actual sweeping with it.

Lori has been doing her quilts as a block of the month appliqué club at a couple of shops not too far away from me. Last fall I discovered that she'd just started the cutest quilt called Paper Dolls. They were already three months in when I found out about it, but I very nearly joined late anyway. My only hesitation was that the holidays were coming. I always get a little crazy with the making presents at Christmas. I decided it would be in the best interest of my mental health not to join the appliqué club, but to wait until she released the complete pattern. It is finally here. And look how absolutely adorable this quilt is:

{Photo © Lori Holt
Used with permission}

To celebrate the release of her newest pattern, Lori is giving the Paper Dolls pattern away to three lucky winners {check out her web-site for details on the giveaway and more pictures of this super cute quilt}. I'm hoping that I'm one of them. LadyBug would make the cutest paper doll ever. She looks just like the cute little blondie on the right {and has her personality too – look! Bandaids in the very same spots!}. And I think that Miss Butterfly would be the perfect paper doll playmate for the LadyBug paper doll. Which means I that if I don't win a pattern I'm going to have to buy it. And I might have to make two paper doll quilts.

If you're not into appliqué, don't count Lori out yet, because she is 12 kinds of awesome. She gardens, cooks, crochets, collects vintage, does traditional quilting, sews with her daughter and is an awesome grandma. Her blog is definitely worth checking out. Her Hexie tutorial {Part I, Part II and Part III} is the best I've seen and will definitely come in handy.

Thanks for the inspiration, Lori! I'm off to sew a broom.

Today's post brought to you by:

The AccuQuilt Go! Has Landed

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present. –Babatunde Olatunji

My Go! Cutter has arrived. Already! I know. It was a pretty amazing thing to win this HUGE prize. I was surprised at how quickly the AccuQuilt people got my order entered, picked and shipped. It was here a week after I won it.

The day it came I had errands to run, so I wasn't home when Mr. Brown delivered it {don't worry, Mr. Bug was here to collect it}. When I got back, the Little Bugs were here and since LadyBug is an excellent box opener, I had her open it {I love that she always likes to help. She's pretty awesome that way}.


It was really fun to find all that quilting goodness just for me in one little box . In addition to the Go! Cutter and the die that it comes with, I got to choose three other dies. I went with Hexagons {of course}, Drunkard's Path and Dresden Plate {which shipped separately and arrived a few days later}.

Here is the cutter, out of the box, but still in the cute little bag it comes in, along with the cutting mat and die that comes with the cutter. I'm so excited to play with my new toy !

Thank you AccuQuilt for sponsoring and Heather for hosting this amazing giveaway!

Family Favorite Dinners

I refuse to believe that trading recipes is silly. Tuna fish casserole is at least as real as corporate stock. –Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

It is the age-old question. What is for dinner? Some days that question is enough to send me over the edge. Because, really. What is for dinner? What can I feed them that the big people will like and the little people won't totally hate and will satisfy at least one nutritional requirement for the day? It's a completely loaded question.

I'm always looking for new ways to feed my family. I like to try out new recipes and mix it up, but there are certain favorites that I always come back to. These are recipes that are easy to make, don't require lots of exotic ingredients and always get rave reviews {from Mr. Bug, at least. As for the Little Bugs, it completely depends on their moods }. So, I thought I'd share them with you, just in case you haven't got a ready answer for, what is for dinner?

Tuna Noodle Casserole

{This meal could really use some watermelon chunks}

1 {8 oz.} package rotini pasta
1 {10¾ oz.} can cream of chicken soup
1¼ cup milk
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1 {5 oz.} can chunk tuna
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
¼ cup potato chip or cracker crumbs

• Heat oven to 350˚. Cook pasta according to package directions.
• In a 2-quart casserole dish, combine soup, milk, garlic salt, pepper, drained tuna and cheddar cheese. Stir in noodles. Top with mozzarella cheese; sprinkle with potato chip crumbs.
• Bake for 30 minutes.

Serves 4

Notes:
• Make sure to salt the water for the noodles. ½ teaspoon should do it.
• Cream of chicken soup with tuna fish? Yep. It works. But you could also use cream of celery or cream of mushroom. Campbell's has something for every taste.
• Do you have to use garlic salt? No. But it makes it extra special.
• Tri-color rotini noodles also make it extra special.
• My favorite chips to use on top of this are Ruffles Cheddar Cheese and Sour Cream.

Tin Foil Dinner Casserole
2 medium-large potatoes, sliced and soft cooked
3 carrots, sliced and soft cooked
1 {15 oz.} can corn
1 {15 oz.} can cut green beans
1 lb. lean ground beef
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1 {10¾ oz.} can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

• To soft cook potatoes, place them in a covered, vented, microwave-safe dish, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper, add ¼ cup water and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Drain any remaining water.
• To soft cook carrots, place them in a covered, vented, microwave-safe dish, sprinkle with a pinch of sugar, add ¼ cup water and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Drain any remaining water.
• Heat oven to 375˚. Layer corn, green beans, potatoes and carrots in a 9x9 baking dish.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine ground beef, onion, garlic, salt and pepper; mix until well combined. Place beef mixture over vegetables. Cover with cream of mushroom soup and sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil.
• Bake, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes, until meat is completely cooked and vegetables are tender.

Serves 6

Notes:
• This is the perfect dinner if you hate camping but love tin foil dinners.
• It is a little bit of extra work, but soft cooking the carrots and potatoes saves baking time in the end.

Chicken Pot Pie

{Headed for the oven}

Filling
2 chicken breasts {about ¾ lb.}, cooked and cubed
1 {10¾ oz.} can cream of chicken soup
¾ cup milk
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
2 cups country style hash browns, thawed
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
Crust
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup shortening
8 tablespoons cold water

• Heat oven to 350˚. Place chicken in a baking dish, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, cover and bake for 35 minutes. When chicken has finished baking, wrap in foil and refrigerate until completely cooled. Cube chicken.
• In a large mixing bowl combine soup and milk and mix until smooth. Add onion, garlic, salt and pepper; mix well. Add hash browns, vegetables and chicken stir until all ingredients are well combined.
• Heat oven to 375˚. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender {or a fork} cut shortening into flour until pea-sized lumps form. Using a fork, mix cold water into flour mixture one tablespoon at a time until a soft dough forms. When all of the water has been added, work dough a little to get a nice consistency. It shouldn't be too sticky or too dry.
• On a floured board, roll ⅔ of the dough out into a 12" circle. Line a 9" pie plate with the dough. Trim away excess dough about ¼" beyond the edge of the pie plate. Pour prepared filling into lined pie plate.
• Roll the remaining ⅓ of the dough into a circle slightly larger than the pie place. Place on top of filling and trim away excess dough about ½" beyond the edge of the pie plate. Tuck the top pastry under the bottom pastry and seal edges. Cut slits in the top pastry to allow steam to escape. Cover edges of pie with foil. Bake for 1 hour, removing foil for the last 30 minutes.

Serves 6

Notes:
• When making the pie crust, you don't have to add all the water. It really depends on the weather how much water you need. And that is the tricky part to making pie – getting the crust right. Too much water and it is tough; not enough water and it falls apart before you can get it into the plate. If you don't feel like braving it, just buy a refrigerated crust. That really is easy as pie .
• If you didn't remember to measure and put your frozen vegetables in the fridge overnight, put them in the microwave {separately} for 5 minutes on power level 1 {the lowest power setting}, stirring after 2½ minutes. They don't have to be completely thawed, just not rock solid.
• The vegetable mix I like to use has carrots, peas, corn and green beans. Sometimes you can find it with lima beans, which Mr. Bug loves and I tolerate because it is disguised with a nice cream sauce.
• You could, of course, use fresh vegetables, if you like. Let me know how that turns out.

Chubby Stars Quilt Along: Fabric Audition

One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions. –Oliver Wendell Holmes


Yesterday, I took Grace to the dealer/LQS where I bought her for her tune-up and while I was there, I had to go and stroke the bolts of fabric {you know you do it too}. Guess what I found? An entire bolt of the floral fabric I picked as the focus for my Chubby Stars quilt. I almost swallowed my gum. Guess what else? It had the name of the fabric on it {City Sparkler Roses by Exclusively Quilters}. I picked up the bolt and held it next to some Mellow Yellow Hunky Dory Spots {Chez Moi for Moda}. The light yellow background was the same color as the dark yellow flowers in the Roses fabric. I was in love.

I haven't committed any cash to it yet, because I wanted to see if there were any coordinates to the City Sparklers Roses. My new favorite LQS {was #2, but has just moved to spot #1} didn't seem to have any, so I did a quick Quilt Shops.com search when I got home and hit the jackpot.

What do you think? City Sparkler Roses, Hunky Dory Spots and City Sparkler Bouquets on Red:

And just for fun: City Sparkler Roses, City Sparkler Stylized Floral and City Sparkler Tone-on-Tone Floral:

The tricky thing about on-line shopping is that you never know exactly the scale of the fabrics until they arrive. I'm thinking that the Stylized Floral is probably a bit smaller than it looks in the picture. Just tossing around ideas here.

I briefly considered getting enough of the Roses to complete the snowball blocks. But, I've grown attached to the quirky, somewhat scrappy layout in the last week. I was feeling all proud of myself for making do with what was available. I'm not sure how I feel about more being available . I'm going to do a border of chain blocks that completes the chains {like this, thanks, Karen, for the inspiration!}, and will probably do a 2" border outside of that with the Roses. I'll probably do the binding in it as well, and am considering getting enough of it for the back.

I've done a good amount of browsing for solids. I've found the perfect pale yellow for the background. It is the lightest shade of yellow, almost ivory. I haven't been able to find a good shade of Khaki grey yet, and I might have to go with black for the star points.

This project has been really stretching my mind lately .

Snowball Night: Weeks 13, 14, 15 and 16

The time will come when winter will ask you what you were doing all summer. –Henry Clay


And I will tell winter that I was making snowball quilts to keep me all snuggly and warm. Karen, it really was a brilliant idea to start this at the beginning of summer.

I hope nobody feels gypped that I haven't done pictures and a weekly report the last couple of weeks. Even though some of you said you weren't bored, I got bored with reporting on corners finished and finding new ways to pose my blocks for photos. I have been working on it a bit each week though, and here is what I've been up to.

Week 13 {August 24}: Put the fourth corner on all 48 blocks. Sewed up the left-over corner pieces into 48 HST's. Matched 48 HST's from corner three to 48 HST's from corner four to make 48 half baby snowball blocks for the back.

Week 14 {August 31}: Added a sashing piece down the left side of each block. Put setting squares on the remaining sashing pieces. Attached them to the top of each block {I did not lay them out first, but just sewed them together. I think last time I did lay everything out first and then arranged the sashing/setting block pieces to make sure the colors were evenly distributed, before I sewed them together. That was probably the better way to go}. Sewed 48 half baby snowball blocks from corners 1 and 2 {week 11} to 48 half baby snowball blocks from corners 3 and 4 {week 13} to make 48 baby snowball blocks for the back of the quilt.

Week 15 {September 7}: Squared up baby snowball blocks to 2½". Laid quilt out on living room floor design wall. Pressed seams in opposite directions, row by row, so they will nest during assembly. Stacked blocks into rows for assembly.

Here is the quilt laid out. I think I like this quilt better than I did the first quilt when I laid it out.:

And because Grace will still be with Mr. Repair Man:

Week 16 {September 14}: Crickets.