Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Domesticity

Happy Wednesday!

I changed the quilt in my sewing room to "Friends and Neighbors" 2004.

This was exchange with my Illinois friend, Mary Pat W when I moved to NJ. Some of the liberated houses are mine and some are hers.  I still love this quit and remember it being very fun to make.

The back is all household related print fabrics.

I'm finally marking my big star quilt.  Great News!!  I'm having 2 versions of my over sized baptist fan stencil manufactured and I'll be offering it here on the blog for purchase.  They are also manufacturing another one of my designs for their catalog. (my room is a mess - again)  At least the dolls are behaving.

On other domestic fronts:

I turned these

Into this

a Food and Wine recipe for Tortilla soup.  click here for the link.

I did a little "fake baking".  I added vanilla and some oatmeal and viola'

I inherited Jill's extensive collection of doilies, aren't these pretty?  Warm fake bake is better than no cookies, right?

The hummingbirds area gone, but the winter birds are here at the kitchen window.

This year I moved the whole feeding station up to the deck where I can see them.

I don't know if this is a red-headed sparrow or a purple finch, but he's handsome.

First cardinal of the season.  He's a handsome fellow too!

I've planted an amaryllis and paper whites.

I'm uploading lots of reading for my ipod.

I finished my first block of the Alice Payne quilt.

I found my name tag collection.  I'm off to my second meeting with my new guild tonight.

If I'm not back, have a Blessed Thanksgiving next week to my US friends.  Hope you are staying warm and find time to stitch, read, bake, cook or watch the birds.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love your house quilt! How fun is that? Great news regarding your stencils also. I love Baptist fans!

Unknown said...

Hi Barb love your post lots to look at and read...thanks to commenting about my 301 case that was on
bonnie hunters website...it was such a fun project to do..am
and I just read post about the dolls...what a hoot...so funny......I would like to know, where you got those
tall book cases in your pic of studio, on right side?? I need to get them for my studio!!
thanks so much, happy thanksgiving and keep on quilting...mish K in NJ

baukje said...

That little cardinal bird is amazing, i never saw one in real.

Pinkadot Quilts said...

The back of your quilt is just as much fun as the front. I need to make a house quilt....
Congratulations on the stencils I will be sure to check them out on your blog when you get them, it has always been a favorite pattern of mine.
Great minds think alike, I made turkey tortilla soup this weekend!
I love your birds I can see why you enjoy them in the winter, they brighten up the dark and gray. I am still on my Outlander series almost to the last book. Your applique is looking great!

pandchintz said...

Wow! You have been busy!! Those birds are so pretty. What size are the cardinals? He looks so handsome in his red plumage. Glad your sewing room gets messy......again. Mine is at the same stage! Lovely appliqué.

OTquilter said...

I think your days have more hours in them than mine! I have been waiting to see those stars again! I am listening to "The Children Act" by Ian McEwan--interesting. And Happy Thanksgiving to you, too!

Diane said...

While your post makes me feel a bit like a sloth, I do enjoy all of the wonders you share. Your idea to move the bird feeders has me inspired to move mine to a better location for viewing as well. I would like to see them from my sewing room and that could be easily done! I really love your house quilt, it's so fun and happy and the backing is perfect for it! I'm also glad to know the girls are behaving for a change. HAHAHA

Janet O. said...

Always so much fun going on at Barb's!! Recipe looks delicious! Love the term "fake bake." Those sound yummy as well.
What a treat seeing the variety of birds you get.
And such a fun collection of nametags. : )

Janet said...

Yippee about the stencils! I look forward to their arrival. Your block is lovely - I can't wait to see which block you do next - it's such a great quilt! Your name tags are fun - which one did you wear? :0) The soup looks yummy - those chickens are the best invention. Love the cardinal picture too - I wish they lived up here.

Rachaeldaisy said...

If you're not back? Are you worried the new guild will kidnap you?! :)
How exciting that there are going to be Barb's Big Baptist Fan templates! I love seeing your birds, I've never heard of a purple wren or seen a live cardinal. It's wonderful to see you've been having fun in the kitchen. Tortilla soup sounds delicious and I bet the cookies didn't last long.

Ginger Scott said...

I agree that your days have more hours, or I am a sloth! I will be interested in the fan stencils, great idea. I am surprised some people have never seen a live cardinal, I will not take them for granted from now on! Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Angie said...

Yum - I love tortilla soup! Perfect for the wintery weather we've all been enduring. I must try attaching a bird feeder to my kitchen window. We don't have a great bird environment around our house (no trees), but maybe I can lure some with sunflower seeds. We have wonderful birds at our camp, but that's only on weekends.

Dawn said...

You have a fantastic sewing space! Looking forward to your stencils.
I LOVE doilies, and cake stands.
Enjoy your holiday too.

Betsy Schneekloth said...

Another fun blog post. Yeah! Can't wait to purchase one of your stencils. I just finished marking my Jill quilt with a baptist fan stencil. Wish I had waited for yours. Oh, and by the way, you seriously call that room a mess???

Chantal said...

Oh thank you for sharing a little moment at your house with us. I really enjoyed this. The house quilt is so fun and whimsical! Love it. And the birds. I love birds. I'll have to try that soup too; it looks so good I think I can smell it lol. Note to self : Do not invite Barb into MY sewing room, she doesn't know what a messy room is and she will flip!
;^)

Nifty Quilts said...

Love your happy neighborhood quilt. Your Jubilee quilt looks elegant and perfect on the dining room wall. You are so good at making collections of sweet life events--your name tags, quilt ribbons, etc. Mine are strewn around and may end up getting tossed. I'm taking a tip from you! How very smart of you to offer your quilting templates!! I was looking for an over-sized Baptist fan just a few months ago.

Kyle said...

You're sure super busy and with lots of fun stuff going on at your house. Congrats on getting your stencil made. It's a good one. Love seeing the cardinal, none this far west. And torilla soup looks like the perfect meal on a cold snowy day.

Karen said...

Do I remember correctly that you might pattern the blocks for the Alice Payne quilt?

Debra @ Life is a Stitch said...

YAY on the stencils!! I'm so excited for your! and I can hardly wait! Do you have a time frame for when they will be 'on the market'?
And looks like you made good use of snow time :)

CecileD said...

Hello Barb !
Thank you for sharing these lovely moments of your home life !! The birds are so amazing with these colors and it's the sign that winter has come...Don't worry about the mess in your sewing room !! You're just a busy woman ! :)
Love your appliqué block ...and I wish you a happy Thanksgiving !!

Barb said...

Hi M-
You have your settings as 'non-reply' blogger, so I can't respond to your comment. I hope you come back to see this message. the bookcases are from Ikea and are perfect for books as they are not too wide. You can also go into your profile area (in google, or blogger) and make sure you have your email there for replying.

Lee Prairie Designs said...

Hi Barb,
Your post is just good fun!!!! Everything is so refreshing. Bird feeders, quilts, yummies, your special sewing place and your girls their quilts and their "giddie" moments together! Thanks for the fun adventure this morning!

Hug's, Carolyn

Laura said...

I love your ribbon valance. Such a great way to display them!

O'Quilts said...

so happy and so great...and I just knew you were my kind a girl with Corona Light

Linda in NC said...

How wonderful to have your fan stencils in production! They're already on my Christmas wish list - or Valentine wish list - or whenever they are ready.

Miss Alice Payne is lookin' good! Delicious colors. The chili looks delicious too!

Happy Thanksgiving - I hope you get to celebrate with your kids!

Beth said...

Can't wait to see your quilt stencils. Congrats. I just finished reading that David Sedaris book. And I am a big Patricia Cornwell fan. Have to look for that book. Your quilt looks cute hanging in your studio.

Pat said...

Your sewing room looks neat as a pin! I can't even get to my bookcases right now. Have not finished sorting things from my retreat 2 weeks ago. Love your hexie header and all the other eye candy you have shared. Being in the kitchen this time of year can really make for some cozy dinners and your table looks very inviting.

Ruth said...

What a fun post! Love your bird feeding station by your window. You get to see them up close and personal! Our new house had a bird feeding station in the back yard and I can look out from my sewing room to see the birds. I have my bird ID book handy as there are different birds here than in Texas. I'm planning to check out a new quilt guild in Salem next week. I joined one in my town and Salem is about a 30 min drive, but it's a bigger guild and they have more speakers, etc. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Maureen said...

Congrats on the stencils! Hope the marking is going well. Friends and Neighbors is charming! Nice to be able to change up the quilts on the walls. You are always up to something fun! Hope you enjoyed the guild meetings. Takes time for me to really feel at home in a new group. Happy Thanksgiving!

Karen said...

Lots of news. Congrats on the stencils, how exciting!! The quilt looks great, have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Anonymous said...

Hello, I just found your blog and am enjoying reading back a little. I am absolutely enamored with the quilt in your blog header. Is there a post where you give information about it? I would love to make something similar! Thanks!

barbara (in Tennessee) barbaraj2000 at hotmail