That girl... That quilt

Charm Madness!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 01:04:00 +0000

Greetings from snowy New York City! I'm here on business and when I get back, I'll have some sort of normal routine again for the first time in months and I'm so looking forward to some quality sewing and blogging time!

It's March and what that means to me is that it's March Madness, my favorite sports time of the year. So when Sew Lux Fabric asked me if I wanted to participate in Charm Madness, I was so excited!

What does this mean for y'all??

Are you ready?! It's finally here ... the Charm Madness Blog Hop! Tutorials, a Linky, giveaways, and prizes ... see the complete schedule below. You can also find the updated links to all the posts as the blog hop progresses over the next three weeks here.

The Charm Madness Blog Hop Participants & Schedule

Tuesday 3/19 - Jennie at Clover & Violet
Wednesday, 3/20 - Jess at Sew Crafty Jess
Thursday, 3/21 - Rhonda at Quilter in the Gap
Friday, 3/22 - Jenelle at Echinops &Aster
Sunday, 3/24 - Week 1 Giveaway Post

Tuesday, 3/26 - Lori at Lori H Designs
Wednesday, 3/27 - Kelsey at Kelsey Sews
Thursday, 3/28 - Lindsay at CraftBuds/LindsaySews
Friday - 3/29 - Jennifer at That Girl, ThatQuilt
Saturday, 3/30 - Stacey at The Tilted Quilt
Sunday, 3/31 - Week 2 Giveaway Post

Monday, 4/1 - Alyce at Blossom Heart Quilts
Tuesday, 4/2 - Wendi at prsd4tim2
Wednesday, 4/3 - Elizabeth at Don't Call Me Betsy
Thursday, 4/4 - Ginny at Fish Creek Studio
Saturday, 4/6 - Leona at Leona's Quilting Adventure
Sunday, 4/7 - Week 3 Giveaway Post

Three Ways to Win Prizes:

Enter the three weekly giveaway drawings on Sundays during the blog hop here at the Sew Lux blog.

Link up your own charm project - Linky post will be open for entries between 3/23 – 4/6.

Enter the Grand Prize Winner Giveaway by counting the total number of charms used in all the blog hop tutorials. Complete the entry form on 4/7 or 4/8.
All entry posts for prizes will be on the Sew Lux blog.

And what would Charm Madness be without a sale?? Save on Charm Packs!

Save 10% on all charm packs and mini charm packs now through 3/22 at sewluxfabric.com. Discount will be automatically applied at checkout.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

{Happenings}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:53:00 +0000

There hasn't been much sewing going on around here. But that doesn't mean that we've been sitting around doing nothing either!

Girl Scout cookie season is upon us. Chaney sold the most in her troop which was her goal... I don't know where that competitiveness comes from. ;) So what you see up there is what 245 boxes of cookies look like!

And last week I got tired of my curly mop and got brave enough to get a pixie cut that I've been contemplating for a long time. With the right stylist, it can work surprisingly well with curly hair... or at least I think so.

Now I'm just about the last person who likes to post pictures of themselves but I know as soon as I blog about it, I'll get requests for a picture of the hair. So here you go!

And last but not least, Steve was out of town this past weekend which meant I had little control over any person or animal in our house. Everyone listens better to him... sigh.

But in an attempt to assure him that I had everything under control, this is the picture I sent him. See?? Chaney is clearly practicing her violin and Gus is being a very good dog! ;)

A Scrappy Time

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:10:00 +0000

This past weekend was the first time in almost three weeks that I actually had some time to sit down and sew!

I've been slowly cutting strips and piecing these scrappy trip around the world blocks. I'm using this method and I love how fast the blocks come together. Way faster than sewing a million 2.5" squares together!

The only thing I'm doing different is that when I can, I'm cutting my strips width of the fabric so that I can get two blocks from each strip set. By doing that, you do end up with a few extras so I'm setting those aside because I'm planning on making a scrappy border with the leftovers.

This is the first scrappy quilt I have ever made. Strange but true. This is a stretch for me not only because I'm using scraps but also because of the colors and values. I'm paying very little attention to the prints and more attention to the color values. It's mindless and challenging at the same time if that makes any sense at all.

I have ten blocks 12" completed now and I really want to make this into a queen sized quilt for our bed. I have Steve's approval for it not looking too girly {very important} so let's hope I can be patient enough to keep making blocks until I have enough!

I know things have been pretty slow around here and that might not be changing anytime soon. Work has been incredibly busy and it's going to stay that way for the foreseeable future. And while that's a good thing, it seems like more and more I'm doing good just to get home, work out, eat dinner and supervise homework, etc.

So if I'm a little quiet, no need to worry... I'm just busy! :)

No-slip fabric headband {tutorial}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:29:00 +0000

I see these cute headbands everywhere! Chaney wore them for softball and I've probably spent a total of $75 on them for her because they don't slip in her fine hair.

When I workout I have two choices to control my curly mop... wear a hat or wear some sort of headband. Hats are alright but sweat + something on your forehead can = a breakout even when you are 35. The headbands I have bought in the store either slip or give me a giant headache.

So I started looking at Chaney's last headband {the rest have disappeared UGH} and I realized that the non-slip material was nothing more than velveteen. That's it! Her headbands have always had cute ribbons on them but I don't have an abundance of ribbon but I do have an abundance of fabric... especially 2.5" strips of fabric. I also have some velveteen fabric that I'm going to make some of these with... :)

I've made several of these now so I thought I'd share the my tutorial. You can make them in varied widths but this tutorial gives you a wider band that measures approximately 1.5" wide. The measurements I use here create a band that will fit Chaney {she's 9} and me.

Here's what you need:
15.5" x 1.5" velveteen ribbon { must be satin on the back of the ribbon}
15.5" x 2.5" fabric scrap
5" x 7/8" of woven elastic
15" x 1/2" of Steam-a-Seam2 {not necessary but really helpful!}
Thread that coordinates with your fabric {don't worry about it coordinating with the velveteen because the stitches pretty much disappear in the velvet}
Iron

Sewing machine

Here we go!

1. Take your fabric strip and fold exactly in half {width wise}, wrong sides together as shown. Press.

2. Open your strip and use the pressed line you just made as a guide to fold both edges toward the center as shown. This will encase your raw edges. Press again.

3. Apply your 15" of Steam-a-Seam2 to the back of your fabric strip as shown.

Follow the instructions on the package for specifics on how to use the product.

4. Fold both ends of your velveteen ribbon AND your fabric strip 1/2" in as shown. This will encase the raw ends.

5. Center your fabric strip on the satin side of your ribbon. Press the fabric onto the satin side of the ribbon to activate the Steam-a-Seam2; this will help stabilize the band while you stitch the fabric to the ribbon.

6. Stitch down both sides of the fabric to secure the fabric to the ribbon. STOP about 1/4" before the ends so you can insert your elastic.

7. Center your elastic in the opening between the fabric and ribbon at one end. Start where you left off and stitch across to secure the elastic. I stitched over this part several times to make sure the elastic will remain secure while wearing your headband. Repeat this step on the other end of the band.

8. Trim any stray threads and you're done.

Enjoy! These bands look adorable for casual wear with no slipping...

I should have worn one of these bands for this race. 100% humidity + my hair isn't a good look!

... they also tame my beastly curls when I run and I've never ended up with a headache.

Note: These are hand washable. I wash my bands in Woolite and let them air dry.

You know you are a quilter...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:58:00 +0000

... turned runner when you Kwik-Klip your bib to your shirt.

Chaney and I made it through our first 5K on Saturday and if you want, you can read all about it over here. We had a lot of fun!

I did manage to get some minimal sewing done after my freezing cold run on Sunday. It's funny, I used to spend all weekend sewing with minimal exercise happening. But this weekend I spent all weekend running with just a little bit of sewing mixed in. What a change!

I made a few more scrappy trip around the world blocks. These are addictive! They are fun to make and I'm really enjoying the scrappy randomness. Scrappy is a huge stretch for me but I think I'm doing an OK job of not trying to control every bit of the layout. The only thing I'm being intentional about is having darker colors as the center diagonal of each block... beyond that it's anything goes.

Happy Monday!

Friday {fitness}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:05:00 +0000

Chaney in action...

Don't worry, this isn't turning into a fitness blog! But after my post on Tuesday, I've gotten a lot of questions about my cooking, running, the app I use, how I make time etc. so I thought I would take today to answer some of those questions. :)

These changes started back in September but then in October we really embraced this new lifestyle. During that time I had some health issues and what ended up being diagnosed as fibromyalgia. Even though the symptoms and tests were fairly conclusive I wasn't officially convinced that's what I had going on but either way I knew that I needed to reduce my stress levels, exercise more, and eat better.

So when I realized last year that we needed to change the way we ate as a family I knew that fell largely on myself. I also felt a tad bit guilty because I hadn't been doing a very good job of setting a healthy tone in the kitchen for the rest of my family. It was up to me to start cooking more healthy and to also make sure we were making better food choices away from home i.e. lunches at work and school.

Now I work full time and so does Steve. Working had previously been my main excuse for not cooking very much. It's tough to work all day and then go home and make a healthy meal, eat dinner together as a family and then clean up the kitchen on top of all the other weekly activities like violin, judo, homework, etc.

That's where once a month/freezer cooking came up and I blogged all about that, including recipes, in this post.

Here's the time management part...

Now that school has started again, this week we have settled back into our weekday routine. I love routine. :) I had been running in the mornings but lately I've been waking up achy with a lead-like body. Some of that is probably because it's been cold in the mornings but I know that as the day progresses, my body feels better. Because I feel better in the evenings I've been running when I get home from work; something I never thought I would do. If I do happen to workout in the morning I just have to make sure that I'm in bed before 10pm otherwise it's really hard to get up at 5am.

In the evening I get Chaney started on her homework/violin practice and because dinner is already basically done, I have time to run or workout. Steve is awesome and takes care of any side vegetables, etc and keeps Chaney on task while I'm working out. I take a shower and then by then it's time for dinner. Kitchen clean up is super easy and then I have the rest of the evening to spend with my family, read, sew, etc.

I really like this new routine!

What program am I using?

I'm using the 10K Runner app on my iPhone. If you have heard of the Couch to 5K program, this one of very similar. This app also has a 5K, 21K, and even a marathon plan. I'm really enjoying this program because it eases you into running and for ultra-competitive, don't-listen-to-your-body people like me, it keeps you on a track so that you can minimize or even eliminate injuries as a beginning runner.

I'm running my first race in ten years tomorrow. Chaney and I are running a 5K together! She's been watching me and has been asking to start running too. It really is true that our kids watch us closely and are influenced by our good {and bad} habits. I'm also running a 10K in February and then I'm running the Portland Half marathon in May... which also happens to coincide with quilt market in Portland. I love it when things just work out on their own!

I'm running 3 days a week right now and on the other days I do some sort of cross-training, yoga, or weight training. I take one rest day a week.

How am I feeling since making these changes?

Much better! I'm sleeping good {for the most part}, I've lost weight, my stress levels are under control, and while I still have days where I don't feel good, they are fewer than before.

Now I've always secretly rolled my eyes at people touting that you always have time for exercise, you just have to make time. So now you can roll your eyes at me too... because it's true. ;)

But to limit the eye rolling, I have a separate blog for all this running and such. It's appropriately named That Girl Runs With Scissors and I think I'm very clever with that name! With this new obsession I've realized that a lot of quilters also like to run/workout so feel free to take a look at my other blog too. :)

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday words {gone missing}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 16:27:00 +0000

Remember this vintage quilt I was quilting? It's now living with its new owner and they love it. That makes me so happy!

It was full of beautiful vintage prints, calico fabrics, bed linens and even some random polyester. Most of the fabrics had been washed so I decided to back it with a flat bed sheet as well.

I went out and bought a nice, new sheet for the backing and went home to wash and dry it before basting. No big deal, right?

So after I finished quilting it I began trimming the backing and batting to square the quilt up for binding. As I trimmed one of the edges I noticed a label with 100% Egyptian cotton printed on it.

I did not buy an Egyptian cotton sheet for this quilt back.

But we had been missing a flat sheet to one of our sheet sets. Oh, dear.

I'm usually a little slow cleaning up these scraps after quilting because I'm always anxious to get to the binding part but this time I couldn't get those scraps cleaned up fast enough. Destroy the evidence!

I told Instagram all about it and then I kept quiet... until we were out to dinner with Steve's family. I quilted this quilt for a friend of Steve's aunt so the subject of the quilt came up over dinner and how much the new owner loved the quilt. I figured this was as good of a time as any since I was surronded by family in a public place and I told the truth of where our missing sheet had gone.

Guess what one of my Christmas presents was?? Yep, new sheets.

Steve should have had them monogrammed...

testing... testing...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 15:05:00 +0000

... is this thing on??

Hello!! I've missed ya'll!

What the heck have I been up to?? Well I guess most of you have figured that I took a break. It was an unintended but intentional break.

What does that mean?

I planned on taking a small break after Thanksgiving but then things got really busy at work, Chaney's birthday was December 13th, school was out, there were holiday parties, and of course lots of sewing and quilting happened. I would sit down to blog but then it wouldn't happen because our home computer crashed or something else equally random would take my attention away.

I started stressing about not blogging but then I realized I didn't need to stress about yet another thing-to-do. I was still plenty active on Instagram but if you weren't on Instagram then you wouldn't know that... so my apologies if I worried anyone.

So now to the fun stuff! I've been sewing A LOT which is another break in my blogging; I couldn't show a lot of what I was working on because it wasn't mine to show or it was a gift.

I had two quilts that I quilted for friends. One was this beautiful full sized vintage quilt... with a funny story to follow about this one.

The other was a beautiful "plus" quilt with nautical fabrics. I am going to make one of these quilts this year!

And then there were 4" churn dash blocks that you see up at the top of the post. I made the blocks and framed them in embroidery hoops for two of my other quilting family members. I wanted to keep these!

An Idea Pouch {pattern by Michelle Patterns}...

... a bookmark table runner {tutorial to follow}

... a Supernova quilt that I failed to finish. :( I've never missed a deadline for a gift but I'm almost done with the quilting and I'm glad that I gifted the quilt top, took it back, and followed through with the quilting I had envisioned.

Last but not least, I got sucked into the Scrappy Trip-along that has taken over my Instagram feed. It's a fun block to make and it is starting the new year off right by making a {small} dent in my stash.

In between all that sewing there was some reading by the fire...

... closet purging on New Year's eve and the following day because we are wild and crazy like that...

... ice skating...

... and some running. Yep, you read that right! I started running back in November and then I realized how much I missed it and I've been a tad obsessed. More on that later too!

I hope ya'll had a wonderful holiday season! School started back today so I am a happy girl officially back in her routine. Let's make this a great year!

Wednesday Words {thankful}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:08:00 +0000

If you are on Instagram you may have seen my daily Yogi pictures {and new music finds too}. I LOVE Yogi tea. The chai green tea is my favorite. This tea has little sayings on the tag that are always fun and thought provoking. Now I don't live my life by the yogi sayings like they are gospel but they are still fun to read and think about. So everyday around 2 pm I have my daily Yogi tea & inspiration.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. I enjoy Christmas a lot but Thanksgiving is my very favorite. I enjoy the lack of commercialism and taking an entire day to pause and think about what we are thankful for. To me, that beats camping out in front of Best Buy in a tent or breaking down the doors of Walmart any day.

So today I'll leave you with my collection of Yogi sayings and tell ya'll that I'm thankful for each and every one of you. I love having this blog and a way to express myself, my creativity, and even the ups and downs with people who I have so much in common with. So, thank you!

For my US friends, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving! For the rest of my friends, feel free to think of us Americans stuffing ourselves with turkey and gearing up to go out and trample each other on Black Friday.

I'll be finishing up a few projects over the holiday and I'll be back on Monday to share!

Organizing then creating...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:58:00 +0000

This is what a depressed quilter's stash looks like. I've been struggling, not as bad as other times, but struggling nonetheless.

This is what it looks like when you feel better. Yesterday I made myself go into my studio and organize, fold, and put things where they belong.

It's funny how a clean studio frees up creativity for me. I planned a new quilt for our bed; one made out of scraps which will be a first for me. I've been trying to decide on colors for this quilt forever and I could never make it work. So this one will be a scrappy one made from my favorite fabrics and the most non-offensive fabrics I can find for Steve's benefit. ;) I'm also going to mix in some dark solids to keep the quilt from being too busy.

And here's a sneak peak of the quilting on a beautiful vintage quilt for a friend of our family. It's an honor to be trusted with a piece of family history. I should be done by Thanksgiving and I plan on binding it after turkey and while watching football.

Last but not least, depression is tough and it seems like this time a year a lot of people struggle. So if you are, take care of yourself. You are not alone, I promise.

Wednesday Words {Curating}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 12:34:00 +0000

I've always thought it would be fun to be a curator. A curator of almost any kind, really. Just as long as there are pretty things involved...

This is probably as close as I'll ever get though! Sew Lux Fabrics is having a Guest Curator contest and while I'm usually not much on contests, they had me at the offer to be a curator. A curator of fabric? Yes, please!

I love choosing stacks of fabric. Sometimes you can find me in my studio "playing quilt" where I'm just making fabric stacks for no good reason other than I love fabric and mixing colors. My family also knows that when I retreat like this that I'm probably a little stressed out and the tend to let me be. I always emerge from my studio a much more pleasant person. ;)

I created this first mosaic like I often do, I chose one print and built around it. Can you pick out which one was the first print?

The name of this bundle... Blue Christmas. I woke up with that song stuck in my head this morning. Why, I don't know. But I've always had a thing for mixing up Christmas colors with a little blue.

I think Elvis might have been on to something... ;)

My second bundle, because I couldn't stop with just one, Snowed In.

Living in Texas all my life, I'm a little obsessed with snow. Some winters we actually get snow but most of the time it's just an ice storm that keeps us off the roads and home. I guess you would call that "iced in" but I like Snowed In better!

My color inspirations here... hot chocolate, a fire going, a warm quilt, and of course some snow.

There are more beautiful curated collections over on Sew Lux Fabric's blog. You can also find all the contest details too! So go make yourself a fabric bundle... or two. It's really a lot of fun to "play quilt"!

Lunch Bag {part deux}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 15:24:00 +0000

I have insomnia and last night was one of those nights. So instead of laying in bed freaking out about not being able to sleep, I made a lunch bag.

My first attempt at this bag can be seen here. I'm much happier with this one though. :) The thing I like the most about making bags is that there is always something to learn or tweak to make it come together easier, faster, etc...

This bag is Chaney's lunch bag. It's small-ish, insulated and most importantly, it received her approval this morning.

I really, really like the drawstring top on the structured bag. There's one thing I'll do differently on the next few bags but overall I love how it turned out.

Next up: a medium sized bag for me and a large bag for Steve. And then a PDF pattern to make all three sizes!

Linking up for Fabric Tuesday over at Quilt Story and Finish it Up Friday over at Crazy Mom Quilts!

Once a month {cooking}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 23:21:00 +0000

Don't worry... this is not going to turn into a food blog! But when I posted this picture on Instagram yesterday and started talking about not having to cook for a month, I got a few questions.

I wasn't going to write a blog post about it but then I realized that less time cooking = more time to sew. Yay!

I decided to do a trial run of slow cooker meals made ahead of time a few months ago. This is the site that I started with. It was a success so I went for another round. Since school started this type of cooking has been a life saver for me! I put something in the crock pot in the morning and when we get home all I might have to do is to make some brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, etc...

Up until yesterday I was making all slow cooker meals but I decided to branch out yesterday and make some freezer dishes that freeze well to be thawed and baked in the oven later on. It gives us a little more variety and also some individual servings for when Steve travels or Chaney isn't home and I don't want to make a giant crock pot meal.

Here's what I made:
- slow cooker white chicken chili (2 bags)
- slow cooker black bean taco soup (2 bags)
- slow cooker shredded Mexican chicken tacos (2 bags)
- slow cooker chicken tortilla soup (2 bags)

- slow cooker beef fajitas (2 bags)

- slow cooker beef stew (2 bags)

- slow cooker beef stroganoff (2 bags)

- slow cooker chicken fajitas (2 bags)
- slow cooker corn & potato chowder (2 bags)
- freezer chicken spaghetti (2 pans)
- freezer black bean, spinach & chicken enchiladas (2 pans)
- freezer healthy spinach and chicken pasta rolls (10 rolls)
- freezer meatloaf & mini-meatloaf muffins (36 muffins)
- freezer chicken parmesan Italian loaf (2 small loaves)
- freezer chicken pot pie (2 pies)
- freezer breakfast burritos (10 turkey sausages/egg/cheese, 10 black bean/egg/cheese)

We are a family of 2 adults and 1 kid so I split the ingredients into two gallon size freezer bags/pans so we have 32+ meals that will still leave leftovers for me to take for lunch in my cute lunch crockpot.

Some of these meals will also create leftovers for another family meal... like the shredded Mexican chicken. Leftovers of this meat make a great chicken enchilada soup the next day.

I also stretch the ingredients by focusing on more vegetables as ingredients and less on meats. Healthy vegetables and non-meat proteins are often better for you and I tend to think that the American diet has their meat portion sizes way too big. Just my opinion though... ;)

Pros:
- These meals are from scratch so I know exactly what's going into our meals which is important with my allergies.
- Nothing is from a box so none of those nasty preservatives.
- Lots of vegetables & healthy carbs
- Flexibility. I have adapted some of the recipes to use whole wheat pasta, brown rice, red potatoes instead of russet potatoes, turkey instead of ground beef, etc. I haven't had one of these modifications turn out bad with any of these recipes.
- And the obvious... saving time. All of this took me about 4 hours. Steve helped me some and my feet were killing me at the end but that's better than cooking for 30-45 minutes every evening after work. :)

Cons:
- Initial time investment... it's a long day in the kitchen.
- Grocery shopping is on a larger scale since you are stocking up for meals for a month or so.
- A giant mess in the kitchen after cooking all this! A big thanks to Steve here!
- You have to plan your freezer space out well. Lay your bags flat to freeze and they stack nicely though.

Tips:
- Cut all your vegetables first. It's easier to grab what you need to fill your bags instead of stopping to cut veggies with each recipe.
- Kitchen safety. Rinse your meat. Pay attention to your utensils and the meat you used to touch them. I do all my chicken meals first, clean the counters, put those utensils in the dishwasher and then move on to my beef and turkey meals.
- Here are some tips on freezing pans of food so your dishes aren't tied up in your freezer.
- Several of the recipes call for chicken broth. Use the broth made from the recipes that call for boiling and shredding your chicken.
- Label your bags/pans. You might be able to tell what it is before it's frozen but let's just say that we've had some surprise dinners in the past because what I thought was one thing turned out to be another meal.
- If there are special instructions for cooking/reheating, write them on the bag. You might think you will remember but that's not always the case, especially if a few ingredients are added after the dish cooks all day.
- Buy your ingredients on sale and stock up when you find a good sale.
- Pinterest is your best friend. I found every single recipe on that site. If you follow me there you can find all my favorites under my "food to make" tab.

The math:
- I spent approximately $170.00 supplies, ingredients and sides to go with these meals.
- 32 dinners {feeds 3}
- 32 leftover lunches {feeds 1}
- 20 breakfast burritos {feeds 1 per person}

That's $170.00/84 meals = $2.02 per meal {not per person}

So not only does less time cooking = more time sewing... less $$ spent = more $ to spend on fabric. Not bad at all!

Let me know if you have any questions. I'm not a pro by any means but I'll do my best to answer them...

*Edited to add... the most frequent question I'm being asked is if I'm cooking the meals before freezing or after. Both. :)

It depends on the recipe... most of the slow cooker recipes {in bags} are cooked in the slow cooker after freezing the raw ingredients in a bag. Just like a lot of stovetop or slow cooker recipes that aren't frozen, you combine all the raw ingredients and cook them all at once. As a general rule the only meat I pre-cook before putting it into freezer bags is ground beef but only because it won't form into that ground beef texture cooking in a slow cooker.

Some of the recipes that are frozen in a pan have parts that are pre-cooked and then frozen and then some have been mostly cooked and are ready to be put in the oven after defrosting.

I know the question of putting raw ingredients together will probably come up but if you do some reading here you should get most of your questions answered. I did a lot of research on this and came to a comfortable conclusion because all the ingredients are being frozen at the same time and cooked at a high temperature at the same time as well. We have been eating meals like these for several months and we have never had an issue. :)

Weekend {quilting}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 16:03:00 +0000

Don't you just love a weekend with no real plans or activities? This weekend I will be quilting and I'm so excited!

I'm also a little nervous... this beauty dates back to the 1970's. Note that I am not calling this a vintage quilt. That's because I was born in 1977 and I am not vintage. ;)

It's hand pieced and has some really fun fabrics in it. I'm quilting this one and another one for the owner of the quilts. This one will be a Christmas gift.

So you know that nervous feeling you get when you drop your needle into the quilt for the first time to begin quilting? I get that way with my own quilts so that feeling is multiplied when I'm quilting someone else's quilt; especially when it's been passed down in a family.

I have a few designs in mind that will hopefully reflect the the time that this quilt was pieced in and the fact that it's a family heirloom. As I'm basting and "getting to know" the quilt, I'll decide on the final design... that's typically when I finalize my quilting plans. Then the real fun begins...

I hope ya'll have a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday Words {prototype}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 17:15:00 +0000

Do you ever have an idea that works out great in your head but not so much in real life? I hope I'm not the only one!

So in the spirit of being real because I never want to give off the impression that every idea I have works out and everything I make turns out awesome like I imagined... meet my new lunch tote.

I've seen some similar totes with drawstrings built into them but I had some extra ideas as well to make it work for me.

I've been taking this cute little thing to work with me everyday and I wanted something to carry it in along with a fork/spoon, a bottle of water, and the rest of my lunch. I bought this lunch Crockpot at Target and I love it!

It's not meant to cook raw food in but it does a wonderful job heating leftovers, soups, etc. My favorite thing to take in it so far has been cooked brown rice, frozen broccoli and carrots, a little soy sauce, cashews and by lunch time I have "stir fry".

Anyways... my lunch bag turned out decent enough to take to work with me today but it's not what I was after design-wise. So I'll regroup, get some different supplies and hopefully I will make the tote I've envisioned. If it turns out better this next time then maybe my prototype will turn into a tutorial. :)

Bloggers Quilt Festival {fall 2012}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 15:20:00 +0000

I'm so excited that it's quilt festival time again! Thanks to Amy for hosting this fun even again!

I had a really hard time choosing a quilt to share this time around. I have two quilts that I recently finished and love but in the end I decided on my Giant Granny Panties {quilt}.

For those who are new to my blog, I'm sure you are wondering about the name of this quilt. I seem to have a knack for naming quilts so when the idea for making one granny square block into a giant one came along, the name just popped into my head. Just like my Balls to the Wall quilt.

I know.

My inspiration for this quilt is this one that lives in our local courthouse on display. When I saw it, it quickly reminded me that what was old is new again...

...all the way down to the block and even the rounded corners of the quilt.

photo credit here

This generation of quilters call it a granny square block. Quilters before us called it an album block, chimney sweep block, or friendship block.

This is one of my favorite things about quilting; history repeats itself in a good way.

My quilt measures approximately 64"x64". The squares are big... 7" finished. Those large squares gave me lots of room for quilting...

... and the quilting is what I'm the most proud of when I look at my finished quilt. I quilted it on my home machine, my Juki.

I've really grown as a quilter in the almost 5 years I've been quilting. I've come a long way from a non-creative person who had never touched a sewing machine to making this quilt! I'm living proof that anyone can quilt if they practice and have patience.

I took a risk with the binding but I really like the contrast and the striped appearance the plaid gives it. We still talk about the binding choice in my home because of this story...

I backed it with a vintage sheet which is one of my favorite ways to back a quilt.

This new quilt is already well loved and enjoyed by everyone in our home including Gus a.k.a Quilt Dog.

If you would like to make your own Giant Granny Panties {quilt} you can find the links my quilt along here. It's an easy and fun quilt to make.

Thanks for visiting today! Now I'm off to take a look at all the other beautiful quilts!

Blogger’s Quilt Festival Stats

Finished quilt measures : 64″ x 64"

Special techniques used : strip piecing

Quilted by : me {Jennifer Jenkinson}

Best Category : Favorite Home Machine Quilted Quilt, Favorite Throw Quilt

Wednesday Words {Steve names a quilt}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:44:00 +0000

Image credit

So I was in the study last night minding my own business when Steve walked in...

Steve: What are you doing?

Me: Just working on a new quilt design.

Steve: Cool. You should name it "Death Star".

Me: What??

Steve: You know... from Star Wars. The blocks kind of look like that.

Me: Oh dear.

So before you start thinking I'm the only one with a quilt naming problem in our house, don't forget Steve.

At least death has never been in the name of one of my quilts!

Dizzy Diamonds {a pattern}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 05:00:00 +0000

This post has been a long time in the making! It didn't take me that long to actually make the quilt but there's a lot that goes into writing an actual pattern.

Despite how this quilt looks, there are no templates or special rulers! That's the number one question I am asked. Nope... all you need are your basic quilting supplies!

There's a trick to the diamond construction and it's a pretty cool one which makes this quilt come together fast.

My quilt details... and I emphasize my because this is my quilt.

- Mix of Cosmo Cricket's Circa 1934

- some Pezzy prints
- and a few Kona solids thrown in to give your eyes a place to rest.
- It measures approximately 50" x 65"

The quilting... one of my favorite new ways to quilt. The random spirals are what gave this quilt its name.

It's super dense quilting but I've washed the quilt twice now and it's just as soft as any of my other free motion quilted quilts.

The binding. I've been hoarding this print for a long time. I cut it on the bias using this tutorial {yes I have to refer back to my own tutorials!} and I really love it.

So like I said, this quilt is my quilt. I took some of the things I love the most... numbers, letters, typewriters, a tape measure, and a fun and quirky block construction to reflect "me".

Out of all the quilts I've made, I've never done that. I'm normally all about the colors, prints, trends, etc. So if you haven't done this you really should, it's a lot of fun to make a quilt that reflects your personality!

And I must mention that I had some wonderful pattern testers! Their quilts are beautiful and their input was invaluable. I appreciate their willingness to make this quilt and give good and honest feedback. Thank you!!

You can find all the details, fabric requirements, and purchase the pattern here in my Craftsy shop. It's an instant PDF download and this is a fat quarter friendly pattern as well. I would rate this pattern as a good fit for a motivated beginner and beyond. And like any of my projects you always have access to me to ask questions!

I have also partnered with Sew Lux Fabric once again and they have put together two beautiful kits to make your own Dizzy Diamonds quilt. I'll be making a second quilt in the Modern Prints very soon!

The Modern Edition

The Christmas Edition

For a limited time the kits are on sale for $45.00...

This quilt was a lot of fun to design and really appreciate all the positive feedback and comments along the way as I worked to finish the quilt and the pattern. Ya'll are the best!

Linking up for Fabric Tuesday

My Giant Granny Panties {quilt}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 17:10:00 +0000

This quilt was a lot of fun to make! It came together quickly and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. This is a quilt you could easily make on a quiet weekend.

It's funny... I posted a picture of the finished quilt on Instagram this weekend and someone commented that it looks like a giant granny square block. Yep... hence the name.

It finishes at approximately 64" x 64" which is a big quilt for someone short like me. Steve and I can easily share it and you can just imagine how those jokes go with a name like Giant Granny Panties... ;)

The squares are 7" finished which is one of the reasons it's so easy and fast to make. The other reason is strip piecing which is a technique I use whenever I can. It's also fun to quilt with those big squares!

But what I'm most proud of is the quilting.

I've been quilting almost 5 years now and I'm self taught. I was never even brave enough to touch a sewing machine until then. I say all that to tell you that anyone can quilt! It's just practice and patience. And that's one of the biggest reasons I do quilt alongs; to help even the newest quilter make a quilt.

Granny's got back! I backed my quilt with a vintage sheet.

I bound it with the infamous plaid binding...

If you quilted along with me I hope you had as much fun as I did! If you didn't, I always leave my quilt alongs up on my blog so you can go back anytime and make one of my quilts.

Oh, and tomorrow is an exciting day around here! My Dizzy Diamonds pattern will be available and Sew Lux Fabrics will be offering two kits, a modern fabric mix and a Christmas fabric mix, for this fat quarter friendly pattern. Yay!!

Giant Granny Panties on Display

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 14:52:00 +0000

It's Friday and what better way to get ready for the weekend than by showing off your Giant Granny Panties {quilts}!

First up is Karen's quilt... I love her colors and the fall tree is a nice touch in her photo. I wish our leaves would start turning!

Next is Becky's quilt. Once again, great color choices! I love the circles too...

And lastly, here's a peak at my Giant Granny Panties {quilt} perfectly crinkly right out of the dryer.

It's getting darker here earlier and earlier and I haven't been happy with my pictures. This weekend is supposed to be great weather so hopefully I can talk Steve into going somewhere to take some quilt pictures. That's his favorite thing to do.

As more people finish, I'll features a few more quilts each Friday so keep them coming!

If you are looking for the rest of the quilt along here are the week by week instructions:

Why Giant Granny Panties?

It's never too late to join!

Something new...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:04:00 +0000

Thank you, thank you for all your thoughtful responses on yesterday's post! I got great feedback and I feel like I have some creative direction again. I also don't feel pigeonholed into one thing; like making quilts.

Now, my blog will always have a quilting focus but I'm finding that there is a lot of creative satisfaction in completing some small and useful projects like my Idea Pouch. So why not make some clothes too??

I've never really done much sewing when it comes to clothes. Pajama pants and sundresses are about the extent of my "expertise". But then I came across some really cute knits on sale at Joann's for $3 per yard. That's a tough deal to pass up!

At first I thought I would just make pajama pants but I like this print too much to only wear around the house. So it's destined to become one of the 6 designs the pattern offers. I'm pretty excited about it and I figure that if it doesn't work out then I'm not out too much money either.

Have ya'll sewn clothes in the past? I'm pretty comfortable sewing with knits but are there any other tips you have for me??

Wednesday Words {thinking}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:22:00 +0000

You know it's an interesting day when "how to quit blogging" is in your Google search box. And not for the reasons you might think either because no, I'm not quitting my blog! And who actually Googles that?

Me. ;)

What I was wanting to read were anecdotes of burnout, the consideration of quitting, and the turn back to blogging like one once loved to do.

I found lots of those stories. I also found a lot of "goodbye" posts as well. The funny thing was looking at those goodbyes and then seeing new blog posts showing up again after 6 months or so.

Have I contemplated quitting? Sure. I think that a lot of bloggers, if they were honest with themselves, would own up to those thoughts as well. But as soon as I start writing that post in my head, the 6 month-later-I-missed-you-so-much-post is written even faster. So instead of wasting my time with that I figured I could be more productive looking at what is driving these recent thoughts...

1. I'm-not-good-enough syndrome. I could be wrong but I think that most bloggers feel this way from time to time. I sure do. Sometimes it's tough reading polished blogs with amazing pictures and projects. It makes me wonder where they get all their time and then I'm left feeling less than great.

2. Time. As I mentioned above, I simply do not have the time in my days to accomplish a quilt a week... unless I want to stay up super late. Now I love doing that sometimes because I'm a night owl but it also tends to hurt Steve's feelings if he goes to bed by himself too often. So there's that priority... I'm a wife first.

And then there's Chaney. As she is branching out and sewing more and more. I may have plans to work on one thing in my studio only to be derailed by her or her best friend and her who want to make other things... like American Girl doll clothes which involves tiny seams and me not even being able to swear because there are eight year old ears right there with me.

3. Pressure. I put a ton of pressure on myself to be perfect. Perfectionism sucks, BTW. It's not a personality trait you ever want to aspire to. But sometimes the pressure builds up and leaves me paralyzed... something to the effect of "if I can't do it perfectly then I can't do it at all".

4. Identity. I'm a quilter. That's my automatic answer when someone asks me about my hobbies. But sometimes small projects appeal to me... sometimes large projects are great... and sometimes just writing is the perfect activity for me; like my Wednesday Words posts.

5. Transparency. I have always said that my desire here is to be real. That's not always easy in the online community but also in real life. But I don't have regrets here either. However, where is that line between being transparent and over-sharing? That's a tough one.

So given those 5 points, what do ya'll think? I value my friends and readers opinions greatly.

What do you like about the blog? What do you not care so much for?

What do you want to see more of? I.E. tutorials... my quilting process... finished quilts... smaller projects... writing about our craft... fabric talk/industry talk, etc. Your input could even be making suggestions for the layout of my blog!

What do you want to see less of? And please don't be mean. I sincerely value your opinions and honest is fine but mean is never alright. ;)

You may even have something that bugs you about the blogging world in general and I would love to hear those things as well. But again, there's no need to be mean while claiming "honesty".

I'm hoping that having some feedback will give me a fresh perspective and even take some of the pressure off of me if it turns out that something I stress about isn't all that important to a reader. I realize that I'm opening myself up here but I truly believe that new ideas will always spark creativity.

I'm not going anywhere though... this post is just an attempt to have a conversation and freshen things up a bit. Thanks so much for your feedback!

Idea Pouch & Pattern Review

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:23:00 +0000

I've been a long time fan of Michelle Patterns. I learned how to sew bags from her patterns and tutorials. Her patterns are always well written and clear so when I decided it was time for a new iPad case I instantly fell in love with her Idea Pouch design.

There's room for my iPad, two Moleskine journals and a larger journal as well.

There are pen and pencils pockets too. I left the stitching for a few of the pen pockets out in favor of a larger slot for my iPhone and/or ear buds.

I love the detail of the pleated pocket!

And the interoffice closure is so unique and fun. Two vintage buttons and some ribbon and it is a very secure case.

I've been saving the last of my washi fabrics for a fun project... and one that I would get to keep and enjoy and I'm so glad that I did!

This was a fast and fun project. The directions and tips were excellent as usual. The double topstitching and the pleated pouch really make this case high quality. And unlike some other patterns in my past {not Michelle's}, I finished this pouch knowing that I would be making more of them. Which is a good thing because Steve is already wanting one. And FYI, Steve has the keyboard attachment for his iPad and it fits in this case along with everything else just fine...

And the best part, I got stopped in Starbucks this morning and was asked if I got this case from Anthropologie {huge compliment to Michelle and her design!}. That was pretty awesome by itself and then I got to tell them that I made it. :) Made my day!

Hapy Fabric Tuesday!

Breaking in...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:32:00 +0000

... my Giant Granny Panties {quilt}. Here it is in the wash. I got a good giggle out of posting on Instagram that I was washing my granny panties.

Little did I know that I would be getting some really good use out of my new quilt right away. I've had some random mystery fever for two weeks now. Other than the fever, fatigue, and aching I've had no other symptoms. Weird.

By Thursday of that first week I was tired of walking around with a fever so I went to the doctor. Gus and I spent Friday and most of the weekend on the couch.

I re-read one of my favorite books...

And another... {yes those are Chaney's tiny toes}

...and another one.

Why am I reading a lot of old classics? Other than the fact that I love them, Chaney's reading level has really taken off and the books she's been bringing home aren't really cutting it anymore. So we've been in search of age appropriate books on her level. I remember reading To Kill a Mockingbird when I was about her age but after re-reading and really thinking about it from her perspective, I think that one needs to be shelved a few more years. She is a pretty sensitive kid and even though that book is narrated by a character her age I think the content might be a bit too much for her.

The other reason I've been reading books... real books... is because I don't think kids in general are seeing enough people reading around them. Sure, we are reading on Kindles, iPads, etc but it may not look like that to them. Just as easy as I could be reading on my iPad I could also be playing around on Instagram and I think she knows that. So more real books for me! Plus I love the way they smell and feel in my hands. Yep, I know I'm weird...

*off my soapbox* ;)

By that Sunday night I was so bored that I started fabric ~~shopping~~ browsing from the couch. But other than that, there was no fabric, sewing or anything interesting going on other than the vintage sheet scrap pack that showed up courtesy of Amanda that totally made my day!

I'm feeling a little better today and I'm working on taking pictures of a few quilts. This Friday I'll be doing a Giant Granny Panties {quilt} feature. You don't have to be finished but I'd love to see your fabric, progress and of course finished tops & quilts. You can either add your pictures to our Flickr group or like some of you have, email me your pictures or blog links.

I hope your week is off to a great start!

Wedneday Words {hooking}

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:36:00 +0000

This past weekend Steve and I took Chaney and her best friend to San Antonio. Steve works for an amazing airline with great perks... some of which include hopping on a plane last minute for free and discounts everywhere when we travel. :)

So off we went on the first flight out on Saturday morning. That involved getting two 8 year olds up at 5:15am. No small feat and apparently they needed Starbucks just as much as Steve and I did.

We landed and picked up a rental car... some huge Ford thing with a third row that the girls claimed as their own. It worked out well. We couldn't hear them and they couldn't hear us. Score.

It was raining and the thought of Sea World in the rain made me exhausted thinking about Fiesta Texas the next day. Hence my proposal...

Me: We can all do Sea World today and maybe tomorrow you can take the girls to Fiesta Texas.

Steve: And what will you do??

Me: Fredericksburg. It's close. And remember all that fabric and other cool stores??

Steve: Sure, you can do that tomorrow.

Me: Really?!

Steve: Yeah, right after I take your credit cards.

Me: But how will I buy fabric then?

Steve: That's your problem.

Me: Fine. I'll just make a sign and stand on the corner in downtown Fredricksburg.

Steve: And what would that sign say?

Me: "Will hook for fabric"

Before I could convince him that I was talking about crochet of course, my plans for Fiesta Texas were immediately set in stone. Fortunately for all involved it didn't rain on Sunday and we had beautiful weather.

So even with the lack of fabric and street corners, it was a fun weekend!