Spring Quilt retreat

Friday afternoon, following a morning of snow, our quilt group gathered in the barn for our Stitchin' Chicks spring quilt retreat!  This is the first time we have had snow to begin our weekend. 

We had a wonderfully relaxing and restorative weekend.  As per usual, lots of laughs, lots of sewing, lots of food and lots of wine! 

Here are a few images of our time together. 

I love this sign that Emily gave me several years ago!

Beth made these crochet scrubbies for everyone.  Barb brought little fabric covered notebooks for us to keep track of our projects!  This was our place setting for Friday night dinner, which was pizza!!!!!

Saturday morning, the sun shone brightly as we made our way to and from the barn.

A defined path through the snow.

Claudia is always ready with a bright and happy smile.

This is proof that Nan is crazy!  She is putting together this signature quilt for her daughter Rachel and husband Scott for their wedding gift.  Below, you can see that there are hundreds of pieces that make up larger triangles.  And a definite pattern to follow. 

Wedding guests signed pieces of fabric that make up part of the quilt.  Nan made really good progress this weekend, perhaps about half finished?  It's going to be a great keepsake for Rachel and Scott.

This is Cheryl's paper pieced Mariners compass.  This is proof that Cheryl is crazy!!!  

Cheryl Brownlee made this adorable camper themed quilt for their camper.  It made me smile every time I looked at it.  

A closer look at the camper themed fabric.

This is Nina's first quilt!  It's put together with great attention to matching points and corners.  Quite impressive for a first try!  

Kathy and Beth are doing some planning on a wall hanging that Kathy brought to work on.  Lots of ideas and lots of brain storming, and then a plan that Kathy was very happy with.

After a trip to Odessa for fabric, Kathy set to work on setting the birds that she pieced before she arrived at the barn.  She left with the top put together, though she has more to add as time allows with a hope of a finished project before fall retreat!

I worked on the spring quilt for the guest bedroom.  It is a double Irish chain, and I am very happy with how this is coming along.  Here I'm working on piecing the 25 patch block.

This is the second block of the Irish Chain.  I'll take pictures when it's finished!  

Joann put this all together this weekend!  This is just the start!  And this wasn't the only thing that she did!  

We all brought dish towels that we have made over the years.  A variety of techniques were on display. 

These are some that I made several years ago.  They are colored with crayon then heat set.  I admit that I have never used them!

Sunrise on Sunday morning.  Beth woke up early.....4:30am!  So, even though we all pack up and leave the barn by mid afternoon, Beth and I got a lot done.  We both love our quiet time together in the mornings.

The sun made a interesting shadow of the house on the hills almost a half mile away.  So pretty.

Sunday morning brunch was so colorful to the eye and flavorful to consume!

The daffodils that Joann brought of Friday were opened and smiling at us for breakfast.  Nothing says spring like daffodils, even if there is snow outside!

Kathy made these darling place card holders for each of us.  So many creative brains in our group.  

Concerts to Quilts

This coming weekend is The Stichin' Chicks spring quilt retreat.  Alicia helped me get the barn set up yesterday afternoon.  There's still a little bit to do, but we're close.  Friday afternoon at 2pm the fun and frivolity begins!

The weather forecast is for nasty weather, perfect for staying huddled up in the barn and getting lots of sewing and stitching done. 

Here's what the empty barn looks like, before we fill it up with sewing machines, knitting needles, finished projects, wine and tasty snacks!

The almost empty barn. 

I don't know where all the insects come from, or how they manage to infiltrate the barn when it is so cold, but here they are.  Also pictured here is my birthday present from last year, which I love!  

When I was mopping the floor I looked up and noticed the setting sun reflecting off the windmill blades.  

This old sewing machine was a barn gift from a friend.  It's a perfect accent to quilt retreat weekends.

My mom made this flag several years ago.  We hung it in the barn for a recital and have never taken it down.  It's perfect.

The barn quilt is hung ever retreat in the entry way.

Louise gave me this rooster a few years ago.  He has found a permanent place in the barn.

Beth made Aunt Esther for a family reunion long, long ago.  She too has found a permanent home in the barn, greeting all who enter.  

Finished Projects

I have had a winter of indulgence.  I've allowed myself to work on lots of different projects, almost to the point of obsession!  Time for farm and garden work is drawing near however, and I know my life of leisure will soon come to an end.  I am trying to squeeze one more quilt in before the ground thaws and the temperatures rise.  The race is on....

I made this for my mom for her birthday.  It was a kit that she bought several years ago but hadn't gotten around to working.  It's wool, so of course I was happy to play with it!

I made this for my friend Claudia.  She bought the kit this fall, and I just loved it!  I brought it home to copy the pattern and decided I might as well put it together for her.  Again.....wool.  

This is the fall quilt for our bed. It has been a two winter project.  I'm very pleased with how it all came together.  I delivered it to Kathy Woods last week for her to quilt.  

This cute little Christmas ABC was my "carry project" for quite awhile.  A carry project is one that you carry with you every where you go, so that you always have something to work on while waiting in doctor offices, or riding in the car or.....

A person should never be with out a carry project, so once I finished the ABC I put this one together.  It finished much quicker than the ABC.  I used an old pillow case that was Ron's Aunt Helen's, coffee dyed it and then stitched.  I'm not exactly sure what I will do with either one of these.  

This is the wool quilt that I made for David and Roni.  I absolutely love making these.  Piecing them goes fast, which is kind of fun, but the best part of these wool quilts is the hand stitching that acts as the quilting.  

I'm not sure what it is about this that I love so much.  

Here's a closer look at the hand stitching.  

This is the chenille and flannel quilt that I finally finished. 

I'm very pleased with how it turned out, which is a huge relief because I was not happy with it as I was working.

We've had super cold temperatures the last five or six days.  Lows in the single digits and highs in the low 20's.  The ground is frozen solid again so perhaps I will have a few more weeks of scratching my sewing itch!  What a fun winter I've had......

Rolinco Road Test Kitchen

I spent ALL day in the kitchen today.  I really shouldn't have.  I am trying to decide what to take to the FFA alumni dessert auction next weekend.  I tried a couple recipes new recipes and only one gets to stay in the keep pile.  I made two different recipes of Ding Dongs.  One was good, the other goes to the chickens!  But, even the good one takes way too much time for my baking patience.

Cutting out the rounds after baking the cake.  There was more than one that didn't cut nicely.  

Cut out ding dongs, waiting to be filled and "ganached"!  

I also tried two different fillings.  This was the 7 minute frosting filling.  Good, but very sweet.  

This is the marshmallow cream based filling.  It was also very sweet but a good balance to the dark chocolate.

The keeper is Peppermint Patties.  The recipe says they are best out of the freezer and I'm sure that is true.  They may go to the auction, they may not make it that long! 

Peppermint Patties ready to go in to the fridge and then the freezer once the ganache has set.  

Earlier in the week I made some cherry pie galettes.  Tried a new pastry tart recipe which will also go on the keep list.  The rustic pies were good, but not very pretty, so I'm afraid they wouldn't bring much at auction.

A plate of experiments.  The taller ding dongs are the fail.  The chickens will enjoy them I'm sure!  The rest are keepers, though I don't anticipate making ding dongs again any time soon.

As I was trying these new things, and getting increasingly more frustrated as the hours ticked away, I wondered why I was doing this.  I should just make Uncle Dean's Everyday cookies.  They are everyone's favorite, I can knock them out in no time, and I know they won't fail like the Ding Dongs.......live and learn I suppose!

White Valentine's Day

Yesterday morning we woke up to winter white snowfall for our Valentine Day.  Nothing red or pink about this day outside!  It was gorgeous, and the sun came out to play in the afternoon, making for perfect walking weather with the terriers on Rolinco Road.

It snowed overnight and most of the morning.

The snowfall went from fine flakes to big fat fluffy flakes by late morning.  The fat fluffy flakes are my favorite!

A lone set of tracks on Rolinco road prove that Alicia was able to get to work this morning!

Charlie investigating something in the field.

These two terriers love their off leash walks on Rolinco Road.

More than once, they stop and fuss with each other.

They make a terrible racket.

Barking and growling until Baxter finally runs off and then Charlie follows.

Charlie loves the snow and was thrilled to run through the pasture making tracks.

He's like a skier in fresh powder!

Snow dog!