Happy Birthday Courtney!

 

Just like your mama does!

Happy Happy Birthday Baby Girl.

Let's make your day over-the-top!!

A funny thing happen when I went to the mechanic...

So I have a new car.
It looks like this.

And by "new" I mean new to me.
And I love it.
And by love it I mean 30 mpg.

This was my old car.
I really loved it.

And by really loved I mean 300,000 trouble free miles.
Chevy Suburban. Tons of room. Smooth ride.
And did I mention trouble free.
Until the day it died. And that was that.

Ok, so on to the funny...
My "new" car had some sort of electrical glitch and it had to go to the shop this morning.
Now, for the record, I don't have much "take the car to the shop" experience (refer to the 300,000 trouble frees miles mentioned above.).
I follow my guy to the shop and he parks in the front lot and I can see that the service lot is around the side so I head that way. And there is a stop sign hanging on the side of a little kiosk thing which is empty. So I stop. I look both ways. And I continue on into the service lot and park my car in an empty space. And then I glance in the rearview and I see that every man in the place is staring at me/my car. And I get the feeling that I am not supposed to be back there. But what am I going to do? Turn around and drive back out? Stay put? Fly off into the great unknown?? Good grief.
I decide to go with the get-out-of-the-car-and-act-like-nothing-is-wrong-plan.
It worked ok. The service manager came over and asked me if I needed anything and I said that I had an appointment to get my car serviced and he said he would be glad to help me with that, and all the while he is leading me out of the unauthorized area and into the approved customer zone. And he was very nice and he did not mention my big faux paus.
But my guy did.
"Why did you drive the car back there? Didn't you see the stop sign?"
"Yes I did see the stop sign. That is why I stopped right there before I drove into the parking lot".
"Everybody knows that stop sign means stop and wait here for help".
"What do you mean everybody knows that. I am somebody and I didn't know that".
"Well I don't know how you got to be 40 years old and not know that".
(And it was so sweet the way he said 40. Like it was true.)
"That is so dumb. If they want you to stop and stay, why don't they say so. When you walk into a restaurant the sign either says "seat yourself" or "please wait to be seated" it doesn't just say "stop".
"That is what the line is for. The stop sign means stop. The LINE on the ground means stay here".

And how can a girl argue with this. I mean really.
And by girl, I mean barely 40 years old.

Pinterest Cookin'

Do you make recipes you find on Pinterest?
I do. Not as many as I pin, but I have tried a few.


Are you ever disappointed??
Me too!!

Some of these recipes are just a mess.

Like the Olive Garden Knock-off salad dressing. Yuck-a-roo.
If you are thinking about making this one for company (like we did)....DON'T DO IT!

 via

Or how about this one (I put this one on my summer-to-do list). These crackers are supposed to be so good they're addicting. Like crack-cocaine. NOT. I made a batch. We ate a couple. Threw the rest in the trash. What a waste.

via

But, then some are super good.
Like this one....

 via

And this one. Oh yeah, this one is a 2 thumbs up!

via

So that brings us to today's cooking adventure.

I pinned this one on my summer-to-do list.

via

This is a recipe (apparently THE original recipe) for gluten free chocolate chip cookies.

I pinned this one to make for our little cowgirl who is now a gluten free-cowgirl.

But then, when I went to make it a few weeks ago and actually followed the link through to the recipe....I promptly dismissed the idea (with lots of eye-rolling). I mean seriously...chocolate chip cookies make from garbanzo beans and honey. Absurd!!

Then a few weeks later, surprise surprise, we had a guest over for a party and she was raving about the bean cupcakes and cookies her daughter was making.

Huh?? Could this really be true??

I have been thinking about this.

And thinking some more.

And then our gluten free-cowgirl had to make a few more VERY UNWANTED changes to her diet.
And she was VERY SAD.

And as her mama I needed to do a little something to help her find her way.

And, in this case, "a little something" turned out to be garbanzo bean cookies. (I don't recommend garbanzo bean cookies as the solution for every storm that might come your way. But in this case....)

So here is the deal with these weirdo cookies.

They actually taste good!

Say what?

Yes, they T-A-S-T-E good.

The texture is a little off (soft and not much to chew on) but the flavor gets a thumbs up.

And as an added bonus, these little cookies are PACKED with protein.

So there you have it.

If you need a gluten free, grain free, soy free, dairy free, egg free cookie recipe, I think you should try this one.

It is a pretty good substitute for the real thing.

Guess What?

Fiesta wins!
How festive!
She had this to say: Rana congratulations on having your pattern published. I am a loyal follower.
Send me a little email, Fiesta, (rana@sewnintothefabric) with your snail mail info and I will pop it in the mail next week. Happy pinning.

Little Pink Houses

String Quilts. They are an obsession for me.
I just cannot seem to get enough of them.

Here is the latest one, hot off the press (or sewing machine) complete with backing, binding and label.
Now I just need to find a big chunk of quilting time.

And if you want to see a few more string beauties, check out my Pinterest board on the subject, HERE.

Fresh Picked and a Give-Away

See that cute pear pincushion on the cover?
That pattern is courtesy of moi.
Page 12.
You're gonna love it. It stitches up super fast and will make a great gift for all your sewing friends.
And it is getting to be that time a year again....time to start your holiday sewing. So keep it in mind!

Quilt-it Today is a great magazine filled with beginning to intermediate projects of all kinds.
It retails at a whole $3.99, so if you haven't picked one up yet, you might want to check it out.
They also publish a companion magazine called Sew-it Today with projects geared more toward general sewing. Because those of us with fabric, scissors and a sewing machine need options. Lots of them.

We also need giveaways. Like cute pincushion giveaways!
This is a little green version of the pear, and it is just waiting to come and live with you.

 
Two ways to enter:
1. Become a follower or let me know you already are.
2. Spread the love and post a little something about this giveaway.

I'll choose a winner on Friday the 23rd and I hope it's you!

Royal Mail

Look what came in the mail today!

It's ROYAL mail.

No doubt these are average-everyday-run-of-the-mill supplies for the Brits, but they are new and exciting to me. What a great stamp! And that little envelope was kinda weird too.

So what was inside, you ask??

I have been seeing this ADORABLE tea cozy all over Pinterest and I just had to have the pattern.
So I ordered it!
It was advertised as a "vintage pattern", so that is what I was expecting.
Turns out it is just a copy--typed right into a computer, printed out, and popped into a protective sleeve.

Oh well. At least it will make an ADORABLE tea cozy.

School Supplies for Quilters

I am addicted to school supplies.
It's true.
Just ask my girls. They'll tell ya.
Paper, pencils, crayons, paper clips, folders, tape dispensers.............oh boy.

Now in years past, this was not an issue. We had students. They needed school supplies. I had my addiction. It worked.

But now........eh?
No one is all that excited to get fun school-y stuff from moi.

I've had to make a few changes.
Like just buy it all for myself.
Me. The quilter. It's so great!

You should definitely get in on this!
You can stock your studio for the whole year for $10 or less.
But you have to do it during the back-to-school sales-blitz in August.

Here are some of my favorite things:

1. Binder Paper. You can usually get this for 25 cents or less. Use it to print paper piecing templates. It is the same weight as the special paper piecing paper, but oh so much cheaper. And the lines on the paper really won't interfere with what your doing. (I have NEVER had a problem with it.)

2. Notebooks. These are great for jotting down your ideas (like those amazing middle of the night layouts that you can never quite remember after the sun comes up). And if you get the graph paper kind, they work great for drafting designs.

3.Post-It notes. These are good for.....well, everything. But I like to use them to make notes about patterns. I stick them right on the book pages, so that the next time I look at that particular pattern I will remember any mistakes in the pattern or tangents I might want to pursue, or notes for friends who might be borrowing my book.

4. Pens. You gotta have something to write all of this stuff down with.

5. Sharpies. These are a common item on workshop supply lists. Get them in regular and fine tip, just to cover your bases.

6. Colored pencils and a sharpener. These go with the graph paper. Use them for drafting ideas and designs.

7. Mechanical Pencils with extra lead. These are great for marking. I like to use them LIGHTLY when I am marking blocks for applique (especially back basting).

8. Glue sticks. Another common supply list item. You also need these for making mock-ups of blocks.

9. Paper scissors. Not only are they good for cutting paper (like applique templates) they are also good for travel. Blunt nosed ones will almost always make it through TSA. But if they don't, at least you only paid 50 cents for them!

10. Calculator. For calculating, of course.

11. Paint brushes. If you want to mod podge some cute fabric onto......well, anything.

12. Poster board. Use this to make yourself a portable design board. You'll be super glad you did. Tutorial HERE.

13. Crayons and coloring books/doodle pads. Use these to occupy any little people who might be hanging out in your sewing room. Or make something like this, this  or this to give as gifts.

14. Elmer's Glue. I have no idea why you need this, but I do know that every now and then it comes up and I can't find any. And I think to myself..."How is it that a girl with a school supply addiction doesn't have any Elmer's glue". So I am just sayin'...you might want to get some.

15. Friction Pens. These are great for marking fabric. They put down a nice bold line of ink that is easy to see. And when you are done with it, you just put a hot iron on it and it disappears. (It will reappear if the fabric gets really cold, but you can just iron it off again.)

Well, that is all I can think of right now, but if anything else comes to me I will add it to the list.
Happy shopping.

Update on the uses of Elmer's glue: quilters who dye their own fabrics use it as a resist when creating dye patterns.

Moore Dollies

Good Morning blogger-peeps!

Check out this little collection of dollies with their own quilts and rolls with hot wheels cars in them.

Wanna know what is happening with all of this?
Ok, I will tell you.

We (as in my little quilt group and me) made these as part of the relief effort for Moore, Oklahoma and the surrounding area. (Remember the monster tornado that did SO MUCH damage back in May.)

via

Well, we wanted to do something to help out. We knew we were not going to be able to pull off the biggest, most helpful, air-lifting in medical supplies kind of help, but we wanted to do something.

So we decided to target the children. And more specifically the younger children. And since we are all quilters, we  knew it was going to be fabric-related-relief. I mean seriously. We can't even stop ourselves with the fabric.

We each bought a dolly. And then we made a quilt for her.

And we each bought a few hot wheels cars. And we made little roll up cases to put them in.

When I called to get the shipping information, I learned a lot.

There are many, many families still living in tents. 

People are still being fed by volunteers who take time to make hot meals for strangers in need.

And that toys have not been replaced. Toys cannot be a priority in a situation of devastation.

So, I asked how many dolls with quilts and rolls with cars they could use.

And the lady told me "as many as you can send".

And I looked at our little pile of love and knew that it was not anywhere near enough.

So, here is where you come in.

Would anyone out there like to join us in sending a little handmade love to Oklahoma?

All you need to do is buy a doll/teddy bear and make it a little quilt.

Or pick up a few hot wheels cars and make a little roll to put them in.

Or both

We are planning on shipping September 15. So you have a little time.

Let me know.

Time in Jelly Beans

Quotable

Just for Fun

What's a girl to do when she is home alone on a Friday night??

Surf the web, of course!


According to the Royal Name Generator, if I had been born into royalty I would have been known as Archduchess Pebbles The Lioness. So way better than Rana!

And according to Texaneria, these are the ORIGINAL gluten free chocolate chip cookies that are all over Pinterest. I am making these for the cowgirl.

How about these great desktop wallpapers. I downloaded a waterfall and bookmarked the site for future use.

I found this recipe for Japanese cucumber salad dressing. It is almost exactly like the one I was trying to imitate.

And then there is this video.

Yep, this is so way better than backpacking. Better than walking around for hours with a giant pack on your back, sleeping on the ground, fishing your food out of the bottom of a bear-proof canister, pumping water out of the nearest creek, and digging your own potty.

It is so nice to be HOME alone on a Friday night!