Boston Molasses Flood and Ostrich Stroganoff

The newest quilt in the works id the Boston Molasses Flood quilt.  I've finally got all the slivers pieced together and am in the process of stitching diagonals...  With luck, I'll have the top completely pieced by Saturday afternoon (once I get the material for the borders and such...).

The borders will also be brown - I haven't decided what fabric, but it will be a solid or tone-on-tone.  Then will come the fun part - quilting!  I've already figured out how I will quilt it - I just have to find the right picture and such.... more details on that later.

There is another color variant on this one that is done in blues - haven't started that one yet.  Might take a while to get to it, but it will happen eventually.  The blue variant is "Isaac's Storm," after the 1900's Galveston hurricane.

I am hoping to have Boston Molasses done before faire starts (well, before workshops start in earnest) because once faire happens, my sewing time drops dramatically.  Costumes, etc., have to take precendence. 

Other than that, we're settling into the house well.  I made ostrich stroganoff this weekend - easy to make!  I found ostrich at our local Central Market - love that store.  We also bought elk, but haven't done anything with it yet.  Anyway, the ostrich was very tasty, but I had strange nightmares afterwards.  Since I'm having leftovers today for lunch, we'll see if it's the ostrich that does it!  :)  Tonight's dinner will be a stir-fried chicken and veggies in a light cream sauce. 

I do wish the Texas weather would make up its mind.  It is supposed to get up into the 70's today.  In January.  *sigh*  I don't know WHAT'S going on.  Neither do the plants.  My lime tree has blossoms.  It's probably going to be unpleasantly surprised by the end of the week. 

Quilt.. quilt... quilt.. repeat

This weekend I accomplished nothing in the way of actually SEWING, but I did buy more fabric.  Technically it's fabric for the next two quilts, so it's okay.  There's a use planned for every piece I bought.  I just have to finish the Massive Quilt-o'-Doom first.

Oh, and there was inspiration for yet another quilt.  I just have to think on it some.... 

Anyway, here's the fabric for the next quilt, which will probably be called Baby's Day Out.  Grays and blue-grays.  Deliberately so.  Baby will be various shades of green, and there will be spots of color in a few locations... in my mind's eye, I see the finished product already.


Oh, and there is actually another next next quilt.  I am just not sure if the pattern will work yet.  And I am trying to limit myself to only three future quilts at a time.  I think I am about to violate that, but hey, why not?  It's a goal, right?  Plus, if I am thinking about designing quilt patterns, I should have a stock of patterns with completed quilts to show, right?  That's my excuse right now, anyway.

So, that's where my weekend went - wandering around, seeing cool and interesting things - oh, yeah.

We road-tripped this weekend to the Texas Hill Country.  We stayed at a FABULOUS Bed and Breakfast - Jolly's Haus - oh, so comfy there!  We wandered around Fredericksburg and shopped some, and went to see a bat emergence, which was TOTALLY cool despite the noisy and unruly children.  We went to an estate sale, where I found two folding rocking chairs.  (Cute and functional!  Pics later!)  Spent my roommate's birthday wandering the countryside at quilt stores and fudge shoppes (I think Fredericksburg survives on wine and chocolate!), and on the way back today stopped at Longhorn Caverns and took a hike through a cavern carved by an underground river.   Again, seriously neat and interesting and cool despite a child who decided halfway through that he was afraid.

Along the way, saw a live skunk - a little one - crossing the road.  He/she was cute!  And since we cruised the Hill Country during the evening, we saw LOTS of deer.  Didn't hit any, which is good, because those things will run right out in front of you!  Lots of cows, lots of goats, and lots of horses.  All in all, a good weekend!

... she designs stuff

More patterns!  Yeah, I know... I have so much I should be doing - and I did!  I worked on quilting for a LONG time this weekend.  The massive quilt-o'-doom is coming along.

Which is a good thing.  I now have three quilt designs I want to try.  Two are fully fleshed out, down to fabric choices and everything.  The other one is slightly more nebulous, because it involves several different appliques which I am also having to design. 

I am thrilled in one way - I begin to think that I COULD design quilts.  Maybe not for a LIVING, but I could maybe sell a few.  I just need to be a faster quilter!  Or find other people who like to quilt who could help me out.  :)  At any rate, I need to finish the designs completely - figure out yardage, and applique patterns, and all that stuff.  Write up instructions.  See what the actual pieced part looks like put together and all.

And get a stamp made.  I need to scan my design as a higher quality pic first, so I CAN get it made. 

No pics today.  Maybe this evening.  We'll see.  I pulled fabric for the Halloween tiny banner last night, so I will try to get that started, too.