Saturday Sweetness: Revelations Yogurt

This is officially the Summer of Frozen Yogurt. An independent yogurt shop called Revelations Yogurt recently opened up in a neighboring town, and last weekend we decided to try it. It took us a while to find it, since I couldn’t remember the name exactly, but when we did, it was excellent. The set up is very similar to Menchie’s, with ten flavors that you serve yourself and pay for by weight, but by being a family-owned business instead of a chain, it was nicer overall. The texture of the yogurt was richer, the flavors were more robust, the service was friendlier and the toppings were fresher. Sadly, they did not have my two favorite toppings: graham cracker crumbs and mini chocolate chips. I made do with Oreos and regular chocolate chips on my Red Velvet Cake/Chocolate swirled yogurt. This place is a great treat on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

WIP Wednesday: July 27, 2011

Thanks to my wonderful mother, I made a lot of progress this week. She graciously offered the use of her newer machine for machine quilting as well as baby-sitting while I quilted, so I was able to dust off two old projects and quilt them. They are going to be gifts, so you only get a sneak peek this week. My dad also helped by baby-sitting while Mom and I figured out a tension problem that resulted in a whole lot of unpicking. I hope when my daughter grows up that she enjoys spending time with her parents as much as I enjoy spending time with mine.

Check out Freshly Pieced for more WIP Wednesday goodness.

Current Projects

Aqua and Red Table Runner (aka Unblogable #3) At one point, I started this as a gift for a friend, but decided it wasn’t right for her and made her something entirely different. Since then, I have decided that she needs this too, so I pulled it out this week and machine quilted it. Now all it needs is binding.

Batik Quilt: I received this kit as a gift ages ago. The top has been done for some time, but I didn’t know how I was going to quilt it, so it hung in the closet, neglected. This weekend I machine quilted it in a cross-hatch pattern, my current favorite. It also needs to be bound. My little helper loved the bright colors.

Kaleidoscope Quilt Along {15/35 blocks complete}: While I did not enjoy using templates, I am very much enjoying this quilt over all. I can’t wait to finish it and wrap my little girl up in it.

Warm Cool Quilt Along: I. Love. This. Quilt. I finished the top recently and have it hanging in my dining room because it makes me so happy to look at it, even in its unfinished state. I am auditioning binding and backing and am enjoying a slower pace with this mini quilt.

On Hold
Blueberry Pie
Call Me Crazy {17/42 blocks complete}
Color Book
Scrappy Nine-Patch {12/70 blocks complete}
Valentine’s Day Half-Square Triangles

Stats

New projects: 0
Completed projects: 0
Total projects: 14

Saturday Sweetness: Menchie’s

Apparently frozen yogurt is the new cupcake. There seems to be frozen yogurt shops everywhere now. A Menchie’s store recently opened near us, and we have already been there a couple times. The first time, I had the Grasshopper (mint) flavor with mini chocolate chips, oreos and graham cracker crumbs. The texture was really weird. It was kind of icy and not like normal frozen yogurt. The second time, I was much happier with my choice. I had the Cupcake flavored yogurt and it was really yummy! The texture was much better, too. I tried more toppings, like brownie and cheesecake bites, which were alright. I really like being able to chose how much yogurt and toppings I want. The rewards card works well, too. The location is really convenient, so we will most likely be back.

WIP Wednesday: July 20, 2011

Inspiration sure can be fickle. One minute the Color Book was my top priority, and the next minute my inspiration decided to take a detour to my quilt alongs. I think this may be why I have so many WIPs. At least I haven’t started anything new lately.

Check out Freshly Pieced for more WIP Wednesday goodness.

Current Projects

Kaleidoscope Quilt Along: I do not like using templates at all. It’s so slow! Luckily, I love how this quilt is coming together, so it’s worth it, just this once. My husband has generously offered to help with the ironing, which is speeding this up nicely. A bunch of the block quarters are finished, so I now have a feel for how the blocks are going to turn out. I’d love to have the top pieced this week so I can machine quilt it this weekend.

 

Warm Cool Quilt Along: I have loved this quilt from the day I started it, and it has not let up. I am way behind on the quilt along (which is already finished), so there isn’t really any rush to finish. I’m taking my time and enjoying the process. Just a few more seams and the top will be finished! I will be hand quilting this one.

Dots Swap!: I’m co-hosting a swap for the first time, which is a new kind of WIP for me. I really enjoyed designing the button and look forward to the swap itself. (I’m not counting this in my stats since it’s a swap.)

On Hold
Blueberry Pie
Call Me Crazy {17/42 blocks complete}
Color Book
Scrappy Nine-Patch {12/70 blocks complete}
Valentine’s Day Half-Square Triangles

Stats

New projects: 0
Completed projects: 0
Total projects: 14

Finish It Up! Slow and Steady

Finish It Up! Slow and Steady

Since last week’s Finish It Up! post, I have finished another quilt, which means I am down to 14 WIPs.

Here’s an update:

1.       Yellow Brick Road #1: FINISHED
2.       Yellow Brick Road #2: FINISHED
3.       Unblogable #1: Progress
4.       Unblogable #2
5.       Baby’s Color Book: Progress
6.       Unblogable #3
7.       Paris Cats Quilt #1
8.       Batik Kit Quilt
9.       Unblogable #4
10.   Call Me Crazy
11.   Scrappy Nine-Patch
12.   Unblogable #5
13.   Forest Friends Embroidery: FINISHED
14.   Blueberry Pie
15.   Warm Cool Quilt Along: Progress
16.   Kaleidoscope Quilt Along: Progress
17.   Valentine’s Day Half-Square Triangles

Next week I will focus on finishing Color Book and catching up on my quilt alongs.

Check out Fashioned by Meg for more finishes.

Dots Swap! Summer 2011

I don’t know about you, but I love dots! Most of the projects I’ve worked on lately include dots of some kind. If you love dotted fabric as much as I do, then Dots Swap! is for you. It’s a chance to swap your dotted quilting fabric and receive a variety of different dotted fabric in return. The swap is hosted by Debbie of A Quilter’s Table and myself, and we would love for you to join us!

Fabric and Swap Details:

Each swap member will select four fat quarters of 100% cotton dotted quilting fabric, either from their stash or newly purchased. You will then send one fat quarter to each of four swap partners and receive four different fat quarters of dotted fabric in return. We will leave the sign-up open through Thursday, July 21 (one week from today) and send you an email with your assigned swap partners by Thursday, July 28. Then you have two weeks to prepare and ship your fat quarter dotted fabric to your swap partners (that’s a deadline of August 11).

To Sign Up:

Comment below (or at A Quilter’s Table) if you would like to join the swap. After you sign up, email the following info to one of us (either Debbie at drfjeske (at) gmail (dotcom) or Rachel at snippetsofsweetness (at) gmail (dotcom)):

• Your name
• Your blog address (it’s okay if you don’t have a blog!)
• Your mailing address
• Whether or not you are willing to ship international

(Remember, your sign up is not complete until we get an email from you!)

The sign-up starts today. You can grab a button below or on the sidebar. Hope to see you in the Dots Swap!

<center><a href="http://snippetsofsweetness.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x440/debjeske/SmallDotsSwapButton.jpg"/></a></center>

WIP Wednesday: July 13, 2011

I am really trying to buckle down and finish my WIPs! This last week, I finished the second Yellow Brick Road baby quilt. I had a deadline, so I put everything else aside until I completed it. Finishing is a great feeling, but I’ve got a long way to go on the rest of my projects.

Check out Freshly Pieced for more WIP Wednesday goodness.

Current Projects

Color Book: I sewed the pages into pairs this week. I’m not very motivated to work on this project as I am still mulling over what I want to do for the cover. I’m thinking of deviating from the pattern.

Kaleidoscope Quilt Along: I finished cutting everything except my neutral fabric. Now I need to take a break from cutting. Blast these templates! I started pinning and should be ready for a nice long chain piecing session soon. Oh, and I couldn’t resist adding some 1001 Peeps Pearl Bracelet in purple. I’m so glad I did!

Warm Cool Quilt Along: This week I pieced the Half-Square Triangle blocks into pairs. I wish I had more time to devote to this one. I love the pattern that the warm/cool, print/solid dichotomy makes.

On Hold

Blueberry Pie
Call Me Crazy {17/42 blocks complete}
Scrappy Nine-Patch {12/70 blocks complete}
Valentine’s Day Half-Square Triangles

Stats

New projects: 0
Completed projects: 1
Total projects: 14

Check back later this week for an exciting announcement!

The Purpose of Passion

Most of the blogs I read are quilting blogs, but I love The Happiness Project. (I even bought the book!) I thought what Gretchen had to say recently about passion was especially relevant to me:

“A passion gives you a reason to keep learning and to work toward mastery. It can often give you a reason to have the new experiences so key to happiness. It gives you something in common with other people, and so fosters social bonds. It gives you purpose. It often has a satisfying physical aspect—rock-climbing, fly-fishing, knitting, smelling. It gives meaningful structure to your time. It makes the world a richer place. When you’re in pain, it can be a refuge, a distraction, a solace.”

Sometimes I feel guilty about “wasting” time quilting. I have to keep reminding myself that doing something I love is not a waste! In fact, it helps dissipate some of the stress of being a working mom, and that is not to be discounted.

Ninth Finish of 2011: Yellow Brick Road #2

This weekend I finished and gifted the second baby quilt that I made from the Yellow Brick Road pattern. I love both quilts for different reasons. Oddly enough, I think my favorite part of this quilt is the binding, which is Kona solid in Kiwi. It is such a bright, happy color! I love how it pops against the purple. I’m glad I have some left over to include in another project. Of course, the very best part of this quilt was giving it away. I’m happy that it will be used and loved by a friend’s baby.

Saturday Sweetness: Pie

A couple of weekends ago, my family and I met friends in Fremont to check out Pie. Not surprisingly, it is a place that sells nothing but pies. I liked it so much, I went back later with my mom. It’s a small place, with not much seating, but the pies are worth the claustrophobia. (They are also worth the less than stellar restroom situation. It was difficult to change my baby's diaper in the tiny, out of the way restroom that was available.)

On my first trip, I had the Mac and Cheese Pie and my husband had the Cherry, Apple and Lemon Custard pies. I expected the Mac and Cheese Pie to be Kraft cheesy, but it was much more subtle and very yummy. My husband liked the Cherry best out of the pies he tried.

On my next trip, my mom and I both had the Chicken Pot Pie. I will admit, Chicken Pot Pie is one of my favorite meals, and I make it often at home. While I wouldn’t drive all the way to Fremont for something I can make myself, I thoroughly enjoyed their version, since I was in the neighborhood anyways. My absolute favorite, though, was their Chocolate Cream Pie, which I brought home from my second trip. I definitely should have enjoyed it immediately, since the crust wasn’t as good as the other pies I tried, but the filling was utterly scrumptious. I can’t wait to go back and try more pies!

Finish It Up! One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Since my last Finish It Up! post, I have finished one project and started two more, which brings me to a total of 15 WIPs. I think I have a problem. The thrill of the start is just so alluring! And there is so much great inspiration out there! I have decided, though, that I am not going to start a single new project until one of two things happens: either I make it to the end of this challenge, which is August 15, or I get my list of WIPs under 7 (half of the 14 I started this challenge with.)

Here’s an update:

1.       Yellow Brick Road #1: FINISHED

2.       Yellow Brick Road #2: Progress

3.       Unblogable #1: Progress

4.       Unblogable #2

5.       Baby’s Color Book: Progress

6.       Unblogable #3

7.       Paris Cats Quilt #1

8.       Batik Kit Quilt

9.       Unblogable #4

10.   Call Me Crazy

11.   Scrappy Nine-Patch

12.   Unblogable #5

13.   Forest Friends Embroidery: FINISHED

14.   Blueberry Pie: Progress

15.   Warm Cool Quilt Along: Progress

16.   Kaleidoscope Quilt Along: Started

17.   Valentine’s Day Half-Square Triangles: Started

Next week I’m going to focus on finishing the Yellow Brick Road #2 quilt and making good progress on the Color Book.

Eighth Finish of 2011: Forest Friends Embroidery

I’m a rather domestic person in general, but while I was pregnant, my nesting urges took an unexpected turn. Suddenly, I wanted to embroider. At first, I didn't know what I wanted to embroider, just that I wanted to. I started poking around the interwebs and stumbled upon the Forest Friends transfers from Sublime Stitching. They were the perfect for our forest themed nursery. I ordered a kit, and then promised myself that I would start stitching them once I had completed all the thank you notes for the plethora of baby gifts we had received. I didn’t finish the thank you notes until the day I checked into the hospital, so I didn’t start working on these until after my baby was born. It actually took two long road trips for me to start and complete all three pieces. I added the Spanish word for each animal, for that personal touch. I’m very happy with how they turned out, but if I were to make them again, I would do two things differently. First, I would not use variegated thread. Second, I would frame them in embroidery hoops and not in picture frames. Now I just have to think of other things to embroider forest animals on.

WIP Wednesday: July 6, 2011

What with a quilting class and a holiday weekend, I’ve been doing quite a bit of sewing lately. I didn’t realize how much progress I’ve made until I sat down to write this post.

Check out Freshly Pieced for more WIP Wednesday goodness.

Current Projects

Color Book: All eight pages are finished!

Kaleidoscope Quilt Along: I started cutting recently and it is slow going. So far, this Quilt Along has already taught me something: I don’t like working with templates.

Valentine’s Day Half-Square Triangles: Started piecing the blocks. I think I’m going to need to buy more fabric to make the size quilt that I want to.

Warm Cool Quilt Along: I finalized the layout and started piecing the rows together.

Yellow Brick Road Baby Quilt #2:  The binding has been machine sewn to the quilt. The last step is the hand sewing on the binding!

On Hold

Blueberry Pie

Call Me Crazy {17/42 blocks complete}

Scrappy Nine-Patch {12/70 blocks complete}

Stats

New projects: 2

Completed projects: 1

Total projects: 15

Half-Square Triangle Love

I love Half-Square Triangles, but haven’t played around with them much yet. For my birthday, my mom gave me the gift of taking a class together at one of our favorite quilt stores, The Quilting Loft. I chose the Half-Square Triangle class by Katie of Sew Katie Did. I had a bunch of Valentine’s Day scraps and a stash of coordinating solids that I brought to the class. Unfortunately, we had the wrong class list and were supposed to bring all solids. After sorting that out, I set to work and got a good start on the Valentine’s Day quilt I have been thinking about for a while. I enjoyed learning new tricks and tips from Katie and having three hours of uninterrupted sewing time with my mom!

Seventh Finish of 2011: Yellow Brick Road #1

Years ago my mom made a series of baby quilts using the Yellow Brick Road pattern from Atkinson Designs. I liked those quilts so much that I bought the pattern and held onto it for years. Recently I was inspired to make quilts for two special babies and decided to finally use this pattern. I finished the first quilt and now it is waiting to be gifted. This was the first quilt that I machine quilted! I love the bright colors. I had saved this fabric, something or other by Lakehouse, for ages and am happy about how well it worked with the pattern I chose. I especially like the fun gingham backing and binding, which is a more recent Lakehouse fabric.