Fat Cat Quilts

A Banner Week

Every fall when I go down to Utah, Chamaine, Alicia and I get together for craft nights. The three of us were roommates in college, and our crafty ways hearken way back to those days when we'd take over the living room floor in our apartment in Provo with our scrapbooking mess every conference weekend. We'd always get a lot done and had so much fun in the process. Cleaning up is always another story...man alive, we could make a mess.

Sixteen years later, we're still at it. Isn't that the best part of this entire story? I love that I have friendships that date that far back. If you're going to take the time to make friends, why not do it for life? So in the spirit of tradition, we gathered over at Alicia's house and cut and glued, gabbed and reminisced, and ate cake. All three of us were working on banners. I went a little overboard and made several, in fact. They are so addicting! All those gorgeous scrapbook papers out there are as bad as all the fabric. I just couldn't help myself.

Before I started anything new, I finally finished the letters on my Spooky banner I started two years ago. I could never find a Cricut font I liked, and I almost settled on some fancy black embroidered iron-on applique patches actually, that were exactly the font I wanted. Thankfully, before I bought them, I was introduced to the wonderful world of Silhouette. WOW! I can't believe I've never heard of this before! It is amazing and I want one.

For those of you not familiar with the Silhouette cutting tool, it's similar to the Cricut, in that it cuts shapes and letters from your own paper.....only way better! The Silhouette also cuts vinyl, metal and fabric. And the best part is you use the fonts on your computer. Any fonts you have on there. So if you don't have what you're looking for in your word processing library, go online to any of the font websites, free or otherwise, and download what you're looking for. Then you actually configure it all right there on your computer screen, rotating and arranging letters so they all fit like clockwork to utilize all the paper space. Then cut! Seriously, how have I never heard about this before?  So I found the perfect spooky font for my banner, cut and finished that puppy. I'm ready for October. 

And keeping on with the Halloween theme, I moved right on to another halloween banner. I know, I can't help it. 

I haven't strung any of them on their ribbons yet. I knew I'd be packing them up and I didn't want the ribbons to wrinkle. 

Then I moved on to Christmas and birthdays...

Now I just have to do the 4th of July....Easter....Spring...New Years....I think I'll need more paper.

 

Halloween Ribbon Runner

Chamaine found this ribbon table runner on Pinterest and we got to work real fast making our own version. The local scrapbook store in Salem, Utah has an excellent selection of fun ribbons. Their customer service isn't as excellent, but we smile and nod anyway and move on to the shopping. Then we talk about them behind their backs when we get home. Just kidding. Sort of...

Chamaine had this Riley Blake Halloween fabric left over from another project, and it worked out so well for this runner. It was fun to pull out the non-conventional Halloween colors like the greys and lime greens. I also chose to make it like a traditional quilted runner, with batting and backing, where as the tutorial online doesn't use that method. Either way would have great results.

Since both the outer border print and the background polka dot print were pretty busy, I added some ric-rac trim around the border to break things up a bit. The results were a little more subtle than I was actually planning on, but it still served it's purpose. I think it I were to do it over again, rather than tuck it in the seam, resulting in the scallops, I would just sew it directly on top so you could see the entire width of the ric-rac. 

You can find the original tutorial HERE. The variations are endless. A friend has already asked me to make a Valentine ribbon runner. Imagine all those cute pink and red ribbons! 

Foodie Friday: Cinnamon Roll Cake

Yup. You read that right. Cinnamon Roll. And Cake. Together as one. It's like they just loved each other so much they got married or something. I think I just swooned.

I found this little miracle on Pinterest one night and didn't waste any time making it. And seriously, it lived up to the hype, as so rarely a recipe does. Right out of the oven, it was warm and gooey and dripping with melted icing, and after a 20 second hit in the microwave the next morning, breakfast was just as blessed. 

This recipe is a keeper. This recipe is one I will make and take to work. Because I'm not above bribing others for their love with warm baked goods. This cake will make you Queen for the day, and really, who doesn't need that little boost for their self-esteem? Trust me. You want to make this today. 

I found the recipe HERE, after finding it pinned on Pinterest. But for those of you who aren't the meandering type...

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Enjoy!

 

 

A French General Valentine

My friend Alicia, of Fandango fame, was eyeing the Valentine runner I made Chamaine, so I got to work on one for her as well. She decorates with a lot of browns and reds (girl after my own heart), so when I ran across this heart print, the wheels started turning. It's actually part of a Christmas line of prints for Lecien, featuring mushrooms, hearts, stars and little primitive houses. I thought it was an odd little collection of prints for Christmas, but it worked out well for me with Valentine's Day. Plus, since it was after the holidays, it was on sale. Bonus. The colors in it reminded me of French General fabrics, so much so that I was initially a little surprised to find that it wasn't. And being similar to French General fabrics also meant it was difficult to match in color, as they tend to be in their own arena there. The hearts were the only prints in the line I wanted, despite the fact that the mushrooms were adorable and would have made great conversation. So I wandered over to the Rouenneries Deux display, and wouldn't you know it - perfect match! I also threw in a couple pieces from Fa La La La. And check out that adorable selvage on the Lecien prints. How cute are those little birds?

I wanted to keep the center simple, so a bowl of fruit or something on the table wouldn't distract from the overall design. So I went with a kicky little checkerboard and some appliqued hearts on each end. It's sweet and simple and I love how it turned out. I think it will fit perfectly in her kitchen.

Note to self: Remove pesky little strings and lint before taking pictures. 

And just because I liked how neat all the little stitches lined up, I had to take a picture of the back.

 

Spring Has Sprung!

Fandango. For the Last Time.

Remember the Fandango quilt? 

I really dragged my feet on it there for a while. But both the large bedspread, and the little baby quilt made with it's scraps are finished. As in quilted, binded and living with their new owner. 

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get a decent picture of the little baby quilt. I took this one in the evening with poor light, but wanted to snap a pic before I sent it off to Alicia's home. Maybe she'll get a better picture of it in the nursery.

 

Happy National Quilting Day!

And Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This is the only quilt of mine I could find that had a lot of green in it. That explains why my green stash is so out of control. It's not getting put to use. Better get right on that...

Picking Back Up...

...where I left off before I publicly declared my love for Utah.

After the wedding in Seattle, we decided to make a quick run to Disneyland. I know, it makes perfect sense since Washington is so close to Southern California. And by quick, this is what really went down: we enjoyed New Years in Kerry Park and made it back to the hotel by around 2am. Got up at 6am January 1st, packed, checked out and were on the road by 7:30am. Drove 24 hours straight through Washington, Oregon (brief stop to visit my parents!), and pretty much the entire length of California. Pulled into the Disneyland parking lot at 7:30am January 2nd, a whole 24 hours later. Disneyland opened at 8am. Wearing the same clothes we had on, we shoved toothbrushes in a backpack and spent the next sixteen hours at the Happiest Place on Earth. We were exhausted and fueled on sugary gingerbread cookies, hot chocolate and sheer adrenalin, but we were sure happy. We had a blast. Then, back to our hotel at 1am, and back on the road by nine the next morning to make the twelve hour drive to Utah.

And that is what I mean by a quick trip down to Disneyland. 

Back in Utah, after catching up on my sleep, we went to see the UP! house

and I met Dawn from Survivor: South Pacific. She was the kindest, most gracious woman. What a gem! 

I have quilty things to share too! Promise. I was a busy little sewer (ha! Please read that sew-er and not soo-er) while down south and have much to show for it. 

Have a good weekend! Sun's out here. Trains are moving in the yards. Feels like Spring!

 

 

Home Is Where the Heart Is

I'm home now. Well, in Alaska anyway. I think I left my heart in Utah. 

Utah and I have had a tenuous relationship in the past. I'm a born and bred Californian, and when I moved to Utah in 1994 to go to school, I decided on principle that I should dislike the land of milk and honey out of nothing but respect for my home state. No offense, of course, to those who love Utah. After all, it wasn't Utah's fault that they weren't California. And most Californians can attest to the fact that we're taught from a very young age to devote all our pride and love to our own land, much like Texans, only a little less "we want to be our own country". Stay with me here, this story has a happy ending for Utahns.

I cried when I had to change my plates on my car. Mostly because, at the time, Utah didn't allow seven digits and I couldn't switch over my vanity plates with DZNYGRL. And even more so, because now that I was sporting the Utah plates, people were going to think I was FROM here. A real, bonified Utahn. And no one could say it better than Alicia Silverstone...as if! I felt like I was betraying the mother ship.

Being from California, of course I was met with the new-found challenge of driving in the snow. And being from California, of course I was cocky and stubborn and thought those who slowed down for a few fluffy white flakes were put in my path to try my patience. As I often do, even still, I learned my lesson the hard way when I took to the snowy roads faster than a speeding demon and went right through a fence and hit a parked helicopter. That is NEVER a phone call you want to make to dad. Trust me.

Then I moved to Alaska, on a whim, really. And I love Alaska. If I had two hearts, one of them would be entirely devoted to the majesty and grandeur of the Great North. As it turns out, I only have one heart, and I think Utah stole it away from Alaska this winter. You could say I was converted. Ha ha. Maybe it's because I'm getting old(er) or maybe I'm just having an early midlife crisis, but for the first time ever - and I do mean EVER - I fell in love with Utah. It's not green. It's not lush. It's nothing like Alaska. But everyone I love is in Utah, and that trumps everything else Alaska, or even California, has to offer. So coming home was definitely bittersweet. As I drove off the ferry and down the familiar streets with amazing views, I couldn't help but feel a little empty and more than a little sad. Yes, I definitely left my heart in Utah. Just don't tell California.

 

 

 

 

New Year's 2011

On our trip to Seattle, we got together with a bunch of other friends from Alaska to go to the wedding of two friends who met while working up in Alaska for the summers. Their reception was on New Year's eve. It was fun to see other Skagway summer friends in a different venue.

After the reception, we went to Kerry Park, above the city, to watch the fireworks shoot off the Space Needle. We shared the park with thousands of other people excited to welcome in 2012, but the views were unparalleled. The fireworks were awesome, and the company was top notch.

All of these pictures were taken by Chad, because let's be honest, even though I have a fancy camera, I don't do diddly squat with it. Maybe my new year's resolution should have been to dig out the mammoth manual that came with it and read up. Hmmm, there's something to think about. Big thanks to Chad for documenting a great night!