Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Icepalooza has taken over the Midwest.

I woke to this kind of icicle action:

Just a mere week ago, we had this much snow:

(and I'm hoping for much, much, more)

Oh, how I love a winter storm.

And, of course, my trusty sidekick can't get enough of the magical white powder, either.

Today, I took advantage of the time iced-in and finished up two quilts.

The Striped Monster....

100x100 inches.

I have been collecting striped fabrics for years. years.

Finally, I finished the quilt top with them:

I braved the cold for a few photographs.

It was treacherous!

And wonderful.

This is a second, baby/lap size - about 40x50 inches.

The stripes came out a little screwy - I think it was too much for my baby camera to handle.

The secret colorwheel project revealed!

My first post on the colorwheel surprise was mentioned here.

I followed this tutorial from Chez Beeper Bebe for colorwheel numbered beanbags.

I think they turned out great!

I made two sets: one for a special cousin and the other for a good friend.

Let's hope they like 'em!

Purple Plainspoken for my niece, Ashley

I finished and gifted the Purple Plainspoken quilt to my niece, Ashley.

This is Ashley á

This is her quilt â

She chose purple camo for a fun, warm, flannel backing:

Fake-napping for Aunt Patticakes, so I could see it in action:

First Snow!

Winter's finally here!

We woke to our first snow....

Stella couldn't be more pleased.

You can't see it too well in these photos, but Stella's sporting a new collar from Dublin Dogs!

It's the eco-Lucks Blitzen. It's a nice festive splash of color.

This is the "come out and play" look she's perfected.

The gods have given us snow... let's not waste it.

Tho, she's been in the holiday spirit for weeks!

Snowy weather is perfect for sewing....

I have been working on two very similar quilts - one for my niece, Ashley, (commissioned) and another, smaller, quilt for a new friend I met when I bought something from her through craigslist.

Here's a sneak peek of them.

This is the smaller one, created for my new craigslist pal:

I finished and shipped it and realized I didn't photograph the finished piece.

Take my word for it: it turned out great!

I think she'll really like it. The cobalt blue flannel on the back will make this a great lap quilt for her.

Next, is Ashley's quilt laid out on the floor.

The key to the plainspoken pattern is variety within the palette!

And, for the back - purple camo flannel!

what a hoot.

I hope she likes it.

A Night of Baking Pumpkin Goodness

By special request, I made a pumpkin pie for my niece, Ashley:

There's the pumpkin wonderful in the oven -

(she loved it)

Once the pumpkin pie was done,

I started on the pumpkin ginger caramel

pecan cheesecake.

This is where Stella sits to oversee

all kitchen activities.

Usually, in a puddle of her own drool.

This is her classic look-away when I catch

her zeroing in on me, drooling

"What, me, expecting something from your bake-athon? Never!"

Cheesecake in the stand mixer.

Pecan and gingersnap crust.

Stella's focusing on the baking tools for good reason...

The clean up crew:

Just a quick once-over before the dishwasher.

The cheesecake before it goes into the oven.

And, after it's baked. Cracks and all.

And some bonus caramel sauce on top:

Yum!

My next project: colorwheel surprise

I've just begun my next project.

I've chosen some bold fabrics in a colorwheel.

This is just a sneak peek at the fabrics... stay tuned for the finished project!

Lunch of Squash & Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Today's Birthday Culinary Delights:

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

And a lunch o' squash - butternut, acorn, and hubbard

(gratuitous avocados and pineapple)

delish!