Progress on the Quilt

I've got nothing to show for it, but I spent a bunch of time picking out stitches tonight - woohoo! But not really. Pretty boring.

I am making progress, though. I just need to restitch a corner and then I think I'll finally be ready to trim it down and work on the binding. Oh, and I need to tie off and trim some threads.

WIP: Baby Quilt

Here's another WIP; I've been planning to work on this one all day. This sounds like more fun than laundry and cleaning the bathroom, but won't happen till those are done. So here I am at 9:30 trying to find time to work on it...


I don't even really know why I'm making this. I bought fabric with someone sort-of-in-mind, but then I didn't make it for them. Now I'm just making it because I want to. It's the first quilt I've made (other than a mini one). It's pretty simple, but it should be warm and cozy. It's all quilting cottons on the front, but the back is a nice soft flannel. I made a lot of progress on this when I was sick a few weeks ago, but I haven't gotten too far since then. This is due to two things. 1: I did NOT pin good enough when I was quilting it, so I caught the edge up in the quilting in two spots. Those have been picked out, but I need to requilt them. 2: My sewing table is actually our kitchen table, which is also my husband's "desk," and he's been busy with homework.


I think this is going to go to my cousin, who's due with her first boy (she already has 2 super cute girls) at the end of January. So at least I have some time till it needs to be finished.


Hopefully I'll have an update on this soon!

Pumpkins - To Carve or Not?

Instructions at Country Living

I saw these super cute painted pumpkins at Design*Sponge - I LOVE that wood-grain one! It would also be cute as zebra... or another animal print...

I think I tried painting on a pumpkin last year, though, and it didn't work out so well. I feel like I'm always trying to do something cool to my pumpkins but it never works out. I'm not even good at carving them. Maybe this year I'll stick with something basic... I like this bat, though. And look, it has little beady eyes! And there's a stencil for it. But using a stencil for a pumpkin seems complicated. So does attaching wire. And a twig. And beads.

Better Homes and Gardens

I also think I like the look of a black pumpkin:

Better Homes & Gardens - "Black and Bling"

And I think I'd like this swirly design even better on an orange pumpkin:

Better Homes & Gardens

I think it's also about time to make some pumpkin cookies (mmm, I love cookies). I made some last year and topped them off with some sort of cinnamon/brown sugar glaze (because I wanted to do a powdered sugar glaze but had no powdered sugar and lived too far from a grocery store to run out and get some), but I do not remember the recipe. I don't know if I even wrote it down, or if it was something I found online, or in a cookbook - no idea.

And on a(nother) side note - I think the Amy Butler book I was looking for is actually out at the house we were living in when those pumpkin cookies were made. No idea when I'll be able to get back out there, though. Am seriously contemplating making up my own clutch pattern... ?

Knit Owls

Um, these amaze me. And I kind of want to learn how to knit (not because of this, but I am highly impressed).

by kate at needled

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

Mmm, I saw this on Orangette - I think this will become a Sunday lunch sometime soon.

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon
Adapted slightly (by Molly Wizenberg) from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite, by Melissa Clark


4 Tbsp. olive oil, plus additional good oil for drizzling
2 large yellow onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste
A few grinds of freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne or Aleppo pepper, or more to taste
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups red lentils, picked through for stones and debris
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large pot, warm the oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Add the onions and garlic and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add the broth, 2 cups water, the lentils, and the carrots. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Continue to cook until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste, and add more salt if necessary. Using an immersion or regular blender, puree about half of the soup. It should still be somewhat chunky, not completely smooth. Reheat if necessary, then stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Serve the soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted very lightly with cayenne, if desired.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Love These

I saw these pillowcases somewhere a while back, but I can't remember where it was. Oh well. I love them, looked them up, saw how much they cost (for pillowcases?), and decided it was a no-go. Then I kept thinking about them and decided to go ahead and buy them. And I think they're lovely. Haha.

They need to be ironed after washing, though...

They also come in 4 other colors! And Lush Designs also sells things like this cute monkey plate.

Bag Swap!

It's October! I am absolutely in love with fall. Every season, I think to myself, "This is great. But so are spring/summer/fall/winter. Maybe I don't really have a favorite season." Except in fall. Then, I know. THIS is my favorite. It gets to me in a way that the other seasons try to but never quite succeed.

I realized the other night just how many projects I have going on right now. If you asked me before then how many things I was working on, I'd guess two or maybe three. It's sort of like my delusions about loving all the seasons equally. Because the list is more like ten. And that's without counting the "projects" that aren't actually being worked on (such as the changes I want to make to things I already have), much less the ones that only exist in my head.

The newest one is the Super Style Bag Swap, hosted by Sew, Mama, Sew. After anxiously checking my email all day yesterday and wondering if my email got lost somewhere, I received my partner info this morning. Yay!


This should be a fun project, and it has a deadline so I know it's not going to be an "in progress since 1928" type of thing. I'll be making her a clutch, which is a first. I haven't made all that many bags to begin with, but I like trying new things. Now I need to decide what to make, pick out fabrics, and get sewing! I remember there being a clutch in my Amy Butler book, but I can't seem to find the book - that's my next task. There are quite a few other options I like, though. These are a few:

Pocket Clutch by Keyka Lou
pattern sold at Sew Mama Sew

Ruthie Clutch by Anna Maria Horner

Scrappy Clutch at From An Igloo

*Finished: here*