Blackbird Designs - One stitch at a time

Sugar Hearts

2012-02-02T10:06:00.000-06:00

Cross stitch market is quickly approaching! Barb and I are busy to say the least. Our newest book is almost ready to go to the printer. This recipe is in the book, but I wanted to share this cookie now because it's so good and just right for Valentine's Day. I've done these in several colors. The pink is nice....but these look great in blue too.

First I purchased several heart shape cookie cutters. The one on the upper left shows the original shape. (Actually, the one above is for another cookie recipe in the book....but you get the idea of how to remold the cutter from the picture. I used a 3" cutter for the sugar heart recipe.) These cookie cutters can be changed into a whimsical, one-of-a-kind, heart shape. The soft metal is easily remolded when pressed firmly with your fingers. I moved the sides in a bit to narrow the heart and pressed the concave “V” shape of the cutter down, making a deeper cut into the top of the heart. Take care to keep the top convex curves of the heart shape rounded. The picture above shows the new shape of the cookie cutter.

The cookie spreads a bit after baking, so I cut each one out again with the cookie cutter while they were still warm to get the perfect shape. I know that seems a bit obsessive....but I wanted them all to be exact. Not to worry about the excess portions of the cookie....think of them like "cookie fries."

Gather all the bits of cookie left over.

Put them into a cute container. Add frosting, and they will be the perfect treat. (Just want you to know....no cookie bits are wasted here!!!)

I made a template of the cookie cutter using plastic template material. (You can purchase the plastic at your local quilt shop.)

Next, I drew a 1/2" grid on the plastic template with a pencil. Where the lines intersected I punched a hole with my handy hole punch. Set the template aside until you are ready for frosting.

The frosting is a powdered sugar glaze. I spread it on with a flat paint brush. While the frosting is still wet,
I held the template over the cookie and sprinkled the nonpariels from a spoon. It felt like I had more control over their distribution....although who can really control nonpariels? The glaze dries and you are left with cookies that look designed. I love the look of these!!!

The nonpariels placement isn't perfect....but they still are sweet.

Two tips before starting the recipe.

1. Scoop up your flour with a tablespoon and fill the measuring cup. Scrap away the excess flour with a straight edge. This will prevent using too much flour and making your cookies dry.

2. Roll the cookies out between parchment paper. No need to add extra flour to prevent sticking.

Sugar Hearts

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar
1 cup Land O’Lakes butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Frosting Ingredients

1 cup of confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons half and half (more if needed to get the right consistency)
1 drop of food coloring (soft gel paste - AmeriColor #164 Electric Pink)
Tiny Non-Pareils - white

Instructions:

-Mix the sugar and butter. Add the egg and flavorings. Mix thoroughly with your electric mixer.
-Stir the dry ingredients together and add to the mixer 1 cup at a time.
-Gather the dough into a ball. Half the dough and form each half into a disk. Place the disks into a plastic bag and refrigerate for 4 hours or until the dough is chilled.
-Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
-Place 1/2 of a chilled disk between two pieces of parchment paper and roll the dough out to 3/16” thick. Keep the remainder of cookie dough in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Remove the top parchment paper and use your cookie cutter to cut out the heart shapes. Place the hearts on parchment covered cookie sheets. Gather the remaining dough and roll again for more hearts.
-Bake until the cookie begins to lightly brown on the edges, about 15 minutes. Cut the cookies again with the cookie cutter while the cookies are warm for a perfect heart shape. Remove the extra bits of dough from the cookie. Slide the parchment paper with the cookies onto a rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies. Allow the cookie frosting to dry and then package in a airtight container. These will last about 15 minutes.

Until later sweet hearts!

Alma

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T12:16:00.000-06:00

My friend Linda has collected a yearly ornament for at least 10 years. I didn't understand why she liked them so much. It seemed strange to me.... hanging all of the old year ornaments on a tree. After all, everyone could tell when you purchased them.

Pottery Barn used to carry them....but no longer. I guess not many people saw them the way Linda did. Now she has me collecting them too. She hangs each year from her chandelier. As we celebrate the New Year at her home, I look up and see all of them hanging down. As Linda and Bill's friends sit around the table laughing, talking and eating the ornaments shine in the candlelight. They remind me of the years we have celebrated together and all of the years we have been friends.

This one is hanging from my chandelier. I'm so thankful for all of your comments and friendship this past year.

Wishing all of you much happiness and joy in the New Year!!!

Until later,
Alma

Loose Feathers Pattern - Winter

2011-12-27T09:33:00.003-06:00

A short update today....I still have company and not much time to update the blog site ....
Winter - our final Loose Feather pattern for 2011 was sent to the distributor last week. They will be shipped to the shops soon.

Above is the back cover of the pattern showing the two bonus projects.

The picture above shows all three patterns stitched together....Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Barb and I are busy planning another series of Loose Feather booklets for next year.

Until later!

Alma

Getting It Right

2011-12-23T12:52:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I'm so busy running around trying to get everything right....I forget that maybe the most fun part is the chaos! Everyone in motion.

Finally! Whew!!!

They did great....especially when you realize what a sugar high they are experiencing. While decorating ginger bread houses you have to eat as much candy as you glue to the house. After the kids left, Dave fell asleep on the sofa. I think making all the cars for Miss "N" above wore him out.

Until later,

Alma

The Simple Things

2011-12-19T15:42:00.003-06:00

It's the simple things that can make the holidays memorable. I found this string tied with a bit of greenery at my local antique shop.

The tree is finally decorated. It seems harder to get it all together....but so worth it. All the vintage glass balls have been hung with whatever wire we could find.

The tinsel you can see in the lower left of the picture above is some I've used each Christmas for about 23 years. I haven't been able to find any more like it and it's my favorite. We pick it off of the tree at the end of each season and reuse it the next year. My husband and I laugh about which of our children might inherit the tinsel. We were trying to decide if they are tinsel worthy. Jeff.....you are definitely not getting it! (He's the one that globs it on the tree and then laughs!!!)

I have a small collection of Wagner flocked animal ornaments from West Germany. These felted animals are always sweet. I purchased them in the 1980s when the kids were small. I did have lots more....but the dogs ate some of the ones that were within reach. Now we never decorate the lower portion of the tree.

During this hectic time Barb and I wish you all a bit of time to enjoy the simple things you love.

Until later,

Alma

Cookie Decorating Class

2011-12-09T11:01:00.001-06:00

     Are you ready for the holidays? I looked at the calendar and I'm starting to get worried. It seems like I have 5 minutes to prepare before the kids arrive home again. I'll need food to feed them....lots of food. I spent all Thanksgiving around the stove and am thinking it will be the same at Christmas. I took a class last night at the Culinary Center of Kansas City on cookie decorating. Diana Cooper taught the class and she was great. The class started at 6:30pm and finished at 10:00. Every second was filled with great information about frosting, baking the cookies and small details that can made a cookie really sparkle.

I was the first one done. (Not a good thing when you see my cookies.) I was boxing up my cookies and Diana saw my plain gingerbread boy. She wouldn't let me leave until I added eyes. Now the cookie is just too funny....I swear I can see the fear in those eyes, with good reason too. He must know that Dave can eat a cookie in one bite!

     I never felt the need to purchase 3-D cookie molds. But after making the reindeer above, I'm sold on the idea. I showed Dave this Rudolph cookie and said, "Look what my life is coming to!" At least he adds much laughter to the season.

     I'm imagining one beside each Christmas plate on the dinner table. He could be an appetizer. (Now his eyes are beginning to look a bit fearful too aren't they?

     Diana baked all the cookie parts and we only had to decorate. She had about 30 people in her class. That's a lot of reindeer parts! When she demonstrated how to put Rudolph together and put on his eyes I about fell out of my chair laughing.

Royal icing was used on the mitten. I had to first pipe the icing around the cookie to form a dam. Next "flow" a slightly watered down version of the icing inside the "dam" to cover the mitten. You can tell from the close-up I need to practice the piping part. When Diane came by my table she looked at my cookies and said she liked the coconut on the mitten. She was the best....I knew she was trying to find something positive as I was working.

This light blub is iced with a flosting that dries glossy. You can tell I added a bit much....but we like icing here!

Saturday, I'm taking a cake pop class. I need all the help I can get!

Loose Feather update

Barb and I have the next Loose Feather projects just about done. I have to do photography and get the booklet ready. As Gentle Arts floss company will be closed the 15th, and I'm not sure about Crescent Colours, I'm posting the colors for shop owners to order early.

Gentle Arts floss

GA Cidermill Brown, GACaramel Corn, GA Wood Trail, GA Flax, GA Piney Woods, GA Endive and GA Maple Syrup.

Crescent Colours floss

CC Wild Berries, CC Queen Bee and CC Manor Red.

The Jolly Jabber blog for the Fat Quarter Shop posted a bit of information from us about our new fabric line that has just hit the shops. There is a contest and some fabric to win. Be sure to go and sign up for some Blueberry Crumb Cake fabric.

Hope all your decorated cookies are better than mine!!!

Until later,

Alma

New Patterns

2011-11-30T12:49:00.001-06:00

We have two new patterns! Christmas Garden is a large dramatic sampler with a vintage feel. Barb loves to stitch a sampler for the holidays but she wanted one she could display throughout the year. It's also a record of her maternal genealogical line. You will find her initials along with those of her mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great great grandmother. We've included an alphabet so you can add your families' initials.

Two other projects are in the booklet too. A small travel bag is all buttoned up and ready to hold your treasures as you make a winter visit. A small gift box is included too. It's just the right size to contain that special present for someone you love.

This 12 page booklet is in full color. We are trying a new layout format with our patterns. We are adding lots of new pictures to go along with each project.

The Christmas Garden sampler is stitched on 30ct. Sheep’s Straw by R and R Reproduction. You will need a 1/2 yd. piece of fabric. There will be a bit extra fabric along one edge....just the right amount to do the stocking pattern below also.

This finished size of the stocking is 3" x 6 1/2". Barb made this one a bit larger than the other stockings in our stocking series we published a couple of years ago.

These patterns will be delivered to our warehouse on Friday and shipped out to the distributors. The shops will begin to have them by the end of next week.

I have some great show and tell pictures to show too. I will add them by the end of this week.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It's one of my favorite holidays. It's all about food and family.

Until later,

Alma

New Show and Tell

2011-11-08T12:28:00.003-06:00


	This sampler is from the book A Stitcher's Journey. The original sampler was done as a school project in the Kildare Model School in Ireland.

Bonnie writes,
" I just wanted to show you how I personalized “Kildare Model School”. I loved my high school days and the town where I was born & grew up. What better way to remember those days…..Added my school year and initials. Hope you like!" ~ Fellow stitcher & Texan….Bonnie VanBerg

The sewing box is made using the pattern Casting A Spell. The shadow box is from Hobby Lobby.

Marylin writes,
"Hello! Here is my sewing box made like yours. Thank you again for giving me the address to order the box and for your models that keep me dreaming ..."
Friends of France

Marylin My blog : http://poussy-stiches-my-love.over-blog.com/

These tags were made by making a copy of the piece Marty stitched. The small stitched piece was the Blackbird ornament from Just Cross Stitch - Christmas ornament issue for 2010.

Marty writes,

"I think I have finally figured out how to send pictures from my iPad.  I wanted to show you how I used your idea of scanning my finished needlework to make something else. All my Xmas gifts were given with one of these gift tags.  Your Just Cross Stitch 2010 ornament.   Thanks so much for the great idea.  

I also stitched all my needlework friends (15 of them) one of your pinballs from Honey Suckle Manor.  I will see if I can track down a photo of one."

 Thanks! Marty Greiner

This pattern is from Honeysuckle Manor. It was originally a round pincushion. What a great way to finish this design.

Vonna Pfeiffer writes, (Click on her name for the blog address to see more pictures!)
"I recently stitched Summer House Pincushion and did it in a different way. You can see more photos of it on my blog, but I'm tickled pink about how it turned out. I'd been working on this idea for a while now and today it all came together. Of course it wouldn't be half as wonderful without the use of your and Barb's design on it. Please see the attached picture and then more views can be seen at my blog.

Thank you so very much for your wonderful designs and your most perfect inspirations in both blog, designs and books!"

Lida Kunkeler from the Netherlands writes,

"Yesterday I finished the flower pattern that I found in the Loose Feathers latest booklet. I also finished last week the first part of the new large pattern and I enjoyed both very much!

Today I bought a frame in a second hand shop en framed the flower and here you can see the result on my wall. Sorry for the shining, but it is a very old frame with old shining glass.

I hope we get the second book soon, so I can carry on with the big embroidery and I hope you have some great extra's again!"

This pattern was one of the bonus patterns from the Loose Feather pattern titled Summer.

Thanks to all for taking the time to send pictures of your finished projects! We love seeing what you are working on and how you change our patterns and designs to make them your own!

 You must take pictures of your projects and send them to Alma at alma@blackbird-designs.com...

 (I promise not to show this guy any more after today. I just can't get over how it looks like he is talking to me and now you too!)

Also if any shop owner still has a copy of Merry Christmas Ella Vaughn could you please e-mail me? I have someone that is looking for it.  Thank you!

Until later,

Alma

The New Boss Around Here

2011-11-06T15:12:00.002-06:00

I was going to write about something wonderful about autumn. About the aroma of leaves ....the color of light ...the final bloom of some of my plants. Then, Dave called me to come outside and get a picture of the Praying Mantis he found on the latch of the gate door. I shot 64 pictures of this guy just trying to get a couple of good ones. After looking at them in photoshop I began to feel like he was trying to communicate with me. Just look at the focus on those eyes! Doesn't he seem to be looking right at you?!!!!

"I want you to cook dinner from scratch tonight."

"Then I want you to clean the downstairs and do all of the laundry."

"This evening you must start a quilt....I want you to cut only small postage-stamp squares from all of your scraps and sew the little squares together."

Are you getting the picture? Look at his lips giving orders. I feel like I might start marching to a new master. But wait....maybe this would work on Dave. I'm going to get these printed up and write orders for Dave on each picture.

"Pssst....Dave.....I'm talking to you buddy....go to the garage and clean it up!"

It's clearly evident I have too much time on my hands! I will be back to normal tomorrow!

Until later dear friends.

Alma

2011-11-04T10:34:00.001-05:00

Martha Stewart's team comes up with some great ideas. I love her magazine. I received my latest issue before leaving for quilt market. The brown sugar turkey on the cover caught my eye. I flipped to page 192 and found the link and put an order in for the mold. Of course I ordered the largest size they had ....not really thinking about just how enormous the turkey was. It didn't look all that large in the picture. Of course, I should have realized the turkey was sitting clear across the room from the camera.

To give you an idea of the size of this 3-D mold just take a gander at the size of the magazine cover and the mold. After reading the recipe, I realized I need 4 pounds of brown sugar to fill this baby.

The cover says I can make the best Thanksgiving ever. You know that's just what I want to do too. Although my youngest son Greg, told me the year I made all the cookies from the Land-O-Lakes Holiday Cookie magazine for Thanksgiving, that was his best Thanksgiving ever. Will this turkey top that? I doubt it....but it really doesn't matter. I'm on this journey to make this large brown sugar turkey. I can't stop myself!

Until later,

Alma

Weekend

2011-11-02T17:36:00.004-05:00

The van is unpacked, the quilts are safely tucked away and the order sheets are on the shipping table in the warehouse waiting for the books to be delivered from the printer. Houston Quilt Market was fun! As Barb and I drive to Houston, we reflect on the length of quilt market. It seems to last about 15 minutes. You work like crazy to get there.....and before you can wink your eyes, you are back home. I think Barb clicks her shoes and says, "There's no place like home" without telling me. Sometimes we wonder if we really did attend market!

We spent much of the time in the car planning new projects and books for this next year. Always a good thing for us because Barb works full time at her day job. Her work schedule doesn't leave much time for us to talk about what we want to accomplish. Luckily we had plenty this time and a bit of time left to visit some cute shops along the way. (More about that later!)

Spring quilt market will be in Kansas City, our home town. We will only have to drive down the street to get there. That can be harder for us than driving 750 miles to market....as we don't always plan our trips well. We can end up driving back home to pick up something we forgot several times as we set up the booth.

Above is a picture of our latest quilt book. We spread some easily-pieced quilts over the beds and dressed them up by adding a bed runner or tossing on a few throw pillows! The quilts and projects in the book use our Blueberry Crumb Cake prints from Moda fabrics.

Cold weather has moved into town. Winter seems just around the corner. We are having a snow/rain event so I'm spending a quiet time at home making soup and muffins. Soup seems just right for tonight.

More tomorrow! Found a great small town to tell you about and more show and tell.

"See" you then!

Alma

New Loose Feather Pattern - Autumn

2011-10-11T21:21:00.004-05:00

Autumn, the second pattern in our Loose Feather series, is at the printer and will be in the warehouse next week. It will probably take another week for your local shop to get the pattern....so in 2 weeks you could be stitching instead of raking leaves. Although, raking leaves can be fun too! Especially when the weather is nice.

Dave and I have been busy with fall cleaning. After the heat of the summer is gone, I begin to feel like working a bit more around the house and yard. Time to clean the garage and get rid of those items that haven't been used in a while. I've made about 15 trips to Goodwill and Savers to help unclutter and empty the house. (I think I could make about 15 more loads and not make a dent in the volume of stuff here.)

Barb has been busy working on quilts! We've done photography for our next quilt book and are working to finish it up as market quickly approaches.

Well....must go for now. Will be back soon with more information about the quilt book and some show and tell also!

Until later,

Alma

Welcome Autumn!

2011-10-04T07:19:00.001-05:00

Bonnie Olson sent the above picture to me. She has finished her Raven Bewitched (one of our newest cross stitch patterns) and framed it on this old scrub board. Isn't this a great way to frame this piece?

Bonnie writes..."I just finished walnut staining and pressing Raven Bewitched. Thought you might like to see it. I used 48 ct. linen and the DMC floss colors. I did change 2 colors,779-used 975 and for 3860-used 3826. I needed orange in it!

The sampler is 6 1/2" wide x 7 3/8" high. I'm going to try and find an old bread board at an antique shop. Maybe paint it black and tack the piece onto it and hang it."

After pressing and staining the piece.

Bonnie changed her mind about the bread board framing...she found an old scrub board she had forgotten she had. The bottom had rotted years ago, so she had her husband cut about 12" off where it was bad. Love the framing idea. It's perfect! Don't we all wish we could go down to the basement and find something that wonderful?

Until later dear friends! Hope your weather is wonderful as it is here in the midwest!

Alma

2011-09-28T16:00:00.001-05:00

Barb and I have entered the Twilight Zone. That's the time of the year when we are rushing to get ready for the Houston Quilt market. Lots to do and so little time. Since Barb works full-time in a dental lab, a lot of her work is done in the evening and weekend hours. Her sewing machine has been in the "powered-on" mode for over a month.

The next Loose Feather pattern is about done....as soon as I get my hands on Barb's portion I will photograph it and get the pattern ready. We are planning to ship out the patterns to the distributors around the 10th of October. I've seen a sneak peek and it's wonderful! Hope you will like it too!

I wanted to show this prize winner to you. Eddie sent these photo's to me of this wonderful quilt....it's from the book Country Inn. Congratulations on your win Eddie!

Eddie writes: "I thought you might like to see a few pics of my version of Evening Bloom. It won 2nd place at the county quilt guild's biannual show this week in the applique category. I was very pleased and wanted to thank you for creating such a beautiful pattern. It was a joy to create my version from it. I'm starting my own Winter Garden next, I can't wait to get immersed in it!"
Regards,
Eddie Landreth

The quilting is lovely!

Also, there is a contest here. Needlework Retailer is giving away one of our cross stitch patterns and Gentle Arts has donated the floss to go with it. So....take a visit and sign up. The contest is over on Friday.

Also, the Moda Country Fair continues. Don't forget to visit these great blog sites!

September 28th Sweetwater

September 29th French General

September 30th Primitive Gatherings

October 1st Kathy Schmitz

October 2nd Liz Scott

Until later dear friends!

Alma

Winner and cleaning

2011-09-20T13:55:00.000-05:00

I know I was to post the winner on Monday. But I got delayed!!! First, I thought I would read all of the comments. That was a lot of fun. All of your are lovely! Barb and I are very lucky to belong to this stitching community. We couldn't find nicer people anywhere! I didn't think to use the huswif for my jewelry. I'm always trying to figure out where to put my earrings when I travel. Thank you for the idea!

I tried to master the disaster in my studio over the weekend. That task spilled over into Monday. Sorting and organizing can take me quite a bit of time. No party here...believe me!

To top it off I get distracted. Stacks of magazines can be bad. Major time can be spent on deciding what to do with them. Should I give them to Goodwill or keep them? Do you have that problem too? Hopefully I'm not the only one. The pictures are so nice....and what if I get rid of just the one that has the idea I might need? Finally, I had to quit looking at them and just boxed them up for Goodwill. I just couldn't deal with it anymore.

Next I ran into some of my journals while dusting. I used to keep one every year. I wrote about projects, family, nature and recipes. So I had to sit down again and read about what I did years ago. I found some pressed flowers, a picture of the Kansas City Quilt Guild's raffle quilt I helped design years ago. It was fun to see it again after all of these years. I wonder who purchased it?

Found a picture of Barb and I at our first quilt market in Houston, TX. We looked so young! The picture was taken in 1999. Do we look nervous? We sure were at first!!! We didn't know how our book would do. We did win a prize for the booth..."Best New Exhibitor." That helped ease our fears!

This clipping from a magazine gave me the idea of how to label the container gardens in our quilt book, Quilting the Garden. The food shot was saved because those cut-out stars in the soup were just too cute. (I might have to take a look at that picture again!)

I saved some copies of drawings we worked on for our fabric line Sweet Romance for Moda fabrics.

I'd made a color copy of one of my favorite pictures of my two oldest boys at the beach....you can begin to see that cleaning a studio can be tricky business.Once you go down memory lane it's hard to find your way back!

Saved in the journal was a color copy of the sampler I stitched in memory of my grandmother. I make color copies of each sampler when completed. I then use the images in my journals to record when they were completed ....but I digress. I've got to get back on task.....We need to find out the winner of the contest!

The winner is:

quilt cookie said...
Blueberry crumb cake is beautiful.

E-mail me at alma@blackbird-designs.com

September 17, 2011 8:54 PM

Don't forget to continue your visit to Moda's Country Fair

Yesterday....September 19th Barbara Brackman

Today...........September 20th Bonnie Olaveson

September 21st Cabbages and Roses

September 22nd Deb Strain

September 23rd Brannock and Patek

September 24th Lauren and Jessi Jung

September 25th Lily Ashbury

September 26th Cosmo Cricket

September 27th Kate Spain

September 28th Sweetwater

September 29th French General

September 30th Primitive Gatherings

October 1st Kathy Schmitz

October 2nd Liz Scott

Until later dear friends!

Alma

Moda Country Fair

2011-09-16T23:03:00.000-05:00

I've not been to many country fairs. Just one really. In 1985, I attended my first fair with my grandparents. They never missed the Polk County Fair. My grandfather was on the fair board and he was serious about the fair. Everyone must go and participate. Early in the morning my grandmother and I went out to the garden to select produce to enter. As I searched for the best tomato, my grandmother described the rules for a winning entry. The idea was to find and submit three tomatoes that were very similar in shape, color and size. One fabulous tomato just wouldn't do it.

My grandmother won this ribbon for her onions. Just not sure if she got 1st, 2nd or third. Isn't this ribbon a funny thing to save? I've kept this for over 26 years. The weirdest part is I knew exactly where to find it. I've kept it in my jewelry box, of all places, for these many years! Don't even ask my why I thought that was a great place to save this ribbon....must of had ESP it would be essential to me on Sept. 17, 2011. But now, I'm rather attached to this ribbon and don't want to loose it, so back into the jewelry box it will go!

Favorite country fair food? Kettle Corn. Dave and I made some last night...I used a "Whirley Pop" and their "special mix." I'm not sure what's in the special mix. The orange stuff looks really bad for you! But we tried it out. Honestly, I have to say I don't think I would use their mix again. I was going to add the mix to today's prize....but I don't think anyone would sign up. Use the good and easy recipe that follows.

Close-up of the mix. Believe me, that's not orange sherbet in there!

Kettle Corn Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon coarse salt

Directions: In a large pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn. When the oils sizzles, sprinkle the sugar over the kernels. Cover and shake the pan until the popping slows down, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and toss with the salt. Or if you are using a Whirley Pop use the hand crank and stir the kernels until the popping slows down. Enjoy!

Guilty Pleasure? Sitting on the sofa and watching Mad Men on Netflix.

This show makes you glad you are in the work force now instead of in the 50's and 60's!

Bucket List?    I want to ride my bike across Missouri on the Katy Trail. I did 170 miles this summer....but still haven't done the whole trail.

What inspires our work?   Nature, color, vintage prints and samplers.

Project?   You bet!

I made a huswife out of the Blueberry Crumb Cake prints. You can make one too! This fabric line will be in shops in November. But if you can't wait, any scraps that coordinate will work well.

Instructions

Cut 2 strips 4 1/2" x 18" for the front and back of the huswif.
Cut 1 piece of lightweight batting 5" x 18 1/2"
Cut 5 pockets 4 1/2" x 7 1/2" from assorted fabrics.
Cut 1 pocket 4 1/2" x 10 1/2".

Fold the first pocket in half and press. Position it on the right side of the fabric strip. The top of my first pocket is 1 1/4" down from the top edge. Draw a line in pencil where the edge of the selvage will be positioned. Align and sew the pocket to the strip as shown in the picture above. Fold the pocket up and press.

Fold the second pocket in half and press. Position the second pocket. Draw the line where the selvage will align and sew the pocket in place. If you are using a directional print, make sure it isn't upside down when the pocket is folded up!

The pocket is folded up and pressed.

My pockets overlap 3/4"- 1".

Repeat the steps above for 5 pockets.

Fold the last and largest pocket in half. Sew it along the bottom edge using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Baste the pockets in place. Use a 1/8" seam allowance.

Quilt the top of the huswife. You can find the pattern here. After quilting trim away the excess batting.

Pin the front to the back, right sides together. Sew the top to the bottom using a 1/4" seam allowance. Leave a 3" opening along the top edge. Clip the corners and turn to the right side.

Cut a 26" piece of cording or ribbon and sew one edge to the top selvage. Fold the selvage to the inside and blind stitch the opening closed.

Now you're ready to fill it with your favorite sewing items!

Leave a comment and you could win this bundle of Blueberry Crumb Cake. Just the right size to make your huswif!

Will use the random number generator to find a winner. Contest ends Sunday night. Winner posted on Monday morning!

Don't forget to visit Aneela tomorrow! The Country Fair blog hop continues....

September 18th Aneela Hoey

September 19th Barbara Brackman

September 20th Bonnie Olaveson

September 21st Cabbages and Roses

September 22nd Deb Strain

September 23rd Brannock and Patek

September 24th Lauren and Jessi Jung

September 25th Lily Ashbury

September 26th Cosmo Cricket

September 27th Kate Spain

September 28th Sweetwater

September 29th French General

September 30th Primitive Gatherings

October 1st Kathy Schmitz

October 2nd Liz Scott

Until later,
Alma

Biking the Katy Trail and Contest winner

2011-09-09T12:20:00.002-05:00

We have a winner for the bundle of Blueberry Crumb Cake fabric!

#248 Sherry....sheravery said...
Such pretty material. I am starting my Christmas sewing and could come up with many uses. Thanks for the opportunity to enter your give-away. Sherry

Congratulations Sherry! E-mail me at alma@blackbird-designs.com with your mailing address. I will send the fabric right out to you!

Don't forget Moda's Country Fair. Visit Camille today.

September 9th Camille Roskelley

September 10th Laundry Basket Quilts

September 11th Basic Grey
September 12th Minick and Simpson

September 13th American Jane (on the Moda blog)

September 14th Oliver + S

September 15th Fig Tree and Co.

September 16th Kansas Troubles

September 17th Blackbird Designs

September 18th Aneela Hoey

September 19th Barbara Brackman

September 20th Bonnie Olaveson

September 21st Cabbages and Roses

September 22nd Deb Strain

September 23rd Brannock and Patek

September 24th Lauren and Jessi Jung

September 25th Lily Ashbury

September 26th Cosmo Cricket

September 27th Kate Spain

September 28th Sweetwater

September 29th French General

September 30th Primitive Gatherings

October 1st Kathy Schmitz

October 2nd Liz Scott

Jeff on the trail at Rocheport, MO

My son, Jeff is visiting from NYC. I'm always trying to figure out a fun way to share time with the kids..... something that we will remember and enjoy together. Jeff and I had talked about taking an overnight trip and riding our bikes along the Katy Trail. Jeff thought it would be fun so we planned to ride about 35 miles each day. The portion of the trail between Columbia, Missouri and Booneville is lovely and was the right distance. It follows the Missouri river and the stops along the way are interesting. Even Lewis and Clark camped along the Katy Trail in 1804!

Rocheport, a small historic town at the halfway point of the ride, is a great place to stop and visit some shops and have dinner. Luckily we were there around 5:00pm when Abigail's opens for dinner. If you are in Rocheport when Abigail's is open make sure to have a meal there. The food is amazing! We were too full to eat desert so carried it with us in our backpack for later at our hotel.

Lobby of the Hotel Fredrick

We had dropped our luggage in Booneville, Missouri, earlier in the day at the Hotel Fredrick. I didn't want to carry the extra weight on my bike. (Believe me, my hips are enough weight to pedal around!) This place is very convenient as it's right on the trail. You can tell from the picture it's older....but it really added to the charm. So when we came over the Missouri River into Booneville that night, everything was waiting for us at the hotel. We showered and then went to the bar for some much deserved wine....and of course our desert left over from Abigail's.

The perfect finish to a long day....then to bed early.

The next morning we were up early and ready for another day of biking. The weather couldn't have been better. It was in the 70's. We had to wear jackets in the early morning but the sun was warm and the breeze cool....we hardly broke a sweat.

Jeff's favorite find was this "man cave."

Of course this meant he had to stop and climb up and explore. This happened to be a very small "man cave."

I'm left with sweet memories of our hours together.

Until later,

Alma

The Blog Hop Continues....

2011-09-07T09:49:00.003-05:00

Visit Anne Sutton from Bunny Hill Designs today. She's taking the cutest Chihuahua with her to the fair....what personality gleams through those "bugged out" eyes! (Chelsea....not Anne!!!) Who could resist "the look"? Anne has a contest for you too. So get yourself over there and sign up to win!

As for me.....I'm off to the Katy Trail today. It's a biking trail that crosses Missouri. My son and I are going to do a trip from Columbia to Booneville this afternoon and then back to Columbia tomorrow, where we will pick up the car and return home. I won't get to do a blog post tomorrow, but will be back on Friday. Just in time to do the random number generator thing and find a winner for the fabric pictured below. Just leave a comment and you have a chance at this fabric bundle of Blueberry Crumb Cake. The contest ends mid-morning on Friday.

Don't forget to visit Barb and Mary from Me and My Sister Designs on Thursday.

Until Friday!

Alma

Moda Designers' Blog Hop

2011-09-06T12:50:00.001-05:00

Today's the first day of Moda's Country Fair. This could be your blue ribbon day! Visit Sandy Gervais and sign up for her great give-away. She has a fun project to download too. Each Moda fabric designer will be taking you to the Country Fair and their date is listed below. There will be projects, contests (which are sure to involve some great fabric prizes) and lots of questions answered!

September 6th Sandy Gervais

September 7th Bunny Hill

September 8th Me and My Sister Designs

September 9th Camille Roskelley

September 10th Laundry Basket Quilts

September 11th Basic Grey
September 12th Minick and Simpson

September 13th American Jane (on the Moda blog)

September 14th Oliver + S

September 15th Fig Tree and Co.

September 16th Kansas Troubles

September 17th Blackbird Designs

September 18th Aneela Hoey

September 19th Barbara Brackman

September 20th Bonnie Olaveson

September 21st Cabbages and Roses

September 22nd Deb Strain

September 23rd Brannock and Patek

September 24th Lauren and Jessi Jung

September 25th Lily Ashbury

September 26th Cosmo Cricket

September 27th Kate Spain

September 28th Sweetwater

September 29th French General

September 30th Primitive Gatherings

October 1st Kathy Schmitz

October 2nd Liz Scott

I've been meaning to cover one of my journals and thought I would do a small "how to" today. These blank books are readily available at Barnes and Noble or other stores that carry Mole skin products.

Mine has the gridded lines.

The glue I always use for gluing paper is the bookbinding glue from Paper Source. Grab a sponge brush and cover the entire cover with a layer of glue.

Center and position your paper on the outside cover of the book. Smooth to remove any wrinkles. I used a color copy of a vintage piece of fabric from my collection. I added pieces of another coordinating paper, a bit of red raffia and a cardboard tag from a purchased shirt. I covered the tag with a scrap of paper and printed out the words Country Fair using a font that seemed to work well. Now I have a place to record all the great ideas from the blog hop.

Jeanette Ross visited me at the cross stitch market in Baltimore, MD and brought her wonderful quilt to share with Barb. Unfortunately, Barb wasn't at the market....but I got to see Jeanette and her striking quilt.

Jeanette Ross and her Trick or Treat Quilt

Here's a close-up of some of the prints Jeanette used. She worked on the applique for quite a while and just finished the quilting. Jeanette changed the basket pattern a bit. She left out the reverse applique motif in the center of the basket.

Close-up of Barb's original quilt.

When Barb began her quilt she was very particular about coordinating the prints for each block. She took time to choose the to match each basket print with the background print....but after the 200th block she no longer cared as she still had 100 to go. The pattern for this quilt is in our book, When The Cold Wind Blows.

Until later dear friends! Hope you enjoy your visit to the Country Fair!

Alma

Moda Designer

2011-09-06T09:50:00.001-05:00

New Patterns

2011-08-22T11:39:00.011-05:00

The Baltimore Needlework Market had come and gone. It feels like Barb and I work like crazy to have new patterns ready for a market....and 15 minutes later it's over. We look at each other and think, "Now should we do?"

Barb didn't go with me to this market as she is trying to finish the remodel job on her home. Then to top it off, she came down with a pretty nasty respiratory virus. She's still coughing one week later. We are all glad that she stayed home. There's no sense in passing all of those germs around to our friends. But I missed her company and funny comments at market. Barb has the best sense of humor.

(Front and back cover....this pattern comes with 2 pincushions too!)

My husband Dave went with me to this market. He turned out to be great help. We were able to combine this trip with a visit to our son who lives in Washington, D.C. I never thought of market as a vacation time....mostly because the van is loaded with patterns and furniture and we have work on our mind. But now, I'm rethinking this whole notion.

I'd never been to Baltimore before. Dave and I enjoyed riding the light rail downtown to the Inner Harbor after our booth was set up. It was a fun location to grab a bite to eat and watch the people walking around the harbor. We also went to Annapolis and visited some shops. It was parent's weekend and the new cadets from the Navel Academy were in their dress uniforms showing their families around. We had a bit of lunch at Reynold's Tavern. Great place to eat and the food was lovely.

(Front and back cover....the cover pattern is stitched on 30ct and framed. The back cover shows the same piece stitched on 40ct. The paper mache box comes with the cylinder boxes inside. They were painted and covered with paper. We like to make a color copy of our pieces after they are stitched. Several copies were made of this piece to cover the box lids. Instructions are included in the pattern.)

Thanks to all of you who visited our booth at the needlework market! Barb and I are now busy thinking about quilts for the Houston fall market. We are working on a book using our new fabric line Blueberry Crumb Cake by Moda fabrics.

Two new show and tell items!

Nancy Frisch sent us pictures of her Trick or Treat quilt from When The Cold Wind Blows. She writes, "I am thrilled to tell you that I won 1st prize at our Truckee Meadows annual quilt show with your Trick or Treat quilt design. It has been a pleasure to hand applique all those baskets and then when I completed the top it was too big for my sewing machine! I had to hand quilt the whole thing! Please note I opted for yo-yos in the border triangles -it seemed an appropriate alternative. This is my first time receiving such an honor and I wanted to share it with you. This is a wonderful design! Thank you for all you do!

Nanci Allen Bowen sent the above picture and writes, "I used to own Fiddlesticks Quilts here in Boulder City, Nevada, and I’ve met you both and spoken with you several times at past Quilt Markets. I sold my shop 6 years ago when I needed a fulltime job with the basic benefits (life change event) and at times even wondered if I would sew again and make another quilt. I didn’t want to lose my creativity and inspiration so I tried to keep my hands busy. I kept my pattern company (Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs) and have published a few designs.

I wanted to send you a photo of my finished quilt. The one that took me 6 years to finish after I decided to force myself to learn hand appliqué. I love your style, your fabrics, and your patterns! When I found this quilt in your book, I decided this would make a good learning project. Heck, it was only 4 blocks of appliqué… how hard could that be? And really, I could just do one block and call it a day, and a little wallhanging. But I liked the pattern and had so many fabrics in my collection… I kept going. I took the handwork to my son’s baseball games, worked on it during my 30 minute lunch breaks at work, took it on trips with me… basically knowing it would take me a long time to finish. In a previous life, I would’ve had it finished much earlier. It’s still not bound yet, but hey, I just picked it up from my quilter last week. J

My friend Sally (who used to attend Markets with me and has met you too) took this photo yesterday and we thought it might make you smile. So thank you for your creativity and inspiration! I miss my shop and keeping up with the latest fabric and patterns, but I did find your blog and hope to follow along with your inspiration. Thanks so much!

Well....that's all the news for now. I'm off to clean the studio and get out the fabric!
Until later!

Alma

Our Newest

2011-07-29T09:29:00.006-05:00

Here's the cover of our latest. It's almost done. It's in the printing process now and Edie McGinnis, our editor, and I are meeting down at the Kansas City Star to take a look at the proofs today at 2:00pm.

I can't believe this finally came together! After I went to the museum 3 years ago and viewed their collection, all I could think about were these samplers. This project has been a labor of love. We've included 11 projects inspired by the schoolgirls in this book. The book has 104 pages.

All twenty four of the schoolgirls highlighted in this book really did remarkable work. I wish I could travel back in time and tell them that someday their work would be in a museum and that people all over the world would see what they stitched.

Shop owners, you can order it from:

Norden Crafts
Hoffman Distributors
The Kansas City Star

The book will be done August 11....a day after I leave for cross stitch market in Baltimore. The Kansas City Star is going to overnight 5 books to Baltimore so I will have some to show shop owners. Thank goodness!
If you purchase this book you will be helping the museum too. 50% of our royalties will go to the museum.

Barb and I have patterns for market too and they are at the printers now. A lot has been going on....but you can't tell it by reading our blog. It seems like we've been on vacation. I'm very sorry for the lack of posting. Between watering my trees and garden, the heat, picking blackberries and our book I haven't had too much time.

Note: Conny found an error in the Summer - Loose Feather chart

Below is the chart showing how all the flowers in the border on the left should be stitched. If you have already finished yours not to worry...you just have to add just a couple more stitches to make the flower a bit bigger. We are very sorry about missing this when we checked the pattern.

Thank you Conny for letting us know!

Debbie Wick sent the above two pictures of her finished projects. She writes:
Here is a picture of my Anniversaries of the Heart sampler. I loved doing it and also love having a family history recorded in stitches The quilt is Winter Apple and it's now on our dining room table.

Hope you are all staying cool this summer!

Until later,

Alma

Sour Grapes

2011-07-08T15:46:00.007-05:00

Edie McGinnis called me this morning and asked me to go to the Garment District Museum. In the 1930s, Kansas City was the second largest manufacturing district. New York City was first. The old manufacturing buildings have been turned into lofts, restaurants and office buildings.

While walking through the museum, I was struck by the waistlines of the dresses. Take a gander at the one above. I'm wondering if women had internal organs in the 1950s....or if we with internal organs are a new development in evolution. How did the zipper close? This must be proof that girdles are be better than Spanx. Girdles created a rigid, controlled waistline.
In 1947, Christian Dior created a new look known as a wasp waist. The skirt was full and voluminous and the waist narrow.

Is she or isn't she breathing? I couldn't tell if she's real or just a great illustration. But no matter....she had a wasp waist and that's all that counts. Lucky gal!!!

The museum has a great poster for sale showing some fashions and the fabric used to make them.

Twirling in her rigid girdle. (You can tell I'm full of sour grapes today!)

Until later!

Alma

Happy 4th!

2011-07-04T09:34:00.006-05:00

Today I'm celebrating in my garden. My flowers need to be liberated from the weeds as they choke from the tyranny of overgrowth.

My blackberry "forest" is loaded with almost ripe berries. Soon Dave and I will be out doing weird yoga moves picking thousands of berries. We look forward to this time of the year. Dave loves to hack a path into the blackberries, "exploring strange new worlds, seeking out new life and new civilizations in an expanding vast universe" of blackberries. Blackberry pie and jelly for all!

Barb is celebrating today with needle and thread. She is getting new patterns ready for cross stitch market in Baltimore. We will be coming out with several new patterns plus our schoolgirl sampler book with the Spencer Museum of Art published by the Kansas City Star.

The Spencer Museum has a wonderful collection of samplers and they've agreed to let us share 24 of them with you. I'm in the final days of research and writing. The book goes to the designer on Wednesday.

Half of the profits from the book go to the Spencer Museum. Hopefully this will enable them to show their collection. The samplers haven't been seen by the public since the early 1970s.
Museums must have a hard time getting the money for projects.

As I wrote about each sampler, I thought of the young girls. Wouldn't they be amazed to see their samplers studied and pictured in a book?

After I hand this book off, I'm feeling ready to cut into my fabric and stitch a quilt.

I want to thank all of you that left a comment in my last posting. I enjoyed reading all of the responses and am anxious to begin reading the books you love!!!!!

Until later dear friends!

Alma

Restless

2011-06-24T11:13:00.007-05:00

I'm trying to find something good to read but I just can't settle on a book. You know the feeling? I read a couple chapters of something and find I'm just not that interested in the story or the characters. (Of course reading at bedtime doesn't help. Trying to recall what I read the night before isn't easy.) I'm really longing for a great science fiction novel....but can't find one.

My last book was Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.
How did I get through college without learning about Wilkie Collins? I happened to pick up Woman in White by Collins. On the back it mentioned that Collins and Dickens were friends. I've read many of Charles Dickens books and didn't even know he had a lifelong friend and collaborator.

Collins began the mystery and detective genre with his sensational stories. I couldn't put Woman in White down.....and Moonstone is wonderful too.

I'm thinking of reading this one. What kind of adventurous woman is she? I can't even come close to her passion and desire to experience something new. The closest I can come is wanting to kayak about 10 miles down the Platte River in Nebraska. Pretty pathetic right?

This one is in my stack to begin too, especially after my cheese making class.

I'm feeling badly about my neck (my eyes, my legs, my hips.......) Nora and I have a lot in common. Maybe this should be my next read.

I love cookbooks. This one looks great. Nothing better than reading about food!

Maybe you have a good idea.....let me know if you have read a good book lately!

Angela from Italy sent the picture below to me today. You have to visit her blog today and see how she packages all these sweet bookmarks up. Click on her name and be whisked away to some major cuteness! (She writes in Italian and English)

What a lovely way to mark your place in a book.

Until later!

Alma

Winners! and a sneak peak

2011-06-22T17:21:00.006-05:00

Twelve winners are listed below. I've put the comments with the name to help reduce confusion. I wish I could number the responses somehow, it sure would make it easier for you to figure out who won....but not sure how to do that. I end up having to count through all of them.

#27 Mary said...

I love the new line. I am trying to collect the fabrics for a Boston Commons in soft blues, whites and yellows. This may complete the deal.

#130GlammaGirl said...

I bought yardage of this! It is lovely.......Need these minis to make something very petite!!!!

#149 Eva said...

Es una colección preciosa !!!!! Una combinación ideal .... ¡vaya maravilla!
Me encantaría participar en el sorteo.
Besos

#211Minette said...

What a lovely range of fabrics!

#325 Gayle said...

what a great opportunity - a chance to win some of your wonderful new fabrics! Please count me IN!

#345 Chelsea said...

"Moody Blues"! Too perfect! Love the new line. :)

#426 Dawn said...

The new fabric line is beautiful!! I would so like to win!!

#545 Louise said...

I have wanted to make a blue and white quilt for a long time and your Blueberry Crumb Cake fabrics are perfect! I love your designs and colors and can't wait to get my hands on these!

#556 Marsha said...

I'm a blue person so I'm really excited about your new line - can't wait! Would love to win.

#594Edna said...

Blueberry Crumb Cake is beautiful. Thanks for the chance to win the Wild Rose minis.

and adding the first and last person entering the contest just for fun!

#1 Donna said...

Gorgeous fabric line! Please enter me into your giveaway.

#616Deb said...: Love love the blue and brown palatte. Enter me in the drawing. Thanks, Deb

Congratulations winners....e-mail me your address at
alma@blackbird-designs.com

The new loose feather pattern is starting to come together. Here's a look at the first cover. It's not finalized just yet, but thought you would like to have the first peak! Barb did this design....I love the large bird and those berries!

Until later!

Alma

Guess What?

2011-06-19T19:56:00.015-05:00

Friday the UPS man came with a package from Moda Fabrics. Gotta love those packages from Moda. Our newest line Blueberry Crumb Cake filled the box.

Want to make a two color quilt? This is the line for you.
I can hardly wait to get out my sewing machine and fire it up!

This line is going to be shown to shop owners in July. It will ship out to the shops in November.....in the meantime Barb and I will be working on quilts for our newest book, which will be released in October at fall quilt market.

Does this print look familiar? It's our first sampler print from our Rhubarb and Ginger line. We've updated the colors to fit into our "Moody Blue" phase.

We sprinkled some browns into this fabric line. No blueberry crumb cake is good without the gooey caramel topping!

A dash of small prints and you are ready for a recipe of fun! There are several more but too late for more photography....it's getting pretty dark here.

To celebrate......we are having a contest. There will be 10 winners...

Here's the prize. Each winner will receive 4 packs of Wild Rose mini-precuts. Just enough to sew up something sweet.

Drawing will end Wednesday. Just post in the comment section and I will run the random number generator to obtain the winning numbers.

Good luck to you all!

Fondly,

Alma

Second part of our trip

2011-06-17T09:03:00.015-05:00

Jean Lea, from The Attic Needlework, recommended that we stay at the Junipine Resort in Oak Creek Canyon just north of Sedona, Arizona. Jean has a yearly cross stitch retreat at the resort.

Jean writes,

"Our retreat is always the last weekend in February or the first weekend in March, and the weather at that time of year in Sedona is also very variable. Some years we've had lunch out on the cafe patio with temps in the mid '70s, and other years we had 10 inches of snow. Some of the ladies love to hike, and there's a great trail right on the property.

Next door, just south of Junipine, is another resort, Garland's, and they offer rustic cabin accommodations that have no phones or TV's, and the American plan, with breakfast and dinner included in your rate. I only mention it because their dinners are fabulous and one can have dinner there without actually staying there.

I've been doing The Attic retreats there since 1999, I think, and each year almost the same people come back, so there's always a waiting list. Several ladies have been coming each year, some from as far away as Wisconsin, Texas, New York, and Florida. I intentionally limit it to 20-23 ladies because the room in the cafe where we have some of our eat-togethers won't accommodate more, nor do the creek houses."

Barb and I loved the place. We stayed two nights and stitched the time away on the deck. We plan to go again....will let you know the dates so we can all go together.

This was our view from "our" deck. The stream provided a very relaxing view. The sound of the river was a refreshing break from traffic noise. It was the perfect place to work. We parked ourselves on the deck and only left the cabin for dinner. We can see why Jean hosts a retreat at Junipine!

If you go later in the season, there will be plenty of blackberries to pick too. Look out for the thorns though!

Barb and I finalized our next Loose Feathers program while staying at the Junipine Resort. Loose Feathers will be ready to go to the printer in about 1 1/2 weeks. The patterns should be in the distributors' warehouses by July 7th.

Strawberries and birds capture our hearts and are the theme of the first Loose Feather booklet. Each booklet will include a featured pattern and two bonus charts. The featured pattern can be individually framed or be stitched into one long piece of linen. The designs can fit together or stand alone as you wish.

The picture above illustrates one of the bonus charts offered in the first booklet. There will be three Loose Feather booklets in this series. The next booklet will be ready in September and the final one in November. (Is this about as clear as mud?) Not to worry.....it will all become clear in the next two weeks.

The wonderful pictures below were sent to me and they've been sitting in my e-mail file. It's about time to share....really way past time.

Karen Seitz writes,

"I finished the Prairie Home Sewing Box project from the class with Tomorrow's Heirlooms, and I want to share photos with you. I decided to line the inside top of the box too and create a pocket, so I found some of the fabric still available on-line and did 'er up! I have the pincushions stitched, but I have not been up to the precision sewing required to get that great rickrack edge done to perfection.

(BTW, the K would not fit in the area provided for the initial, so I stitched it over one and added an S, then added some of the small diamond motifs in the lower left quadrant of that area. I also stitched all of the lambswool motifs using Smyrna Crosses, used Smyrnas for the roof for texture, and filled in the heart with rice stitches. The larger diamond-shaped motif up and to the right of the house is done in queen stitches.)

Valie sent the above two projects and she writes,

"Here are a couple of finishes - a Birthday "card" and a Congratulations for the New Baby pillow - based on your oh-so-wonderful patterns. Whenever I need to stitch a little present/memento, I go and look at my Blackbird Designs charts: there will always be one that will suit the occasion.


More to come about our trip to see Paul McCartney next time. Sorry to drag this trip out, but I just don't have enough time to post it all at once.

Until later!

Alma

Lunch in Mesa, AZ

2011-06-14T08:06:00.019-05:00

Barb and I traveled last week to Mesa, Arizona. Barb wanted to see Paul McCartney and to get me to go, she sweetened the deal. Her plan was a road trip from Phoenix to Las Vegas. We'd begin with a visit to Jean Lea's, Attic Needlework first. This was enough to get me to pack my bags and book our flights to Phoenix.

A wonderful surprise was waiting for us when we arrived. Jean had lunch set up adjacent to "The Sampler Wall." Can you imagine our delight? Great company, pizza, salad and samplers too! In my next life, I think I would like to have a small cafe with hundreds of samplers on the walls.

Jean and Maegan (daughter-in-law of Vickie from Needlework Press) playing "What's the name of that sampler?" with Barb and me. We only ask questions......they have to come up with the answers.

Sometimes it can be a pretty hard game! Not to worry though, cheating is always allowed. If they couldn't remember, we let them look it up.

After reviewing my pictures I'm sorry to find that I don't have a good picture of Deb and Sandy who were also working at the shop during our visit. Deb was busy matching up floss colors for Barb and Sandy does the framing for Attic Needlework. Couldn't ask for a nicer group of women!

This rack of patterns kept Barb and I busy for quite a bit of time.

Jean has a display made from our "Remember Me" and "Two Hearts" patterns.

The original Maria Tilley from Needlework Press is on display in Jean's shop.

The Christmas pinkeep above and below is made from a pattern from Bonnie Sullivan.

The box with the poppy and 1860 date was designed by Linda Vinson of Needlemade Designs and also of the Attic's staff. The antique is from the collection of Vickie Jennett and Linda's reproduction appeared on the cover of SANQ. The chart is now available.. The vintage piece is behind the box. Isn't it sweet?

This stocking was stitched by Attic customer Janet Ryzdynski of San Diego, California. Coincident with our stocking publications, The Attic announced a group and called it the Blackbird Stocking Society and each month packaged 3 Lakeside linens in 36ct for that month's 3 stockings.

I love the color changes. The pink linen is wonderful......below is the original stocking model from "Merry December" to give you a comparison. Call Jean for the pattern, linen and floss! I know she would be glad to kit a pink one up for you.

If you want to go to Mesa, Arizona, plan a visit the first part of June. The weather is lovely and the cactus are in bloom.

Well ....back to work. We are expecting our newest fabric line, Blueberry Crumbcake in soon. Barb and I are thinking quilts and getting ready for fall quilt market! Will show you some pictures too!

More about our trip tomorrow!

Until later,
Alma

Cross - Stitch & Needlework

2011-05-31T10:46:00.010-05:00

July's issue of Cross - Stitch & Needlework magazine features a Blackbird pattern.

They added pictures of some of our other projects in the magazine too. Check it out at your local cross stitch shop.

I used a frame from Sharon Crescent's Family Tree Frames. Adding handles and a glass cover transforms this frame into a sewing tray.

Joan from stitchingsquad.blogspot.com has already finished the project and she writes,

"Just wanted to send you a picture of "Land of the Free" that I stitched from the latest issue of Cross Stitch and Needlework Magazine that you designed. I so enjoyed stitching it. I changed up the threads since I didn't have all of the Belle Soie. I just used Sampler and Weeks that I had in my stash."

Love the colors Joan!

I've not posted much....but will get back into the swing of things soon. I promise. Just finished biking the Peddler's Jamboree. The ride was on the Katy Trail. We traveled from Columbia, Missouri to Boonville, and then back again. I'm going to do it again next year....it was a great ride. Beautiful weather and scenery. We should all pledge to ride the trail together and have a stitch-along-the-way. After riding about 34 miles, you're ready to get out your needles and stitch and rest a bit!

Until later!

Alma

2011-05-16T08:03:00.016-05:00

Yikes! It's been over a month since my last post. Wish I had a great excuse. I only have Cynthia to blame. She looks innocent enough right? But she's been calling me with her great plans for our time. The first call was for cheese. "Do you want to take a cheese making class?" she asks.

"You bet!" I reply.

Cnythia's holding the mozzarella we made in class.

Our instructor is salting some fresh mozzarella after slicing. It's unbelievably easy to make. Cheese seemed like such a mystery to me before this class, but no more thanks to Cynthia!

Here's the feta cheese. We are cutting the curds into squares.

This is fresh ricotta cheese....and is it tasty? Yes, it puts the store brands to shame.

Our instructor Jeannette cooking up ricotta cheese.

I've got Dave out by our back barn, working on the goat pens now. Our instructor, Jeannette has three kids she calls "The Teenies" ready to go to a new home. I've got plans to throw them in the back of my van and bring them home. Dave needs a new project. Might get Cynthia's husband to help with the goats too. (Just kidding.....I think I really will go and buy goat milk from Jeannette and call it a day.)

Next Cynthia calls with another new plan. "Want to do a 60 mile bike ride?"

"You bet!" I reply. So, I'm in training. We are going to ride from Columbia to Booneville on the Katy trail May 28th. It's 30 miles there and you get to stop along the way and listen to music. Sounds relaxing and fun!

We will spend the night in Booneville and travel back to Columbia the next day. I'm riding my bike frequently to build up some muscles. I'm trying to make the trip seem more manageable. I only have to do 3 miles 10 times, or 6 miles 5 times, or 15 miles twice and then repeat it the next day. I can't decide which sounds the easiest. My thighs are screaming as I'm out of shape.

Dave and I are leaving for NYC tomorrow. Our son Jeff is graduating from NYU. He got his PhD in physics and we want to see him walk the walk. Sadly our relationship with our son will be on a more formal level as Jeff told us we now have to call him Dr. Allen. So....long story short. I will be back to the blog in about a week.

Below are some stunning finishes for your viewing pleasure!

Katrina writes, "What a fun, fun, fabulous piece. I have loved every minute of stitching it and adding all the personalization. I am hoping in the future you do a similar project. I so enjoyed the mystery aspect of it and watching it develop. There are lots more pictures on my blog too. Thank you so much!" To see more visit her blog at http://theneedlespromise.blogspot.com/

Visit Siobhán at Blue Hen Hollow and see more pictures of her finish shown above and below.

Siobhán writes, "I finished my Anniversaries of the Heart this weekend. I enjoyed figuring out my personalizations, which family members I would honor in the blocks, and the many memories woven with each strand of thread as I stitched their names or initials. I used the suggested overdyed cotton threads on 40 ct Examplar by Lakeside Linens. Thanks for such a wonderful design!

Giovanna writes, "I just wanted to thank you so much for publishing A Stitcher's Journey - such a wonderful book! Since receiving my copy I've made two of the pincushions charted in it, which you can see in the attached photos.

I used the charted threads, and buttons from my late grandmother's sewing box, for Tulip P. For Summer Stars, I dug into my stash for leftovers (the threads are WDW confederate gray, whisky, stone, guacamole, and red pear): it's the perfect little design with which to experiment, and I'll probably stitch it again and again. I also have the supplies to stitch some of the larger designs, and am now waiting to have more of that crucial ingredient: time, lol. That always seems to be in short supply, sigh...

Thanks again for your lovely designs, and cheers from Italy."

Pictured below are her pieces.

Cindy sent the pieces pictured below.

She writes, "Attached you will find pictures of my recent Blackbird Designs finishes. I would like to thank you and Barb for creating such beautiful designs. I absolutely adore stitching them, and have been collecting all of them that I can. I hope you both like what I have done!"
Visit Cindy's blog site at http://archangeldecker.blogspot.com/

Until later dear friends!

Alma

Hello Spring!

2011-04-11T22:49:00.018-05:00

Spring is in her glory. The crab apples are in full bloom.

My peach trees are full of tiny sweet blooms just waiting to turn into large juicy peaches. Just thinking about how that happens makes my head hurt. The miracle of nature!

Tiny violets are peaking up through the blades of grass.

After our winter, these are very welcome. Some of these offer a great bonus. Many flowers are edible. Make sure your flowers have not been sprayed with pesticides. Use them sparingly. Some can cause digestive problems. (Click on edible above to get a listing of flowers good for this process.)

Grab a clean paint brush. Put an egg white in a small dish and add a tablespoon of water. Whisk until foamy.

Paint the egg white mixture on the front and back of each petal.

Sprinkle fine sugar on the flowers. I only had the regular sugar, so I ran it through the Cuisinart food processor using my metal blade.

Violets, pansies and johnny jump-ups are all great flowers to use.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the flowers on parchment paper. Slide the parchment paper onto a baking stone. Turn off the oven after the 30 minutes and leave the flowers inside the oven for another 4-5 hours until they are dry. Remove the stems and use the flowers to decorate a frosted cupcake or cookie.

These turn out so sweet. Great way to celebrate spring!

Here's my progress on Elizabeth. I have to admit I feel a bit guilty working on this sampler. I have so much work I should be doing....but I am really enjoying this one! I just keep looking at it and can't believe I have gotten this far.

Above is the pattern cover for the last Anniversary of the Heart series. It went to the printer today....so it will ship out to the distributors in a week's time. Look for it soon. The previous blog shows a picture of the bonus pattern that is included in this pattern.

Until later!

Alma

Barb has done it again!

2011-04-04T11:34:00.006-05:00

Barb and I met over the weekend at Bottom's Up. No...we weren't going to a "gentleman's club"....and I use the term Gentleman very loosely.... and we weren't doing the Cancan at the Moulin Rouge. Just the thought of Barb and I doing the Cancan makes me want to say OUCH! No Dancing with the Stars for us. We were involved in free-wheeling and decadent entertainment of the antiquing kind.

The first weekend of each month is a gala affair down in the historic west bottoms of "Cow Town." The old buildings around the stockyard area of Kansas City are slowing being converted into antique havens. Bottoms Up is our favorite one. It's packed with vendors who bring the best stuff. I will have to take my camera next time so you can visit too.

As we were getting ready to leave, Barb pulled the linen pictured above, from the front seat of her car. Thought I would give you a peek. This piece is the final bonus pattern which will be included in #12 of the Anniversary of the Heart series. I'm working on the pattern today. It will be ready soon.

My Elizabeth Scheffield is coming along too. Love the green parrot. Thank goodness the parrot is over two threads! I think I'm going to stitch my Mom's name on this one. I might add some flowers on the stem behind the parrot. It looks like it needs a couple there.

And....my books from Bonnie Slotnick came on Friday. Great weekend reading!

I'm going to have to try the taffy. I purchased this book in memory of my father. I remember him making taffy at Christmas time and thought it would be fun to try.

Well...have to go. Work is calling. Will show the final pattern for Anniversaries of the Heart soon.

Until later dear friends!

Alma

Another day in NYC

2011-04-01T09:53:00.016-05:00

So many places to visit...and so little time to do it in. Edie and I ran from place to place. We used the subway and walked miles and miles. I know we might have gone faster in a cab, but I felt more like a New Yorker navigating the jungle of subways.

Luckily, the hotel gave us a city map with subway stops. Do not count on NYC giving out a single subway map. Every station is out of them. Must be a best seller!

After visiting the American Folk Art Museum, I saw one of the reasons why. The gift shop had wallets for sale made from the subway maps. (In all fairness....maybe the company making the wallets print their own maps. No research on the map problem was done by me! I just pointed the wallets out to Edie and made a snide comment about where all the subway maps were going. I'm digressing here....time to move on to more fun in NYC.)

Are you looking for vintage trim or ribbons? Then Tinsel Trading Company is the store for you!

After purchasing French General's book Treasured Notions, all I could think about was seeing the shop for myself. Believe me, this place is the mother lode of trim, notions, ribbon, buttons, flowers.....you name it. I'm sure what ever you want is somewhere in this shop.

I had to purchase a couple of items.

I've been searching for vintage sequins. I saw them sewn onto the background of an antique sampler and wanted to experiment with the idea.

And....you know me. I love the idea of the vintage trims for props in photography.

The picture at the beginning of this post is from the quilt show Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts. The redwork birds are so sweet!

More shops to come!

Until later,

Alma

Places to Visit in NYC

2011-03-31T09:23:00.015-05:00

Before traveling I made a list of shops I had to visit.... places I read about and wanted to see first hand. Luckily Edie was willing to see them too!

If you read this blog you know I love to bake....but what you might not know is, I love to read cookbooks too. So it's no surprise while in NYC I wanted to visit Bonnie Slotnick's Cookbooks.

Bonnie has a great shop nestled in Greenwich Village filled with enough recipes of gastronomical wonders to last a lifetime. As you walk through the door, you immediately know Bonnie is passionate about what she does.

Edie found a chair to settle into as she took time to study the available books.

Bonnie has a limited assortment of kitchen tools, aprons, bowls and tea towels. Just enough to add visual interest to her store.

Tea cups and cookie cutters litter the shelves. A small book, Tastes of Paradise, is tucked horizontally on the shelf. Wish I would have seen it while there. Bonnie is willing to check her shelves for a book you need and mail it to you. She told me they know her well at the post office. She's sending my selections to me as I didn't want to lug heavy books home.

I asked Bonnie what was the most valuable cookbook in the shop. She proceeded to pull The House Servant's Directory out to show me. This book was written in 1824. It has been professionally rebound. I wish I could have taken a picture of the inside of the book for you....but when she told me the price, I didn't touch it. She thinks it would sell for about 5,000 to 10,000 dollars, a bit more than I had in my purse that day!

The picture above is of my son Jeff. He's a student at NYU. He met us at the store before dinner. I'm including him here to give you an idea of the size of the shop. He pretty much fills the store. Call Bonnie before going to make sure he isn't there! You don't want to have to move him out of the way while browsing! Make sure you save plenty of time to check out all of the titles on the shelves too. I think an afternoon would be about enough time. Bonnie's shop is open from 1-7pm.

I took Elizabeth Scheffield with me to NYC too. Thought I would show my progress. I'm really enjoying working on this one. The over-1 bird took a bit of time....but worth it!

Until later dear friends!

Alma

New York City

2011-03-30T09:45:00.017-05:00

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.

What a trip! Edie McGinnis went with me to NYC for the American Folk Art Museum's quilt show, Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts.

After viewing the show, Edie asked me what was my favorite part.

I couldn't pick out one or two quilts and say...."This was my favorite." This experience was more about the entire show itself.

Look at the lighting on the quilts. Each quilt glows in the "night sky." They spiral into the starry heavens. We were silhouetted in the darkness looking up at them. They were magnificent.

I have never seen such a beautiful show. It was housed in Park Armory. This huge building was the perfect location.

Joanna Rose's collection glowed with a kaleidoscope of beauty. Although a book is coming, and you can find the pictures on Itunes for free, it will never be the same as viewing this show at the Armory.

It reminded me of all I love about quilting.

Texture

Repetition

Positive-Negative space

Motion/Movement

Expression of our world around us

We all gazed up in wonder.

More tomorrow! I have to unpack and do a bit of work!

Alma

Cooking Class

2011-03-23T11:01:00.010-05:00

Last night I attended another cooking class at the Culinary Center in downtown Overland Park. Can you guess what we did? It was a hands-on Croissant class.

Eileen Usovicz is the owner and baker at Clock Tower Bakery, which is right across from the Culinary Center. Eileen had us began at the end of the croissant making process. Rolling and cutting the croissants was our first task accomplished. It gave enough time for the croissants to proof and bake. (Which means eating and I'm all for that!) We even got to make pain au chocolat....they were heaven. I would have photographed those too.....but Dave ate them last night.

The layers and wonderful flavor come from butter of course. A 20 pound square of butter is laid on top of the dough. (I'm kidding, we only used 6 1/2 oz of butter.) Rolling and folding the dough layers the butter throughout the dough. It melts during baking and the results are shown below.

Layers of wonderfulness!

My photos could have used more light. Everything here is a bit dark....and I would go and reshoot everything....but I have to confess. I ate one as I worked. Here is the last bite.

Here's the last one....but not to fear. I'm sure Dave will make short work of it.

We left class last night with a bag of hot croissants and with dough already to cut and make more. What a class! The instructor was so organized that all 30 people were smiling and eager to try this again. Croissants are easy to make. She recommended Williams Sonoma Essentials of Baking cookbook. I will be making these again.

The final Anniversaries of the Heart will be ready soon. It will ship to the distributors in 2 1/2 weeks. This pattern will also include the bonus.

Friday, I'm traveling to NYC with Edie McGinnis. (read her posting of March 18th.)
The Folk Art Museum is hosting a very large quilt show, 650 quilts to be exact. In fact, it's the largest quilt show ever shown in the city. It's from March 25-30th. "Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts" will be at the Wade Thompson Drill Hall at the Park Avenue Armory. All this and free too. Hope to see you there!!!

Until later!

Alma

Sock Update

2011-03-22T08:58:00.009-05:00

My 5 year old sock is finally moving along. I'm almost done with the heel. This is nothing I could have done on my own. It seems like my pattern is in a foreign language.

I've been going to Old Mill Stitchery on Monday evenings. A group of women meet there from 5-7 pm to stitch and knit. I'm looking longingly at the stitcher's projects, but I'm plugging along with my knitting. Robin, their lovely expert, has been guiding me to a finish. I think Robin could knit socks in her sleep.

I feel sorry for her though. I'm sadly discovering I'm a whiner. There have been grumblings from the ladies. They might secretly move to Tuesday nights. I hope they put up with me though. I've been feeling the need of companionship from a group of fun women.

I read the newsletter from The Attic in Mesa, AZ. Jean, the shop owner, has a sampler of the month program. This is the one for March. (I don't know what is wrong with the picture on the pattern cover...but not to worry. Jean sends one along with the pattern.)

I thought, even if I don't get the entire sampler done the basket along the bottom would be wonderful!

Of course, I then proceeded to start in the upper left-hand corner. I did this while watching TV last night. I stitch in hand....the frame above is all for show.

Jean usually changes the colors. If you've been to her shop you can see she has a great eye! She came up with the silk palette above. I told her to send her entire kit my way.

I've discovered that this blog is going to be 2 years old next month. I can't believe it! I'm grateful you have stuck with me along the way!!! Barb and I are thinking of something fun to celebrate.

Until later dear friends!

Alma

No Flutes Here!

2011-03-05T08:54:00.010-06:00

Turns out, Fairy Gingerbread doesn't want to be fluted, scalloped or cut out with cookie cutters. It was very resistant in fact! The edges just crumbled. The cookies pictured above are not what I imagined. Just not jumping-up-and-down cute are they?

I was kicking myself all day yesterday!!!! Why did I go on about scalloped and fluted edges in my last blog post? Save yourself....go visit another blog where people are normal and sane.

Turns out, cutting them straight is the way to go. Use a pizza cutter.....or your rotary cutter and a ruler to get them all the same size. Go visit Pie O My. She has the recipe and pictures to prove she knows what she is doing in the kitchen.

I did add 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. chili powder to mine to give them a bit of a kick. It makes them a bit more flavorful. And forget the 9 tablespoons of brown sugar. Just use 1/2 cup packed.

Use a sweet plate with scallops to serve. You can't just eat one. They are addictive. Try them!

Couple more quick things...

Weeks Dye Works came out with two more sweet linen colors. Charlotte's Pink and Red Pear. These make me hopeful spring isn't too far away.

And I have to give you a sneak peak at Barb's last purchase at the Heart of County.

This long cookie board has 1/2 of the alphabet on one side and the remaining letters are on the reverse of the board.

Look at the detail inside each letter.

I hope Barb will loan it to me next time I work on Spingerle cookies. What a find.

Enjoy your weekend!

Until later,

Alma

Change of Plans

2011-03-03T08:53:00.008-06:00

This plate is missing Fairy Gingerbread...not to worry though. Crisp and scalloped cookies will be served up tomorrow. I received an pressing e-mail from Liz Jones and felt it had to be answered first.

She writes: "How do you use chenille trim? It looks narrow......"

Liz, I should have explained it in more detail on the original blog posting.

Above is the chenille trim dyed by R & R Reproductions. It comes in four wonderful colors. Barb and I have been purchasing the white trim and dyeing it with tan Rit dye. We've used the same formula over and over. Not very exciting or interesting.

We asked Ann and Pat from R & R if they might shake things up a bit for us. They came to market with these five wonderful colors. Fudge, Cocoa, Smoke, Cinnamon and Kelp. Cinnamon and Kelp are calling my name. I can hardly wait to use them. It might take a bit of time, but all of your cross stitch shops should have this product soon!

Here are some pictures that give you an idea of how we use chenille.

The picture above shows one of the best uses of chenille trim. It hides any gap between a wooden or paper mache box lid and the stitched piece. The picture also shows chenille trim before it is dyed. It comes flat and white. Doesn't look much like the trim we use on projects, does it? Wet the trim, dry it and it fluffs up like a new born chick. Click on the word chenille trim in the sentence above and the link will take you to a tutorial I made a couple of years ago on dyeing trim.

Another great use of the trim is shown above. The trim is laid on top of the seam line and your sewing thread is stitched over it to couch it in place. The chenille trim frames the heart pincushion. Wish the lovely green or red shade of chenille had been available to trim the heart....would have been much more dramatic.

The fairies will be busy this afternoon. Will show you the gingerbread tomorrow.

Until later dear friends!

Alma

Influenced

2011-03-02T10:52:00.015-06:00

Cookbooks are right on the top of my reading list. I love to read the ingredients and the directions. The photography makes everything appear delicious and mouth watering.

While browsing in a cooking store last month, two words caught my attention.....Fairy Gingerbread. Who knew fairies even wanted gingerbread? But the mental image of Fairy Gingerbread was so alluring, I had to purchase the magazine. I felt hypnotized....I must have Fairy Gingerbread.....I must have Fairy Gingerbread!!! The magazine's picture made it look light, luscious and crisp. It seems like the wrong season for gingerbread but did I even care? No.

I went right home and made the cookie recipe the next day...it was almost all I could hope for. Those light, flat wafers of gingerbread were delicious and looked sweet, but I though a fluted edge on the cookie would be even better.

The reason for this excessive background detail is pictured below. I needed a tool to give the edge of the cookie a scallop or fluted edge. I think my friend Flona contributed to this fluted edge obsession I have going now. (Scroll down to the blog post of Feb. 14th.)

The tools above and below are my purchases from Heart of Country. The Nashville cross stitch market occurred during the same time as Heart of Country this year. Barb and I always rejoice when this happen. We save one day to visit the antique vendors before setting up our booth.

Flona must be reading my mind. (Poor thing! No one wants to go there!) She gave the biscuit cutters below to me last night. They are from Martha Stewart's collection. You can find them at Macy's.

Tomorrow, I'm going to try the Fairy Gingerbread again and am going to use some of these tools!
Come back to see!

Until later,

Alma

2011-03-01T13:06:00.007-06:00

Cross stitch market is one of my favorite places to attend. Lots of wonderful new products. Barb and I weren't able to visit many booths...but we did find some great things in a short period of time. Paula from Kelmscott Designs has some great new scissors. The woven design on this silver pair is one of her newest.

This pair just makes me want to clip threads where ever I go. Aren't they sweet?

If silver isn't your thing...I'm sure one of the above will do just fine! They are called storklettes.

Barb and I love chenille trim. R & R Reproductions now sells chenille trim in 4 colors. Your local shop should have this product if they went to market. I can hardly wait to use these! Soon they will have cotton tapes and rick rack too.

I picked up these three patterns from Lisa Roswell of The Primitive Needle. I love her whimiscal designs and always find time to visit her room. I found out today that Lisa died yesterday in flood waters in Norwalk, OH. Her daughter posted on her mom's blog today. What a lovely woman Lisa was. She always greeted each person with a smile and kind words. She will be greatly missed!

Until later dear friends!

Alma

Winner

2011-02-16T22:16:00.004-06:00

#245 is the winner....

Vintage Sandy said...

Looks like alot of fun and the cookies are beautiful would love to be the lucky winner of one of your cookie molds to try my hand at it next year or sooner!

Sandy, you will be baking beautiful cookies soon! Send you address to alma@blackbird-designs.com and I will mail your heart cookie mold to you.

Here are a couple more patterns to view....we have 7 new Reward of Merit patterns. I've been folding patterns for the past two days. I think we might have to revisit this format!!!

The car is packed finally. We are taking more books than usual. I'm hitting the sack early tonight! Have to get up early tomorrow morning. Nashville is a long drive from Kansas City. We should be there by tomorrow night.

Until later dear friends!

Alma

Be Mine!

2011-02-14T07:53:00.012-06:00

Happy Valentines Day!

We're baking up some fun for you today! Yesterday my friends and I got together to make molded cookies for Valentine's Day. We used some of the heart shaped molds I've collected from House on the Hill.

Everyone brought a couple of cookie sheets to the baking party. I made up two batches of chocolate Springerle dough, enough for lots of cookies. There is something addictive about pressing beautiful shapes into the dough.

Flona made my favorite discovery of the day. She used one of my vintage biscuit cutters on a couple of the small round cookies. The trim plus the fluted edge on the cookie was just too sweet! Martha Steward has cookie cutters with fluted edges. They come in many sizes too. I couldn't find them on-line, but click here for another link.

Linda made this one for her husband....as they sail through life together.

Wish you could have been here too! But since my kitchen is very small...I'm sending a part of the party to one lucky winner.

I have an extra mold and would like to give it away.
Leave a comment and I will spin the random number generator. Contest ends Wednesday, Feb. 16th. I will try and send out the prize before leaving for cross stitch market.

Don't forget the Moda Pillow Talk is going on this month. I've been bad about posting visits! But it's never too late to visit any of these gals! The welcome mat is always out.

February 8th … Kate Spain
February 9th … Kathy Schmitz Studios
February 10th … Thimbleblossoms
February 11th … Me and My Sister Designs
February 12th … Minick & Simpson
February 13th … Oliver + S
February 14th … Pieces From My Heart
February 15th … Laurie & Jessi Jung
February 16th … Sweetwater
February 17th...Barbara Brackman
February 18th … Deb Strain
February 19th … American Jane
February 20th … Primitive Gatherings

Wishing you all a very sweet day!

Alma

A Stiltcher's Journey

2011-02-06T13:36:00.008-06:00

A Stitcher's Journey is our newest book. Thought you might like to see the cover. I've been working on cover designs for the past two days and this is the one we have chosen. This book is a collection of the projects we taught in classes and retreats this past year.

Barb and I enjoyed traveling and meeting fun and creative women from all over the country.

We included an extra in this book. We were inspired by an exercise book from the Kildare Place Model School. Inside the book, we found a sampler and other examples of stitching. We believe the young woman who stitched the sampler and attended the school was in training to become a teacher/governess. We think she immigrated from Ireland to Australia, as we found her book in Australia. She wasn't able to take many belongings with her as she traveled, but she saved space in her trunk for her exercise book. The exercise book is filled with pieces she meticulously stitched. Each is an example of what she might teach her future pupils. Pictures of her work and the pattern for her sampler are included in this book too. Her journey is the one celebrated in this book.

I should be taking the book to the publisher tomorrow....we like the ink dry by the time market begins. The book is 52 pages packed with fun ideas and projects just for you! It will be released at Market, Feb. 19 - 20.

I'm still making bread. I just pulled these two babies out of the oven. I told Dave, "Guess what we are having for dinner? One for you and one for me!" These are pain de campagne, which in French means country bread. It's one of my new favorites: a bit of rye flour, unbleached flour, water, salt and yeast. Really so easy.... bread is the dessert of life.

Don't forget Pillow Talk. Yesterday was Connie from Cotton Way. Today is Joanna from Fig Tree and tomorrow is Lynn from Kansas Troubles.

Visit them all and tell them hello from me!

Until later dear friends.

Alma

Winners!

2011-02-04T08:59:00.005-06:00

A little bird told me you were wishing for a bit of spring! Me too!!!! Every morning I put my boots on and go out to feed the birds. Don't forget them. Their food is hidden by tons of snow here.

On the morning news it looked like everyone in Houston was ice skating on the highways with their cars. Way to much fun for me! I'll take snow over ice any day of the week.

Here is the prize and here are the winners:

#606 Laurie in Iowa said...

Woo hoo... both quilts look fabulous.

#228 Sampler Lover said...

Thank you for the pattern. This is the perfect quilt to make for one of my children - Sandra.

February 2, 2011 3:25 PM

Ladies send your address to me at: alma@blackbird-designs.com

Today take a trip to Bunny Hill Lane for a bit of pillow talk with Anne. She's giving away something to press out all of your troubles.

Until later dear friends!

Alma

The Quilt Pattern ..Antique Fair Baskets

2011-02-02T07:46:00.010-06:00

Ready for more pillow talk? For a picture of my pillow and answers to many personal questions visit yesterday's post.

Today it's all about Barb's quilt. Her basket quilt took a layer cake and a bit more from our Antique Fair line with Moda Fabrics. Check the pattern for details.

Here's a picture of the full quilt. Sorry for the terrible shot....but we have snow issues here. We had to get the drive shoveled this morning.

The picture above shows a closer view. There are 7 rows of blocks. There are 25 basket blocks and 24 red print blocks. Click here for the pattern.

And to help you make your own, we have two layer cakes to give away. Leave a comment and I will choose 2 winners. One layer cake for each. Wish we had more layer cakes to give...but Barb cut hers up for the quilt. Don't forget to visit Jan Patek tomorrow! She has some pillow talk to share with you too!

This is my daughter's bed. After photographing the basket quilt, I thought I would take these to show too.

The shams pictured above were made by Jeanne Zyck our quilter. She used one of my favorite prints from Wild Rose. The smaller pillow was made from some left over half-square triangles. The sampler hanging on the wall is the bonus piece from our Loose Feather series. (It's no longer available.) The quilt pattern is in the book, When The Cold Wind Blows published by the Kansas City Star. We had some cold wind blowing here yesterday!

Thank you for coming by today! Your visit is always appreciated. Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win one of the layer cakes. Drawing ends on Thursday. Will announce the winners Friday morning.

Until later,

Alma

Pillow Talk

2011-02-01T10:09:00.014-06:00

I'm going to do the Moda Pillow Talk blog hop in two postings. I know it isn't my day....my day for the blog hop is tomorrow, Feb. 2nd....but with the quilt info. I want to post, I need to get part of this done now. I'm never able to follow the rules correctly. I accept my personality disorder and hope you will too.

The mission was to make a pillow that reflected us. The above pillow was the one I made. It was made from a block I discarded while making the theme quilt for the book Garden Club. (The pattern for this block is in the book. I just changed my mind about background fabrics for the quilt.) So, I began this task by cheating.

I used the block because it was already done. I just didn't want to discard the block. Think of it like giving a UFO another life.

I made up for using this block by adding layers of texture that were interesting to me.

I thought it would be fun to quilt the piece with embroidery stitches. Using a cream pearl cotton I stitched the chain stitch and herringbone stitch around all of the shapes. I hand quilted a running stitch along the printed stripe with the same fiber.

Instead of using poly-fil to stuff the pillow, I decided to use feathers. I love the drape of a feather pillow. They look natural instead of stiff. (If you do this, please make sure you line the pillow! My feathers are still popping out of the back as I didn't line it.)

A small ruffle finished this. Just enough to add a bit of color to frame the applique. This really went pretty fast. I didn't go for perfect stitches. I went for speed! I did note after stitching a couple of stems, my technique got better.

Here are the questions we were to answer.....you can skip this part if you want to!

What is a little known fact about yourself?
I enjoy playing the piano. I’m not very good, but I'm ok with that. As I learn a piece of music I feel a sense of accomplishment though. I'm thinking about learning how to play the accordion or squeezebox. I almost purchased one recently in an antique shop. It just looks like a joyful musical instrument to play.

How do you relax?
Reading is always relaxing for me. My favorite genre has always been science fiction. The stories literally transport me out of this world. Now I’m reading mysteries. People are always seem to be killing each other or loosing things! (Maybe I should go back to science fiction!)

What do you sleep in - PJ’s or Nightgown?
I’m a t-shirt and shorts kind of gal. I don’t like nightgowns. You get all tangled up when tossing and turning in bed.

What kind of pillow do you like, Hard or soft, foam or feather? And why?
I really like a couple of feather pillows. But really, it doesn’t matter what kind of pillow. When my head hits the pillow, I’m gone.

When you were young did you sleep with a stuffed animal? If so what?
I don’t remember sleeping with a stuffed animal. My second son had a polar bear called “Huggy Baby” and it was a crisis if we couldn’t find him at bedtime. Maybe that’s why my parents didn’t encourage me to have one.

Do you sew in bed? Read? Watch TV? eat?
I read in bed and drink a cup of tea.

How many nights have you or your spouse spent on the couch?
None...we did have a young man wander into our house one Thanksgiving and spent the night on our sofa. We were very surprised to find him there the next day! We had to call the police and have him removed. After that, no one wanted to sleep on the sofa.

Nighttime toddy?
Just hot tea.

Early to bed or all-nighter?
Early to bed and early to rise......

Who would you most like to have a pillow fight with?
Heath Ledger....although he’s gone and was much, much, much too young for me. I loved watching him on-screen. Just wish he were still around to act in movies. If he were smacked by a pillow, I imagine he would have a very cute grin.

Tomorrow a contest and quilt instructions. My friend Jan Patek is up for Feb. 3. Click on her name to go to her site.

Until tomorrow dear friends! It's snowing up a storm here. Hope you are all warm and cosy!

Alma

Pillow Talk

2011-01-31T10:08:00.007-06:00

The Moda blog hop starts tomorrow! Take a trip over the Atlantic and visit Aneela Hoey in Great Britain. She is a new designer for Moda fabrics and her first line of fabric will be released this April. She's already posted her note and has a giveaway of her fabric too!

The quilt above was made from a "layer cake" of our Antique Fair fabric from Moda.

Our "Pillow Talk" day is Feb. 2. On the second we will be giving the pattern for the quilt above.

This has to be short today. A Stitcher's Journey is turning out to be about 52 pages! I have to finish it up and get it to the printer or we won't have a book for market!

We are expecting a winter blizzard here! Just right for staying at home and working.

Hope you are all warm and safe!

Alma

Fabric colorways

2011-01-28T11:26:00.005-06:00

When the UPS man arrives out in the country it's always exciting! The dogs are barking and attacking the windows and doors just trying to get out and be the first to lick the UPS man to death. I'm sure those delivery people are sick of my dogs and their threatening barks. But nevertheless, we are all excited when we see the brown truck come down the drive.

This delivery was from Cheryl Freydberg, Design Director, of Moda Fabrics. Her packages always mean that our newest fabric line is progressing to the next stage.

When Barb and I work on a new fabric line, we have to choose items that convey our color choices to Cheryl and the mills in Korea. We have tried sending floss, paint chips and even wool swatches to convey the hues and shades illustrating how we want the prints colored.

Above is the beginning of Blueberry Crumb Cake. I thought a limited two color palette sounded like the perfect recipe for fun. The soft and restful look of old pieced two color quilts are favorites of mine. The blue tones in this line are based on an old faded piece of antique fabric I found.

After we approve the color swatches, the mill will begin to color our prints. I'm loving the blue and brown tones. Makes me eager to see how the prints turn out.

Speaking of Moda fabrics they are having a blog hop starting Feb. 1st. We are on for Feb. 2nd. click on the link above and it will take you to their blog for details. Look for a contest here on the 2nd and more details about my sleeping arrangements than you probably really want to know!

And your comments are just too funny! Thank you for taking the time to respond in the comments section. I laughed all the way to bed last night after reading some of them. After reading Terry's comment, I will never look at this candle from Pottery Barn the same!

Terry said...

At first I thought the candle was a glass of milk you'd magically flamed - the perfect drink to go with fire-roasted bread! Glad your fire was just a little one and that your grandmother's crock survived unharmed.

Small update on cross stitch market.

I'm working on the project book, A Stitcher's Journey. It's going to be jam packed with the projects we taught last year....plus an added extra. More details and cover shot soon. This will be released at Market.

We have a plan for Loose Feathers and it will begin after market. We will show a preview to shop owners in Nashville. Of course I will show details here on the blog as soon as I have the patterns ready to print.

Until later dear friends!

Alma

Fire In The Oven!!!

2011-01-27T10:26:00.007-06:00

Last night while watching television, I heard a loud beeping noise. First I thought it was from the tv, but then as it continued I realized something was wrong. I went into the kitchen and found I had a fire in the oven and smoke everywhere.

Yesterday, I worked all day on a couple of loaves of Rye bread. When I say all day, I really mean 30 minutes here and then 30 minutes there. Mostly the bread is fermenting or rising. One of the doughs had fermented for 6 hours and was working on its final rise. The other loaf was a walnut-date bread. I had shaped it into a wreath and it was almost ready to be baked. Then, I didn't pay enough attention and accidentally preheated my top oven to 500 degrees instead of the lower oven. Needless to say, all my bread dough was rising in the oven that was slowly heating to 500 degrees. (Along with my grandmother's vintage crock...luckily and surprisingly it didn't break.) Not good for dish towels though. They were in flames.

It felt like those times when you think you are making great progress on a quilt, only to find out you have to take out stitches because you pieced something wrong or, after stitching a large motif on a sampler and finding out you are off 1 thread. As my friend Cherie says, "You want to rip your head off and throw it across the room." (Cherie has quite the way with words and images.)

I went ahead and baked the walnut bread anyway to see if it might turn out. I added a candle for the picture above hoping to divert your attention from my bread. Everything looks better with a candle don't you think?

This is what the bread should look like. I took a picture of Richard Bertinet's bread from his book Dough.

Mine doesn't look like his at all....but I'm giving it a second go this morning. I'm feeling hopeful.

This baby is rising now. It will be ready to bake soon. I better go pre-heat the oven. Believe me, I'm going to be more careful today!

Until later dear friends,

Alma

OUCH!

2011-01-26T10:44:00.006-06:00

Look at the nails!!! Are you framing your samplers like this? I certainly hope not.

Mary Evans worked hard on this lovely sampler only to have it nailed to a board. Luckily it was backed with muslin. I think the muslin has saved it from major damage.

The last time we attended Heart of Country in Nashville I picked up this one. Mary Evans finished it October 20, 1830. That was 181 years ago. I bet Mary skipped around the room when this was completed!

Mary Evans will be the featured sampler in a cross stitch book released in April or May. Her sampler was chosen because of the wonderful three baskets she stitched.

Mistress Mary, Quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With Silver Bells, And Cockle Shells,
And baskets in a row.

I don't mean to imply that Mary Evans was contrary. If you judge her by her sampler, she was a very good girl indeed.

Until later dear friends,

Alma

Evergreen Lane - New pattern

2011-01-23T14:57:00.012-06:00

Our warehouse has moved! We house our books and patterns with my husband's computer company. We rent space he doesn't need. Sharing space has worked great for us. But Dave decided to move his business to another location right after Christmas. This meant that Blackbird Designs had to move too. Wish I could describe just how much fun this process has been....but I'm going to spare all of you. Luckily Barb's very strong nephews helped with our move.

Last weekend, I slipped out of town (when Dave wasn't looking) with 2 of my dear friends. Flona decided we should drive to Round Top, TX for the winter antique show. I've read about Round Top for years, so I was very anxious to go. The winter show is smaller than the spring show....but it was good to find our way around without the huge crowds. Flona arranged for us to stay at the Round Top Farmhouse #9.

This is the kitchen area ....isn't it sweet? It was set up for breakfast....just right for a quick bite before we left for the show. These are pictures from the Round Top Farmhouse site...it was rainy during our stay....not a ray of this lovely sunshine was to be seen. (Not that it mattered to us. We were on the search for antiques!)

Flona and Linda stayed in this cute bedroom.

I got the bottom bunk! It reminded me of younger years when my sister and I slept in bunks. I slept on the top then...but didn't think I could get up there now.

Royers Round Top Cafe was pictured in a Country Living magazine years ago. It's one place I wanted to visit after reading the article. We saved one night to have dinner there. The place was packed and very fun. We all had a great meal plus we tried their pies for dessert.

I had to get my picture taken with Bud, the pie man. He's pretty famous around these parts...and very kind to pose too!

We had our picture taken right before dinner. (L to R) Flona, me and Linda. Nothing like a girl's weekend to brighten our spirits.

Evergreen Lane is going to the printer tomorrow. (#11 of the Anniversaries of the Heart series) It will ship out to the distributors in a week. Look for it in your local shops in a couple of weeks. The last pattern in this series will be released at the Nashville cross stitch market. We are getting final details ready and will announce more about market soon.

Until later!

Alma

Wrong blog? Hope not!

2011-01-11T09:00:00.010-06:00

I've been working this past week on a sourdough starter. At first I resisted. A week to make a loaf of bread? And what if it doesn't turn out?

As I pondered, I was reminded about what I always tell everyone as I teach applique. "In order to learn how to applique you have to applique. You have to allow yourself to not feel badly about your stitches and accept feeling clumsy with the process. Just go for speed and your skills will follow. Before you know it, your stitches are small and even."

So, taking my own advice (that I'm so eager to give)....I just jumped in. If it didn't work out....what the heck. In order to learn how to bake bread, I'm just going to have to bake some.
I followed Richard Bertinet's recipe in his Crust book. Take water, flour and honey and let it sit. It sits for a bit and then it gets hungry. (A bit like me!) Then you have to feed it....and feed it....and feed it more. But darn if it didn't begin to grow and bubble. It becomes a living organism. If I leave town, Dave's going to have to babysit it!

What a science experiment this whole thing has been. Who knew all of this wild yeast was floating around in my house? (I know I haven't cleaned in a week....but really!!!) There is an entire universe of bacteria and yeast out there that we don't see with the naked eye!

The picture above shows what I pulled out of the oven this morning! The round rings in the dough are formed by the basket as the bread rises.

The basket is in the picture above. I had to order it from King Arthur's flour. See the cuts in the bread top? You need a lame bread slicing tool to make these....you can tell I'm not very good at this yet. It looks hacked up a bit....but Dave thought it looked great. I wonder if my rotary cutter would work better?

Dave asked me, as he left for work, if he needs to bring shellac home to keep this loaf of bread forever....or would he get a taste? (He thinks he's too funny!)

This prosciutto, parmesan, and pine nut roll was made a week ago. I made a bunch and took them to a friend's house. The recipe is from Bertinet's Dough book. I've been warming up left overs in the oven and having them for lunch. (And in case you are wondering....yes I did join weight watchers! I'm using all those points for bread!)

I am going to try and not talk about bread on this blog too much. But it's just so fun and exciting!

Connie Adrian sent the following note and the picture above to me. She writes,

"I wanted to share with you a picture of Snow Garden (first Anniversary of the Heart pattern.) I stitched it on 30ct Weeks Dolphin using the threads as charted. The fabric is actually a little greener then it looks in the picture. I stitched this as a shop model for Reflections Framing and Stitching here in Omaha where I work part time.

Our framer Julie is wonderful at choosing colors and just can’t seem to do projects as charted!! She thinks out of the box and at first I wasn’t so sure when she chose this fabric but it turned out wonderful I think. Since it was to be a shop model I used ABC and the 2010 plus filled in the other letters with snowflakes.

It was really hard to hand this one over to them so I guess I will have to stitch it for myself!!

Happy New Year!

Tammy Wilcox wrote,

"I was reading your blog and I just had to share a similar story about my quilt! I recently completed the "Home Sweet Home" quilt and it inspired my friends and I to to create a stitch-along using the Anniversaries of the Heart series. We plan to stitch one pattern each month this year. Thank you for creating such beautiful designs and providing hours of creative bliss for us!
Attached is a picture of my finished quilt (I did quilt it myself!)"

Riet Klein-Schuurman from the Netherlands writes,

"I'm sending you a photo of the Home Sweet Home quilt that I've made. I only did four blocks, otherwise it was too big. I had great fun making this quilt.

Thank you for the great pattern."

Barb and I love seeing your work. Thank you for sharing these wonderful projects!

Well......back to work. Our warehouse is moving. I'm busy packing up and getting the new warehouse space into shape. If that isn't enough we are getting ready for cross stitch market in Nashville. We have a couple new books and some new patterns to get ready. (More about that in another post!)

Until later dear friends,

Alma

Pattern Change

2011-01-03T13:54:00.006-06:00

Marilyn from France send me a picture of her Anniversaries of the Heart sampler. It is amazing to see all of the houses stitched together. Thank you for sharing Marilyn!

Marilyn writes:

Hello I wish you a very happy New Year 2011 with still a wonderful little crosses, continue to amaze us ....Enclosed is my Anniersaries
Marylin friendship of France

Wanted to give you a quick update about our newest pattern. We've changed the title. It's hard for us to remember all the names we have given various quilts and samplers. I think one of our patterns was already named Pumpkin Vine. (Can I remember for sure? No...but Barb liked Pumpkin Farm so we changed the title.) It is at the printer now....it will be in the warehouse early next week. I might be a bit slower shipping this one out as our warehouse location is moving. (Nothing like picking the coldest month of the year to move!) Barb has #11 stitched. We are waiting for framing and then it should be shipping to the distributor in two weeks.

I've sent out all of the fabric and cookbook prizes (Dough by Richard Bentinet) I ran out of the small fabric squares and had to do a replacement prize for some of the contestants. So winners....look for your prizes soon. If you sent me an e-mail and I missed you...please e-mail me again.
alma@blackbird-designs.com

Donna Pope sent in a picture of her Home Sweet Home quilt. She writes:

I loved making this quilt; it was my first appliqué quilt, and I had it quilted.
I'm now working on the #3 "Remember Me"  Maude Eloise cross-stitch.
Love it.  Donna Pope

I'm really surprised this quilt was Donna's first applique project! After this one she will be able to make anything!

Wishing all of you a very Happy New Year! Make one resolution this year. Learn one new skill that you have been afraid to try. Take a class....pick something fun.

I've picked two from my local Culninary Center:

1. "Hands-On" A Croissant Is A Beautiful Thing
2. "Hands-On'' Backyard Grilling: Walking the Plank - Party Foods & Sweet Endings
wish you were here to take them with me. (Expect I better add exercise to my resolution too!)

Until later dear friends!

Alma

Anniversaries of the Heart #10

2010-12-27T15:37:00.004-06:00

Barb just finished the Anniversaries of the Heart #10. I love this one. It has a wonderful golden glow and the frame is just the right shade.

I've been working on the pattern cover today and thought I would show you a peek. I might rephotograph the piece....the winter sunlight is a bit harsh this afternoon and maybe I need to photograph it in the early morning light. It would give it a bit more dimension.

The pattern will go to the printer this week and then we will ship it out to the distributors Jan. 7th, 2011. We plan to get the next two patterns out quickly. We originally wanted them to be in book format, but have changed the plans due to lack of time. Market is quickly approaching and we need to move on to a couple more projects.

It's quiet around here now. A bit of time to rest and remember family fun. Hope you are sitting in your easy chairs reading, stitching, or just dreaming!

Until later,

Alma

Winners!!!

2010-12-24T11:46:00.003-06:00

I wish I could give everyone the book by Richard Bertinet. Especially since finding out how nice this author is....he even took the time to write a comment on this blog. Can you believe it? Barb and I don't even know this man!

So glad you have been enjoying the book.
You can check out my technique and try a recipe from Dough at
http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/video/2008/03/bertinet_sweetdough
Merry Christmas to Blackbird designs and all your followers.
Richard Bertinet

Barb watched the video and she said not only was it informative....but he's quite the "hunk." I'm sorry to be the one to dash Barb's fantasy...."Barb, not only does he live in England...but I saw a wedding ring on his finger as he worked the dough."

But if you happen to be the fantasizing type, he really is quite dashing. Watch the video, and when you hear his accent you will understand why Barb is thinking of baking bread too.

Ok....back to the entire reason for this post. We've got three winners. Send your shipping addresses to alma@blackbird-designs.com I have a wonderful book by Richard Bertinet to send to you.

#23 Phyllis
#55 Debra..Life is a Stitch
#132 Carmen Isaccs

Wishing all of you much happiness this Christmas season.

Until later,

Alma

A Life Transformed

2010-12-21T12:04:00.006-06:00

I've been baking up a storm. My new thing is bread. I've just about purchased every bread cook book available. At night I look through the pages and read the recipes. I've even read the introductions and all the "before you begin to bake" information. (Usually I'm all about looking at the pictures.) The book pictured above has transformed my baking skills. Dough by Richard Bertinet. It's a must have.

My son Greg and I have learned how to make these baguettes. The dough is easy....make the dough, let it rise for an hour and shape the dough and then bake. Just kneading the dough is fun! Finally a bread you can make right before dinner. The past two nights we have sat down to warm baguettes with dinner and plan to continue to do so every night for the holidays. So tasty! My daughter Laura is going to make them next. I'm going to make sure all my kids are able to make bread before they leave after Christmas. (They are all rolling their eyes...but I don't care! Roll on baby....at least you will be able to make bread before you are 60 years old!)

I'm not even going to show you how to do this...the book comes with a DVD that you can watch. Richard Bertinet is a genius! Now I am beginning to feel confident and want to try all different kinds of bread.

I want your life transformed too!

There will be three winners....contest ends Thursday. I'm sorry but these books will ship from Amazon..so only enter if you live in the U. S. Leave a comment and it might be your lucky day!

Winners from our fabric contest part 2

#203 Valerie
#212 Kathy
#215 flop (Florence)
#232 Pajudie
#239 Gerta in Canada
#255 Catherine
#262 Kristin
#270 Anonymous (Trudy)
#282 Jill
#290 Becky K in OK
#298 Roslyn in Australia
#359 Anonymous (Miranda)
#364 Lovetoapplique Debbie
#380 Wysewoman
#395 Kathleen Brown
#400 Kaaren
#402 Tina
#404 SilkLover
#416 Barb
#420 Pam stitcher2009@gmail
#441 Kshackabq
#457 Janet
#461 Melva
#463 Tamera

Please send your addresses to alma@blackbird-designs.com

Conny from the Netherlands sent this picture today:

Yesterday I finished my Home Sweet Home quilt. Thought you would like seeing it. I loved working on this quilt!

Wishing you all time to enjoy the season!

Until later,

Alma

First Half of the winners

2010-12-20T08:17:00.005-06:00

I'm trying to finalize a project for a magazine....I'm sending it off today and will have more time to blog after it's sent....but here are the first half of the winners.

I need to have the responses numbered. I haven't figured out how to do that yet....so I have to count them.

I spun the random number generator and here are the winners:

#2 Lizzie
#3 Staci
#9 Jenny
#15 Louise
#23 Viv
#35 Cornbreadandbeansquilting
#39 Jeannette
#47 Niina
#38 Pam 1228
#51 A.B.
#57 Melody
#73 Gretchen
#108 Patti
#111 Luned
#133 Conny's quilts
#155 Anonymous (Dec. 16 3:02pm)
#179 Cathy
#187 Carol

Will post the rest of the winners tonight!

Winners...e-mail your address to alma@blackbird-designs.com

And Anke sent this note to me today.

Read in your blog the other day and was taken by the antique sewing roll.
It’s fabric’s pattern, that has me intrigued; was it a piece left over and if so, what had been made? Or had it been salvaged from an item no longer needed or usable and if so what had that been? Like its slightly wavy/puckery looking sides.

Taken to such a degree that I tried and made one myself. Used some cotton fabric, a bit of calico, doctor’s flannel, some polyfibre fill, a bone button and a piece of twine. A fun little project and very happy with the the result.

(The pattern for the needleroll is in Garden Club our latest quilting book.)

Until tonight!

Alma

A bit of Christmas Cheer

2010-12-16T09:01:00.010-06:00

A bit of an update on Sarah's visit. We baked up a storm, started a quilt and saved time for shopping. (always a favorite!)

The picture above illustrates the finished candle (from our last posting) wrapped up and ready to give. Sarah picked couple of boxwood branches, a sprig of tallow berries, white ribbon and a cellophane bag to gave an elegant finish. It was all I could do to resist from keeping one for myself!!!

We kept the cooking projects simple. She filled this tin with goodies made for her Grandmother. Homemade marshmallows and a couple of packets of hot chocolate mix, toffee and a pretzel recipe that I will share with you tomorrow. (A quick and tasty discovery of mine! Of course, Sarah already knew about this recipe and actually showed me how she made them.)

She began a quilt. I purchased a kit at a local shop several years ago. It's Tula Pink's fabric by Moda. Here's the first block. Sarah and I have to get together again to finish this. She did great for her first sewing project.

And now, for a bit of cheer to share with you, I have 36 prizes to give out. To celebrate our new fabric line shown at fall market, we will give 4 each of these mini-cuts per winner.

Leave a comment and you could be a winner. Will announce the winners on Saturday.

Until later,

Alma

Bring a bit of light to the holidays

2010-12-10T10:37:00.018-06:00

My niece Sarah is here for a visit. When she visits during the holiday season we try to do some seasonal baking and crafts. (I'm all about torturing my relatives!) This morning we worked on some candles we welcome you to "Sarah's candle shop."

We used soy wax flakes. You can purchase a 2lb. bag at Hobby Lobby or any craft store. I like soy based wax as it's easy to use and burns clean in the candle holder.

The first step is to pour the flakes into a pyrex measuring cup. Place the cup into the microwave and give it 45 sec. to a minute on high power. Take out the cup and stir the wax flakes. Microwave the flakes again until no flakes are in the liquid wax.

We purchased wick and the metal holders at the craft store too. I like the zinc lined wicks. Thread the wick through the metal holder as shown above.

Pinch the opening in the metal holder to secure the wick. (Note Sarah's cute nail treatment! She is learning how to paint motifs on her nails. I might need her to do mine.)

Place the wick into the container of your choice. Trim the wick about an inch longer than you will need.

Add a bit of hot glue on the base of the metal holder. It helps to secure it into place and keep the wick centered.

Position the wick in the base of the container. We are using some glass sheberts I picked up at an antique shop.

The zinc in the wick helps the wick stand upright. It's now ready for the wax!

The wax is melted and Sarah is adding a bit of fragrance. We chose "sugar cookie." Stir to blend the scent into the wax.

This is really easy and fun to do with teens and younger kids....all you have to do now is pour the wax.

Make several! They will be so cute with a bow and a bit of greenery around the stem. Just right for a teacher or a house warming gift....or just to bring a bit of light into the long dark evenings.

I filled a couple of empty votives from last year too. See how the wax is beginning to cool in the glass sheberts? We didn't add color to the wax. You can purchase color chips at the craft store and make your candles any color you choose. Don't forget to trim the wick after the wax has cooled.

While the wax cools, Sarah and I are heading out to Crown Center to see the Gingerbread House exhibit. Local chefs have been busy and we want to see the results!

Until later,

Alma and Sarah

Out of the recliner

2010-12-07T14:58:00.006-06:00

Ok....I know it's been a long time since my last post. I was in the recliner for about a week, but I did eventually get out.

I took some cooking classes at the local Culinary Center of Kansas City. What a fun and relaxing way to spend a day or a couple of hours. Someone demonstrates how to make the food....you watch them cook and get to taste everything.

I've learned how to make toffee, cinnamon rolls, pasta and some sauces. After watching the chefs cook, I came home and began to experiment. I've made toffee a couple of times, and now I'm claiming to be the queen of cinnamon rolls. (After baking them one morning my family even let me win at scrabble....because now I'm the queen.) Can you believe I've never made them from scratch before?

The bread at the beginning of the post is a rustic olive bread I found in a baking cookbook. Now that I'm not too afraid of yeast I'm daring to try something new. I even experimented with cutting the bread to make a motif on top. Next time I will try a leaf or something a bit more imaginative.

One evening, when all the kids were home for Thanksgiving, I made Bolognese sauce and pasta dough. I demonstrated how to use the pasta machine to the kids and had them make the noodles. It really made a fun meal for all of us.

Mostly, I've been cleaning and getting things in order here. I had to work for about a week to get the house ready for Thanksgiving and now I'm getting my studio ready so I can work again.

My niece is coming for a visit this weekend to work on some projects. We will take pictures and share.

My big project for the next week is shown on Curious Sofa's blog. Take a look at her post for November 17. Debbie took one of her 6-7 feet metal trees and wrapped it in yarn. She's selling the one she made, along with the vintage ornaments decorating it. Believe me, if I had the money I would buy it....because it's the most whimsical tree I've seen in a long time.

The picture was taken by Debbie Dusenberry, the creative force behind Curious Sofa and used with her permission. Take a look at her site for more pictures.

The staff at Curious Sofa is the best! After helping me with instructions, I bought one of the black wire trees and now have the yarn to wrap the thing up. Will show pictures when I start and finish. I've got some vintage ornaments that will look great on this tree.

I'm back to work and will post more often!

Until later!

Alma

Picture me in my recliner!

2010-11-12T13:52:00.020-06:00

I'm in my recliner! After market, I just had to take some time off. I've been reading books, going out to lunch with friends, playing the piano, watching my nails grow. taking cooking classes and in general just acting like I don't have to get the house ready for the holidays. (And believe me I've got plenty of work to do....but it's hard for me to get interested in a vacuum, dust rag or even a dish washer.) Are you feeling the same? I think if anyone can get me out of a chair to make them peanut butter and toast they would be lucky! La de da ....right? Dave was hopeful there might be dinner after my great cooking class. But I think the class was more about watching someone cook a meal for me....not about me cooking.

I finally had the energy to get out my camera and check the pictures I took at market. And I knew I had to get on-line and share some fun ones with you. I know you've already seen just about everything there is to show from all the real bloggers....but just in case you missed something, here goes!

Guess who dropped by our booth at market?

Mark Lipinski! He's a favorite of ours. His sense of humor is really over the top. I love him even though he had the audacity to call me and tell me he was going to fly me to New York City for a make-over. I was so excited! (I could really use a make-over too.) Then, he casually asked,"How old are you?"

Right then I should have known trouble was brewing! I replied, "55."

He said, "Nevermind, you're too damn old. I need someone younger. Do you know anyone else I can call?"

Can you believe it? I love him nevertheless. This is really a poster of him. (One of those where it looks like he is looking at you no matter where you stand.) He wasn't able to be at market....but it was fun pretending....Hi Mark!!! Love you!!!! Would you like to come to Kansas City for a make over? Barb and I have one planned for you. hahahaha

Building a booth can be hard work. I built two stud walls and added 4 - 4' x 8' panels of homasote to cover the stud walls. The homasote panels are covered with pages from old books. Dave got involved and built a couple of ladders. One for the top that held the second ladder in place. A bit of garland, some twinkle lights and hanging candles and you get the idea!

The table was covered with a quilt of Barb's.

And guess what? We were really lucky and won a ribbon for best single booth! There are so many wonderful booths at market. (I told Dave it was because he built the ladder!)

All of the projects in the booth are in our newest book Garden Club.

The two featured quilts hanging on our back walls are done with our fabric line "Wild Rose" (Moda fabrics of course!) The only exception is Barb's dark background. It is a brown/black woven check....which is not in this fabric line. "Wild Rose" is shipping to your local quilt shop this month. Just in time for you to make one of these quilts.

Barb made this sweet basket pattern from the fabric line shown at quilt market. It's "Antique Fair" and will be released to shops next spring along with the pattern.

Go to Moda's blog and see the small movies about everyone! I did a segment for Blackbird Designs too. (I get so nervous doing those! But everyone does I guess.)

Lissa from Moda fabrics sent me some pre-cuts of our fabric line "Antique Fair." Look for a contest soon!

Until later dear friends. I promise to get out of the recliner soon.

Alma

Hitting the road again

2010-10-24T22:24:00.006-05:00

The car is almost packed. I'm hitting the road again. First I'm driving to Spring, TX for a class at 3 Stitches. Should be lots of fun! Pam, the shop owner, really knows how to have a great time. Barb isn't able to come to this class as she couldn't get away from work. (Darn it anyway!) But she stitched the project so she will be in Spring, TX. in spirit. The pincushion above is our class project. Love the long bird legs!

My van is full of everything needed for our booth at quilt market. So, after a quick visit in Spring, I'm driving on to Houston. Barb will be driving down on Friday. She's bringing the quilt books. (We really need those or we won't have anything to sell.)

Couple of quick answers to questions:

1. A couple of people have asked about the above quilt. It will be in our new book Garden Club.

2. The above needle roll will be in the book too.

3. Although Barb and I are taking a break from teaching next year, we are not taking a break from doing books and patterns. We will continue printing quilt and cross stitch books and patterns and maybe even add a rug hooking booklet.

I'm taking my camera to quilt market. Hope to have some good pictures for you when I return.
Will be back in about a week.

Until later dear friends!

Alma

Our Newest Quilt Book

2010-10-18T19:16:00.004-05:00

Barb and I are just about ready to go to quilt market in Houston, Texas. Our book went to the printer today and we should have copies by next Monday. I am thrilled to say the least. I'm always glad to make a deadline. This baby is 84 pages! (Being an old labor and deliver nurse I feel like I can call this project a baby....lots of labor and at the end of the process you are thrilled with what you take home...or in this case, what we will take to market.)

I had my first baby the "natural" way. By the time I was almost done with the labor part and ready to have the baby, they could have thrown me off of the top of the building and I wouldn't have cared one bit. I would have screamed, "thank you!!!!!" all the way to the ground. (Luckily, this project wasn't that painful.)

When Barb and I go to market, we stand in our booth and look like we are smart, organized and very creative. But it's a lie.....we have the help of many wonderful people to get us anywhere. WE could never make our deadlines without them. Edie McGinnis, our editor is one of the people that makes us look and sound good. I know I've written a small paragraph about her help in our books....but really, it seems inadequate when I think about what she does for us. Her creative writing skills add much to our text. It was her idea to replace my subtitle "Quilts and Projects Inspired by Our Love of the Garden with her catchy phrase "A Bouquet of Quilts and Projects". Much better, right?

Jane Miller does our technical edits. I'm so grateful for her. No one wants me to do a technical edit and no one is calling Barb and asking her to do one either. Plenty of people are calling Jane though.

Jeanne Zyck our quilter....we really don't know why she answers the phone when we call. (She has caller ID too!) She gets the quilt from us in the evening and has it ready the next day for us. And it looks fabulous! She quilted 5 quilts for us in 5 days so we could make our deadline.

Eric Sears does our drawings....he was up until all hours last night getting the final drawings done. And he never complains. (You are probably wondering where we find these folks!)

Alissa Christianson charts all of our cross stitch patterns. She never fails to get them to us quickly. We wouldn't have any cross stitch patterns without her. Barb and I don't have a clue how to chart a pattern on the computer.

Barb's Mom is in her 80's. She works all hours of the day and night trying to get the applique and sewing done for Barb. Barb couldn't get it all done without her mom's help.

And many thanks to our printer. You have no idea how I abuse those folks. I've been working with Kelly Shanks and Terry Ward from Boelte Hall for about 11 years. Terry even offered to drive the books to Houston if they couldn't get them done in time.

And last but certainly not least....we thank all of you for your readership, suggestions, support and for sharing your projects with us. We are inspired by your work and grateful for all of you!

More about our fabric line in the next couple of days!

Until later,

Alma

Back From Country Sampler

2010-10-10T17:50:00.006-05:00

My car pulled into the garage last night around 9:30pm. The leaves were just turning while Barb and I were in Spring Green, WI. What a wonderful trip we had!!! We really enjoyed Jeanne Horton of Country Sampler, her shop gals, Maggie, Stacie and all of the wonderful women who came to the retreat. Just wish we could have been there longer!!!!

I've been taking some pictures for our new book Garden Club. I went out into my yard to see what has gone to seed and what's still blooming. I found my last two roses....I can hardly believe that summer is over and winter is fast approaching. (The small orange fruit are rose hips. My husband and I picked them earlier this summer from roses at our local movie theater. We get them when the movie is over and it's dark outside. I pretend I'm helping them by removing the hips so the shrubs will bloom again. I hope the security guards don't get us for picking them....I would hate to see Dave spend time in jail. I need him working in the garage! hahaha...you know I'm kidding right?)

Thought you might like to see the latest Anniversary of the Heart pattern. This one will be at the printer tomorrow...so will be in the shops in 2-3 weeks.

Barb did this one for her grand niece J.J. I love the puppy and the moth. Perfect for a sweet little girl!

When I got home there was a couple of boxes waiting for me from Moda. Our newest fabric line has arrived ready for us to begin making some samples for market. I can hardly wait to begin working with this line! Will show you some pictures soon.

Wanted to let you know that we are going to release a book in Feb. with all of the cross stitch patterns from our class projects....so not to worry about missing out.

Thinking of you all and hoping you are saving a bit of time to relax, stitch and enjoy the weather.

Until later,

Alma

On The Road Again

2010-10-06T08:54:00.006-05:00

My car is loaded up and I'm almost ready to leave for Country Sampler in Spring Green, WI. Barb and I are teaching a quilt and cross stitch class. We will be gone for 4 days.

I wanted to write a quick note and say don't give up on this blog! I know there hasn't been much excitement here on-line but I will have more time to post after quilt market. (Oct. 30)

Barb and I had a great time in Park City, UT. We were there for the Shepherd's Bush retreat. The small sewing tray pictured above was our class project. Just the right place to keep your scissors and other small sewing items. The frame is from Sharon Crescent's line. (Crescent Colours) The silk floss is from Thread Gatherer.

The small quilt above is one of our Country Sampler projects. It's perfect for a winter table or hung on the wall. We also give a sewing guide for a much larger quilt.

The small sampler above is the cross stitch project for the retreat.

Hope you are enjoying this lovely weather. Great time to get out and walk and collect acorns and autumn leaves!

Until later,

Alma

Quick Pattern Update

2010-09-17T16:24:00.010-05:00

We are getting ready to print 2 new patterns. Waiting for the Harvest just spooky enough for the season! Barb gave me the projects late last night. We did a "open the car door and exchange things" in Panera's parking lot. (We really meet in a lot of great places. Barb says it looks like we are doing drug deals....but we would never do that....just cross stitch and quilting deals.) She just finished the last stitches....and I had just left a mystery book club meeting so a late night meeting was perfect. (Will have to write more about my new ventures in attending a book club later....)

The second pattern is Flowers of the Field. Both the small sewing bag and pincushion are in this pattern. I love the soft faded colors of this one. I'm still working on the covers...so there might be some small changes in the patterns...but they will be ready to go to the printer early Monday morning. Look for them in your local shops in about 2-3 weeks!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Until later,

Alma