Category Archives: About Me

Tidy Time

A couple of years ago, my husband designated 4 pm as “Tidy Time” and he would fold laundry and put things away for about an hour. I know that he was gently trying to inspire me to clean the place up, but it really hasn’t stuck. (I blame the often cluttered surfaces in our home on the lack of storage in our 1950s house.) I try in my own chaotic way to purge and clean and put things away.

My destash sale was a big help (THANKS!) and I will definitely be doing that again to reduce the volume in the sewing space. It also forced me to tidy up some piles around the room.

In the process of tidying and sorting, I found mass yardage of Amy Butler prints to destash as well as a this cute mini I forgot I ever made:

I guess one of the perks of being neat is always knowing where your stuff is. My wallet was lost for a good part of the week. It disappeared one evening after I was doing some online shopping. I looked everywhere for it and felt very annoyed/frustrated/resigned to always losing things under piles of fabric. Tonight I found the wallet deep under my son’s book shelf.

Naughty baby and perpetual unfolder of fabric:

I finished two more WIPs this week (HOORAY) so weather please be lovely tomorrow so I can photograph them. (I started two new projects today (using scraps so they almost don’t count as new, right?) which sort of offsets my two finishes. Blast.)

Happy Easter

Meet: My Bernina 440 QE

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Hello! Welcome to my stop on the Meet My Sewing Machine blog hop. I’m glad you’re here!

I own a Bernina 440QE (quilter’s edition) that I purchased in 2011. It was my upgraded-upgrade machine (meaning it was my second good machine since I started quilting.) I tested Berninas when I bought my first nice machine (a Pfaff Creative Expression) in 2010 but decided they were too pricey. Then in 2010, I met a few women at the Dallas MQG who had Berninas and brought them to our Saturday Sews. That was fine. I was still happy with my Pfaff. And then our guild started meeting at the Bernina store and that was the end of it. That machine had to come home and live with me! At that point, I felt like I knew enough about quilting and sewing machines to deserve such a fancy Rolls Royce of a sewing machine.

There are two aspects of the Bernina that I ADORE. First, is the BSR – Bernina Stitch Regulator. I couldn’t free motion worth a swear word on my Brother, but was decent on my Pfaff. With the BSR, I can pretty much do any design I set my mind to and it looks pretty profesh. (You know, professional.)

The second thing I love about my Bernina is what they call the Barbie case and all of those Swiss-made all-metal presser feet inside. Droooool.

The foot I love most is #37, the 1/4″ foot. It sews a perfect scant 1/4″ seam. It was very smart of Bernina to make the foot numbers so prominent on each foot. None of my previous sewing machines were so user-friendly. There is one feature I would love to have – an automatic thread cutter. The Berninas are also kinda noisy compared to many other sewing machines. Maybe that’s due to the all-metal feet and parts. Even so, I would recommend this machine to a friend. In fact, most of my friends have one. At retreat, we sit at the Bernina Table. It’s the cool kids table.

The Bernina is a majah (said like a Spice Girl, specifically Victoria Beckham) upgrade from my first beginner baby machine, a Brother something-or-other. It was a $200 super basic machine that quickly fell apart when I started making a quilt every other week (no joke. I did that.) I also own a Brother serger that is rarely used, and I do have have a few other dream machines I’d like to own if I had the space.

Janome Horizon MC7700-QCP

These machines were in all of the workshops at QuiltCon so I spent an entire day sewing on one. And it was a dream. Super quiet, all of the bells and whistles. This would definitely be a delight to sew on every day.

Juki TL-2000Qi FS

I’ve never even tested this machine, but I’ve heard good things. It would be my quilting machine and I’d use my Bernina mostly for piecing.

Long-arm of Some Variety

I’ve gotten to play on a long-arm a couple of times, and I would LOVE to own one. That would necessitate a MUCH larger sewing room, but a girl can dream.

Speaking of sewing rooms, mine is ~~jammed full of stuff~~ very nice. I have three windows so I get lots of natural light and hardwood floors that make it easy to sweep up sewing messes (charm pack dust, thread explosions, etc). I keep most of my fabric stashed away in the closet, but I like to display pre-cuts and neatly folded fat quarters because they just look so pretty.

{Moda fat quarter bundles in aqua DVD holders from the Container Store}

{My cutting table from Martha Stewart’s collection for Home Decorators}

{Vintage shelf with pre-cuts. I store a lot of stuff in various glass jars like these and these.}

{My sewing chair – a vintage one that I painted and reupholstered}

{CD storage unit from Pottery Barn filled with fat quarters}

That’s my machine and my sewing space all in one. Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to visit the others stops and sign up for the linky party.

SUNDAY, MARCH 17
Erin @ Sew at Home Mummy
Angela @ Heart of Charnwood
Shannon @ Crafty Turtle
Amy @ Stitchery Dickory Dock

MONDAY, MARCH 18
Ebony @ Love Bug Studios
Jaclyn @ Jaclyn Quilts
Amy @ Diary of a Quilter

TUESDAY, MARCH 19
Kara@ Me and Elna
Nerissa @ Nissa Made
Elizabeth @ Don’t Call Me Betsy

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20
Carly @ Citric Sugar
Celine @ Espritpatch
Patti @ A Yankee in Queen Liz’s Court

THURSDAY, MARCH 21
Stacey @ The Tilted Quilt
The Jolly Jabber Staff (Chelsey, Kimberly, Debbie)
Rachel @ Sew Happily Ever After!

FRIDAY, MARCH 22
Erika @ Sews it All (Bernina)
Lisa @ Vintage Modern Quilts (Bernina) {ME!}
Adrianne @ On the Windy Side (Bernina)

Wonky Cross Blocks

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My friend Amanda over at Panda Bear Quilts is requesting help to make quilts for her nieces who just lost their father. She is asking for wonky cross blocks which are simple and fast to make. I whipped up these four in about half an hour.

If you would like to help Amanda, you can read her blog post {here}.

Stranded on the Moda Fabrics Island

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That doesn’t sound bad at all, does it? I am taking part in the funny and silly notions month happening on Moda’s Cutting Table blog all month long. Hop on over to read about my favorite notions.
{P.S. Ryan Gosling is on the island, too.}

Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Every time I share pictures of my chocolate chip cookies on Instagram/Facebook, I get lots of recipe requests. So here it is, along with answers to frequently asked questions.

{from an old Better Homes and Gardens cook book, the newest version differs slightly}

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla*
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 12 ounce package (2 cups) semisweet chocolate pieces**
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts (optional)***

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening and butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and baking soda. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Stir in chocolate pieces and, if desired, nuts.

2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake in a 375 degrees F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool. Makes about 60 cookies.

*I add a few extra drops of vanilla because it’s tasty.

**Depending on the chocolate chips I’m using, I usually put less than the recipe calls for. Sounds crazy, I know. See the reason why below.

**I never put nuts in mine because I’m allergic and my husband doesn’t like nuts in cookies. I married the only native Texan that doesn’t want everything smothered in pecans. Lucky me.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How long do you bake them? For exactly 10 minutes at 375 deg. I have a gas oven so you may need to experiment if you have an electric oven. I use a plain cookie sheet (no baking stone or air filled ones – those never work well for anything I bake) like this one.

Do you really use an electric mixer? Um, heck no. I don’t have the upper body strength for that. I use my trusty ol’ KitchenAid stand mixer. {Use the paddle attachment.} Mine is plain silver but I imagine that it’s aqua whenever I use it.

Do you defrost the frozen cookie balls before baking? Nope, but I do let them sit on the cookie sheet on the counter while the oven pre-heats.

What scoop do you use? I use this scoop. It makes cookies that are a little more than 2″ in diameter – perfect for when you want just a bite and also for little ones.

After you scoop them, do you put them in the freezer on a tray prior to putting them in the bags? I used to, but I found that its easier to put all of the dough in an air-tight container (I am partial to these Frigoverre ones. They are glass and we use them almost exclusively instead of plastic Tupperware. No staining, better for the environment.) I let the dough chill overnight and then scoop them right into the plastic bags the next day.

How much cookie dough does this recipe make? If you can avoid eating too much of the dough, you will get 6 1/2 dozen cookies out of a double batch. That sounds like a lot, but they go fast, especially when your husband gives them to neighbors who do favors for him like lending him tools, etc. Go ahead and make the double batch.

What type of chocolate chips do you use? I love the 60% cacao Ghirardelli chocolate chips. They are dark and rich so I put fewer in than the recipe calls for. I also like the shape of them – they’re bigger and flatter than traditional chocolate chips. Plus, they come in huge bags at Sam’s so I can keep lots on hand.

QuiltCon {2013} Recap

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QuiltCon is over. There was so much build-up and excitement, and now I’m having post-awesomeness withdrawal. It was so cool to meet people that I’ve corresponded with or followed online for years now. And, of course, I had an awesome time with the my group of quilty girlfriends. The event itself was very professionally pulled together – great signage, variety of vendors and exhibitors, an impressive line-up of lecturers and teachers. I was able to attend many lectures and a full-day workshop with the incredibly inspiring Anna Maria Horner.

{Things I loved: Arriving at QuiltCon. Staying so close to the convention center that I could see it from my bed in our hotel. Hamming it up in my Dallas MQG t-shirt. Having Moda Fabrics on my name tag. The absolutely wonderful handmade ribbons for the winning quilts. }

The show was smaller than I expected, but there were still a dangerous amount of vendor booths. I tried to exhibit self-control because fabric is THE LAST THING I need but there were so many, many lovely things that wanted to come home with me.

{My pile of QuiltCon goodies minus a few last-minute Sunday afternoon purchases.}

I fell in love with the Green Tea and Sweet Beans pattern when I first saw it a few weeks ago (at Quilt Asylum in McKinney) and one of the vendors at QuiltCon had a kit! They had the finished top on display and then one kit below it. Of course, I snatched it up and went immediately to the check out to make it mine. I was already imagining myself in the hotel room, opening the kit, and fondling the fabric. I was literally laying my head on it like a pillow and telling my friends how much I loved it when the woman in the booth said (very kindly) “That’s a pre-order. You can’t actually take that one home.” It was difficult (and kinda embarrassing!) but I did manage to hand it back. Hope mine comes in the mail soon.

{Green Tea and Sweet Beans kit from Sewing Party}

I spent some time in the Moda booth, and it was super fun to be on the other side of the counter. I loved meeting people who read the Moda Bake Shop, and telling others what it’s all about. All of the quilts you see on display are free patterns from the Bake Shop.

{Hello, Moda Bake Shop}

Moda had a super fun photo booth and a variety of signs and props to spice up your photos. This is one of my more tame pictures.

{Love you, Moda Fabrics!}

I was lucky enough to be asked to demonstrate some modern quilt blocks using Moda pre-cuts, and I had a blast. Quilting is probably the only thing I’d feel so comfortable talking about in front of an audience and a camera.

{See more of my demo HERE}

{Yeah, that’s me.}

The highlight of the weekend was probably hearing Denyse Schmidt speak. She is such an icon in the modern quilting world, but she’s also someone that has a relatively small online presence – no blog, no Twitter, etc. I knew almost nothing about her personally so I was blown away by her graciousness and eloquence. She is truly an artist, and her love of fabric and quilting is so inspiring. One of the things that endeared her to me is that she sketches each quilt design as it would look on a bed. Given the high price of her couture quilts and the fact that many of her pieces hang in museums, I was delighted to know that she obviously wants them to be used. And many of the quilts in the Denyse Schmidt exhibit had been washed, which is something I haven’t really seen in other quilt shows. It made me smile.

The next QuiltCon is in 2015, and I am already thinking about how I can maximize those four days. So. Much. Fun.

Happy Valentine’s Day

I’m Going to QuiltCon

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Are you? I’m linking up to QuiltCon’s Linky Party, and you should, too.

lisa-calle

Here are five things about me:

1. I moved A LOT growing up, spending half of my life before the age of 18 outside of the US. I loved it. We have been in Dallas for six years now and that is the longest I’ve ever lived in one place.

2. Fall is my favorite time of year – the cooler weather, anticipation of the holiday season, and I still get a “back to school excitement” even though I have been out of school for years and my son hasn’t even started yet. It must be related to my love of office/school supplies.

3. I love all colors except purple, but oddly enough purple was the main color at my wedding because my husband likes it.

4. My favorite place in the world is my parents’ lake house in Alabama.

5. I will be doing a demo for Moda Fabrics and the Moda Bake Shop at QuiltCon! Stop by the demo area at 5 pm on Saturday and 1 pm on Sunday.

More fun facts on my About Me page.

WIP Wednesday: Quilting Espionage

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I started writing this post in my head while I was looking through today’s photos, and I was thinking how I’d explain that my bad photos are the result of working in shadows. And that made me giggle because it sounds like I was doing something mysterious. Working in shadows sounds more exciting than starching and pressing quilt blocks.

Behold, my WIP Wednesday project for today:

This quilt started off as a stack of Bella Solids, and then I added some prints for interest. I’m making City Aviation from Cherri House’s City Quilts book. Here is her version of the quilt:

{photo courtesy Cherri House and Generation Q}

I have all of the solid blocks cut and probably 1/3 of the other blocks pieced. I’m going to keep at this one through the weekend and see if I can get the top complete. On Monday I FINISHED last week’s WIP Wednesday project – my Giant Scrappy Blocks quilt. Fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate tomorrow and I can get some photos.

Before I go off the Bedfordshire, I have to share these photos of Ben from his bedtime tonight. I was sneaking photos with my phone while I read his bedtime stories.

Ben-bedtime

His expressions crack me up.

If you’re reading along with my book club, tomorrow is my first book review of the year. Get excited.