Repurposed Pillow

There are these two pillows on my couch that well, are not so loved. The numbers, the letters, idk. Thankfully I know my way around a sewing machine and happen to have a full box of fabric and scraps hanging around.

The humble (ugly) pillow became the focus of my renewed attention to quilting and will soon be joined by another.

I used my new iOS favorite app Quiltograhy to design the block and after a few choice words got the hang of piecing a complex design.

Armed with a seam ripper I set out to release the component of the existing pillow, realigned the binding and zipper and walah! New seaonsal throw pillow.

Fredricksburg, TX

Fredricksburg, TX
Situated in Texas Hill country is an enchanting little German town home to unique shopping, tons of romantic Bed and Breakfasts, several award winning wineries and intimate gourmet dinning experiences. Recently named on CNN's list of "6 most romantic small towns in America" Fredricksburg, TX is more than deserving of the title. Take a weekend to visit and discover the charm of the Texas Hill Country for yourself.

Stay

• Absolute Charm 



Inn on the Creek Dinning Room

• Absolute charm is a convenient B&B reservation service that has compiled the most luxurious inns and cottages in the area. Their easy to navigate website highlights the amenities, locations and close-by attractions to each unique B&B. Check-in and check-out is extremely simple and their communication prior to your arrival is very thorough without being overbearing. They also offer customizable services to make your stay even more special, such as wine or champaign upon arrival, massages, and much more.

• Inn on the Creek 
• This five room B&B just off of Main St. offers unique experiences in each suite, some with in-room Jacuzzis, elegant four poster beds, soaking tub and richly appointed decor. 
• Breakfast is an event not to be missed at this property, the chefs prepare a three course feast every morning for the guests, making sure everyone is fully satisfied and ready for a full day of exploring the surrounding town and vineyards.  

Play

• Texas Wine Country 
• Route 290 ambles through the beautiful rolling hills that serve as the back drop for one of the hottest destinations for wine enthusiasts. Don't miss the opportunity to visit and immerse yourself in the gorgeous vineyards and unique tasting rooms at each of the thirteen different wineries along this stretch of highway. 
• Check out the event schedule at WineRoad290.com for upcoming events and festivals to make the most of your visit. There are special events nearly every weekend of the year, as well as tour busses and shuttle services available.  

• Main Street



View down Main Street

• Strolling down Historic Main Street is a great way to work up an appetite before dinner, while satisfying your appetite for unique boutiques. Enjoy the distinct art galleries and fine jewelry stores along side German preserve shops and western leather and spice stores. There is something for everyone, from the chef to the quilter to the fashionista and the kids. 
• Multiple wine bars bring the vineyard tasting good to Main Street, check out House.Wine.http://www.yelp.com/biz/house-wine-fredericksburg for a cool atmosphere and a wide selection of local and international wines. Just off of Main street, on Lincoln you will find the larger and more rustic feeling Lincoln Street Wine Bar, complete with outdoor fireplace and wicker seating. 

• Enchanted Rock
• Located a short drive out side of Fredricksburg, Enchanted Rock is a must see destination for a fun day in the great outdoors as well as a good way to work off some of the fine meals you're sure to enjoy during your visit.
• Enchanted Rock rises 425 feet above the elevation of the park, climbing the Summit Trail is similar to climbing up the stairs of a 40 story building. The highest point offers beautiful views of the surrounding Hill Country at 1,825 feet above sea level. The three visible peaks (Little Dome, Enchanted Rock and Turkey Point) are just the visible portions of the entire granite deposit, which covers over 640 acres. 
• Make sure to check the Park Website to ensure the park is open, as they hold private hunts in January and close the park on occasion. Enchanted Rock is one of the most popular destinations of the Texas State Park system. 

View headed up the Summit Trail

Eat

• Otto's



Seared King Salmon over potatoes augrauten 

• A converted house makes for an intimate setting perfectly fitting the fine cuisine you will encounter at Otto's. They have left the rafters bare to create as open of a space as possible in this tiny establishment where you are in the same room with the chefs and full service bar. With only a handful of tables you will be treated like friends by the waitstaff, and the head chef makes rounds to check on every table and gather insight about your experience. 
• A must for dinner, they are open late all year round. Unique cocktails for reasonable prices include an Absinth Old Fashioned and Black Forest Sparklers. Call ahead and make a reservation! 

• Rathskeller
• Located in the basement of the Historic Keidel Hospital Building Rathskeller's is a rough little gem serving breakfast, lunch and dinner: gourmet food at diner prices served up in a funky little basement.



Texas Hill Country Hash

• Recommend trying his spot for breakfast, the Texas Hills Hash with Duck and Poached Eggs is fantastic! Fried breakfast potatoes with onions and peppers support two poached eggs and a healthy scattering of roasted duck meat all tenderly brought together with hollandaise sauce. For the non-egg-eaters: the German Style Pancakes are reminiscent of thick crepes served with banana pieces on top, be sure to add the maple syrup!

• Java Ranch
• The only actual coffee bar in Fredricksburg. They make a great latte and cappachino with a  wide choice of flavors and prices similar to Starbucks. Stop in for a little pick-me-up. 

Patchwork Pony

For the last three weeks it's looked like a pony exploded in my quilting room. But with good reason: one of my best friend's daughter turned three this week!

I've been crafting this beautiful patchwork quilt as a birthday present that I'm headed down to Texas to deliver in person. (Keep an on on Live, Love, Travel).

This full-size quilt is pieced together out of 4 inch squares and backed with soft blizzard fleece in purple marble. The quilting was done free-hand on my regular sewing machine (not easy).

I absolutely love this quilt and hope its new owner loves it just as much!

Super Simple Squares

If you can cut and sew a straight line, you can make this simple yet beautiful runner. I think that it would make a great quilt too if you kept going. Four different fabrics are used here, cut into long strips with or without a border. I really like the silly, happy little characters on these fabrics and the way the colors are carried throughout.

Super Simple Squares

• Four fabrics cut into 2.5 inch strips 
• Border fabric cut into 2.5 inch strips
• Backing fabric 
• Batting 

For every two strips of each fabric you will yield two squares. Here that means one with santa on the outside and one with santa on the outside. 

Cut and ready to go

Often times while I'm sewing, studying, typing or just about anything my little helper will jump up and "assist". She is great at holding fabric down and stealing pins.

Ninja wanted to help too

 Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance sew the strips to one another long ways. Be mindful to keep the patterns going one direction, like the trees here I want pointing toward the snowmen.

Iron each one flat with the seams going the same direction 

 My dad says quilting is "cutting up perfectly good fabric to sew it back together again." He's quite right, and not only do we cut up good fabric once in this pattern, but twice! Using a right angle and a cutting wheel cut out triangles, you should achieve two triangles of each side (Santa and snowmen).

Using a right angel and cutting wheel

Here are four triangles all ready to be sewn into one block of our table runner. Take care to line up each of the fabrics before sewing the block so you get nice, crisp lines.

Ready to sew the first square

Once you have your desired number of blocks for the length of your table sew them together and add on the triangles to the ends. For a finished look use a solid colored fabric as a border. Sandwich with the backing and batting and finish off by sewing over the seams in either red or green. 

Christmas Warmth: an Honest Quilt

This beautiful Christmas themed throw has a sister living in New Jersey. My mother and I devised a pattern for this delightful double star pattern based on a fellow quilter's Pinterest post. I live using a photo as inspiration for my projects and creating the pattern and learning techniques as I go.

The key to this quilt is precision cutting, I love using my cutting wheel, ruler mat and 24x6 ruler, to achieve accurate dimensions and crisp corners. Each piece is sewn together using a 1/4" seam allowance and creating as many straight lines as possible. 

This quilt is finished with a wine fleece backing and double loft batting. 

Squares & Triangles: Fall Placemats

A cute and quick decorating fix for the fall table that's pairs perfectly with the Sauares and Triangles table runner.

Wonderful way to dress up the table.

Use the same fabrics or mix it up with different colored leaves for each placemat. Here we use the cheater sandwich technique to quickly create beautiful quilted placemats.

• Small Square - 2"
• Triangle - 2x2x2.8 right angle 
• Border - 2" long rectangle 
• Base fabric - desired placemat size 
• Batting 
• Backing fabric 

Were going to use cardboard patterns of he desired shapes to iron our fabric pieces around to achieve crisp edges and corners. Don't forget to snip the extra fabric from the corners of the triangles! Begin by piling the base fabric on top of the batting and backing fabric making sure right sides are facing out. 

Find the center of the base fabric and begin by placing the first small square on the center point, continue pinning down the remaining squares and triangles to create the leaf. Next, using the border fabric ensure that one ironed under edge is ironed under twice, lending a smooth edge to the turned under side, this is going to be the outside edge that wraps under the base sandwich to seal the placemat. 

Once the border is pinned in place situate the four accent triangles, one in each corner and pin down. 

Sewing these cheater sandwiches is quick, take care to stay near the edge of each piece and to sew down each edge. With these I like to use a wide zig-zag stitch running down the seam between the blocks. 

Holiday Stars Table Runner

Another "cheater" quilt pattern, devised by my mother, is this three fabric holiday star table runner.

It utilizes the same principle of cutting cardboard patterns to iron the pieces around and pinning them into place on top of the "sandwich" with right sides facing out, then sewing them down. I love this cheater style with precision pieces that require points to match up perfectly.

Holiday Stars 

Here we use:

• Small triangles - 3.5" equilateral triangles 
• Hexagon & large triangles - 7" equilateral triangles & 4" sided hexagons
• Base fabric 12" x desired length rectangle.

The difference with this project is that to decrease the amount of ironing, we can sew the small triangles to the hexagon before ironing under the edges. Make sure to leave 1/4" hanging over each hexagon edge, and use a 1/4" seam allowance. 

The star is one unit

Also, the large triangles only require 2 sides to be ironed under.

Assemble the pieces with the points all meeting in the center of the base fabric rectangle, 6" from either edge starting from the center of the base fabric and working out to the ends. 

We'll finish off this piece with the small triangles' fabric as a 1" border around the whole thing.