Sew Alongs & October OMG

Three blocks were posted this week for Lori Holt's Bee Happy Sew Along and I have them done. This is a close up of the Coral Flower Block--I went with pinks for mine.

http://beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com/2017/04/new-fabrics-and-bee-happy-sew-along.html

 Here is my top with the fourth row added.

My fifth row is awaiting the last two blocks that should post tomorrow.

I am also keeping up with the Spelling Bee Sew Along brought to us by Lori Holt and the Fat Quarter Shop.

http://beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com/2017/10/new-school-bus-pattern-spelling-bee.html

https://blog.fatquartershop.com/2017/10/spelling-bee-sew-along-week-4.html

The last three weeks, we have sewn letters, but this week we ventured into making some of the picture blocks. I whipped up this deliciously red apple

and this cute bee. My blocks will finish six inches.

I got the best new recipe from my friend Amber. It is for Jalapeño Popper Chicken Chili--it is so good, I am going to share it here for your enjoyment and so I can easily find it the next time I want to make it.

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili Recipe

Serves: 4

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion--diced
• 5 jalapeños--diced with the seeds removed
• 3 cloves garlic--minced
• salt & pepper
• 1 1/4 lbs chicen breasts cut bite-sized
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• pinch of crushed red pepper
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis
• 1 1/2 c chicken broth
• 1 can of corn--drained
• 1 can of white beans--drained
• 1 lb bacon--cooked & crumbled
• 8 oz cream cheese

1. In a large saucepan heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat, saute onions, jalapeños, and garlic until tender.
2. Season chicken with salt & pepper and add to the pan. Add 1 tbsp olive oil with chili powder, cumin, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Toss chicken in spices and brown on all sides.
3. Stir in tomatoes, broth, corn, and beans. Increase heat and bring it to a simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Stir in cream cheese and half of the bacon and remove from heat.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve with cheddar cheese and bacon.

Trust me, this is incredible and super easy to make!

 I made this Pumpkin Block way back at the beginning of September, but I just got around to turning it into a pillow. This is a 12 inch pumpkin block from Farm Girl Vintage by Lori Holt. Pillows are a quick way to use up leftover and/or random blocks.

I completed my October OMG! I can only show you the back of the quilt. It will be unveiled on the Fat Quarter Shop blog and my blog on Friday! The bright red minky backing is so soft--it was so cozy to bind it. 

I will be binding another project this evening while watching some football.

This Week Sponsored by the Letter C

The Spelling Bee Sew Along continued this week and the C blocks were our assignment. They are so cute and cheerful!

You can find more information at these links:

http://beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com/2017/10/spelling-bee-saturday-letter-a.html

https://blog.fatquartershop.com/2017/10/spelling-bee-sew-along-week-3.html

I also got news from the Fat Quarter Shop that I was selected to quilt along with them for Clementine! Clementine is their 2018 Block go the Month to benefit St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. I will be using the Mama's Cottage Fabrics by April Rosenthal and featuring my blocks for the Fat Quarter Shop on my blog, my Instagram, and Facebook. Please consider joining me and raising money for such an amazing charity. Here is the information:

https://blog.fatquartershop.com/clementine-quilt-along.html

Yesterday, I helped out another charity at my local fabric store. Our local school district's Adaptive PE Program organizes an Amazing Race Challenge each fall to raise funds for their ski program. Teams compete with a scavenger hunt all over our downtown. Fabrics & More was a clue/stop on the race course. All four team members had to pick their favorite fall fabric and pose for a picture which I emailed back as proof that they had arrived and met the challenge. They only had two hours and there were 17 stops! These ladies were the Troll team and are moms of some of my students. They are crazy, competitive!

I compiled a care package for my college kid this week. Making care packages is so much fun! I like to pick a theme and decorate the box with scrapbooking paper. All you need is five pieces of the scrapbooking paper, some tape, and a large Priority Mail Box. Since my theme was fall, I included: coffee K-cups, biscotti-apple caramel and pumpkin spice, face masks, socks, magazines, some goofy Halloween accessories like the tote bag pictured on top, copper apple cider mugs, caramel apple lollipops, and much more. I try to send a care package every other month and apparently my care packages are becoming famous around the Colgate dorms.

Last night, I was invited to painting party at a new business in town--Junk N Sisters. They specialize in pallet painting and other rustic decor and crafts. I decided to make a five foot "WELCOME" sign for my front porch. It was so much fun to join with friends to create something and hang out. I will be returning soon to paint the backside with "GO AWAY"---my hubby's request! 

 This week I managed to keep up with the Bee Happy Sew Along Blocks. I love how the Beehive Block came out.

The Flower Box Block is equally precious. We have only one more block for row 4 and its directions will be posted tomorrow. 

This sew along is only a few more weeks and the top will be done. I am considering hand quilting it with perle cotton as it will be used as a wall hanging and hand quilting in the winter is a cozy activity to keep my hands busy.

I am machine quilting today and binding my secret Fat Quarter Shop project for Slow Sunday Stitching 

https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2017/10/slow-sunday-stitching_22.html

This secret project will be revealed here on my blog on November 3rd #fqsquiltalong

Sewing Along

This week for the Spelling Bee Sew Along--we are stitching the letter B! The letter B includes some of my favorite things: the Broncos, bees, biscotti, bagels, baskets, Bella--my dog, brunch, blogging, bean burritos, backgammon, buttons, etc. My grass green B blocks went together quickly and I already cut my C and D blocks!

Next, I was onto the Bee Happy Sew Along. These are my apples

and my cupcakes--I was thinking chocolate and caramel. They will get red buttons added as the cherries on top after the quilt is quilted.

Buttons will go on the basket handles too. I am always buying baskets for storage and gifts--you can never have too many right?

 My lemonade block needs some embroidery for the glass. 

I had Friday off and went to sew with my mom. I wanted something quick to work on, so I pulled out this B&C Bobbin Box kit. I got it all pieced together on Friday and quilted it this afternoon. I will add the binding and have a quick finish.

I was looking through some old pictures on my phone and found a picture from @cloverandviolet of a zipper pouch made with some B&C scraps. I pulled out my B&C scrap bag and made two log cabin blocks. The blue one will be for my secret pal this month at work and the red and aqua one will be for me. I am going to embroider my work friend's name on hers, but I am hand quilting mine with perle cotton for Slow Sunday Stitching:

https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2017/10/slow-sunday-stitching_15.html

tonight while the Broncos play the Giants.

I have tomorrow off too and will pin and quilt my secret project for the Fat Quarter Shop #fqsquiltalong It is so fabulous--I can't wait to share it with you all on November 3rd!

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Spelling Bee Sew Along

Most of you know that I am a huge Lori Holt fan/worshiper--attending one of her retreats is one of my top bucket list goals! Of course, I got my Spelling Bee book back in the summer when it first came out. I have played with some of the letters and some of the small projects. I decided during the summer that I would definitely make the big quilt on the cover. Lori Holt and the Fat Quarter Shop were planning on a sew along that would be the perfect opportunity to make it and the Spelling Bee Sew Along began yesterday! Here are the links:

http://beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com/2017/10/spelling-bee-saturday-letter-a.html

https://blog.fatquartershop.com/2017/10/spelling-bee-sew-along-week-1.html

The plan is that this sew along will last 44 weeks with two blocks per week! This is the gorgeous and whimsical quilt we are making.

My most difficult decision for this sew along was what background fabric to use--Kona white or something with a print/texture. According to the book, you need 5 yards of background. I selected a white on white for the texture that I know my local quilt shop can order more of as I only have about a yard--I used the same one for my Quilty Fun Sampler Quilt, so I have a bag of little random bits leftover. Here are my upper case and lower case A blocks.

Here is the Quilty Fun Sampler Quilt that I only finished last month.

Lori also has another sew along going on right now--it uses her fantastic templates for many adorable appliqué blocks.

Mine will look similar to this, but I am using fabrics from my stash instead of Lori's fabrics. I have incorporated black into mine because I love how it looked in my Quilty Fun Sampler Quilt.

The good news this week is I am totally caught up with this sew along and just added the third row this morning.

I am even ahead and have my pumpkins ready for this week. For my Slow Sunday Stitching, I will be adding the embroidery details to my pumpkins and chickens.

https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2017/10/slow-sunday-stitching_8.html

The Broncos have a bye week, but I am prepared to spend the rest of the day working on my secret project for the Fat Quarter Shop and watching football.  These are the gorgeous fabrics they sent me to work with---I feel so honored to sew for them! #fqsquiltalong

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Bee Happy Sew Along 2

Sorry about the crappy picture, but wind and light made it to where I did not want to go outside to take a picture. I have my first two rows of the Bee Happy Quilt sewn together.

 I am still behind with the quilt along, but I feel like I have made some serious progress.

 I have been digging into my scrap bins and stash to find the perfect fabrics for the blocks. My version is more scrappy than Lori Holt's, but as far as I am concerned the more scraps used the better. As Lori says, "You are the boss of your quilt!"

 Do you see the skull and crossbones flag? I need to add the embroidery on the dog's face

 and the bee's details.

  I was not sure about mixing the backgrounds on this quilt, but the variety adds another dimension.

 Whoops, not the best job centering the cherries!

I love the mix of simple blocks with more elaborate ones.

 All of the embroidery details are so precious!

 What can I say? I am in love with this one.

I also have some secret sewing for Fat Quarter Shop I am working on this month! I was thrilled to be invited to sew for them and receive gorgeous fabrics for my project...My deadline for my completed project is November 1st, so I am actually going to make it my October One Monthly Goal (OMG). Check out other goals here:

http://www.elmstreetquilts.com/2017/10/one-monthly-goal-october-link-up.html

My secret project will be revealed here on my blog and on my Instagram on November 3rd. Check out sneak peeks on Instagram #fqsquiltalong