Quilting apps for my iPhone

My stash is in danger of growing and it's all because of my iPhone!  Who has an iPhone and if you do, do you know why?

Well, for all of you who already know and for those that don't, there are these applications (apps) you can download to the iPhone. Some are free, some cost a couple bucks and most don't require any paymet after that.

A fee apps:
Quiltfab which "will help you answer that question for some common backing, binding, and border fabric choices and construction methods."  Just enter the size of the quilt and it will tell you how much fabric needed, etc.

Quiltref is a handy resource for amount of fabric for triangle blocks, measurement conversion and quilt sizes (I can nevere remember the bed size in inches so this is a great tool.)

Quilting contains You Tube videos on a variety of topics.

FabricStash is a tool that holds pics of your stash and information about it as well as helps you organize, for example,  by color so when you are out, your stash is at your fingertips for finding the rigth fabric. How great is that? If you are like me and don't want to buy more than necessary because you cannot stand clutter, well, it's fabritastic!

So, if you have an iPhone and haven't done a search on "quilt" or "Fabric", get to it and see if there are any you like.

Cheers! Beck

Is the weekend over?

The best laid plans and all. My plans, to sew. A lot. My last free weekend for a while. My last weekend with my machine for a while and what happens? No sewing Friday. Fought with the hubs instead. (We are dealing with some major life changing issues and feel we should take out our stress on one another ever so often.)

No sewing Sat. started with a good morning with hubs then we apparently decided to fight again. Took the kid to soccor mid-day, came home, hubs and I went to get our new iPhones (yeah -and yes, fight was over by then). Then picked other kids up from airport. My day was done.

Sunday, got up, did a little garage sale hopping with hubs for niece and nephew clothes, had lunch out with the hubs and let kids fend for themselves for meals.   After lunch, watched basketball games and sewed.

I finished weeks 5 & 6 for the pinwheel quilt along.  It's getting harder to do with my original plan of only using these five fabrics. However, I'm determined and I do like the look. I'm purposely not putting them all together with each of the other weeks so I can be surprised good or bad, in the overall look.

I made a reversible apron.

I put the green border on my "Come on Spring" quilt (that's what I might call it).  I think it was a good decision.

I created a tutorial for remaking a koozie. I'll post that seperately this week.

Hope your weekend was much more productive than mine.  I think next time I won't plan to sew and I might actually get to it faster! hehe

Cheers! Beck

Receipe: Salmon w/ Champagne orange cream sauce

I took a page from Pioneer Woman and documented the process through the recipe.
Here we go, the ingredients.

1/4 vidalia onion
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup champagne (brut)
1 cup buttermilk (I used milk once too, it was okay to substitute)
1/2 can mandarin oranges with some of the syrup
4, 4-oz salmon filets (not pictured)

1 tsp nutmeg
1-2 Tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
1 -2 Tbsp cajun seasoning (how much heat do you like? Add more or less as you desire)
1 tsp sea salt













Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
1) heat pan, add olive oil and onions and saute to desired doneness. Key is soft and slightly transulcent onions, not browned or burned onions. Saute at a lower heat if you see them getting too dark.

2) add butter, let melt and add flour. mix flour well into butter and cook for a minute or two.

3) add champagne then about a minute later add the buttermilk. Reduce heat and stir occasionally cooking out alcohol and thickening the sauce. About 5-10 minutes dependig on heat level.
4) Add salt, cajun seasoning, nutmeg, stir in and simmer for 1-2 min. more.

5) Add approx. 1/2 can mandarin oranges, using some juice as well.

6) about 5 min. more, or cooked until desired thickness ( I like the consistancy of a thin cream soup), add basil.

7) spray a baking dish with butter spray to avoid salmon sticking. Place the salmon in the dish (I only had 2 so I saved 1/2 the sauce for another day and for some haddock I have. I will try it within the week but I think it will be good, too.)

cover with the sauce

then cover dish with foil. Bake 15-20 min. at 425 degrees. Salmon is done when it flakes easily.

Serve over brown rice with a veggie of your choice on the side. There's a touch of heat in this dish so plan the side accordingly. I initially planned a warm spinach with golden raisins and pine nuts but decided to eat some broccoli slaw in my fridge instead.


Hope you enjoy, cheers!  Beck

Yum.

This is not quilt related but seeing as how I work from home and have very little adult interaction you get to be the recipient of my thoughts. That said, I've got Ellen on in the background and Gerard Butler is on and I just need to say I love me a rugged looking man! Growing up, the Marlboro Man on the billboards were more yummy than the Brad Pitt's and Johnny Depp's of the world.

So, aside from my rugged, sexy husband... yum, Mr. Butler!   (And he has an accent... he might be my new favorite human eye candy.)

(btw, this might be the first time I noticed him b/c I really don't follow the tabloids or watch a bunch of movies, et.c so bear with me.)  Someone tell me to get back to work!

But I have to ask first, who's your favorite human eye candy? (hey boys, I want your answer too!)

Beck

ps- sewing took a hiatus the last couple days as I battled the aches and sores of being under the weather. Maybe tonight but work is wiping me out so you get misc. posts. -evil grin-

Bento Box Top complete. Maybe.

Yes, I did it! In one day, I cut and pieced a bento box top. I like it but the jury is still out as to whether I will add a border or two. The pattern doesn't call for it and I need a night to sleep on it and look at it again to see if I am good with that or feel it needs a finish. I'm leaning towards being good with it for laziness sake. :)

What do you think? It's definately a lot more yellow than I've ever used!

ETA: I slept on it and woke up feeling it needed a border and the green fabric that was going to be the backing and binding is going to be it. Maybe a simple 3" strip all the way around or maybe this border pattern which Judy Laquirada so kindly posted a tuturial for. I could intersperse it with leftover whites if I have enough. 

Next goal, have quilted by Friday. A bold goal considering there's something else on the frame now that hasn't even been started.