Saturday, November 17, 2007

Monthly

I seem to be posting only monthly lately. Too, too busy. I also caught some creeping crud that left me feeling kinda consumptive--but I balanced this wasting phenomenon by learning to make perfect vanilla and chocolate cakes, swiss buttercream frosting, chocolate ganache, and cream cheese frosting in my cake class. So, I'm still nicely rounded out :) My cake class has been so much fun; it's at the town's top bakery. There are just 6 of us in the bakery's kitchen using all the real baker's stuff and getting cool inside secrets. Last Monday, we learned how to make "chocolate plastic" to mold flowers, leaves, and the like; and I also made chocolate ivy leaves by painting on leaves. Fun!!

My children have been sucked into the Webkinz universe, which means I've been spending odd hours playing Quizzy's Word Game so my babies can afford backyards and interactive stoves, refrigerators, and treadmills for their furry obsessions. (Hey, what's so virtual about this place again?) But, one nice quilty outcome is that they want to make quilts for their WKs. Here's the first endeavor:



My daughter (who's 5 and 7/8, just ask her) picked out all the fabrics and then arranged the squares. She wanted a quilt that looked like a rainforest, which is where Pandi the Panda lives. She also pressed the foot pedal on the machine as I sewed and actually picked up speed regulation fairly quickly. I quilted a flower in the middle of each square. Now, I have to make a pirate-themed quilt for Baby Pongo the Dalmation and some pink confection for Ashley the Rainbow Pony.

Here's a quilt I've never shared, but I found it in my closet during a cleaning mania two weeks ago (during a Housewives of Orange County marathon; it makes me feel so much better about my own life):



I made this in 1998 (insert aging cough here) right when Kumiko Sudo's book Fabled Flowers came out. I love hydrangeas and wanted to create a mythical hydrangea plant that could flower in both violet and pink. Over 50 different fabrics make up the origami petals. The background is a fabric that looks like homemade paper with flower petals embedded in the fibers. Here's a closer look at the petals:



I had completely forgotten about this little quilt. I've included it in the three quilts I'll be showing at the college this year. The quilts are shown in the President's Lobby throughout the winter holidays along with trees that student clubs decorate and then donate to families in the community. The whole lobby twinkles, and the display really brings a calming sense to the manic panic of term's end, when nerves of faculty and students alike fray.

My daughter keeps peeking her head around the corner begging to play on Barbie.com, and my son needs a pirate beard and mustache, so I'm off with this request. Consider signing up for the Winter segment of the Four Seasons Quilt Swap (click or see side button). It's great fun!!

7 comments:

atet said...

That flower really is beautiful -- but sounds like you have been running ragged. Hey -- on the bright side, finals are almost here and you should have a bit of time to regroup before spring semester hits.

Beth said...

I know how you feel, my classes have completed their fall finals and now it is time to grade, grade, grade! I also understand the Webkinz craze. I am working on a Webkinz-related reearch project with some colleagues and I think I have spent more time on the Web site than I really should!

Clare said...

DD was a Neopets freak. She seems to have outgrown it thank goodness. I adore the hydrangea quilt. I've seen fabric like the background and love it.

sewprimitive karen said...

Sounds like you need a few more computers at your house lol. Your flower quilt is lovely.

julieQ said...

What a neat folded flower block!! Such intense interesting colors. love it!!

JulieQ

Jeanne Turner McBrayer said...

I think we must have gone fabric shopping together some time...I recognize many of the fabrics in your quilts. I have used that petal background fabric in several quilts and just love it.

Lovely job on the hydrangea, and how nice that you and your children plan and make quilts together.

Shelina said...

Your daughter has wonderful taste in fabric. It's a great quilt. I have to admit to getting hooked to neopets at the same time my daughter did. I played all the time, trying to get points so I can buy good stuff for my store! My system started having difficulty with it since they added the advertising, so I had to quit cold turkey. I still thought of it though remembering all the free stuff you got in December for the Advent Calendar.
I haven't heard about
Webkinz, which is a very good thing.