Friday Night Sew In

I participated in my very first Friday Night Sew In last night. Ok, well, I cheated just a little bit and sewed in the late afternoon, not the night, but I think that still counts. :) It was a mommy and son night since daddy was working and sis was at a sleepover. I just couldn't bring myself to spend the entire evening in the sewing room.

I did manage to get quite a bit done, though. I cut 1/2 of the strips into their 1 1/2 inch strips and got 21 squares all put together. I used a technique I learned at my quilting class called chaining, I believe so I was able to do more than one square at a time. I'm not sure if I can explain it correctly, but basically what you do, is start with a scap piece of fabric that you sew through and then a bit beyond that, making a chain of thread. You then slip your next piece of what you're working on under the foot, and sew that together. Again, you sew beyond the end of the piece, creating another chain between the pieces. This technique joins all the pieces together in one long strip which you can make as long as you like. I stopped at 6 each time, so I didn't get too far ahead of myself if/when I made a mistake.

After you're done chaining together the pieces, you cut the thread and press it open. Then back to the sewing machine to add the next strip. Once all the strips are added, you have a completed square!

As you can see, I'm still working on getting everything straight. My edges don't always meet. But that's what practice is for, right? This quilt is really challenging my measuring preciseness (is that even a word?) and my 1/4 inch seam, which is what I was looking to do.


Today's Update

We're going shopping today! Hubby is working, so the kids and I are going to the mall to get a first day of school outfit for both of them. We don't spend a ton of money on back to school clothes. It's still warm straight through September, so going out and buying them a bunch of sweaters and jeans just doesn't make any sense to me. We'll buy those when we need to. They each get a new outfit for the first day and then whatever supplies they actually need; paper, pencils, binders, that sort of thing.

Tonight, if we're home in time, we're having

Stove Top One Dish Chicken Bake With Vegetables

1 cup hot water
1 pkg Stuffing Mix
1 chicken breast, cut into squares
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 cups frozen mixed veggies, thawed and drained

Preheat oven to 400. Add hot water to stuffing mix, stir until moistened. Set aside. Place chicken in baking dish. Mix soup, sour cream, cheese and vegetables. Spoon over chicken. Top with prepared stuffing. Bake 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

I'll prepare everything this morning before we go. If we're back in time to cook this, which I'm sure we will be, I'll finish it up when we get home. If not, there are lots of leftovers and we can have this for tomorrow's supper.

I'd love to get the rest of the strips cut today, but I'm not sure if I will or not. But, there's always tomorrow, right? :)

Have a fantastic day!

My First Attempt At Quilting - 9 Patch Quilt

I decided that I would share my progress as I work my way through my very first quilting project. It's a bit scary, but I think I've chosen a simple enough pattern that I should be able to do this fairly successfully. :)

Here is an idea of what my quilt will look like when it's done. This is a photo I found on the web, so of course, my colours and design will be different, but it gives you a general idea if you're not familiar with a 9 patch quilt.

The instructions I'm following said to cut 1 1/5 inch strips of fabric, 42 inches long. Then sew the strips together to form 3 strips, one design has two patterned strips and one plain, the other has two plain and one patterned. There is a total of 20 strips, which I was able to finish yesterday. Big feeling of accomplishment here! :)

Today I will be cutting each strip into smaller 1 1/2 inch strips. There will be a total of 486 smaller strips that are then sewn together to create 3 inch blocks.

I have my work cut out for me today! My goal for today is to make myself a 1 1/2 inch guide to use for cutting the strips, rather than measuring out each individual spot. I want to get all the strips cut and at least 5 blocks sewn today.

I'll pop by later to show you what the pile of strips looks like. I have a feeling it's going to be large! LOL!

Today's Update

Summer is really starting to wind down, and I don't like that feeling. I really miss my kids when they're not here with us all the time. Today I want to/plan to spend some time with them, playing games, watching movies and just having some great family time.

I'm still working on the crocheted patchwork quilt for my daughter's Christmas present. It's coming along nicely, but slowly. I need to complete at least 10 squares a day to ensure I'll have it done in time.

Today is my day to clean out the van and my purse. Neither one should be an overly large job, since I'm making a habit of doing it every week. I've managed to really downsize my purse, which not only makes it easier to find things, but it's a lot easier on my shoulder too! :)

Tonight's supper will be Scalloped Potatoes and Cheesy Garlic Biscuits. I don't have an actual recipe for the scalloped potatoes, since it's such a general thing that most people already know how to make. One thing I do differently than anyone I know other than my mom, is add cut up hotdogs to it. I know, I know, it sounds digusting, but it's really not. It's a great way to get the kids to eat them, and it actually tastes really good too. :)

I Forgot!

I don't know how it happened, but I completely forgot the recipe for tonight's dinner!

We're having Country Salisbury Steak. It's a very easy dish to prepare, and very frugal as well, which is important. The kids love it, too, which is equally important. :)

Country Salisbury Steak

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 pkg stuffing mix
1 1/4 cup water, divided
3/4 cup onion, chopped
2 cups free mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup bbq sauce

Mix meat, stuffing mix, onions and 1 cup of the water until well blended. Shape into 1/2 inch thick oval patties. Place in baking dish. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until cooked through.

Spray large non stick skillet with cooking spray. Add mushrooms, cook on medium heat for 5 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occassionally. Add bbq sauce and remaining water. Reduce heat to low. Cook 1-2 minutes or until sauce is heated through. Serve over the patties.

Enjoy!