The Civil War Tribute BOM

I keeep practising with my machine and guess what ??? I like machine piecing!!! And the more you do the better you become! I feel a lot less intimidated and seeing this VERY big quilt growing is motivating!
For month 3 of the BOM, there are 4 identical blocks, 2 are 18 inches and 2 are 12 inches! I have cut the fabrics for the 4 blocks but have only stitched one! So, this afternoon I will try to have two more blocks pieced.

Until later,

a recipe for the weekend

It is extremely hot here today and I thought I would share this very simple recipe which is great with such a weather!!! Marinated Chicken Skewers with Couscous Salad.

I cut strips of chicken breasts, put them in a salad bowl with lemon juice and chopped cilantro. I put the salad bowl in the fridge for a few hours and prepare the skewers before grilling them.
For the couscous salad, I put tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, chopped parsley and chopped mint leaves in it.

I often serve these skewers with aragula instead of coucous salad. It is a great light lunch or dinner. Very healthy and tasty ;-)


Have a great weekend,
Until later,

Block 9 of the Mystery Quilt and stash reduction...

For once, I'm on time for block 9 of the Mystery Quilt of Born to Quilt! The new block should be in my mail box today or tomorrow. So far there are 3 cottages so I guess I can call it the cottage quilt :-))
I have tried to keep the overall harmony and have, at the same time, a different cottage from the two previous ones.



Last month, I cleaned up my workshop and sorted out all the different kits, threads, linens and patterns I had in stock. Needless to say that it is a shame!!!! There are way too many... so I decided not to buy any new, wonderful, not to be missed pattern or kit before finishing at least 10 projects!! Not sure, I'll be able to stick to such a resolution, but I will try!! Don't worry though, I have enough projects to keep posting for at least the next two years!!!! LOL

We have a teenage girl from Dallas, Texas at home right now. After a few days in Paris, she is visiting our region with her French teacher and her class and we are very happy to be her host family. I try to speak French to her as she is here to practise her French but I'm often tempted to speak English!

Have a great day,
Until later,

My first Hooked Rug

Another little finish!
At the quilt show, I attended a class with Beatrice Meilhac to learn how to make a hooked rug. I finished the project yesterday. It is not difficult, but I found that filling the background around the flowers is quite long.
I do like the country look of these small hooked rugs... It has found its place in a corner of my workshop!





To answer a question I have been asked about finding time to do all this, I must tell you a secret! Yes, I do have a secret which gives me plenty of time for stitching and quilting!
Indeed, I have a full time job, a busy family life with 2 teenagers, I run three times a week and love reading... How can that be possible??? Well, I'm not a superhuman (unfortunately!!) but I don't have television at home!! It's as simple as that!!!
I'm often asked how I can live without television! My answer is invariably the same! How can you live with televison at home?


Until later,

The Blueberry Cottage Quilting Case.

First of all, I'd like to thank you all for your nice comments on my posts! It is very motivating! Though I do not always answer, be sure I read all of them and really appreciate that you leave a message!

You may remember that I took a stitchery with me at the Quilt Show in Nantes, just in case I could find time to stitch!!! And guess what???? I didn't.....
Yet, I finished the stitchery last week and was ready for finishing this project! I had already chosen the fabrics but at the last minute decided on changing all of them!! Indeed I have two fat quarter bundles of fabrics by Whimsicals : "Heart and Soul" and "Tangled Threads" and I really wanted to use them! How can you resist a piece of fabric where the words "Quilts", "Folk Art", "Stitches", "Tangled Threads", "Buttons", "Spools" are printed on it???? Not to mention the rest of the collection!!!

So, here is my version of The Blueberry Cottage Quilting Case which was designed by Nataliejo of L'Atelier Perdu. You can put leaflets, pens and pencils, rulers and a mini-rotary cutter in it. It is both beautiful and practical.







Have a wonderful weekend,
Until later,

something new and different...

When I was at the Quilt Show in Nantes, I regretted not to have attended a class with Cécile Franconie. She is SO talented!!! A week later, I discovered her second blog where she gives online classes. She was offering a class for stitching beautiful flowers!! I had to give it a try!!! And it was fun!

When the embroidery was done, I decided that for the first time, I would try a personal finishing!!!
And the result is a pinkeep / threadkeeper. I only used things I had : buttons, paper flowers, rickrack... It was fun and I love how it turned out :-))

Would you like to see it ?

Here is the front with Cecile's flowers :



And here is the back :



I do hope that you like it too!!!

Now, let's go back to quilting... I have another cottage to stitch!

Until later,

Blocks 7 and 8...

...of the Mystery Quilt from Born To Quilt. Block 7 is a cottage and block 8 a simple pieced block. I find them both very charming and when I put all the blocks together I can already tell how stunning the quilt is going to be! The charm of these blocks are due to their design, the use of both cotton fabrics and wools, the stitcheries and the wonderful wooden buttons. It is a real pleasure to stitch these blocks... I hope you will like them as much as I do...




Until later,