Sunday Dinner At Jutamas

Jutamas is a fine dining, Thai Restaurant in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. After worship service this morning my sweetheart and I joined our pastor and his sweet wife at Jutamas for a wonderful lunch and fellowship. My friend Rosy lives in Singapore, and because of the wonders of the internet she and I are able to talk about food often. Since she was not able to be at Jutamas with us…this post is for her.

We started our meal with a couple of appetizers. Fresh Rolls were brought to our table first. They were fresh spring rolls filled with cooked chicken, shrimp, egg noodles, avocado, tofu and vegetables and wrapped with rice pastry. Crushed peanuts are sprinkled on top, and they are served with peanut sauce.

Next up was Toong Tong. These tasty appetizers are crispy fried pastries stuffed with a mixture of pork, shrimp, and crab meat. They were served with sweet and sour sauce. Our waitress did not understand the order, and we were only brought a serving for two. Our pastor insisted Allen and I eat them. What a blessing, because they were delicious.

After our appetizers each of us were served a bowl of soup…I’m sorry, but I don’t know the name of the soup. It was delicious and enjoyed by all. It was made of chicken broth, tofu, basil leaves and bean sprouts.

This cute little lemon critter topped our pastor’s glass of unsweetened tea. My sweetie ordered sweet tea…he didn’t get a cute little lemon critter. :<

Our pastor ordered Phad Khing…This dish was sliced chicken, stir-fried fresh ginger, onions, bell peppers, carrots, baby corn and mushrooms in brown sauce.

Brenda, our pastor’s wife, ordered Shrimp Asparagus. It was asparagus with stir-fried shrimp with onion, carrots and bell peppers in brown sauce.

My sweetheart ordered Phad med Ma Moung. This dish was sliced chicken, stir fried with cashew nuts, onions, mushrooms, carrots and bell peppers in brown sauce.

And finally…I ordered Gang Keaw Wam. It is classic green curry, blended with coconut milk, green beans, carrots, eggplant, bamboo shoots, bell peppers and sweet basil. It was superb but way more than I could eat in one sitting. The dishes were so pretty…I would have loved to have taken them home with me. ~sigh~

Rosy, I hope this was almost as good as being with us. Even if we don’t ever share a meal on planet earth we can look forward to a grand banquet in heaven. Maybe we can sit close to one another there. I think we would have a grand time.

Until next time…

This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck. 1 Timothy 1:18-19

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My Samurai And An Eggstra Large Pincushion

This morning I made a trip to the post office to mail my share in an Easter pincushion swap.  Its forever home is across the big pond in Australia.   The pincushion is made of felted wool and is five inches in diameter.  It’ll hold a lot of pins!

Side view:

It was a beautiful day…perfect for a little thrifting.  My find of the day was a pre-WWII silk kimono.  My good-natured, sweetheart modeled it for me so I could take pictures of it.  All he needs now is a sword. 

Back view:

Lining view: 

Pattern closeup:

Unless I change my mind, I’ll take a pair of scissors to this lovely kimono and cut it into pieces for use in crazy quilt blocks.  At this point I’m feeling a bit conflicted with that idea…but it doesn’t fit me (I wish), and I can’t imagine my sweetie putting it on again.  I will give it some thought before I start cutting, but of this I am sure…If I do it will make many beautiful additions to a crazy quilt blocks.

Until next time…

A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.  Ecclesiastes 7:1

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Anything Goes Novice Round Robin…Hollie’s Block

Earlier this month I received my first Round Robin crazy quilt block to work on.  This block was naked when I received it.  It belongs to Hollie, a very sweet, crazy lady who lives in Arkansas.  The colors and fabric Hollie chose for her block are among my favorites, though  you wouldn’t know it by looking at my Round Robin naked block.  After spending some time looking at the block and thinking of how to embellish it, I finally took the plunge and made my first stitch.  It’s funny, but that first stitch felt almost scary.  The block is not mine and is precious to someone else.  It was unembellished; crisp; unsullied.  I don’t want to be “the one” to mess it up.

Here’s Hollie’s lovely block…naked and untouched:

I’m not certain I am finished with my part, but for the moment I’m at a standstill and am waiting for inspiration before making more changes.  There’s no hurry, because  it can stay with me the remainder of April.  Hopefully I’ll get a bright idea for embellishing the empty spaces within the seams I stitched.

Here is the embellishing work I’ve done on Hollie’s block so far.  Please keep in mind I am still learning…learning is what this Round Robin is all about…the word “novice” is a comfortable umbrella to me at this point in my crazy quilting journey.

Overall block…overall views are so forgiving. 

This view shows the petite roses and detached chain leaves made with silk ribbon adorning the feather stitch along the seam on the left side.  Seed beads have been added to the center of each rose. 

One of Hollie’s “likes” is mother of pearl buttons.  I just happened to have a few in my button stash.  Each button is embellished with pink, glass, seed beads.  Looking at the picture, I see a couple more of the tiny pink beads need to be added around the buttons.

The second seam is embellished with daisy trim.  Each daisy is embellished with a lavender seed bead…a color pulled from the ever-so-romantic, calico fabric.  Along the left side of the trim I’ve added a row of tiny “flowers” using a fern stitch and more lavender seed beads.

This shot shows the silk ribbon spider roses and pierced roses within the calico fabric to the right of the daisy trim.  Each rose has seed bead centers.  I’ve spotted a couple of roses that need an additional seed bead or two added.  They look just a little wonky.  

To the right of the roses is part of the seam embellished with two rows of the  Chevron stitch forming diamonds.  (They are a “girl’s best friend so such a romantic flavoured block needs diamonds.)  Along the left side of the Chevron stitch diamonds are “little flowers” made using the fern stitch and french knots.

The final shot shows the sweet, lace motif butterfly and concludes the work I’ve completed on Hollie’s beautiful block.  I hope (and pray) she likes it…it has been a pleasure to work on…and such a learning experience.  Before sending it on its way to the next stitcher in our group (Mikki from Iowa), I’ll take more pictures and post again. 

Until next time…

So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.  Romans 14:12 

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Have I Become A Block Head?

Thank goodness it’s Thursday!   My dear husband has a three-day weekend.  I love having him home, and he is greatly in need of some good, old-fashioned rest and relaxation.  His plan was to mow for the first time in 2012, but the weather forces a change in plans.  (Thank you, Lord.)  The grass may need to be mowed, but my honey needs rest more.

Tuesday came and went without me remembering to TAST…the day was too busy.  I can’t even remember stitching a stitch all day…though I must have.

Monday brought the beginning of the online class I enrolled in…Crazy Lady’s Guide To Embellishing.  One of the materials needed was a naked block.  Because there were other things I needed to purchase for the class, I pulled all the fabrics for the block from my stash.  I’ve discovered I lean heavily to prints, because my stockpile of solids is extremely limited.  (I will do something about that gradually…beginning soon.)   This block is the first one with incorporated curved pieces.  The technique I used made curves much simpler than I thought it would be, although I still need work on making it smooth.  Fortunately stitching and trims will be forgiving.  I picked up the curve tip from Judith Baker Montano’s Teaching You To Crazy Quilt DVD.  (Thanks again, Pam!)

Here’s my class block:

This weeks lesson takes us to the base stitching and trims phase.  So far I’ve added trims and laces.  I chose off white for the same reason I chose the fabrics.  Nothing else in my stash even remotely worked.   If nothing else, the light trims on the dark block lighten it up.  One wonderful thing about crazy quilting is there are few rules…and rules are made to be broken.  There aren’t many things that rule applies to without repercussions.  * I made one change and forgot to take a picture.  The meandering purple chanille was replaced with a much thicker off-white piece.

Over the next few days, I’ll get all the seams and trims stitched.  I bought thread BEFORE I made the block hoping to match the block fabrics to the thread.  How well I pulled that off is questionable.  My thread colors may be too dark to pop for the most part.  I hope my stitches don’t get lost on the dark background.  Speaking of thread, I found a good source for quality embroidery thread.  I must share…though it is local and locals are welcome to drop in, Shakespeare’s Peddler is primarily a mail order business.  I was wowed by all the beautiful fibers available.  The shop specializes in counted cross stitch, but the quality fibers work every bit as well with crazy quilt stitching.

In my last post I showed a WIP.

The more I looked at it,  the less I liked it.  The butterfly was only pinned so I could decide if I liked the placement.  It didn’t make it to the stitching stage.  I also decided I didn’t like the buttons…they were too starkly white on the purple.  I removed them and the pearl beads on the upper right side.

Buttons will surely be added again, but they won’t be white.  The big button in the center of the flower motif was replaced with seed beads using the encrusted bead stitch.  This was the first time I’d used that particular stitch/technique, but I really like the way it looks.   I’m still debating what will replace the white pearl beads to embellish the feather stitch along the upper right side of the block.

Moving on or away from crazy quilting…earlier to this afternoon I took lunch to my dear husband.   When I stopped at the end of the driveway, I noticed an azalea my dad gave me sixteen or so years ago…It was in marvelous, full-bloom…showing off for all it was worth.  It’s a “must share” before I go.  Glorious, yes?  Dad lives on…in my heart and in our yard.

Until next time…

 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.  1 Peter 1:18-19

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A Giveaway Prize, A Sweet Surprise, And A WIP

Juli hosted a giveaway on her blog  A Crazy Quilting Adventure a couple of weeks ago.  Once again, my random number won!  I’m enjoying this streak of wonderfully good fortune I’ve had lately.  (and continue to give God the glory for blessing me richly…)  Juli gave away a yummy, strawberry pincushion she made herself and a fabric pack of the winner’s choice from her Etsy shop.  I opted to have Juli pick the fabric pack.  She sent red of which I had very little.  It’s funny how that worked!  Check out her blog and see the cool platypus Juli made and entered into a crazy quilting contest…and won!  Thank you, Juli!  I love my strawberry and will make good use of the generous, red fabric pack.  I love the touch a handwritten note adds.

Friday evening I received an email from a yahoo group friend telling me about a great teaching video she found online.  You get three guess what the subject is… She asked if I would be interested in it.  Today a video arrived in the mail…drop-shipped from the seller.  It is 160 minutes of crazy quilt instruction, ideas, eye candy…what a treat!  Thank you, Pam.  I look forward to watching it…over and over.  You are such a sweetheart!  (If you are interested in the video, check back later when the new crazy quilt resource page I am building appears.)

And now for my WIP…

Last week I shared my first naked fancy fabric block.  It’s not complete, but I’ve spent between twenty-five to thirty hours working on it during the evening hours over the past week.  The butterfly is pinned, because I am not sure it will remain there.  The square is laying in a place I pass by frequently so I can glance over and see how the butterfly placement strikes me.  We’ll see.  I wasn’t sure how I would like working on the slick, fancy fabrics, because I am a 100% cotton kind of girl, but I’ve really enjoyed the finery feel as I stitched.  Working on this square has caused me to see the need of keeping a journal of the blocks I make and embellish.  The thread colors I chose to use in this square are very similar to colors in my stash I did not choose to use.  I did not write down the numbers and found it very difficult, if not impossible, to match the color when it came time to use that particular thread again…hence I was not always successful.  From here on out a record of the color used in each seam will be noted in a journal.  It’s a good thing there are no rules set in stone when crazy quilting…

This morning a class taught by Christen Brown on crazy quilt embellishing began.  I’m excited about being part of the class, because Christen turns out beautiful work.  She makes it look effortless…The class is four weeks long (online) so my fancy fabric WIP block will take a back seat for a while.  I’m sure to pick it up and work on it from time to time, but the bulk of my stitching efforts will be focused on the class.  Hopefully we will see some great improvements in my work. 

Until next time…

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

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Feeling Really Blessed! Crazy, Happy Mail

A couple of days after Valentine’s Day I entered my name in a crazy, wonderful giveaway at Nicki Lee’s Ravio Lee Dreams.  To my delight, I won.  One hundred and fourteen people commented on Nicki’s giveaway post…and I won.  To say I was thrilled when Nicki notified me would be an understatement.  A month and a half ago I decided to try my hand at crazy quilting and have become hopelessly hooked.  Though I have a vast fabric stash, I was lacking many of the things used to embellish crazy squares.  Every fun money penny I’ve had since going crazy for crazy quilting has been spent on supplies to work with.  I told Nicki I had talked to God about my “need” just days before she notified me I won her lavish giveaway.  God really used her to bless me!  That’s the kind of wonderful God He is!

Before opening the packages, I took time to take a picture.  (That was hard…really hard.)  The heart was originally filled with assorted chocolates of which I never saw, but Nicki left the yummy-smelling paper liner in the tin.  It made the wonderful “eye candy” she sent me smell so good.  Even the tie around the tissue-wrapped package will be used in a square.

Inside the tissue-wrapped package was several pieces of yummy fancy fabric…They will make beautiful naked squares.

The tin was chock full of wonderful lace motifs and trims…beads and ribbon.  I was in awe when I looked inside.

Beads and buttons and ribbons…

Everything…incuding a sweet card.

Is it any wonder I am feeling really blessed?  I sure appreciate Nicki’s generosity, and I can’t wait to start stitching using all the wonderful “eye candy” she bestowed upon me.

Until next time…Count your blessings.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.  James 1:17

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The Snowman’s Story

Each Sunday my pastor gives a “happy” to anyone who searches for a mystery verse and finds it. A new verse without the reference is printed each week in our church bulletin.   I’ve always been a lover of puzzles, and unless it slips my mind, I play.  I try to determine which book the verse comes from by the wording.  Sometimes I use my Strong’s to search key words.  I usually read the whole chapter after I’ve located the verse…just because.  This past week our verse was found in the book of Zechariah…chapter 9…verse 12.  The “happy” for finding this verse was a snowman with a story to tell.  Most of us have heard the legend of the candy cane, the dogwood, and the passion flower, but the Snowman’s story was new to me.  I figured if it was unique to me, it may be to others.  For that reason I am sharing…

The Meaning of the Snowman

The white snow represents God’s forgiveness of our sins.

The circular snowballs show the everlasting life God promises us.

The carrot nose shows us that God has given us the Earth and all living things.

The black coal mouth reminds us to give God praise.

The scarf keeps us warm just as God’s love does.

The top hat reminds us to honor God above all things.

The twig arms are open to hold us the way God does when we need Him.

And there you have it…the snowman’s story and a timely reminder of our Heavenly Father’s abounding love.  I’ll never look at a snowman in the same way again.

Until next time…

For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth, likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength.

Job 37:6

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Color Me Pleased or Tickled Pink

A few days ago I shared my share of the latest needlecase swap I participated in through Art4Mail (button on sidebar).  My swap partner Chris received hers yesterday, and said she loves it.  Lucky me…mine from Chris also arrived in yesterday’s mail.  My package was “double the pleasure, double the fun” (do you have the Double Mint gum jingle dancing in your head now?), because it contained not only my beautiful needlecase but a celebrate fall pincushion.  I was fortunate enough to be paired with Chris on both swaps.  (My share of the celebrate fall swap was the acorn pincushion I shared in October.)  Today I’m showcasinging both of the wonderful pieces I received.  I just love Chris’ fine crafting.

Celebrate Fall pincushion…

This pincushion is crafted using wool felt and embellished with a pieced, wool felt chrysanthemum on the top, and bits of wool felt in the shape of leaves along the edge, and fine stitching.  Tiny rick-rack adorns two seams.  (I love, love, love the rick-rack touch.)

side view…

As if I would forget…the tag will help me remember who made this lovely pincushion! A tag is always a nice touch.

Next up…my beautiful needlecase.

Chris told me she used a pattern by Crabapple Hill.  She did it great justice!  Chris’ stitching and embellishing is beautiful…the fabric choices are lovely and perfect for the crazy quilt theme she used for the cover of the case.  The tiny scissors she added are nothing less than darling.  The pen will come in very handy for signing swap pieces.  I am sure I will use this beautiful needlecase often.

Needlecase closed:

http://apronstringsandothertiesthatbind.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/closed.jpg

Notice the ribbon embroidery flower on the left.  That’s a craft I’ve not tried…but this piece has prompted me to add it to my list of things to do.  Chris’ stitching is in a word…beautiful.  The closure system of the case is beautiful beadwork and a button within a button…very classy!

Inside view 1…

There are ample pockets on the inside.  Some are large enough to hold small templates (very quilter-friendly) and even a small ruler.  One pocket is PERFECT for a tea bag.  (That’s a very important feature to me.)  It also has needle-keeper pages with contrasting colors of wool felt and a small pincushion sandwiching a pocket made just right for a marking pen.  Chris added a pocket for a small pair of scissors (scissors included) with a ribbon to secure the scissors in transport.

Inside view 2…

This needlecase showcase would not be complete without a close-up of the darling scissors and beautiful bead closure.  Aren’t they perfect?

I thank Chris for these beautiful swap shares!  What a blessing to be on the receiving end of this one!

Until next time…

Me thinks it is a token of healthy and gentle characteristics, when women of high thoughts and accomplishments love to sew; especially as they are never more at home with their own hearts than while so occupied.

~Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun, 1859

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On Pins And Needles

For the past week I’ve been way under the weather, but the downtime made it possible for me to complete my share of a needlecase swap on schedule.  I’m pleased with the way it turned out, and before I call it a day I’d like to share it.  Blogging has been hard to keep up with lately…life gets so busy.  I’m afraid if I don’t post pictures now it won’t happen.

I decided on a crazy quilt theme for this swap.  It made for lots of hand embroidery embellishing which I’ve done over the past couple days while I’ve not felt like doing much other than sitting around resting.  Win, win.   All the fabrics are from the Tea Party collection by Susan Branch.  The closure is made of grosgrain ribbon.  The bow is stitched together and slips over the flower button.

Needlecase closed…

The inside is lined with yummy, raspberry-colored wool felt.  A pocket for holding small notions or a tea bag, a button-embellished pincushion for keeping pins and needles, and a pocket designed to hold a small pair of scissors complete the tri-fold interior.  Tiny snaps on the outer-edge corners help secure the notions.

I’m hoping my swap partner enjoys her needlecase as much as I enjoyed making it.   Thank you for looking.

If you are interested in taking part in fabric-based art swaps check out Art4Mail.  There’s a button on my sidebar.

Off topic but still sharing…My dad loved yellow roses.  Our yellow rose bush has been showing out this week with beautiful blooms.  In loving memory of Dad…he’s been gone almost two years, and I miss him every day.  I’m thankful for our hope in Jesus…that we will see Dad again.

Until next time…

Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things.

~ Henry Ward Beecher   ~

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Artsy Prize Ready To Fly or Keeping It Green

Our Patty has probably given up on receiving her Round Robin prize…but finally, I have it ready to send on its way.  It seemed fitting to spruce up the package.  Rarely do I attempt altered art of any sort beyond fabric repurposing, but in an effort to keep with the homemade theme,  I “all-thumbed” my way through preparing the box that holds Patty’s goodies.  I used bits and pieces of paper and fiber “too good” to throw away.  I must say it is a little intimidating altering anything to send the Guru of Altered Art.    I hope it arrives intact.

(Patty, barring any unforeseen obstacle the box will be on posted tomorrow.  I apologize for taking my sweet time getting to you.)

As a reward to myself for getting the package posting ready I’m brewing a cup of organic honey bush tea.  I’m using a new infuser by Healthy Steps that leaves a few bits of tea behind.  The tiny particles did not, however, hurt the delicious, delicate taste and fragrance.

If you enjoy tea and artsy pursuits check out Kimmie’s blog Art In Red Wagons , home of Tea On Tuesday, for a link to all the Tea On Tuesday participants.

Happy Tea Tuesday to one and all.

Everyone is welcome to comment on my Redeeming Love Giveaway.  It is a wonderful book…well-written and a beautiful story of redemption.  Click on the Redeeming Love button on the sidebar to go to the post.

Until next time…

The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.  The dead praise not the Lord,  Neither any that go down into silence. But we will bless the Lord From this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord. Psalm 115:16-18

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