A Banana Bread Day

Mmmmmmm ... warm Banana Bread squares from the oven!

This is a family favorite.

Made easy with my some of my favorite

Pampered Chef cooking tools and bakeware.

I have a well pampered kitchen.

This wonderful Banana Bread recipe

from Simply Recipes can be found HERE

Enjoy!

Spring in the Scrapatch

Spring has finally arrived in the scrapatch.

At one point is looked like it would be early this year

... and then the cold wintry weather returned.

Some of our bushes, like our forsythia, never really bloomed because the buds froze.

This sweet smelling bush blooms later so it is flowering now,

although much later than usual.

One tulip has finally bloomed,

with the promise of another.

This is our first of only a few tulips this year.

I have had to plant a lot of pansies in containers

like this pot placed in a garden which should be full of tulip blooms.

Instead of tulips we have a few scraggy tulip leaves 

like the one in the lower right on the ground.

Our daffodils never even came up.

Thank goodness for these hardy little blooms.

They are the brightest spots of color in our yard.

I love pansies <3

This is the windowbox outside my bedroom.

This is Butterfly's favorite window for napping.

Katniss prefers this one ...

... the one by my sewing machine ...

where Katniss has been patiently waiting for me to sit and sew.

We finally decided it was safe enough to set our yard swing back outside over the weekend.

You can see some of the non-blooming forsythias in the background of the following photo.

The closest bush was badly broken by a big branch from the pine tree
that fell in a late snow storm early this month.

I have been doing lots of yardwork outside

... and spring house cleaning inside.

The swing is such an inviting spot to sit and rest on a sunny day.

Soon, Katniss, soon ... :)

Opposites + Attract

Opposites + Attract

It started with

Marian @ Seams To Be Sew

Announcing a new hop ...

Read Here for More Info

My eyes immediately went to this scrap square in this scrap block.

It was only a small scrap.

Then I remembered that I might have more of that dot fabric which I bought 

as a stash builder many years ago when my local quilt shop was having a sale.

I went stash spelunking and came up with the rest of a good sized piece.

Then I dove into the solids.

The fabrics are talking.

Katniss is wondering what we are making.

Soon, Katniss, we will be sewing.

The reveal on this one will not be until June.

Hope to see you sewing along.

Sign-Up Here

Join in the fun now and show us what opposites attract you!

:) 

A New Blog Hop ~ Join Now!

Coming Soon!

This blog hop is being organized by

Marian @ Seams To Be Sew

Now is the time to join in the fun!

Read Here for all the Info

This blog hop is 

Sponsored By The Fat Quarter Shop

On My Sewing Table Today

This is what is on my quilty "catch-up" schedule today.

It is Block 11 of the Saturday Sampler BOM  

that I am participating in at

Quilter's Way in Acton, MA

There are also three "catch-up" block kits in this picture.

Block #10 was done on time for the

"show and pick-up next month's block kit" session two days ago.

It is a damp, dreary day here today.

A good day to stay in and sew at a time when I have a lot of "catch-up" sewing to do.

I have been playing catch up on this one since ...

Block # 1

Started HERE

 This is Block # 8 which I blogged  Here

These are skill building blocks

and I have learned a lot of interesting new techniques.

This project is something of a mystery.

There is no layout shown at the beginning of the process.

A finishing layout or two will be shown at the end but we are, of course,

free to follow our own quilty muses.

My muse has taken me on my own path.

I have played a lot with the fabrics and colors in these kits.

All the fabrics that appear in the kits are on the right.

The focus fabric, an Amy Butler "Glow" print is on the left.

I love the focus fabric which drew me choosing to this colorway 

and the grey Architextures background.

The two solids and the second Glow print are my personal choices 

which I have switched into my blocks.

At this point I have taken two greens and the yellow from the original fabrics

out of the quilt completely.
Many small pieces of solids are landing in my scrap pile.

Since I have added a second print I feel cutting back on the number of different colors 

is a good way to go.

There was also an option of buying a second "challenge" block kit per month.

different blocks to add and make a larger quilt.

I did decide to purchase the challenge blocks but most of these are not sewn.

I am not sure at this point if they will be in this quilt or not.

Time will tell.

I have not decided on a layout for my quilt yet, 

but I have an image in my head taking shape.

My mystery is a mystery to me. 

I am really looking forward to seeing all the quilts that are made from these blocks. 

At Quilter's Way creativity is very much encouraged.

One of the things I love in a quilt shop 

... that and all the pretty fabric ... :)

Orange You Glad it is Orange Month?

This pile of scrap fabrics landed on my cutting board as it is
orange month  at the

Rainbow Scrap Challenge

Orange scraps managed ... cut into 1.5" squares.

This months colors are orange with brown.
I am adding green and yellow and other colors to the mix so it does not look
too Halloweeny with my black and white background fabrics.

As these are scrap blocks, the squares fall where they may
but I do keep the same fabrics from bumping up next to each other.

When I sew these small squares I do not
cut the threads between rows.

I just fold each row over the next row as I sew.

I find this is a good way to keep my squares organized as I sew.

6" Orange Postage Stamp Block # 1

Lovely orange linky party HERE

with lots of wonderful inspiration.

I love orange!

The Road Home Row Along

Marian @ Seams to be Sew

and

Amy @ Sew Incredibly Crazy

are hosting a home warming blog hop!

I am participating and looking forward to designing and sharing a row about my home.

Massachusetts is my home.

Participants in this hop will be creating and sharing our own rows about the road

 "home" to us.

Sign Ups are OPEN!

Click Here for all the Info

I hope to see you blog hopping and sharing your home with us.

~~~~~~~~~~~

For more Row by Row fun, you can collect many free row patterns in the

Home Sweet Home Row by Row Experience 2016

coming this summer to quilt shops near and far.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then come home with us ...

 Sign Up Now

2016 is a year to celebrate home and quilt ... :)