Coming clean!

I have a confession. In spite of pretending otherwise…..I am still a novice quilter. I do understand all the quilting terms and techniques when I read them but I am scared to try most of them.  When I see other quilters working wonders with fabric…I am scared some more. I yearn for their confidence. So far my forte has been quilting embroidery centric projects. My sewing machine is a basic Janome that doesn’t come with a walking foot and for the life of me I cannot figure out how to drop the feed dogs on this one. I guess it doesn’t have that option. (I have read all the manuals and it doesn’t mention dropping the feed dogs anywhere.) This year made a lot of new friends in the quilting land. One such friend, Shruti, became a major inspiration and a mentor whom I can ask any question without thinking I might sound silly.  Check out her blog for some awesome stuff! 

Christmas afternoon

All my husband's cousins live in Pune and we meet us quite frequently over food and gossip. This weekend, over dinner at a sister in law's place, we ladies decided to get together and bake a cake for Christmas. Not that we celebrate Christmas.....it was just a reason to get together to gossip some more. We made 2 quick and fabulous cakes and did gossip a lot more while the cakes were being baked. I had taken the kiddo with me so she could spend time with another cousin of hers of the same age. She enjoyed it too so i have decided to take her along for the next girls' weekend out that i am planning with my cousins.

Winter blues

The winter is upon us. Getting up early is becoming difficult each morning however i have no choice in the matter coz Ira's school is in the morning. I am counting days till the time her school closes for Christmas. It will be so lovely to sleep in late.

Meanwhile, i do have some stuff done to show however not yet. I know i haven't been posting about anything related to my quilting or embroidery. I just want to finish some pieces before i do so. Hope that day come soon. I feel soooo good when i finish a pending project. 

Another Win

Shruti and me seem to have some sort of a connection. Rather i should say i have a connection with her random number generator. Whenever a giveaway is announced by her.....i win! :)

On this occasion the loot is awesome. Check it out!

There was a cute little wooden parrot, a pack of strawberry patches and a small purse which the kiddo has claimed as hers and isn't even letting me photograph them. I am going to make every one of these doll quilts. They are so yummy. My sister has some ideas about how i could use these designs and make full size quilts for her. She will have to wait! 

This is another of my WIP's. I started it long back when i was learning to piece. Piecing isn't one of my strong points even now but back then it was a nightmare for me. I decided to complete this one as it is because i want a play mat for my kid's doll house. 

India Modern Quilt Guild

The modern Quilt Guild has a new addition. The India Modern Quilt Guild for all the Modern quilters in India. At present it is just an online community however soon we too would have retreats, classes and quilt shows. 

If you haven't joined yet.....please do so. Don't miss the fun!!

A Vacation

I am back in the blog land after almost a month. For the past month i just could manage to glimpse at who's doing what once a week. Diwali kept me super occupied. All that sweet and savory stuff that i made is now over and so is the euphoria of a festival 'yet again well enjoyed'.  The festivities have now trickled down to an occasional guest and an occasional dinner. Though i absolutely love all the aspects of this festival i am kinda glad it is coming to a stop. It means i can get back to my normal routine.  

My quilting and embroidery was pretty much non existent all through this. The schools don't reopen for another week so i guess it will be a while while i take up the needle again. I have a bunch of goodies to show. I just hope i find time soon.

A mini quilt

I had participated in a quilt block swap a few months ago. I got the lovely Mary Chow as my swap partner and she made a sweet block for me. Well, we liked each other (or the blocks we made) so much that we decided to swap mini quilts. Here's what she sent me...

She also sent me some lovely cat applique pieces to user for Ira. I am still not done with what i am making for her. Will post the pictures soon. 

A respite

I recently realised that i haven't posted in a month. A very strange occurrence is taking place in my daughter's life for a couple of months now. She catches cold and goes through a cycle of viral fever exactly around the 10th or 11th of every month and this is the third time this has happened. The weather in the city is playing havoc with the kid's immune system with cold, heat and rain all in a day for a spell and then a perfect summer weather otherwise. I am thankful for a month's school vacation coming up. It will keep her out of infection's way for a while. However before the vacations commence, it is exam time. I am as excited as Ira is since this is her first proper exam :).

I haven't really stopped working on any of the projects meanwhile. I have the Birdie Stitches blocks 8 and 9 done. I am also planning to finish the quilt top in a couple of days.

And the progress so far.....it just served to remind me how behind i am. :)

A yummy desert!

My aunt came visiting yesterday. While catching up with the family gossip, we swapped some recipes. This is a quick and yummy one that i tried as soon as she left. It is a delicious version of the lovely caramel custard. My husband loved it and so did Ira. 

Coffee Caramel Pudding

250 ml milk

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tbsp instant coffee

1 tsp vanilla essence

Mix the milk and sugar and heat till the sugar dissolves. Cool. 

Whip the eggs and coffee till they froth. Add to the cooled milk and sugar mix. Add the vanilla and mix well.

In a decorative steel bowl, mix 1 teaspoonful of sugar with 1 teaspoonful water. Heat till the sugar is caramelized and coats the bottom of the bowl evenly. Pour the milk and eggs mix over the caramel carefully. Do not stir. Pressure cook for 3 whistles. Store in the fridge till you are ready to eat. Invert the pudding bowl on a serving place so the lovely caramel topping would be visible. Cut into wedges and serve. 

I did not obviously remember to click a photograph...i was just busy eating. :)

Show and Tell!

When i was at my mom's place for the last month of my pregnancy i had made a couple of quilts for my baby. I never got to show them on my blog because they were packed up and left on the loft and i am kind of 'out of sight - out of mind' kind of a person. I have recently taken to check all the stored stuff because now the house is bursting at its seams. I found one of the quilts that i made for my daughter. It was a full fabric quilt with a satin and cotton combo. It was hand quilted by my mom as Ira came a week early making me abandon the project. She quilted it in white and hot pink and also added a few sparklers for the effect. Ira loves it even now.

I don't have the other quilt to show as it is well worn by now. 

Between the mad rush of Ira's fancy dress event and my house cleaning i forgot all about this table topper that i had made last week. 

I have sadly run out of batting so this little beauty will have to wait a while before i could finish it. I followed this easy peasy the tutorial that i found here.

My Periwinkle!

Ira had a fancy dress competition in her school today. I cut out a periwinkle from the cardboard and painted it pink! I also cut out leaves and made it look as attractive as i could for a 3 year old. She was very excited about the entire process till last night. This morning she got cold feet and didn't want to go to school. Once we were at the school, she didn't want to wear her flower.....well, after a lot of convincing and watching a few performances she finally agreed to go to the stage. My husband has written a verse on periwinkle which she was supposed to sing and enact. She did sing.......but that was that....and the loudest was her 'Thank you " :).

Well, all in all, whatever she did, she received the first place.....so we both are happy.

P.S - while trying to get her to the stage i promised all sorts of bribes.....chocolates, gifts....she made me get everything on the way home. I tried to restrict all the demands but she said she did as she was told and it was now 'my turn to keep the promise'! :)

The Food Express!

My sister is a foodie! She loves to eat and experiment with what she eats. She is a tech writer and is equally thorough with her food as she is with her words. She has started a food blog to chronicle and share her experiments. Do check out her blog at The Food Express. 

My little angel.....ready for school

How quickly she has grown up. Here i am still wondering how the time flew since she was born and here she is ....3 already and going to school. Thankfully the school is only for a couple of hours. She spends the rest of the time chirping around me all the while and all her sentences begin with  'mommy'.

Result of my FNSI

There's block 2 and 3 and 2 rows out of 4 stitched together. I rather like how this quilt is coming up.  I now have another 4 months to decide how i will use it once it is complete.

FNSI - August 19th

Time for the Friday Night sew in again!

So,

Blocks - ready

Embroidery thread - ready

Snacks - umm....not decided yet.

Coffee - I have bought a quaint little instant coffee filter from Cafe Coffee Day so i will have plenty of fresh coffee.

Ira to bed on time- well, that's something i cannot help however i plan to wake her up early from her afternoon nap.

DH - no clue what he would do.....i hope he feels like sitting up with me. It's been a while since we sat up for a movie or just to talk!

I plan to finish at least one block of the Birdie stitches BOM tonight. Then i would be done with the third one and still have five more to go.

Birdie Stitches BOM

The blocks for the Birdie Stitches BOM are finally sewn and i am already on block 2 with the stitching. I am stitching these birds in Redwork. I hope mine look half as good as the other people on Flickr who are doing the same.

The first stitched block....

Hope to finish the rest and catch up with the gang on Flickr soon. Happy stitching!! :)

Viruses....not in my computer though!

I have been longing to post my updates to the Birdie Stitches Stitch Along and the 36 patch quilt along. However for the past week or so my daughter and me were stuck in bed with a viral infection. Now the fever's receded and we are left with a bad cough. The timing is bad coz i have to at my mom's place next Monday for a function that i do not wish to miss. I managed to read a couple of books while i was laid up and also managed to sneak some embroidery. DH cooked for us while we were in bed and i guess that was the best part. :)

There's one occasion that shook me a little. The kiddo was kept away from me for a day when i had the temperature and she didn't. She tried a lot of times to come to my room to 'tell' me something important or 'show' me something that she had done. She was being constantly shooed away. She came to my room in the evening and stood by the door weeping. She told me she kept coming to me because she wanted to make me feel better and that she was scared that i didn't like her anymore. I don't understand where it came from but i realised i should have let her come in a couple of times or explained better why she wasn't allowed in my room. I guess that is why that entire day whenever i looked at her she kept on asking me to smile at her. It was her way of reassuring herself. I was very scared in that moment.

On a happier note.......she's back to being the normal brat seeing that i am now able to be with her once more. I would pray for more understanding and patience where she is concerned henceforth.

My mini vacation....

A half day drive through a beautiful trail. It was raining intermittently and wherever i looked...it was green. I love the rains and i love the small places that we can visit near our city during rains. Simply refreshing and relaxing....maybe not for the DH coz he was the one driving for 4 hours.

The best part was that the kiddo had a lot of fun too and i did not have to worry about entertaining her. :)

A New Quilt Along

I have signed up for the 36 patch quilt along with Amanda Jean. She is one of the few who inspire me to quilt. This quilt along is fun as there is no limit to the number of patches that one can make. I love this idea. I can make a table runner or a queen size quilt...whatever suits my fancy. I love the idea! This is supposed to be a stash buster quilt however i don't have enough stash to bust :). I am going to use some solids that i have. I hope they would be enough for a table runner to begin with.

On another note, i have signed up for the July FNSI. So i guess a lot of sewing is going to happen this week.

To post a post without words......

I had decided to only paste pictures in this post....no words. I thought if i could do that i could use my favourite title....Wordless Wednesday. If you know me you would know how impossible this is. I can never be wordless. I simply love to talk. If i have no one around to listen to me, i talk to myself. I also love to think out loud. My husband was the strong silent type when we were recently married. Now he talks at least half as much as me. My little angel too has inherited the gift of gab and between us we manage to give the poor man no moment of silence. His ideal time to come home from work is when i am taking the kiddo downstairs in the park to play. He gets an hour of peace and news without any interruptions. Me and my sister talk to each other and my mother everyday too. I guess that would explain why i pay my own cell phone bills rather than the DH. :)

Well, back to what i meant to really say. This is how i ramble on...i knew i should have said what i wanted to before i took off in another direction. As usual that resolution was hard to keep. So, there is this little wall hanging quilt that i am stitching for my mother. Now though i love stitching things up and gifting them to my family i have never really stitched anything for my mum. So here's the first thing that i am doing....hope she likes it!



Updates

I had a lovely vacation in Goa last week. Our anniversary gift to each other. My daughter went bonkers in the pool which was a consolation for me. The sea was kinda rough so i couldn't let her go in. I am totally refreshed and dying to get back to my embroidery and quilting.

After agonising for ages on what colors to use for the Birdie Stitches stitch along (if you follow that stitch along, you would know how hopelessly behind i am on it.......block 7 is out already). I am going to make a redwork version of it. My decision was made when i saw this beautiful fabric with a warli print in red on it. Warli is a folk form of art and it looks absolutely lovely. I just need to decide now whether it will be a cushion cover for each month or a full quilt or 3 different wall quilts for me, my sister in law and my ma in law. So whatever i decide to make it into....i will show some pictures real soon.

I am participating in a needle case swap on flickr which means i have to think how i can make a pretty one for my partner. There is also going to be a Quilt Along hosted by Crazy Mom Quilts that i am eager to join. Also let me not forget the State Flower Quilt Along which would come to it's conclusion soon. That is one project that i have immensely loved and enjoyed stitching.  So i guess that's that and since i have listed out all my 'To Do' things so publicly i would be motivated enough to finish them all.

Here's something that i did finish though.......a mug rug or a small wall hanging....whichever way my niece wants to use it.....it's her gift before i stitch up another pretty damsel for her on demand :).

A long break.......

This has been a really long break. I have attended a few weddings, gotten myself  and the kid into the habit of waking up early as the school has begun and since we both are up much earlier than our comfort allows, we both take a nap for a couple of hours in the afternoon....phew! That's what's keeping me busy.
The upside is the rains arrived on schedule and hence necessitate a certain amount of rearranging in my programs if i have to avoid going out in the rain :). The kiddo loves to get wet in the rain. This is the first ever wet season that she will remember. Every time it rains, she runs to the balcony to get wet in the rain.......and skids and bumps in the wall. It isn't funny when when you have to comfort a wailing child but it does get funny when when she repeats her performance every single time there is a shower.

I have really neglected my sewing and stitching for a while now. It's just one of those phases where i don't feel like doing anything but read cookbooks. That is my 'pick me up' therapy. Not that i would move and cook any of those recipes every time......i simply absolutely love to read cookbooks.

I had participated in a quilt block swap in may and i hope i will be able to clear my backlog enough to do so in the next month too. This is what i sent my partner....

This is one of the blocks that i am making for the Birdie Stitches Stitch Along.

I have resolved to complete all my pending projects this month and if i keep my promise to myself (don't ask me how many times i have reaaaaaly done that) i will have some beautiful stuff to show soon. It all depends on how soon i adjust myself to waking up early :(.

Frida Night Sew - In for May 20th

I spent the last week at my mother's. All the sewing that i did was the FNSI for May 20th. This is a stacked coins quilt that i am hoping to complete soon. I have the coins stitched in rows now and hopefullt the sashings and the quilting would be managed in this week.
The fabric is White cotton from my stash and Classic Kona Cottons charm pack.

My sister had her birthday the week before last and she wanted something stitched by me. Remember the Doodle Stitch Along pieces?
This -

and this -

got converted into -

I had a good time stitching these up with my mom. I have 2 more left to stitch however they can wait for a while as i have run out of my lovely red fabric. :(

My daughter turns 3 this 26th and the next thing on my 'To Do' list is to plan and execute a birthday party :).  Hope i get more sewing done amidst all this. The camera still refuses to cooperate but my cell phone is obliging me for the moment so i think i will have pictures of the finished quilt to post soon.

Friday Night Sew - In on May 20th

I have decided to participate in the Friday Night Sew - In after following Heidi's blog for a while. I love the concept however i hadn't really managed to keep aside a time specifically for the Sew - In.
I am going to my mother's place next week so i do not have to worry about completing household chores, cooking dinner early, etc. I only have to worry about whether my daughter would sleep early. I might skip her nap and take her to the park in the evening so that she gets tired. Kinda sneaky, isn't it? I guess not....i have to get her started on the 'early to bed, early to rise' routine. :) Her school begins in the first week of June so she will have to be up early anyway.

I have decided to complete my block for the Quilt Blocks Swap that i am participating in. Alternatively i also have a Stacked coins quilt in the pileline which i could complete.

On the Bella Parade Project, I am going to use solids from my stash. It is a big blow to my excitement but then i brought it on myself. :(

The old camera has gone and died on me again so no pictures for this post. Hope i can figure out how to revive it or atleast learn to use the camera in my cell phone properly.

Lazy......

That's all i have been for the past few days. The heat spell was broken with a couple of showers of rain however it is back with a bang again. The heat just drains the energy and the will to move.
The only time i venture out of the house is in the evening.
The upshot is that i have a vacation coming up next week. Lazing on the beach and doing nothing is on the top of my 'to do' list'.

I need a lot of energy and a 'trauma nurse' to carry me through the Bella Parade Quilt Along . Bryanna from A Blond Quilts and Shruti from 13 Woodhouse Road are hosting this Quilt along. I am still a novice and i think i am taking up more than i could do. However i still decided to go along with this because i do soooo loooove the colours of this quilt.

Another quick recipe.....

Wonder what everyone must be thinking! I tried this one up on a whim and i loved it so much that i thought i would share it :).

So here goes -
1 small pack Bingo Mad Angles Tomato Mischief (You can use whatever your favourite chips are)
2 cheese cubes
3-4 teaspoonful milk
Some Patience (very essential since the chips are yummy by themselves too).
Oregano and chili flakes to taste.

Shred the cheese and combine the milk and cheese in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for around 30-40 seconds. Stir a couple of times in between or else the sauce will burn.
Arrange the chips in a dish and pour the cheese sauce over them.
Sprinkle oregano and chili flakes or tomato salsa or whatever else takes your fancy and they are ready to eat.

I have no photograph to show until i make my next batch. Should give you an inkling of how irresistible this is :).

An experiment that turned out well....

A handful of boiled peas,
a handful of boiled macaroni,
a handful of chopped coriander,
one cucumber, roughly chopped
one tomato, roughly chopped,
some thick curd and salt an pepper to taste.

Yeild - A delicious summer salad. :).

New Year Celebrations!

This is how we celebrate the Hindu New Year. We hoist a 'Gudhi', the family gets together, we cook a scrumptious meal and generally have fun. My family is a big foodie. Whatever be the occasion, the fist discussion is about the menu and everything else is unimportant. So we had a lovely spread yesterday, traditional, of course but yummy! The kids ran around the house having fun and looking at other people's Gudhis. My daughter felt everyone else's paled by comparison to ours :). Traditionally, one is supposed to buy gold or something precious at least on this day. I tried to convince my husband for additional diamonds :).....i even told him that it could be an early present for my birthday next week....i promised if i get the diamonds i won't ask for anything else......well, it didn't work at all! No diamonds but he did tell me to buy whatever else i wanted for myself as long as i didn't drag him for the shopping! Wonder if this trick would work every time???? :P

Yay, Yay, Yay, Yay.....

That's how my daughter chanted when the India Vs. Pakistan World cup semi final match concluded. I bet she didn't understand the match at all but the enthusiasm of others was so infectious that she just joined in the cheering :). 
This was a crucial match for the Indian team and the viewers as the winner of this match would enter the World Cup finals and play against Sri Lanka. (Any match that India plays against Pakistan is equally crucial since it is not just about the game, it is about patriotism too.) So to make this event more happening and to engage more and more people to share the building tension and the joys and sorrows, the management of our residential complex decided to hold the screening of this match in the garden. And oh! it was fun! All the kids (and we have loads...of every age group) and their mothers, mostly, cheering and discussing the match minutely. So we had older people sitting in a group and a big group of housewives who had to watch the match and keep an eye on the smaller kids, mine included. It was a heady feeling....watching the tension mount up , cheering with the players and exclamations of disappointments when Pakistan seemed to gain an upper hand. The last couple of overs were viewed with absolute silence and then.....ear splitting noise of the cheering that went on when India won the match! The entire mood was so euphoric! Crackers and cheers followed!

I don't really follow cricket though my husband is pretty into it. However for me too, this was an event to remember. Now i am eagerly awaiting the final match on April 2nd. Plans have already begun of carrying the dinner down with us so we won't miss a single minute of that infectious energy! :)

A 'just-about-to-be-finished' quilt top.

This is my first independent quilt. I do hope i get it right. I have measured and measured and hope the measurements are accurate. I did follow all the steps religiously. I cut templates then used the templates to cut the fabric. I did all the calculations and got them double checked so that no fabric is wasted.
I decided on a simple 4 patch block to begin with. All the fabric is from my stash. I ironed these sewn and now they are ready to be sewn into strips. I.e. if i do not decide to change the layout. :) Hope everything goes well and i have this quilt finished by the end of this month. (That's a tall target!)

I still haven't decided upon a name. I guess something would come up by the time this is quilted and bound.

Look what the postman brought.....

I ordered a few charm square packs from the Fat Quarter shop with the coupon that I won in Shruti's giweaway.
They arrived last weekend and i am so happy that i have been cooking everything that the husband asks without complains :).

Doodle Stitch Along

I loved these pretty designs from CraftGossip. These will soon be turned into a mini quilt.

Another Win!

I won a giweaway, again! From the same blog too! Shruti's random picker seems to love me a lot :).
The best part of this win is the prize. It's $50 coupon from the Fat Quarter shop! Now i am off to shop till i drop! :)

The hand is on the mend and the needle is back in the fabric. I am seriously behind on the State Flower Quilt project and have to catch up soon. A quilt is in progress too. Will post some pictures soon.

A kitchen adventure...

An overzealous housewife, a glass bowl, a scream, sound of running feet, blood, stitches and painkillers. Oh, and by the end of this all a frustrated husband! :)

Not a plot for a new story, however 'it happened to me' last night. I was drying the crockery and a glass bowl slipped from my hand. It smashed on the kitchen platform and before going to pieces took it's revenge on me by giving me a deep cut on my wrist.
One scream and a shout later i rushed to my father in law's (a doctor) for a dressing. He took one look and rushed me to the hospital for stitches. The doctor at the hospital kept asking me if i would panic through the procedure and if i wanted my husband to hold my hand while he stitched the wound. I said no and he produced a big stapler and stapled the wound together....

Well, now here i am, on painkillers, antibiotics and with a sling in my neck to support my arm. All the photos that i wanted to post of my recent finishes will have to wait....also my stitching will have to take a backseat till i recover.

The brighter side -
Ira wasn't in the kitchen when this happened.
My husband was home so he could look after her while i rushed to my father in law's place.
My in laws stay next door so i always have help in case of emergencies.

Ira, though only 2 and a half understood that i had limited mobility and dressed herself for school this morning without a fuss and i am once again proud of my baby. :)

My sewing space

I saw Shruti from 13 Woodhouse Road asking for guest posts on sewing spaces. It got me thinking about the need to have one designated place for my forays in the land of sewing.

My sewing space changes according to my moods and needs. If I am in the mood for hand stitching, my sewing space would be in front of the TV with all the soaps on. If I am using the sewing machine, it could be the master bedroom, my kid’s room or again in front of the TV.  Where I sew also depends upon whether I am in the mood for much cleaning later on. If I do not wish to clear the mess I would rather sew away in my daughter’s room. She is 2 and a half and doesn’t really mind the mess.  I like the fact that I have a portable machine which gives me the freedom to sit and sew wherever I can (Well, considering I have a two bedroom house, I do not really have a lot of optional spaces). I embroider more than I sew so I do not mind the lack of a designated place yet....

Another finish...

A free design by Coats Crafts.