Seascape Quilt

This is "Natural Wonders" by Kathy McNeil. She used 103 different fabrics to make this quilt. It measures 60" x 63." It's hand appliqued, embroidered, and machine quilted. Nice work, Kathy!

Green Optical Illusion Quilt

"Steppin' Out in the City" by Claire Victor, Northern Star Quilters Guild 2012, from Pinterest.

Oooh, I think it would be pretty tricky to make one of these! Nice job, Claire.

Chatelaine Club in Russia

Take a look at the very creative cross-stitch website Chatelaine from Russia. The designs are complex and elegant. I love them! The blog is in Russian, but you can click on "Translate" at the top of the page.

Leave a comment while you're there. I think the main writer ("Miss Eagle") could use a little encouragement.  (She asks why no one comments.) 

The designs are from Chatelaine in Germany. Thank you to Ruth for this link.  :)

Happy Mother's Day! And More Macarons

Yesterday I visited Laduree on Madison Ave (& 71st) before going to my Empire Guild meeting in NYC. It was fairly busy, being the day before Mother's Day, but it was actually fun standing in line as everyone chose their flavors. And what a beautiful store this is.  I was a little disappointed that there were no tables where you could enjoy some tea and macarons but I brought mine to Rockefeller Center and sat outside near the skating rink. 

As you know, I'm learning how to make French macarons. It was good to experience the "ultimate" macaron so I know what I'm aiming for. They have one called Rose. It actually tastes just like a tea rose smells. It was more amazing than delicious. But amazing is good too. One is called Lily of the Valley. I've never seen that offered as a flavor. Same with Lime Basil.

It seems that all the flavor is in the filling. The shells are colored and they have a wonderful light and chewy texture, but they don't contribute to the individual flavors. The Vanilla is light and heavenly. And the Lemon (Citron) is awesome too. They have 30 flavors, but at any one time there are about 12 available. That keeps customers coming back to see what's new.

 

There's a Laduree in Dublin, Ireland too. I plan to visit in June. 

Here's my latest batch: Hazelnut (Nutella filling). The batter was a beautiful bright pink at first, but it turned very pale with baking. Maybe I need a different kind of food coloring.

I hope you have a very sweet Mother's Day.

Improvisational Quilts

1. Any exhibit of improv quilts has to start with a Gees Bend quilt. This one is from the Mattress Factory.

2. Bold quilt from the TINWOOD Media site.

3. Gee's Bend quilt from a postcard image on Zazzle.

4. "Hands" by Sarah Taylor from PC World.

5. Soft colors  from Stitch DC Blog.

6. Another Gee's Bend quilt; this image is from Design Squish.

Which one do you like best? I think my favorite is #6. I like the wandering triangles and the busy 1960's style prints.

Happy quilting!

Rug-Hooking Frames by The Needleworks

My friend Jan and her husband Darry make and sell beautiful rug hooking frames. Jan brought one to my house recently to show me. Excellent quality and nice features. Take a look at their website: The Needleworks Shop. 

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The photo above is the "Gypsy Rose Wool Hooked Rug" by Rosenberry Rooms. I like this design: a combination of log cabin and applique. Haha. Very charming. 

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Nifty Quilts made a beautiful quilt inspired by this hooked rug. See it here. 

Homemade French Macarons!

These are my first macarons! The first two tries didn't result in anything you could put on a plate. Haha. These are actually pretty tasty too. They're made with confectioner's sugar, blanched almond flour (sifted), egg whites at room temp., granulated sugar, a pinch of salt, a pinch of cream of tartar, and a squirt of green food coloring. The filling is vanilla buttercream frosting. Baked at 300 degrees (convection) for 11 minutes on a silicone baking mat. I learned a lot from the baking blogs and YouTube videos. But some things I had to discover for myself. For example, if you get even a smidgen of egg yoke in the bowl, it won't get frothy. Toss it out and start over. But this is fun and I'll do it again.