Yard Long Beans OH YEAH

We love to garden and we garden all year round.  We are starting to really get the hang of it and we no longer plant just to watch stuff grow!  We now only plant vegetables we love and we love our new found vegetable "Yard Long Beans".  A lovely woman who purchase a couple of my counter height gardens brought me a little baggy of pods full of seeds for these beauties.  I didn't plant them the first year, I just added them to my ever growing seed collection.  Well this year actually only about a month ago I finally started 3 plants from these seeds.  They came up in about 2 days and after about 1 week I planted them into my bean garden.  Well in a very short time we had beans!  When I say beans I mean BEANS.  These things actually grow a yard long or longer and they taste like a cross between green beans and asparagus if you can imagine.
Well, we absolutely love these beans and can't believe I've lived this entire time and never have had these tasty little beauties.  So being that we love them so much, 3 plants will never do so...I set off to build another bean garden.  Bean gardens can't really be counter height, they need to be on the ground because they are climbers.  My new bean garden is complete except ten 40 pound bags of soil wasn't enough, I need at least two more.  Here are pictures of my yard long beans and my new bean garden.  Hope you like it, if you want to know how to build it...just ask and I'll give you instructions.

Those above grew this long in a day...no joke.  By the time I picked these they were more than a yard long and thicker.

Our Quilt giveaway project

Do you remember a post I did a few months ago.  I showed you one row of the quilt the chairs of the boutique and a couple helpers were making.  Well everyone got theirs rows in and I got the top all sewn together so I can show you just how adorable it is.  You can enter to win this quilt just by making a purchase at the quilt show boutique.
I don't know if any of you have ever assembled a quilt that several people helped to sew the blocks but I must tell you it is not as easy as you would think.  And actually it would be much easier for one person to make the quilt.  The reason....well somehow the people who design and manufacture sewing machines (my guess is they are men) can't seem to figure out the quarter inch.  I mean really isn't a quarter inch the same always or does it fluctuate or something....<laughing>  well because of this "fluctuation" everyone's blocks, rows and finished quilts will all be varied in size.  So putting a quilt together where many people have so graciously helped you can be a challenge.  I knew this before I decided to get together and make a quilt for the quilt show...but you know what, it makes it special and well, it still turned out beautiful and because we all made it we can ALL be proud of it.  I sure hope people are inspired to visit the boutique for a chance to win this beauty.  Guild quilt shows support many wonderful charities so please plan to attend any in your area.  The ladies of the guilds work hard all year to help those in need.
Anyway here is our quilt top, and it was fun to make. Now we need to find someone that will donate time to do a beautiful job quilting it.

A Blog worth it's weight in GOLD

I want to share a couple finds with you.  If you are anything like me and love inspiration these two sites will surely fit the bill.
Here is a sample of one of the cute quilts she has made:

So just in case you want to follow the blog here is the link.

Ulla's Quilt World

and for more interesting quilts here is a FaceBook page I found by browsing Ulla's Quilt World:

Chica Fiapo
I hope you enjoy my finds as much as I did.  Have fun trying to recreate the beauties on these sites!

Cross Stitch OH MY

So it seems that cross stitch is back on the scene.  My niece has discovered the joy of making those little x's that create a stunning piece of art!  My goodness, I haven't crossed stitched since 1993.  I burned myself out on that after creating oh about 50 pieces.  I only saved a few for myself so I thought I'd share with you.  I still have all the "stuff" needed to make anything in cross stitch that my heart desires...but the desire isn't in me again yet.  I do feel a little xstitch inspiration coming on...just not full blown yet.
I hope you enjoy some 90's designs all in cross stitch!

and this one I made for my mom...but now I have it as just one more memory of her.  

I taught her how to cross stitch and she gave me her very first one.
Here it is and I love it.

My Irish Chain Quilt nearing completion

I found this pattern on the Missouri Star site video's section, it's called Irish Chain.  This is so easy it will make you sick!  I found this "fabric for a cause" at the Spring Quilt shop and purchase 3 jelly rolls, and a fat quarter bundle as well as backing for any quilt I decided to make using it.  In the Missouri Star video for this quilt there is no borders but I'm going to add boarders using nearly an entire 40 piece jelly roll.  Can't wait to show you.  This will be the largest quilt I have ever made.  It is a king size quilt, it is so large I had to take it to the quilt shop to take the picture.  I promise to take another picture once the borders are on.  You are going to be so jealous that you'll have to make one for yourself.
This quilt takes 1 - 40 strip jelly rolls plus 8 more strips of assorted colors and 1 - 40 strip solid (I used white and I cut my own jelly roll for the solid fabric) and 6 yards of the same color solid as your solid jelly roll.    Very quick to put together!
Here is the video on You Tube but please be sure and visit their site because it has so much to offer.