Clare of Selfsewn and some cookies~

If you have done any English paper piecing in the last 2 years, it's almost certain that you've heard of  Clare at Selfsewn, creator of so many beautiful quilts, and the Rose Star Block Party!!
I am super lucky to have Clare blogging on my virtual book tour today.  Please pop over to her blog and say hello.   Make sure you check out her fearless EPP style.. there is no shape that this quilter won't paper piece!
She also has a great flickr group to share photos of you quilting away from home.. check out Planet Patchwork and add your 'on the go' photos.

(You can see Clare's original Rose Star quilt on p. 48)

I have been trying to get some patchwork done this week, but the baby has been distracting me with his adorableness..

 We tested out his new beach tent in the living room.  He likes it.  Of course, so did George, so I wonder who will use it more on our vacation.

 I have basted a few hexagons with the new Rain fabric from Timeless Treasures.  It's sooo pretty.  I laid some out on the quilt because there is raindrop fabric in there as well and wanted to compare them, but Jack had other ideas.. Oh well.  I'll try again when he's sleeping.

 I did manage to try out a new recipe yesterday and thought I'd share it.

(I didn't know I could crack an egg one handed..)

 We are a little worried that Jack may have a milk allergy so I was searching for non-dairy cookie recipes and found this one from foodielovescompany.   I altered it with what I had on hand-- I only used brown sugar and used olive oil instead of canola oil.  I followed a suggestion from one of the comments and soaked my raisins in hot water before adding them at the end.

They came out of the oven a little flat and got quite brown so I worried that they might be burnt, but they were awesome.  I will definitely be making these again, even if Jack doesn't end up having an allergy.  The best part was that they were still soft the next morning (I stored them in tupperware).

At least I made something.  I wish it were quilt-related, but I'll keep trying.

Oh, and don't forget to leave a comment on Lesly's post here to be entered to win a copy of Quilting on the Go!
Drawing ends June 15th~

Caught between two seasons

Just a few weeks ago I was lamenting the never ending summer and was desperate to get back to the cool rhythms of fall.  Believe me, I'm glad fall is on its way, but every time I have to reach for a sweater or change out of shorts into long pants, I wonder if my longing isn't misplaced or naive.

Nevertheless, I baked pumpkin muffins this morning:

They were good, and I'll make them again. (Recipe here)
But I couldn't help feeling it was too early for them.  And as I cleaned the house and daydreamed about putting up halloween decorations, I also felt conflicted.  September is a great month, why am I wishing it away? 
In September so many good things get to happen, like your husband taking your kid to the park by bike and staying there for 3 hours.  And not yet needing to slather yourself in body lotion after a shower to combat dry skin.  I pulled my house slippers out of the closet, but really, it's still ok to walk on the tiles barefoot.  The weather is perfect, the tomatoes and basil are still abundant in the garden, and I don't have to wear nylons to work yet.  The more I think about it, September is pretty perfect.

Anyway, I would love to show you a picture of my completed Anyway You Slice it baby quilt top, but since I started using my smartphone as my primary camera, I don't have the regular point-n-shoot with the tripod within easy reach, and haven't found the right opportunity to ask C to hold the quilt so I can take a picture (last weekend I asked, but his hands were dirty from the garden.  um, not on my quilt).  Hopefully soon.  I went through several backing trials, and decided that it will look best if I throw an abandoned UFO on the back.  I may regret cutting the UFO up, but I have a feeling that it will work out.  Let's see.

I'm eating a second helping of dinner as I type this (gotta love a guilt-free pregnancy diet), and it's so good I have to share.. if you're looking for a not-too-heavy end of summer pasta, go ahead and try this one from Food & Wine: Meyers lemony broccoli and chickpea rigatoni
It's best hot off the stove top, and when you can sneak the chickpeas inside a piece of rigatoni.  Tart, a little spicy, and very satisfying.  Let me know if you like it.