There you are...

...we've been waiting so long to see you again.

I have to say, you look better than ever.

Golden Quilter Awards

Have you heard about the Golden Quilter Award giveaway bonanza happening over at Sew Cal Gal's blog? There are some amazing prizes from some wonderful sponsors including Fat Quarter Shop, C&T Publishing, The Electric Quilt Co. and many others. If you haven't entered, you might want to head on over to vote for the "Best Designer", "Best Quilt Store", "Best Author" and many other categories. Voting closes on March 31st.

But wait! Before you head over, there's a funny little something i'd like to share with you about this...

I was on Twitter last week and Kimberly from Fat Quarter Shop tweeted to ask me if i knew i was nominated for a "Lifetime Achievement Award". I had no idea what she was talking about, so i clicked on the link she sent (to the Golden Quilter Award nominations) and saw that sure enough, my name was listed as a nominee under #9 which reads: "Most influential person in the world of quilting to-date, aka "Lifetime Achievement". I tweeted back to Kimberly that it must have been a typo! I mean just read that list of people; Pat Sloan, Alex Anderson, Eleanor Burns, Fons and Porter, Bonnie Hunter, Lynette Jensen...and me?? Helloooo!? It would take me another lifetime to achieve what any of these people

already have. It's true.

So first, i would like to thank the sweet and generous person who nominated little ol' newbie me for this category. It is truly an honor beyond-the-beyond that you have afforded me the chance to see my name printed in a list among these amazing people. Their contributions to the quilting world and their dedication to teaching, innovation, and creativity are things that i have immense respect for and someday aspire to, but have by no means achieved. If anything, it reminded me of how far i have yet to go in order to be remotely comfortable with this kind of recognition. In all honesty, i felt really awkward about it (even though it's all in good fun) and just wanted to share my thoughts with you in case you've already seen it and were scratching your head too!

Which is why rather than asking you to vote for me, here are 5 reasons NOT to vote for me:

1. i just learned to use my walking foot!

2. the only quilt blocks i know by name are "nine-patch" and "disappearing nine-patch"

3. if sewing feet didn't come with letters imprinted on them, the only one i would be able to identify for sure is the button-hole maker (i'm not even sure that's what you call it and i definitely don't know how to use it!)

4. when i do sew, i use my seam ripper almost as much as my sewing machine

5. half-square triangles are currently the outer-limits of my piecing skills

These are definitely not the traits of a lifetime achiever! Ok, i feel a little better now. And thanks to all of you who have already not voted for me.

xo,

kate

Silence

Sláinte Mhaith

a toast to good health.

happy st. patrick's day!

Ravioli: The Edible Pillow

Waaaay back in January, you may have read this post on my blog. Yes, i've been promising a ravioli-making tutorial for some time and am finally delivering on that promise. Feels good to come through on this at last! If you're interested, click here to view/print/download a step-by-step, fully photo-illustrated tutorial on how to make these yummies. The file is a little big, so please be patient while it loads.

I have to say the whole process of writing out these instructions was a very interesting (and new) exercise for me. So was trying to take pictures with one flour-covered hand. So was making sure not to skip a step in the writing part because i usually turn into a ravioli-making robot when i make these. And so was trying to come up with a ravioli language to describe what to call the various parts (note the overuse of the word "blob"). If any of you write patterns for quilts, crafts or any kind of DIYs, i applaud you. Actually, who am i kidding? How about a standing ovation!

Plus, you might be interested to know that i'm a rightie, but my left hand had to do all the action shots so i could take pictures. And let's just say i'm not someone who can pat their head and rub their tummy at the same time. So i sure could've used a right-hand stunt double ;)

As a bonus, i also included a very simple (and delicious) Garlic Tomato Sauce recipe. Enjoy!

p.s.: if you like to sew, these are better than real pillows because once you're finished making them, you can eat them.

p.p.s.: i sent out the March newsletter last night, so if you're a subscriber and haven't gotten it, please check your spam folder

New Word

Thanks so much for "standing by". And for you super sleuths who were wondering about the bands of colors in that last post...well, you'll just have to keep that magnifying glass handy for some upcoming clues. But i'd say you're hot on the trail..

In the meantime, this is a little random (and still not the ravioli lesson!), but i'm always excited when i learn a new word and it sticks enough for me to remember it — either because of its sound or it's just fun to say or because its meaning is something so magical and amazing that it's too hard to forget. This word has everything going for it:

Have you noticed that maybe you wake up a little earlier because it's lighter outside in the morning? Or maybe you feel more energetic now that the days are getting longer? Or maybe there's an extra little lift to your spirits knowing that we're rounding the corner to Spring? You feel it too? I sure do!

And you don't have to look to hard to see evidence of this phenomenon. In fact, the other day while i was watering my houseplants, i noticed that after being dormant all winter, they've all quite suddenly started to grow again. Yup, zeitgebers at work. My Hoya went from this:

to this (in less than a week):

And our Madagascar Jasmine has started to send out new vining shoots:

So has my Passion Flower:

Temperature is another zeitgeber, and i'm ready for that one to kick-in around here so i can finally put these sweaters and boots away! How about you?