another mini quilt done!

One thing you may not know about me is that I teach Junior High Sunday School with my hubby. We attend a small Presbyterian church and usually have 5 or 6 kids, 6th-8th grade. Because our class is small, the junior high kids have always met in a teeny tiny room that seriously could be mistaken for a closet. In fact, people used to just throw things in there if they didn't know where else to put them. Broken audio equipment, old ripped up books, just junk. It was a mess.

So last fall we got the idea to let the kids spruce it up! We totally emptied the room (and filled the dumpster out back!) let the kids choose the paint and put them to work.

We bought them new furniture... a storage cubby for one wall, smaller tables that can fold & be put out of the way, stackable chairs. It's amazing how much bigger the room seems now. Oh, and I made them some big floor pillows for days when we just don't feel like sitting in chairs!

 Today I finished up a mini quilt to hang on the wall for them. I just love hand sewing binding....

 Remember my Lil Twister quilt? Well it's perfect with their lime green wall.

I hope they like it!

mini quilt finish

You might remember way back in June when I pieced together this double disappearing nine patch quilt. Or maybe you don't. That's ok too, I know you've read a thousand blogs since then. Who am I kidding? Anyways... my buddy Diann did an awesome job quilting it and this afternoon I stitched on the binding....

 And it's all done! Our quilt guild is having a mini quilt auction next month and I will turn this in tomorrow from Diann and I. Because it takes two of us to make a mini quilt. So there.

zipper pouch swap

Last night we had our zipper pouch swap at The Quilt Asylum. It was really fun, even though our numbers have dwindled (summertime maybe?). You have already seen my pouch. Here are all of them together...

 I love that they are all different, from teeny tiny pouches (perfect to store your earbuds! Or coins) to over-achiever large pouches! Here's the one I received made by Susan B...

I just love the bright pezzie fabrics and the snazzy buttons, just my style! And it's a good sized pouch which will easily hold a small handwork project on the go. Or maybe jewelry when I travel. I just love it and can't wait to put it to use.

Next swap is potholders. I've already created a Pinterest board for ideas and my creative brain is beginning to work.... stay tuned...

more on the doors

Those doors in England have been haunting me. I thought maybe I would make a quilt. Then I thought about the wool felt that I have in my stash and have been neglecting. One day I sat down with my trusty graph paper and colored pencils and started doodling...

 Now you need to know that I do not in any way consider myself artistic. But I did a little math, recreated the proportions of the doors, windows, moldings and added in some of the details. And then I pulled out my felt and embroidery floss and set to work.

The pink one is finished. I had that brick fabric in my stash too. I really like it! And the green door is coming along nicely too.

 I had thought perhaps I would wrap them around artists canvases when they are finished and hang them, but when I played around with that idea, there were too many hard edges. I think they are crying out to be circles. I bought some wooden embroidery hoops today and with some shiny black paint they might be just the frame I need.

I just wanted you to know I haven't been totally lazy lately!

zipper pouch

Our next swap at The Quilt Asylum is a zipper pouch swap. It's not for a couple of weeks, but with a busy couple of weeks ahead (one sixteenth birthday, one boy returning to college, 2 parents coming for a visit, one husband traveling for business) I thought I had better finish it up early. After a couple of false starts, here is my finished pouch:

I just love the Cinderberry Stitches fabric (no kidding you say? I know it keeps popping up!) and just for fun I added in a bit of festive embroidery. A little bunting, influenced by my trip to London. I think it came out pretty cute! Oh, and after I saw this pouch  by Debbie I knew I wanted to add another little pocket on the back:

 Just big enough for a little cash. Or some other little treasure. What would you put in there?

progress on my fusion blanket

Before our vacation, I joined a crochet-a-long for the fusion blanket. Since returning home, I've been trying to complete one block a day. Then when I have four blocks done, I join them into a row. Last night I put my first 2 rows together....

 and the back...

I'm really enjoying this, and if I keep on with my current plan I should have my blanket completely finished in a couple of weeks. Let's make the end of August the goal, shall we? My completed blanket will have 24 squares so this is 1/3 done. 2 more blocks are crocheted and the rest are sewn and ready for blanket stitching. I also think I will put a ruffly crochet border on it when it's done.

I didn't want you to think that all I'd been doing is playing with my pictures of London! Not so! What have you been making?

eating gluten free in London

I think the thing I worried most about before our trip to London was food. I keep a strict gluten free diet because I have celiac disease. It's not a big deal when I am at home, I know what I can and cannot eat and I know where I can go out to eat and get a safe meal. Would I be able to eat out in a foreign country for more than a week? I wasn't sure.

First off, I have to give a shout out to American Airlines! Our travel agent notified them that I would need gluten free meals on the plane and they came through! My dinners to and from London were delicious and breakfast was fine. Nothing fancy but gluten free and nutritious! Yay!

On our way to London we had an 8 hour layover in Boston. When I heard that, I knew exactly what we would do with our time! We took a cab into the city and spent about an hour walking around Boston Commons. Mom and Dad had taken my sister and I there to ride the swan boats when we were little girls. What fond memories! We didn't ride the boats this time, but it was fun to sit in the shade and watch.

And yes, this is my shameless way to include a photo in an otherwise photo-less post! Can you believe I didn't take a single food photo? I was too busy enjoying it. While we were in Boston we went back to Legal Seafood for lunch. We had taken Steve there last year during our Baseball Trip and I knew I could get a wonderful gluten free meal (complete with fresh hot rolls!). They did not disappoint.

London was a wonderful gluten free surprise. Just about every restaurant we walked into either 1) Had a gluten free menu or 2) was able to accommodate me with a wonderful meal! The hostesses/waiters & chefs were far more educated and aware than most are here in the states. This is one of those areas where the British seem to be miles ahead of us.

Here are some of the places where I had a wonderful gluten free meal:

Ask Italian  This is a chain all over England. There was one right near our hotel, near the Gloucester Road Tube station, and we ate there twice. I was able to have fabulous gluten free pasta! Lots of great options.

La Tasca This is also a chain with many locations. We ate at the location near Leicester Square. They had many gluten free options, including paella and lots of different tapas. All Spanish food and delicious!

The Diner at Harrods believe it or not, we had lunch at the Diner inside Harrods and they had fabulous gluten free options, including gluten free burger buns! Yay!

Olives Restaurant a wonderful (if a bit expensive...) Italian restaurant on Gloucester Road near our hotel. Although they did not have a gluten free menu per se, they were happy to offer lots of great options and the food was delicious. The chef even prepared one piece of hubby's bruschetta on gluten free bread and brought it to me on a separate plate. What a treat!

These are just a few of the wonderful places we ate on our trip. What a wonderful surprise to not have to survive on gluten free pretzels and cheese sticks and salads.