Yum - Yum! Potato Chedar Soup!

Active Time:  15 Minutes
Total Time:  30 Minutes
Yield:  Serves 4
A few simple ingredients make a sumptuous soup. Be sure to use a high-quality cheddar; it's crucial to the dish's flavor. Choose a yellow cheese for the richest color. For a chunkier soup, skip the pureeing and just break up some of the potato with a spoon.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
1/4 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
1 large onion, chopped
3 pounds baking potatoes (about 6), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
4-1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
6 ounces cheddar, grated (about 1-1/2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped chives or scallion tops

Get Cooking: http://www.cooking.com/recipes-and-more/recipes/potato-and-cheddar-cheese-soup-recipe-2096.aspx#ixzz2Grkwm5p1

"Pendleton Inspired" 2013 BOM Quilt

The 2013 BOMquilts.com original block of the month quilt (free pattern!) has a very interesting story behind it. The owner and designer of the website is TK Harrison.  She and her husband homeschooled their four young children in 2006.  During that summer, TK's husband had speaking engagements in Portland, Oregon as well as Sacramento, California.  They decided there was no better way to get an education for their kids than to allow them to experience a summer on the road - stopping at historical sites, interesting places and participating in local customs and food.  So, they loaded up themselves, their four children, two dogs and as many sewing supplies as there was room for into a Suburban attached to a 35' camper and headed for the Pacific northwest!  At the time, they lived in northern Utah - so they went on vacation time and took a scenic route through Boise, Idaho and points west.

It just so happened that July 4, 2006 found them in Pendleton, Oregon.  They sat on the lawn of a tire business to watch the fireworks with a number of other local people.  Although they had limited knowledge of the Pendleton Woolen Mills, many of those locals told them it was a 'must see' while in their town. 



The next day, they went to the Pendleton Woolen Mills and took a look around.  They joined a small group on a guided tour through the factory and did a little shopping in their on-site store.

TK truly saw a gem in the making, except instead of wool blankets - she saw a quilt!  Or a lot of quilts!  Or a block of the month quilt!  While in the store, she purchased a stunning coffee table book, filled with the history of the Pendleton blankets as well as a number of their original designs. 

Before they even departed for the next town on their adventure, TK was already sketching quilt blocks and patterns inspired by the Pendleton blankets!

That is the background for this year's BOMquilts.com 2013 "Pendleton Inspired" 12-month block of the month quilt.  And although TK designed this quilt in 2006, she sat on it and waited for AbbiMays.com to get just the right fabric in that would do this quilt the justice it deserves.  So, BOMquilts.com's "Pendleton Inspired" 2013 block of the month quilt is made with Moda Marblehead fabrics!  They are ABSOLUTELY PERFECT and coordinate well with the original Pendleton blanket colors.

The following image is the "Pendleton Inspired" quilt top.  Your colors may vary, depending on your own creativity in choosing just the right Moda Marblehead fabrics for your quilt top.



And this is the first block in the "Pendleton Inspired" 2013 BOM quilt:

This quilt has 15" finished blocks, three borders and completed, measures 70" x 87" - perfect for a twin-sized bed quilt!  Or a warm and colorful snuggly on a cold winter's night.

The "Pendleton Inspired" 2013 BOM Quilt from BOMquilts.com instructions begin on February 15 so don't wait to purchase your "Pendleton Inspired" Marblehead fabric kit!
Included in kit:
22 fat eights (9" x 22")
1 1/2 yards light fabric for sashing
3 1/2 yards for blocks, borders and binding
Purchase your kits here for $82 + Shipping: Pendleton Inspired



Pretty flower!

My friend who's vacationing in Key West - emailed me a picture of this flower:

It's beautiful!
Anyone know what kind it is?

Yum Yum! Toad in the Hole!

what you need

8 slices  bread

1Tbsp.  margarine, softened

3/4cup  KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

4 eggs

2 slices  OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, crumbled

Make It

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Cut hole in center of each of 4 of the bread slices, using 1-1/2-inch cookie cutter or rim of drinking glass. Discard removed bread circles or reserve for another use.
SPREAD remaining bread slices with margarine. Place, margarine-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Top with cut-out bread slices to make four sandwiches. Break 1 egg into each hole. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and the bacon.
BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until cheese is melted and eggs are set. 

Thanks Kraft Foods! 

3 days til Christmas!

What are you thinking about?
Still shopping for last minute gifts are groceries?
Be Merry and Bright!

Sneak Peek 2013 Quilt Fabric: Antoinette

Antoinette by Michele D'Amore from Benartex

Beautiful classic design, done Michele D’Amore style! The graceful rhythms and swirls of Jacobean designs have made them a favorite style that has endured for centuries. When you add trendy colors of chocolate and pink, and new design elements like pencil stripes, mod dots and tattersall plaid, the look is wonderfully fresh. Some other interesting “twists” to this collection:  a 3-print double border (perfect for curtains, pillowcases and more) and a two-print stripe (both diagonal and pencil stripe on one handsome fabric!)  Antoinette is perfect for wherever a touch of updated tradition is wanted.

Queen Anne Quilt Kit will include a free quilt pattern: Queen Anne

Finished size: 53" x 71"
Skill Level: Confident Beginner
Graceful rings are linked together in a beautiful classic design.
It’s a great use of Michele’s elegant Jacobean florals!

Kits will be available here: Queen Anne

Yum! Butterfinger Rice Krisipe Treats!

Ingredients

• 3 cups Rice Krispie cereal
• 3 cups Rice Chex cereal
• 1 (10 oz bag) mini marshmallows
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 Fun Sized Butterfinger candy bars, chopped
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp peanut butter

How to Make

1. Lightly spray a 9×9 pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large saucepan melt your butter over medium-low heat.
3. Add in your marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
4. Pour in your cereals and salt and stir until almost combined.
5. Pour in your chopped Butterfinger bars.
6. Stir until distributed evenly and press into your prepared pan.
7. In a microwave safe bowl combine your chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring between each until melted and smooth.
8. Drizzle on top of your krispies.
9. Let the chocolate set and cut into squares.

www.abbimays,com

Snow Quilts - Wow!

These are pretty amazing. You've got to wonder how, at ground level, he can see what he's creating well enough to be sure that it will be symmetrical. 

Snow Quilts 
Artist Simon Beck must really love the cold weather!  Along the frozen lakes of Savoie, France, he spends days plodding through the snow in raquettes (snowshoes), creating these sensational patterns of snow art.  Working f or 5-9 hours a day, each final piece is typically the size of three soccer fields!  The geometric forms range in mathematical patterns and shapes that create stunning, sometimes 3D, designs when viewed from higher levels.

How long these magnificent geometric forms survive is completely dependent on the weather.  Beck designs and redesigns the patterns as new snow falls, sometimes unable to finish a piece due to significant overnight accumulations.  Interestingly enough, he said, ''The main reason f or making them was because I can no longer run properly due to problems with my feet, so plodding about on level snow is the least painful way of getting exercise.   Gradually, the reason has become photographing them, and I am considering buying a better camera.”  Spectacular art for the sake of exercise!

What's a Grinch Pill? and we have Grinch Fabrics

 What's a Grinch Pill? 

We have yardage and kits for Chrismtas Grinch Quilt Fabric in stock in cotton or flannel!

Whoville Forest Quilt Kit

It’s the Quilting Gallery’s 5th birthday!

It’s the Quilting Gallery’s 5th birthday and to celebrate we’re having a HUGE party, with give-aways from quilters around the world!!





Welcome to Gabbi Abbi May we are helping celebrate the Quilter's Gallery 5th Anniversary Blog Hop Party!  What a wonderful way to network and see fresh and exciting designs--thanks, Michele, for providing the opportunity!

I will be giving away a Fat Quarter Bundle of 6 Christmas Fabrics!  If you would like to enter the give away, simply leave a comment here with why you would like the bundle.  I will randomly choose one recipient per day, December 10 through 15 and send the winner a copy. Take a moment to sign up for email notification of new posts in the right-hand sidebar--and Thanks for stopping by!

I will randomly choose one recipient per day, December 10 through 15 and send the winner a copy. Take a moment to sign up for email notification of new posts in the right-hand sidebar--and Thanks for stopping by! 

Oh the weather outside is frightful......

but it was delightful!!!

This is the first snowfall in December.  My camera wasn't set on the right setting and the picture turned out blue.

We challange you to make Pillowcases for others!

My monthly quilt club Sew Fun Quilters got together this year made a total of 86 flannel pillowcases! These will be donated of our local charities to use this Christmas as gifts.

We challenge your quilt club or bee to do the same for your local charities this Christmas Season!

This is how we did it: we organized ourselfs into groups of assemblers, piners, sewers and pressers!

This also would be to do with your grandson or granddaughter! All you need is pins, scissors, iron and sewing machine.

Abbi Mays has cotton and flannel pillowcase kits for you to use that are already precut with 27" case, 2" strip and 9" cuff for $5.00 for adults and kids!

 Purchase here for:
Adult Pillowcase
Kids Pillowcase
Kids Flannel Pillowcase

Toys for Tots 2012

Last night our quilt guild PALS (Patchers at the Lakeshore) had our annual Christmas Potluck.

The primary focus of our December meeting is always a toy drive for the US Marines  "Toys for Tots".  It was a huge success and lots of toys were donated!

A Troup Marines came to accept these toys and we were treated to a special time of hugs and thank yous!


Click here for more information about this project: Toys for Tots

Semper Fi Marines!

Sneak Peek: Incense & Peppermints coming in 2013.

Robyn Pandolph from RJR designed this new quilt fabric collection Incense & Peppermints:

We will have yardage, fat quarter bundles and quilt kits.

Shiver Me Timbers Quilt Fabric

Shiver Me Timbers from Clothworks by Jamie Woods.  

Jamie likes boy-friendly designs as with our new fabric collection Shiver Me Timbers is a this fun-filled pirate collection. 

 From treasure maps to pirate ships, sharks, skulls and pirate speak, your little Mateys will love it! She has  two little guys that are pretty impressed with their Mom over this one. The soon-to-be 7 year old has been speaking pirate since the sample yardage arrived. 

Wake up Susie (Jamie Woods) fabric and pattern designer:
"Wife, mother of two rambunctious boys, love to sew and love to create. I am also a fabric designer. I like comments so please let me know you were here by leaving me a word or ten."
Not only did she design the fabrics but 3 fun patterns too!

 Visit her blog here:

Trails End Batiks from Moda

Trail's End by Holly Taylor

Discover the best nature has to offer while traveling by trail along the Canadian border.

At the Trail's End, deepest into the forest, you may spot a moose or a bear and the sounds and color are as if no human being has been there before you.

It is a feast for the eyes, colors so rich you can reach out and touch them.

That thought was Holly Tayor's inspiration for Trails End, bringing you those rich colors in warm brown and rich walnut with the clay and carmel accents for the beautiful fall leaves and of course all the wonderful greens from nature's palette.

Tree of Life coming in 2013

from Timeless Treasures by Chong-a Hwang.

Tree of Like fabrics are black background with jewel tone colors. The gold metallic make them absolutely stunning!

The panel is 24" x 44" and the picture does not show how beautiful this really is. 

The main companion fabric matches the large floral in the panel:

And.... look at the other companion fabrics and border stripe:

 

Thess quilt kits will be available in 2013 -

Stop back in 2013 and see all our new fabrics: www.abbimays.com

2013 BOM Contessa from Wing and a Prayer Design

The stunning Contessa 2013 Block of the Month quilt program by Wing and a Prayer Design features the Contessa collection by Timeless Treasures. 

 King size above finishes at 104" square.

 Ten prints were used on the front of the quilt.

These blocks are the components of the center portion of the
quilt which is completed in the first 4 months of the program.

You will construct these pieced borders during the month 5.

There are approx 17 yards of fabric used in this kit
Fabrics used in this quilt are as pictured (we've made no substitutions).

**Each month (around the 20th of the month) you'll receive kits that include fabric and patterns to make your blocks.  Instructions for this quilt are written using basic quilting tools and skills.

We also have a Quilt Insurance Package: 10 fat 1/8's for $12.50 plus shipping. This gives you a little added security in case you make a wrong cut.

**You will be put on automatic shipment with the blocks being mailed the third week of each month. Your credit card will be invoiced monthly at the time of shipment. This is a six month commitment with no cancellations.

Or.. You can purchase you kit for a one time cost: $199.95 plus shipping
(includes pattern; fabric for top, border & binding).

 

**Price for each month is $35.00 + shipping. 

Click here to reserve yours now: CONTESSA BOM

Quilt kits will be available in December for $199.95 + shipping. Click here to order and reserve yours now: CONTESSA KIT (pattern and fabric for top, borders, and binding)

   

Purchase the PATTERN here for $30.00 +shipping  CONTESSA PATTERN
includes instructions for king (104" sq.), queen (96" x 104") & throw (65" sq.) sizes plus two bonus pillows.

 

 If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate call us at 231.828.5002 
or email us at linda@abbimays.com