Odessa Quilt Guild 2016 Mystery Quilt Fun

Please join us for a year-long quilt mystery. 

Then show your quilt here, on Craftsy or send it to our annual show in Odessa, WA, in April of 2017 (or all three)! We'd love to see it!

Two of the mystery blocks are already out. 

Find them HERE.

This is Block #1

Colors are my choice for the sake of illustration. You will be using four colors of your own individual choice in your project.

This is Block #2

This could be a scrappy quilt if you match scraps within the category of each of the four colors. Or, you may use the list of yardages in the Block #1 pattern. Here they are:

 Shopping List

2 ½  Yards Neutral Color (Beige, Cream, White, Black, etc) Fabric for Border and Blocks

1  Yard Warm Colored Fabric for Sashing Squares, Block Accents and Binding

1  Yard Cool Colored Fabric for Blocks

1 ½   Yards Cool Colored Fabric for Sashings and Applique’

Note: Fabrics need not be all the same within their color category; several fabrics of the same color, value and temperature can be used to represent each choice.

Both patterns are available on the link above.

This is the Odessa Quilt Guild project for 2016. Blocks will be made available in January, February and May through December. Participants may send their finished, bound, quilts to the 2017 Odessa Quilt Guild show in Odessa, WA, for judging, April 28 and 29. Applications for entry may be found on the Odessa Quilt Guild website at http://www.odessaquiltclub.com 

2017 Quilt Show Applications should be available on the site in January 2017. Join the fun with us or, simply make your project and email a picture of it to me at prairiestitcher at centurytel dot net. We'd love to see how your project turns out!

St. Patrick's Day and the Frugal Easter Feast....AND a New Pattern!!!!

The traditional St. Patrick's Day Feast is Corned Beef and Cabbage.
A tune for the day....."When Irish Eyes are Smilin'"

Here's a recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage from over at "Mile-High Mamas Blog".

In my DH's Irish family, which settled in Vermont in the 1840's, however, that meal evolved into New England Boiled Dinner, over the years. 

Below, the five Donahue brothers of Vermont, sons of John Donahue of Kerry and Ellen McCarty of Cork. They were cheesemakers in the early days.

Here's the recipe for New England Boiled Dinner from an earlier post on Prairie Cottage Corner.....and a tune for the season, "In Your Easter Bonnet"

This is a favorite meal at our house for an after-picnic-ham-use-of-bones-and-scraps. 

Our favorite Easter Feast is a roasted ham and all the fixings. Here is a recipe for a solid Easter Feast from my Recipes page.

While preparing my grocery list for our monthly trip to the big city (Ephrata, WA), last week, I discussed with the family the proximity of St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) to Easter Sunday (March 27th).

I said, in all wisdom and frugality, "Dear ones, our holidays are upside-down, food-wise."

See, ordinarily, I would buy a ham in March for St. Patrick's Day and one, again, in April, for Easter Sunday. This year, though, our budget wasn't going to handle two hams in one month, nor would our diets. That's a lot of ham in a ten-day period.

So, my suggestion to my loved-ones was, "Let's reverse the meals! We'll have roast ham on St. Patrick's Day and New England Boiled Dinner on Easter Sunday." There was a pregnant pause after I suggested it.

Lo and behold, they agreed. Having left-overs for the Easter Feast was fine with them, because we all dearly love, adore and cherish New England Boiled Dinner. 

Hence our Frugal Easter Feast.

I'll make an old-fashioned Trifle for dessert.

Here's the trifle recipe from "Once Upon a Chef" blog.

St. Patrick's Day Menu

Roast Picnic Ham

Vegetable Medley

Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes

Hawaiian Rolls

Jello Salad

Assorted Scottish Shortbread Cookies with Vanilla Ice Cream

Martinelli's Fizzy Apple

Easter Sunday Menu

New England Boiled Dinner

Home Baked Rolls

Summer Berry Trifle

Martinelli's Fizzy Cranberry

....And on another note, stay tuned for the release of a new applique' pattern: "Seasons of the Heart" coming soon to online venues.......

When it comes out, we'll have to have a contest and give one or two away, don't you think? Thanks for reading, today. Things are popping here. I hope you're getting ready for Spring, wherever you live.

Spring Fever and a WINNER!

I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm.....I'm as jumpy as a puppet on a string........

Remember that song from the musical, State Fair? It Might As Well Be Spring!

A bouquet of Spring Fling!

Stormy skies over the prairie (Adams Co, WA).

Lily of the Valley, Snow Drops and the Promise of Easter.

Babies everywhere!

Easter Challah.....

....and spring salads.....

.....golden willows about to burst forth!

Clear days.

Girls with baskets of flowers....

....lovely quilts......

the whisper of summer, yet to come.

I know, I know. Spring isn't here yet but it is fleeting in our semi-arid corner of the world. So we have to catch it while we can....as early as possible and as long as possible. Isn't it great?

And now for the Winner of last week's pattern:

  !!!!!!!  Natureluvr57  !!!!!!!  

Please email me at prairiestitcher at centurytel dot net and I'll send you the pattern of your choice from the three offered below:

Thank you, everyone, for participating, for visiting and for sending me your thoughts on spring! (I know it's a hemispheric thing, so I hope you Australians and others south of the border are enjoying the seasonal changes.)

Next up - What's in the works for Easter Sunday?  I'll be sharing my picks for the feast ... the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.