JennyLeeQuilt

As you know, in January I started taking sewing classes. I did pj pants, a skirt and the dreaded dress. By April, I finished my first quilt. (I'd insert a picture here but I worked on it until and after I gave it to Todd so I don't have one. But, you'll have to take my word that its the most fabulous turtle-themed quilt ever. Seriously, its fabulous.)

Since Regina & I had so much fun in our first quilt class we figured we'd take another one.

Now might be a good time to mention we did a really basic quilt class to start. Here's a picture of Regina's. Fabulous right?

Ok, where was I? Right, taking another quilting class. Then, real genius struck me. Why don't we each make TWO quilts, one for each of us and together we'll make one for JennyLee?! Brilliant right? JennyLee is getting married and it would be the Best. Gift. Ever.

Luckily Regina suffers from the same delusional disease I do and agreed.

I'm in Minneapolis giving Todd his quilt and no sooner is out of my hands that we're at my favorite fabric shop Crafty Planet. I'm pulling together fabric, trying to figure out what I'm doing (lets take a minute to note that I don't have a pattern, I don't know what kind of quilt I'm making or how much fabric I need). So, I buy a TON of fabric. Again, no definitive idea what sort of quilt it will be, only that it will be a quilt.

Regina & I get to class (Double Irish Chain for those keeping score at home) and she takes the fabric I bought in Minneapolis and makes it work for the JennyLeeQuilt; she tosses in a few accent colors to make everything pop and figures out what fabric should be the focus.

Six classes and countless Sundays later, I present you with the JennyLeeQuilt.

Yeah, its a queen size and if you've ever tried to photograph anything that big you can understand it why I hung it from the upstairs banister with binder clips.

Here's the focus fabric...

I love the birds. I love them even more since JennyLee used this fabric in her wedding. And no, I didn't know that when I bought it. We're just on that bird level.

And these swirls. I just loves these floral swirls. And, if you know me, I'm not a floral swirl kind of girl. I'm not sure what came over me when choosing fabric.

Another thing about this quilt that really worked was the division of labor. When it comes to quilting, there is a fair amount of work, especially one of this size. It just so happens that Regina & I loathe different things so the aspects we like least about quilting, the other person actually enjoys. I was happy to iron and do the top quilting while Regina is brilliant at accurate cutting & making all the wee squares match up. So, oddly the work division was 50/50. I don't think anyone was more surprised than we were.

Yeah, I took this as JennyLee was opening her gift. Nothing says thoughtful like Yeah,-sorry,-forgot-to-take-a-decent-picture-of-the-borders-&-binding. But, I LOVE this wood fabric. Its the backing for the quilt in case you were curious. Its among my favorite prints. And, we hand-stitched that binding shut. Its the only part of the quilt that's hand-done so if you had visions of Regina & I hunched over the quilt for months, make sure you have large sewing machines in that picture. We did the hand-stitching on our lunch hour in various available conference rooms because nothing says investment banking like two girls hand-stitching a quilt.

And, we figured if JennyLee didn't love it, we could share custody of the quilt. Its PERFECT in my yellow guest room. (I threw it over the already made bed so no the quilt doesn't have any lumps.)

But, JennyLee did love it, so she gets to keep it.

Happy Wedding JennyLee!!

Westside Food Truck Round-Up - An Ongoing Series

I don't think I've told you Dear Diary about First Friday. My bad. First Friday on Abbott Kinney is well, the first Friday of the month along Abbott Kinney between Venice & Westminster. The shops & restaurants stay open, the food trucks come en mass and everyone walks their dogs, kids, and friends along the street. Its now a staple in my social calendar. Join us....just don't take my parking spot. Get there after 6pm, after I park. That works for me.

Where to begin? Obviously, I'll start with my new FAVORITE truck and it isn't just because of the name....

The Flying Pig - Its big, its pink and its FABULOUS. Duck? Braised pork? Crab balls? Yup, you betcha. So. Good. Steve & I have decided this is our new favorite truck. Now, I don't think I can say its better than the Godfather of all nouveau Food Trucks but it is my current favorite. Twitter. Web.

BoolBBQ - When I saw the menu I can tell you I honestly wasn't expecting much. It looked like several other trucks we'd seen. Then Steve spied a piece of paper taped up that read "Fish Taco." SOLD! Seriously, best fish taco I've had in years. I'd like another one right now actually. And, k8 & mrk were very taken with their taco. I can't tell you which one it was but they LOVED it. I'll be more open-minded next time and just order one of everything on the menu. Twitter. Web.

Dainty Cakes - I'm a food truck nerd. I admit it. And when I saw these guys running amuck I wanted to make sure they were going to be at First Friday on Abbott Kinney since there was a derth of desserts last month. So I messeged them on Twitter. And they wrote back! I was so excited. And then they were at First Friday! And I was even more excited. And then I told them about Twitter and they were so happy to see me. And then they gave me an extra cupcake with my order because they're nice people. And the cupcakes were good, way better than Sprinkles. The red velvet was excellent, probably one of the best I've bought. So, go support a nice food truck and have a cupcake. Twitter. Web.

Fish Lips - I've seen these guys around. Sushi chefs making each order fresh. And, I can honestly report, the food was just as good as I had hoped it would be. I think we'll need to time our next lunch-time JoAnn's run on a day when these guys are parked over at T Lofts (Tennesse & Butler). Their sushi would be an excellent lunch. Two thumbs up. And, as an added bonus, an actual MARKET, like one that doesn't move, will be carrying their sushi. Twitter. Web.

Dosa Truck - This truck has been quite ellusive. I follow it on Twitter but until tonight it was just a myth. Well, the myth is now fact and I can report that this would be another great lunch stop. Their wraps are yummy and not at all heavy. Mina & I both agreed that the bread (I'm sure there's an Indian word for it) for the wrap was great. And, unlike most of the food trucks roaming the streats, Dosa is very vegetarian friendly. Twitter. Web.

Next up, Buttermilk!