Quilting Season

This is the view outside my window this morning and from the looks of our weather forecast, the flakes will be falling for the next week at least. Yes, quilting season is in full swing here in Northern Pennsylvania!

Fabric And A Promise

A couple of months ago my daughter-in-law mentioned that she was redecorating and asked me to make a runner for the foot of the bed. I had planned to surprise her with it at Christmas, but as you can see, she only got the fabric and a promise that I would make it for her. I guess Christmas really won't be over here until I get this last project done!

Back To Normal

The presents have been put away, the tree has been taken down and the decorations have been tucked safely back into the attic until next Christmas. I am happy to say that aside from the stray pine needle that keeps appearing here and there, everything is back to normal. Today I am spending the day preparing some new projects...you might say that I'm moving from pine needles back to quilting needles and knitting needles!

Merry Christmas!

O Holy Night

Wishing you and your family a Blessed Christmas. May your home be filled with warmth and love this holiday season!

Just Call Me Scrooge!

At the risk of sounding like Scrooge, I'm going to say that I'll be glad when Christmas is over and I can get back to my regular quilting and crafting schedule! There just isn't enough time around the holidays to do all the things that I need to do and sewing and quilting is usually what gets put on the back burner when I'm short on time. You can bet that on December 26th the tree will come down and the decorations will be put away and then after that you will find me in my sewing room!

Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

You have probably noticed that most of my cookie recipes make small batches of cookies. There was a time when I had two growing boys in the house and I couldn't keep the cookie jar full, but now that it's just the two of us again those "big batch" recipes aren't very practical. I've slowly been reworking my recipes to better suit a smaller family, but I have always been afraid to tamper with my chocolate chip cookie recipe...until now. I really wanted to make chocolate chip cookies for my Christmas cookie platter, but I didn't want to make 6+ dozen chocolate chip cookies, so out of necessity I came up with the following recipe. I believe it's a keeper!

Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Combine first five ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Add flour, baking soda and salt gradually, mixing well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool on cookie sheet for two minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 2 dozen

(To jazz up your plain chocolate chip cookies for the holiday just press a few red and green M&M's into the top of each unbaked cookie!)

Fabric Gift Wrap

Click HERE for more ways to wrap presents with fabric!

All "Fleece" Is Not Created Equal

I don't know what the proper name for this fabric is, but it is super soft and it is often found on the same shelf as the fleece, only it does not preform the same as fleece! As tempting as it is to buy this fabric to use for the fleece blankies with the crocheted edges, don't do it! The skip stitch blade will not work with this kind of fabric and before you even start perforating the edges you will end up looking like it snowed all over your pretty black Christmas sweater! The best way to know if you are buying fleece is to check the cut edge...fleece will not fray or ravel.

Quilted Christmas Ornament

Even though I have a million and one things to do before the 25th, I just had to give the quilted Christmas ornament video tutorial that I posted last week a try. It went together quickly once I got the hang of the folding and pinning. Do wear a thimble to help push the straight pins through the fabric into the styrofoam though or you will have some sore fingers when you are done!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

The Christmas cookie baking has begun! These are a new addition to the cookie plate this year, but I'm sure they will be a standard from now on!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
miniature peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside. Cream together the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix well. Shape into 40 balls and place each into and ungreased mini muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into the center of each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

Almost Finished!

This is the project that has been keeping me busy for the past couple of weeks, a Christmas gift that I was asked to make. (Note to self...say no to Christmas quilt requests that come after October 1st no matter who asks!). You can see that I just have the handwork left to do, so this afternoon I'll sit by the fire, put in my "It's a Wonderful Life" DVD and do some stitching with Jimmy Stewart! Hopefully I can get it all done today and deliver it tomorrow!

The Christmas Crunch!

Oh my goodness, it's less than two weeks until Christmas and I still have projects to finish, cards to write, cookies to bake, decorating to do, gifts to buy, wrap and mail. I'm starting to think that I may have to give up sleeping just so I can get it all done! Is anyone else feeling the Christmas crunch?

Quilted Christmas Ornament

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

We woke up to about 6 inches of snow this morning. Schools and a lot of businesses are closed and my plans of spending the day sewing with friends have been canceled as well. I will admit that it is pretty and does give a festive look to my neighborhood even if it did ruin my plans for the day. I guess it will be a good day to play some Christmas music and work on finishing a few projects that need to be done before the holiday!

Snow Sweetie

A couple of years ago our guild held a quilter's summer day camp that was put on by Susan Paul of LVTOSEW. The theme for the day was "winter", which was perfect considering how hot it was that summer! We made this snowlady wall hanging, ate lots of great food, played games and had lots of fun! It was a great way to spend a hot August day and it always warms me up a bit every winter when I put this wall hanging up!

Prize Package!

Look at the lovely fabrics, charm pack and note cards that I just received from Rene' of Rene' Creates! Rene' is fairly new to the blog world and just celebrated her 50th post with a secret giveaway. She sent a prize package to everyone who commented on her 50th post and I happened to be one of the lucky few! Thanks again Rene'...I'm looking forward to your next 50 posts!

Virtual Christmas Quilt Show

Did you know that SewCalGal is hosting a Virtual Christmas Quilt Show? I didn't either until she invited me to enter my upholstery sample Christmas tree skirt yesterday! Now, don't think that I'm special, because she just happened to see my post and mentioned that I should enter...any quilter with a blog or Flickr account is eligible. Just post about your favorite Christmas quilt project and then add your link at SewCalGal's Virtual Christmas Quilt Show. While you're there, be sure to have a look at all of the beautiful Christmas themed entries!

The tree skirt in this photo was also made of upholstery samples. The blocks were strip pieced on a foundation and assembled the same way as the tree skirt that I have entered in the Virtual Christmas Quilt Show.

Christmas Tree Skirt

My daughter-in-law once worked at a furniture store and part of her job was sorting out the discontinued upholstery fabric samples and disposing of them. You guessed it, she disposed of them by bringing them to me! Over the years I have used them for a wide variety of projects, but one of my favorites is this Christmas tree skirt that I made a couple of years ago. The construction was simple. I used 9 1/2" squares and triangles, left an opening at the back and cut a circle in the center. Then I added batting, batting and bias binding. It was much too heavy to quilt, so I tied it at the corner of each block with the knots to the back. It was fast and easy to make and the variety of textures, colors and patterns of the upholstery fabrics made the perfect Christmas tree skirt!

Visit SewCalGal's Virtual Christmas Quilt Show to see more Christmas quilt projects!

Giveaway Day!

Grab a cup of coffee and head straight over to Sew. Mama, Sew! for their big Giveaway Day! There are hundreds of blogs and online shops participating in this giveaway, so there are lots of chances to win and you will also find some really great "new to you" blogs as well!

Bread Machine Rolls

I made these rolls for the first time the other night and I'm not ashamed to say that they were delicious!

Bread Machine Rolls

3/4 cup milk, warmed to room temperature
6 Tablespoons butter, softened and cut into pieces
1 egg, beaten
3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Place ingredients into bread machine in order instructed by the manufacturer. Set machine to dough cycle. When dough cycle is complete, remove dough (dough will be sticky) onto floured board. Cut dough in equal sized pieces and shape into balls with floured hands. Place rolls into greased pan or muffin tins. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in sized. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

New Socks, Two Socks

The lil' cowboy liked his camouflage socks so much that he asked if I could make socks for a couple of his friends too. How could a grandmama say no? These Jeannee baby/toddler socks really do work up fast...I'm using size 5 needles with worsted weight yarn and can finish a pair in just a few evenings, so I shouldn't have any trouble getting these finished before Christmas.

Lovin' From The Oven

I spent most of the past few days in the kitchen making everyone's favorite dishes (including a few of my own) and it seems like the time that wasn't spent cooking was spent eating! Just how much weight is it possible to gain in just three short days of feasting? I don't think I really want to know the answer to that question, so I'll be eating rabbit food and putting in some extra time on the treadmill for a week or two before I dare step on the scales again! It was worth it though, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with our children, grandchildren and extended family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We interrupt the usual quilting and crafting to bring you this important message...
Happy Thanksgiving!
Our family has so much to be thankful for as we gather around the dining room table this Thanksgiving. Not only will our USMC son be home for his first family Thanksgiving in 5 years (two of those Thanksgivings were spent in Iraq), but this year we also welcome three new members to our family...two new precious grandbabies who were born last December and a very special gentleman who my mother married in May. Along with the new members to our family, my sister has been given a new lease on life by just completing her last round of chemotherapy for treatment of Hodgkin's Lymphoma and is doing well. Yes, our family is truly blessed!

I wish for you all the blessings of joy, laughter and good health as you celebrate this Thanksgiving with your family and friends!

Bargello Waves

This quilt was made in the spring of 2008 for my husband's brother. He had suffered a serious stroke and because of the miles between us, there wasn't much that we could do to help, but the one thing that I could do was make a quilt for him. My brother-in-law loves the ocean and sailing, so Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Bargello pattern made with all blue scraps made the perfect bargello wave quilt for him. At the time I sent this quilt to my brother-in-law the doctors were all saying that he would never have full use of his right arm or walk again, but the one thing that they didn't know was just how stubborn McConnell's are! He now has full function of his arm, can walk on his own and has very few side effects from the stroke. We were in hopes that he and his wife would be able to come home for Thanksgiving this year, but an unexpected heart bypass surgery last month has delayed the trip home. We're going to miss them both at the table this year, but we are just thankful that the surgery went well and that he is well on the road to recovery once again!

Fleece Selvage Dust Mop Cover Explained

I have had several requests for a tutorial for the Fleece Selvage Dust Mop Cover, but because there are so many different shapes, sizes and styles of dust mops it would be difficult to show a tutorial with proper measurements for each kind of dust mop. However, I am happy to share the technique that I used, then all you have to do is adjust the measurements to fit your particular dust mop.

Measure your mop head to determine the size for your cover. Cut your selvages at least 1 1/2 inches wide (2" is even better). It is not necessary to sew the selvages to a foundation, but a fleece foundation could be used, if desired. Sewing the fleece selvages together for this project is done a bit differently than sewing regular cotton fabric selvages. It is important to leave the rolled edge in tact. (It's this rolled edge that gives this dust mop cover it's "exceptional cleaning ability"!) As shown in the above photo, place the rolled edge of a selvage piece next to another rolled edge and stitch the two pieces together. Continue in this manner until the piece is the desired width. Trim the ends of the piece to length. Now you need to decide how you will attach your cover to your dust mop. I suggest that you use the original cover for your mop as a guide for how to attach your fleece selvage cover or you can just add fleece selvage ties on each end as shown in the smaller photo. Simple as that!

Self-Patterning Yarn

I just love self-patterning yarn! It's so much fun to watch each new pattern develop as you are knitting and there's no hassle of changing colors. This yarn is Classic Worsted Tapestry in the Rose Garden colorway. It's an acrylic wool blend, so completely machine washable and dryable...perfect for these toddler socks!

A Use For Those Fleece Selvages

Remember those fleece selvages that I couldn't part with back a couple of weeks ago? If you need to refresh your memory, you can find the post HERE. Anyway...I found a use for them! The credit for this idea goes to my sister, who suggested making them into dust mop covers! Have you ever noticed how your fleece jammie pants attract every thread and pet hair within a 50 yard radius? Fleece is the logical material for dust mops, not those flimsy "specially treated" disposable dust cloths. This cover only took minutes to make and the rolled edges of the selvages are perfect for picking up and trapping those unruly dust bunnies! When you are finished cleaning the cover goes right into the washer and dryer and can be used over and over!

A basic "How To" for the Fleece Selvage Dust Mop Cover can be found HERE.

Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Just a little something to hold you over until Thursday's big feast!

Chocolate Chunk Blondies

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chunks

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, melted butter, egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt just until blended. Add chocolate chunks. Spread batter into a greased 9 x 9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

This May Be It

Yesterday someone suggested putting the dark squares on point and using the background fabric for the triangles in the harlequin pattern. I think this may be the one or at least it's the one that I like best so far! Again, a case of "less is more". It still needs something (maybe a colored border on each side of the pieced border?), but I'm definitely getting closer to the look that I want.

More Border Ideas

Here are a couple more border ideas for my Dear Jane quilt. The top photo shows a 2 inch harlequin border and in the smaller photo is a 1 1/2 inch sawtooth border. I'm not sure that I have a preference to either (except that the harlequin border goes together a lot faster than making all of those tiny half square triangles for the sawtooth border) so I would like to hear your opinions and suggestions!

Armed And Dangerous

I believe that I know just enough about machine quilting to be dangerous...enough to operate the machine, but not really enough to know what I am doing! I have so much to learn and who better to learn from than the experts and professionals? This month I joined the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's Armed and Dangerous group, which is made up of guild members who have long, mid and short arm quilting machines and frames. In just one meeting I learned about proper tension, thread type, batting and the importance of changing the needle with each quilt! Most of those lessons came about from this one little Project Linus quilt that gave me fits while I was trying to quilt it. It turned out alright, but a lot of the problems that I had with it could have been easily avoided if I had known a little more about machine quilting on a frame. My thanks go to those ladies who are so willing to share their knowledge with a beginner! Hopefully with some more practice and a little information from my quilty friends I won't be quite as "dangerous" when operating my machine!

Sometimes Less Is More

Thanks to everyone who offered their opinions and border ideas yesterday! I got some wonderful suggestions and I plan to try several of them to see which will look best. (Santa, if you are reading this...it's times like this when I could really use an Electric Quilt program!) One suggestion was to cover all but a narrow strip of the braid and although I'm not sure this is the look that I want, I think it does prove that I need a much narrower border than what the braid was. Sometimes less really is more!

Design Wall Monday

I had a wonderful time at the Dear Jane retreat this past weekend and between all the food and fun I even managed to make a little progress on my quilt! I decided to try a braided border (at the insistence of almost everyone in attendance) and I think I like the look, but I'm still not sure that I love it. I'm interested to hear what your opinion about the braided border is...should I sew it or scrap it?

Be sure to stop by Patchwork Times to see what other quilters have on their design walls this week and add your latest project to the list too!

Hand Embroidery Network

Yes, I've been playing around with a little embroidery and working on some redwork, but don't get the wrong idea from this post and think that I have another new thread obsession. I recently discovered the Hand Embroidery Network and was so impressed with the information about hand embroidery that they are providing that I just had to share it! This wonderful new blog is providing instructions for a different embroidery stitch each day, emboidery tips, tutorials, patterns and project ideas as well as an online embroidery community. There is a wealth of stitching knowledge within the pages of HEN for anyone who has the urge to pick up a needle and a strand of DMC floss!

Jane? Who's Jane?

Remember my Dear Jane project? I had almost forgotten about it too! It's been four whole months since I've had it out of the closet and I really had to dig to find it! Why the new interest in this old project? This weekend the Laurel Janes is having a mini retreat, so it's the perfect opportunity for me to make some real progress on this quilt. Ha, who am I kidding? It's just a great excuse to spend the weekend with my quilty friends!

Anything But Pink!

The last time the lil' cowboy was here for a visit, I heard some complaints from his daddy that all of the extra things that I keep on hand for the grandkids were too girlie for a cowboy, so I thought I better remedy that problem before they come home for Thanksgiving! I don't think there is anything less girlie than camoflauge yarn, so I'm making the lil' cowboy a pair of his very own slipper socks just like the ones that his cousins all have to wear at grandmama's house only they aren't pink!

Veterans Day

100 Blocks Blog Tour

Have you heard about the 100 Blocks Blog Tour? Quiltmaker's magazine's blog, Quilty Pleasures, is celebrating the publication of their new collector's edition magazine with a week long blog tour of all of the designers featured in this special edition. Not only will you discover some wonderful blogs, but you will find some wonderful giveaways as well! Just visit Quilty Pleasures each day this week to find the links to that day's featured designers and you could win one of the blocks made by the designer or an issue of the 100 Blocks collecter's edition magazine.

White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening, sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, stir in the rolled oats, white chocolate chips and pecans. Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or just until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown.

Fall Or Spring?

It seems that my forsythia is a bit confused or perhaps it just has the same opinion of winter as I do and it's just hoping to go straight from fall into spring!

Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

To support the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative with a donation or to vote for your favorite World Quilt Federation Smackdown quilt visit www.alzquilts.org.

One For The Boys

Here's a nice crocheted edging that isn't too lacy...perfect for a little boy's blankie!

One For The Boys Crocheted Edging

Materials: I used Caron Simply Soft (White) and a size H crochet hook, but any worsted weight yarn will work for this edging.

Foundation Row: Sc in a hole, ch 1, *sc in next hole, ch 1, repeat from * around, join with sl st to first sc. (For corners, sc, ch 1, sc, ch1, sc, ch 1 in each corner hole.)

Pattern Row: *Sl st in the "V" space, dc in the ch 1 space, repeat from * around, join.

(The "V" space is my "technical term" for the space above the single crochet done in each hole during the foundation row where the yarn forms a "V" on the blanket edge.)

Meandering Along

Are you tired of seeing meandering practice quilts yet? This is a Project Linus quilt that a friend put together and gave to me to quilt. I'm getting quite comfortable with my new machine and quilting with something other than straight lines is getting easier and easier with each quilt. Maybe I'll work up the courage to try a new motif soon, so I can have something different to post about!

Picot Blanket Edging

This crocheted blanket edging doesn't require a foundation row, so it works up very fast!

Picot Blanket Edging

Materials: I used Bernat Softee Baby yarn (Pink Parade) and a size G crochet hook, but any baby or sport yarn will work for this edging.

*3 single crochet in each hole, chain 3, slip stitch in last crochet made (this forms the picot), repeat from * around, join and fasten off. (For corners, work 3 single crochet, chain 3, slip stitch in last crochet made, 3 single crochet in each corner hole.)

A Fun Assortment!

Can you believe that I won a giveaway that I didn't even know I entered? I visited Jerusalem Notes: Fiberworks by Debbie over the Bloggers Quilt Festival and noticed that she and I share the same birthday, so I wished her a happy birthday and won a birthday giveaway that she was having! The package arrived today (all the way from Israel) and it was filled with batik charm squares, 1 yard lengths of all kinds and colors of yarn and a Carol Doak paper piecing pattern...what a fun assortment!

More Meandering

My sister must really trust me, because she gave me a baby quilt that she just finished to quilt for her, knowing full well that I am still learning how to use my new machine and frame. She was taking a pretty big risk trusting an amateur, but it paid off for us both...her quilt turned out to be very pretty and I got a little more meandering practice!

Socktoberfest Finish!

I did it! My Socktoberfest socks are finished and have already been gifted! Now, for the rest of the story...quite awhile ago, my friend, Anya, won a beautiful skein of hand dyed wool in a giveaway and because she does not knit she gave the yarn to me! (Who could ask for a better friend?) I offered to make her something with the yarn and she said that she would like a pair of socks, but I didn't have to rush to get them done. Then along came Socktoberfest and Anya's birthday just happens to fall on the last day of October, so it was the perfect time to get out the hand dyed yarn and start knitting a pair of boo-tiful birthday slipper socks for my friend! Happy birthday, Anya!

Skip Stitch Fleece Blanket Explained

Skip Stitch Madness!

I am crazy about my new skip stitch blade, but I feel it necessary to post a warning that making fleece blankies is highly addictive! Skip stitch madness has not only infected me, but it has spread to several of my friends as well. It's not a bad thing though because Project Linus and the local NICU are going to benefit greatly from our new obsession. The latest blankie that I have been working on is shown in the photo. It is made from the softest pink fleece and edged with baby yarn in a simple crocheted shell stitch (hdc, dc, hdc, sl st, repeat). This pattern works up quickly and will make a sweet blanket for a baby girl.

Quilting At The Library

Have your ever checked your local library for quilting books? We are fortunate to have a wide variety of quilting books, magazines and even DVD's at our local library. Now don't expect me to start a Kaffe Fassett or Paula Nadelstern quilt any time soon, but leafing through quilt books and dreaming about future projects is a great way to spend an evening!

Design Wall Monday

It seems like it has been weeks since I have sat down at my machine to piece something! After a little backtracking through my blog, I see that it has actually been over a month since I started these disappearing nine-patch blocks. No wonder my design wall has been noticeably empty for so long! I guess I was way overdue to spend a little time at my machine.

Be sure to stop by Patchwork Times to see what other quilters have on their design walls this week and add your latest project to the list too!

Apple Squares

These apple squares are great all by themselves, but top them with a little warm apple pie filling and vanilla ice cream and you have a fantastic dessert!

Apple Squares

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped apples
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Topping:
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9 inch pan. In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar and sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Blend in the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon just until combined, then stir in the apples and walnuts. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping and sprinkle over the top of the batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven. Bars should spring back when lightly touched when finished.

Another Kind Of Selvage

I think I need professional help. Last week I trimmed the selvage edges off of a yard of fleece and found that I just could not bring myself to throw them away...they are selvages after all! I have no idea how I would use these selvages. I would imagine that they could be stitched together just like cotton selvages for a neat effect. They could also be braided or crocheted into a rug. Fleece selvages also tend to roll a bit, so maybe they could be stitched into something like the wrapped fabric bowls only without the clothesline. It seems like there could be a lot of uses for fleece selvages! Do I really need another tote full of scraps taking up space? Do I really need another project? Should I call a therapist? Maybe I should just throw them away after all!