Giveaway Day Is Monday!

The bi-annual Giveaway Day at Sew, Mama, Sew! is Monday, December 3rd!  Once again, I'll be teaming up with Half Pint Knits and we have a fun holiday giveaway planned.  Be sure to stop by here on Monday to see what cute little critter will be up for adoption!

Cranberry Applesauce

Even people who don't care for cranberries will love this cranberry applesauce!

Cranberry Applesauce

6-8 large apples, cored and quartered
1 bag fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar (more or less according to taste)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (more or less according to taste)

Place apples, cranberries and water in a large saucepan. Bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until fruit is soft. Pass warm mixture through a food mill.  Add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon to warm sauce.  Refrigerate.

Two More!

Two more star blocks completed for the Scrappy Star Sew Along at Terry's Treasures!  Just four more to go and then I'll have to decide how I am going to set them!

Silent Sunday

Scarlet Ribbons

The assignment for the latest Out of Line Quilters project was to create a monochromatic quilt using a color that starts with the same letter as your first name.  I love red, so the color scarlet immediately came to mind and shortly after that I thought of the song, Scarlet Ribbons, and decided to use that as the title for my quilt.  My quilt is very simple in design and construction, but I met all the requirements and most importantly, I'm pleased with the end result!

You can see Anya's quilt from this challenge at  http://hillscreekquilter.blogspot.com/2012/11/challenge-defined.html  and Madalene's challenge quilt can be seen at  http://workingwall.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-challenging-evening.html. 

5 Years In The Making!

Last month our guild president issued a Finish 6 challenge.  We were asked to make a numbered list of six UFO's.  A number will be drawn at the guild meeting and for the next month you are to finish the project with the corresponding number.  The number drawn last month was #3 and here it is my #3 UFO ALL FINISHED!  Don't ask me why it took 5 years to complete this little crib quilt, I really don't know the answer, but you can see evidence that I have actually tried working on it over the years by clicking HERE.  I guess what I needed was for someone to hold me accountable...thanks goes to the president of the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild for that! (She didn't mention public ridicule for not finishing when she issued the challenge, but I'm not willing to take the chance!)

Zombie Knitting

I am hopelessly addicted to the AMC show, The Walking Dead.  Not sure if I like it because it's about as far from reality TV as one can get or because of Norman Reedus, but I can't get enough!  The trouble is that it's darn hard to knit and keep your place while watching zombies!  My solution?  A lifeline and a cute little zombie stitch marker!  The lifeline is the red yarn that you see running through the loops.  If I make a mistake and need to rip out any work I can rip back to the red yarn and pick up those stitches and start over.  The little zombie stitch marker is just cute, plus it marks the beginning of each row as I knit.

You can find a video explaining how to use a lifeline while knitting at www.knittinghelp.com/video/play/using-a-lifeline

Looking for a cute handcrafted and custom made stitch markers?  Check out Knit Girl in Idaho.

Silent Sunday

Low-Fat Oatmeal Cookies

No one will ever know that these cookies are low-fat!

Low-Fat Oatmeal Cookies

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
 2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips or raisins (optional)

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars.  Beat in the egg, followed by the applesauce and vanilla extract.  Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and oats until just combined.  Add chocolate chips or raisins, if desired.  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.

Not Just A Quilter

My granddaughter showed up at the house the other day with a couple of critters in her backpack who needed a little TLC.  Poor Mr. Opossum's tail was nearly amputated, but a small stuffing transfusion along with a few stitches and he was as good as new.  Miss Monkey just need a stitch or two in her paw and she was right back in the swing of things too!  I guess maybe I can add veterinary skills to my resume'!

Snipped, Washed & Fluffed!

Here's my rag quilt, all snipped, washed and fluffed!  Everyone who has seen this quilt asks if I robbed my husband's closet to get the flannel, because some of the prints look exactly like his favorite shirts, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when my husband claimed this quilt as his!

Silent Sunday

Grandma's Batter Bread

This homemade yeast bread takes some time to rise, but it really couldn't be any easier to make!

Grandma's Batter Bread

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups flour

Mix together melted butter, sugar, salt, yeast and 1 1/4 cups flour.  Add warm water and beat by hand until mixture is smooth and has no lumps remaining.  Mix in remaining flour (1 3/4 cups) until dough is smooth.  Cover with a clean cloth and let rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).  Stir dough down gently and pour into a lightly greased 9x5 pan (the batter will be sticky).  Cover and let rise again until the dough has doubled in size (about 30 minutes). Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Iron Tote

I'm sure most everyone has seen the casserole carrier patterns around, but if you haven't, you can find a great tutorial at Karen's Crafty World.  Anyway, when I first saw the casserole carrier pattern I thought that it would make a great iron tote/ironing pad for classes and retreats.  I used Insul-Bright for the batting, silver ironing board fabric for the lining, and a cute cotton print for the outside.  I got to try it out last Saturday and it works perfectly with my little travel iron!

Good For The Heart

Thanks to a trip to the hospital with an irregular heartbeat on Friday, my weekend didn't quite turn out the way I had expected.  I ended up being hooked up to a heart monitor all weekend, but I was still able to attend our guild's mini retreat on Saturday and complete two quilt tops for charity!  Honestly, what could be better for the heart than spending the day sewing for others with a room full of friends anyway?

Silent Sunday

Treat Bag

I made this little treat bag to put a few goodies in so I could send it to our grandson for Halloween, but I think I am the one who got the real treat...this is a fantastic pattern!  The size of this bag is perfect for small projects.  It has a flat bottom and the handles are positioned so that it sits upright without flopping over at the top.  I have a feeling that I'm going to be making a few more of these bags!

You can find the complete tutorial at Fishsticks Designs.