turkey feathers

Fawn Memories

Here's a sweet cotton print from the Studio Christmas collection by Michael Miller Fabrics 2018.  Fawns, bunnies, butterflies, mistletoe berries and spotty mushrooms.  What's not to love? 

Piece by Piece

It's been a busy month so far!  But in between gasps for air, I'm still making steady progress on my Fields and Forests quilt.  Because this is a willy-nilly kind of quilt, mostly randomly pieced in a spontaneous manner, there have naturally been times when nothing seemed to work.  Reminding me that there are many things to appreciate about well-planned quilts. 

So when color choices weren't harmonizing or pieces weren't lining up exactly right, and my idle staring didn't solve the problems, I just walked away and didn't worry about it at all.  I've learned that time away from any project can provide fresh perspective.  It breaks that old, "can't see the forest for the trees" syndrome when you lose direction.  Or patience. 

I've had to walk away from this project a few times already.  But each time, when I come back to it, things just fall into place and everything hums right along. 

Dainty House Anniversary Sale

Following right on the heels of Jelly Roll Day, we are gathering together with jelly rolls of a different kind, along with dolly donuts, teensy cakes and big hugs in celebration of the very first anniversary of The Dainty House Dollhouse Miniatures! 

It's hard to believe it has been a year already since Grace opened her own Etsy shop.  I went up to her work studio this morning and found her happily crafting some darling little things for the fall season and upcoming holidays.  Even though her art is on a miniature scale, I can tell you that lots of heart, and attention to detail, goes into everything she makes. 

Grace is so very thankful for all the support she has received this past year and in appreciation, is offering a 10% off sale starting today thru Sunday.  There's a link to the shop in the right sidebar or just click HERE to see all the cute things she has in store.  She would be most grateful if you could "Follow and Like" and tell a friend!

Currently, we are both trying to get organized and ready for our first doll show next month.  The original dollhouse bakery (click image for enlarged view) is being spruced up and restocked with lots of cute doll-sized delectables and will be going with us and put on display.  I'll be bringing a few of handmade showbox dolls along too. 

My goodness, we have so much to do! 

Jelly Roll Day

Since I've been on the subject of fave fabrics and strip-quilt stitching lately, I think Jelly Roll Day deserves a mention.  Not exactly sure when this became a thing, I only just found out about it--and well, it sounds like fun! 

Here's the skinny (copied from the Fat Quarter Shop newsletter from Kimberly): 

"Did you know National Sew a Jelly Roll Day is THIS Saturday? We're celebrating early with a special five day sale on select Jelly Rolls, design rolls, and 2.5" strips! Get up to 40% off your favorite precut from now until Sunday at midnight CST!

What is Sew a Jelly Roll Day? This wonderful quilting holiday was established by Moda Fabrics on the third Saturday of every September to encourage quilters of EVERY skill level to try making something beautiful from their favorite precuts.

So grab your rolls and get sewing! Join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest on Saturday, September 15th, and share your creations to inspire your friends, and wow your loved ones!

To get ready for Sew a Jelly Roll Day on September 15th, you need a project! Try one of our wonderful Jelly Roll patterns and get 25% off! Don't delay, this offer ends Sunday!

Do you have a pristine Jelly Roll that you just can't bring yourself to take apart? Show us your perfect, most favorite roll on Instagram with #cantcutthis and be entered to win one of two $100 gift certificates!

We can't leave out our FREE Jelly Roll Shortcut Quilt Patterns! Check out some of our favorite Jelly Roll quilt tutorials on YouTube for 14 easy-to-make projects that you'll adore!

Let's get sewing!"

 

All I have to say to that is, Hurray, Hurray for Jelly Roll Day!

 

Hank & Clementine

Loving this colorful fun print by Susan Emory, from Michael Miller Fabrics.  There may have been a dozen or so prints and plaids in the collection, including an adorable patchwork 'Hank Quilt' pattern, released January 2018. 

Meet Hank.

And his cohort Clementine.

 

With a dainty print to match. 

But I think this bold print is the star of the collection.

Fabric Finds

Fabric Finds is a new category I just added to the blog.  This is where I plan to organize fabrics I love and want to remember.  That may sound a bit weird, but trust me when I tell you that I have reached that, "out of sight, out of mind" stage in life!  

Besides being a friendly platform to introduce myself and my products, this blog has always been in part, for me, a virtual craft diary.  I never have and still don't collect compensation for my content, and I'm not suggesting anything is wrong with that, but for transparency sake, I want you to know that I am just sharing the things I like and not endorsing or promoting anything in particular (other than my own stuff).  If I ever decide to do so, I will let you know that too.

So, anywho . . .let's get on with the shoo. . .

Here's a new fabric collection that just makes me happy!  It's called, "A Walk in the Woods", designed by Whistler Studios for Windham Fabrics, and it's 100% cotton, something else to love about it.  Just look how adorable it is.  This print comes in two colorways.

Here's the blue version.  I love them both. 

The companion fabrics are just as sweet. 

I'm always mad for plaid, and this one is such a nice shade of green. I imagine it could be used for many things. 

There are other prints and colors as well, including mushrooms!  I haven't actually purchased anything yet.  Still window shopping.  I'm not going to add links, it's easy to find online through various fabric outlets.  Besides it's more fun to visit and support your local quilt shops, if you are lucky to enough to have them--and want to keep them in business. 

 

 

September Salutations

 

I'm loving the artwork on this calendar with each turn of the page!  If the months of the year were assigned a color, I would definitely choose red for September.  With baskets of red apples, burnished autumn leaves and brilliant Oriental Poppies, it just seems right somehow. 

My daughters did all the planting and tending the garden again this year.  Grace manages the edibles and Ginger fills the hanging baskets and flower beds.  They make a good team.  The dynamic duo. 

These lovely small Zinnia's tend to bloom in late August/early September (here in Zone 8), signaling that summer is drawing to a close.  And right on schedule, I do sense that familiar fall nip in the air.  Sigh.

Even the bumblebees are slowing down and sleeping on the job.  What a great place for a nap!

I've been visiting the garden a little more frequently, not quite ready to say goodbye to all this yummy goodness. And speaking of yummy goodness...it's about time we harvest this basil.  And make pesto to freeze for the winter.

There's a certain way I like to do this to preserve as much goodness as I can for as long as possible and in 2005, I wrote a little bit about my process on the blog here and here.  That was over ten years ago.  (Ahem).  

However, since then, I've had to make modifications to my diet and to my recipe as I am trying to cut way down on fats and oils.  Anyone who has tried to do this knows the challenge of finding tasty workable substitutions.

How in the world do you make pesto without olive oil? I wondered.   

Well.  I looked around and discovered "elephant garlic".  It (very conveniently) arrives on the scene this time of year, and works rather well for this purpose.  I do like to add a few regular garlic cloves for flavor though, as it is not a true "garlic" and is rather mild, being in the leek family.  But after it's baked, it becomes the consistency of butter and can be used in a variety of ways in place of butter.  Or olive oil in this case.

To prepare, separate the sections leaving the skin on.  Cut off the tip of each clove--this makes the contents easier to remove later.  Put the garlic and leek cloves in a small baking dish lined with parchment paper, add a tablespoon or so of water; cover and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour at 325 degrees.  I use my toaster oven for this and set the timer.  Then, I get ready for my kitchen to smell wonderful! 

Always allow everything to cool completely before handling.  Sometimes I bake the garlic a day or so ahead of time and store it in the fridge until I'm ready for it.  This makes for one less step on pesto-making day.  Use a garlic press or fork to remove the skins.  Add the roasted garlic directly into the food processor bowl with all the other ingredients (basil, lemon juice, pine nuts, sea salt) and blend everything together at the same time, until well combined into a pesto-sauce consistency.  I'm sorry I don't have exact measurements for this, but the oil to (roasted) elephant garlic ratio is about 1T. oil equal to 2T. roasted e.g.  Start there and just add more if needed.  One large head of elephant garlic will yield about 3-4 T. after baking.  More or less depending on its size.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far.  Wishing you all a Happy Labor Day from my kitchen!