Some recent projects

Here are some new projects that I've been working on.  Sometimes it's nice to do little quilts or quilt projects to mix things up a bit.  So without further adieu....

Another kitty pin cushion, this was a commissioned piece.

A handful of mug rugs and pot holders for swaps

This is a trade I did with the original piece of art.  

The original

This is for a pot holder swap called "Cute as a Button"  

And here is a customer order with carrying case.  Weaving spool holder, warping stand.

And as a surprise I made this bag for it.  However I never even got a thank you or a review so probably will never be so nice again....yeah I do expect a thank you or at least a review.  just saying.  Some people just have no couth.... wish I could right a review sometimes...;)  oh well...all is good.

Esther's Blog: WOW: Lily Rose the CBBs

Esther's Blog: WOW: Lily Rose the CBBs

My new weaving bench design

I've been making and selling weaving tools for about 15 years now.  Wow time flies doesn't it!
One of the items I made is an adjustable weaving bench.  I've been wanting to take the time to design a new bench that is easier to adjust the height. The old bench required that you turn the bench upside down, remove the 4 bolts holding the seat into place and then stacking books or some other object under the seat at the height that you wanted to make the bench then screwing the 4 bolts back into place.
The new bench only requires slipping the seat off and moving the supports up or down.  Also the new bench can now either be set at an angle or straight just but turning the supports one way or the other.

The new bench comes in large and small.  The large bench adjusts from 27.5 down to 15 inches in the following increments, 27.5, 25, 22.5, 20, 17.5 and 15 inches .
The small bench adjusts from 24.5 down to 14.5 inches in the following increments, 24.5, 22, 19.5, 17, 14.5 inches.  I am happy to be able to offer two sizes.

Here is the prototype of the new bench, the optional spool holder can also be added to the new bench.

And here is the old bench with the new one so you can see the optional spool holder.

This is the first sold bench with spool holder

 

My Little Valentine Pot Holder swap.

I've been very busy getting all the swaps I'm doing done. I've finished another one today for the My Little Valentine Pot Holder Swap. Now I'm working on the It's all about the embroidery Redwork Pot Holder swap. I'm doing the red work while I watch TV tonight then tomorrow I have a weaving bench to make for a customer and those take a good day to make.

Well here is my Valentine pot holders. I made one to keep :)

All Things Spring Mug Rug Swap

I searched the internet for something I'd love to make for the All Things Spring Mug Rug Swap....
And I came across this picture.  I never could find the website it came from or the pattern so I can not tell you where to get the pattern.  I printed the image and made it as close as I could to the picture.  This definitely makes me think of spring.  One more swap complete and now on to the Valentine swap.  I also found a picture of the pot holders I'll be making for this and the website that originally posted the pattern is no longer being hosted :(  very sad indeed.  I'm going to try and recreate them without the pattern but It would be so much nicer to be able to purchase a pattern!

Well here is the All Things Spring mug rug I made.

Mug Rug Swap

I started a Facebook swap group for mug rugs and pot holders.  You can find it here.
This is mug rug is for the Laundry Day Mug Rug Swap that is due February 19th 2015.  I finished it today and am very please at how it turned out.  I did put a hanger on the back in case who ever gets this little beauty wants to hang it.
Here it is...so much fun to make and finally finished.

Just some fun crafty stuff I've been up too.

One more UFO top complete.

My new years resolution is to finish as many UFO's as I possibly can before the end of the year.  Also to use up the fabric and supplies I have and not purchase any more fabric till next year.
I will mostly just be completing tops and maybe next year my resolution will be to get them all quilted or quilt them myself.  We'll see about that :)
Here is the first one completed of the year.

I did this yesterday....

Then I decided it needed borders so I did this today along with completing one row of another one I'm working on.

Lesson Learned....

Lesson Learned....

I was beginning to think that my machine just did not want to make this quilt.

I sit down everyday and do some part of this quilt (for the life of me I can't remember why I just had to make this difficult quilt) and everyday my machine just doesn't want to sew over more than two pieces of fabric. So everyday I've been cleaning it, dusting it, and yes even polishing it... all the maintenance that hence far I've neglected to do for this machine and it had never complained before. Then I continue to sew and find to no avail that it's still not liking thick seams. I get the manual out, I make a few adjustments etc... nothing seemed to work but I'd plug along taking it slow each day and getting through what it was I wanted to accomplish on this quilt (that I know hate).

Today after following the same ritual I've been following...cleaning, adjusting etc. I decide it's time to just take it in for repair and use of of my many other machines (not sure why it took me so long to make this decision but it did). So I'm taking the table off and dusting the machine and then I see it.... yes right there all the time. A clutter of thread spools that I've used for some other project sitting right next to my machine because I'm too lazy to put them in their place. So I begin picking up the spools of thread and actually putting them away when I get to the last spool of thread and notice it's lodged up against the feed dog button....yep that was the cause of my endless days of hating this quilt. My feed dogs were half up and half down all because I'm too lazy to put thing where they belong.

Lesson learned...clean up after each project and don't let all the bits and pieces collect around your machine!

My window pane cabinet all dressed up

I seen this sentiment on a quilt group on Facebook and loved it.  I did a search; and found one for sale.  I paid way to much for it but I thought it was much larger.  Oh well it didn't go on the wall as planned but I put it on my window pane cabinet I made when I was organizing my quilting room.  I had to split it to get it on the cabinet but I LOVE IT.   It's a great addition to the old window pane don't you think.

30 Minute Dinner Rolls

Ingredients

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Instructions


In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the warm water, oil, yeast, and sugar. Allow the mixture to rest for 15 minutes. While waiting get oven up to temperature.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix 2 cups of the flour, the salt, and the egg into the yeast mixture using a dough hook. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup at a time.
Shape dough into 12 balls and place in a 9x13 pan. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
Bake for 10 minutes or until tops are just golden brown.

Braised Lamb Shanks

Not my picture, I will replace with my picture as soon as the dish is complete!

Ingredients
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup flour
4 lamb shanks (about 8 ounces each)
2 cups medium diced onions
1 cup medium diced carrots
1 cup medium diced celery
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 cup red wine
1 pound new potatoes, quartered
2 quarts lamb or dark stock
1/4 cup parsley
1 tblsp. Essence

Recipe for Emerils Essence:
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.Yield: 2/3 cupRecipe Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Directions
In a large stock pot or braising pot, add the olive oil. Season the lamb shankswith salt and pepper. Season the flour with Essence. Dredge the lambshanks in the seasoned flour, coating each side completely. When the oil ishot, sear the shanks for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until very brown onall sides. Remove the shanks and set aside. Add the onions to the pan andsaute for 2 minutes. Add the celery and carrots and continue to saute for 1minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping thebottom and sides to loosen the browned particles. Add the potatoes andstock. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add the lambshanks and continue to cook for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, basting the shanksoften, or until the sauce is stew­like and the meat starts to fall of the bone.Season with salt and pepper.

Chocolate Pound Cake

This is the best chocolate pound cake recipe I have ever made.  Very moist as long as you do not over cook it.

2 1/2 cups of Sugar

1 Cup of vegetable oil (not olive oil)

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup butter milk

2 tsp. baking soda

2 1/2 cups regular flour

1/2 cup a good quality cocoa powder

1 cup very hot strong coffee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a bundt pan.

Mix oil, sugar, eggs, salt and vanilla in a large bowl or your mixer bowl.

In another small bowl mix the cocoa and flour together,

In a 2 cup measuring cup or small bowl mix the buttermilk and the baking soda together well.  It will foam up a bit.

Now, adding alternately the cocoa and flower mixture and the buttermilk baking soda mixture to the oil, sugar, eggs, salt and vanilla mixture. ( I.E.  add some of the dry mixture then some of the buttermilk mixture and mix well in between each addition ending with the buttermilk mixture.)

Once the above mixture is mixed well add the very hot or boiling coffee to the bowl and start by mixing on slow speed and gradually increase the speed.  This is so you don't get doused with hot coffee.

Pour into your prepared bundt pan. and bake at 350 degrees F. for 50-60 minutes.  Do not over bake.  Cake is meant to be moist.

Let cool completely and sprinkle with powdered sugar or hot fudge and serve.

More ATC's to share

I just realized I hadn't shared these yet and I can't let that go.  :)  I love to share my art for you to see and for me to go back and look at for inspiration and to see if I'm getting any better or not.  :)
So here are a few more I've not shared.

The raffle bird house another update

I'm not sure about you but I LOVE seeing what happens to my creations.  I get updates from all over the world about many things I've made and sold or given away.  My little sack boy has been around the world twice and I've watched him every step of the way.  People that are so kind to send updates are just the best people to know!  Well, I've gotten another update on the little quilt shop bird house I made for the 2014 Tri-County Quilt Guild Quilt Show.  Bankie, who won the little bird house (remember the picture I posted of her and how excited she was, MY FAVORITE ALL TIME PHOTO) has sent me an update today.  She keeps it at her vacation home on it's own special shelf.  WELL, she's decorated it for Christmas, can you believe it.  WOW she's done a great job and I am so tickled to see it. I'm so tickled that she won it!  (Now to get her to come decorate my house :) )
Anyway without further adieu....

We Bee Quilters House Block Swap

If you have not joined your local guild yet you should.  It is a great way to have fun and fellowship with like minded people.  And of course you make lots of friends.  Guilds have little groups called Bee's.  I'm in the "We Bee Quilters" bee and we have done a block swap for the last two years.  I didn't have time to do it last year cause I was doing the quilt show boutique and of course that took up lots of my time.

Anyway, our block swap theme this year is house blocks.  Now mind you my block is a school house and at first the blocks were suppose to be all houses.  Then people started asking questions about doing barns, churches and shops.  Well I decided a neighborhood needs a school so that is why I choose a school house.  Mind you we need more houses than businesses so most of the swapper's will be making houses.  I have ordered my backing fabric already and am excited to get all the blocks this coming Wednesday!  I have a picture in my mind of what my quilt is going to look like.  I am so excited about being able to join in.

So here are my 21 blocks all finished.  Of course I left this till the last possible moment and wanted to had lots of details such as the hand applique flag, the school name, the bell and smoke coming out of the chimney.  But I got it done and that is all that matters right!

Here are all the swapped blocks I received this past Wednesday.  I am so happy with them.  There is only one that is not the correct size so either I will not use it or I'll try and make it bigger and make three more blocks to complete my house quilt.  

and my backing fabric arrived! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

All I've made for Christmas

I haven't done much of anything in the way of making Christmas decorations this year but these cute little guy's.  This is a Gingermelon pattern from Etsy.
Her patterns are the cutest and I've purchased many of these.  Most of the time I've reduced the pattern sizes so they can be used as 3D ATC cards.  :)  Yeah crazy right!  But these I left the original size and sent them out as gifts to some awesome artists I trade ATC's with.
I think they turned out great.  I didn't use felt but I purchase wool fabric from here at RubyMountainDyeWorks on Etsy and I found the natural wool fabric in cream at JoAnn's.  I spend the extra money cause I wanted these to be special little gifts.  I hope they love them as much as I did making them.

Merry Christmas!

Two UFO's Quilted and binding on....

I've been working on these for some time, maybe two years.  The first quilt is a pattern kit I purchased on Connecting Threads website and the pattern is called Chubby Chicks.  This one I had to do the satin stitch on my sewing machine.  I'm am not the best at the satin stitch!  The second quilt is one I designed after I purchased and embroidery file from BunnyCup  Embroidery site called Here Birdy (Still available on their site).  So I named this one Here Birdy Birdy after the design.  The fabric is a Moda line that is a mock homespun.  I had purchased a huge charm pack (100 charms) oh between 10 and 15 years ago. Then about two years ago decided to finally use it on this quilt. Of course this fabric is no longer carried and I needed a backing fabric.  Well to my surprise the quilt shop in Spring that carries all Moda fabric (some are very old lines of fabric) had two of the fabrics from this line on the bolt.  Yaaaaaaaaaa for me.  I purchased enough of one for the backing and another yard of the other for the binding.  I just lucked out with this and trust me I looked and looked for fabrics that I thought would go well with this line and couldn't find anything I liked.  So checking out your local quilt shops can bring surprises!
I did the FMQ on both of these and while they are not professional looking they are done!  Now if I ever get those grandchildren I've been hoping for all will be grand in my little world.

Chubby Chicks

Here Birdy Birdy