More mug rug madness :)

You know I told you about my Facebook group...Mug rugs and Potholders swaps Oh My....

Well I've been busy again creating new events.  Here are some of the newest mug rugs I've made for some new events for the group and for an individual trade.

This one is for Deborah OKeefe, I hope she loves it.

This one is Grandma's Garden.

This one is High Fashion

and this one is Sewing Notions

Dresden Plate swap

Wish upon a star

Summer time camping fun

It's a hoot

and here is some other stuff I'm working on.  :)  This one is a swap by another member

called Grand Ole Flag.  I decided to do my husbands country flag. )

And the spooly birds is for me.  Will soon be a quilt, only 4 more appliques to complete and a little more embroidery.  Also there is another camper there for an individual swap.  so much fun!

Customer's paint their benches

I've been thinking of redesigning my bench for what seems like years.  My old bench was designed after I found that weaving benches were extremely expensive to purchase.  Wow I sure could not afford $400 for a bench to sit and weave!  On the other hand weaving in a chair was not the best solution.  Since I already started to make some other weaving tools for the same reason (the cost) I decided to design and make myself a bench.  Well having a bench was great but I found that my design was just to much of a pain to adjust the height so I rarely did.  Well like I was telling you, I've been thinking about resigning my bench to make adjusting the seat quicker.  I looked at several benches and took the best of each one for my new design.  Here it is.  :)  I am so happy with this one.  I started selling this a few months ago on my Etsy Handywoman store.
I'm offering a large and a small version of this new design.

I've sold this bench a few times already so I finally ordered templates so I could easily make the hole and round the tops so that they will all be exactly the same.  I found a company that laser cuts acrylic sheets.  :) The expense was well worth it.

A couple ladies painted their new benches and sent me pictures.  I love seeing pictures of what people do with my weaving tools.  

This one was before I decided to round the tops of my benches.

And this customer rounded the tops for herself....and is the reason I now round the tops of my benches.  Best customer EVER!

Minion Pincushion

This is the cutest pincushion EVER.  You can get the free pattern here.
Here is mine, I made the small one.  I think you should make one too!

Review of the Chevron Quilt pattern from Missouri Star Quilting Company

This is a Missouri Star pattern you can find them on YouTube here.

This is a super easy quilt to make, a seasoned quilter can make this one in a day and a new quilter could probably make it in a week or less.

This pattern is the perfect for the new quilter learning to make their first quilt.

By making this quilt you will learn how to cut fabric, how to piece a block and a quilt,and how to match seams. There are not too many seams in this one so it's a great starter quilt.  This is also a great quilt to learn how to do basic line quilting on a standard sewing machine.  I give this quilt an A+ for anyone wanting to learn to quilt.

I made this quilt using a bunch of left over layer cake strays so it's not the prettiest to look at but I wanted to test this one out to see if my niece could make it for her first large project and feel successful.  I think it fits the bill.  :)

Carrot Cake Low GI version

This recipe is for 4 ramekins or 4 mini bundt cakes.

CAKE
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger (optional)
2 large egg (yolk only)
1/2 cup agave
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium carrots
1/3 cup non sweet coconut
1/3 cup chopped walnut
1/3 cup crushed pineapple drained
FROSTING
4 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Agave

Instructions
The cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, nuts, and coconuts. Stir until evenly combined.
Peel the carrot and use a large holed cheese grater to shred it into a separate bowl. Add the egg yolk, agave, drained pineapple, vanilla, and vegetable oil to the shredded carrot. Whisk these ingredients together with a fork until evenly combined.
Pour the bowl of dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir just until evenly combined.
Coat 4 small (6oz.) ramekins or 4 mini bundt pan sections with non-stick spray, then divide the batter between each. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet to make them easier to transport in and out of the oven. Bake the cakes for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the cakes are baking, place the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract in a bowl and allow them to come to room temperature. Once room temperature and soft, using a mixer on low mix until smooth. Stir in the agave a little and whip until it is all incorporated and the frosting has slightly thickened.
Very Important: Allow the cakes to cool before spreading the cream cheese frosting over top (otherwise it will melt and slide off). Enjoy!