Baking and Bits

I started my day the baking way.   Today is haircut day for the boys and I trade my girlfriend baking for haircuts. Today's baking included peach muffins and Nut Delights.  my girlfriend Jenni, a real Farmer's Wife of today's vintage, as opposed to the Quilt Pattern variety, says she likes to "churn out a double batch and make into huge sizes and freeze, ready for Kevin (the real farmer) to rush in and grab on his way out to the paddock."  So I just had to try them.  Both the cookies and the muffins were out of the oven in time for my 15 year old boys to try some before they went to school - just guess how many they ate!  If you said the grand total of zero you would be correct.  That would be why I cook for other people.  And don't think it is because they don't like peaches and peanuts.  I made ANZAC cookies yesterday and apple muffins and they haven't had any of those either!  They would rather eat oreos or shapes or 2 minute noodles - ugh! 

I made my peanut cookies huge!   They were about the size of a golf ball when I cooked them.   this is a really quick and easy recipe!   I know they will go into lunch boxes where they are going and I know they will be eaten!

 I meant to put sugar on top of the peach muffins before I cooked them but I forgot.    This is such a quick and easy recipe and any fruit can be substituted for the peaches.

 yesterday I made apple ones and this time I remembered the sugar - adds a nice crunch to the top and we all know the top is the best part!

NUT DELIGHTS

1 cup of plain flour

2 teaspn cocoa sifted
½ teaspn carb soda
1 cup peanuts
1 cup sugar
1 cup coconut
125 g butter melted
1 egg )Add

Mix dry ingredients and add wet ingredients.  Mix well. Roll into small balls. Place on non stick tray. Bake 15-20 min at 150ºC

What could be simpler than that!

FRUIT BUTTERMILK MUFFINS

2 1/2 cups SR flour
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teasp cinnamon
410g pie apples or an fruit
1 egg
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 vegetable oil

Preheat oven to moderately hot (180C).  Grease (or use paper cases) a 12 hole 1/3 cup muffin pan. ( I found the recipe made more than 12.)
Combine dry ingredients then add combined wet ingredients except fruit.  If the mix is a little still add a little milk until it is just soft enough to mix in the fruit.
Scoop into pan and bake about 20 minutes.

I have spent a lot of time today planning for a new project I have planned. This is about 31 yards of a 6 1/2 inch wide strip which will soon be turned into two simple quilts.   My goal is that my quilt group will make 15 of these as well as 15 laundry bags. 

More details soon, I promise, but it is a bit of a long story and I don't have time tonight.

Till next time.....happy stitching.

What do you think??

Okay - now I think I like it better.  I had a brainwave this morning, right out of the blue, how to improve the baby quilt I am making! 

Imagine it with a narrow blue border and then a wider border of maybe the aqua (not sure ..suggestions?)  At least not the stars look like the background and the focus is on the yacht.  I would have like to add a surfing kangaroo as the dad is into surfing but I am no artist and there was nothing I could find that was simple enough to applique.

At least I am happier with it now.  What do you think?

Till next time.........happy stitching!

A few of my favourite things....

I think my favourite thing about making quilts and other crafts is the look on someone's face when you give them a finished piece.  I often don't get to see that look as a lot of what I make gets sent away to be given to the recipient.    This time I had to send my goodies away as usual but this time they went with an envoy who took pictures for me!  yesterday my husband travelled to Connecticut to have lunch with our friends, Bruce, Barbara and Erin and whilst there he gave them their gifts.

 Here is Barbara with her Halloween Wallhanging......

 Erin with her karate bag..........

And lastly Bruce with his quilt.  I am sorry that I couldn't go too but I am so glad that my husband could and I didn't have to rely on the Postman!

Moving right along, I am steadily working thru my TO DO List.  I am so glad I made the list up as it means I can just work on the next project on the list and not worry if I am missing something that is needed sooner. 

Today I finished Barbara's next wall hanging - this one for Thanksgiving.

 I did a simple close zigzag around the turkey and letters thru both the top and the iron on pellon that I used as batting.  I sewed the eyes on and then I added the backing and did a small stipple pattern around the appliques.

 I think he looks a little startled don't you!

 This is the backing - I quite like this leafy fabric.

 And the label.

So pleased it is finished but it is not going into the mail till Monday.  I want it there in time for the beginning of November.  Barbabra is not expecting it so it will be a nice surprise for her I hope.

And finally tonight I finished sewing the 12 blocks together for the baby quilt I am making....and I don't like them!  Grrrr.  I bet you can guess why.  There is just not enough contrast with the pale blue points and the background.  Poop, Poop, Poop!!!

 It does look better close up - which is why I didn't pick up the problem sooner!  Not until they were all sewn, corners cut off and pressed!  Agghh!!  Lesson 1.  Make a sample block and take a good look at it  - on the design wall!!!

 In this pic I have turned some of the stars so that the aqua points are not all facing the same direction and I think that is a bit better.

Ho hum.  Well, I am not going to unpick it all and replace the pale blue points and I am not going to start again with new fabric.  I shall just push on as the reality is that this is a cot quilt and will most likely be seen close up most of the time and close up, in better light, it looks ok.  Let's just say that this will not be the only quilt this little boy gets!!!

I have lots of running around to do tomorrow but I aim to get this quilt top put together if I have time and then I will cut the backing and batting and put it away.  I want everything ready so that as soon as the baby is born I can finish a special detail I have planned for the back (not telling yet) and then get it layered, quilted and bound!  I just need the official and final decision on the name.

Till next time...........happy stitching!

Hooray!  It is always time for a little happy dance when you finish a project any bigger than a tissue holder, especially when I get to cross it off my TO DO list!  Today's happy dance is coz I finished the two journal covers I was making.  I decided not to quilt any more and not to add anything to the first one.  I think I got used to the way it looks just as it is.  I certainly didn't want t risk spoiling it!

 Thesew will both go in the mail on Monday!  Hooray!

 Just had to show you this pic of my lovely little Maisy.  She is sleeping on the daybed in my sewing room - doesn't she look so cozy!

 And this is what I have been working on tonight.  It is Scrappy Saturday for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and tonight I made some orange kaleidoscope blocks to go with the others I have made thru the year.  Here they are together.  I think I will need to make some more to make the quilt big enough to be useful.  No rush.  That can be a job for later.

I even managed to squeeze in a few more tissue covers.  I am making quite a few of these to poke into Christmas presents.  I am almost using them as leaders and enders.

Till next time.....happy stitching!



Love a Tidy Space

I was too tired to sew anything that needed concentration last night in between and the Mum's taxi driving I had to do so instead I tidied up part of my stash!

Oh it feels so good!  This is the before shot!

 These two shelves were annoying me the most!

 this is the bag of fabric that came out of my shelves - pieces that I don't love any more, never loved but was given by well meaning individuals, or fabric that made me exclaim "what was I thinking!"  This is all going to a friend's friend - a girl who only makes quilts from fabric she is given.  Hope she likes it!

 and this, sigh, is the after shot.  The lot...

You can't really tell but i managed to add my Kaffe collection (down there next to the black)  and my batik collection (between the red and green) 

And those two pesky shelves look so much better.

 These are all the solids that i pulled from the stash.  This is yet to be folded and put with the rest of my solid selection....just not sure where I will put it yet.

And so, now on to finishing those journal covers...

Till next time.........happy stitching!

Almost there...

Managed to get the applique work completed on my journal covers today.  I am really happy with Kate's but I think the other one still needs something.  I can't use her name coz she is not really in to that but I am thinking of FMQ-ing a dragon fly - here's hoping I can.  Another time to sleep on it I think.

 I was even brave enough to do a little FMQ on them too - I am such a wimp with FMQ on things it is going to show up on so obviously!  Not sure if I will do any more quilting on these either.

 Not a great deal of FMQ but I still glad I did it.  I think I just need to do more!

 Oh well, time for me to head off to bed and think on it  -

Till next time.......happy stitching!

What do you think??

I had my quilt group meeting today but forgot to take my camera so no photos.  We started working on a quilt that will be donated to raise funds for Children's Cancer Research next year using donated 1930's fabrics.  Photos next time.

Tonight I should have continued working on the Journal covers I am making but that would have required too much concentration when I am tired so instead I started the next project on my to do list.  I am making a Thanksgiving wall hanging for my friend Barbara.

You can just see the border fabrics on the LHS.  Imagine that I have used a dark brown thread to outline the turkey.  Now, my question is - do I use the two colours for the letters or do I just use the dark colour for all the letters?  I just can't decide.  I think I will sleep on it and see what you all say!

Till next time............happy stitching!