A little crafty reading thanks to my local library!
Making progress on my vintage sheet quilt!
Received a lovely swap :)
A little innocent crush!
And as always, George bunny!
A thoughtful reader brought some mistakes to my attention in the Lap Size of my Plus Quilt Tutorial. Those mistakes have now been fixed!
Today I love the..
Smell of: Biscuits baking
Sound of: Pushing Daises
Taste of: Chai
Sight of: A clean bedroom
Feel of: Cool sheets
Good Things about Today:
- Productive day at school
- Finally did some much needed cleaning and laundry!
- Dijon Biscuits :)
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Dijon Biscuits
Baked some mustard biscuits this evening and I thought I'd share the recipe! These are my very favorite biscuits. For a long time my Mom wouldn't tell me that the secret ingredient was mustard because I was such a picky eater. You would never know they had mustard in them!
Dijon Biscuits
2 c. flour
3 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 c. oil
2/3 c. lowfat buttermilk
1 T. dijon mustard
*Makes about 12 biscuits!
1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Combine milk, oil and mustard.
4. Mix together dry and wet mixtures until well combined.
5. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Knead 5 or 6 times.
6. Roll dough to about 1.5" thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter (or in my case an empty clean soup can!)
7. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly browned.
Notes
*Biscuits actually puff up more than my photo, I rolled mine too thin! They still tasted good though!
*These freeze well!
*Ridiculously good with stew! :)
Enjoy!
Dijon Biscuits
2 c. flour
3 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 c. oil
2/3 c. lowfat buttermilk
1 T. dijon mustard
*Makes about 12 biscuits!
1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Combine milk, oil and mustard.
4. Mix together dry and wet mixtures until well combined.
5. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Knead 5 or 6 times.
6. Roll dough to about 1.5" thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter (or in my case an empty clean soup can!)
7. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly browned.
Notes
*Biscuits actually puff up more than my photo, I rolled mine too thin! They still tasted good though!
*These freeze well!
*Ridiculously good with stew! :)
Enjoy!
Monday, September 27, 2010
It's that time of year
1. Fiddleheads, 2. Northman Mittens, 3. fiddlehead mittens, 4. Handmade Mittens, 5. Mom's Mittens, 6. Good Yarn, 7. Fiddlehead Mittens, 8. A Shell of a Mitten, 9. Fiddlehead Mittens
It seems every year for the past few years I fall deeply in love with Norwegian/Latvian style mittens. The intricate patterns are so beautiful and those pointed tips! I cannot resist. Despite my love for said mittens I don't own anything even remotely like them. My mitten of choice has been a pair of boring gray Thinsulate mittens. While warm, they leave much to be desired.
Part of this problem is I do not knit! I can sometimes manage a full row of regular stitches with no issues but that's about it. If only I could fast forward my skills so that I could create some Fiddlehead Mittens of my own. In the meantime I've been scouring etsy. I may just have to splurge on a pair of mittens this year.
I do wear mittens for like... 6 months of the year so why not? :)
It seems every year for the past few years I fall deeply in love with Norwegian/Latvian style mittens. The intricate patterns are so beautiful and those pointed tips! I cannot resist. Despite my love for said mittens I don't own anything even remotely like them. My mitten of choice has been a pair of boring gray Thinsulate mittens. While warm, they leave much to be desired.
Part of this problem is I do not knit! I can sometimes manage a full row of regular stitches with no issues but that's about it. If only I could fast forward my skills so that I could create some Fiddlehead Mittens of my own. In the meantime I've been scouring etsy. I may just have to splurge on a pair of mittens this year.
I do wear mittens for like... 6 months of the year so why not? :)
Sunday, September 26, 2010
This Weekend
Whipped up the first block of my vintage sheet sparkling cider quilt!
All the pieces are cut for my quilt!
Playing around with fabric :)
Enjoying a favorite mug!
George! :)
Today I love the..
Smell of: Fresh fall air
Sound of: Pushing Daises
Taste of: Mashed potatoes
Sight of: Vintage sheets
Feel of: George
Good Things about Today:
- Used two 50% off coupons at Joanns!
- Finished all the cutting for my new quilt!
- Fall weather!
All the pieces are cut for my quilt!
Playing around with fabric :)
Enjoying a favorite mug!
George! :)
Today I love the..
Smell of: Fresh fall air
Sound of: Pushing Daises
Taste of: Mashed potatoes
Sight of: Vintage sheets
Feel of: George
Good Things about Today:
- Used two 50% off coupons at Joanns!
- Finished all the cutting for my new quilt!
- Fall weather!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Modern Plus Quilt Tutorial
The Castle Peeps Plus Quilt is finally finished! I've cooked up a tutorial if you're interested in making your own! It's a fun alternative to regular patchwork, but the piecing is just as easy since you're still using squares! I can definitely see myself making more plus quilts in the future!
**For more size options, check out the pattern version here. **
This is a relatively simple quilt pattern, appropriate for beginner quilters. The most complicated part is laying the quilt out, and even that isn’t that tricky!
Materials
20 Fat Quarters
4 yards of backing fabric (solid)
2 yards of 90” wide batting
2/3 yard binding fabric (or 300 inches of premade binding)
Basic Measurements
Size: 64” x 75” finished (after washing!)
Top: 64.5” x 76.5”
Backing: 72” x 84”
Batting: 72” x 84”
Block size: 4.5” unfinished, 4” finished.
Layout: 304 blocks, 19 rows, 16 columns,
Seam Allowance: 1/4"
Instructions – Quilt Top
1. First and foremost, you need to choose your fabrics! This quilt is a good way to showcase prints from a single line or a mix of lines! It's a great pattern for solids as well! I choose to use the entire line of Castle Peeps by Lizzy House for my quilt! This size quilt requires a little more than 18 fat quarters, so I choose my two favorite fabrics from the line and ordered two extra fat quarters.
2. Be sure to press all your fabrics before you start cutting! Using a rotary cutter, square up the edges of your fat quarters. Be careful not to trim too much though, you’ll need a full 18” to work with! Cut (4) 18”x4.5” strips from 18 of your fat quarters. Then cut (4) 4.5” squares from each strip, resulting in (16) 4.5” squares.
3. From your two remaining fat quarters cut (2) 18”x4.5” strips. Then cut (4) 4.5” squares from each strip, resulting in (16) 4.5” squares. You should now have 320 squares! You won’t be using all 320, but it’s necessary to have excess in order to have some flexibility in your layout! Don’t forget to save your scraps from those fat quarters, you’ll need them for the backing!
4. Now comes the fun part! Laying out your quilt. The process for laying out the pluses is difficult to explain in words but easy to understand from a diagram! Here is a diagram showing the process below. I choose to do a semi-random layout for my fabrics!
(48) - Full 5 square pluses
(11) - 4 square parts
(2) - 3 square parts
(14) - Single squares
5. Once you’re happy with your layout, you’ll want to stack up your rows so that you sew them up in the correct order. I choose to stack the squares moving from left to right.
6. You should now have 19 stacks of 16 squares each. Label the top of each row with a small slip of paper attached with a safety pin.
7. Sew your squares together for each row. I recommend pressing seams to one side, alternating left to right every other row. This makes it easier when you sew all the rows together! I like to sew a few rows and then press 2 or 3 at a time. This breaks up the sewing a bit and doesn’t leave you with a ton of ironing at the end!
8. Now it’s time to sew your rows together! I suggest sewing your rows together in pairs, 1+2, 3+4, etc. You can then sew your pairs together and continue until you’ve finished. This system helps minimize the amount of bulky sewing you’ll have to do. Just like with your rows, don’t forget to press your seams. Your top is done, congrats!
Instructions – Backing
1. Your backing is going to end up being 72” x 84”, this gives you 3” of extra on all sides for shifting during quilting! This is especially important if you plan on sending out your quilt for quilting! There is a diagram of the backing above to help you better understand how it is put together!
2. Take your backing fabric and cut it into (4) 33.5”x39.5” pieces. Set aside.
3. To make the pieced plus, you’ll need the leftover scraps from cutting your fat quarters. You should have pieces that are 18” long and varying widths of 3”-4”. Take all your strips and sew them together on the long side (18”). You'll end up with a big piece 18" wide and around 60" long. Once sewn, press all the seams. You’ll now cut this long strip into (3) 6” side strips. Each strip will be approximately 60” x 6”.
4. Sew all 3 strips together end to end so that you have one giant strip that is approximately 180" long by 6” wide. From this large strip, cut (1) 84” piece and (2) 33.5” pieces.
5. Take one of your backing pieces (33.5"x39.5") and sew one of the 33.5” scrappy strips to one of the short sides of the backing piece. Repeat with the other 33.5” scrappy strip.
6. Sew the remaining backing piece to the other side of the short scrappy strip, resulting in two large backing pieces that have two solid pieces with a scrappy strip in the middle.
7. Press your seams. Sew one of the large pieced backing pieces to one side of the long scrappy strip. Sew the other large pieced backing piece to the other side of the scrappy strip. You’re finished with the backing!
Finishing
There are a lot of great tutorials out there for quilting as well as making and sewing on your binding. For the quilting I choose to quilt straight lines 1/4" on both sides of the seams going vertically and horizontally. You’ll need around 300” of binding. This includes some excess. I choose to use a coordinating solid for my binding. Basting helper kitty recommended but not required ;)
Quilt, bind, wash, and enjoy!
If you have any questions or issues please feel free to leave a comment (make sure you leave your email address) or email me! :)
**For more size options, check out the pattern version here. **
This is a relatively simple quilt pattern, appropriate for beginner quilters. The most complicated part is laying the quilt out, and even that isn’t that tricky!
Materials
20 Fat Quarters
4 yards of backing fabric (solid)
2 yards of 90” wide batting
2/3 yard binding fabric (or 300 inches of premade binding)
Basic Measurements
Size: 64” x 75” finished (after washing!)
Top: 64.5” x 76.5”
Backing: 72” x 84”
Batting: 72” x 84”
Block size: 4.5” unfinished, 4” finished.
Layout: 304 blocks, 19 rows, 16 columns,
Seam Allowance: 1/4"
Instructions – Quilt Top
1. First and foremost, you need to choose your fabrics! This quilt is a good way to showcase prints from a single line or a mix of lines! It's a great pattern for solids as well! I choose to use the entire line of Castle Peeps by Lizzy House for my quilt! This size quilt requires a little more than 18 fat quarters, so I choose my two favorite fabrics from the line and ordered two extra fat quarters.
2. Be sure to press all your fabrics before you start cutting! Using a rotary cutter, square up the edges of your fat quarters. Be careful not to trim too much though, you’ll need a full 18” to work with! Cut (4) 18”x4.5” strips from 18 of your fat quarters. Then cut (4) 4.5” squares from each strip, resulting in (16) 4.5” squares.
3. From your two remaining fat quarters cut (2) 18”x4.5” strips. Then cut (4) 4.5” squares from each strip, resulting in (16) 4.5” squares. You should now have 320 squares! You won’t be using all 320, but it’s necessary to have excess in order to have some flexibility in your layout! Don’t forget to save your scraps from those fat quarters, you’ll need them for the backing!
4. Now comes the fun part! Laying out your quilt. The process for laying out the pluses is difficult to explain in words but easy to understand from a diagram! Here is a diagram showing the process below. I choose to do a semi-random layout for my fabrics!
(48) - Full 5 square pluses
(11) - 4 square parts
(2) - 3 square parts
(14) - Single squares
5. Once you’re happy with your layout, you’ll want to stack up your rows so that you sew them up in the correct order. I choose to stack the squares moving from left to right.
6. You should now have 19 stacks of 16 squares each. Label the top of each row with a small slip of paper attached with a safety pin.
7. Sew your squares together for each row. I recommend pressing seams to one side, alternating left to right every other row. This makes it easier when you sew all the rows together! I like to sew a few rows and then press 2 or 3 at a time. This breaks up the sewing a bit and doesn’t leave you with a ton of ironing at the end!
8. Now it’s time to sew your rows together! I suggest sewing your rows together in pairs, 1+2, 3+4, etc. You can then sew your pairs together and continue until you’ve finished. This system helps minimize the amount of bulky sewing you’ll have to do. Just like with your rows, don’t forget to press your seams. Your top is done, congrats!
Instructions – Backing
1. Your backing is going to end up being 72” x 84”, this gives you 3” of extra on all sides for shifting during quilting! This is especially important if you plan on sending out your quilt for quilting! There is a diagram of the backing above to help you better understand how it is put together!
2. Take your backing fabric and cut it into (4) 33.5”x39.5” pieces. Set aside.
3. To make the pieced plus, you’ll need the leftover scraps from cutting your fat quarters. You should have pieces that are 18” long and varying widths of 3”-4”. Take all your strips and sew them together on the long side (18”). You'll end up with a big piece 18" wide and around 60" long. Once sewn, press all the seams. You’ll now cut this long strip into (3) 6” side strips. Each strip will be approximately 60” x 6”.
4. Sew all 3 strips together end to end so that you have one giant strip that is approximately 180" long by 6” wide. From this large strip, cut (1) 84” piece and (2) 33.5” pieces.
5. Take one of your backing pieces (33.5"x39.5") and sew one of the 33.5” scrappy strips to one of the short sides of the backing piece. Repeat with the other 33.5” scrappy strip.
6. Sew the remaining backing piece to the other side of the short scrappy strip, resulting in two large backing pieces that have two solid pieces with a scrappy strip in the middle.
7. Press your seams. Sew one of the large pieced backing pieces to one side of the long scrappy strip. Sew the other large pieced backing piece to the other side of the scrappy strip. You’re finished with the backing!
Finishing
There are a lot of great tutorials out there for quilting as well as making and sewing on your binding. For the quilting I choose to quilt straight lines 1/4" on both sides of the seams going vertically and horizontally. You’ll need around 300” of binding. This includes some excess. I choose to use a coordinating solid for my binding. Basting helper kitty recommended but not required ;)
Quilt, bind, wash, and enjoy!
If you have any questions or issues please feel free to leave a comment (make sure you leave your email address) or email me! :)
Friday, September 24, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Lately I've been..
Collecting a few fall treasures.
Doing a little sewing!
And a little fabric shopping.. whoops! ;)
Enjoying the scents of fall.
Staring at this sweet bunny :)
What have you been up to?
Doing a little sewing!
And a little fabric shopping.. whoops! ;)
Enjoying the scents of fall.
Staring at this sweet bunny :)
What have you been up to?
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Vintage Sheets
This Week
My Castle Peeps quilt is done! Instructions and full reveal to follow soon! :)
Bound her in green!
Finished up a bee block!
Received the Mini cards I ordered. I really liked the vintage sheet ones!
It's so tiring to look this cute all the time!
Today I love the..
Smell of: Hot tea
Sound of: Friends
Taste of: Cornflakes
Sight of: George
Feel of: Freshly washed quilt
Good Things about Today:
- The weather is going to be nice!
- Should be able to get a lot done today!
- Made headway on the tutorial last night!
- The apartment isn't a total disaster :)
Bound her in green!
Finished up a bee block!
Received the Mini cards I ordered. I really liked the vintage sheet ones!
It's so tiring to look this cute all the time!
Today I love the..
Smell of: Hot tea
Sound of: Friends
Taste of: Cornflakes
Sight of: George
Feel of: Freshly washed quilt
Good Things about Today:
- The weather is going to be nice!
- Should be able to get a lot done today!
- Made headway on the tutorial last night!
- The apartment isn't a total disaster :)
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Lately
Pumpkins are the best!
Darci of Stitches & Scissors had a lovely giveaway to celebrate the grand opening of her etsy shop and I was the lucky winner! I was able to choose a selection of fabrics to have something made out of! After trolling my favorites, she made me this beautiful scrap bucket! Thank you again Darci! I love it!
Found some vintage sheets today!
Quilting along on my Castle Peeps quilt!
George loves his bag :)
Today I love the..
Smell of: Sweet cinnamon pumpkin candle!
Sound of: Keane
Taste of: Japanese takeout
Sight of: Turning leaves
Feel of: Warm quilt
Good Things about Today:
- Decent luck thrifting today!
- Strawberry banana smoothie :)
- Cleaned my sewing area a bit
- Pumpkins!
Darci of Stitches & Scissors had a lovely giveaway to celebrate the grand opening of her etsy shop and I was the lucky winner! I was able to choose a selection of fabrics to have something made out of! After trolling my favorites, she made me this beautiful scrap bucket! Thank you again Darci! I love it!
Found some vintage sheets today!
Quilting along on my Castle Peeps quilt!
George loves his bag :)
Today I love the..
Smell of: Sweet cinnamon pumpkin candle!
Sound of: Keane
Taste of: Japanese takeout
Sight of: Turning leaves
Feel of: Warm quilt
Good Things about Today:
- Decent luck thrifting today!
- Strawberry banana smoothie :)
- Cleaned my sewing area a bit
- Pumpkins!
Iraqi Bundles of Love (IBOL)
I was getting frustrated this afternoon while quilting my Castle Peeps quilt. The horizontal lines were causing puckers. I decided to step away and take a break. I got online and looked through my inbox. I found an email with the address for sending packages for the IBOL effort. I hadn't planned on putting my package together until tomorrow but decided I might as well go a head and get started.
I went through my stash and pulled out fabrics, buttons, trims, and needles, slowly filling up the box. By the time I was finished I felt so much better. Instead of being frustrated about my lack of perfect quilting skills, I should simply be thankful that I have a sewing machine and a quilt filled with beautiful fabrics to quilt!
If you can, please consider creating your own package. If you're interested, here is info on what to send and how to package it.
You can read more about the effort here. Sew, Mama, Sew has bundles that you can purchase if you can't build your own package. :)
I went through my stash and pulled out fabrics, buttons, trims, and needles, slowly filling up the box. By the time I was finished I felt so much better. Instead of being frustrated about my lack of perfect quilting skills, I should simply be thankful that I have a sewing machine and a quilt filled with beautiful fabrics to quilt!
If you can, please consider creating your own package. If you're interested, here is info on what to send and how to package it.
You can read more about the effort here. Sew, Mama, Sew has bundles that you can purchase if you can't build your own package. :)
Friday, September 17, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Sewers Interview Series
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
A Great Start to a Long Week
Yesterday I received an amazing package from Kerri of Sew Deerly Loved for the Urban Home Goods Swap! I was super excited that these goodies landed in my mailbox! I had been really hoping they were for me! I was completely spoiled, everything is beautiful!
This beautiful pillow already has a form and looks great on my couch! She used the beautiful (yet-to-be-released!) Dream On line by Moda. I am so in love with this line already and it looks awesome on this pillow! It's beautifully pieced and quilted!
Check out this sweet wall-hanging! I love to decorate with embroidery hoops and this piece is so cute! I never tire of patchwork :)
As you all know, I am a little bit obsessed with garlands/bunting. I am constantly making new ones because it's such a great way to change up decorations! This bunting is made from some seriously awesome vintage sheets! She used a different print on each side, so it's really double-sided. Isn't that clever? It's already found a home over my TV!
As if all those goodies weren't already enough, she included these sweet fabrics! They are so cool! I think these may become a cool patchwork apron! And yum to the leftovers from a Dream On layercake! :D
Thank you so much Kerri! You seriously went above and beyond! Everything you made is beautiful and thoughtful! This was such a fun swap! Can't wait for the next round! By the way, incase you don't know Kerri, you should go check out her sweet blog and shop. She stocks it with a handpicked selection of super cute fabrics and notions! :)
In addition to Kerri's package, I received this lovely package from Megan for a personal swap! I love her style and these goodies are just too cute! Thanks Megan!
Today I love the..
Smell of: Fresh air
Sound of: Keane
Taste of: Chocolate chip cookies
Sight of: Vintage Sheets
Feel of: George :)
Good Things about Today:
- Managed to get *most* of what I wanted to get done, done.
- Sewed a tiny bit!
- Slept under a quilt last night! :)
This beautiful pillow already has a form and looks great on my couch! She used the beautiful (yet-to-be-released!) Dream On line by Moda. I am so in love with this line already and it looks awesome on this pillow! It's beautifully pieced and quilted!
Check out this sweet wall-hanging! I love to decorate with embroidery hoops and this piece is so cute! I never tire of patchwork :)
As you all know, I am a little bit obsessed with garlands/bunting. I am constantly making new ones because it's such a great way to change up decorations! This bunting is made from some seriously awesome vintage sheets! She used a different print on each side, so it's really double-sided. Isn't that clever? It's already found a home over my TV!
As if all those goodies weren't already enough, she included these sweet fabrics! They are so cool! I think these may become a cool patchwork apron! And yum to the leftovers from a Dream On layercake! :D
Thank you so much Kerri! You seriously went above and beyond! Everything you made is beautiful and thoughtful! This was such a fun swap! Can't wait for the next round! By the way, incase you don't know Kerri, you should go check out her sweet blog and shop. She stocks it with a handpicked selection of super cute fabrics and notions! :)
In addition to Kerri's package, I received this lovely package from Megan for a personal swap! I love her style and these goodies are just too cute! Thanks Megan!
Today I love the..
Smell of: Fresh air
Sound of: Keane
Taste of: Chocolate chip cookies
Sight of: Vintage Sheets
Feel of: George :)
Good Things about Today:
- Managed to get *most* of what I wanted to get done, done.
- Sewed a tiny bit!
- Slept under a quilt last night! :)
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