In a couple of hours 2013 will be here and all I can think about is how much I did and didn't accomplish this year. Time just moves so quickly! While I have accomplished quite a few of my goals this year, I am anxious to move forward and accomplish even more.
An assortment of projects are underway and as I take them on, I plan to continue to learn, enjoy, and share them with you--in hopes that you will enjoy them too. I am excited to start a new year with my family and friends--Happy New Year!!!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Giving to Someone Who Sews
Recently I participated in a Pincushion Swap through the quilt guild for which I belong and it was so much fun. Members who participated made their creations and swapped with members from our guild in Canada. Sewist and non-sewists alike know all to well that making something with your hands is very special, not only because of the skill involved but because of the time invested. So we all felt special giving and receiving.
Yesterday, I made a sewing caddy with matching pincushion for Kyla, who officially turned 10 today. For those who are new to my blog, Kyla is my sewing student and is an up and coming sewist that has just come to understand the added dimension of gift giving as a result of making and creating with her own hands. So because of my fun experience with the recent swap that I was a part of, I thought it would be nice to give her something hand-sewn and hopefully she would be just as delighted.
Kyla's home sewing space takes up a corner of her bedroom and the color scheme of her room is purple and aqua with zebra accents throughout. I happened to have had some fabric with a dress form motif that also picks up some of the colors of her room and her sewing desk, which is also purple. This should work out quite well?
The pattern I used was from a tutorial at howjoyful.com but the picture below is my slight variation of the pattern (the pincushion is slightly larger and different and securely pinned on instead of clipped on).
She will be getting her gift this evening; I hope she will like it. I can already see it on her desk underneath her sewing machine. I will let you know how she liked it.
Yesterday, I made a sewing caddy with matching pincushion for Kyla, who officially turned 10 today. For those who are new to my blog, Kyla is my sewing student and is an up and coming sewist that has just come to understand the added dimension of gift giving as a result of making and creating with her own hands. So because of my fun experience with the recent swap that I was a part of, I thought it would be nice to give her something hand-sewn and hopefully she would be just as delighted.
Kyla's home sewing space takes up a corner of her bedroom and the color scheme of her room is purple and aqua with zebra accents throughout. I happened to have had some fabric with a dress form motif that also picks up some of the colors of her room and her sewing desk, which is also purple. This should work out quite well?
The pattern I used was from a tutorial at howjoyful.com but the picture below is my slight variation of the pattern (the pincushion is slightly larger and different and securely pinned on instead of clipped on).
She will be getting her gift this evening; I hope she will like it. I can already see it on her desk underneath her sewing machine. I will let you know how she liked it.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Merry Christmas and Thank You
Merry Christmas family and friends! And thank you for visiting my blog throughout the year, and a special thank you to those who took the time to share your thoughts from time to time. For those who have visited my blog but haven't felt the need to comment just yet, please remember you are ALWAYS welcome to do so, as I would love your feedback. For me, it's your input that is the added element that encourages and inspires the creative process, especially for future projects, so keep them coming!
Thank you again,
Denise
Thank you again,
Denise
Sunday, December 23, 2012
This Elf is Ready for Wine
Check, check, check, and check! All the gifts I had planned to make are done, so now this little elf is officially ready for Christmas, and a glass of wine! Today was a very full day of shopping and sewing. Kyla (my sewing student) and I made her last three gifts: another mug rug, a soda/beer can koozie, and a small stuffed doll. Then after she left, I finished the wine koozies that I started last night. By the way, I found the cutest Cozy Wine Koozie recipe (pattern) on the Moda Bake Shop blog, which was featuring Becky's design at SewSaneJane. I really enjoy Becky's work. Check it out!
Anyway, these are the ones I made from her "recipe".
I've poured myself a glass of wine to celebrate, and I put wine bottles in the koozies for a few of my relatives and a friend.
Tomorrow will be a day of house cleaning and cooking prep, so once again, Merry Christmas!
Anyway, these are the ones I made from her "recipe".
I've poured myself a glass of wine to celebrate, and I put wine bottles in the koozies for a few of my relatives and a friend.
Tomorrow will be a day of house cleaning and cooking prep, so once again, Merry Christmas!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Christmas Rush with Kyla
As adults, we seldom go through the Holidays without experiencing some bit of stress and anxiety due to the many, many things that are required of us because we are employees and/or heads of our households. We especially feel the demands of the Holidays when we're attending school programs, church events, going to dinners, and hosting our own gatherings. But during the hustle bustle, we sometimes forget that our children experience their own little stresses. Given their stresses may be "pint size" in the scheme of things, they are stresses nonetheless.
Last night, I was working with my sewing student, Kyla, who is working fervently to finish making her Christmas gifts. I realized then, and maybe before then, that kids want to achieve and succeed and accomplish and please to the point of challenging themselves just like adults. Kyla is 10 and developed an interest in sewing at 8. She's creative, ambitious, and enjoys sewing, and she always looks forward to the next project. Kyla is in her second session (year) of sewing with me, which obviously involves more of her input about things she would like to make. When Kyla came to me and told me that she wanted to make Christmas gifts this year, I was thrilled. Then Kyla showed me her list. I thought to myself--this girl is ambitious given the times we meet per week and the duration of our class--plus school, sports, student council, etc., etc. Her list included every member of her immediate family, grandparents, an aunt, her teacher, and her best friend. Well, I'm not one to squelch enthusiasm, so I spoke with her mother about her daughter's proposal/project, and we agreed to increase visits to the studio to make this happen. She would, of course, also have to work on these projects at home.
So last night while we were working together, I stopped and watched and realized that Kyla at age 10 is already doing what we adults do--doing as much as we can--sometimes because we have to AND sometimes because we want to--in order to achieve and to please--ourselves as well as others. GOALS are what they are--not a bad thing but it can be stressful! LOL. Her mother and I are delighted that she's taken to the art and craft of sewing, but more importantly that she's giving from her heart while doing so.
Last night, I was working with my sewing student, Kyla, who is working fervently to finish making her Christmas gifts. I realized then, and maybe before then, that kids want to achieve and succeed and accomplish and please to the point of challenging themselves just like adults. Kyla is 10 and developed an interest in sewing at 8. She's creative, ambitious, and enjoys sewing, and she always looks forward to the next project. Kyla is in her second session (year) of sewing with me, which obviously involves more of her input about things she would like to make. When Kyla came to me and told me that she wanted to make Christmas gifts this year, I was thrilled. Then Kyla showed me her list. I thought to myself--this girl is ambitious given the times we meet per week and the duration of our class--plus school, sports, student council, etc., etc. Her list included every member of her immediate family, grandparents, an aunt, her teacher, and her best friend. Well, I'm not one to squelch enthusiasm, so I spoke with her mother about her daughter's proposal/project, and we agreed to increase visits to the studio to make this happen. She would, of course, also have to work on these projects at home.
So last night while we were working together, I stopped and watched and realized that Kyla at age 10 is already doing what we adults do--doing as much as we can--sometimes because we have to AND sometimes because we want to--in order to achieve and to please--ourselves as well as others. GOALS are what they are--not a bad thing but it can be stressful! LOL. Her mother and I are delighted that she's taken to the art and craft of sewing, but more importantly that she's giving from her heart while doing so.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
I'm Giving SUB's for Christmas
Their names are appliqued in their favorite colors on the center panels. The long side panels were made with a baseball novelty print and the end panels have multi-storage pockets.
The bed runners have a total of six side pockets - 2 large, 2 medium, 2 small - so that they will be able to store books, baseball cards, stats, pens/markers - you name it! There are three pockets on each end of the runner.
The denim pocket is the large pocket and the pieced pockets (2) are the medium and small.
I hope they will enjoy them; I enjoyed making them.
If anyone is interested in the tutorial, I'll be publishing it next month. Now on to the next project. I'll be back soon!
Monday, December 10, 2012
Baking Christmas Cookies - Our Family Tradition
This past weekend my daughter, Andrea, planted herself in the kitchen the entire weekend baking cookies. Making cookies for Christmas has become a tradition in our home for over the past 10 years. Usually my daughter and I bake together from sun up to sun down one full weekend around mid-December. This year was an exception because I was not able to join her the majority of the time. Andrea had to essentially do it solo. Thank goodness she has baked along side me in previous years, enjoys baking, and is excellent at it. Since I've been working in the sewing studio playing catch up, I could not partner with her for our annual baking marathon. Abandoning the project came to mind, but because co-workers and friends have grown accustomed to our delightful baked goods, it was difficult to think about disappointing them. Andrea carried on without hesitation--she's amazing, and a trooper! (Thank you sweetie!) I did manage to contribute to baking one of the recipes.
Here's a list of what she baked: Baklava, Christmas Wreaths, Chocolate Mint Brownies, Snickerdoodles, Chocolate Covered Cracker Snacks, and Holiday Biscotti. I baked the Dulce de Leche cookies.
Here are the cookies - some just placed in a container and others waiting to be packaged -
The Chocolate Covered Cracker Snacks -
The Baklava -
The Dulce de Leche cookies -
and the Christmas Wreaths -
Each year we usually bake a lot of our friends' favorites from previous years but always introduce a new recipe or two. This year Andrea introduced the Chocolate Mint brownies and the Holiday Biscotti.
I thought I'd share one of the favorites, which is the Dulce de Leche cookie recipe from the December 2007/January 2008 issue of Sweet Ideas - a Pillsbury cookbook that I had picked up while waiting in line at the grocery store that year. So here it is:
Dulce de Leche Cookies
Garnish
1 cup flaked coconut
Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
3 Tbs. dark rum or 1/2 tsp. rum extract plus 2 1/2 Tbs water
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
Filling
1 cup caramel apple dip (from 16 oz. container)
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread coconut in ungreased shallow pan. Bake uncovered 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Turn off oven. In food processor bowl with metal blade, place cooled coconut. Cover; process until ground. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or until smooth. Add egg yolks, rum and vanilla. On high speed, beat about 1 minute or until blended.
In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until well blended. Cover: refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place on ungreased nonstick (not insulated) cookie sheets. (I USED INSULATED AND THEY WORKED OUT PERFECTLY??) Place balls 2 inches apart. Dip bottom of small glass into 1/4 cup sugar; press on cookies to make about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
Bake 10 to 11 minutes or just until edges begin to brown. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
For each sandwich cookie, spread about 1 tsp. of the caramel dip on bottom of 1 cookie, spreading to edge of cookie. Top with second cookie. Gently squeeze until filling oozes out a little around the side. Roll edges of cookies in ground coconut.
Prep time: 1 hour, 15 minutes; start to finish: 1 hour, 45 minutes. Makes approximately 40 cookies/20 sandwich cookies, depending on the size rolled.
If anyone is interested in trying other recipes listed, I would be happy to share. You won't be disappointed!
Enjoy yourselves amidst the hustle and bustle, especially with family!
Here's a list of what she baked: Baklava, Christmas Wreaths, Chocolate Mint Brownies, Snickerdoodles, Chocolate Covered Cracker Snacks, and Holiday Biscotti. I baked the Dulce de Leche cookies.
Here are the cookies - some just placed in a container and others waiting to be packaged -
The Chocolate Covered Cracker Snacks -
The Baklava -
The Dulce de Leche cookies -
and the Christmas Wreaths -
Each year we usually bake a lot of our friends' favorites from previous years but always introduce a new recipe or two. This year Andrea introduced the Chocolate Mint brownies and the Holiday Biscotti.
I thought I'd share one of the favorites, which is the Dulce de Leche cookie recipe from the December 2007/January 2008 issue of Sweet Ideas - a Pillsbury cookbook that I had picked up while waiting in line at the grocery store that year. So here it is:
Dulce de Leche Cookies
Garnish
1 cup flaked coconut
Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
3 Tbs. dark rum or 1/2 tsp. rum extract plus 2 1/2 Tbs water
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
Filling
1 cup caramel apple dip (from 16 oz. container)
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread coconut in ungreased shallow pan. Bake uncovered 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Turn off oven. In food processor bowl with metal blade, place cooled coconut. Cover; process until ground. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or until smooth. Add egg yolks, rum and vanilla. On high speed, beat about 1 minute or until blended.
In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until well blended. Cover: refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place on ungreased nonstick (not insulated) cookie sheets. (I USED INSULATED AND THEY WORKED OUT PERFECTLY??) Place balls 2 inches apart. Dip bottom of small glass into 1/4 cup sugar; press on cookies to make about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
Bake 10 to 11 minutes or just until edges begin to brown. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
For each sandwich cookie, spread about 1 tsp. of the caramel dip on bottom of 1 cookie, spreading to edge of cookie. Top with second cookie. Gently squeeze until filling oozes out a little around the side. Roll edges of cookies in ground coconut.
Prep time: 1 hour, 15 minutes; start to finish: 1 hour, 45 minutes. Makes approximately 40 cookies/20 sandwich cookies, depending on the size rolled.
If anyone is interested in trying other recipes listed, I would be happy to share. You won't be disappointed!
Enjoy yourselves amidst the hustle and bustle, especially with family!
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Warm & Cozy is a Wrap
Check! Item off my list! I have finally completed the Warm & Cozy quilt. Not that I didn't enjoy working on it but after coming down with the flu I'm very, very behind schedule.
As I promised in my November 15 post, the recipient would be revealed when the quilt was done. W - w - e - e - l - l - l, the recipient of the quilt is my husband's boss, Steve. We're thanking him for providing such awesome contacts during the renovation of the attic - now sewing studio. This was my idea because if it weren't for his contacts, the process wouldn't have been as time saving, and also because I truly appreciate my new sewing space and am very thankful to those who contributed--directly or indirectly.
So here it is:
The quilt now includes rust colored strips within the border to give it a slight punch of color. I like it a lot better with that added touch.
And the label was designed to reflect one of Steve's interests, which is shooting and hunting (but not so much now?). As you can see, I blanket stitched the label on.
And here is a full view of the backing showcasing the center print panel of green and rust. I mixed it up with a wide grey/black/cream striped border for added interest. I really like the binding though, which picks up the grey, black, and off white throughout the entire quilt.
My husband and I will be giving it to Steve this weekend, if we can catch him at home. I just love surprises.
Okay back to the sewing machine.
As I promised in my November 15 post, the recipient would be revealed when the quilt was done. W - w - e - e - l - l - l, the recipient of the quilt is my husband's boss, Steve. We're thanking him for providing such awesome contacts during the renovation of the attic - now sewing studio. This was my idea because if it weren't for his contacts, the process wouldn't have been as time saving, and also because I truly appreciate my new sewing space and am very thankful to those who contributed--directly or indirectly.
So here it is:
The quilt now includes rust colored strips within the border to give it a slight punch of color. I like it a lot better with that added touch.
And the label was designed to reflect one of Steve's interests, which is shooting and hunting (but not so much now?). As you can see, I blanket stitched the label on.
My husband and I will be giving it to Steve this weekend, if we can catch him at home. I just love surprises.
Okay back to the sewing machine.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Bah Humbug!
"Tis' the season" as they say! As you may have noticed, I haven't posted in a while. Yes, it's the holiday season but also the flu season, and I was a victim--yuck! Over a three-week period, I experienced sniffles, a runny nose, coughing, chest congestion, chills, aches and pains, and other things that would be considered too much information. Through the course of it all, my To Do list, especially this time of year, kept growing. Consequently, I've accomplished fewer goals than anticipated, but I did accomplish a few.
It all started several days before Thanksgiving and after two weeks of the above, I had a relapse--bah humbug! In spite of it all, I managed to sort through my accumulated fabric scraps and put them in a three-sectioned wire basket and label the sections: neutrals, solids, and prints. My hubby helped me mount it to the side of my cutting/sewing table so it would be convenient to toss scraps in after cutting fabric. It will surely be a nice source to select from for smaller piecing projects, or maybe a scrap or crazy quilt.
I also folded and organized fabric and displayed them on a four-tiered shelf my husband custom made for a little corner in my sewing room. He did a wonderful job - don't you think? I also placed in a frame nine photos of the quilts I made over the past year, which sits on top.
And I made a Christmas ornament for a Christmas gathering my Bunko group had just this past Wednesday. I perused many craft sites and blogs for an idea and came up with this little Christmas tree. It was quite fun to make and I got to use paper from my scrapbooking supplies, which made it very nice and economical.
Because I prefer to not work on gifts and quilts when I'm not feeling my best, the Warm and Cozy quilt I had started was put on hold. (I had posted about it the post previous to this one.) Last night, however, I resumed that project and made the binding for it.
I am back in full swing but find I will be working double time from now until Christmas. Did I say bah humbug!? I know I'll soon be back in the holiday spirit once I've knocked out a few more projects. The "elf" in me will make it happen. Santa, I'm back so be ready to load up your sleigh!
It all started several days before Thanksgiving and after two weeks of the above, I had a relapse--bah humbug! In spite of it all, I managed to sort through my accumulated fabric scraps and put them in a three-sectioned wire basket and label the sections: neutrals, solids, and prints. My hubby helped me mount it to the side of my cutting/sewing table so it would be convenient to toss scraps in after cutting fabric. It will surely be a nice source to select from for smaller piecing projects, or maybe a scrap or crazy quilt.
I also folded and organized fabric and displayed them on a four-tiered shelf my husband custom made for a little corner in my sewing room. He did a wonderful job - don't you think? I also placed in a frame nine photos of the quilts I made over the past year, which sits on top.
And I made a Christmas ornament for a Christmas gathering my Bunko group had just this past Wednesday. I perused many craft sites and blogs for an idea and came up with this little Christmas tree. It was quite fun to make and I got to use paper from my scrapbooking supplies, which made it very nice and economical.
Because I prefer to not work on gifts and quilts when I'm not feeling my best, the Warm and Cozy quilt I had started was put on hold. (I had posted about it the post previous to this one.) Last night, however, I resumed that project and made the binding for it.
I am back in full swing but find I will be working double time from now until Christmas. Did I say bah humbug!? I know I'll soon be back in the holiday spirit once I've knocked out a few more projects. The "elf" in me will make it happen. Santa, I'm back so be ready to load up your sleigh!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)