Quilt Fix

This was not on my list of things to do at all, but sometimes you have to take care of life's little emergencies. I really hope that I don't have to do this ever again, because I do NOT enjoy picking out and repairing. I can do it...I just don't like it.

Earlier this Spring for my son's 9th b-day I made him a Crazy 9 patch quilt, per his request. He was thrilled with it and has used it every day since, taken it on sleep-overs, campouts, and is so happy to have it. Well a sad day occurred the other day when he was cutting up a big box to make some craft thing, but was doing it while his pillow and blanket were inside. Yeah, NOT a good idea....

He came crying and showed me this:

Yep, right thru ALL the layers of the quilt.Backside view

He asked me if I could fix it and when I told him "no" the wailing really started up. So then I amended that and told him I probably could, but it wouldn't look very good. He insisted I try and fix it up. He didn't care how it would look.

It really would've been easier to repair, I think, had he not cut all the way through the quilt. Then I could've just zigzagged it some. And I'm not sure what I did was the best way to go about it, but, oh well, it was what I could come up with in hurry since the boy was desperate.

Looking at the top I figured it wouldn't be too bad to repair. I had to undo about a foot of the binding and more of the quilting than I had anticipated in order to get to that section. Lucky for him it was a 9 patch that was right next to the outer sashing. (see top photo bottom right)

I replaced the little orange plaid square and also a little section of the sashing. I decided not to replace anything on the backing. The backing is one solid entire piece (I had bought 102" wide fabric specifically for it). So instead of cutting out the ruined section and putting in a new piece, I found an extra piece of the backing and then used Wonder-Under® to fuse the patch inside the quilt to the backside of the backing. Then I added some Fray Check™ for good measure. Once that was done I redid the quilting and reattached the section of binding. Almost as good as new.

It doesn't look as great on the back as on the front. And I'm not sure what else I could have done except cut out a section and then sew something back in, but the boy is happy to have it to use again and as Hubby said, "Maybe seeing that will help him remember to think a bit more before doing something the next time."

Maybe....

In the Corner Quilt

This is the first quilt that I've made that I actually followed a specific pattern, directions, layout, yardage recommendations, etc. (Although I found the yardage was much more than I actually needed: almost 1 yd. TOO much on the reddish piece and 2/3 yd. TOO much on the blue. For the backing I figured it out beforehand and bought less than recommended there also.)

I found this pattern in the book, Fresh and Fabulous Quilts, by Cheryl Brown. "In The Corner" is the name of this pattern and it is found on pgs. 38-41. This was really an easy, straightforward pattern.

I worked on this quilt over the course of a month as a surprise b-day present for a friend of mine (which still ended up given as a slightly belated gift).

Back View Finished Size: 58" X 76"
I just did a 2" wide apart cross hatch quilt pattern. I'm not a "fancy" design quilter.

Machine binding. I had intended to handstitch it until it became a belated birthday gift.

Here are a couple others quilts from that book that I really liked too:
Every Blooming Thing
Flower Power
Fruit Basket

I don't anticipate making any of the above quilts anytime soon, but I sure thought they were great patterns and fun ideas to mull over.

Reduced Sugar Raspberry-Peach Freezer Jam

Well, I think that I have picked the last of my raspberries for the summer season. Bummer! However, we've probably had the most (32 pints worth of jam) and the biggest raspberries that we've ever had this year. Mental note: water lots in June next year. We had something like 15 of the first 18 days of June with some measureable amount of rain.
We love Raspberry Freezer jam. For my first batch of raspberries this year I made reduced sugar freezer jam for the first time. It came highly recommended from a friend's sister. One year I tried NO sugar jam and it didn't go over well...with anyone. For reduced sugar jam you have to make sure you buy the correct box of pectin: labeled for reduced or no sugar recipes. You cannot substitute or change ingredient amounts or your jams will not set correctly. I don't think I'll go back to regular jams--I'll stick with reduced sugar recipes.

Sure-Jell® for Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes is in the PINK box. (about $2.50/box) Recipes and instructions come inside each box.

Original Sure-Jell® is in the YELLOW box. (slightly cheaper price than the pink box)

The recipe from the box for the low sugar Red Raspberry Freezer Jam uses 4 c. crushed raspberries and 3 1/2 c. sugar, whereas the original recipe uses 5 c. crushed raspberries and 7 c. sugar. Click HERE for original Sure-Jell® freezer jam. That is a big difference--but really, even cutting the sugar in half you don't notice any difference in taste.

After making a batch of that jam I noticed on the instructions insert a recipe for low sugar Raspberry-Peach Freezer Jam. O.K. I had to try that too. I bought a couple peaches at the store and my kids about died, or so they thought, because I wouldn't let them eat them.

This was YUMMY jam! Most of my kids refused to even try it--why, I don't know. They love both peaches and raspberries, but that's fine. I'll eat all this jam myself. It'll be a sacrifice, but I think I can do it.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summers and go enjoy some homemade freezer jam--it is probably one of the easiest things you could "can" for yourself and your families.

Bee Vintage Blocks for August {Hexagons}

My mailbox is making me pretty happy these days as I receive my Sawtooth Star blocks from my fellow Bee Vintage ladies.

As I wait for the remainder of my blocks, Jennifer posted her request for August. Hexagon Blocks from this tutorial. Since August is a super-busy-start-of-school-end-of-summer kind of month I decided to knock my blocks out asap. That way I could focus on school prep and the last days of summer vacation.

Here is what I came up with.

I didn't sew the middle seams together because the quilt goes together in rows. That way there are no Y seams to maneuver.

This block is my favorite. I happened to find the floral as a pillowcase at my local thrift store and then received another FQ of it during the swap. That gives me a total of 3 FQ's to work with. I think it's a beautiful print!

Now that my obligations are taken care of, I'm off to pack for a week long vacation with my husband and kids. If you need me, I'll be doing laundry!

Skirted Canning Apron

Last night I gave a beginning canning class/demo for about 18 ladies. Besides talking about canning, part of what we did was have a few giveaways. I like to give an apron away when I do these little "classes". So over the weekend I did a little modification of the basic chef apron that I usually make as "workhorse" aprons. I wanted something a bit more feminine and cute, quick and easy to put together, but still had major coverage.


Basic Directions:

• Attach the skirted flounce portion to the main body of the apron, wrong sides together.


• Sandwich the pieces into the double fold tape and stitch thru all layers.


• Press bias tape "flap" toward hem of the apron. You could topstitch that flap down onto the flounce if you wanted.


• Bind with bias tape the main body of the apron. Start on one side continuing down and around the flounce hem and then back up the other side. ***I rounded the flounce hem corners slightly so that I wouldn't have to miter the bias tape.
• Bind the top neck edge of the apron with bias tape.


• Position bias tape along curved armpit edges leaving enough for ties and then making a loop for the neck opening.


• Wear and look great! Have fun canning! Congrats Ann Y. on winning!

Materials:

• 1 yd. fabric (this piece was an Alexander Henry from Jo-Ann's: Apples + Pears) ***If I were making this for myself--an over 6-footer--I would buy 1 1/4 yd. to enable it to be cut longer.
• 2 pkgs. Extra wide double fold bias tape - 1/2" in Seal Brown.
  

Pattern:

Simplicity 3752, view C, using the flounce pattern piece

Combined with Mom's New Apron

I really like how this little experiment turned out and think this might be my new "go-to" style apron from now on.

Bee Vintage Blocks for July {Sawtooth Star}

Thanks to the Vintage Sheet Patchwork Swap, I have joined my first virtual quilting bee. We call ourselves Bee Vintage and we are making blocks using our vintage sheet stashes.

July was the start of the swap. I got brave and decided to be first. For my block I chose the Sawtooth Star Block. (Instructions are here.) Because the blocks finish at a small 8 inches I had to make some extra blocks to get my quilt to the right size.


Here are the ones I made up.

I've said before how much I like scrap-looking quilts. This one will be no different. As you can see I'm kind of all over the place with fabrics, but when I laid them out together it didn't look nearly as chaotic as these picture appears.

Bee Vintage Group 2 is making string blocks for July. Go check theirs out, too. I'm pretty sure that someone in my group is going to chose that style when it's their month so I am already collecting my "strings" in anticipation.

Giveaway Winner

Random.org chose ALISHA STAMPER as the winner of my extra squares!

CONGRATS!

Homemade Bisquick® Substitute

You all know about Bisquick® from Betty Crocker--pancakes, strawberry shortcake cakes, easy cooking, etc.

Here is a recipe for homemade Bisquick®.

Our mom gave me this recipe I don't know how long ago--probably when I first got married and then I've come across it again in this really OLD (published 1978) book called "Make-a-Mix Cookery" by Karine Eliason, which I happened to find and purchase at some thrift store a couple years ago.

In the book they call it Quick Mix

8 1/2 c. All-purpose flour
1 Tbs. Baking powder
1 Tbs. Salt
2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 1/2 c. Instant nonfat dry milk
2 1/4 c. Vegetable shortening

In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. Blend well. With pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed. Mixture will resemble cornmeal in texture. Put in a large airtight container. Label. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 10-12 weeks. Makes about 13 cups of Quick Mix.

Note: I don't use this amount in 10-12 weeks, so I store mine in a 5 qt. ice cream bucket in the freezer so that it will last longer.

A slightly different version of Bisquick® substitute called Master Mix found HERE.

One more HERE. There are apparently a number of different versions out there online. You can find the one that works best for you.

Here is a family recipe we use for an easy bacon and cheese quiche that uses Bisquick®. I'm sure it is based off of this recipe from Bisquick®. You can easily substitute the bacon for browned sausage, or cooked ham chunks. It is one of my kids' favs.

Confetti Quilt

The inspiration

The Quilt:

I decide against the black used in the inspiration and opted for charcoal

because I was feeling like it might look a little too NASCAR in quilt form.

detail of the binding

detail of the quilting

I made it specifically for our basement and love how it all works together.

love, love, love

My little L likes to snuggle.

I had to wrestle her for it the whole time I was trying to photograph.

All the solids were purchased at JoAnn's

Binding is Ooh La La by Kathy Hall for Andover Fabrics (purchased at my local quilt shop)

The back is Bloom in gray by Paula Prass (purchased at my local quilt shop)

Finished Dimensions:

54.5" x 76.25"

same as the zig zag

****leave a comment and you'll be entered to win my extra squares.

which will NOT make a quilt that looks like this. only the colors are the same.

(I started going with an entirely different layout in the beginning and then changed my mind).

There are 46 six inch squares.

Mulberry Jam

Let's just preface this post by saying it doesn't hurt to ask. Our mom always said that and she's right. What's the worst that will happen? Someone may tell you "No." But then again, they might just say "Yes."

There is a 4-plex near our home that is currently vacant and up for sale. It is en route when we walk our dog. And it also has the largest mulberry tree that is absolutely LOADED with berries. In the past we have snitched some during the walk and they are oh so lovely.

However, since the building is now vacant it pains me to see all those berries go to waste. So I made a point of going to the building the other day and reading the info posted on the door. The realtor's name and number was listed so I called to see if he would have any problems with me picking mulberries. His response, "None whatsoever, pick as many as you'd like." Hallelujah!!

So we took our rake, a tarp and the kids and shook down 4 - 5 qt. buckets worth of mulberries. And we'll be back in a couple more days as there are even MORE not quite ripe. It pays to ask, that's all I can say, it pays to ask.

All that I've found out about mulberries indicates that anything you can do with a raspberry, blackberry, or other similar berry you can do with a mulberry. They supposedly freeze well and will last for months that way. I plan on freezing a good portion of them so we can have them during the winter months.

My kids eat them straight off the tree.

I made one batch of Mulberry jam.

I found the recipe in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, pg. 31.

It may end up being more like syrup because I almost forgot the lemon juice and added it at the end instead of the beginning. I'll have to try one more batch to see if that little detail makes a difference or not. I'm looking forward to trying it on vanilla ice cream with a little bit of nuts, too.

How to collect and freeze Mulberries found HERE.

You may want to try this Mulberry Jelly recipe.

NOTE:

Mulberries STAIN EVERYTHING!! Don't wear nice clothes or shoes when picking. You may even want to use plastic gloves when rinsing them out to freeze. Bring newspaper to set your shoes on once you get back in the car.

This is what they will do to everything they touch.

They'll stain your towels, when canning jam. Use a dark dishcloth to clean up and dab up the water. Seriously...they STAIN everything!! But man they taste awesome! And when you can get them for FREE--even tastier!

4th of July jumper

French seams anyone? Yes, Please! I love them so much.

I don't own a serger so I like to finish this way.

Since it is a summer jumper I just finished the facing with bias tape.

(instead of lining it)

(like some of the others)

Pattern is New Look 6576

I cut a size large for my two year old. She's on the smaller side. Fits her perfectly.

Fabric is from JoAnn's calico wall. I have no idea what it is called, but it had the Joann's logo printed on the selvedge edge.

Baby Coco

I know that this news is only exciting for me, but after being out of commission for a couple of weeks my trusty repairman was able to FIX my broken sewing machine. I'm not going to say it was because of divine help, but I was praying (literally!) that it would get fixed. Evidently Heaven listens to the small prayers of a certain seamstress, to which I am extremely grateful!!

My machine arrived back at my house just in time to finish up this little quilt for my niece. It's one of the twins I was working on last month.

Again, I made a matching doll blanket and pillow. My niece seemed to like it. But, really, who doesn't love a mini!

Old Red Barn Quilt Along #1

I don't think I could ever be accused of cranking out the quilts. As proof here is yet another quilt that has taken months to complete. I think I started this one in November/December, but first posted about it in January. That would be over 6 months from start to finish. Yep, I'm quick I tell ya!

The design is from a quilt along that was going on over at Old Red Barn Co. It is from Round #1 ~ they are now on Round #6!

This was quite possibly the easiest top to put together. Since I used a Jelly Roll, all the cutting was done for me. I think I got the whole top done in about an hour and a half. Easy, easy! I would definitely use a jelly roll again. And I would definitely make this same design again. . I did buy 2 half yard(?) pieces to make the borders. You know how I like quilts with borders.

For the back I pieced some solids from my stash. The light green is one I dyed myself last summer. It's the only color that's made it's way into a quilt thus far. I should really try harder to use the other pieces up...

With the scraps from this quilt I made a baby quilt that I showed off here.

Finished Quilt measures 57" by 67" (144cm by 170cm)

Directions and fabric requirements can be found here.
Fabric is Hello Betty from Moda.

New Garden Beds

This project was not necessarily in my plans for this year.

However, with that being said when hubby agrees to something I am more than happy to jump in there and do it. He told me he'd be willing to help if I didn't plant any more raspberries in these beds. (I don't hear him complaining when he is eating raspberry jam....)

This is what the back garden area looked like before we did anything. 10' x 12' raspberry patch on the left and garage/woodpile on the right.

Planning stage--4' x 8' raised vegetable beds. Inspired by our Aunt Gayle's garden--she is hardcore and always has LOTS of yummy garden produce.

Originally we were going to use railroad ties ($7.99/ea), but it ended up being cheaper to buy 8' landscape timbers and layering them. ($1.97/ea on sale at Home Depot)

Hubby cut the timbers in half for the ends and then we laid them out where we wanted them, making sure to leave room between each for the lawnmower to pass. Aunt Gayle just kills all the grass around/between her beds because she doesn't want to deal with it. You can make that choice for yourselves. I knew hubby wouldn't go for that particular idea.

We left the timbers laid out for about a week and it left the impression in the yard so that when we rented the sod cutter (also at Home Depot) he would know where to cut. Otherwise you'll need to mark off the area somehow. I highly recommend renting a sod cutter. For us it was $53/4hr. time period, and even though we were done in a half hour it sure beat shoveling it out by hand for hours on end. Plus we moved the cut sod to a different spot in our yard that needed some TLC. (Kids and dogs are rough on lawns) We also shared the cost of the sod cutter with some friends who needed it for only an hour too. It worked GREAT!

Here is hubby lining up the boards and getting ready to secure it all in place.

Here we are all completed and filled in with dirt.

We bought a cubic yard of black dirt at a local nursery here for $25. It filled the back of our pick-up and then I put the kids to work (I helped too) with shovels and wheelbarrows to move it from the truck to the garden beds. One cubic yard filled both beds.

I don't know how much garden produce we will actually get this year. Planting mid-June is not the ideal time, but we added some more tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, broccoli, green peppers, and honeydew. We'll see what we actually get. I still have more room to plant some things, but I think that I am done for now. And we'll be more than ready for next year's planting and harvest.

Total cost:

2 - 4'x8' beds, dirt, and sod cutter rental---$100.

Shirred Empire Tankini

I sort of patterned this suit for my oldest daughter after seeing 2 Land's End swimsuits: this style and this style.

We tried a little something different on the straps. L. thinks it is really cool looking.

I used Kwik Sew patterns 2275 (discontinued but very similar to 3239) for the bottoms and then altered 2690 for the top.

To shir the top I cut a strip of fabric a bit wider than the width of the bodice piece and double the length. I ran a few gathering threads and then gathered and pinned it in place to the bodice lining. I basted the gathered top in place on the lining and then cut down the excess fabric to match the lining piece.

Next time I may cut it a little longer still--really it depends on how shirred you like the bodice. L. was very happy with how it turned out. Her dad, not so much--he's not quite ready to have his "little" girl turn into a young woman. In fact, I think I saw him cleaning up the shotgun the other night.....:)
___________________
You can always check my Etsy site for suits too!

Ruffle Apron {Bridal Gift}

This is the first time I've made this pattern (Leslie's fav) for anyone. I was in need of quick gift for a bridal shower tonight (I made the apron earlier this week) and had some leftover fabric from this quilt that I thought would work great.

I like how it turned out--rather fun and sassy. The bride-to-be is pretty fun and sassy herself, and really girly...so I'm pretty sure she'll like it. Congratulations, Cheyenne! We wish you all the best!