Baby Swaddler

I don't have many babies in my world, but I do work with a lot of young women and there is usually at least one that is expecting a baby. Personally, I think homemade gifts are the most special.  I don't always have time to make a baby gift but when I do, I like to make a swaddler.


I am the oldest of 5 children and I can remember my Mother swaddling the little ones in a receiving blanket like a little papoose.  Since it has been 30 plus years since I've had a baby, I hadn't thought much of this in a very long time until a few years ago when my nephew was born. One of the gifts his parents received was a swaddler.  His mother loved this gift, because she said when she put him in it, he would calm down and would often go to sleep.  I had never seen one of these before but I just knew I could make one, so I ordered one from etsy just so I could figure out how it was made.   I also found a free pattern online by Lotta Jansdotter.  You can find this free pattern by going to google and searching for Lotta Jansotter Snuggler Pattern.  This pattern is not hard, you can just print it out and tape it together.  I use cotton for the outside, and have made a few with flannel for the lining, but my favorite fabric to use for lining is the minky, you just can't get much softer than minky. You just have to remember to tell the new Mom to use low heat when drying it.  If you can sew at all, you can do this.  

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE

BLACKBERRY SAUCE

Since I have had some extra blackberries this year, I've tried a couple of new recipes. This one was very easy and very good. It is good poured over anything you would pour any syrup on, and would also be good over meat.   This is from the Paleo Grubbs recipe book.

12 oz. blackberries, fresh or frozen

3 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Dash of vanilla extract

Place the blackberries and honey into a small saucepan over low heat. Add the lemon juice and cook for 8-10 minutes until the blackberries have broken down.  Stir in vanilla to taste.

I used blackberries that I had frozen and so this took quite a bit longer.  I just let it heat while I was doing something else, and stirred it periodically. 

I Thessalonians 5:16-18   Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Flying Geese, Bonnie's Geese on a String

I try to keep a several quilting projects going at the same time, though I try to keep my works in progress to just a few, four or five at the most because I like to finish them.  My mind gets cluttered and I feel overwhelmed if I get too many, but, at the same time, I want a variety of things to do so that I can stay busy.  Usually I limit them to a main project which is usually something that I am doing by machine, a hand piecing project that is portable, and a leader ender project.  I also occasionally have something that I am hand quilting. 


Currently, my main project has been a Flying Geese pattern that is called Geese on a String.  This is a pattern that comes from Bonnie Hunter's blog. She is my all time favorite quilter.  If you don't know about her, check out her website and blog at Quiltville.com.  She has all kinds of free patterns on her site.  She is a quilter after my own heart. She uses all kinds of fabrics together in a quilt, AND she loves vintage sewing machines. 


Last year I made my daughter a king sized New York Beauty and had a whole bunch of short strips left over.  Bonnie's Geese on a String was a perfect way of using most of these strips up.  I've also been trying to teach myself how to free motion quilt, and I got lots of practice quilting this. So this is what I've been working on.

                                     

Picking out the binding was the hardest part. No color seemed to go with this quilt, but I finally came across this beautiful piece that I found on my trip to Paducah this year.  When I bought it, I just knew it would be great for a border or bindings. 

Using scissors, I carefully cut out a 2 inch strips of the sections that I chose for the binding on this quilt.  I usually make wider binding from 2 1/2 inch strips, but this quilt only needed a narrow binding. I had purchased 5 yards of this so I only had to cut 3 strips.  The picture below shows the front and back views of the binding.

I finished this quilt this week and plan to give this to my sister who also quilts, but has never made herself a bed quilt. 

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE

ITALIAN VEGETABLE SOUP

One of the things I like to do is make big pots of soup or chili and freeze it in quart sized freezer bowls.  Then, whenever we need a fast meal, or I just don't want to cook, we have healthy and delicious fast food already at home. I can just take one out of the freezer and heat the frozen contents slowly over low heat and it doesn't take long before it is ready.  You can change the ingredients to suit your taste or whatever you have on hand.

1 pound or so of ground beef

2 cups of water or beef broth

2 or 3 beef bouillon cubes

1 or 2 onions, chopped

3 or 4 stalks of celery, chopped

3 or 4 carrots, chopped

minced garlic

1 tbls dried parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 or 2 cans of kidney beans

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 can of tomato sauce

1 can of green beans

can also add shredded cabbage, mushrooms, corn, and even noodles if you desire.

Brown the ground beef in a large soup pot.  Drain. Add the other ingredients and cook on low until the vegetables are tender.  

OR, you can brown the meat and then transfer to a crockpot and add the other ingredients. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. 

I John 4:4   You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 

My Cutting Table

Many of the things I plan to share on this blog will have something to do with thrift and re-purposing. As I have said before, my mother was the queen of thrift and the master of making something from nothing, and she passed the desire to be thrify on to me.  I learned from her, when you work hard for your money, make it go as far as possible. 


One of the best things I have in my sewing room is this wonderful cutting table that my husband and I made.  I will share how we did it just in case you are interested in making one.
 
When we moved in our house 7 years ago, we did some updating in the kitchen and in the process we replaced the counter top.  The section that came from the island was wide and counter top is very solid, so, I snatched it up from being scrapped to make the top for a cutting table. 


We then found two new cabinet bases from a salvage store for a total of $100.  My husband, who is very handy with woodworking tools, made a firm platform with some scrap plywood he had in his shop building, and then put rollers on the bottom.  Then, so the table would not be too tall, he cut the toe kick area below the drawers from the cabinets.  He fastened the cabinets to this platform and then fastened the counter top to the cabinets. We had to put this together in the sewing room, so the only way it is coming out if there is if we take it apart first. 

The top measures 36 inches x 48 inches, and is perfect for working with yardage.  I used command strips on the sides to hang many of my rulers on.

My cutting, marking and measuring tools are right at my fingertips in the drawers.

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE

FRUIT SALAD

One of my favorite summertime desserts is fruit salad.  I don't really have a recipe, but it turns out perfect every time and none is ever wasted.  It takes quite a while to prepare if you use fresh fruit, which I usually do, but it is worth it.  However, you could also use frozen fruit and I've even used some canned fruit. The secret ingredient is a can or two of peach pie filling.  The peach pie filling gives it a good texture and keeps the fruit from turning brown. I use kitchen scissors to cut the peaches in the pie filling into smaller pieces.  Trust me, if you take this to any event, you WILL bring home an empty bowl. 

I use just about anything...grapes, apples, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, peaches, nectarines, all or any combination of whatever you like.  I chop it and stir it all up in a very large bowl along with mini marshmallows and coconut.  Not everyone can eat coconut, so that could be served on the side if necessary. 

I Samuel 2:2  No one is hold like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.

Sweet Harvest

This post drifts from quilting a bit, which I plan to do on this blog. Quilting is my number one interest, but I also have other things I enjoy, all a good part of my life.



Last year we decided we would plant a garden. We had dabbled in it a bit, but with little success.  We do eat a lot of fresh vegetables, so, we went all in.  We bought a tiller, put up a temporary fence, did all that we thought we were supposed to do.  However, I don't like hot weather at all, in fact, I could just skip summertime all together, and gardening is a HOT job.  In spite of that, we planted and weeded and picked some nice vegetables. But, when the harvest hit hard, I was having to work 10 and 12 hour days at my real job and was in no mood for gardening when I got home.  We finally cleaned it all up, sold the tiller and fence, and decided we liked supporting the Farmer's Market better.



We have had a compost bin for years and are diligent to throw everything in it, then in the spring of each year, my husband works this black gold in various flower beds and in the yard.  This year, we have tomatoes and squash coming up in two flower beds!  We are just letting them be and will have a little of our own produce after all.

We planted some thornless blackberries the first summer we lived here, in 2009. It took a few years before we started getting some berries.  Last year was pretty good, but this year they have exploded!   We are getting a great crop of really good, fat berries.  I've been putting some in the freezer, and we've been eating some, and we've been sharing them with our good neighbor who doesn't complain about the berries growing on the fence or that we go into their yard to pick them.  These are really good with some sugar and thick, canned coconut milk poured over them.  My husband has made himself a blackberry cobbler, and I suspect will be making another very soon.

We had potluck after church last Sunday, and though we are few in number, we have some great potlucks. We are blessed with good cooks among us.  I took some roasted vegetables that always seems to go over well.  So, if you like to find different ways to eat vegetables, here is the recipe.

Roasted Vegetables

1 butternut squash, cubed

3 or 4 white or gold potatoes

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 red onion, chopped in large chunks

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 to 1 teaspoon rosemary

about 1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

In a very large bowl, combine all of the vegetables. In a small bowl, combine the other ingredients.

Pour the contents of the small bowl over the vegetable and mix very well. Place in a very large roasting pan or baking dish.  Roast in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for about an hour, stirring every 10 minutes. 

When I take this for potluck, I get it all cut up and mixed together the day before and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Then, the next morning, all I have to do is dump it into the baking dish and roast.  After the dish is all cooked, I transfer it all to a crockpot and keep it on warm until we are ready to eat.

Proverbs 10:4-5   Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.