Fabric

What is there about fabric that makes you feel so happy? The touch, feel, smell, texture can awaken the imagination. If there were just one reason that I sew, I would have to say, loud and clear FABRIC.
In my area, shops that sell fabric tend to only carry quilting fabric. While I admire quilting, I yearn for the fabrics of garments. Gaberdine, silks, snuggley flannels. To touch them, to feel them, to experience them.

what about a quality fabric gives personality to a rather ordinary garment. Somehow I think I'm not alone in this rather fanciful love of fabric. Why else do so many women who sew have their "stash".

Raggedy Ann and Andy and my life

As a small child, I would sometimes wish for a thing but never speak the wish aloud. Somehow, I thought, if I wished hard enough, the wish would come true. Three of these wishes still stand out in my mind. One Christmas when I was 8, I wished for a toy sewing machine. (that might have started my desire to sew) Another wish was that my daddy would drive an ice cream truck so we could have a never ending supply of Good Humor bars. The third wish was for a Raggedy Ann doll.

The love of Raggedy Ann and Andy, never went away. My son's all were given an Andy when small. Later when I finally got a sewing machine of my own, I made a Raggedys for my daughter (she is my youngest and only girl) and many of my grandchildren.

One year I made small ones for my grandmother and my parents. I have them all now, their original owners have passed away. They are cherished as memories of the love I felt for them.

I am also a collector of things raggedy......although I never made one for myself, my friend Evelyn made me one, I've bought them at thriftshops, yard sales and flea markets. Such a simple thing, to love so much. But you see, Raggedy Ann loves you back.

Welcome To This World Gabriel James

A new grandson with his whole life ahead of him, like blank pages in a book. Clean, crisp, pristine. I hope your life is wonderful, little one. Your grandma sure thinks you are wonderful.

An Ending and a Beginning.

I'm done with the quilted bag and in the small hands of my granddaughter who astutely said "made it out of hot pads, eh". She is a funny little thing. Fact is, I did use the same fabric to make some hot pads, a week or so back. Children notice everything. So far she hasn't put her Barbie clothes in it but she has carried it around like a purse.

So now on to my next project, a sampler type crazy quilt, complete with the catty wompus piecing and embroidery and velvet. It will take me a while, but then, that's what retirement is for.

Learning to freemotion quilt

My newest interest is freemotion quilting. I've done some small quilt projects before but never got to the point of learning the actually quilting part. I've haunted Youtube and websites and have been practicing. I really think I am getting the hang of it but last night I sewed my finger. I can't help but laugh, 50 years of sewing and my first sewing injury. The websites advise practicing on squares or rectangles of fabric/batting sandwiches. Since I am a waste not, want not kind of person, now my goal is to find uses of these small quilted squares and rectangles. Today I am working on a bag for my granddaughter, Mya to use for her Barbie clothes. My original thought was just a drawstring bag but I seem to be making something a little more complicated now. I should be done tomorrow and then back to practice squares.

My Review of 4-Pc Cast Iron Set

Originally submitted at Brylane Home

 4-Pc Cast Iron Set

I Love These Pans

My purpose in buying these pans was for no knead bread....they are a bit large for this without increasing the recipe but the bread turned out wonderful. I have used the pans on stovetop for things such as spagetti sauce, soups and am very pleased with them. I love cast iron and have several pans of various types. These are the first I have bought that were enamel coated. They clean easily and are very attractive.

(legalese)

Yesterday in my kitchen....

Have you ever woke with you day all planned in your head? As your senses came awake you had all of it coming together? I did that yesterday morning.

I pictured a chicken parm type dish, done in individual one serving casseroles, one to eat now, the rest for the freezer. As I made my way to the kitchen, I pictured bran muffins with dried fruit in them. By the time I was putting my coffee on I had rice pilaf planned. Then I thought of a lovely Tuscan bean soup and I was hooked, my day was planned.

With coffee on, I got the dogs and went outside. They roll on the grass and I look at my garden, some tomatoes ripe, a couple of zucchini. My peaches look ready, squeezing one it gives a little, so I pick it. Coming back into the house with my bounty, I taste the peach. Too firm still but wonderful flavor, I eat it all.

Muffins first; fresh ground whole wheat flour, organic bran, ground flax seed, old fashion oats, molasses, honey, coconut oil, buttermilk and eggs and the baking powder, soda, spices and dried cherries. How lovely they turned out. I kept some out to eat and froze the rest.

On to the rice, olive oil in a pan, various herbs and spices, then the nice organic brown rice. stir a bit and add broth, cover and simmer. As the rice cooks I go on to other things. Simmer a chicken thigh, add canned white beans, carrots, tomatoes, some herbs. By the end of the day, I have lovely Tuscan bean soup to eat and in the freezer, rice packaged in baggies and froze and all those lovely muffins.

What a lovely day I had.