Scrappy Days!

This is what I have been working on over the last week or so. I got into my batik scraps and cut 6 1/2" squares out of as many as I could and then cut 1 1/2" x 11" strips out of the rest. I didn't count them as I cut, but I ended up with enough to make a 60" x 72" lap quilt. I am not planning on adding a border and I hope to find a back on a clearance sale somewhere. I also have been cutting the same pieces out of my regular cotton scraps and I will piece that one next.

By the way, I sewed this and the preceding t-shirt quilt on a machine without a light. My machine bulb burned out the same day that both bulbs went out in our oven! I have 3 Janomes and they all have different bulbs-GRRR!

Harley Davidson & the T-shirt Quilt

I have come to a momentous decision. I know you are on the edge of your seat! Here it is. In homage to Ree Drummond, AKA The Pioneer Woman, and due to the fact that my husband has specifically asked me not to use his name here or on Facebook, I will here to for refer to him as "Harley Davidson". Or just HD when I am feeling especially lazy, which is an awful lot of the time! Anyway, it is because of his line of work that he prefers to remain anonymous. No, he is not a spy or a celebrity.

Moving on...here is my latest quilt! I was given the shirts by Harley Davidson about 6 months ago and I really think that he believed that I stuffed them in the closet and forgot about the whole thing. I kind of did for a few months, but then I thought what a great Christmas gift it would make and I got busy. The sashing is one of the regular cotton versions of the "Stonehenge" line and the back is one of the flannel versions of the same line. I also included a couple of the tags from the shirts in the center top block. They were pretty neat looking and I hated to throw them away. As you can tell, he was very happy with his present!

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."
-Charles Dickens

Merry Christmas to all, peace on Earth, good will to men!

Peggy's Pecan Pie

As I start my cooking for this weekend, I thought I would share this great idea from my friend, Peggy. Peggy is one of the ladies in the Creative Hearts ministry at First Baptist in Marble Falls and she is a great cook.

You use whatever pecan pie recipe that you like, but before you pour the filling into the crust, you put some chopped, fresh cranberries and orange zest in the bottom of the crust. I know, but it is crazy good, in fact, I have been told it is the best pecan pie ever! Even if you are not a cranberry fanatic like me, you will still like this. It cuts the sweetness of the filling in a most perfect way.

Of course, then I put The Pioneer Woman's Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce on top ;)

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/?s=whiskey+maple+cream+sauce&submit=

Doris' Elegant Toffee

Although I love to cook and do it a lot, making candy has always intimidated me. Yes, I know. I guess it is the requirements of temperature, soft ball, hard crack, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, when I got this recipe from my cousin Doris (she's actually my mom's cousin, but I digress, again) I thought it sounded pretty straight forward.
Here's what you need.
1 cup pecan halves
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1-12 oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Here's the method.
On a foil lined baking sheet, arrange the pecan halves in single layer over about 2/3 of the sheet.
In a sauce pan, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly until butter is melted. Continue stirring until the mixture starts to brown , about 7-9 minutes. I know, it sounds like a long time-it's worth it! If you are a slave to the candy thermometer, you are looking for 300 degrees. At that time, pour the hot mixture over the pecans on the baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle the whole bag of chocolate chips over the hot butter concoction. Wait a minute, and then use an offset spatula to spread the melted chocolate evenly over the cooling toffee. Sprinkle with the chopped nuts and allow to cool. You can speed this up by placing the sheet pan in the fridge. I use a fork to break up the toffee into pieces. This makes a great gift. Seriously, it is possible not to eat it all yourself. Or so I've heard!

Finally Almost Finished!

Well, here it is, my latest project, sans binding. I pieced this in the spring in Rockport and finally found a back while in Missouri last week. The pattern is called "Brickwork" and it is comprised entirely of 3 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangles. I made this almost completely from my stash! I quilted it with a fall leaf pattern in a rust thread.

My next plan is to get into my scrap bin and cut up what I can into rectangles and make a scrappy version of this pattern. That is, of course, after I quilt all the customer quilts I have and complete the other 82 projects I have planned!