Halloween in …. February???

The sewing binge continues! I finally finished my October quilting project.  I just love this orange and black table runner.  The front is a triangle pattern and the back is crazy squares.  Only 4 months late (or 8 months early)!   What do you think? I discovered my procrastination point – quilting.  I like hand […]

Gin and Tonic

Gin and tonics are my favorite summer cocktail. The key to a good G & T is to use good quality tonic.  The supermarket brands are blah and flat tonic is frankly gross.  I suggest buying your tonic in small bottles and drinking it the same day you open it.  The gin, on the other […]

Extreme Makeover – Pincushion Edition

How I Went From Frumpy to Fabulous in Fifty Minutes I stumbled across some extra felt in my fabric stash.  Giddy from all the cute projects on Pinterest I decided I needed a new pincushion made of felt. Warning – going on the line to read stuff on the interweb leads to side projects that […]

Scraptastic

To keep or not to keep? My monthly quilting extravaganza is generating a lot of scraps.  At first I didn’t feel bad about throwing the scraps away since I’m trying to GET RID of fabric, thank you very much. But then I started reading on the interweb.  Nothing good can come of that, right?  First […]

Lamb Curry

I’ve stopped buying curry powders and pastes.  I got tired of discovering 5-year-old half-used packages of curry paste at the back of my fridge.  It’s pretty easy to make your own and (bonus for wimps like me) you can control the heat level. This recipe is not exactly a Thai red curry but it contains […]

Finishing a Quilt – The Binding

Binding a quilt seems hard but it’s actually pretty easy.  My method requires some hand sewing but I think it creates a more finished look. These instructions assume that you have already quilted together your layers of quilt top, quilt back and batting.  I also assume that your quilt top is squared and that you’ve […]

Freezer Paper Applique

I like to use the freezer paper method for my applique work.  Here is how I do it. Use regular grocery store freezer paper.  It’s waxy on one side with white paper on the other.  You should be able to find it at larger grocery stores and mass retailers.  White is best because you can […]

What I’m Reading in January

Isa Does It: Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Vegan Recipes for Every Day of the Week January is all about self improvement.  No cocktail recipes for me this month.  No sir. Like just about everyone, I’m trying to eat less meat and dairy.  To that end I thought I’d check out a vegan cookbook.  I’m hoping […]