Journal Your Christmas

I started this online class last year, but only got as far as a cover for my journal. This year I'm doing it again and hope I can get more done. My schedule for December includes finishing my electronic capstone portfolio, graduation, my birthday, my son's birthday, my wedding anniversary, and, of course, Christmas.

I am already looking forward to decorating, baking, putting the Christmas quilt on the bed, and planning lots of wonderful little surprises. Having a journal I can have fun assembling and then enjoy year after year is the something else I want to do, just for me.

If you'd like to find out more about this class, click here.

Girly-Girl Socks

I've begun knitting another pair of socks. This one is in girly-girl pink. I'm using size 1 dpns and Koigu yarn. I love this pattern stitch. It's a nine stitch, four round pattern.

Rnd 1: K2togb, yo, k3, yo k2togf, p2
Rnd 2: K7, p2
Rnd 3: K2, yo, sl1, k2 tog, psso, yo, k2, p2
Rnd 4: K7, p2

Bumblebee Socks

Reading about self-striping socks at Yarn Storm's blog reminded me of the many self-striping yarns I've bought through the years which have been languishing in my stash. One reason, of course, is that most use size 0 needles which are the about the size of toothpicks. The knitting is just plain stockinette, but the size of the needles means a lot of knitting. I did start several pairs and found them in a basket, still on the needles.

The bumblebee socks were almost finished so I chose to work on them first. I bought the yarn (Opal Bumblebee 187) several years ago. It is no longer available.

Two ATCs

Here are the two ATCs I made this morning.

Patchwork Garden

Here are the blocks I've pieced and appliquéd so far for Jan Patek's quilt pattern, Patchwork Garden.

To Sew is to Pray

To sew is to pray. Men don't understand this. They see the whole but they don't see the stitches. They don't see the speech of the creator in the work of the needle. We mend. We women turn things inside out and set things right. We salvage what we can of human garments and piece the rest into blankets. Sometimes our stitches stutter and show. Only a woman's eye can tell. Other time, the tension in the stitches might be too tight because of tears, but only we know what emotion went into the making. Only woman can hear the prayer.
Four Souls, Louise Erdrich, page 176

A Christmas Gift

Oh dear, oh dear. I have been neglecting this blog dreadfully. The problem is time or rather, the lack of time.

Here is a placeholder post. This is a photo of a gift I received last Christmas. It is a Muller 12 antique toy sewing machine. Made of cast iron it sews a simple chain stitch. Mine has a lovely case as well.

The Muller factory was founded by Friedrich Wilhelm Muller in 1868 and produced sewing machines until the 1970s. They were one of the largest manufacturers of small sewing machines in the world.

Beadwork

Mittens on a Line

Doll Quilt

Yes, this is another doll quilt. Well, the pieced top. It hasn't been quilted yet. In fact it's not fully sewn together. And no, I haven't finished the other doll quilt top yet.

The pieced squares are made up of 1" scraps of feedsack prints from the scrapbag I inherited from John's great-aunt through his grandmother. The quilt top measures 10" square.

Thrift-Store Find

I found this cute little wooden doll bed at the thrift store the same day I found my new
knitting bag . It's about 6 inches high and 9 inches across. The miniature quilt pictured with it was made a number of years ago and is 7 1/2 inches square. The $1.95 price tag included the little pink mattress! I couldn't resist!

Blogs for Those Who Love Aprons

Yes! There are blogs devoted to aprons! Making aprons, collecting aprons, reading books about aprons, apron patterns, and more! Check out this blog Tie One On and look at the dozens, dozens! of links to blogs written by other apron lovers.

More Aprons

Here's a webpage which sells wonderful church lady apron patterns .

101 Meals in 10 Minutes or Less

Oh, yes! This is my kind of cooking for this time of year and at this time of my life! Enjoy!

Wall of Antique Doll Quilts

I'm not the only one who has fallen in love with the idea of having a wall full of doll quilts. This photo is from Collecting American Country . Now all I have to do is find a blank wall and start making doll quilts!

Aprons

I collect many things. Fabrics, vintage rick-rack, patterns, books, buttons, charms, beads,--all sorts of things. One collection I've been working on most recently is my apron collection. I collect apron books, apron patterns, and best of all, vintage aprons. There are some on Ebay, but they're expensive. The best place to find them is thrift stores. And if I can't find ones I like, then I can always make some.

Little Song Birds

The little song birds are back. I've missed them.I think they were gorging themselves in the grass seed fields these past few weeks and now that harvest is almost done, they've come back to the gardens in town.

Summer Cake

A friend gave me this recipe years ago and I use it every summer. The original recipe used black plums but I've made this with peaches and with apples. The cake is rich and easy to make. The recipe calls for using a springform pan, which is fine if you want to make a presentation cake, but if a homey cake is all you need, use a heavy, round cake pan. This cake is nice with a little dollop of whipped cream or, when it's still warm, with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream. The bad part is that it takes an hour to bake, but I usually bake it early in the morning or while baking something else. Wrap it well and it will keep six months in the freezer. Here's the recipe:

Summer Cake

Preheat oven to 350F.
Butter and flour a 9" springform (or plain round cake) pan.
Cream: 1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter

Add and beat until the consistency of tiny crumbs: 1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Add and beat: 2 eggs
Spoon into pan, spreading evenly.
Place cut side down on batter: 8-12 plums, halved.
Combine and sprinkle over plums: 3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Bake 1 hour. Serves 8-10

Library Books on Hold

The library limits me to 25 holds and I always have all my slots used up. Of course, John uses some for CDs and DVDs he wants (putting a hold on them is the only way to get them). These are some of the books I have on hold now:

** Itty-bitty Hats: Cute and Cuddly Hats to Knit for Babies and Toddlers
** Kaffe Fassett's Quilts in the Sun
** Clean & Simple Scrapbooking: Ideas for Design, Photography, Journaling & Typography

Old Sage Pincushion

I am making this pin cushion with hand-dyed wool, cotton fabrics, beads,an antique button, and embroidery floss with a piece of old upholstery fabric for the backing. This is what I've done so far. No, that isn't where the vines will go; I've cut them out but haven't pinned them in the correct spots yet.