Friday, July 29, 2011

Tea Cup Pin Cushion

When my Mom and sister were visiting a few weeks ago, we browsed around a tea shop near my house.  They have all kinds of interesting things -- both new and re-purposed.  One idea I thought was so cute was a pin cushion made out of a tea cup.  I found a pretty tea cup the other day at the thrift store, and thought about that idea again.  Here is the result.


Monday, July 25, 2011

Berries 'n Cream Pie

One of the most delicious pies I've made is Berries 'n Cream, a recipe from my mother-in-law.   I've made this with cherries, blueberries, and peaches, and each time it is equally delicious.  Here's the recipe in "not a lot of detail" format.
Set oven to 400 degrees.
Set aside 4 cups fresh berries in prepared crust.
Mix and pour over berries:
2/3 c. sugar
4 Tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup cream
Bake until crust is golden (35-45 minutes).

Today I had blackberries on hand, but didn't have 4 cups, so made a very similar pie.  This one is from my well-used Mennonite Community Cookbook.
It is called Sour Cream Berry or Cherry Tart
2 1/2 cups elderberries or blackberries
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup sour cream
1 pie crust
Wash berries or seeded cherries and place in an unbaked crust.

Combine sugar and flour.
Add sour cream and blend thoroughly.
Pour mixture over fruit.

Bake at 425 for 15 min., reduce heat (I reduced it to 350) and continue to bake for 30 minutes (or longer until it looks done).
Mmmmm!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Linking...

There are many Link Parties out there on "blog land", and I enjoy linking a project now and then.  Today I linked my sewing machine cover project to Tea Rose Home, which is one of my favorite blogs to follow.  Check it out for some great ideas shared from people all over the world ... http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/2011/07/link-party-no62.htmlGrabButtonLinkParty.jpg  

Also... yesterday's sewing project -- another of my "favs" to sew -- a gathered clutch. http://www.noodle-head.com/2010/04/gathered-clutch-tutorial.html  The pictures are a bit blurry, but it's already off to other places, so no retakes. 


Have a great Wednesday!
Cary

Monday, July 18, 2011

Sewing Machine Cover is finished!

The sewing machine cover is finally finished!  The quilting has been finished for some time, but I had a few other things that took my attention away from the sewing machine.  So -- finally -- last night I finished off the ties to pull the sides together.  I'm very pleased with the way it came out.  It is the first quilting project I've done without a pattern in mind before starting.  It was fun to see how it came out in the end!  Today is my first day off after summer school, which means I have almost four weeks to enjoy a slower pace of life. I'm hoping to get some sewing time in amidst the job of making pickles, jellies, canning tomatoes, freezing peppers, gardening, visiting, and all the other great things that happen this time of year.


Just for fun I made the ties out of two different fabrics.


The back of the cover.  I quilted on white, following the same basic pattern of quilting used on the front.

New Amy Butler fabrics just waiting for a project.  Hmmm...

A Joel Dewberry fabric.  I'm not sure what I'll do with the 1/4 yard yet, but something will come.  This is the first time I've used his fabric.  I love the birds!
I'm linking today to MadeByYouMonday.jpg http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/07/18/made-by-you-monday-58/

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Garden Glory

A walk in my garden never ceases to bring a feeling of delight to my soul.





Had to try some fun editing!
These were all taken with my very basic camera.  Thanks to   http://piecesofcontentment.blogspot.com/2011/07/i-spy.html  for the stunning inspiration of close-up flowers!