Strings and Waffles

 It did create a huge mess and took quite a few hours, but

I did get all the paper of the string quilt!!! Netflix and Skypeing with friends helped.

I chose to use paper for the foundation instead of fabric because I wanted to keep the quilt light and thought that an extra layer of fabric would be too heavy. This will be a summer bed quilt for my son and I am planning on trying silk batting for it. The quilting will have to wait for a while - until there is a sale on batting.

I pressed all the centre seams in a spiral to reduce the bulk.

My next project is a table runner for someone special. I used the Apple Core die for the GO! and will add some appliqué.

I have been so pleased with the new waffle maker (Cloer form London Drugs in Canada) and thought I would share the recipe (this recipe comes from my BIL).

 Norwegian Waffles


2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla (or 1/4 tsp cardamom or poudre douce)
2 cups flour
1+1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

With an immersion or hand blender mix the milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add the flour and baking powder, when mixed add the butter. Let sit for 15-20 mins.


I cut the butter (I use less than the recipe calls for) up into small pieces and melt in the microwave until almost all melted. Then I stir it until it is all melted and put in the freezer while I prepare the rest of the batter. It is then cool and ready to be added.

You could probably replace some on the flour with whole wheat flour, although I haven't tried that yet.

This recipe does keep in the fridge for a few days. I make it the night before to speed things up in the morning - it doesn't take any more time than frozen ones in the toaster and tastes so much better. I like them best with strawberries and some maple syrup.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!♥

Finishes and A Recipe

I have a couple of finishes this week.

I finished sewing on the binding of the log cabin table topper.

I decorated my house for Christmas this week and the table topper is a great addition to the decorations.

I also made a tatted snowflake. I used #10 Cebelia and two shuttles, it is almost 5" across. The pattern is motif #17, from DMC's Festive Tatting. It is probably my favorite tatted snow flake pattern.

I wanted to share this delicious recipe for caramel honey pecan bars I made today, . The mixture of honey and cinnamon makes this a really wonderful version of pecan bars. It always wins rave reviews.

It is from this cookbook. I think bars and squares are much easier than cookies (the recipe is on the cover).

Caramel Honey Pecan Bars

Crust -

½ cup pecan halves
2½ cups flour
1 cup cold butter, cubed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten

Filling -

3½ cups pecan halves
3/4 cup butter
½ cup honey
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup whipping (35%) cream

Crust - In a food processor, process pecans until fine. Add flour, butter, sugar and egg (I don't beat it before, although the recipe calls for it, and it works fine). Process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press evenly into a greased jelly roll pan (15" x 10" x 1" pan). Bake in 350°F preheated oven, until edges are lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes.

Filling - Sprinkle pecan halves evenly over hot crust (you can make the bars more attractive by turning all the pecans right side up). Set aside. In a large, heavy saucepan melt butter and honey. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, and boil, stirring constantly until mixture is a rich caramel colour, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in whipping cream, mixing well (be very careful of the steam created). Pour evenly over pecans.
Return to oven and bake until top is bubbly, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on rack. Cut into bars (40-48 bars). The bars freeze well.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!!♥

Friday Update

My children had their first day of school/university today, so maybe things will get back to some sort of routine.

This week I made a bird pincushion and a thimble keeper (pipkin).

The thimble keeper comes from a tutorial by Idle Hands Empty Brain, that I found through the Quilt Rat. I added a coral stitch around to cover the joining stitches (probably won't do this step again). I also had a beaded tassel on one end, but it made it too hard to open the thimble keeper, so I cut it off.

The bird pincushion I made by modifying a pattern my mother gave me from a quilt magazine (sorry I don't know which one it came from).

(the original pattern)

The original pattern calls for a 1 3/4 " wooden spool and since I only had a 1" spool, I made the pattern smaller. The pattern also used wool, and I used cotton. I also wanted to have separate wings instead of appliqued ones, so I added those too.

My mother's quilting group is having a show next year (I have been asked to demonstrate free motion machine quilting), and they are going to give away door prizes. I thought these little projects would be good, so I will probably make some more.

Kelly over at Charming Chatter has asked the Charming Girls (I am so thrilled to be a part of this wonderful group of bloggers) to post their September/October Hopes and Dreams.
Mine are -
Make some more little door prizes
Finish the 8 flowers left on the Romanian Point Lace table center
Quilt the three quilt tops I made this summer -




Also Kelly has chosen a Quilting the Quilt theme for September/October, this is great for me since I have three quilt tops that need quilting! Usually when I finish a quilt top I quilt it right away - this is the first time I have ever made quilt tops with out quilting them - I hope this doesn't happen again!
I will be quilting them all (probably free motion of some kind) on my home sewing machine.

Update (18th Sept, 2010) - Finished the Four in Four Quilt.

Today I tried a new recipe from Too Many Chefs.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

This was so easy and smelled wonderful while it was roasting in the oven. Just a layer of plum tomatoes (halved), 2 onions (chopped) (all from the garden), a couple cloves of garlic (halved), sprinkled with salt and pepper, herbs and olive oil. Roasted at 400°, for 45 mins. I removed the peel from all the tomatoes before I pureed the sauce with an immersion blender. We ate it with home made pasta, and it was delicious! I will definitely make this again, it was incredibly easy!

The garden has also been doing very well.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!! ♥

Recipe and a Contest

Yesterday I had time to make some bread (before my mother and sister arrived for their lesson). They both wanted the recipe, so I thought I would share it here too.

This is a really easy recipe that I have been making for many years, so it has been very modified over the years. The important part is the liquid, but the flour and add-ins are very flexible. Makes two loaves.

Multi-Grain Bran Bread

1/4 cup butter - melted
1 cup milk
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp salt
4 ½ cups whole wheat flour (can be half white flour) (I use Robin Hood Best for Bread Whole Wheat or Multi Grain flour)
1/2 cup bran
1 ¼ tbsp fast rising instant yeast
About 1 cup of an assortment of grains (sunflower seeds, millet, sesame seeds, cracked wheat, corn meal, uncooked Red River cereal, oats, flax seeds, etc) anything to suite your taste.
1 egg

Heat melted butter, milk, water, honey, molasses and salt to 50-55°C. In a large mixer bowl combine flour, bran, grains and yeast. Add warm liquid and with dough hook mix on low speed for a couple seconds. Add egg. Continue mixing on Speed 2 (Kitchen Aid mixer) until the bowl comes clean adding more flour as necessary. Remove from bowl and knead into a ball. Add a small amount of oil to the bowl to lightly grease the bowl and return the dough, spinning it coat. Cover.
Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a large rectangle. Roll up from the short end, pinch the ends and fold them under, place in a greased (and lined) loaf pan. Repeat for other loaf. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Brush milk on the top of the loaves and sprinkle with oats/sesame/flax seeds if desired. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

I also wanted to mention a blog that I have been enjoying - Down-to-Earth. Among many things, Rhonda blogs about kitchen sinks (people' s kitchens) around the world. I love to see other peoples houses. It amazes me how similar we all are!

There is a contest going on over at Fresh Cut Quilts Pattern Co, she is giving away a beautiful layer cake and two of her lovely patterns. The contest ends on Friday.

Tomorrow is the Friday Night Sew-In! I will be working on the little pinwheel quilt. Hope you will join us!

Have a great day! ♥