Threadplay Breathes Life into Quilts

A dog named Bailey gets new life.

I was given this cute dog quilt to do something with.  It was already quilted with the binding firmly attached when I got this quilt.  The quilting was done well.  It was invisible thread holding down the edges of the applique pieces.  My client's desire was to have it look less flat.  It was a wonderful little quilt already (and this client happens to be my grandmother's), so I began with a little trepidation honestly.
It was such fun though and I quickly learned all the stitching looked great.  I kept changing thread colors and designs depending on where I was in the piece.  When I was finished, this dog had so much more character than before.  The texture of the hair was what was really missing on those fabrics.  The back of the quilt looks really cool now too!  I hope Nana loves it.

Here is a little food bit for you all.  Now that I am home again for the winter, there will probably be more postings of recipes.  This is just an idea that I know I can not have been the first to come up with.  So, I made a box of mac & cheese the other day and then while reaching for the parmesan cheese, I spied the leftover bacon.  Oh, what a delight!  I am so glad I sprinkled the cheese and the bacon crumbles onto the macaroni!  Delicious but Dangerous is the board I am creating on Pinterest for all these recipes.
I am blessed with work and would love to be doing the next quilt (I have 7 to do this week).  Sadly though, I woke up though with a seriously swollen thumb. (arthritis?)  Hopefully it will go away soon and I can get back to playing on my long arm.
 I wish you all a beautiful fall filled with inspirations!

Happy Halloween!

Last night, I went to a friends house for chili and mountain-style trick-or-treating. As normal, the winds were at about 50 mile an hour gusts blowing snow all over these kids. One father organized a "hayride" (a.k.a. truck-ride) to a bunch of houses that answered the call. It was quite funny to suddenly see 20 kids bundled up so much you couldn't even tell what the costumes were. I hope everyone has a safe and happy one.
Speaking of chili, I thought I'd share my green chili recipe. I grew up in Taos, NM and am addicted to green chili. There are many different recipes for this savory stuff. My version is a simple one great for smothering burritos, enchiladas, and such and can be whipped up fairly quickly.
Here's how I make it:
1) Saute a small onion in 1-2 tablespoons butter.
2) One onions are golden, stir in 1-2 Tablespoon flour (this 1-2 bit lets you make a bit more)
3) After flour is absorbed, add:
about 1 cup water
1 teaspoon chicken bullion (vegetable stock if you want a vegetarian form)
1/4 cup frozen green chili (or can)
chopped garlic
salt, black pepper, and dash cayenne
4) Let it all simmer and get good. If it gets too thick, add more water.
Use on everything you think it would be good on, you will probably be right. Green Chili Rocks!

July 4th & Coleslaw

Hello and Happy July 4th weekend to everyone! It's been quite a week or two for me with land disputes and photo shoots. I managed to find time yesterday though to clean the house and make my husband a nice dinner. I thought he deserved it as he has been working a lot and dealing with a car that likes to break down lately. Enforced exercise is a good thing (in the summer anyway).
This weekend is for bar-b-ques. How many have you been invited too? Or are you hosting one? I whipped up a coleslaw last night that had me surprised at it's wonderful flavors. Here is the recipe:
Red Cabbage Coleslaw
1/2 head red cabbage (grated with cheese grater)
2 med carrots (grated like cabbage)
Mix following dressing and combine together with cabbage/carrot:
1/3 cup Mayo
1 T Ketchup
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T Apple Cider Vinegar
1 T Sugar
1/2 t each of Caraway, Sesame, & Poppy Seeds
Salt & Pepper to taste
I couldn't get enough of this colorful and delicious salad. Oh, if I had some sunflower seeds last night, they would have been thrown in too. I hope you enjoy this salad and all the other goodies at all the other bar-b-ques this summer!
Happy Independence Day!

Thanksgiving, Cranberries, and Bears, Oh my!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving shared with our friends. One of my friends likes to ask if we've seen any wildlife lately. For some reason, whenever he does, a bear or two will come strolling through the property. It never fails and Thanksgiving was no exception. A small bear came to see what smelled so good. Luckily, no damage was done. I love watching the wildlife but not enough to bait it purposely. Accidents do happen though.
Shortly after moving back to the mountains, I found an old bag of cranberrries in the freezer. Well, I thought I'd be nice to the birds. It was spring and food sources were scarce for the returning birds. So I threw the berries off the porch for the birds. The cranberries glistened like rubies on top of the snow. It was so pretty. My husband came home from work and casually asked me if I thought bears liked berries. I couldn't believe that I had not thought of that possibility. Needless to say, he picked up every single little jewel-like berry and disposed of them properly. No bears visited us that time.
This year, all the cranberries were eaten by us humans. I made up a batch of my favorite Cranberries in Port Wine. Over the years, I've learned to make these with more sugar than the original recipe. Adjust to your own taste as recipes are just springboards. Great ideas that can be completely tailored to suit your life's desires. That being said, here is how I make my Cranberries in Port Wine:
1) Wash and pick over 16 oz bag of cranberries. Put in heavy medium-size saucepan.
2) Add : 1/4 Cup Port Wine of choice
Juice of 1 Orange
1/2 Cup sugar
3) Bring to a boil. Let boil until the cranberries are soft and popped. The syrup should be
fairly thick. (The more sugar, the thicker it will be.)
4) Remove from heat and add fresh orange zest and lemon thyme if you've got it.
Let this cool and keep it in a jar in the fridge. I make them before Thanksgiving and they are really good by Christmas. Don't keep past the New Year though unless properly canned.