Friday five (fall baking edition)

I didn't intend for this Friday five to be all about fall baking, but it sort of turned out that way, so ... here we go.

1.  First, let me say how thankful I am for last weekend's couples' retreat at The Wilds of New England!  My hubby and I just never want to miss this time.  It's like a yearly reset for our marriage; edifying Bible teaching for couples along with great food, fellowship, music, campfires, coffee, hayrides, ice cream and so much more.  All this in a glorious setting of New England fall foliage.  Yes, there is a baking connection here:  Friday night's dessert was homemade pumpkin whoopie pies with a delicious spiced filling.  Mm-mmm!

2.  A working oven.  Last Thursday we had guests for brunch and then a guest at supper.  My oven was going a good bit of the day.  That evening, I turned the oven on again to a low temperature, to dry out a metal pan.  There was a strong smell of gas and I remembered that my hubby had been saying he needed to order a delivery of propane, so we both assumed we might be running out.  But the burner flames looked fine.  Still, I turned the oven off immediately.
     When he called the next day to order the propane, he unthinkingly mentioned the strong gas odor, and was told they needed to send a technician out to look over the tank and stove.  In our state, maybe others, this is required by law if a customer mentions a strong propane smell.  He did come, everything is fine with both stove and tank and our tank is now full (we were not running out, as we thought, but it was time for a delivery to get us through winter).    So thankful for a working oven, as I've been baking a lot the past couple of days -- it's my turn to bring snacks for Sunday's coffee break at church.

3.  Aprons.  The older I get, the more necessary I find it to wear an apron when I cook, just like my mother and grandmother always did.  Thankful for cute aprons!

An apron I made for my granddaughter Sarah one Christmas

4.   Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour.  I like to use this for cookies, cakes, muffins, and biscuits because it means I can just use my old favorite recipes, substituting this cup-for-cup for regular flour.  (Don't try to use it for pizza or yeast breads, though, because it won't work.)  I absolutely love being able to use some of my old recipes again!

5.  Recipes.  As I was baking in my kitchen this morning I was thinking about how thankful I am for recipes old and new, but especially those that have been handed down from loved ones.   I guess this came to mind because I was making a Cranberry Coffee Cake.  This recipe got its start with one from my mother's good friend Evelyn, a fabulous cook and a faithful sharer of good recipes, so that's probably why it came to mind.

That, and all of the clearing out I've been doing at my childhood home, has really got me thinking about the importance of recipe boxes and notebooks.  This deserves a post all its own, so watch for it -- hopefully soon!

In the meantime, why not do some fall baking of your own?  You can check out some of my favorites here -- Some of my favorite apple recipes, pumpkin and squash recipes (this post also contains some main dish recipes) or just click "pumpkin" or "apples" in the label cloud.  Happy baking!

A few minutes for sewing!

I'm so tickled that I finally found time to complete a simple sewing project.  I haven't sewed in months, maybe close to a year.  Life has just been too busy.

A grandson's birthday was being celebrated this past weekend and I needed just one more gift for him.  I checked my notebook where I keep birthday ideas and saw that at some point Josiah's mom had told me he needed a new apron.  He has outgrown his and has to borrow an apron from her when he bakes.

Could I take the time?  Should I take the time?  Other responsibilities press in on me daily.  I asked my husband if he thought I should take the time to do this.  His hearty response:  "You absolutely should!  Things like this are important too."

I found an easy tutorial I had previously saved and set about making an apron pattern out of newspaper. Then I had to find some fabric.  The birthday boy loves green, so I found some green checked fabric in my stash.  This tutorial was for a reversible apron, and I was really stuck on what to use for the other side, when I came upon this fabric:

This piece of fabric was a gift from one of my daughters years ago -- it's a print of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries.  I've hoarded it for years, unable to decide what to make with it.  It does have sprigs of green in the print, so here was my answer.

I made and cut out the pattern, then cut the apron pieces out of fabric all on Friday.  Saturday afternoon it only took an hour or possibly two to finish sewing the apron.  I was so pleased with how it came out!

It was such a blessing to me to be able to sew.  I hadn't realized how much I had missed it.  The apron tutorial is here, if you are interested:Making it Fun.   You can find this apron tutorial in the right sidebar under the name Classic Apron Tutorial.  Click on the picture of the apron and the pdf appears for download or printing.

The tutorial has directions for both child and adult apron patterns.  I made this one in between those two sizes, which differed by a couple of inches.  Josiah is 10, but I wanted the apron to fit him for awhile.  I am not sure I've ever made a reversible apron before, but this is a great tutorial and so easy.  It went together so easily and was just plain fun to make.  It would be even more fun with some really cute fabric, but I was determined to use something from my sizeable fabric stash.

I still have enough of the berry fabric left to use for some fun projects,

like mug mats or pot holders or something similar, so I'm happy.

And I'd say Josiah is pretty pleased, too.

So thankful I took the time to do this little project!

A few pictures of handmade gifts

Graphic from Little Birdie Blessings

I don't have time today to share all of the crafts I made for Christmas gifts, but here are a few.

I made three sets of mug rugs:

These were for a friend whose name I drew in the Sunday School gift exchange.  This shows the fronr and back sides.

Just the front sides of these Christmas mug rugs.

I made these for a friend.

I made these for a Yankee swap at church.

 I used the same pattern (adapted somewhat) for all three, but the author of the tutorial encourages creativity with the side panel -- the larger panel where the embroidery is on some of the mug rugs -- and suggests using not just embroidery but other possible options as well -- applique, or just showcasing a particularly pretty piece of fabric.

This is the pattern I used:  tea time mug rugs.  I chose to use only a 1/4" seam allowance with the strips, rather than 1/2", so I ended up needing only 6 pieces rather than 7.

And I made 2 aprons for middle school age girls.  I think these would fit teens as well, and probably even adults.  The picture on the pattern (from Gooseberry Patch Christmas book 12) showed a young teenage girl.

These were made from tea towels and turned out simply adorable.  They were very fast to make, just simple cutting, pressing and sewing.  The neck/waist tie is grosgrain ribbon.

And here is a cross stitch trivet I made for my daughter's birthday.

It's actually a plexiglas trivet with cross stitch insert.  The pattern is from Cross Country Stitching and is one of several projects with a tea time theme.

Hope you have enjoyed this look at a few recent crafts!

Apron Giveaway at Retro Revival!

(Photo from The Vintage Sheet Blog)

If you love aprons as much as I do, you'll want to check into this Apron Giveaway at Retro Revival.  It's actually a guest post by Heather of The Vintage Sheet Blog, and includes a wonderful-sounding orange dessert recipe as well as the giveaway of a pretty orange apron.  The apron is a half apron made from a vintage pillowcase.  Ordinarily I am not much of a half-apron wearer, preferring the type with more protection from spills, but I would make an exception for this one.  It is just so cute!  Wouldn't you love to win this apron?  I know I would!  Head on over to the Apron Giveaway and get in on the fun!  A winner will be randomly selected on Sunday night, October 28.

Another fabulous giveaway at Faithfulness Farm!

Gail, over at Faithfulness Farm, is offering a wonderful giveaway you might like to get in on.  She's giving away a copy of Gooseberry Patch's Meals in Minutes, the special 10th anniversary edition.  The recipes she has shared in the giveaway posts sound absolutely delicious, and she recommends the entire cookbook.

But Gail is not just giving away a book -- oh no, she is also giving away a vintage-inspired apron she has made, and a vintage-inspired tea towel set.  A very generous giveaway!  You can enter here: Faithfulness Farm Giveaway and, for a bonus entry, you can post about the giveaway on your blog or on Facebook.  If you do this, be sure to leave a second comment telling Gail you have done so.  Now I'm off to do just that!

Girls' apron ~ a fun sewing project

This is an apron I recently finished for Julia, who just turned 5. Unfortunately, it turned out quite a bit too big, but she is wearing it anyway. (The pattern said it should fit ages 4-8 or so.) It should fit her perfectly in a year or two!

A neat thing about this apron is that all of the fabric except the neck/shoulder strap is from my mother's stash. The flower print is from a dress I had as a teen, the tiny pink check (waistband/ties) is from a shirt I had as a toddler, and I think the pink stripe was something she made a dress from for herself. That's another thing that drew me to this pattern -- one can use a mix of fabrics. I like the way this apron turned out with the different fabrics.

Here's the pattern source: Girls' Apron. Even though it turned out too large for petite Julia, I love the pattern and it was extremely easy to make. I will probably be making more of these!

Show & Tell Friday for April 3

For Show & Tell today, I thought I would share a few of my aprons. This first one was given to me by my friend Lynne. I believe she found it at a thrift shop. Isn't it pretty? Lots of work in this!

Here is a close-up of the apron bib with its cross-stitched bird. Amazing! This is stitched on 22-count (or something even finer) material. I can't even imagine doing this stitchery.

This red-checked apron was made for my son by his grandma when he was about 5. Now his daughters love to wear it when they help me in the kitchen!

This child's apron was made by my grandmother. I think she devised this pattern herself. As you see, it goes over the head and ties on the sides. This would fit a 2-year old or possibly a petite 3-year old.

And this child's apron (also made by my grandmother) is my favorite, because I remember that she had an apron made from this exact same material. The side ties for this are simply twill tape.
Oh, and I just remembered this would be my grandmother's birthday. She was born in 1901!

To see what others have shared for Show & Tell this week, go visit visit There is No Place Like Home
and check out the links. It’s so much fun to see what others have to share!

A fun sewing project

Some of my most joyful moments this Christmas season have been spent at my little glass-topped sewing desk, creating gifts for friends and family. I must note that I am not a perfectionist type of seamstress. The fun of creating means much more to me than making the end result perfect. Saturday, on a whim, I decided to make an apron for a dear friend. She lives several states away, but was to be in New England briefly and we planned a meeting on Sunday afternoon. As I'd been working on other handmade gifts, I had come across some pretty green fabric with tiny red apples. I thought it would be perfect for an apron. And my friend's favorite color is green... so I spent part of Saturday whipping up this apron.

The fabrics are not specifically Christmas ones, so it may be worn anytime... but doesn't it make a pretty apron for this holiday?

Sew Crafty Friday for September 21

This hasn’t been the most accomplishing week craft-wise, but I did finish a couple of things. I’ll show you some of them.

I did finish another dishcloth in the “Gumdrop” yarn, but those are old hat by now. I probably won’t post another dishcloth photo until I finish one in a new and different color -- like the “Faded Denim” one I’m currently working on.

I also finished a crocheted snowflake -- but won’t post a photo of those until they are all stiffened and glittered and completely finished. They don’t look like much right now.

The apron I’d been working on for a friend is finished and I gave it to her yesterday. She loved it and it fits perfectly. I detest this particular apron pattern as far as working on it goes -- but I love the apron itself and the pattern, though it’s a pain, is far easier than similar aprons I’ve made. I had planned to cut out another one right away, but decided to give it a rest for awhile.


(On the window beside the door where the apron is hanging, you can see my el cheapo window treatment composed of a napkin and 2 placemats from the clearance aisle at Walmart. I had used 2 napkins -- no placemats -- on windows in other places, but had bought 2 packs of placemats ($1) by mistake, so combined them with the napkins It is different, but I think it looks quite nice.)

The other crafting I did this week was a set of 6 of these green print place mats.

I downloaded a free pattern from Craft and Fabric Links.com
and they truly were very, very easy. It only took me a couple of hours to finish all six of them, and I sandwiched it in and around other activities on an extremely busy day.


(Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, I did not make the log cabin mat in the center of the table. That was made by my friend Marilyn, and is just gorgeous. I’d like to take up quilting some day, but that’s a future project!)

In addition, I have also made a bit of progress on an embroidered dishtowel and my cross-stitch sampler, but not enough to post photos yet.

Remember, if you’ve done any crafting this week, even if you haven’t actually completed anything, head on over to http://w8ng4him.blogspot.com and share your projects. It’s such fun and so inspiring to see what others are working on!

Sew Crafty Friday for September 7

This wasn’t the most productive week, craftwise. Most of my items are works in progress!

First up, 2 dishcloths. I did manage to finish those this week, mostly in the car while traveling on Labor Day.

Next, the Saturday towel from the “Fine Chinaware” set of dishtowels. This towel is almost completed -- just a few French knots left to do! (And then, of course, five more towels.)


And lastly, here’s how the apron is progressing. I have the sides sewn to the front, and the front facing in place. You can’t really see this in the photo, but the facing is a different fabric -- a nifty blue homespun check that coordinates quite well with the sunflower fabric.



How about you? Have you done any crafting this week? Even a work in progress? Then head on over to Shereen’s blog and share what you’ve been working on. The more the merrier -- it’s fun and encouraging to share crafting with others!

Sew Crafty Friday for August 31

I haven’t really accomplished a lot this week, craft-wise. But during a day at the beach on Tuesday, I managed to finish 2 projects.

First, a dishcloth, in the “Daisy Ombre” color. I really like this; it is a nice restful color and would work with a lot of people’s kitchens. In the same photo, my first flour-sack towel in the “Fine Chinaware” set. Isn’t it a pretty design? I’m so pleased with how it turned out.


Next, I managed to finish off the apron pocket I embroidered last week and get it sewed onto the side piece of the apron. I think it’s looking quite nice! I’ve got most of the second pocket embroidered, but the hard part (the flower petals) is still to come.


I’ve also started another crocheted snowflake which I think will be quite pretty and is fairly easy -- I may well make the last 2 snowflakes from that pattern also.

And I’ve also started yet another dishcloth -- those things are addictive! -- in the “Potpourri” color.

And I’ve begun the first of 2 personalized cookbooks, but don’t really have much to show for that yet. Maybe next week!

And that about does it for this week’s crafting...

Oh, and if you’ve done any crafting this week -- even if it’s just a work in progress so far, I encourage you to drop in at Shereen’s blog and share your work with the rest of us. It really is fun and a great encouragement to share our crafts and ideas with others.

This week's crafting efforts

Well, the crafting this week has been sporadic, but a few things have been accomplished.

First, another dishcloth, this one in shades of green. Not my top favorite, but it was fun to work on. I’ve barely started one more dishcloth; this one will be the “Daisy Ombre” color.


Next, a shot of the completed flour-sack dish towel, the last of that set. I’m glad to see the last of the colonial girls -- they are sort of cute, but the transfers didn’t work well and I was guessing a lot of the time. I’ve just started the “Fine Chinaware” set and think it’s going to be a lot of fun.



And here are the completed coasters I showed you the fabric for last week. I’m very pleased with how they came out.



And here is the first completed apron pocket. It’s going into a retro-style apron*, and the main apron fabric is going to be the sunflower print shown in the swatch. I still need to embroider the second pocket before going on with the apron.



And that pretty much does it for this week’s crafting!


* By the way, if anyone is interested, the apron pattern (which is probably not still available at stores since I’ve had it awhile, but I’m sure could be found on line somewhere), is McCall’s Crafts 3068. It has lots of other neat stuff in addition to the apron. Pot holders, place mats, an adorable window topper -- and a tea towel! I spent a few minutes last night doing a search for just such a tea towel pattern -- not the flour sack type like I’ve been doing, but one made from 2 different fabrics with an appliqué or rickrack, etc. like you see in shops and country-type catalogs. I had completely forgotten that a pattern for such a tea towel was included in this one! So that is neat and will be a future project.