What I have been doing!

I have been sewing... I post most of my stuff on Facebook because it is quick and easy.  I have been sewing a ton... Hopefully next year I can do a better job updating my blog!

Pecan Cake Bars

*** I changed this recipe last night 11/26.  Make one recipe of the crust and press it into a 11x17 (jelly roll pan).  Then double the topping recipe.  I baked the crust for 15 min and the top for about 18. (or until bubbly) It is much better!

You know all the recipes floating around Facebook that people are asking you to share?  Well, when I see one that looks good, I give it a whirl.  Thankfully I have coworkers and friends that don't mind being my taste testers.  Of course, I convert everything to Gluten Free so that I can sample it too!

Here is the latest:

Pecan Cake Bars

For crust:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt

For topping:

1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 cups chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a 9x13-inch pan with foil, leaving enough for a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

First make the crust by creaming together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add in the flour and salt and mix until crumbly.

Press the crust into the foil-lined pan and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

While the crust bakes, prepare the filling by combining the butter, brown sugar, honey and heavy cream in a saucepan and stirring it over medium heat. Simmer the mixture for 1 minute, then stir in the chopped pecans.

Remove the crust from the oven and immediately pour the pecan filling over the hot crust spreading it to cover the entire surface.

Return the pan to the oven and bake an additional 20 minutes.

Remove the pan and allow the bars to fully cool in the pan.

Use the foil overhang to lift out the bars and transfer them to a cutting board. Peel off the foil, slice into bars and serve.

*I DID NOT COME UP WITH THIS RECIPE. I PULLED IT FROM FACEBOOK - If you know the original source please let me know so that I can tag them!

MIA

Where has this summer gone?  I have been sewing, sleeping and working! 

I finally made myself a quilt using the remainder of my Grandpa's jeans.  It is sooo comfy warm! 

Don't mind the mistake....

My New Fav

Here is my warning... you might see this pattern pop up quite a bit from now on!  After seeing these tutorials everywhere, I decided to try my luck at it.  And of course.... I had to redo all the corners!  I sewed them wrong :(



If you want to try this... there are tons of tutorials out there... They are called Self binding baby blankets.  Cutting it out was the worse part!

Finished Boy Blanket

I finally finished this blanket... One little boy will be sooo happy for this!


Sorry for the large and semi-blurry picture...  But it is Cars and Superman!

Projects in Process

I have started several projects....

The accumulation of hats was starting to get slightly ridiculous so I moved onto a baby scrap blanket.  I literally haven't finished a baby crocheted blanket since my niece was born two years ago Friday!  (we won't talk about the one that I started and is still in the bag)

I found a bunch of scrap pieces that amounted to quite a bit when I actually wound them into balls!

So on that note... Here is my lazy/lunch time blanket..

Hopefully it will straighten out once I block it... This style (granny Square) is perfect for using up scraps because when you run out of yarn, just change the color... there is no pattern.

On the sewing front, I have made a few more hanging towels.  And then a little boy decided he needed a super hero blanket.... So here is the material I picked out for him!

It is actually all ready cut up and pinned... I just need to actually sit down and sew it together.  I was a little lazy so I just stuck to squares!

Taking a break

With this gorgeous weather, it is sometimes hard to get motivated!  I have been working on freezing more berries.  Yesterday I even made a loaf of gluten free bread!  If you haven't seen it or tried it I would recommend checking out Costco for the Namaste Gluten Free Flour Mix - I then went online and found a bread recipe... A couple of hours later, it was complete!  And it tastes good!

I have several more sewing projects under way but I haven't been all that motivated to post them!  More to come later, I promise!

4th of July Weekend

Back to work Monday!!  It is going to be a long day after having 4 wonderful, sunny days off!

I accomplished quite a bit (don't look at my yard...)!

This towel was made with a scrap piece of fabric, iron-on interfacing, half of a towel and a pearl snap.  Took me maybe 20 minutes from start to finish.

 

It now adorns my Mom's oven.  I have made several more sense this one but I am trying to figure out the snap tool.  The one I have breaks the pearl!

This pattern was a pattern that a dear friend gave me... I am slightly challenged at making smooth round corners!

Saturday Morning, I spent some quality time with my Mom and Sister picking these gorgeous berries!  We are so blessed on the West Coast with a bounty of fruit!

I simply froze them flat and then bagged in freezer bags for this winter (When I'm not on a diet!)

And the best part of the entire weekend?  This blanket.  Pretty much took me 3 days from start to finish!  I have to say that I really want to sit down and cuddle with it!  It is SUPER soft and I love the bright, cheery colors!

The front is simple cotton.  I followed this tutorial a little: http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2012/05/downy-touch-of-comfort-quilts-for-kids-making-a-four-patch-quilt.html

I had cut all the solid squares and for some reason my cotton keeps shrinking with the iron so I had to re-cut everything down to 6" instead of 6.5... Lesson learned - Make the multi-color squares and iron to see what size it will come out before you cut the others!

After debate, I used purple minky for the back.. The stuff is awful to sew with but boy is it soft!

 

Happy Independence Day

Happy 4th of July! 

Along with all the celebrating of America's Birthday, there are some nice sales going on... Of course, Joann's had a wonderful one!  I bought some beautiful bright fabric that is currently in the dryer.  I can't wait to start sewing a quilt!

I finished a doll quilt last night but for some reason my computer doesn't want to post it!

Beating this Heat

We complain when it rains for 9 months out of the year and then complain again when it is between 90-100!  I decided that the best purchase of my life was the AC I installed when I purchased my home over two years ago!  It makes crafting a lot easier when it is cool inside!

I decided that I really need to go through my yarn again (its been roughly 2 years since I actively did something with it).  I have a lot more scraps than I thought.  Here is the start of the balls I made - I actually ended up with a full tote of balls but neglected to take a picture.

I found some yellow and verigated that were calling out to be used so I started a simple granny square baby blanket!

 

Enjoy the heat while it lasts, all too soon it will be raining again in Oregon!

Candied Pecans

My Aunt was kind enough to share this recipe with me yesterday so I got down to business.... I am not disappointed!  They are yummy!

  Candied Nuts

1 lb. raw nuts (almonds, pecans, or walnuts)
1 egg white
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tblsp. water
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 250.  Place parchment paper in large baking pan.

Mix 3/4 c. sugar with 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. salt. Mix well.

Whip 1 egg white, vanilla and water with a whisk till foamy. (1 min.)

Add nuts to egg whites and mix till coated.  Add sugar mixture to nuts
and mix till coated.

Place nuts on parchment paper in single layer.  Bake at 250 for 1 hr.,
stirring the nuts every 15 minutes.  Remove and let cool.  Enjoy!

If you know where the original recipe came from, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!

More Squares

At this rate, I will have my quilt squares finished by the end of the week! 

I didn't realize how many options there are for making squares! I am sure there are some styles I am missing!

Relaxing

I took yesterday night to relax.  Put my feet up with a bottle of hard cider, turned the tv on and worked on knitting a hat.  I wasn't even tempted to sew.  This weather seems to be putting people in a funk!

I'm trying my luck at a gluten free Udi's party on Saturday.  My choice is hotdogs.  I am looking forward to seeing who comes because it is supposed to be warm!

Thought for the day - give somebody a complement - it might boost their self-esteem and make their day!

More Purple

Happy Tuesday!

At this rate, I will have the squares done for this quilt by the end of the week.  I haven't decided what size I am going to make yet but I am having fun putting pieces together without stressing if they are "just right." 

There is nothing like thinking that you have all the purple scraps and turning around and finding more! It was really exciting!  I am liking the wonky-ness (is that a word?) of the squares!

My goal for this quilt is to try to machine quilt it with my cheap machine.  I did one a while back and it was a mess but according to other blogs, it takes practice!

On another note -  My niece received her birthday blanket last night (I couldn't wait so she got it early!

It was really different for me to use this color and combo - however, my sister-in-law picked it out and by the time it was finished, I was in love with it!  I am hoping to make my niece a baby blanket for her doll to go with it... We shall see!

This blanket also used over one package of satin binding - I had never combined two together so I looked at a lot of tutorials.  I am really happy with the finished product and have decided that I have the patience to make more of these!

Purple Scraps

What do you do when you make a quilt for a lady and are told that it is too manly?  Well of course, you make another one!

I LOVE purple and have always wanted to put together a quilt with no pattern, rythm or reason so here you go! 

The only theme for this quilt is that it has to be mostly purple.  So far I have succeeded.  Some of the squares I cut wonky - just because I can :)

Happy Monday!

I learned several things today....  Making mistakes is a perfectly normal part of being crafty!  My first attempt at a wallet flopped because, believe it or not, I had NO clue how to attach a snap.  And I did not have the proper tool!  So... I made another one and used the button hole feature (A first for me) on my sewing machine... and it turned out!  YAY!

The worst critique of our crafts are our own.

My Sitting Craft

I was gifted a box of yarn that had some scraps in it..... I decided to make hats while at lunch or sitting at home watching tv rather than sitting idol (Anybody that knows me, knows that me sitting still is slightly impossible).  These will be donated to the Homeless Shelter this winter. 

I use the knitting looms (brand doesn't matter) and can typically get one done in a few hours.  And they don't take a lot of yarn!

Some are single strand (when I thought I wouldn't have enough and had to use another color) but most are double.  Once I use up my scraps I will start doing solid colored hats.

I was also gifted two large bags of fabrics... Oye!  The possibilities are endless.. Pinterest has given me so many ideas!  My goal is to make a bunch of quick projects throughout the year and then have a table at a craft bazaar somewhere local.

Baby blanket complete

This blanket was semi-requested... I am not one to be given colors and then go buy and make a blanket.  For some reason I struggle with that.  I would rather see something that I like and simple make something.  This blanket was a lesson to me.  I learned that when you buy cheap solid syphmony cloth from Joann's, it can shrink when you iron it, even if it was previously pre-shrunk!

Hopefully the Mommy-to-be likes it and it fits her color scheme.

I have another one that I finished last week also but I am waiting for the recipient to receive it before I share.