Day Nine of the Twelve Days of Christmas in July!

 

Hi, all!

How quickly time flies when you're having fun - and just imagine how quickly the days until Christmas are going to fly by!  But I hope that you're getting some inspiration, and maybe even a head start on your Christmas crafting!  Today I'm going to share a recipe with you before we move on to the last two blocks for the center of the Christmas quilt.  Let's go!

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Many of you already know how proud I am of this girl (my eldest granddaughter, Lilli) since you've seen her grow up from her earliest appearance on my blog in 2010....

...to today.  She's changed a lot, right?  Well, for many years now Lilli has wanted to be a pastry chef (although she's thinking about adding astrophysicist into the mix now!) and she make SPECTACULAR chocolate chip cookies.  We joke that her philosophy is 25% cookie, 75% chip!  That's not precisely right, but for her, it's definitely more is more.  

Well, I asked her if I could share her recipe here for the 12 Days of Christmas in July - because if you're like me, you stink at decorating cookies, but a truly delicious, well made chocolate chip cookie can go a long way in taking people's minds off those pretty decorated ones!  So here's her recipe:

Lilli's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1        cup    butter, softened

2/3     cup    sugar

2/3     cup    brown sugar

2        tsp     vanilla extract

1        tsp     salt

1        tsp     baking soda

2                  eggs

2 1/4  cup    flour

1        cup    dark chocolate chips

1        cup    milk chocolate chips

Whip together butter and both sugars for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy.  

Add in vanilla, salt and baking soda and mix until combined.

Add eggs one at a time.

Add in flour.  When flour is partially mixed in, add chocolate chips.

Mix until fully combined.

Bake at 350 degrees F 13-15 minutes.

Now, in the interest of being sure the recipe was correct, I made a batch.  No other purpose, I promise (ha ha!).  Trust me that your cookies will taste best if you really whip up that butter!  I set my stand mixer to a high speed and set a timer for five minutes, just so I don't shortchange the process.  I do scrape down the sides of my bowl occasionally (I have the really large mixer and small batches sometimes get pushed up on the sides and not mixed well) so you may need to do this as well.  Your butter will get lighter in color as well as fluffier the more you whip it.

Now, I have to admit that quite a few cool kitchen tools have made their way into my drawers since Lilli started baking over here....

...like these magnetic double-ended measuring spoons.  Very useful for this recipe, as I can use one end for the liquid measurements and one end for the dry!  But the fact that they all stick together in the drawer is a plus too.

I also find cookie scoops to be a great and versatile tool!  Yes, I know it looks like an ice cream scoop, and you can probably use it for that, but it ensures that all of your cookies will be similarly sized, which is nice for gifting.  We actually have three sizes of these, with this being the largest.  Using this scoop, I made 20 cookies from this one batch.  Using a smaller scoop would increase the number of cookies, obviously.  I also use a scoop when making anything that I want to be sized alike, such as meatballs.  Really handy little gadgets!

Another handy gadget, although I think I introduced Lilli to this one rather than the other way around, is parchment paper.  It really makes cleanup a snap - you just throw it away - and the cookies don't stick!  Speaking of which, be sure to give your cookie dough a good bit of space to spread out!  I only made six at a time on my large cookie sheets, and see how they spread out?

And one last tool that we've added based on Lilli's recommendation - a dough scraper!  

This thing is positively the bomb at getting up all the little spills and dough scraps from the counter top, and I honestly don't know how I lived as long as I did without one!

One thing that we've discovered with these cookies is that you can add all kinds of things to them - Lilli makes one version she calls an Everything Cookie, that may also have white chocolate chips, semi-sweet chips, nuts, coconut, or even broken pretzel bits in it.  It's a good way to use up little bits of leftovers from previous baking sessions!

Once the cleanup is done and the cookies are cool, you are ready to package them up in a cookie tin, a pretty plate, or even a little plastic goodie bag tied with a bow!  I've found nice cookie tins and plates at the dollar store, and the goodie bags can be found in various sizes at Joann's.

But whatever else you do with your cookies, be sure to have at least one hot out of the oven with a glass of milk!  I hear the calories don't count if you are writing a blog post at the same time..... 😉

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And now we're ready to make the last two blocks for the center of the quilt, or the remainder of the wall hanging!  Today we will focus on blocks H and I.  Once again, they are mirror images of each other so we will make first one and then the other.

For block H, you will need the following pieces:

3 3.5” sq. white

3 3.5” x 2” white

1 3.5” x 2” green

1 2” sq. green

4 3.5” sq. red/white 9-patch blocks

Step 1 - Lay out the pieces as shown below. 

Step 2 - Draw a diagonal line on the back of the green 2” square.  Take one of the white 3.5” x 2” pieces and lay the green square on the right end of it, aligning edges and corners and having the diagonal line running from upper right to lower left.  Stitch on the line.  Trim off the corner.  Press out.  Take another of the white 3.5” x 2” pieces and sew it to the bottom of the W/G piece.  Press seam down toward the white piece.  Replace in the layout on your work table.

Step 3 - Take the remaining white 3.5" x 2” piece and the green 3.5” x 2” piece and sew them together along the long edge.  Press seam up towards the green piece.  Replace in the layout on your work table.

Step 4 - Assemble the nine-patch block.  This block will go in the lower left of your Christmas tree unit.

For block I, you will need the following pieces:

        3 3.5” sq. white

3 3.5” x 2” white

1 3.5” x 2” green

1 2” sq. green

4 3.5” sq. red/white 9-patch blocks

Step 1 - Lay out the pieces as shown below. 

Step 2 - Draw a diagonal line on the back of the green 2” square.  Take one of the white 3.5” x 2” pieces and lay the green square on the left end of it, aligning edges and corners and having the diagonal line running from upper left to lower right.  Stitch on the line.  Trim off the corner.  Press out.  Take another of the white 3.5” x 2” pieces and sew it to the bottom of the W/G piece.  Press seam down toward the white piece.  Replace in the layout on your work table.

Step 3 - Take the remaining white 3.5" x 2” piece and the green 3.5” x 2” piece and sew them together along the long edge.  Press seam up towards the green piece.  Replace in the layout on your work table.

Step 4 - Assemble the nine-patch block.  This block will go in the lower right of your Christmas tree unit.

And you're done for the day!

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We're moving right along!  Tomorrow we'll have another stop on the blog hop, as Carole of From My Carolina Home shows us how to finish up the project she started last Sunday, we'll show the wall-hanging people how to assemble their top, and provide the next step for the quilt folks!

See you then!

Sarah

Hands2Help - Giveaway Winners, and Tips, Tutorials, and Tasty Things!

Hi, all!

Wow do you all rock!!!  As of the time I'm writing this post, 242 people have already signed up for the Challenge!!!  That is AMAZING!  Now, if you're just now seeing this, it's not too late to sign up, and there's still lots of giveaway goodies to be had at the end of the Challenge - so in the theory of "better late than never", hop over here, read about the Challenge, then if it appeals to you, sign up and join in the fun!

And, as promised, there's a giveaway drawing for those of you who have already signed up.  I gathered up some fun goodies....

...and consulted Little Miss Random to see who the winner is...

Elin P. of California!  

Congratulations, Elin! I'll be getting your package out in the mail ASAP (hopefully before we leave for vacation).

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And now, as part of our annual Hands2Help celebration, it's time for our Tips, Tutorials and Tasty Things link-up!  The idea behind this is that we all have our favorite sewing/quilting tips, go-to tutorials, and of course, we ALL like to eat!  So if you have some or all you'd like to share, write up a post (blog or Instagram) and link it in the party below.  Visit all or some, it's all good - but there will be a lot of great info there, and it's a good way to get to know some of your fellow H2Hers!

Here's my tip - a little video showing how to make a pretty quilt swirl for a picture!  Ever since #quiltswirlwednesday became a thing on Instagram, I've been practicing, and now it seems to work pretty well.

And here's another tip.  Two years ago, I did a "frequently asked questions" post for Hands2Help that had a lot of great info in it.  You might want to take a look at that post if you have time.  The only significant changes are at the end, where it talks about Jack's Basket, a charity from 2019.  If you are interested in answers to those questions for this year, you can email me directly!

For tutorials, I'm going to point you towards Sew Fresh Quilts!  This year I made my granddaughter a Harry Potter quilt using the quilt-along free block tutorials and it was so. much. fun!  

I also made a reindeer quilt using one of her free tutorials from an earlier quilt-along - aren't they adorable?

Lorna is so generous with her skills, and shares many free tutorials, but she also designs the cutest quilts and sells the patterns in her on-line shop.  All of her blocks are traditional piecing, not paper-piecing, so if you can follow a pattern, you can make these (says the paper-piecing-challenged queen!)

And finally, tasty things.  This year during lockdown we discovered a world of food and cooking.  One of our favorites, and oh so easy, is ramen.  Not just the 25 cent plastic bags, but fancy, delicious ramen that looks like you got it in a restaurant.  We still buy the Maruchen packets for the noodles, but then the changes start.  Use 2 cups of real broth or stock (I like the boxed versions) and add shredded meat or tofu (a great way to use up leftovers), veggies (the whites of green onions, fresh mushrooms and shredded carrots are good to add at this stage), and bring it to a boil.  Toss in the noodles and boil for two minutes, or until the noodles are as done as you like.  At this point, you could add shredded fresh spinach or kale if you like. Put broth and noodles in a bowl, and top with fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, chopped nuts, sesame seeds, or if you are feeling really fancy how about a soft boiled egg?  Here's a really easy way to make soft-boiled eggs in an instant pot - I don't usually soak them in the marinade, but I do ALWAYS release the pressure immediately after the cooking time is done, and dump them in an ice water bath before peeling.  They turn out perfect every time!  Our local noodle shop runs about $15 for something this gorgeous - and you can make it yourself for next to nothing!

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Now it's your turn!  As you can see, it doesn't have to be anything fancy - but someone will appreciate what you have to share!  I'll leave the linky party open until next Saturday, 3/27.  

And be sure to come back next Sunday and Meet the Sponsors!  We have some great sponsors this year and I know you'll be excited.  

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? A Finished Quilt, and More!

Hi, all!

It's finally Friday again!  And you know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  So without further ado, let's get started...

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As you read this post, I am currently in New York City, enjoying the sights, tastes, and hustle bustle of the town with my husband.  Which means that I had to write this post on Wednesday as I was sitting in the airport waiting for my plane.  I was wondering what in the world I could write about, since I had not had much time for sewing this week.  But looking back through the photos on my phone, I realized I had accomplished a lot of whoop-worthy things!

First up, keto-friendly chocolate cupcakes!  These tasted really good, although I think next time I will try adapting a whipped cream cheese frosting recipe I have rather than make this buttercream icing again.  It wasn't bad, but a little bit thick.

Then I tried my hand at some yeast-raised keto-friendly dinner rolls.  Here they are after making the dough balls...

...which, miracle of miracles, actually raised!  Here they are going into the oven...

...and here they are coming out!  And they tasted so good!  We took them to a dinner party, along with some non-keto-friendly rolls, and they were just as popular!  I will definitely be making these again - probably for Thanksgiving, so I can enjoy some bread too!

And my stairs!  They are finally completely painted - treads, risers, and trim - all at the same time!  I love how fresh and clean they look.

And this may not look like much to you, but it's huge to me - I photographed and measured all the quilts I would like to put up for sale this season.  Now I just need to write up some posts, either Instagram or Facebook, and get them listed!

And last, but definitely not least, I finished up this pretty quilt - I'm calling it Flight Path!  The pattern, Flight of Fancy, is by Christina Cameli, and I had the honor of being one of the pattern testers.  It's a fun pattern to make!

I had a good time with the quilting, too - it has random meander on the black portions, but a "flight" arrow in each of the triangles.

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

Hands2Help 2019 - Tips, Tutes, and Tasty Things!

Hi, all!

Welcome to one of my favorite weeks of each year's Hands2Help Challenge - Tips, Tutes, and Tasty Things!  I always enjoy seeing what you guys share, and I've picked up some great ideas each year.  It's a great way to get to know the folks who are participating in this year's challenge, too, and make new friends.  Just link up a post (or two or three, or more!) below to share your ideas.  It doesn't have to be a new post, or even one of your own if you want to share a great tutorial, tip or recipe someone else wrote.  But it's a great reason to write a post that lets people know a little more about you, too.

I've been saving a few tips just for this week, so let's get started!

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Best tip first...

Wonder what this is?  It's a miracle worker!!

This is what my design wall looked like - and because it looked like that, my blocks wouldn't stick very well.  Sound familiar?  Well, I had just bought some of these silicone scrubbers for my kitchen, and it occurred to me that they might be useful other places too.....

...and lo and behold, I was right!  A few swipes across my design wall and look at all it gathered up!

And after a few minutes of work, look at all the stuff that came off! I tell you, this is one of the best things I've come across.  They're relatively cheap, and they work great.  Plus they have a little hanging tab so they're easy to keep track of...

And then I discovered this little trick...

Did you know that the end of a Gutermann thread spool comes off, and you can keep needles inside (if you haven't taken the label off the other end, anyway!)  It was a really handy way to travel with needles for hand-sewing!  The end of the spool just pops right back in, sealing it up and keeping it safe.

And next, my favorite tool in the sewing room...

If you don't have a Hera marker (made by Clover), you NEED one!    It marks fabric by making a crease on the fabric, much like a bone folder if you make cards or scrapbook.  I use this clever tool to mark my squares when making half-square triangles (so much easier than pencil, and you can mark up to three at a time by stacking them up!)  I also use it to mark my quilting lines on t-shirt quilts (for straight line quilting).  The crease is easy to follow and you can see it on any color - something that isn't so easy when you are using chalk or water soluble markers.  And you can also use the blunt end to "finger press" your seams open in a pinch.  I'm sure there are other uses, too - and I'd love to hear them!

And speaking of other uses, I found that quilting tools also work great when you are putting up a tile backsplash!  I used all of these - plus my Hera marker, which didn't make it into the picture - when I was working on this project.  My husband thought I was nuts, but hey, it worked!  So remember to think outside the box.

And while you're in the kitchen...

If you want some truly decadent comfort food, try this recipe for shortbread cookies.  (FYI, the recipe says to put them in a press but you can also roll the dough and cut them out - about 1/4" thick is just about perfect!) And they get better as they age, so yes, eat some right after they come out of the oven, but put most of them in a well sealed container or tin for a day or two - you'll think you've died and gone to heaven!  This is definitely the cure for those "rip-it" days....

Since I've overloaded you guys with tutorials already this year, I'll leave that to the rest of you.  Can't wait to see what you share!

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Be sure to come back next week to "meet the sponsors"!  I'm busily sorting giveaway goodies and lining up sponsors who want to help say "thank you" to all of you fabulous, generous quilters. It's going to be a great year!  (Oh, and don't forget to link up your own tips, tutes, and tasty things below!)

Hugs!

Sarah

PS It's not too late to sign up for this year's Challenge!  Click on the Hands2Help 2019 Page (right under my blog header picture) and scroll down to find the signup form.  Join in the fun!

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Soup and Progress....

Hi, all!

In the throes of the cold weather this week, it didn't seem like Friday (and warmer weather) would ever get here - but it did!  It's finally Friday, and you know what that means - - - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on.  We've all had lots of time for sewing this week with the cold keeping us in, so I imagine everyone has lots to share!  Let's get started!

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I actually did have a finish this week, but I can't share it yet, as it still has to be gifted.  Next week for that one!  But I did start on a pair of memory quilts, turning a bunch of house dresses into a stack of cut pieces...

...and then worked hard Thursday to sew them together into blocks and start on the sashing.  I think it's going to look nice when it's finished!

And I don't know about you, but cold weather makes me want to cook!  So when my husband requested some minestrone, I looked up Instant Pot recipes and put together a wonderful pot of warm, comfort-food goodness!

Sprinkled with parmesan shavings and a dollop of pesto, and paired with some crusty rolls and cheese, and we were eating fine!  

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

Hands2Help - It's Tips, Tutes, and Tasty Things Week!

Hi, all!

Welcome to one of my favorite weeks of each year's Challenge, when we share our favorite tips, tutorials, and tasty things!  Each year I discover some really great ideas and recipes - things that make my life so much easier and quilting more fun - so let's get started!!

First off is a tip.  This one seems kind of silly, but it certainly made my life much easier when I was working on my Long Time Gone quilt...

Washi tape saved my life while I was doing my first paper pieced blocks, keeping the piece of fabric in place when I flipped the paper over to stitch on the lines.  It didn't leave any residue on the fabric, and was easy to take off and use again on the next piece of fabric.  Priceless!!!!

And here's a great and really useful tutorial, written to help you know how many strips you need to make a specific sized jelly roll race quilt!  Most of us have made them, because they're so quick and easy, but what if you need a bigger or smaller size?  This tutorial is quick and easy and can help you make everything from a baby quilt to a king size!  

And here's one of my favorite recipes, when you need a little summer even when it's cold outside!  We got some great peaches and blueberries last year, and I froze a bunch of them when I had a bumper crop.  This peach and blueberry pie is the bomb!  

So those are my own tips, tutes, and tasty things - it's time for you to share your own!  Link up below to share.  You don't have to write a new blogpost, although you an if you want to.  You can just link directly to someone else's post if you want to!

Be sure to come back next week, when we'll be revealing the sponsors and giveaway goodies for this year's Challenge - you won't want to miss it!!

Hugs!

Sarah