for -
- my family, they are crazy and fun making every day an adventure!
- my blog friends, you all encourage me to keep going with my creative passions!
- A warm and safe home.
- good friends to celebrate with.
- the inspiration I find everywhere!
The list could keep going on and on, I am blessed beyond measure and counting these blessings here make every day a little brighter! Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends, and to you all in other parts of the world - you really should treat your family to some Chocolate Bread Pudding!
Blessings~
Amy
You are welcome to join me in being thankful! I would love to know the blessings in your life - leave a comment and let me know :) Or post your own list.
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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Basics Tutorial: Squaring Your Fabric
All the patterns say "Square Your Fabric" but what does it mean!? Often when it has been cut in a shop, it comes to you less than straight, and before you can easily use your rotary cutter you need to get a straight edge to work with!
This piece had some extra funky folds in it, looked like they had been on the bolt that way too - makes it a great example!
1. Press your fabric. I like to use lots of spray starch, any old spray starch I can find on sale.
2. Fold your fabric, selvage to selvage. In the picture above there is a bubble in the fold at the bottom.
3. Adjust your selvage edges until the fold lays flat. Use your fingers to scoot them one way or the other until it is happy.
4. Lay it down and get prepared to make a cut. Notice that the cut edges are NOT together.
5. I'm using home dec fabric that is 60" wide so I need to fold a second time, usually not the case unless your cutting mat or ruler is smaller.
6. Line up your folded edge along a straight line on your cutting mat. Again, the cut edges are not lined up perfectly.

7. Check the depth, that you need to cut in order to have a continuous straight edge.
8. Bring on the ruler, and cut. Your fabric should be lined up straight on the bottom folded edge, and your ruler should be matched up with the grid lines.
9. You should have a nice edge to begin cutting your quilt pieces!
Because I'm sure someone will ask - Denyse Schmidt's County Fair has been used in this tutorial, and I will be able to share this little project when it is completed!! No telling when that will be though :)
I hope that helps someone! Anyone have something to add?
Amy
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1. Press your fabric. I like to use lots of spray starch, any old spray starch I can find on sale.
2. Fold your fabric, selvage to selvage. In the picture above there is a bubble in the fold at the bottom.
3. Adjust your selvage edges until the fold lays flat. Use your fingers to scoot them one way or the other until it is happy.
I hope that helps someone! Anyone have something to add?
Amy
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Monday, November 23, 2009
This Week
feels a bit hurried! And it's just Monday morning - I don't think that's a good thing. I had fun over the weekend, out by myself shopping - I met Marie and Pamela down at Tom and Lucy's Art Shoppe, and started Christmas shopping for my kids! I know - I have a bit (LOT) of shopping to do!
We are hosting Thanksgiving with a few friends, everyone is bringing a few favorite dishes to ensure a true feast. Joe is in charge of the turkey this year, we will brine and fry it outside. Then mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, green salad, fresh cranberry sauce, and an indulgent chocolate bread pudding. You all need to try that bread pudding!
Chocolate Bread Pudding from Joy of Cooking
Serves 10-12
1 pound challah, brioche or other light egg bread. (Our bakery sells a loaf that works great!)
1 C heavy cream
3/4 C sugar
1/8 tsp salt
12 oz bitter or semi sweet chocolate, chopped (I've used 11.5 oz of Ghirardelli chips, no chopping)
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 C whole milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
1. Cut your loaf of bread into 1/2 inch chunks, keep the crumb, not the crust. You should have 6-7 cups, set aside.
2. Bring cream, sugar and salt to a boil while stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat, then add chocolate.
4. Let it stand for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and yolks, then add milk and vanilla.
6. Whisk in the chocolate mixture, then stir in the bread.
Let it stand for 1 to 2 hours, gently pressing and stirring occasionally to help absorb all the liquid.
7. Preheat the oven to 325F
8. Generously butter/spray a shallow 2 quart baking dish, and pour in the pudding mixture.
9. Bake in a water bath(a second pan, filled with warm water about half way up your baking dish) until the center feels firm - 55 - 65 minutes. Let it cool a bit before serving with whipped cream, cool-whip or a sauce of your choice! Refrigerate any leftovers.
I wish I had a picture of the bread pudding, so yummy and rich. Perfect to go with the rest of our feast and the other desserts being baked up :) It's easy enough to bake anytime too, but be sure to share - it's a lot!
The winner of Saving Sammy has been announced, and I just received another book to review in January! Someone asked how I have time to read -- if I don't take a few minutes off of the computer or sewing machine before bed, I can't fall asleep - no matter how tired I am! My brain needs a little bit of wind down time.
I am planning to update my last post with more book suggestions today - I think it is such a great reference for everyone! Thank you for sharing.
One last thing -- Have you noticed the fabric shops sponsoring my blog!? Some of my favorites - and I'm so excited that they would want to be on my sidebar - check them out for all your fabric needs (and wants)!
Happy Monday~
Amy
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We are hosting Thanksgiving with a few friends, everyone is bringing a few favorite dishes to ensure a true feast. Joe is in charge of the turkey this year, we will brine and fry it outside. Then mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, green salad, fresh cranberry sauce, and an indulgent chocolate bread pudding. You all need to try that bread pudding!
Chocolate Bread Pudding from Joy of Cooking
Serves 10-12
1 pound challah, brioche or other light egg bread. (Our bakery sells a loaf that works great!)
1 C heavy cream
3/4 C sugar
1/8 tsp salt
12 oz bitter or semi sweet chocolate, chopped (I've used 11.5 oz of Ghirardelli chips, no chopping)
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 C whole milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
1. Cut your loaf of bread into 1/2 inch chunks, keep the crumb, not the crust. You should have 6-7 cups, set aside.
2. Bring cream, sugar and salt to a boil while stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat, then add chocolate.
4. Let it stand for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and yolks, then add milk and vanilla.
6. Whisk in the chocolate mixture, then stir in the bread.
Let it stand for 1 to 2 hours, gently pressing and stirring occasionally to help absorb all the liquid.
7. Preheat the oven to 325F
8. Generously butter/spray a shallow 2 quart baking dish, and pour in the pudding mixture.
9. Bake in a water bath(a second pan, filled with warm water about half way up your baking dish) until the center feels firm - 55 - 65 minutes. Let it cool a bit before serving with whipped cream, cool-whip or a sauce of your choice! Refrigerate any leftovers.
I wish I had a picture of the bread pudding, so yummy and rich. Perfect to go with the rest of our feast and the other desserts being baked up :) It's easy enough to bake anytime too, but be sure to share - it's a lot!
The winner of Saving Sammy has been announced, and I just received another book to review in January! Someone asked how I have time to read -- if I don't take a few minutes off of the computer or sewing machine before bed, I can't fall asleep - no matter how tired I am! My brain needs a little bit of wind down time.
I am planning to update my last post with more book suggestions today - I think it is such a great reference for everyone! Thank you for sharing.
One last thing -- Have you noticed the fabric shops sponsoring my blog!? Some of my favorites - and I'm so excited that they would want to be on my sidebar - check them out for all your fabric needs (and wants)!
Happy Monday~
Amy
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random
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Books Suggested To Me - by You!
You all are a bunch of readers! I asked and you recommended a lot of books. Now to find some time to read a few :)
Here's the list --
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Hunger Games
Someplace to Be Flying
The Lovely Bones
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
Have a New Husband by Friday
Water for Elephants
Down the Common: A Year in the Life of a Medieval Woman
Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)
Ahab's Wife: Or, The Star-gazer
The Pillars of the Earth
Juliet, Naked
Someone Knows My Name
People of the Book
Running with Scissors: A Memoir
Dream When You're Feeling Blue
We Are All Welcome Here
Home Safe
Back When We Were Grownups
Digging to America
Odd Thomas
Rizzo's War
A Quiet Belief in Angels
How Shall I Tell the Dog?: And Other Final Musings
Rough Country
Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel
The Floor of the Sky
The Professional
Nine Dragons
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe: A Novel
The Pact: A Love Story
Cryptonomicon
The Alchemist
The King of Colored Town
The Commoner
Mudbound
The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life
Elantris
Circle of Friends
The Lost Symbol
A Short History of Nearly Everything
A Quilter's Holiday: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel
Bread Alone
The Girl Who Stopped Swimming
Pretense
Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality
The 8th Confession (The Women's Murder Club)
Outlander
Redeeming Love - I have read and loved this one!
Angle of Repose
A Dog's Life
The Help - This one has been on my list for a while :)
The Birth House
The Last Anniversary
Three Wishes
The Boy Next Door
Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire: A Novel
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Prodigal Summer
Sense And Sensibility
Iceberg
The Master Butchers Singing Club
Shantaram
Mercy
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
The Tea Rose
The Winter Rose
The Wheel of Time
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Uglies, The Collector's Set: Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras
Austenland
The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency
The Historian
Darcy's Story
Oryx and Crake
Sleep, Pale Sister
A Thousand Splendid Suns
The Companion's Quartet, Book Two: The Gorgon's Gaze
Mines of the Minotaur (The Companions Quartet)
Crossing to Safety
The Book Thief
Same Kind of Different As Me
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons
Mark of the Lion : A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness, As Sure As the Dawn (Vol 1-3)
Thorn in My Heart (Lowlands of Scotland Series #1)
The Neverending Story
Stranger in a Strange Land
The Forsyte Saga
Gone with the Wind
Life of Pi
Listening Is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project
The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story
Through Violet Eyes
Eat, Pray, Love
The Glass Castle: A Memoir
The Piano Teacher
My Sister's Keeper
The Secret Life of Bees
Shogun
A Time to Kill
The Lords of Discipline
Undiscovered Country
The Kite Runner
These are in the order of the comments, I would have loved to alphabetize but who has that kind of time! I did link to Amazon
for each of them! It wasn't as much work as you might think, html copy and pastes fast! Now I have a great reference when I need something new and different to read - I tend to get stuck in the same genre or author (Karen Kingsbury lately).
If anyone has more to add to the list I will add to it via the comments - Thanks for sharing!!
Amy
Oh and I left out the vampire books - I don't really do suspense :)
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Here's the list --
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Hunger Games
Someplace to Be Flying
The Lovely Bones
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
Have a New Husband by Friday
Water for Elephants
Down the Common: A Year in the Life of a Medieval Woman
Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)
Ahab's Wife: Or, The Star-gazer
The Pillars of the Earth
Juliet, Naked
Someone Knows My Name
People of the Book
Running with Scissors: A Memoir
Dream When You're Feeling Blue
We Are All Welcome Here
Home Safe
Back When We Were Grownups
Digging to America
Odd Thomas
Rizzo's War
A Quiet Belief in Angels
How Shall I Tell the Dog?: And Other Final Musings
Rough Country
Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel
The Floor of the Sky
The Professional
Nine Dragons
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe: A Novel
The Pact: A Love Story
Cryptonomicon
The Alchemist
The King of Colored Town
The Commoner
Mudbound
The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life
Elantris
Circle of Friends
The Lost Symbol
A Short History of Nearly Everything
A Quilter's Holiday: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel
Bread Alone
The Girl Who Stopped Swimming
Pretense
Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality
The 8th Confession (The Women's Murder Club)
Outlander
Redeeming Love - I have read and loved this one!
Angle of Repose
A Dog's Life
The Help - This one has been on my list for a while :)
The Birth House
The Last Anniversary
Three Wishes
The Boy Next Door
Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire: A Novel
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Prodigal Summer
Sense And Sensibility
Iceberg
The Master Butchers Singing Club
Shantaram
Mercy
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
The Tea Rose
The Winter Rose
The Wheel of Time
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Uglies, The Collector's Set: Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras
Austenland
The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency
The Historian
Darcy's Story
Oryx and Crake
Sleep, Pale Sister
A Thousand Splendid Suns
The Companion's Quartet, Book Two: The Gorgon's Gaze
Mines of the Minotaur (The Companions Quartet)
Crossing to Safety
The Book Thief
Same Kind of Different As Me
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons
Mark of the Lion : A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness, As Sure As the Dawn (Vol 1-3)
Thorn in My Heart (Lowlands of Scotland Series #1)
The Neverending Story
Stranger in a Strange Land
The Forsyte Saga
Gone with the Wind
Life of Pi
Listening Is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project
The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story
Through Violet Eyes
Eat, Pray, Love
The Glass Castle: A Memoir
The Piano Teacher
My Sister's Keeper
The Secret Life of Bees
Shogun
A Time to Kill
The Lords of Discipline
Undiscovered Country
The Kite Runner
These are in the order of the comments, I would have loved to alphabetize but who has that kind of time! I did link to Amazon
If anyone has more to add to the list I will add to it via the comments - Thanks for sharing!!
Amy
Oh and I left out the vampire books - I don't really do suspense :)
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books
Friday, November 20, 2009
Links for you!
I have a few links that you must visit -
1 - A giveaway!
Penny has amassed a great giveaway, I don't want to spoil the surprise - but it's good! And if you haven't signed in on the petition to reprint flea market fancy, you can do that at the same time :)
2 - Michelle at Rosebud Quilting has started Fabric Friday!
3 - As always Sew-n-Tell, with Amylouwho, is happening if you would like to link up and share your recent creation!

Sadly I have nothing to share on that front today, but my head is spinning with ideas! I'm planning to skip out on my family for a bit on Saturday to visit a show or two and hopefully make it to Material Girls for the fun event they have going too!
I'm slowly working on compiling a list of all the books you all recommended and have been thinking about ways to feature some of YOU here on a regular basis! More details to come as I work them out :)
I hope that you have a great weekend - looks like ours will be full!
Blessings ~
Amy
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1 - A giveaway!
2 - Michelle at Rosebud Quilting has started Fabric Friday!

On Fabric Friday, show any handmade item {quilts, tote bag, wallhanging, clothing, etc.}, or show us your fabric stash, or recent fabric purchase, or show how you decorate with fabric or fabric items.
3 - As always Sew-n-Tell, with Amylouwho, is happening if you would like to link up and share your recent creation!

Sadly I have nothing to share on that front today, but my head is spinning with ideas! I'm planning to skip out on my family for a bit on Saturday to visit a show or two and hopefully make it to Material Girls for the fun event they have going too!
I'm slowly working on compiling a list of all the books you all recommended and have been thinking about ways to feature some of YOU here on a regular basis! More details to come as I work them out :)
I hope that you have a great weekend - looks like ours will be full!
Blessings ~
Amy
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sew-n-tell
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Basics Tutorial : Unpicking Stitches
In our discussion last week tutorials about some of the basics were suggested.
And after yesterday's post this seemed like the perfect place to start! I don't remember learning this, I'm guessing it was learned as girl and has been ingrained since. (I learned to sew garments at 10)
On the wrong side of fabric, place the long end of your seam ripper under a stitch.
Cut the thread on every 2nd or 3rd stitch, on one side only.
Turn over and gently tug on the thread with your fingers, not the seam ripper.
All of your stitches should release, if not turn over and find the problem child, and cut. Continue on and clean up the little bits of thread.
Clean seam, with no tugging on your fabrics!
Same goes for a zig-zag stitch too. Run your seam ripper up the seam cutting as you go.
Turn over and clean up your seam.
Press your fabrics and you are ready to go again!
I will add that if I am sewing rows together and have trouble with one junction I will take out a few inches on either side only and re-sew, careful to lock my stitches, not the entire thing. Like many of you said yesterday, it depends on what I am working on, and this time around it really matters! So I keep working it until I've got it right!
I hope that this is useful information for you! Anyone have something to add?
Amy
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On the wrong side of fabric, place the long end of your seam ripper under a stitch.
I hope that this is useful information for you! Anyone have something to add?
Amy
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Tutorial
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
How many times . . .
are you willing to take a seam out and re-sew it? As I sat at my machine taking a seam out for the third time today, I got to thinking - am I the only one that does this? I'm guessing probably not, but I have referred to myself as "anal Amy" on more than one occasion :)
Fourth time was the charm today, thank goodness that was the only junction that gave me repeated troubles!
I am curious though - how many times?
Amy
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Fourth time was the charm today, thank goodness that was the only junction that gave me repeated troubles!
I am curious though - how many times?
Amy
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sewing
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