Blogger's Quilt Festival: Pinwheels on the Playground

I am entering this baby quilt in the Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by Amy, at http://amyscreativeside.com.
You can find information about the Festival HERE.
I am entering in the Original Designs category. Voting opens next week and if you like my quilt I would love to get your vote!

About the quilt:

A WIP that lasted almost 2 years (first fabrics purchased 8/12/13) is finally complete. It took longer than that if you count the first top made for this baby when we though it was a boy.

 I designed this one myself. I knew I wanted to do pinwheels and it had to have robots because our husbands worked for a robotics company so that was kind of a running joke amongst the wives. It was called the robot quilt through most of it's creation. I re-named it Pinwheels on the Playground.

I found Funbots by Anne Kelle for Robert Kaufman to use for the focus fabric. The pink is Remix Polka Dots Pink also by Anne Kelle. The background is Kona White. The yellow is 2 different polka dot fabrics, one of which, the small dot, I no longer have the selvage for so I can't tell you what it is. The large dot is Fashion Plate by Barbara Jones for Henry Glass. I had to use 2 different yellows, because when I was doing the math, I miscalculated and when I went to get more, it was gone, so I had to substitute.






The backing fabric was very different from what I planned but I really love it. It is from the "Glamping" line by Mary Jane Butters for Moda. (side note: I love her Milk Cow Kitchen line!)



I used my home sewing machine to do the quilting. I did free motion in the white areas with a few hidden messages and used decorative stitches to do the yellow and pink areas and also to attach the binding to the front. I did a bias binding since this is going to be a very used quilt (I hope). (I used Gene Black's Bias Binding Tutorial for cutting the strips.) I always have trouble meeting the ends of my binding so I used  Pam's tutorial and got through it with only 1 seam rip. I have learned not to trim until I fold it back up to see if it is right. :)

I am super pleased with how it came out and both the mom and the little girl LOVED it!

 

Welcome Gnome pillow complete!

I finished the Welcome Gnome pillow in time to submit to the Pillow Collective at Amy's Creative Side.

I learned a lot making this pillow, not the least of which is remember to stuff your pillow before you stitch it shut. :)

  I like how it turned out. I ended up using the red border fabric I purchased for it on the back and used a dot from my stash instead. I polled the fam and they all agreed it was the better choice.



I Scotch-Garded both this pillow and the star pillow I made to make it easy to spot clean them. This one especially needed it since it is not a cover but stuffed and stitched shut. I won't be throwing this in the washer.

Again, this pattern is from Schlosser Designs and can be purchased for a limited time HERE.

 

Tasty Tuesday: Skillet Chicken Thighs

Weekly, if not daily, The Stay At Home Chef posts recipes that even my tasteless palate is drooling over. And every so often I get up the guts to try a new recipe. I had it on good authority that chicken thighs are quite tasty, so I hauled our family out of our boneless-skinless chicken breast comfort zone to try Skillet Chicken Thighs and we were not disappointed.

The recipe is simple and straightforward. I felt awesome when I plated the chicken, as most of the time when I cook this way it either ends up burned or underdone. I followed the recipe exactly (other than forgetting to turn down pan #2* to medium heat at one point) and I was totally successful!

Everyone liked it except one kid (who is not a meat eater unless it's bacon, a hot dog or a burger.) And the only comment on flavor other than "yummy!" was that maybe I should have spiced under the skin as well as on top. That may have been my error. I plan on asking the chef. :)


* I cooked 4 thighs in 2 separate pans to feed our family of 6.
 

Pattern Test: The Lucy Hobo Bag

I did a challenging pattern test this week. :)

 This is the Lucy Hobo bag, designed by the very fun and awesome team at Clover and Violet.
They put out a call on Facebook to get help emergency testing the pattern. I think, the issue was that n ad came out before they were expecting it to and the pattern was not ready to put in the shop. I had a fairly low key week ahead and most of the supplies so I was happy to help out.

SOOO much work goes into writing patterns and the more I test the more respect I gain for those who produce them. It makes me even more adamant about not photocopying/email sharing purchased patterns around. Those pattern designers don't deserve that after all the work that goes into the pattern.

This pattern had a bunch of new to me techniques, such as an inset zipper pocket in the lining, a bound edge, a button loop, a side and bottom panel, curved corners, and pleats.

I cheated on the binding. It was supposed to be hand-stitched down, but instead I stitched in the ditch on the front, and since there was a  fair amount of  edge inside, I turned it back on itself, which hid my sloppy stitch in the ditch and topstitched the whole thing.

This bag is a little stiffer than the bag should be, since I had to use fusible fleece instead of interfacing and flannel. I had to use what I had on hand, not purchasing anything, and it was okay to substitute. It is supposed to be really "slouchy".

While I am not happy with the quality of the construction of this bag, (I made tons of errors and it's somewhat shoddy, rushed workmanship) it is still cute and should be a functional purse.

Thanks to Jennie at Clover and Violet for  trusting me!

Tasty Tuesday: Pinterest Reviews

I have been trying to use my Pinterest pins once in a while, so this week you get not one but two recipe reviews from my Pinterest Boards. One is originally from my "Breakfast Recipes to Try" Board but got moved, and the other one is from my "Desserts To Try" Board.

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole from All Kinds of Yumm







As you can see from the pin photo caption, this was not a hit. 5 out of 6 of us ate it. 1 out of 5 liked it.
I moved the pin to my "Pinned Recipes Tried - Just Okay". I have since wavered a little in my original decision to likely not try it again. I might try it again with bacon and a different style of hash brown. Maybe some onions. :) And probably on a camp-out in the dutch oven.

Kiss'n Cupcakes (these didn't have a name so I named 'em) from http://foodtalk.pinapic.co/?p=200






This one went over a little better. I mean, cupcakes? It's hard to ruin those.

I used a Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge cake mix and Hershey's Kisses.
I followed the very difficult directions of baking the cupcakes for 5 minutes then setting a Kiss (unwrapped of course) on top of the mostly raw batter, then finished the baking.

I served them warm. They cooled for 5 minutes tops. Probably not even that. The one I cut open to photograph was still exceedingly hot. :)

As you can see, the kiss held it's shape (no surprise to me, since they do that with Peanut Butter Blossoms.) One of the pins I saw for this described them as a "molten" center. It was not exactly "molten" as described in that particular pin, but they were very soft and warm. Definitely not the gooey fudgy type liquid I expect in a Molten Chocolate Cake.
This pin was accurate in that it does sink to the middle, though closer to the bottom and even all the way to the bottom and create a chocolate center. A soft chocolate kiss center. :)

I think overall they are a fun treat, and I will make them again. I am going to get the mini kisses though and sprinkle 3 or 4 on each one to spread the chocolate around a bit more.

Have a great week!

Miscellaneous and random: Coconut Oil

This post is about coconut oil and how I use it.

This is the brand I use. I use it because it is the first one I found to experiment with.

You see, last year, every so often, my husband would mention to me how he had read that shaving with coconut oil worked really well. I should try it sometime. I guess he said it enough times because I finally did. And guess what? It does work well.

I found some coconut oil at the grocery store. It seemed like an awful lot to keep in the bathroom, especially if it didn't work out. I didn't want to be cooking with something I had been dipping into in the tub. You know? :P

So I did a little recycle with a Gelato Container (delicious and FYI, Target carries it) and I keep that little tub in the tub.

 A few things to note:

• Wet your legs (or face men) first. I tried a "dry" run and had mild razor burn. Nothing like I normally get shaving with shaving cream and water, but there nonetheless.

• Use a good razor. I have tried about 6 different razors and the cheapest ones 1 or 2 blades still left razor burn. If I use a good quality 3 blade or more razor I rarely get any burn. I can buy the Up&Up Brand "Women's Razors/Five Blade/Compare to Venus Embrace" and be fine. They are on the pricey end of the "cheap" razors. :)

•  Be generous. I probably scoop about 1-2 tablespoons onto each leg. Rub it around well for a minute or two.

Pros:
(I like this much better than shaving cream because:)

• The coconut oil lasts way longer. I think I started using it in October or November of last year and I am still on the same little tub and am about halfway through it. (NOTE: I only shave once a week or if we are going to the beach or pool.)  

•  My skin is softer and I use less lotion and rarely get razor burn, which with shaving cream was a frequent occurrence.

• There is no odor.

• I rub it into my feet while I shave and they are nice and soft when I get out. Sometimes I use it as lotion after I shower as well.

• You can cook with it! Just don't get it from the same container you shave with.  :)

Cons:

• It will leave residue in the tub/sink. Use something that cleans oil to clean it up.

• If you are allergic to coconuts you can't use this (I assume).

• It makes the tub slippery! Be careful!

 

Roasted Peeps? Yes please!

http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com/product-detail/easter/original-peepssup-sup-marshmallow-chicks

Last night my husband and kids went to the beach for a cookout with their cousins. While I was at the store picking up the marshmallows to roast, I saw the enormous display of Peeps and thought, "Hey those are marshmallow...I wonder how they would roast?"

 I sent a text to my husband and he also thought it would be fun to try, so I bought four colors of Peeps chicks for them to roast over the coals. (I was hoping for some different color reactions to the heat. I don't think they noticed anything though.)

What they did notice was that they were delicious! Apparently the sugar coating caramelizes and contains the gooey goodness and tastes fabulous as well. They also said the centers seemed to cool a little faster. I don't know how true that is but it sounds nice! :)

I am going to give it a try over the stove today. I must taste them!

Let me know if you try this!
Happy Easter!

 

Menu Plan: March Weeks 1 and 2

Here is my menu plan for the next 2 weeks. February showed that not planning too far in advance is good, but also having a plan for the whole month was good too.It sounds kind of odd but it's the truth.
There were days that filled up schedule-wise and the meal on the calendar was not going to happen, so I re-arranged meals, or made sandwiches or Ramen or we ate on the go. By the end of the month, there were meals that had not been used, though I did the shopping week by week, so nothing went bad or was wasted. We went over budget a little bit, but not nearly as bad as what has happened in the past.
The plan is the same for March, although for now, I have only planned 2 weeks of meals, as I have not had time to sit down and go through recipes to get the rest of the month. I only have 1 newbie this time, from the back of the Lipton Soup box, the Beef and Broccoli. I will post the recipe soon. Everything else is a familiar or tried and true recipe from my files.

March Dinner Menu – Week 1 and 2
Sunday	Hot dogs and baked beans
Monday	Spaghetti and garlic toast
Tuesday	Slow Cooker Creamy Tacos
Wednesday	Paul's Stroganoff
Thursday	Bisquick Chicken Pot Pie
Friday	Pizza
Saturday	Slow Cooker Sweet Chicken
Sunday	Shepherd’s pie
Monday	Spicy Peach Glazed Pork Chops
Tuesday	Lasagna
Wednesday	Beef and Broccoli
Thursday	Creamy Chicken Lasagna
Friday	Pizza
Saturday	Mild Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Sunday	Tangy Chicken

Paul's Stroganoff

Brown:
1 lb beef
2 TBSP butter 
1/4 cup fresh onion- chopped.

Season with Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder.

Add:
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP Beef Bullion
Add milk to taste.
Simmer up to 1 hour on stove top.
When ready to serve, fold in 8 oz sour cream.
Serve over rice or noodles.




Shepherd’s Pie

Preheat oven to 350

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
salt and pepper
2 cans green beans, drained
2 cans tomato soup

Mashed potatoes:
5-6 large potatoes, boiled and mashed

To mashed potatoes add:
1 egg
½ cup milk
Beat until fluffy.

Brown beef and onions, season to taste. Add drained beans and soup. Pour into square baking pan. Top with mashed potatoes and Bake 30 minutes.

Lipton Beef and Broccoli

1 TBSP Bertolli Olive Oil
1 lb sirloin steak, cut into 1 inch strips
1 package frozen broccoli florets thawed,
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Mushroom Soup Mix
1 ¼ cups water
1 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce

In 12 inch skillet heat olive oil and brown steak, stirring occasionally, in two batches. Remove.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, 2 minutes.

Return steak to skillet; cook 1 minute or until steak is done. Serve with hot cooked rice.




 

Tasty Tuesday: 2 Recipe Reviews

We have tried 2 new recipes this month so far,  Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup and Secret Ingredient Mac and Cheese.

 Both were a hit with the majority of the family and will be staying in the recipe rotation.

With the soup, I put the cooked and crumbled bacon directly in the soup before I served it, just because it would make a more fair distribution. :) Some of us like our bacon a LOT and would leave little for anyone else.

The Mac and Cheese got a substitution due to the cost of the Frank's Hot sauce being $4+ a bottle and the store brand $0.97. One of these days I will get the Frank's just to see how it compares heat-wise.
Everyone liked this one a lot, even the Mac and Cheese hater who said it was okay. Everyone that is, except the boxed Mac and Cheese lover, who would not even taste it.

Give them a try and if you like them, give the chefs some love!

 

Baby girl quilt finished

Pattern is Crisscross by Fresh Cut Quilts Pattern Co. Fabric is Tidbits by Fresh Cut Quilts Pattern Co. and Kona Snow.

 
I finished the girl baby quilt last night and got some photos this morning. This one will be gifted tomorrow. There were supposed to be 3 quilts being gifted at the luncheon, but the boy quilt only made it as far as piecing the top. The recipient does know she is getting it now though, because I brought it to her first shower yesterday to give to her. Then I took it back. :)
It is for my brother and sister in law, who I see frequently, so I knew I could get it to them easily. I pushed the baby girl quilt to the front of the line, since I rarely see the recipient. The surprise baby quilt's fabric has not even arrived yet, so that friend is getting an IOU. :)

 
I tried a couple of new things on the quilt. The first was Fusiboo Batting. (It is pricey but on sale at Joann's it was about $13 for a 60x60 packaged piece.)

It was awesome! NO BASTING! Well, you have to iron the layers together, but that was a breeze. I did have to re-iron one time when it started to come apart in a couple of places, but overall it was great to work with. It washed up nicely too.

The second thing I tried was Quilting Made Easy: Stipples Made Easy, the larger size stipple. My mother in law gave this to me a while back and I finally remembered to use it!



 It is a roll of printed paper with adhesive strips on the top and bottom.



You apply it to the quilt, one row at a time, and follow the dotted line.



 I still have issues with my FMQ, keeping my stitches the same length, but since I didn't have to think about where to go, I did a little bit better. It is still very amateur-ish , but it got the job done.



Here I applied the paper wrong so when I quilted I went into the "no-no zone". Oops! I thought I was supposed to match up the dotted lines one on top of the other. Nope. Match edge of paper to dotted line on the other paper.  Yeah, I broke a needle thanks to that mistake. After that I also switched to a universal 80/120 needle.

As I quilted, I used my Wonder Clips (another gift from MIL and also Missouri Star Quilt Co. daily deal) to hold the layers of the quilt. I accordion folded it which worked better with the paper than rolling. The clips held the layers.

Sorry about the out of focus photo. This is 2 folds I think, 3 paper strips quilted, and one ready to quilt.

 Then came the ripping off of the paper. Not such a fun job, especially with my inconsistent stitches. I had to be really careful not to pull those big stitches out, and the paper got stuck in the tiny ones.

 One row's worth of paper.

Below is how long it took me to take all the paper off. The laps are the rows. One lap is not shown. I had 5 rows. Yes I am a nerd. :)

 All quilted and no more paper. (Mostly)

 I LOVE the backing. I found it on the clearance shelf at Fat Quarters Quilt Shop in Vista. It was perfect! They had just enough to fit the quilt too. It was meant to be. :) (Fabric is from Hello Betty by Chloe's Closet for Moda) When I laid out the quilt on the backing for fitting, I was sad I didn't have more of it because a border with it would have really looked amazing.

Still not great at machine binding, but getting better. I am going to try binding with 2 1/8" in stead of 1 1/4" strips and see if that cuts back on how much edge there is on the back. The binding fabric was pretty cute too. Polka Dots AND Stripes! Sweet! (My selvedge did not have any info on it. Boo!)

This week I will be quilting the Laura Tote and the baby boy quilt and hopefully making an apron for littlest miss.

Have a great week!