My Favorite Designer

I simply adore beautiful fabric, don't you? I can't really remember my first Tanya Whelan fabric, but let me tell you her lovely prints just take my breath away. Have you visited Tanya's blog?

There is an interesting interview with Tanya here.

Tanya will be having a brand new book released in December. It is available from Amazon and also Barnes and Noble has it for pre-order!!

Who is your favorite fabric designer?

Homemade Noodles

It has turned quite cold already in Ohio. We heat with wood so we already have the furnace running. We heat intirely with wood so my husband cuts a lot of firewood on our property. Thankfully we have 20 acres of woods. My granddaughter came over this morning for another sewing session. Doesn't it make teaching someone so much easier when they are so eager to learn?

In getting the morning started, Vanessa sewed two more nine patch blocks for the quilt she is making. I was thrilled to see that she remember each step that she learned last week. After sewing for an hour or so she had completed the two blocks. She now has four blocks finished. Next we worked on making a delightful fabric covered bulletin board for my sewing room.

Now I think she would like one for her room!!

Next we enjoyed a little lunch of mac 'n cheese...can't go wrong with that!! We decided to make some homemade noodles so she could take them home and prepare dinner for her family. Now this little eight year old girl can sew and she can cook and even clean her mess up!! Gotta love that kind of a girl!

Vanessa is mixing  3 eggs up first. She then added 1 1/2 cups of flour.

Vanessa hand cutting her noodles!

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

~Mary Ann~

Vanessa Is Learning To Sew

My lovely little granddaughter, Vanessa started her first sewing lesson with me last evening. She had her eighth birthday last month and I gave her a sewing box with all kinds of sewing goodies in it. I also gave her some 4 inch quilting squares in her box too.

She came up to our farm after dinner last night with her sewing box in tow. I decided to let her begin with the quilting squares, sewing them into a nine patch blocks. She completed two blocks last evening. She seems to have a good mind for remembering the correct steps of operating a sewing machine. She also got to iron each piece as she was putting the blocks together.

In this last picture she is holding her sewing box and showing the two blocks she completed. I'm pretty sure she was thrilled with her two blocks and I was sure proud of her efforts!

Sewing on Saturday!

It's been such a lovely day today. I have been busy in the sewing room. I am always cleaning and rearranging to keep everything looking nice. It seems to me it is so much fun sewing in a tidy room. What to do think? I am working on a sweet little ruffled prairie skirt. I am also working on a small quilt. I thought I would share some pictures of the skirt I have been working on.

~Mary Ann~

Lavender in a canning jar????

Several months ago I found a blog post that captured my interest. The posting was about making homemade lavender laundry soap. Ms Chandeen of Designed by Chance showed a nice tutorial about making lavender laundry soap. I decided then and there that I wanted to try this. I gathered up the supplies but decided to wait a little. I happened to have an ample supply of laundry detergent on hand. Today I decided to attempt the recipe! Oh wow, did my kitchen ever smell nice!

This is the ingredients that I used:

(3) four ounce bars of Castile soap
(1) 55 ounce box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
(1) 76 ounce box of 20 Mule Team Borax
(1) half ounce bottle NOW 100% pure lavender oil

I grated the bars of soap in my food processor. I then mixed all ingredients in a large pan. I filled quart canning jars with the mixture. I had the jars on hand, so instead of buying a large jar, I just used the canning jars and divided it up.

I have read various amonts to use per load. I have read anywhere between one tablespoon to one fourth cup per load. Maybe I will start with one eigth cup per load and see how that does.

My next recipe to try is homemade lavender fabric softner. I have found the recipe. Just need to gather the supplies.

Anyone else out there tried their own laundry recipes?

I have been Missing In Action!

Dear Freinds,

I have been missing for way too long! Hope everyone is doing well. I have been sick with a sinus / lung infection for way too long. I still have it and it is wearing on me. I have had it almost a month.

I am working on a baby quilt that I started months ago. I am hand sewing the binding on today, so it should be done very soon. I will be glad to have that project checked off my "to do" list.

Here is a new picture of all my sweet little grandchildren!

Fresh pie.....

Yesterday afternoon I stepped out my kitchen door and picked some oh-so sweet and juicy strawberries. I wanted to make a fresh pie for my dear son and his family who love fresh berries! An hour or so later I delivered this pie to my son's farm just down the road.

Helping Joplin, MO

The sweet Long ladies over at marie-madeline studio are putting together a nice way of helping the folks in Joplin, MO. They have invited us to help in this endevour. You can get all the details over at their website.

Strawberries

I picked my first fresh strawberries this morning! My grandchildren are going to want to come to Grandma's today for sure!

How do you like to serve fresh strawberries? Here is one of my family's favorites!!

STRAWBERRY PRETZEL JELLO SALAD

2 c. crushed pretzel sticks
3/4 c. melted butter
3 tbsp. sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 (6 oz.) pkg. strawberry Jello
2 c. boiling water
2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen strawberries, partially thawed or 2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

Mix first three ingredients and press in bottom of a 9"x13" pan. Bake at 350 degrees (metal pan) or 325 degrees (glass pan) 8 minutes. Let cool completely. Beat 1 cup sugar and cream cheese. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over pretzels. Mix Jello and water until dissolved. Add strawberries. Stir into Jello, then set aside for 10 minutes. Pour over cheese mixture. Chill.

(Hint) make sure you spread the cream cheese mixture completely over the pretzels so no jello can seep through...you don't want soggy pretzels!

Sewing is in the bag!

Today has turned into a beautiful day. The weather did not look good this morning....it was raining, like it has been a lot lately! The sun is shining brightly now...brightens things up a bit...well, quite a bit.

I have been busy in the sewing room. I have been cleaning up and tidying things up a bit. I must confess, I do not like a mess, so I am always orgainizing things and trying to make things look neater.

I also have just completed a new bag. The largest one I have made to date. It is just perfect for a beach bag or a weekend getaway. I was expermenting when I made it so wasn't sure just how it would turn out. I really do like it!! I have listed it for sale on ebay. I am adding a few pictures for you to see. I have orders for three more bags, so I better get busy.

Have a nice day,

Mary Ann

Blossoms around the farm

Sunshine and blue skies are on the forecast for today!! It is so pretty outdoors. I thought I would share some of my lovely blossoms that I have enjoyed this spring.

This is a lovely azalea bush that is right outside my bedroom window.

Some sweet begonias.

My favorite lilac bush!

More of the purple lilac.

Another azalea.

Lilac bush.

The white lilac bush.

I hope you all have a nice weekend.

Mary Ann

They make my heart pitter patter...

Is there anything as sweet as grandchildren? I really don't think so. Three of mine were here tonight to play in the warm sunshine. They enjoyed themselves...running,jumping, and simply enjoying life.

Fabric Fabric and More Fabric

As most of you know, I have a home based sewing business. A couple times a year a offer huge sale on my fabrics! Just thought I would let you all in on the sale. If you visit my eBay site , you will find some fabulous deals on premium quality fabric at unbeleivable starting prices!! I start my auctions at just $.99 ! I know, I am crazy!! Take a peek if you love beautiful fabric and like great deals! If anyone is interested, I always combine multiple auction wins and save you on postage. I can generally get a good 15 to 16 yards in a flat rate Priority Mail box for $10.95.

I will be listing more fabrics in the next couple days too. Here are a few already listed...

Mary Ann's EBAY store


Mary Ann

My little sweeties

It is beautiful and warm in Ohio today! Hooray. It has been so cold and dreary. Our family celebrated three birthdays on Thursday evening. My son, son-in-law, and oldest grandson all have birthdays within two weeks of each other. We celebrated with an indoor picnic and ice cream cake for dessert. I wanted to share some cute little pictures of my two youngest grandchildren.

Rebecca's Giveaway....

Rebecca over at A Gathering Place is having a real sweet giveaway. Please visit her and enter!

Wordless Wednesday...favorite family pictures.

I thought I would simply share some of my favorite pictures from the last couple years.........