Friday, January 29, 2016

Friday Fun

 
I visited my favorite new store yesterday...
The Prairie Preservationist...
and noticed they were getting low on Dakota Kid bibs.
 
 
So today in my little sewing sweatshop
 I have soft flannel baby pieces out.
 
 
Last night while watching a movie
 I finished crocheting around this baby blanket...
and started crocheting another one.
 

 
The baby animals are so sweet!
 
Have you been following my 31 days of zipper pouches?
 
 
Day 29 pouch...
"GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU"
 
 
Daughter Knit and Pearl and I have decided
 we are on a quest for the ultimate muffin recipe.
Mine would be semi-healthy with carrots, pineapple and nuts.
Not to sweet!
The texture would be more like bread than cake.
Cake for breakfast just never appealed to me.
 
Stay tuned...    ~b
 


Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Wednesday

Happy Hump Day!
 
 
Go 24 hours without
 complaining.
(Not even once.)
Then watch how
your life starts
 changing!
 
~b


Tuesday, January 26, 2016

micro mini quilts

More scrappy projects...
 
 
 
Do I have you convinced that January is
National Zipper Pouch Month?
 
 
They are like making micro mini quilts...
adding batting and a zipper.
 

 
I love how the screen printed squares look in my little quilts.
 
 
~b
 
 
 
 
 


Monday, January 25, 2016

book covers

Here's a project for quilters
 that like to do a small project between those quilts.
 
 
Book covers.
To use up lots of those scraps.
Yes!! I love a scrappy project.
 
 
For adults and kids too.
 
 
The granddaughters picked out their fabrics.
Fish, butterflies, cupcakes, cats, dinosaurs...
Aren't they fun?
 
I purchased the composition notebooks at the Dollar Store
for a dollar!
 
~b
 
 


Friday, January 22, 2016

prepare

We went and picked up our granddaughters for the weekend...
 
 
Of course a trip to the city isn't complete
 without a stop at Barnes & Noble.
 
 
I like knowing I'm prepared for the next BIG snowstorm.
 
~b
 


Wednesday, January 20, 2016

winter 101

When you live in South Dakota and it's the middle of January...
it's all about surviving winter.
 
 
This morning we woke up to oatmeal in the crockpot.
 
 
Overnight Apple Oatmeal
 
Ingredients:
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 4 medium apples, peeled and diced
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 4 cups water or 3 cups water and 1 cup half and half
Instructions
  1. Break up the butter into small pieces and drop it all around the bottom of a slow cooker. While doing this, wipe down the sides of the cooker with a pat of butter to keep from forming a "crust" along the edges.
  2. Cover butter pats with diced apples.
  3. Sprinkle cinnamon across the apples
  4. Pour sugar over the apples and cinnamon
  5. Cover with two cups of oats
  6. Gently pour in 4 cups of water, or 3 cups water and 1 cup half-and-half
  7. DO NOT STIR
  8. Place on low setting and cook overnight, 8-10 hours.
 ________________________________
YES! It was very good and received our seal of approval.
(I had some cream that needed to be used
so I replaced the half-and-half with the cream.)
If you grew up in the creamery like I did
 you always have lots of cheese, butter and cream in the fridge.
 
 
Every now and then I like to turn things down a little
and get out my embroidery threads to do flour sack towels.
No instructions...
No thinking...
No expectations.
Just sit and stitch.
 
And they make great gifts.
 
 
These vintage patterns are always so fun to do.
 
Now tell me how you survive winter.
 
~b


Tuesday, January 19, 2016

31 days

...of zipper pouches.
 
 
Day 14 and 15...chickens.
Have you seen enough chickens by now?
 
 
 Day 16 and 17
Something for cowboy lovers.
 
 
Day 18 and 19
I made tote bags out of most of these pieces.
I can't resist cute novelty fabric.
 
Do you like putting zippers in? I do.
I may be ordering zippers in February after
31 days of these pouches.
 
~b
 
 
 


Monday, January 18, 2016

chickens

Todays post is all about chickens...
 
 
 
 on burlap pillows
 

and canvas market bags...
 
 
  zipper pouches
and flour sack towels.
 
 
Have I said how nice it is to have Mr. Screen Printer?
 
 
 
...and on bib aprons.
 
Having a cute chicken coop and chickens is on my bucket list.
 
~b
 

 
 
 


Friday, January 15, 2016

thick and quick

Ed's Hat
(pattern)
 
 
These knitted hats work up fast on size 13 needles
and Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn.
 
 
I decided to try one...
then another one...
and another...
you know how that goes.
 
 
The wool in these should keep ears warm
even in South Dakota.
 
 
I like a quick project!
 
~b


Thursday, January 14, 2016

in and out bag

I took a break from my 31 days of zipper pouches
to make this "in and out" bag.
 
 
I love the soft muted colors.
 
 
I chose a batik for the bottom,
 handle and lining of the bag.
 
 
Then it needed a zipper pouch to match.
The pockets inside the bag are also made with this fabric.

 
~b
 


Tuesday, January 12, 2016

amusing

When you live in the middle of South Dakota
in the middle of winter
you learn to challenge yourself.
 
 
31 zipper pouches in 31 days...
I'm pretty easy to amuse don't you think?
 
 
It is day 12 of my challenge.
In other words...
19 zipper pouches to go.
 
 
If my buyer doesn't take these
I could be handing them out on the street corner in February.
 
"WILL MAKE ZIPPER POUCH FOR FOOD"
 
~b
 
 
 


Monday, January 11, 2016

More memory pouches...
 
 
I love old photos don't you?
This love-ly one would make
 a great valentine gift next month.
 
 
Know anyone that bikes a lot?
 
 
That's my grandparents in the photo frame....
 
 
Part of the fun is picking out
 coordinating fabrics for the backs and linings.
 
 
And now you know what I did this weekend
 while the temperatures hovered in the single digits.
 
~b
 


Friday, January 8, 2016

farm friends

Fresh out of our little sweatshop on the prairie...
 
 
Did I say Farm Fresh?
 
 
Canvas and mattress ticking market bags...
 
 
...and cotton kitchen towels.
 
 
 
~b