Pillowcase Dresses Completed

Originally I was just going to let the hem out of these dresses and put a smaller hem in them, but I decided to add a ruffle or extension and added some embelishments and a tie. They turned out really adorable!! I was also able to finish the two other pillowcase dresses as well. That's three unfinished projects down and ........ a few more to go!!

Dresden Quilt Top Finished

 

So glad to finally have the border on my Dresden Plate Quilt. The corners were a bit tricky but I managed to get it to look like what I wanted it to. Now it is folded and stacked with the other "to be quilted" quilts which I hope to get done this winter. I'm planning on using this quilt for a room I'm going to fix up for my precious granddaughters, but first we have to get my daughter married and out of the room. I'll be sure to post before and after pictures because it will be a HUGE differnce. The room now is painted a dark grey with black trim (you know teenagers) . I plan on turning it into a vintage toy room with two twin size iron beds and my Dresden quilt will be the color pallet. I can hardly wait to start collecting vintage toys and other items to fill the room.

Projects Need Finishing

I have so many projects that need finishing and I'm determined to get them done before I start any new ones.....well I may start new ones but in the meantime I will be working steadily on the old ones and try to have them done by the end of the year.....I hope. I currently have on loan my friends sewing machine because mine needs to go in the shop. She let me know that she will be needing it back soon so I need to get on the ball and get as much done this week as I possibly can. Here's what I'm working on.

 

Eight pillowcase dresses that I made for my granddaughter that are too short. I have to take the hem out and either add some coordinating fabric to the length or add a ruffle.

 

 

Two pillowcase dresses needing to be made.

 

 

The border needs to be added to my Dresden Plate quilt.

 

 

Three other quilts waiting to be finished.....long term projects.

 

 

Five quilts (besides the Dresden) waiting to be quilted. Some of these I will quilt by hand and others will be taken to a shop for machine quilting.

 

 

A cross-stitch project I have been working on (or not working on so much) for several years. I seriously need to finish it this year, no more excuses.

 

 

I bought this basket full of crochet motifs at an estate sale years ago. My mother-in-law was going to put them together for me for a tablecloth but she passed away suddenly almost six years ago. When I found them in her craft closet, she had put together about twenty of them. I have had them for a long time now and haven't added to that number at all. I would love to get this finished sometime soon.

 

 

And finally the most recent project started is this crochet afgan. The motifs are easy to do a square at a time while I'm sitting in the reclyner in the evening after dinner. I could probably easily crochet five a night if I set my mind to it and could have this done in no time. I had two shade of pink yarn as well but ended up using it in a small afgan I made for my new little granddaughter so I will need to replace it.

 

It looks like I have my work cut out for me and will be quite busy for a good long while. I would love to have all these projects and more done by the years end, but my youngest daughter is getting married in October so I will be very busy planning and preparing for that. I will just have to do the best I can.  Even though I have a long list of unfinished projects I do have an equally long list of finished ones (so you see, I'm not a total procrastinator). I'll share with you the finished projects very soon but for now, it's off to work I go. Have a blessed day!!

 

 

 

 

Sweet New Baby Girl to Love

Our beautiful new little granddaughter, Zoey Elowynn Carter was born June 6, 2012 at 10:04 pm weighing 7lbs 13 ozs and 20 inches long. She is such a precious addition to our family and her big sister Ava adores her. I made the sweet little quilt she is sleeping on. It is a trip around the world pattern and I found the vintage style fabric at JoAnns. It was finished just in time to be used as a prop in these adorable newborn portraits. In the photo below, Zoey is snuggled up in a crochet cocoon that I made for her using a pattern  purchased from an Etsy pattern shop that is no longer available; however there are many other patterns available out there for a precious cocoon just like this one. Check out the following links for similar patterns.

Baby Cocoon Patterns at Etsy
E-Patterns Central
Baby Buntings, Cocoons and Sleep Sacks

 

I love these two little girls with all my heart and consider myself a truly blessed Meme!! 

 

 

 

Canning Beets Part 2

Sorry it has taken so long to post part 2 of the beet pickling process. My daughter had her sweet baby girl not long after the posting of part 1 and I just now have the time to sit down and get it typed up. I'll be writing a post about our sweet new granddaughter (who is already 2 months old) very soon. In the meantime, Pickled Beets: Part 2

Here's what you'll need. Pickling salt, Vinegar (labeled 5% acidity), Cinnamon Sticks, Whole Cloves, sugar (sorry, not pictured), Onions (optional) and of course, your beets that have been prepared (see part 1).

I use the recipe from the Kerr Kitchen Cookbook . My mother-in-law gave me this cookbook years ago and has many great recipes.

You will need 6-7 pounds of sliced beets per batch. The complete recipes is as follows:

PICKLED BEETS

6-7 pounds beets

water

4 cups cider vinegar (labeled 5% acidity)

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoon pickling salt

2 (2-inch) cinnamon sticks

1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

1 medium onion, sliced (optional)

Wash beets. Trim tops leaving 3 inches of tops and roots. Place beets in an 8-10 quart saucepan and cover with water. Cover and cook beets over medium-high heat until skins slip off easily, 20-30 minutes. Drain and discard water. Trim off tops and roots. Slip off skins. Slice beets 1/4 inch thick. Tie spices in spice bag or cheesecloth. In a 4 to 6 quart saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, water, pickling salt and spice bag. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Add beets and onions. Cook 5 minutes. Remove spices. Immediately fill hot pint jars with beets leaving 1/2 inch head-space. (Instructions for preparing your jars and lids) .  Pour hot vinegar mixture into jars, leaving 1/2 inch head-space. Carefully run a non-metallic utensil down inside of jars to remove trapped air bubbles. Wipe jar tops and threads clean. Place hot lids on jars and screw bands on firmly. Process in boiling water canner for 30 minutes. Yield: 7 pints. (Water Bath Canning Tutorial)

A true home is one of the most sacred of places. It is a sanctuary into which men flee from the world’s perils and alarms. It is a resting-place to which at close of day the weary retire to gather new strength for the battle and toils of tomorrow. It is the place where love learns its lessons, where life is schooled into discipline and strength, where character is molded.
Few things we can do in this world are so well worth doing as the making of a beautiful and happy home. He who does this builds a sanctuary for God and opens a fountain of blessing for men.
Far more than we know, do the strength and beauty of our lives depend upon the home in which we dwell. He who goes forth in the morning from a happy, loving, prayerful home, into the world’s strife, temptation, struggle, and duty, is strong--inspired for noble and victorious living. The children who are brought up in a true home go out trained and equipped for life’s battles and tasks, carrying in their hearts a secret of strength which will make them brave and loyal to God, and will keep them pure in the world’s severest temptations.

J.R. Miller, Home-Making