Memoir Poem Pillow

I just LOVE making these heart shaped pillows by Sew4home!

This pillow uses the pattern / tutorial that you can access for free on their site, however I added the extra touch of a poem in memory of a friend's loved one, printed on printable fabric sheets, and using machine applique to attach it.  I love how it turned out...

 You can learn how to make these heart shaped pillows by going here:

Valentine's Day: Hoopla Pre-Cuts: Box o' Chocolates Heart Pillows

"Roses In The Garden" ...for my mom

Now that we've all opened our Christmas present for the season, I can post pictures of the quilt set I made for my mom.  She asked me to make her a quilt in 2011, and I finally got one made for her, along with some shams and bed pillows...

Silhouette: A Black Rose Quilt

Now that Christmas is over, I can finally start posting some pictures of my most recent projects!  One of which is this queen bed quilt "Silhouette: A Black Rose Quilt" and the matching shams & bed pillows.  This was given to my brother and sister-in-law for Christmas.

*You can buy the pattern for the square white pillow with the black center & bow, from Lilly*Blossom on Facebook and her Etsy Shop.
*You can get the pattern for the Box o' Chocolates Heart pillow free from Sew4Home
*You can get the pattern for the Gypsy Romance (triangle shaped) pillow free from Sew4Home

Tornado Relief - Donate a Quilt!

In light of the deadly tornadoes that swept through parts of Illinois on November 17, 2013, Peddler's Way Quilt Co. in Washington, Illinois will be taking donations at the store. Needed are finished quilts, with a label, so the recipient will know who to thank, pillows, pillowcases, knitted or crocheted hats, scarves and gloves. There are MANY in need of everything, and in our own way we can help with these things. Thanks for all the messages of concern and offers to help.
(Above paragraph was copied and pasted from their website).

You can contact Peddler's Way Quilt Co. with any questions you may have about this.

Also, another way to donate and help comfort tornado victims...

Lost & Found... in Illinois...

"This quilt was found on Devonshire in Washington, Illinois. Look familiar? It has been washed up and is a bit damaged from the tornado, but it is looking for its home. Please help!"



You can read the full story here: Quiltville's Quips & Snips!

ROUND Queen, Horse-Themed, Fleece Quilt FOR SALE

This is a project from the year 2010... I was asked to make a soft, fluffy, horse-themed quilt for a queen-sized ROUND bed, so this is what I made.  The buyers backed out on me, so I've been stuck with it and have been storing it ever since (in a clean, dry plastic tub).  It cost me a total of around $250 in materials alone to make this.  It's made entirely of fleece fabrics, and has a satin gold trim around the edges.  It is double layered fleece, NO quilt batting between the layers.
Even though it's made for a round queen bed, it also fits well on a regular shaped double/full size bed, and would work on a regular shaped queen size bed.  (I have taken a picture of it on a queen bed to give the idea).
I would like to get at least $250 for it, just to try and get back the materials cost I paid out-of-pocket for, but I'm willing to consider ALL offers, because it isn't doing any good just stored away for nobody to enjoy.
It would make a unique holiday or Christmas gift for the right person!  Please contact me with any offers!  I can ship, and would be able to get a shipping quote for anyone interested.
Thanks for looking at and sharing this post!

You can see my Craigslist post here as well:  http://wausau.craigslist.org/art/4155271713.html

Michigan & the Fruits of my Labor...

I am slowly getting burnt out from all the canning I've been doing lately, and really missing my sewing room.  But I can't stop the canning as long as there is an abundant flow of fresh fruits and vegetables!  I hate to let things go to waste, so canning is one way I can preserve these wonderful gifts from nature!
Today was a very long day in the kitchen, and considering how many hours I spent canning, it sure doesn't seem like I got a lot canned!  But I only have one 4 burner stove and no dishwasher, so all the jars have to be hand washed, then sterilized in a HWB canner, so I can't use the canner for canning until the jars are sterilized...it's just the way it is here, and I am fine with it!  But what I wouldn't give to have a dishwasher....

Well, last weekend we spent a day site-seeing some places in Michigan, just above the Wisconsin border.  My parents and my dad's cousin (along with her husband & their oldest daughter) also went with.  We stopped at Irish Hollow Cemetery near Rockland, MI.  Then we stopped at the museum in Rockland.  We stopped at Old Victoria and toured the old copper miners' cabins...what a neat piece of history!  We had a picnic of homemade sub sandwiches at a park in Rockland before heading to Ontonagon, MI and Porcupine Mountains.  I have been up in these parts of Michigan, but not since I was a teenager.  My family used to camp up there quite often as I was growing up.  But Brian has never been up here.  I enjoyed being able to see it all again after so many years, and to show Brian some of what Michigan has to offer as well.
We also walked along the beach of Lake Superior and took in the sights there as well.  Here are some photos of our day trip to part of the UP in Michigan...

 ...Brian at Lake of the Clouds Scenic Area

  ...Brian watching Cliff & Dad looking for their namesthat they carved 50 years ago in the rocks

 ... Dad being goofy & pointing out his name...
and below is a closeup of his name...
he carved it when he was about 13 yrs old...
around 50 years ago...
and it's still there!

 ...Dad standing TOO close to the edge...
at Lake of the Clouds Scenic Area

 ...Brian & me at Lake of the Clouds Scenic Area
(above & below)

...Brian at the entrance of an old copper mine

 ...Brian & Dad at Lake Superior

 ...Brian & me at Lake Superior  

  ...Brian, Dad & me at Lake Superior

And now for some pictures of what I got canned today!

The apples we picked in Michigan... 

Brandied Apple Rings... 

Peach Rhubarb Jam, Apple Rhubarb Jam, Apple Maple Jam,
and the 2 oddballs in the front are Rhubarb Black Raspberry Jam.
(Not pictured is Blueberry, Apple, Banana Freezer Jam that is already in the freezer).

NOTE:
All the rhubarb came from our yard.
All the apples came from Michigan.
The peaches were fresh frozen from Spring Lake Country Store in Spring Lake, WI
(a Mennonite owned store with AWESOME fresh & bulk foods).
IDK where the black raspberries came from...
Brian had them in the freezer in a Ziploc freezer bag!

It's now time to say goodnight and head off to dreamland...

A Season for Canning!

Last year I learned how to make pickles.  This year I learned how to make jams and jellies.  And all in all I love to do both.  In fact, I love canning in general!
This year we have been so fortunate when it came to fruits and veggies...between friends and family who have given us cucumbers, green beans, cherries and some apples, and then the fruits from the trees in our own yard and the wild grapes I found along a country road this fall, and even some overloaded apple trees along the roadsides...we haven't had to buy any fruits or veggies for canning at all!
I've been busy off and on for the past two months making jams & jellies, pickling dilly beans, pickles and other veggies, making apple juice and sauce...WHEW!  I'm starting to get burnt out, but it's not over yet!  While in Michigan this past weekend, we ended up picking more apples from trees in the wild, because the apples were so sweet we couldn't pass them up!  And tomorrow morning I am going raspberry picking with one of my quilting friends!
It has truly been an amazing year for the abundance of fruits and vegetables, and we are so appreciative for it all.  Our root cellar is full, but it doesn't stop me from preserving and sharing some of it with others as well!
I did tell my family that we don't need to buy any jam or jelly for the next year or so!  LOL!
Here are all kinds of pictures to show some of the things I canned this fall so far...

7.16.2013 - FIRST CAME THE SOUR CHERRY JAM...

  One of Brian's best friends, Bill, and his wife Linda, graciously allowed Brian to pick as many cherries as we wanted from their sour cherry tree, and I ended up with even more jam than what's pictured below.  This picture shows what I got made before running out of pectin...

7.29.2013 - Next came...
30 qts & 17 pints of pickles, and 6 pints of dilly beans 

These came from cucumbers I got from my parents' pickle farm, and the green beans came from Tea Pot Quilt & Garden Center in Montello, WI.

The pickle recipes I used are: Grandma's Dill Pickles (Taste of Home), Spicy Dill Pickles (Emeril Legasse), Bread & Butter Pickles (Taste of Home), Claussen Kosher Garlic Pickle Copycat, and Polish Dill Pickles from a Mrs. Wages pickling packet.

8.14.2013
Then Brian's brother, Duane, gave us all these cucumbers and dill from his garden, including some green beans that aren't pictured, so I had to make more pickles and dilly beans!

 31 quarts, 25 pints & 1 half pint of pickles!

Varieties of pickles I made on this 2nd round are: Sweet Gherkins, Grandma's Dills, Fast Favorite Garlic Dills, Aunt Agnes Garlic Dills, Old Fashioned Garlic Dills and Emeril's Sweet & Spicy Pickles. (All recipes were found either online or in my Taste of Home Canning & Preserving cookbook).

9 quarts and 1 pint of dilly beans

8.21.2013

From apples I picked along the roadside, I made Spiced Apple Rings...

8.25.2013

Wild Grapes I picked along a roadside...

 ...became Wild Grape Jelly

8.30.2013... Left to Right:

Burgandy Wine Jelly, Boone Farm Blue Hawaiian Wine Jelly, Honey-Chiante Jelly

9.4.2013

Pear Jam from the pear trees in our yard...

9.7.2013

Dilly Beans & Pickled Peppers

9.9.20137 pints Spicy Pickled Beets

14 pints of my Grandma Klemp's Pickled Beets recipe.

Ground Cherries from Brian's brother, Duane's garden...

Freshly picked...

 After Brian husked the ground cherries...

9.11.2013

Brown Sugar & Maple Ground Cherry Jam...

...Plum & Ground Cherry Jam

(plums were picked from the plum trees in our yard)

9.11.2013

Best Apple Pie Jam

9.11.2013

Garlicky Pickled Mixed Veggies...

 ...all garden fresh veggies used: carrots, green & yellow zucchini's, onions, hot banana pepper, cucumber and green beans. Recipe can be found on pg 15 of Better Homes and Gardens 2013 Canning magazine. The recipe called for a few other veggies, but I could only use what we had on hand.

9.12.2013

2-1/2 Quarts of Home Canned Apple Juice (on the left); 8 Pints & 1 Quart of Applesauce