Peace on earth and in your heart this Christmas.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Stitching Up Christmas Gifts–Bowl Potholder Or Bowlholder?
My sewing machine has been humming lately making Christmas gifts. Still have some to go but I did get the bowl potholders done. Not sure whether to call them bowl potholder or a bowlholder but what ever you call them, I stitched up 8 of the reversible fabric things recently. 
The first one pictured above I made for myself to try out the pattern size and construction to trouble shoot any changes I might want to make but had very little tweaking to do to the pattern so full speed ahead to get the other 7 done.
I found 3 webpages with instructions for making these and I combined ideas from all three so please take a look at them. Syzygy Of Me June 6, 2012, Quilting Board-Microwave Fabric Bowls, Quilt in a Day-Hot Bowl Tute
I cut two pieces of quilting weight fabric 11 1/2” square for each bowlholder. The 2 cotton batting squares were cut 11”. I cut 2 circles from batting to put in the center to pad the very bottom a little more. I traced around a CD like one of the tutorials suggested. 
If you want to use these bowlholders in the microwave the batting must be 100% cotton with no scrim. If it has any polyester in the batting or scrim it might catch on fire if used in the microwave. My batting was mystery batting scraps so I am going to advise the people I gift them to not put them in the microwave to be in the safe side.
I tried to select favorite colors or patterns of the people I was going to give them to. Center the batting squares and batting circles on the wrong side of each of the 2 fabrics.
Flip over carefully and pin the layers together and quilt. I quilted the entire square but some instructions say just quilt from corner to corner diagonally. I wanted the batting more secured to the fabric for when it was laundered it would not get so misshapen.
Fold the quilted square in half to mark the darts which will shape the square into a bowl shape. I marked 1” from the fold and the point positioned 2 1/2” down from the top. Mark and pin one dart on each of the 4 sides and stitch, backstitching at the tip.
Trim the dart down to 3/8” and press all the darts on both pieces in one direction. When the two halves are put together the darts will nest together this way.
Pin the two halves together with right sides facing each other. Stitch with a 1/4” seam, leaving an opening on one side between the corner and one dart.
Trim the corners to reduce bulk before turning it right side out and poke out the corners. Press the seamed edge flat, making sure to turn under the edges of the opening you left for turning. Pin the opening closed and top stitch around to close the opening and secure the outside edges. TA, DA…..it is done. Below are photos of the ones I made. It was a little difficult to get photos of the two sided bowlholders so flipped them and took photos of the bowl in each side. Also have detail photos of some of the quilted fabric squares.
Until Later,
Lynn
The first one pictured above I made for myself to try out the pattern size and construction to trouble shoot any changes I might want to make but had very little tweaking to do to the pattern so full speed ahead to get the other 7 done.I found 3 webpages with instructions for making these and I combined ideas from all three so please take a look at them. Syzygy Of Me June 6, 2012, Quilting Board-Microwave Fabric Bowls, Quilt in a Day-Hot Bowl Tute
I cut two pieces of quilting weight fabric 11 1/2” square for each bowlholder. The 2 cotton batting squares were cut 11”. I cut 2 circles from batting to put in the center to pad the very bottom a little more. I traced around a CD like one of the tutorials suggested. 
If you want to use these bowlholders in the microwave the batting must be 100% cotton with no scrim. If it has any polyester in the batting or scrim it might catch on fire if used in the microwave. My batting was mystery batting scraps so I am going to advise the people I gift them to not put them in the microwave to be in the safe side.I tried to select favorite colors or patterns of the people I was going to give them to. Center the batting squares and batting circles on the wrong side of each of the 2 fabrics.
Flip over carefully and pin the layers together and quilt. I quilted the entire square but some instructions say just quilt from corner to corner diagonally. I wanted the batting more secured to the fabric for when it was laundered it would not get so misshapen.
Fold the quilted square in half to mark the darts which will shape the square into a bowl shape. I marked 1” from the fold and the point positioned 2 1/2” down from the top. Mark and pin one dart on each of the 4 sides and stitch, backstitching at the tip.
Trim the dart down to 3/8” and press all the darts on both pieces in one direction. When the two halves are put together the darts will nest together this way.
Pin the two halves together with right sides facing each other. Stitch with a 1/4” seam, leaving an opening on one side between the corner and one dart.
I can check this project off my list now but have another in the works. Need to do some serious sewing in the next few days as we are celebrating Christmas with our daughters and their families this coming weekend and need to be all finished by then.
Until Later,
Lynn
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Winter Sunset
Grabbed my cell phone to get this photo taken through the window in my sewing room Thursday evening. The sky turned the most beautiful shade of pink but it didn’t last long and then it was dark. So glad I was privileged to see it and now share this Nebraska View with you.
Until Later,
Lynn
Until Later,
Lynn
Friday, December 13, 2013
Noodle Making Time
Yesterday was my annual noodle making marathon. I love to give homemade egg noodles to friends and family at Christmas each year. Everyone makes cookies or specialty breads but no one I know gives homemade noodles.
These are the noodles drying from yesterday, minus some I gifted already this morning. I used a total of 13 1/2 cups of flour in the 4 recipes I made. I may have to make a few more but this might be it for this Christmas. I make noodles occasionally for John and I throughout the year but not in these large quantities.
Last year I wrote about making noodles and gave the recipe I used and you can read that blog post here. The Kitchen Aid noodle attachment is great and I would not be making the volume of noodles without it. Don’t get me wrong…it is still time consuming and a bit of work but nothing like doing all the kneading and cutting by hand.
Until Later,
Lynn
These are the noodles drying from yesterday, minus some I gifted already this morning. I used a total of 13 1/2 cups of flour in the 4 recipes I made. I may have to make a few more but this might be it for this Christmas. I make noodles occasionally for John and I throughout the year but not in these large quantities.
Last year I wrote about making noodles and gave the recipe I used and you can read that blog post here. The Kitchen Aid noodle attachment is great and I would not be making the volume of noodles without it. Don’t get me wrong…it is still time consuming and a bit of work but nothing like doing all the kneading and cutting by hand.
Until Later,
Lynn
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Cold, Colder, Coldest
The temperature lately has been horribly cold outside. When the morning starts out with the temperature in the minus numbers you know it is frigid. This morning it was –8 degrees F. at 7:30 am and got up to 14 degrees F around 4:00 pm. Saturday we had our first significant snow fall, and unusual for us, it came straight down with no wind. It is so fluffy and pretty on the trees but we all know in Nebraska we could still get wind and that pretty snow could pile up into drifts.
A peek between the trees and you see the cows grazing across the highway. Looks like they are grazing snow but in reality they are grazing a section that was planted to turnips, radishes, and rye grass. They just poke their nose through the snow and grab a mouthful. They really like that and will spend a lot of time on those fall planted areas and when it is grazed down then will move into the corn field to get the corn and stalks left after harvest.
Sure was nice to hear the weatherman on TV last night tell us that today temperatures are supposed to get up to 30 degrees F. Yipee…a heat wave!
Until Later,
Lynn
A peek between the trees and you see the cows grazing across the highway. Looks like they are grazing snow but in reality they are grazing a section that was planted to turnips, radishes, and rye grass. They just poke their nose through the snow and grab a mouthful. They really like that and will spend a lot of time on those fall planted areas and when it is grazed down then will move into the corn field to get the corn and stalks left after harvest.
Sure was nice to hear the weatherman on TV last night tell us that today temperatures are supposed to get up to 30 degrees F. Yipee…a heat wave!
Until Later,
Lynn
Sunday, December 8, 2013
New Profile Photo
Today I am making another attempt to get started blogging again. Too many activities and overnight guests this last month. We had my whole family here for Thanksgiving week and that takes a lot of planning and food. Everyone helped with the food but I still had a lot to do to have 14 extras sleeping here one night then 11 the next night, 9 the third night and only 2 the 4th night. We also hosted hunters two long weekends and other guests for several days. Not sure how it happened that we had so many people in such a short time but that is just the way it went this November. I didn’t even have time to turn on my sewing machine so I am itching to get back to it! I did take the time to set up my camera and get a new photo for my profile though. 
I fiddled with the photo in Photoshop Elements 11 a bit and like the brighter face and darker quilt a new technique for me. Not sure I remember what I did but like the results. Another secret I should probably not tell you all but I used the program to smooth out the chicken wattle wrinkle on my neck….a result of loosing weight and age. That loose skin is now magically gone. Hey – my photo so I can do what I want right? Too bad it can’t really be magically gone like that!
My last profile photo was also taken in front of this same quilt so you might not realize it was a different photo taken 4 to 5 years apart. I needed a new profile photo for another thing rather quickly and didn’t have any other ideas of what to use for a background so this nine patch to the rescue. I have a remote shutter release and put my camera on the tripod and clicked away.
Until Later,
Lynn
I fiddled with the photo in Photoshop Elements 11 a bit and like the brighter face and darker quilt a new technique for me. Not sure I remember what I did but like the results. Another secret I should probably not tell you all but I used the program to smooth out the chicken wattle wrinkle on my neck….a result of loosing weight and age. That loose skin is now magically gone. Hey – my photo so I can do what I want right? Too bad it can’t really be magically gone like that!My last profile photo was also taken in front of this same quilt so you might not realize it was a different photo taken 4 to 5 years apart. I needed a new profile photo for another thing rather quickly and didn’t have any other ideas of what to use for a background so this nine patch to the rescue. I have a remote shutter release and put my camera on the tripod and clicked away.
Until Later,
Lynn
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