Handprint Potholders

I made these potholders for my daughter-in-law for a birthday present.  It was a pin I saw and thought it would be cute.

 It turned out to be quite a challenge.  Clara, the 8 month old, did not want to cooperate.  So hers is rather messy.  Because we didn't press hard you can see the lines of her hands.

 Eloise was the first one I did.  I didn't know how to do it.  I put paint in the palm of her hand and painted her hand with my hand.  So we both had paint on our hands.  Guess what that means.  Paint everywhere.

 Then my daughter taught me how to do it right with a paper plate.  If I keep clean hands then everything else can stay clean.  We had to offer Juliet prize food to put her handprints on the cloth.  Food will get her attention every time.

 This is the backside.

Sheri's Quilt

  

I did feathers and twirls in this one.  Using a colored thread on white always makes me nervous.  This did turn out well.

Time to Make Pinwheels

I just discovered a new and easier way to make nice pinwheels.  This is something I'm doing for my newest baby  quilt.  Let me share it with you.  This measurement makes a pinwheel 6" finished size.

Start with 2 squares 5 3/4".

 Sew around all 4 of the outside edges 1/4".

Cut diagonally  twice through the square.

 If you open it up as it is laying, it will look like this.

 Rearrange them to make your pinwheel.

 Sew the 2 top squares and the 2 bottom squares together. Press towards the dark fabric.

 This is what they look like then. Sew the top half to the bottom half.

 When it's sewn I make 2 slits at the center 1/4" on each side of the seam.

 I smash it open with my finger and then press it.  This gets rid of that big lump in the center.

 I  trim the piece to make a 6 1/2" square.

 Now I have some lovely squares waiting to be added to and put together.

 

A Chili Supper

This is a family favorite of ours.  In fact, it has gone beyond our family to being served at weddings and other grand occasions.  It's great for those winter evenings when you just want something comfy and warm.

I started making this chili as a girl learning from my mother. It became my favorite food and I must say, it is still up there as a hit for me. 

 Over the years there have been some changes made to it, the biggest being that I use ground turkey  instead of ground beef.  We like the milder flavor of the turkey better.  More flavor for beans.

My dad used to tease me by trying to put green peppers into my chili.  I do NOT like green peppers and he did. So therefore I don't use green peppers, but if you like them, give them a try. 

I make a big pot of chili.  We are a large family.

 

You can start it early in the day, or later on. It should have at least an hour  to simmer.  It is pretty simple to put together.

In our family there are also many ways of eating it.  Some put coleslaw on top.

 Others are more extreme. Starting with a piece of cornbread,

 you put the coleslaw on top of that.

 Then you mound the chili on.

 And it is quite a mound.  A large man sized portion.

 And me?  I like to keep things separate.  Why ruin the taste of chili with all that added stuff?  I do like some tobasco on it though.

And now for the recipe.  I don't measure, so the seasonings especially are rough amounts.  Just go by taste.  That way you'll like it.  Serves 8-10

2 1/2 lbs ground turkey

1 large onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

2 c. mushrooms, sliced

1/2 T. minced garlic

1/2 T each  chili powder

                   seasoned salt

                   cumin

1 tsp.  red pepper 

1-46 oz can tomato juice

1-2  14 oz cans diced tomatoes (it depends on how much you like tomatoes)

4-15 oz cans kidney beans  (this can also be adjusted to taste)

2- 6 oz cans tomato paste

Brown the turkey with the vegetables til the vegies are cooked and the turkey is brown.  Add the seasonings while they are cooking.

After you've worn out your hand opening all those cans, and the meat is cooked, add the juice, tomatoes, paste, and beans. Bring it to a boil, and then put it on a low simmer until you are ready to serve it.

We serve this with a cheesey, corny cornbread and coleslaw.  Yum!!!

Potholders

I've been sewing potholders the last few days.  They are a way to use up scraps and make great gifts.  And they are so quick and easy to do.

 These were this very nice tutorial.

Notice I didn't get the herringbone to line up.  I should have cut my pieces a little longer and then lined them up and square them off.  I didn't do that.

 The backside is birds.

Wanted to use some Hawaiian fabrics on this one. This is a block called the 

Lemoyne Star.  There are several tutorials online for this.  I made my own size, so I had to do my own figuring.

 I'm not sure how I came up with this idea.  I just wanted to make sure I could get a complete cupcake in the center of the square. 

Lunch Time

Today for lunch we will have sandwiches.

 We have a fine array of meat and cheeses along with peanut butter and jelly.

 We have mayonaise and mustard.  And also peanut butter and jelly.

 I looked at many ideas online and took the ones that I liked the look of best and copied it.  The pattern for the bread was available to print, so I did.

 

 You can't have a sandwich without pickles.

 And this was the most fun.  Watching these little girls get real excited to make sandwiches.

 They don't care what goes on.  Peanut butter and jelly go great with meat and cheese.

Some need a little help.

 Time to eat!

 Look at the thickness of that sandwich!  Could you put that in your mouth?

 Trying to hold it together.

Here's a link to my Felt Food pinboard, in case you'd like to see where I get my ideas.

Kristina's Quilt

I think she's getting ready for next winter.  Planning ahead is always good.  This is a lovely quilt.

Skinny, Skinny Stems

Since I finished my smaller applique projects, I got my Love Entwined quilt out and started appliqueing stems for the flower vases.

These are  tiny stems.  The smallest are 1/8" wide with the widest being still less than 1/4".  I cut my bias just under 1" and trim again after the first seam is sewn.  That makes it easier to work with.

 It's been a while since I've worked on this.  I still look at others to help me with my colors. I don't want to much coral.  I think I will do my vases last and then decide on their color.  I love applique and this is fun.