Monday, November 15, 2010

It’s been a long time!

Wow!  Where does the time go?  It has been a longer “break” than I anticipated when I posted about our impending move.  Well, we are indeed all moved in, but still have those lingering, last boxes hiding in odd corners and closets!  You know, the ones that sometimes never get unpacked, and you “discover” them two or three years later – or the next time you move! 

For the most part, my sewing and crafting stuff is unpacked.  I now have a small corner of a three-season porch to use as my sewing room, and I am super excited.  Even though I still set my machine up at the dining room table, I have a little more room to store things, and I don’t have to go digging to get at what I need.  It is truly nice to have a little space of one’s own! 

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On the sewing front, I was able to finish this quilt, and decided to give it to my niece for her first birthday.

(The purple floral is from a vintage smock-type apron.)

I machine quilted it with horizontal, straight line quilting.  It’s difficult to see in the photo, but I added hand appliqued scraps of the purple floral fabric randomly around the binding.  I didn’t have enough to piece it into the binding, but I wanted a little something extra so I tried this.  I really liked how it looked.  I hope it “wears”  well as I imagine (hope!) it will get dragged around and “loved.”

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I also worked on adapting a vintage bib pattern.  I love the soft curves around the edges.  I hope to have a few of these in my etsy shop in the next few days.

 

Thanksgiving is coming, and I am so excited! Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday.  I am hosting dinner this year, and the eldest Morning Glory daughter plays in the football band at her high school’s game that morning.  Turkey, and football, and family…I can’t wait!  I’m almost done with my menu.  We don’t vary too much from year to year.   We have all the usual suspects:  sweet potatoes, cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, blueberry salad, cranberry salad, homemade rolls, layered lettuce salad, party-potato casserole (kind of like twice baked potatoes without the shells!), deviled eggs, pumpkin pie, coffee, iced tea,  spinach pasta bake, chocolate cake, and, of course, turkey!   There will be eleven of us:  my mother-in-law,  my sister-in-law and her family, her husband’s mother, and then the six of us.  The countdown is on!

I will leave you with my method for brewing iced tea now that the days are shorter, and the sunshine is limited!

Brewed Iced Tea – makes one gallon

4 to 5 cups cold water

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 tea bags

In medium saucepan, bring water and sugar to a rapid boil.  Turn off heat and add tea bags.  Let steep for 15 minutes.  Remove tea bags and let tea come to room temperature.  Once cool, pour into gallon-sized pitcher and add enough cold water to equal one gallon.  Chill.  Enjoy!

10 days until Thanksgiving!

-Elizabeth

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

A move on the horizon

This past month has brought a lot of packing tape, boxes, and some topsy-turviness to the Morning Glory household as we prepare to move house.  As we muddle through these next few weeks before we get nestled into our new abode, it will likely be quiet on the blog front.   My sewing machines and fabric are being prepared and packed for the move, and I imagine I will be lurking around blog-land when I have a chance, counting down the days until we are once again settled.  This will be a good move for us – more space and more yard – always a very good thing with kids.   But, for now, it’s back to work – packing and taping, packing and taping, packing and taping…

-Elizabeth

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

And the heat goes on

and on and on and on!  To keep cool we have been doing a lot of this…..

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And on the sidelines, I have found a bit of time to start this…..

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It’s a crocheted, granny-square bonnet.  I thought it would be a cute addition to my niece’s wardrobe for the chilly fall days (although, at the moment,  those fall temps seem soooo far off!).   I am adapting it from a vintage granny-square book I have had for a while.   I’ve got the bonnet part figured out and almost done, but I want to change the ties to something  more modern - and I’m a little “stuck” on that part!  It is a common style I have seen over the years using four separate granny squares and sewing them together to form the bonnet portion. For mine, I have added a few rows of single crochet around the outer edge.   I am contemplating a strap that would fit beneath the chin and button on the other side.  Judging from the weather forecast, it looks like I will have plenty of sticky, hot days (and nights) ahead to figure it all out! 

-Elizabeth

Friday, July 9, 2010

Fabulous Friday Finds

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blog stuff July 008

 

 

 

 

 

 

blog stuff July 011

 

 

 

 

 

 

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blog stuff July 017

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

blog stuff July 020

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grand total:  $11.63

Happy Friday!

-Elizabeth

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Another Baby Top

I’ve been working with some more of my vintage fabric lately, turning these…

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into this….

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The red gingham border is not vintage.  The blue and red floral was a pillowcase I found at the thrift store, and the yellow was some older yardage.   The top measures out at 42x51, so it’s definitely a baby/toddler size.  I have this blue and white floral (see below) in my stash that I am thinking of using for the backing, but I’m not sold on it yet – it doesn’t seem “strong” enough to me.   

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Well, the heat has found us!  Our temps have been soaring since the weekend, and without a/c, we have to be pretty creative to keep cool.  As an alternative to ice cream, I freeze pudding in small plastic cups, so they can easily be grabbed as a snack.  Because they freeze solid, it takes a bit longer for the kids to devour them – they have to scrape at the pudding with a spoon!   We vary the flavor and have added chocolate chips, bananas, and blueberries, too.

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Enjoy!

-Elizabeth

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy Fourth of July!

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With thanksgiving and celebration from my home to yours,

-Elizabeth

 

Image courtesy of http://hubpages.com/hub/patriotic-american-flags-clip-art

Friday, July 2, 2010