Making A Quilt Pt. 2

In Part 1 of making a quilt, I cut up fabric from discarded flannel shirts. For this part of the project, I had to cut the material to make patches. I used a 5 x 5 in. template that I had made a long time ago. I cut all the material into squares, then I cut on the diagonal. I was left with a large pile of flannel triangles. I sorted all of the triangles out, counted what I had, and paired all of them together.

When I sewed the triangles together to make squares, I sewed them in a long strand. It looked like bunting; which gave me idea for another project for November. This part was the most tedious part and I dreaded doing it. I kept putting it off, but I finally completed that task and was relieved to do so. Once I got over that part, I was very happy to move forward with the project.

Yesterday, I ironed all of the pieces while watching "The Guild" on Netflix. Then, I began my favorite part, piecing it all together in a fun pattern. I'll post about that in Part 3 of the project. Now that the worst is over, I am moving along at a faster pace and should have this done by October. I would have it done a lot sooner, but I take my time on quilts. I like to work on quilt projects a little at a time. I will be getting it done soon though, because the cold weather is here. I am already seeing trees change color and I got candy corn harvest mix today! I'm getting very excited for the arrival of Fall and I have many projects set up to share. Until then~ Toodahloo!

Blue Cupcakes Make Me Smile

Ahhh, blue cupcakes, they are delicious. So, the past week has been a hodgepodge of hiccups, making it difficult to complete projects. There are so many projects that I want to work on, but life seems to be presenting me detour signs. Fortunately, I always look for the silver lining, because it is always there. When it was discovered that a kitchen cupboard needed to be emptied, removed from wall and repaired, the mess was distressing. Right now, the dining room is cluttered with the contents of the cupboard. Even though the dining room is a bit of a mess, I see the opportunity to clean and organize the cupboard. When the cupboard is replaced onto the wall, the mess will go away and I'll have a tidy cupboard.
I've also been working on the quilt project. Right now, I am working through a tedious stage of building the quilt. When I get through that, the rest will be a breeze. Also, when I finish that bit, I'll post about it for part 2. With all the chaos surrounding me, I nearly overlooked the season premiere of "Doctor Who." Not only would I be able to see a fresh episode, but also one with a new Doctor. I thought that it would be fun to bake TARDIS blue cupcakes for the event, cupcakes would surely lift my spirits. I used a white cake mix from a box and added a whole lot of blue food coloring. I couldn't find my black food coloring to make it a true TARDIS blue, so the cupcakes came out looking Smurfy!

They may not be quite blue enough, but still blue, like happy skies. These make me happy. I made homemade frosting using an old fashioned recipe. This frosting I use for cakes and for whoopie pies. You begin by combining flour and milk and cook it until it's thick, thicker than brownie batter.

One cup of milk, five tbsp. flour and several drops of food coloring are placed in a saucepan. Stir continuously on medium heat, cook until super thick. Set aside to cool.

While the flour mixture was cooling, I combined 1 cup of shortening (or butter) and 1 cup of granulated sugar and whipped the heck out of it with an electric mixer. I whipped the mixture until it was no longer gritty. This is an important step. If the mixture is still gritty before the next step is taken, the frosting will separate. Once the flour mixture was cool and the butter mixture was smooth, I added almond extract and more blue food coloring to the butter mixture. Finally, I scooped the flour mixture into the bowl containing the butter mixture and whipped with a mixer until it resembled whipped cream. This makes a lot of frosting, I had so much left over I froze the remaining bit. It is light and airy and is so easy to spread on cake. For the cupcakes, I dipped them into the frosting and gave a spin; that was all I needed to do to get enough frosting on top.
These were so yummy to eat whilst watching "Doctor Who" and the after show. Now, I have more work ahead of me, the day is still young and the sun is still shining. I hope to post about the quilt project soon. Until then~ Toodahloo!

Adjusting To Sudden Changes

I don't have a lovely photograph to jazz up this post. This just isn't that kind of post. I just wanted to catch up before I resumed my posting. I needed to take some time off from blogging and now I am ready to start again. The time has flown by this summer and now the nights are getting colder. Soon, the garden will be abundant and I will have the opportunity to test my culinary limits. These are the times when one becomes Julia Child and MacGyver all in one. I do enjoy the challenge, though. Towards the end of summer, I will be scrambling to preserve my produce in fun and creative ways. I will continue work on my quilt and will post on that soon. Also, since the weather will be cooler, I will be able to use my oven again and bake an assortment of treats that will be fun to eat, even if it requires more exercise. Life is short; far too short to be regretting that whoopie pie that I ate during a day out with my best friend. It's okay to enjoy homemade cookies and lattes and I hope to share these you. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

I Made This

I made this laundry soap. I have been on Pinterest for a few years now. My sister turned me on to it and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I am one of those people who can lose an entire afternoon pinning. Sometimes,  log on looking for a recipe and hours later, it's after midnight! Some of my favorite pins are household cleaning tips and recipes. Last year, I discovered the soap Zote at Family Dollar. It cost a little more or less than $1.00. I had never seen it before, and now I can even find it at Walmart! Intrigued, I bought some to make into detergent. I love this stuff. I've made the liquid soap that your let set overnight and it looks like a bucket of mucous. I'm not really into that. I do like a powder detergent.
Zote is great, it's pink and it smells like citrus. .....and it's pink, did I mention that it's pink? It's pink!

It is a large, soft (PINK) bar that is very easy to grate. I'd compare to grating cheddar cheese. One bar produces a lot of shavings.

I add 1/4 cup of washing soda and 1/2 of Borax and (in a container with a lid) shake it all together. I use this detergent for my linens. Since I always wash my linens in hot water, this is perfect. A little goes a long way. I use a 1/8 cup scoop, and I usually use two scoops (or 1/4 cup). I could get away with one scoop, but two scoops seem to make me feel a bit more confident. I don't know how this would work in cold water, as I've never tried it. I just know that I love this for linens, it cleans and freshens them.

I also like to make linen spray. I reuse an empty spray bottle. One of my favorite scents is the ocean. I developed my own formula for a scent that mimics what I think that smell is like. I start by adding two tablespoons of baking soda, because baking soda neutralizes odors, to the spray bottle. To that, I add one tablespoon of sea salt. Then, I add 6-8 drops of peppermint essential oil, 4-6 drops of lavender oil and 4 drops of rose oil. Last, I fill the bottle with hot water and shake. I use hot water to better dissolve the salt. This is great to spray on the curtains, upholstery, etc. It's a light scent that is not overpowering.

I'm still perfecting my liquid detergent formula, I need to do more research on Pinterest for that. I've tried many, but have yet to find one that I really like. When I do, I'll share it. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Making A Quilt Pt. 1

A few weeks ago, I washed my "Anne Shirley" quilt and I hung it out on the clothes line to dry. When I pinned the quilt securely on the line, I couldn't believe what I saw. My quilt was in such a state! In a specific area, many patches were either threadbare or practically gone. One reason the quilt was damaged was because some of the patches were made from inferior fabric, while others were ruined by dogs. I decided two things: 1) I need to repair the quilt with better material and 2) it's time to make a new quilt. Now is the time to start constructing my quilt if I want to have a one by October. So, I pulled out some fabric, some old shirts and some of my quilting books. I spent Saturday morning pouring through my quilt books, looking for some inspiration. I think I know what I want to do.

I have a pile of old flannel shirts that my Dad no longer wears. I never let him get away with tossing out his shirts. Even though the shirts might have been worn out for shirts, they still make excellent material for projects! The next step in the quilt project is preparing the fabric.  I cut up the shirts to get as much workable fabric as possible, and waste as little as possible. I even save the buttons, I never throw away good buttons.

These flannel shirts are soft and are made of excellent material. They are meant to be washed regularly, so they can stand up to the washing machine. They will also make a very warm quilt.

I cut a cuff from each shirt to repurpose as a coffee sleeve. They have buttons and finished button holes already! These are great to keep in my purse. That way I have them handy whenever I order coffee from the coffee shop.
Next time in the quilt series, I'll be cutting and making squares. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Enjoying The Beauty Of A Summer Day

New Englanders have been very fortunate with the weather this summer. We have experienced a nice balance of rainy days and sunny days. This enables us to have a fantastic time playing outside, working in the garden, walking the dog or spending an entire day travelling from one yard sale to another. The garden seems to really love this summer weather. Already, I've been able to enjoy garden vegetables. It is so nice to be able to go to the garden an find produce for that evening's meal. Seasonal eating is the best!

 I am really looking forward to the Fall when I can bake my pumpkins and make a sorts of treats! It is August now, the summer is quickly fading fast. I still have a few weeks before school resumes, which means another visit from my nephews. This weekend, I will work on a few projects that I want to complete before my nephews arrive. They visited two weeks ago, and I am still recovering. It's a lot of work being Auntie Toesocks; brownies and fudge don't make themselves. Not the mention, the late nights watching Merlin, the early mornings making pancakes and days spent at the lake. This is what summer is all about.

Next time, I'll fill you in on my latest projects. Until then~ Toodahloo!