Husqvarna Jade & Some Fabric Stash Goodies

 

The extension table arrived for my new Husqvarna Jade and I couldn't be more excited. The purchase also included piecing needles & multicolored bobbins. I cannot wait to dig into projects with this lovely machine.

I came across some Judie Rothermel (Oooh, she's my FAVORITE fabric designer ever!) fabrics recently and was thrilled to find some black prints. I haven't used 30s that read black in the Dear Jane yet and think I may have enough to incorporate them a bit in the finished quilt...more on that later.

I'm expecting a package soon of some 30s reproduction fabrics and the waiting is so difficult! Since Erica's in South Bend closed, I haven't been able to find a replacement shop. I've tried, believe me, but nothing is like Erica's. I think I'll have to take a drive on a sunny day out to Shipshewana soon to get some more basic supplies. Fingers crossed Yoders and Lolly's can meet some of my needs in person because online selections are limited. 

I hope that you're having a beautiful day.

Piece,

Heather

A Long Lapse in Time

The sewing room sat dormant for a very long time. I'm looking forward to filling the new cubbies with some delicious fabrics very soon. If anyone has some leads on 30s reproduction prints --- I suppose they've fallen out of fashion but still love the bright fun colors and lovely little prints --- I'd appreciate your help. Dear Jane has popped back into my thoughts as of late. It's been so long, I've even considered making a second while putting the first together...just thoughts, no definite plans, mind you.

I know it's been a terribly long time since last posting. The first project off my list: a mask. It needs some work but for a sample and the chance to try to sew again, not too shabby. 

All My Best, Heather

Final Touches

Tinsel made on the tree after all and a few "new" ornaments made it, too. 

This week is flying by as I have a lot of school duties to attend to. 

We're heading out to see Star Wars this afternoon for some mommy bonding time. 

I can't wait!

I sincerely hope that this Christmas season brings you joy, beautiful memories, friendships rekindled and good health. 

Best Wishes to you and yours from all of us at the fab household,

Heather

2015 is FLYING by!

I spent the time before Thanksgiving break organizing my classroom and bringing in a few Christmas decorations.  New pencils in winter designs and bling were a huge hit when we returned to class. I picked up another couple of classes in recent weeks so I am spending a lot of time preparing for classes these days. My posts will be few and far between as a result.

Munchkin has been a busy bee helping with the various mini trees and placing ornaments on the big tree this year! A few new ornaments arrived in the mail the other day and we ooooohed and aaahhhhed together in harmony. It's not quite finished yet but I had a few minutes available to post. We still have several cases of ornaments to look through and the heated debate over tinsel continues. 

Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas season and a very Happy New Year!

All my best, 

Heather

A Tribute to Dad

There’s a story my dad used to tell about pestering his shipmates for news from home. When I met dad’s friends, they all told that very same story. I always thought it was funny because I envisioned it as their entire tour; dad pacing on deck with ‘Dicky Suchicky’ harassing poor Radarman ‘Silverman’ about news from Obie (my maternal grandfather) for months at a time.

It was the only story he ever shared with us about his service to our country. I remember him telling it with such enthusiasm as we toured the German U boat at the Museum of Science & History in Chicago. He was incredibly animated and had the widest smile while recalling this memory. I laughed the entire time until my belly hurt from laughing so hard. By this time, our family had grown to include my brother, Matthew and my sister, Emily---but we were best known to dad as Vic, Clint & Bullet, the “three tons of fun”. Thanks to Google, I did eventually discover he was referring to a slapstick comedy team who made occasional appearances on the Howdy Doody Show (though we were never sure which character we represented).

In time, I came to understand that the story wasn’t just about me; it was much bigger than that. It was the rare experience of joy in wartime. Good things were still going on at home and that was reassuring when the slightest comfort must have felt like sheer luxury.

Dad was proud of each of us. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather.

When I was expecting my first child, dad would make excuses to travel to Moberly, Missouri where I was attending nursing school. He’d conveniently “forget” something he needed to pick up at the local big box store and somehow the cart would fill with goodies for his grandchild and anything an expectant mommy could ever crave. On one trip, he insisted on taking me to a buffet lunch where I swear I must have eaten half a pan of mac ‘n cheese while ever so slowly convincing him to come with me to my doctor’s appointment. Dad was not a fan of doctors…or hospitals…or waiting rooms, for that matter. But he went anyway to be supportive because that’s the kind of man he was.

When the nurses called him in to see the ultrasound of his first grandchild, I saw the Navy story come to life before my very eyes. It was pure joy and it was beautiful. Dad held each of my children with that same expansive smile and pride. His family members meant absolutely everything to him. My regret is that his youngest daughter was robbed of the experience. I know wholeheartedly he would have pampered my sister the very same way and absolutely treasured her son, Thomas just as he had Nicholas, Steven and Megan---my very own three tons of fun.

In My Life was a song with special meaning to my dad, the song we danced to at my wedding, to honor my brother.  Today, I'd like to take this moment to say I love you more, Dad. 

Sunshine, Strawberries & 30s Prints

Strawberries galore in the garden! I love this time of year. The strawberry pie is chilling in the fridge, kids have been munching on some fresh, organic berries and I'm taking in some free time. 

On the trip to Erica's, I found a few magazines must haves and a beautiful book by Cynthia Tomaszewski called "quilting those FLIRTY '30s". It has some wonderfully whimsical applique flowers, lovely 1930s reproduction prints and a quilt I'm convinced will be perfect made of scraps from Dear Jane. It also has some cookie recipes! 

No, you haven't missed any DJ posts, she's still not together. Our schedules have not allowed much time in the sewing room as of late. I have mending projects piled up and plenty keeping me busy. 

Happy Quilting & Gardening,
Heather

Erica's Sale Days!

It's that time of year again! ERICA'S always has THE very best 1930s reproductions and this year is no exception. You'll find FREE US & HALF PRICE INTERNATIONAL shipping on orders $49+.

Please contact Erica's directly for details or check out their website at ericas.com. A few new selections were added to the huge collection this weekend. Here are a couple of photos of some of the haul from our trip to South Bend, Indiana. I have't had a chance to get into the strips, charm packs, kits, magazines, or books...yet.

Happy Sewing & Shopping,

Heather

Springtime!

It's been a long winter and we're thrilled to be getting out into the sunshine! No worries, you've not missed any updates. My calendar is incredibly full and I've not had time to quilt other than teaching a few small group classes on piecing, appliqué and easy headband construction. 

When work settles down and I have a bit of time, I'll be back. I already have a project in mind for a quick finish! For now, please enjoy a few photos of our violets, daffodils & tulips. The yard is in bloom & we're loving every minute. 

Happy blooms,

Heather

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS!

 

Getting in the Groove

How is it almost time to head back to school? 

During the school year, I scour sales, buy in bulk & make multiple servings of meals to cut dinner prep to a minimum on our busiest nights. Why make a mess in the kitchen for the same meal 3 times, right? 

We cook a variety of foods seasonally, from scratch & on a budget. Once the weather cools, I get busy in the kitchen, sous chefs in tow and we're nice and toasty in the house without bumping up the heat. I've done this since college so it certainly works for singles & couples...we're just prepping on a larger scale these days. It's so nice to come in from work and not have to scramble around cooking at the last minute. It just takes a little planning, really.

While I'm home all summer, the kids enjoy the remaining meals with lots of fresh fruits and veg from the farmer's market and our garden. Once the deep freezer contents begin to dwindle, we have a terrific time following directions and practicing addition, subtraction, multiplication, division & fractions as we begin restocking.

I start with breakfast and lunch items to help our mornings run a little smoother as we transition to early mornings of what seems like pure chaos the first month or two. I thought stocking up on some low cost snacks for the freezer would go over well with munchkin & our middle. Our oldest was happy to do some taste testing. Thumbs up, seal of approval.

Munchkin decided on oatmeal raisin cookie dough. She is not a fan of mixing without the Kitchen Aid. I hear you, girl. Exhausted after all the laborious mixing (with help, mind you) she graciously allowed me to bake all 8 dozen. I think we'll all sleep well tonight.

Best Wishes,

Heather

Wish you were here!

I have not been sewing. At all.

We're too busy playing.

We're spending gorgeous days at the beach and loving summer!

Toes in the sand,

soaking in the sunshine---just as we should be.

Best Wishes,

Heather

Simple Goodness: Cherry Bars

Looking for something sweet? These simple Cherry Bars were a real treat!

I found a recipe on Taste of Home today but had just one can of cherries in the pantry, so the recipe was halved and baked in a smaller pan.

ingredients:

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

a couple drops of almond extract1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Middle Layer: 1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling

Glaze: 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 

& 1/4 teaspoon almond extract plus one to two 

tablespoons of milk-----to your desired thickness.

I added all ingredients except the flour to one large bowl and mixed with a spatula. When thoroughly mixed, I added the flour all at once. I had no problems doing so but if you're one to follow directions like a good little doobee, add the flour gradually. *Be sure to grease your pan.*

Using the same spatula, I spread about half of the mixture on the bottom of the greased square pan. It's sticky, so don't be concerned. Spread the can of pie filling over the layer of dough and when complete, drop remaining dough on to the top of the pie filling layer. 

For a dark 8" square pan, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and baked it at the same temp for 30 minutes before increasing the temperature to 375 for about 15 minutes until the top is golden brown (approx. 45 minutes altogether). Cool completely.

When cool, mix glaze ingredients and drizzle over the top of your baked masterpiece. Slice and enjoy.

Happy Baking,

Heather

Chocolate Macadamia Goodness

YUMMY!!!

Years (GEEZ time flies!) Decades ago, our neighbor needed assistance 

caring for peonies that surrounded her back patio. 

Her name was Tave and she always kept some of these decadent cookies 

in her freezer----white chocolate macadamia. Mmmm.

She liked to take a few out of a pretty little tin before 

we watered, weeded and chatted. 

By the time we were done, the cookies were ready to devour. 

I truly think she looked forward to cookies more than I did!

Not  long ago, I happened to pick up some macadamia nuts 

at Costco and still had half of a bag left when I remembered 

Tave's favorite treats. How hard could it be to whip some of her cookies up?

It turns out they're very easy to make. 

The recipe I used made nearly 3 dozen. 

2 dozen were immediately popped into the deep freezer for another time.

I found a recipe (and the gorgeous blog, the Noble Pig) thanks to Pinterest 

and whipped some up tonight. I tend to make larger cookies than average, 

so I did bake ours for 15 minutes at 325, 

but that was the only change required for my oven 

and they were still soft & moist.

You can find the fabulous Noble Pig Blog & this amazing recipe here. 

If you're on Pinterest and would like to see what I've been up to, 

feel free to check my pins out here.

Best Wishes,

Heather

Happy Holidays

 I've been dreaming of a white Hawaiian Christmas. It's been too long since I've kept up with the blog. There just doesn't seem to be enough time for everything in our lives right now. Happy Belated Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you all.

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Samantha's fave!!)

7-9 minutes per pan. One batch makes about 36 cookies. Bake at 400 degrees.

Preheat oven. Combine & whisk the following ingredients in bowl #1:
2.5 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Bowl #2:
1 cup room temp margarine (or 1/2 c margarine & 1/2 cup Crisco)
1 1/2 cup firm packed brown sugar
Cream by mixer, add bowl #1 ingredients, combine.

Add:
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 pkg chocolate chips
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Drop by melon baller on a lightly greased pan. Silpat or freezer paper would also work.
Enjoy! This recipe has been in my family for years, it's not something I developed & would certainly give credit if I knew where it originated from.

RSVP B&W Block Request

It's that time of year again...

RSVP is in search of black and white 12.5 inch (12" finished) blocks in your choice of patterns. This first block is one of the free patterns I recently featured on FREE {quilt} BLOCK FRIDAY on Twitter. It's a Craftsy free project & it's a fun one! Check it out here: Craftsy.com. If you'd like to catch the free patterns of the week, be sure to follow retrogirl02 on Twitter.

RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) is in need of blocks for charity quilts and the annual quilt raffle. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to contact me for more info at heatherL 02 (zero two) at yahoo dot com or check out some of the previous RSVP posts on this blog here. You'll find links to free patterns, information about the organization and see previous reader donations, too. 

Happy Piecing,

Heather =)

Summer Sweets

A new stack of 30s prints for the stash "Aunt Grace in a Pickle" has inspired me to do some sewing room re-arranging. One of these days I might even be able to use them in a quilt...but not until I dig my current projects out and get sewing!  

The strawberries have just about finished blooming. We had about 10 pounds of fruit just from the side garden so far. DH has been enjoying his nutritious strawberries in pie form. Personally, I think they're best straight from the garden. 

Best Wishes,

Heather

Sunshine, Blooms & Bookmarks

We've been busy playing outside, enjoying the fantastic weather all week long. Now that the ♥ white with purple throat violets ♥ are popping up, I'm oh so thrilled about gardening. 

We've been watering the strawberry patch, 

thanks to a bunch of new blooms. Almost all the tulips are out, the hostas are just beginning to open & the creeping phlox is blooming.

A brief afternoon in the sewing room with munchkin today produced 4 bookmarks---a special request. 

Now that we have the hang of it, she'll be whipping up a few more this week. *Thankfully, mom's fabric stash is always available.*

Hopefully, I'll have a bit of time to sneak into the sewing room and catch up on some much needed RSVP black & white blocks soon.

Piece.

Heather