It's not "Death by Chocolate," but It's Close!

We're trying to deal with the cold temperatures here in Philadelphia, and like many of my friends and neighbors, that means baking.  Why is it when the weather turns cold, we want sweets?

Yummy, chocolate-y bread pudding, fresh out of the oven!

My daughter was home for a visit several days ago, and we decided to use up a partial loaf of French bread to make Double Chocolate Bread Pudding.  This recipe appeared years ago in Good Housekeeping magazine at the request from a reader who had this delicious dessert at the Red Fish Grill in New Orleans.  It isn't hard to make, but does take a bit of time.  Gather the following ingredients:

2 cups of heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (chips or a chopped bar)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
about 6 ounces day-old French bread
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
whipped cream or Cool Whip and hot fudge sauce (optional)

The recipe calls for simple ingredients.

Begin by cutting day-old French bread into 1 inch cubes.  Place in a 1 1/2 quart or 8" x 8" glass baking dish.
(My glass dish is 8" x 10")

Next, mix the cream, sugar and milk into a heavy 2 quart saucepan.  Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat.  Whisk in 6 ounces of chocolate until mixture is smooth and chocolate is melted.  Gradually whisk in eggs and vanilla until well combined.  (It's important to take your time adding the eggs...if you pour them in too fast, they will clump together instead of blend with the other ingredients.)

Pour mixture over the bread cubes and stir to coat the bread evenly.  Cover and place baking dish into the refrigerator for 30 minutes, stirring two or three times.

Stir a few times, so the bread sops up the pudding mixture.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Top the bread mixture with 1/4 cup chocolate chips, and bake in oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until pudding is set.

Sprinkle on some chocolate chips just before baking.

Cool 10 minutes to serve warm, or cover and refrigerate to serve cold later.  Top with whipped cream and for a little extra decadence, drizzle with hot fudge sauce.

Simply delicious!!

Zippity Do Dah!

What to do with hundreds of zippers??

Here's one idea:

Yes, it's a luggage tag, made with a recycled zipper and recycled leather!

Back to the zippers...my friend, Sherrie, had received a VERY large donation of sewing supplies, fabric and notions, and sorted it all our for our local American Sewing Guild.  I was away from home at the time, but she offered to set aside a few things for me.  Instead of picking through the zippers, she gave me the whole bag of them -- 337 in all colors and sizes!!

My new zipper stash, sorted by size.

So, I've been looking for projects to make with my newly acquired craft material.

While in Missouri last fall, my niece sought my help in crafting some leather luggage tags that she wanted to make for Christmas gifts.  A quick trip to the Goodwill store yielded the leather in the form of a skirt, a women's blazer and a large purse.  When we were finished, she had 13 luggage tags and a few people scratched off her gift list.

Her project motivated me to make a few luggage tags and I was inspired further by the tiny zippers in this collection.

A red Wilson jacket (that cost me $20 at the thrift store) was the perfect weight for my tags. When recycling leather garments, I found it best to start by deconstructing them.  Using my scissors, I cut the jacket apart along the seam lines, trimming out the lining as I went.
 

Depending on the style of the garment, you can end up with some pretty large pieces of leather! Also, some of the design elements of the garment can be left in tact and incorporated into something else (like the flat-felled pocket on the right (above) may become the top of a clutch?)

Using my rotary cutter and ruler, I cut two pieces, and sewed the zipper to them.

Sewing leather is not hard, but a few specialty sewing notions come in handy:  first, buy a package of leather needles.  They are a bit heavier and are designed to pierce the leather without breaking.  Second, a Teflon-coated presser foot keeps the leather gliding along under the needle without jamming or skipping stitches. (Someone suggested covering a regular presser foot with a piece of scotch tape, but I haven't tried that.)

After inserting the zipper, I trimmed the leather to create the top of the tag.

I made a 'layer sandwich' of another piece of leather, wrong side up, a piece of heavy vinyl, and the zippered top piece, and stitched around three edges.  I trimmed the bottom leather and vinyl after I stitched them in place, to be sure nothing slipped and the sides of the tag were nice and clean.

I made a little 'belt' out of another strip of leather and a buckle from my stash of recycled hardware, but needed to put a cut in the tag into which the belt would go.

Another notion, called a button-hole cutter, made quick work of that!

The wood block under the leather protects your table when using a button-hole cutter.

When the tag is unzipped, you can slip a business card or a piece of paper with your name and address under the vinyl piece.  The zipper helps protect your identity from prying eyes.  I especially liked the bright color -- it makes it easy to identify your bags in the airport.

I just couldn't help myself when I saw a lavender leather jacket (clearly for a woman!) for about $12 at another thrift shop.  And I couldn't stop making more luggage tags...what a great gift!!

Two different styles of luggage tag made from lavender leather.

Check back later...I have a lot more leather and zippers, and I'm hoping to come up with more ideas how to use them, alone or together!
 

From Pinterest to my Dining Room Table

I can't be the only person who spends time browsing through Pinterest and saving pins that I'd like to try someday.  But I wonder how many people go back to their pin boards and actually try a recipe, recreate a craft or re-purpose a piece of furniture that inspired them.  When I'm looking for something fun to do, I open my Pinterest board and pick something.  Here's what I finished today:

A vintage doily table runner with my mother-in-law's antique aluminum tea pot filled with pink tea roses.

A similar doily table runner has been on Pinterest since 2010.  An article appeared on the Country Living website about how to use vintage doilies for decorating, and the original pinner thought was neat -- and I do, too!

I have been collecting vintage linens and laces for about 20 years, so I knew I had the materials on hand to make one myself.  But you can find vintage linens just about anywhere...at thrift stores, flea markets and estate sales.  Most are not too expensive, but larger pieces can run several dollars.  

 
I pulled out my bin of vintage lines and began to dig through it for some doilies that could work for this project.  Some of my stuff is stained, cut into small pieces or lengths of lace trim, so I had to be selective.  I found nine that would make up a nice runner.

My stash has a large variety of lace, linen and trim.

Over time, vintage linens will discolor or stains will mysteriously appear.  I found a product at a quilt show that does a wonderful job cleaning vintage linens.  It's called "Restoration" and is a powder that you mix with water.  Restoration is color safe, fabric safe, environmentally safe and an excellent deodorizer. To remove most stains, yellowing and restore brightness and freshness, mix it with water according to the directions and soak the linens for a few hours.  After soaking, remove the linens and rinse thoroughly under cool water, then lay them flat to dry.  It also helps remove stains and yellowing to let linens dry in bright sunshine.  Just spread a clean, white sheet or towel outside, and lay the doilies flat on top for several hours.  Take the time to 'block' them into the shape they should be...round, oval, square...as neatly as possible.  This will eliminate the need to iron most of the doilies later.

Restoration is available at www.kilianhardware.com

After cleaning my doilies, I did a rough layout, moving things around until I had a pleasing arrangement.  I did measure my table first for the proper length.  I didn't want the doilies to hang over the edges.

Move the doilies around until you get a nice arrangement, then pin the pieces together.

I pinned the pieces and used white thread to baste the doilies together.  If I ever want to use them in a different way, they can be cut apart easily.

I tried to find doilies in my stash that were different -- included in this runner are examples of crochet, Irish crochet, netting, tenerife, and bobbin lace.  The color palette ranges from bright white to ivory.  

This runner make a distinctive foundation for a small floral arrangement, candles, or a bowl of fruit.  It looks especially sweet with vintage furniture, like my 1930's Duncan Fife dining room table.

On to the next project!

The Revolving Door at Our House

Our house is quiet today...my youngest son went back for his last semester of college yesterday, my middle son started a new job today, and our house guest (of the past 7 months) moved out a week ago into his own apartment in anticipation of the new semester starting next week.

One of the projects I worked on in December was a quilted throw as a gift for him.

While it wouldn't qualify as high-end design, there is a little story behind it.

My son's friend, Niyi, needed a place to stay while he took a semester off of college.  His mom lives in another state, but he had a good summer internship outside Philadelphia.  So my d.h. and I invited him to move into our house until he returned to school.  In the evenings, he would ask me to play chess or a board game.  After beating me at chess in three moves, we switched to Scrabble. Two or three times a week, we'd engage in a lively game.  Sometimes I won, sometimes he did.  One thing I learned is that the Scrabble dictionary of acceptable words has expanded greatly in the past six or seven years, a phenomenon I attribute to "Words with Friends."

When I saw the licensed Scrabble tile print fabric at a Quilt Show, I knew I had to buy it to make something for Niyi.  I bought the outer border and backing fabric at the same quilt show, but found the blue, yellow and red prints in my stash. I picked a simple block to create a border around the tile fabric.

Our friend is quite tall -- over 6 feet.  I needed to make the throw a bit longer than the panel came, so I split it in half and added a piece of blue stripe fabric between the two.  I had one row of  tiles left over, so I incorporated them into the corner blocks.

I decided to machine quilt this myself, so after I pinned the layers together, I set up my machine with the stitch guide and quilted diagonal lines 2 1/2" apart across the throw, not including the borders.

It is just a little something to send along with our friend.  I hope that he treasures it as much as I treasured our evenings playing Scrabble!

Our friend Niyi at Christmas.

The "Burrito" Style Pillow Case Construction - Easy-Peasy!

Pillowcases are a fun, inexpensive and easy way to spruce up a bedroom.  They also make great gifts -- the fabrics available can reflect the interests of just about anyone, and the recipient will know it was made just for them.  With two of the fabrics I purchased for a master bedroom comforter, I made coordinating pillowcases. How easy will it be to make our bed?  Just pull up the comforter, and fluff the pillows on top!

My friend Sherrie once asked me how to make a 'burrito-style' pillow case -- one with a 'cuff' made from a different fabric than the 'body', with no seam allowances showing where the two are sewn together. It really isn't hard to do, but I find it's easier for me to learn by seeing it done (in person or with good photos) than by reading instructions alone. So, let's see if I can teach you how to do it!

For a standard size pillow, you will need 3/4 yard (27") of the body fabric, and 1/3 yard (12") of the cuff fabric by the width of the fabric (usually 42" - 44").  I use my rotary cutter and mat to cut the fabric, to be sure the raw edges are even. (Note:  cotton fabrics work best...they get softer after each washing.  Pre-wash your fabric before you begin cutting to remove sizing and prevent the finished pillowcase from shrinking.)

Lay the 'cuff' fabric right side up on your work surface.  Pin the 'body' fabric along the 42" width, right sides together, to the 'cuff'.  

The yellow fabric is the'cuff.'  The print is the 'body.'

Now roll the 'body' fabric from the bottom into a tube, all the way up to the pins.  You will expose the right side of the cuff fabric as you get close to the pins.

Roll the 'body' fabric into a tube, starting at the un-pinned end.  

Now, fold the free end of the  'cuff' fabric over the tube of 'body' fabric, and align all three raw edges.  Pin along the 42" width, keeping the raw edges even.

Both raw edges of the 'cuff' are even with the raw edge of the 'body', encased inside.  Pin securely.

You have just pinned the 'cuff' fabric right sides together, with the 'body' fabric sandwiched in between.

The 'cuff' is pinned and ready to sew!

Stitch, using a 1/4" seam allowance.  Press the seam flat.

Using a serger makes the job go faster!

Carefully pull the 'body' fabric out of the inside of the 'cuff'.

In this photo, the 'cuff' is print and the 'body' is yellow.

Flatten the 'cuff' and press carefully.  The seam allowances are encased!

There are two ways you can finish the pillowcase at this point.

If you have an overlock (serger) sewing machine, pin the right sides together, and serge across the bottom and then up the side of the pillowcase.  With a large-eye needle, bury your serger 'tail' in the stitching, or, take one stitch beyond the end of the pillowcase, loosen the needle thread with your finger slightly, and flip the pillowcase over and stitch over the previous stitching, going in the opposite direction, stitching off the fabric after about three inches.

If you do not have a serger, you can finish the pillowcase with a 'French' seam.  With wrong sides together, pin the pillowcase across the bottom and up the sides of the 'body.'  Stitch, using a 1/4" seam allowance, pivoting at the corner. Press the seam flat.

For the first step of a French seam, pin wrong sides together!

Turn the pillowcase inside out, now with the right sides together.  Press the pillowcase flat, being careful to press the seam flat.  Pin, then stitch again across the bottom and up the side of the 'body,' using a 3/8" seam allowance (this will enclose the raw edge of the fabric).

The second stitching, right sides together, encases the seam allowances.

Turn the pillowcase right side out and press well.    

Look Sherrie!  No exposed seam allowances!

Either way, the raw edges of the 'cuff' will be covered, and the pillowcase will wash and wear well!

Now that you know how to make a pillow case, here is a way to practice your skills and help out sick kids at the same time.  Make one for "A Case for Smiles"  -- check out the webpage for ConKerr Cancer (www.conkerrcancer.org) for more information.  The organization's goal is to provide a bright, cheery pillowcase to every child with cancer or a life changing illness or injury across North America.  ConKerr Cancer started when Cindy Kerr’s son was diagnosed with cancer in 2002.  She began making pillowcases to brighten up his hospital room and to put a smile on his face. He loved it and so she began making pillowcases for other children on the Oncology Unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

This Philly-based organization has donated over 800,000 pillowcases to sick children since then. School groups, sewing circles, church groups and fabric stores have all pitched in and are making pillowcases for the kids.  Even if you don't know how to sew, you can help by donating fabric or cash or helping at a sewing event by cutting out pillowcases or pressing finished projects.

Since my 'kids' are older, when I make ConKerr pillowcases, I look for fabrics that will appeal to teens -- skulls, guitars, realistic animal prints, college-licensed prints and sports-themed fabrics. There are lots of fun cotton prints out there...I even found fabric for my alma mater, Southern Illinois University!  Go, Salukis!!

We'll Be "Snug as a Bug" Tonight- the Comforter is (finally) Finished!

It's been over a month since I've posted last...and it's not that I haven't been busy!  I had several projects in progress, mostly Christmas gifts, and was occupied with getting them finished and given away.  So, I'm going to try to get several new posts finished over the next week, so I can share some of what I created this fall.

I'll start with the thing that I finished just today -- a comforter for our master bedroom!

We'll be sleeping under the new comforter tonight!

What possesses us to redecorate right in the midst of planning a big family event?  Last May, my husband and I decided to re-paint our bedroom and re-finish the hardwood floors.  We've been in the house 18 years now and had painted the room once, but it was due to be freshened up a bit. Of course, my son was getting married in June, and we would have company for several days, but that didn't deter us. So, for two weeks, every piece of furniture and clothing was in the hallway and we slept in the spare bedroom.  Talk about motivation to get the job finished as quickly as possible!

I had purchased some coordinating fabrics almost a year ago when I found them on sale at the local fabric store.  I knew I wanted to make a quilt from them, and bought several yards of each. The color palette was just right for a master bedroom -- not too feminine, but clean, bright and airy. The light grey wall color was selected by matching a swatch of fabric.  

I bought all six fabrics at the same time.

My friend Sherrie has been telling me about the modern quilt guild meetings she attends, and it piqued my interest.  She lent me a couple of books for inspiration, and I found a block that I thought I could use. It's called "Just Passing Through" and was designed by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr.  It appeared in Modern Blocks.  The instructions called for four fabrics.  I had plans for the remaining two fabrics.

I don't know if it would be considered 'modern' quilting, but one of my favorite techniques is to find a quilt block pattern and 'blow it up.'  For instance, if a finished block is supposed to be 4" square, I may enlarge all of the pattern pieces and make my finished block 12" square.  I frequently do this for baby quilts -- the quilts go together faster and I can successfully use large print fabrics.

Since I wanted to get this comforter finished fast, I decided to 'blow up' the block design.  For example, the instructions for the 12"  finished block called for 2" and 1 1/2" wide strips...mine are 11 1/2" and 8 1/2" wide.   Instead of making several small blocks and sewing them together, I made one, huge queen-sized block that would cover the entire bed.

'Blowing up' a block does require some thought, especially to determine what size to cut the pieces and the finished size of the quilt.  My d.h. had one request...he wanted to be sure that the comforter was wide enough that when I rolled over, he didn't freeze because the blanket rolled with me.  A standard queen mattress is 60" wide by 80" long.  The finished comforter is 90" x 95".  I sketched everything out on graph paper before I began cutting.

Sketching and coloring the design on graph paper gives me a pattern to follow, both when cutting and sewing the top together.  

Because of the larger width, I discovered I didn't buy enough fabric for the back of the quilt.  Rather than run out and buy more grey fabric, I pieced together a strip wide enough to close the gap.  It adds interest to the back of the quilt.

Another consideration was the weight of the batting that went in between the quilt top and the backing.  I wanted something with a little more thickness and loft, so I decided to use a polyester blend batting.  I ordered it through www.batt-mart.com.  This is an American company that sells made-in-the-USA batting by the roll or piece.  Their website is a fantastic resource, and David, who took my order by phone, was so very helpful that I'm sure I'll use his company again.

My long-arm quilter, Susie, and I discussed the quilting pattern to use and settled on the interlocking squares design.  I liked it because it was masculine and modern.  She used light grey thread, which blends nicely with the fabrics.

With the remaining two fabrics, I made two simple pair of curtains for the windows and four coordinating pillow cases.  Another scrap was big enough to recover a flea-market bench that I re-painted.  Believe me, there weren't many scraps in the end.

The flea market bench (about $10) got a fresh coat of paint and a new cover.  And I have a place to sit down to put on my shoes and socks!

My friend Sherrie once asked me about making a 'burrito-style' pillow case.  I used that method to make these; my next post will include the 'how to'!  

So glad that the redecorating is (finally) finished!

It's Beginning to Look a Little Like Christmas

I'm back in my home state of Missouri this week for a visit with my dad and my sister's family.  My dear brother-in-law is a bit obsessive about decorating for the holidays, and took full advantage of the warm weather last weekend to hang his outdoor lights.  He also managed to set up the 'small' (that would be 8 feet tall) Christmas tree).  So, when I arrived last Saturday, I was greeted by this:

This is their 'Travel' Christmas tree.  It's covered with ornaments that my sister and her husband have purchased on trips they've taken over the years, plus a few that friends have brought them from far flung places.  My brother-in-law enjoys unwrapping each ornament and reminiscing about the trip when it was bought.  

Some of the ornaments are really fun, but I did notice a lot of moose on the tree!

It's actually a pretty neat idea, if you travel a lot.  My family tree has a few ornaments that we've picked up when we're away from home, but not this many!

So, even with this beautifully decorated tree up, my brother-in-law kept talking about the 'Cowboy' Christmas tree, until finally I said, "Oh, come on!  Let's put up that tree too."  It didn't take a lot of arm twisting for him to run to the basement to fetch the other decorations.  (We first had to move the Travel tree into their living room, 'because the cowboy decorations need more space.')

I helped unwrap the ornaments, but the decorating part was all his.  

In addition to the tree, several Cowboy Santas decorate the fireplace mantel

My sister and I contributed our sewing skills to the Cowboy Snowman Christmas tree skirt.  I think there are more cowboy ornaments than there are travel decorations!
  

The tree includes chili pepper lights, rope and faux barb wire 'garland.'

I could be guessing here, but I think the Cowboy Christmas tree is an off-shoot of the Travel tree.  My niece and nephews took many trips to the American West with their dad (thus the moose on the other tree), and probably started picking up ornaments like these, which evolved into a set of decorations in their own right. So where ever they see them, they buy Cowboy Christmas items.  Too bad they only put it up every-other year, except this one!  

The barb wire garland is pretty realistic.

I've already been warned that I will be pressed into service when the 'big' (that would be 12 feet tall) tree goes up on Saturday.  I'm anxious to get home and get my house decorated!