Knitting up a storm

Well, it seems that we've weathered Hurricane Sandy

with only minor inconveniences in our area.

I only wish that were true for everyone,

and my heart aches for those who have suffered losses.

I've been quiet on the blogging front for a few days,

because there hasn't been much time for sewing.

Sometimes when I can't sew, I like to do other crafts,

like knitting.

Once again, my Aunt Ellie is to blame

for getting me started on a new craze...knitting ruffled scarves!

{She really rocks a scarf and I wish I could share a photo of her modeling one!}

Hip Hop

Have you seen this new yarn, called Sashay from Red Heart?

It comes in lots of color blends, named after

various dance styles, like Tango, Ballet, Jive and Salsa.

Photo from Red Heart website

The yarn is like a ribbon that you stretch apart, 

then knit together along one edge, to create a ruffle.

The outer edge has a pretty metallic thread running through it,

and the resulting scarves are soft and glamorous!

Photo from Red Heart website

Solid colors are available, too!

Photo from Red Heart website 

Aunt Ellie sent me this link for making Sashay scarves,

and it was very easy to learn the technique via YouTube.

After a few presidential debates and a hurricane,

I've got six scarves finished!

{Only five are shown here..I've already given one to my mom!} 

I took a couple of them with me to work,

and now I need to make 7 more for my friends!

{I won't be taking any more orders until I see if they are still fun to make!}

Mambo

 By the time I went back to my local craft store, 

the yarns were almost all sold out!

I was able to find them online at several websites, though.

My local Walmart had a few shades, to get me through, too.

{Whew!}

Tutu

Hopefully my new shipment of yarns will arrive today,

and I can keep going in the evenings.

It's a great project for when your mind is worn out,

but your fingers are looking for something to do.

Tango

I'm keeping this peacock one for myself!

Jive

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Bundle of Washi

About six months ago,

I bought my copy of Zakka Style,

by Rashida Coleman-Hale,

and I joined the Zakka Style Sewalong.

Many of my blog posts have featured the projects
I've made from this book.

{I hope you'll take some time to look back at the older posts...
I have fond memories of all of these projects!}

Not only does Rashida write books,

but she also has a wonderful blog,

called I Heart Linen.

And not only that, but she is a fabric designer!

Her Timeless Treasure line called Washi

has been on my wish list

ever since I started the sewalong.

I was sooooo excited to learn that I had won

a fat quarter bundle of Washi,

as one of the final prizes of the sewalong!!!

I know it's nice to share,

so...I'm going to share my photos of the fabric

for your viewing enjoyment.

There is a great assortment of prints!

Some are lighter...

And others are darker.

I LOVE the shade of the linen

that is included with the 12 prints.

It looks so pretty with any of the patterns and colors!

I can't wait to share more zakka projects

that I'll be making from this awesome stuff!

{Stay tuned!}

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Amish Ham Casserole

Whenever I show my friends something I've made,

they almost always ask me,

"How do you find the time for sewing?"

There are a lot of answers to that question.

The most truthful answer is that 

I can't NOT sew!

One of the other reasons I have time to sew

is that I have some great recipes for dinner

that don't really require a lot of

hands-on time.

Today I'm going to share one with you!

It's called Amish Ham Casserole,

and my family loves it for dinner.

My sister Susie, of Susie's Sunroom,

first gave me a similar recipe that used Swiss cheese,

bacon, and frozen hashbrown potatoes.

{She made it for brunch, and it was fabulous!}

I've adapted it into this version,
which I like to make for dinner.  My family loves it!

{BONUS:  It's a gluten-free recipe! Just check the labels, to be sure.}

Here's what you need...

Notice the convenience of these items...

I almost always make extra baked potatoes, 

so I can have this casserole for dinner the next day.  

{Someday I'll share my way of making the best-ever baked potatoes!}

I buy a 1-lb. package of diced ham...just right for this recipe.

I almost always have the other items on hand...

cottage cheese, eggs and shredded cheese.

Also an onion...only this time, I was all out of onions!

{That's okay...no one noticed!}

It only takes a few minutes to dice the potatoes 

and stir everything all together in my big giant mixing bowl.

I can make it ahead of time, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it...

and that gives me lots of sewing time!

{To make cleanup easy, I spray my oval baking dish with cooking spray.

That dish can go in the dishwasher after dinner!}

My hungry family was kind of annoyed when I stopped

them from cutting into this dinnertime goodness

while I got a few photos of it!

{I hope you appreciate it!}

Amish Ham Casserole

1 lb ham, cubed

1 med onion, chopped - optional

6 eggs

2 or 3 baked potatoes, diced into chunks*

2  cups shredded Cheddar and Colby Jack cheese

1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese

*If you  don't have baked potatoes, 

you can substitute 4 cups of frozen shredded hash browns, thawed.

Combine the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. 

Transfer to a greased 13 in x 9  in baking dish.  

Bake , uncovered , at 350 degrees F for 35- 40 min or until set and bubbly.  Let stand for 10 min. before cutting.

Sometime try taking it along for a potluck or a brunch,

in one of Aunt Ellie's Casserole Carriers!

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Build A Bundle Contest

Are you like me?

I am constantly entering contests and

signing up for chances to win giveaways.

Here's an ongoing weekly contest that is really fun!

Sponsored by the Fat Quarter Shop,

it's called Build A Bundle, and the rules are found here.

For me, one of the most fun aspects of sewing

is choosing fabric and color combinations.

That's why I love this contest so much!

Each week, the Fat Quarter Shop selects one 

featured fabric print.

Contestants get to "shop" through the website

and select two coordinates to go with the featured fabric.

The creator of the winning bundle receives

one full yard cut of each of the three fabrics!

{What an awesome prize!!!}

A few weeks ago, my sister, of Susie's Sunroom,

put together this fabulous bundle.

As soon as I saw it, I knew she was onto something brilliant!

{The featured fabric is on the left, and she picked the other two coordinates.}

Pretty soon a full yard of each of these prints was delivered to her door!

Steadfast and determined, 

I continued to play over the next couple of weeks...

I had to try to keep up with Susie!

Perseverance paid off, and I was notified 

by the Fat Quarter Shop

that I'm the winner of THIS fabulous bundle!

OMGosh!

While I was choosing those prints,

I really really wished a lot that I could win them!

The featured print was from Gypsy Girl by Lily Ashbury

for Moda, and it's called Secret Meadow.

I thought about how dreamy it would be to have a Picnic in the Meadow,

which is what I named my bundle.

For a picnic, nothing beats a red checkered tablecloth,

and I picked out this gingham by Sarah Jane for Michael Miller,

from Children at Play.

And you know how much I love Aneela Hoey...

I even have that Aneela Hoey box, if you recall!

How perfect are those teeny red mushrooms, 

from A Walk in the Woods for Moda,

to decorate my little picnic in the meadow?

My imagination is working overtime with plans for this little bundle!

Any ideas from my readers, for what I should make?

{I've got a whole yard of each, so I can make lots of cute things!}

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Autumn Leaves

Here in Pennsylvania,

autumn is here, in all it's glory.

The trees are showing off their finest colors...

and even the weeds are beautiful!

{That's my excuse, and I'm sticking with it!}

Come on into my house, 

and let me show you some of my favorite fall decorations!

I put away some of my sewing stuff, 

so I could display my autumn accessories.

I like this little serving tray, made from a pressed bottle...
just right for some cheese cubes!

The little plates in the shape of leaves make a pretty stack,
and they hold my zakka ribbon until
it's time to wrap a special present.

A few years ago, I found this little painted jar
at our town's Apple N Arts Festival.

I just love these bright pumpkins against the dark green background,
dressed up with a homespun rag ribbon and some fragrant cinnamon sticks!

The cooling temperatures of fall
invite me to sit down and do some hand-stitching in the evenings,
whenever I can.

My dear friend Amelia has some quilts 
that her mother had started, but was unable to finish
before she passed away.

There was one that members of her sewing circle made together.
The flower blocks were all hand-appliqued by the members.

They were sewn into the quilt top, which was hand-quilted!

{Amelia's mom won the raffle for the quilted top.}

I stitched on a forest green binding to finish this pretty quilt...

and I'm happy to say Amelia now has a
finished quilt for her bed, to bring back happy memories of her mother.

I made this Autumn Leaves wall hanging back in 2007.

{Actually it belongs to my mom now,

but she let me borrow it to share with you.}

The pattern was from a booklet

by Black Mountain Quilts.

I had a bounty of fall fabrics in various shades of

plum, brown, green, pumpkin and gold.

{Most of the prints were from Thimbleberries lines.}

I used fusible webbing for the leaves,

and used my sewing machine to blanket-stitch

around each leaf's edge.

For the quilting I stitched around the outside of the leaves...

and quilted feathers in the border.

Welcome, Autumn leaves!

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