My Purple Quilt 2.5 Years In the Making

When I first started quilting I decided to make a quilt for myself.  It was either my second or third quilt.  Back then I was pretty bad at picking out fabric.  I didn't have the patience to work through everything at the fabric store until I was happy.

So halfway through the quilt I hated it and thought it was ugly (I still do).  Even if the fabric was better, it was my first foray into using triangles and it didn't go well.  And after binding my nephew's quilt and having a nightmarish experience with it I wasn't in a hurry to repeat the experience.  Plus this was for myself so there was no birthday or Christmas deadline looming to motivate myself to finish it up.  In fact all these years later (probably 9?) that quilt is STILL not bound.  I should bind it now and use it as a junky outdoor quilt or something.

I have finished 8 quilts in ten years and have never kept one. They were all given away as presents.  So two and a half years ago I decided to make one for myself again and like it this time.  It was the first quilt that I used the Accuquilt that Corey got me.  But I had no looming deadline so I always got distracted.  I got really motivated about a year ago and made lots of progress, but I ran out of thread so I took a year break. Let's not think about how many trips I took to JoAnn Fabrics and forgot to buy the thread in that year break.

But this past summer I decided this was it!  I was finally going to finish my purple quilt.  And I did!  Except I still haven't embroidered my initials and the year on the back yet.  Have I mentioned that I need deadlines to motivated me yet??

I love this quilt.  I LOVE IT!  I experimented with the backing and the binding and I love it.  I want to make more quilts that way.  Here are some pictures:

I used a lot of fabric scraps in this quilt which always makes me feel thrifty and efficient. Several of them are leftovers from dresses that I made for my niece which makes it extra special.

In the past on bigger quilts like this I usually have a big seam going down the middle of the backing because no fabric is wide enough.  But when I was done making the top of this quilt I had a lot of squares left which ruined my thrifty & efficient goals.  So I decided to use them in the backing and piece it all together (I got the width I needed from the length of the fabric since I needed such short pieces).  I was excited to lose the big seam, to have pretty fabric on the back, and to finish off fabric that had been hanging around for years.  I am probably going to do backings like this on all of my wider quilts from now on.

And I went one step further and used leftover squares for the binding as well.  I had to cut a bunch more from the fabrics that I still had to make it all the way around.  I love that even the binding has a patchwork look to it.  After I started making the binding I reread the tutorial I use and read something to the effect of "seams make binding the corners difficult so always avoid having your binding seams land on the corners."  Now this binding I had made was basically entirely seams.  But it was fine and now I feel powerful.  I can bind corners even with seams!  

I want to do binding like this on the Christmas quilt that I want to make.  I'll use red & white to give it a candy cane look.

I can't tell you how nice it is to keep a quilt that I've made.  I have been using it pretty much every day this winter.  I want to make so many more quilts to keep now!  As nice as it is to give a special gift like a homemade quilt, it's even nicer to get to use the fruits of your own labors each day.  Here are some pet photos in which the quilt plays a starring role:

Quilting man, it's wonderful and you should do it!  Here is my quilting tutorial.

Or buy a quilt that I've made!  Coming soon in 2015: the Crafty Homestead Etsy Shop!

2015 Goals

1. Earn money
2. Redo the kitchen
3. Learn to knit

These are somewhat connected: me earning money helps to finance the kitchen remodel.  My plans to earn money include selling quilts and getting a job.  2015 will be interesting!

I have wanted to learn to knit for 10 years and 2015 will be the year it happens!

I'm keeping them short & sweet this year to help make sure I actually reach my goals.

Decorating the House For the First Time

This is my first year decorating the house for Christmas and it is so much fun!  Here is the house all lit up:

Here is the front door:

And here is Banjo watching us from inside as she does every time one of us takes the dogs out:

The coat rack has been Christmas-ized:

As has the buffet:

Here is my post showing how I made my little "forest."

We put up some lights between the living and dining rooms: 

Here is the dining room table:

The kitchen is Christmas-y:

And so is my nightstand (the lamp is open on the bottom):

It is probably cost-prohibitive to get a roof rack on my car at this point.  So this is how we bring home Christmas trees:

And here it is up and decorated: 

I'll be posting about how I made my tree skirt soon!

Nailed It

Recipe Girl's Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancake:

My take:

NAILED IT

Flipped them over and all of the filling proceeded to run out and burn:

Recipe Girl's finished result:

My take (after all the filling ran out & burned I squirted on some more):

NAILED IT

Pinterest Apple Braid:

My take:

NAILED IT

What to Serve At A New Years Eve Party

I'm partial to what I like to call Chip & Dip Parties.  There's no big meal, just a million appetizers.  They're always my favorite part and this way you're free to fill up on them and not have to save room for the dinner.  And a New Years Party goes late, so you can have the hot appetizers come out periodically as the night goes on.

Guacamole - My friend makes THE BEST guacamole.  She made it for my wedding and discovered that if you put all of the lime juice onto the top as the last step and wait to stir it in until serving time that it prevents it from browning. Protective Lime Layer™.  Mash up avocados, mix in pico de gallo, add garlic, lots of salt, and lots of lime juice all to taste and you're good to go!

Salsa - I'm a fan of pico de gallo, but buy whichever kind you like.

Hummus - top it with olive oil and paprika to be traditional

Veggie Tray - include sugar snap peas if you can

Cheese Plate - I love cheese.  End of story. 

Individualized Taco Dip - this stops the dip from looking really gross at the night goes on. You don't really need a recipe for this, just use your favorite layers: refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cheese, olives, green onions etc

Caprese Bites by Shutterbean - these are a little more party-friendly than the traditional salad

Raspberry Jam Baked Brie - I was inspired by this picture, but I am going to use raspberry jam instead

Spinach Artichoke Dip by food.com - my all time favorite dip of any kind

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Mushrooms  - this is a new recipe that I'll make, but won't eat (I'm vegetarian and also hate mushrooms)


Drinks:


Boozy Punch - I served this at my wedding and it was a big hit.  It's almost dangerously drinkable.

24 oz. orange juice

24 oz. white grape juice 

32 oz. ginger ale

12 oz. lemon-lime pop (7 Up or Sprite)

Rum to taste

Optional - lemon or lime slices

Moscow Mules - A drink that is new to me and so very delicious

What's Been Sounding Yummy to Me Lately

Every time I find a recipe that looks good I keep it open in a tab on Chrome in my phone.  Recently I had over 30 tabs open and I thought I should gather them all up here.

Here are ones that I've made before and plan on making for dinner in this week:

These are so easy, yummy, and quick to put together for a week night dinner: 
Hearty Black Bean Quesadillas by Budget Bytes 

This is the greatest baked potato soup I've ever had.  However before I pureed the soup I scooped out about half of the broth and I'm glad I did because I like a creamier, thicker soup. I have made this in the crock pot and in a dutch oven on the stove. It's great either way:
Loaded Baked Potato Soup by food.com

I used the broth reserved from the Potato Soup as the broth in this amazing Tortilla Soup recipe.  I did one cup milk and 1 cup broth, added in a can of white northern beans instead of the chicken, and used an entire recipe of this delicious enchilada sauce.  And to actually get some tortillas into this soup I cut them up into little pieces and pan fried them in some olive oil as a crunchy soup topper.  I HIGHLY recommend doing this!


I haven't made these before, but they are coming up soon in one way or another:

Roasted Tomato Pesto Grilled Cheese by Joy the Baker

Hasselback Potatoes with Spinach Cashew Pesto by Joy the Baker

How to Make A Simple Salad Worth Eating by Serious Eats

Moroccan Lentil Vegetable Stew by Budget Bytes

Irish Brown Bread by Irish American Mom

Cheese Puffs by Ina Garten 


I am in Christmas cookie mode right now, but I want to start working on these in January:

Desserts- 

Apple Pie Biscuits by Joy the Baker

Triple Berry Cinnamon Swirl Bread by Joy the Baker 

Smore Pie by Dinner A Love Story

Milky Way Cake by The Pioneer Woman 

Salted Caramel Apple Pie by the Cooking Channel 

I used these tips recently to finally have a successful homemade pie crust for the first time: 
Five Tips for the Best From Scratch Pie Crust by Joy the Baker