Superheroes and a New Project

Today I started a new quilt. It has been on my mind for a couple of months. Ever since I found this uberly  cute Robert Kaufman fabric at my local Beverly's store. It is called Superhero News Paper. When I stumbled upon the bolt of fabric at the store I was not even looking for children's fabric, but I couldn't resist buying it. The colors are vibrant and happy, and the characters so whimsical. Even the selvedge is cute! So I thought I have to make a quilt for my nephew. He is four years old and I'm sure he will get a kick out the comical characters. Plus, what little boy doesn't like superheroes? Right? 

 By the time I left the store I had already planned out the design of the quilt... I love it when that happens. I just hate that it took me this long to actually get started. I'm practicing my improv piecing on this quilt and I made a lot of progress. I'm hoping to show you the finished quilt very soon. I'm really excited about this one :)

Have a lovely week!

*Linking up to Plum and June's Let's Get Acquiainted Monday Link Up hosted this week by Ange at Heart of Charnwood, New to Me 2013 at Celtic Thistle Stitches and WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced*

 

 

 

XX

Martha.

Peach Jam

And the peach madness continues around here... there is such a bounty and a bit of a race to preserve the fruit at the peak of its ripeness. So today I devoted the day to make jam. Lots of jam; I have to say I couldn't have done it without my husband's help. We made about 30 pounds of peaches into jam. So there was a lot of washing, peeling, cutting and of course lots of dirty pots and pans to wash. But it was all worth it. There is so much satisfaction  from growing our own food and sharing with the people we love. It is such a blessing.

I wish I could share with you some jam, but  that will be a bit complicated. So I thought I'd share the recipe with you instead. This is a reduced or low sugar freezer jam.I don't like things that are overly sweet and my father-in-law is diabetic, so I'm always trying to find ways to cook with less sugar. This is my go to recipe for jam. It is a very easy to make and the best part is that you can store it in the freezer. Thus, you can skip the water bath processing. 

 Peach Jam

Adapted from Everyday Food Magazine

Ingredients

5 cups peeled and crushed peaches

1/3 cup lemon juice

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup low or no-sugar pectin
Freezer safe jars* (plastic or glass) thoroughly rinsed and dry.

* I like to use Ball Canning Jars, they work really well for storing food in the freezer*

Method:
1. In a pot over medium-high heat combine the peaches and lemon juice and bring to boil.
2. In a bowl combine sugar and pectin ans whisk to combine. Add sugar mixture to fruit and stir to combine. Allow to return to boil for 1 minute and remove from heat.
3. Fill jars leaving 1/2 inch of head space. Put lids on the jars and let jam cool and set at room temperature for about 3 hours. Label jars and store in the freezer.

-Jam can be stored for up to a year in the freezer. When ready to use thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Enjoy!

Martha. 

Scalloped Apron

I made another scalloped apron. This one is for one of the ladies at the Crafty Cooks Apron Swap I participated in last April. She did not receive an apron from her partner. It should not happen, but once in a while someone just goes silent and leaves everyone wondering what might have happened (I hope this person is OK, though). Anyway, Sam one the co-hosts e-mailed me and asked me if I could help her by making another scalloped apron like the one I made my partner since she hear that she really like it... I was happy to help. So last Sunday I made it and it is now on its way to its new home along with another pretty apron that Sam made. I'm glad that this story has a happy ending after all; and even if she did not receive an apron from her partner now she gets two :)

*Pattern from the book Sew, So Cute!*

XX
Martha.

Goodbye May

Where did the month go? It felt as if May went by so quickly... but it was a great month. Fun birthday celebrations and lots of cake (maybe too much). The weather has been great around here and plenty of plants are blooming in the garden, so I got to enjoy fresh flower in the house too. The fruits and veggies from the garden are doing great and we did get to enjoy some already. Even though we don't expect a big yield this year since we are re-configuring our planting beds, we savor every bit that we get.

  

Good bye May... now I'm really looking forward to June and the summer weather. 

I hope you had a great May too! 

XX

Martha.

Tutorial: Upcycled Paper Flowers

My friend Alicia from Arty and Crafty Little Things is hosting on her blog A Month of Flowers all this month. Every day she shows us a flower craft project created by her or by a contributing blogger. I have been having so much fun and getting so much inspiration from all of the great projects that she  has presented. And when she asked me to contribute I was totally on board. I made a flower with upcycled paper from a brown paper bag (like the ones they put your groceries in at the supermarket). I try to carry my reusable bags when I go shopping, but sometimes I forget them and I end up coming home with a bag or two. So instead of just throwing them in the recycling bin I try to reuse them as much as possible.

This is a super simple flower that you can use to embellish a present or make a few, attach them to a ribbon  and make a lovely garland. 

Materials:

-A piece of craft paper from a brown paper bag (approximately 8X8 inches)

-Hot glue gun

-Scissors

-Pencil

-1 button

1. Draw a 4 petal flower approximately 4 inches from end to end. Don't worry is doesn't have to be perfect. Cut your flower and use it as a template to draw a second one and cut. 

2. Fold each petal in the middle without folding all the way to the center of the flower.

3. Using hot glue attach the two flower as shown in the picture. Set aside.

4. Draw a 2 inches circle and cut. Make small cuts from the edge to the center making sure yo don't cut all the way to the center of the circle. Using your fingers curl up the edges. Glue to the middle of the flower and finish off with the button in the center. 

XX

Martha.

A Picture... A Moment

The most striking flower on a miniature cactus in my garden. It only blooms once a year for a few days. The flower opens in full sun and closes in the evening. And today I was lucky to catch a glimpse of this beauty in its full splendor... and until next year.

XX

Martha.

Pretty Little Pouch II

For the second time I entered the Pretty Little Pouch Swap over on Flickr. This round I wanted to do something a bit different for my partner. She mentioned that she likes hexies and patchwork, so I decided to combine both and made her this wallet using scrappy hexies. I spent about a week piecing the hexies (mostly during my commute to work). It actually felt really good having a little project to do while on the go, and paper piecing is great for that. The basic pattern for the wallet is from one of my favorite books Bags: The Modern Classics. The pattern is lovely and very easy to understand as the other patterns from the book.
 I mailed the wallet to my partner this week and I'm anxiously waiting to hear from her how she likes it. I hope she does:) . I think I want to make one for myself.

XX
Martha.

Improv Table Runner

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and a lovely Mother's Day. My celebration was a bit bittersweet. Days like this is when I miss my mom the most. But I'm grateful I still have my mother-in-law and my four legged babies really made my Mother's Day special. They gave me lots of dogie kisses, tail wags and silly faces. And instead of getting sad I tried to keep my mind busy with some sewing projects. I practiced some improv piecing; I love the look of improv quilts, but I don't know why it is more difficult for me to create a random design than a pattern. Probably it is the way mind works. Anyway, I gave it a try and crated a table runner to give to my mother-in-law for Mother's Day. I'm really happy with they way it turned out. And she said she loved it. Right after she unwrapped it she put it on her dinning table and kept showing it off to everyone :) 

XX

Martha