My morning flower fix. Rhododendron and daffodils, almost done. Lilacs and lily-of-the-valley, just barely starting to open, but still so fragrant. That creamy white/peach daff is also filled with incredibly sweet fragrance. The best of spring!
Spring Walks
This time of year, our Newport, Vermont Bike Path is a beautiful place to walk!
Now Fill the Baskets!
First it was the four baskets. Now it’s time to fill those baskets with flowers, in the Flower Basket Quilt Block of the Month, of course. For Basket 1, we have the Zinnia.
Did you leave the paper backing on your foundation paper pieced Basket 1? If you did, good for you! Then if you will be machine appliqueing the Zinnia motif to the block, you already have a perfect stabilizer in place. Speaking of applique, here’s
Pixie Gardens!
If you remember last year’s block of the month, the Pixie Garden
Cheesy Hot Comfort Food
This time of year, onions in storage want to sprout. What better way to use them up than in a savory, but almost sweet, French Onion Soup?
French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 6-8 onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Pinch of dried thyme
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 4 cups beef broth
- Salt and pepper
- Slices of French bread
- Mozzarella cheese (or any cheese you have on hand)
Directions
- Heat butter and olive oil in a soup pot to melt. Add onions and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid scorching. Reduce heat after the onions begin to turn color and continue to cook, stirring, until a rich brown, about 40-50 min.
- Stir in the wine; increase heat and cook for 1-2 min. Add broth, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 min.
- Ladle soup into ovenproof bowls placed on a cookie sheet. Toast bread under broiler; top soup with toasted French bread. Sprinkle with cheese, about 3 tablespoons per serving. Broil until cheese is bubbly and brown. Makes about 4 servings.
Basket 2 and Spring Flowers
Hello, all of you quilters! There’s a new block in the Flower Basket Block of the Month! I’ve named it so creatively – Basket 2.
Tip:
New Ornaments for 2014!
Announcing…drum roll, please…my new ornaments for 2014!
The whole design process is pretty haphazard. I always add a bird so the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak is our 20th bird. Bill and I are birders, totally love bird watching and painting birds comes easily to me.
The Teddy Bear Sled was Bill’s idea. So I came up with this little fellow.
What I didn’t realize is that Bill really wanted the bear to be sitting. So reject that poor bear and start anew. I was not thrilled at the time, but I’m pretty happy with the end result.
The Shepherds ornament is the result of years of hoping to come up with something and finally just doing it. We’ve needed a companion ornament to go with the Nativity and Three Wise Men, and this works just fine.
And finally, the New House ornament is for just that. Customers often ask what I would recommend for “First Year in Our New Home”, that sort of gift. So now we have this New House. It would work well also for “From our house to yours” or “Hearts come home at Christmas” or “I’ll be home for Christmas”. If you need a house ornament, now we’ve got it covered!
Yay! New ornaments are done and designed for this year! That is a big deal for me. If you have an idea for an ornament you’d like to see, let me know. It just might happen!
Now onto painting on wood. Keep warm and stay tuned.
One For Us For a Change
We love our cats, Betsy and Smoky, but they can be rather destructive at times. Take our wicker clothes hamper. They shredded it to the point that they could climb right in, settle in for a nap even. We finally threw it out several months ago, using a laudry basket instead. I suggested to Bill that we could really use a hamper where, every morning, he could sit to tie his shoes (he’s so not bendy).
Since January is a month to try out new designs, I paid no attention to Bill’s time in the workshop. That is until he mentioned he was actually making something for us. Really??? That’s so rare! The little sit-on hamper had morphed into this lovely pine hamper/seat/clothes rack/valet. Don’t you love the ratty old hat hanging there? My friend Lisa said that every king needs a place to hang his crown. 😉
Best of all, it’s cat-proof!
A New Year, A New Project
Oh, my, it has been a long time. Apparently, I don’t juggle all aspects of my life very well… Enough said!
Ta-daaaah! Presenting the 2014 Block of the Month from Jeanne’s Quilting!
38″ x 45″
The Flower Basket Quilt features four foundation paper pieced baskets with appliqued flowers. The appliqu
A Sweet Quilt!
At my quilt guild, the North Country Quilters, Christmas party, we hold a gift exchange. I received a most unique gift from my quilting friend Valerie – a cookie quilt!
Valerie said she has made gingerbread since she was a kid, even taught gingerbread house classes. You can tell – not only are the decorations exquisite but the cookies taste fabulous! Thanks so much, Valerie!
A Calendar of Sorts
Last year I gave my daughter-in-law Deb a little quilt rack that my husband Bill had made. By little, I mean tiny. She brought it to work to add a homey touch. Her idea was to have a little quilt for each month. I’ve already done Jan.-Apr. but never took pictures. Here’s the next three little 9″ quilts.
Really, they could be pot holders but they are so pretty as little quilts!
Happy Quilting!
Our last outdoor craft fair of the year!
What a beautiful weekend for a fair! Come see us here in Lincoln, NH – fabulous crafts and beautiful foliage. Oct. 12-14, 2013
More Custom Ornaments
One of the most fun aspects of my business is doing custom ornaments. Rabbit Hill Inn, an award-winning inn here in Vermont, has sold my custom ornament for many years now.
I’m constantly amazed at what designs customers want on a custom ornament. Pets, of course, are always a favorite, closely followed by vehicles of all kinds. But there’s also special events, houses, cottages, and the most unusual to date, a yurt!
If you were to wish for a custom ornament, what would yours be? Here’s a custom order form
Brotherly Love
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Let the Ornament Season Begin!
Fall – it’s a change of seasons for us in more ways than one. From April until early September, we sell our hand crafted furniture at all of our craft fairs. This past weekend was the big switch to selling ornaments at craft fairs. Our ornaments are hand painted glass balls, dough ornaments and little sleds. Have you seen our sleds? Bill has built them from Vermont basswood and we both paint them with our original designs. Here’s a little introduction.
You can see us next Lincoln, NH on Labor Day weekend.
October 12, 13, 14
Lincoln Fall Craft Festival – Main Street, Lincoln, NH
October 12 – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
October 13 – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
October 14 – 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
