Playing with Patchwork

Thanks to playing with my Fabscrap fabrics I'm almost 100% sure I want to make a Dresden fan quilt now; it's a fun way to use lots of different fabrics to produce pretty patchwork. Right now I'm still making practice pieces to figure out the exact design. I've never worked much with wovens or plaid, so this one was fun to make.

I'm learning, too -- using prints for the background fabric means it shows through lighter fabrics, as you see here with the stripey linen I used, so some strategic trimming is needed. I like using feather stitch embroidery rather than straight hand-quilted stitches on the blades of the fans, too. I'm still not sure how I want to finish the base of the fans. I like the lace and the yo-yos more than the usual fabric wedge, probably because they're easier and look better.

I have one more to make, and then I'll probably commit to a quilt. All of these fabrics in the Dresden fan practice pieces would have ended up in a landfill if not for Fabscrap, so I'm really grateful to have the chance to use them.

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Better than Fried

I cut some chives from the kitchen garden to make garlic-chive baked fries for dinner. This is a great side dish for veggie burgers. Click here for the recipe from Taste of Home.com.

Stuff

After finding this Caron one pound skein of lovely peach yarn in my thrifted lot I raided my stash for two cakes of Mandala in Pegasus, which matches it perfectly. For practice and hand therapy I'm going to make another Worth Street Afghan with this free pattern , but this time I'll use the yarn that was recommended for it plus the one pound skein. I'm not quite ready to do the vintage/recycled linen quilt I had planned (still a bit too nervous about the idea), so I'm going to use some color therapy and make a quilt from these thrifted green fat quarters. I considered doing another Yellow Brick road patchwork pattern, but I might go with a split rail fence like this one.

Make It Yourself

As we head into December, here are ten ideas for easy handmade gifts: Cookie Exchange: If you live close to your friends invite them over for a cookie exchange. Basically everyone bakes a set amount of their favorite cookies, and these are exchanged at the gathering by lottery, sharing a little from each batch with everyone, or however you want to do it. You can also exchange recipes, too. My neighbor did this once and it was wonderful. Favorite Recipe Cookbook : For my favorite person I found a copy of my favorite cookbook from a vintage bookseller (yes, I am that old) and went through it making notes on all the recipes I used, how I tweaked them, etc. Ornament: There are probably a million free tutorials on how to make your own holiday ornaments, so do some research online. I like to make hanging pomanders , which smell heavenly and are biodegradable after the holidays. Mug Rugs: If you sew, making up a set of mug rugs is simple and easy; I add these every year to my ...

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