About Me

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New Jersey, United States
I am the wife of a wonderful husband and the mom of three super adult kids and their spouses. I also proudly have five adorable grandsons. I happily taught preschool for 25 years. When I'm not with my grandsons I spend much of my time indulging in my "Quilty Pleasures."

Friday, November 30, 2012

Foodie Friday

Snickerdoodles




  • 2 2/3 C     Flour
  • 2 t.          Cream of Tartar
  • 1 t.          Baking Soda
  • 1/2 t.       Salt
  • 1 C          Butter, Softened (2 sticks)
  • 1/2 t.       Vanilla
  • 2             Eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 1/4 C     Sugar
  • 3 t.          Cinnamon
  • 3 T.          Sugar
Stir together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

Mix butter, vanilla, eggs, and 1 1/4C sugar.

Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients and beat at low speed until well blended.

Shape into a ball, wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Shape dough into small balls, roll balls in a mixture of 3t cinnamon and 3T sugar.  Place 2" apart on parchment paper lined baking sheet.  

Bake ~8 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Makes ~5 dozen cookies.



Until Next Time.....Happy Stitching!!!

Sharyn

Foodie Friday

Chocolate Chip Cookies



  • 4 1/2 C     Flour
  • 2 t.          Baking Soda
  • 2 t.          Salt
  • 2 C          Softened Butter (4 sticks)
  • 1 1/2 C    Granulated Sugar
  • 1 1/2 C    Light Brown Sugar
  • 2 t.         Vanilla
  • 4            Large Eggs (room temperature)
  • 24 oz      Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 2 C         Chopped Nuts (I use walnuts)


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

Beat together butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.

Add eggs one at a time.  Beat well after each addition.

Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Stir in chips and nuts.  

Bake on parchment paper lined sheets for ~8 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on sheet for one minutes and then transfer to cooling rack.

Makes ~10 dozen cookies.



Until Next Time.....Happy Stitching!!!

Sharyn

Monday, November 26, 2012

Make-A-List Monday

Make-A-List Monday


             The Week of November 19, 2012
(in review)


1. Plan the quilt I will work on in December for Quilts for Kids.

I have decided to make a pinwheel quilt for my next Quilts for Kids quilt.  I have all the pieces cut and ready to sew.  I am not able to attend our meeting  this month on Tuesday so this project will have to wait for a while.

2. Make the December blocks for PQW Saturday Sampler.



These two blocks were paper pieced.  I have done a lot of paper piecing but for some reason I had a brain freeze while working on these blocks.  I had to use some of the extra fabric I had saved for the finishing steps.  I might have to buy some more fat quarters to make up for the fabric I wasted.  

3. Continue to work on my Christmas Hexie Quilt.


I now have 70 hexies done.  

4. Bake Snickerdoodles and Chocolate Chip Cookies.


Snickerdoodles

Chocolate Chip
I made five dozen Snickerdoodles and ten dozen Chocolate Chip cookies.
Since I only freeze one dozen of each for Christmas I think I will have to give some of these away.  Luckily I will see all three of my children this week so they can expect a cookie care package.

Expect the recipes in a blog post on Friday.

5. Celebrate Thanksgiving with my wonderful children and my in-laws.


We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration.  Everything was yummy! Unfortunately I forgot to get pictures of my DMIL and DFIL.  I will be sure to do that at Christmas time.






The apple pie and pumpkin pie were 
Delicious!










6. Attend Strip Club at The Village Quilter.










For Strip Club this month we are using "Winter Blues" to make this pretty quilt called Tree Lot by Cozy Quilt Designs.











7. Do all my Christmas decorating.



We decided to do just a little decorating this year.  We always decorate the day after Thanksgiving.  With Thanksgiving so early it seemed best to keep our decorating simple until we get a little closer to Christmas.



I didn't have time to take any more pictures.

8. Finish the quilting on my 1930's Farmer's Wife quilt currently on Annie.

This is a very large quilt so I did not get it completed.  I only have about 45 minutes more worth of quilting to do so even with my very busy week ahead, I should be able to finish it this week.

9.  Start working on the new Bonnie Hunter mystery, Easy Street, which begins on Friday.  




These are the fabrics I am using for the mystery.




Clue #1

I have not finished all 192 4-patch units but I will be done by the next clue on Friday



The Week of November 26, 2012

1.  Add 35 more Hexies to my Christmas Hexie Quilt.

2.  Finish quilting my 1930's Farmer's Wife quilt and load the next quilt.

I'm sure I will not get the next quilt done so my goal is to just get it loaded.

3.  Attend the Twister Holiday Stocking class at The Village Quilter in Mt. Holly, NJ.

This is the class that was cancelled because of the October hurricane.

4.  Spend two days with my Sweet Ryder.

5.  Three doctor's appointments...UGH!

6.  Volunteer at our local high school craft fair.  Our high school...
West Windsor - Plainsboro High School South has a giant craft show on the first Saturday of December.  I have been volunteering there for many years.  It is an enjoyable way to give a little back to a school that has meant to much to my entire family.  All five of us have attended this school and my husband, Don, and daughter, Shea, work there now. 

7.  Bake Sugar Cookies and Chocolate Snaps.  

8.  Work on Clue #2 for Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street mystery quilt.

9.  Work on three blocks from the Just Takes 2 Quilt Along.


Until Next Time.....Happy Stitching!!!

Sharyn

Easy Street Clue #1

Easy Street


Excitement is building in the blog universe over Bonnie Hunter's new mystery quilt..



To learn more about the quilt check out the introduction post HERE.

I have been busy gathering my fabric and decided to use the color suggestions  that Bonnie made.  Here are my fabrics waiting for Clue #1.



In Clue #1 we were told to cut enough grey and background (black on white) fabric to make 192 4-patch units.  Then we were instructed to "pinwheel" the backs of the 4-patches.


Here are three of my 4-patch units.  

The next clue will be released on Friday. (I think)  I should have all my 4-patches done by then and will be ready.  To check out the progress of other mystery quilters check out Bonnie's blog post HERE.

I can't wait for the next clue.  Thanks Bonnie for all your wonderful mysteries. This is my 4th one.  They always turn out so beautiful.

Until Next Time.....Happy Stitching!!!

Sharyn

Friday, November 23, 2012

Foodie Friday

Ginger Snaps


  • 1 C         Brown Sugar
  • 3/4 C      Shortening
  • 1/4 C      Molasses
  • 1             Egg
  • 2 1/4 C   Flour
  • 2 t.          Baking Soda
  • 1 t.          Cinnamon
  • 1 t.          Ginger
  • 1/2 t.       Ground Cloves
  • 1/4 t.       Salt
  •                Granulated Sugar


Mix brown sugar, shortening, molasses and egg.

Stir in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.

Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into ball.  Roll in granulated sugar.  

Place dough balls about 3" apart on parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake ~8 minutes - just until set.  Remove from oven.

Allow to cool on tray for 1 minute before transferring to cooling rack.


Makes ~ 3 dozen cookies



Foodie Friday

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies




  • 1 C       Granulated Sugar
  • 1 C       Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 C    Butter - softened (1 stick)
  • 1/2 C    Shortening
  • 1 t.        Baking Soda
  • 1 t.        Cinnamon
  • 1 t.        Vanilla
  • 1/2 t.     Baking Powder
  • 1/2 t.     Salt
  • 2           Eggs
  • 3 C        Quick Oats
  • 2 C        Flour
  • 2 C        Raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix all ingredients except oats, flour and raisins.

Stir in remaining ingredients.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2" apart onto parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake ~8 minutes.  Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack.

Makes ~ 7 dozen cookies

Monday, November 19, 2012

Make-A-List Monday



Make-A-List Monday



The Week of November 12, 2012
(in review)

1.  Pick up my "new-to-me" featherweight from the sewing machine spa.


My pretty little Singer Featherweight came home shiny clean and purring like a kitten.  I've been searching for the perfect name for her and at last it came to me.  I will name her Bonnie, after Bonnie Hunter, Quilter Extraordinaire.


2.  Finish quilting the quilt that is currently on Annie.  

I finished this quilt but I can not post a picture because it is a Christmas present. 

3.  Prepare the backing for my Heather Spence mystery quilt.

I pieced a backing from the leftover top fabric plus a little extra.  It is now ready to join my ever growing stack of quilt tops waiting to be quilted.

4.  Start working on my Christmas Hexagon quilt.



This is the center of my quilt.  I've been trying to find a way to stay motivated on this project as it gets further along.  My goal is to add 5 hexies a day or 35 a week.  At that rate I should be able to finish piecing the top by July 2015. (There are almost 5000 pieces after all!) I did 37 last week so I am ahead of the game.  HAHA!

I know my quilt will not be as spectacular as Bonnie Hunter's of Quiltville.com
but I am so grateful for her inspiration.


5.  Make the Christmas napkins that I didn't get to last week.



The napkins are done and waiting for the big day.

6.  Ryder Time!  




I thought I was going to spend two days with my sweet Ryder but his grandpa took one of them. He had a blast.  He is still trying to decide on a name for Ryder to call him.  Since my husband has been a coach for the past 35 years I thought "Coach" would be a cute name.  His other grandfather wants to be called Grandpa so I thought it would be good to have a different name.  

7.  Start baking Christmas cookies.  

This week I made oatmeal raisin cookies...















and ginger snaps...



                                                     





I plan on doing a blog post later this week with the recipes for these cookies.

8.  Make my November block for the Quilt Square Quilt Along sponsored by Jo Kramer of Jo's Country Junction.  



9.  Plan the quilt I will make for Quilts for Kids in December.

I didn't get to plan the Quilt for Kids quilt for December yet.

10.  Make the December blocks for PQW Saturday Sampler. 

I didn't get to do these blocks either.

11.  Work on a few blocks from the Just Takes 2 quilt project.  

Nope.  Didn't get this done either.

12.  Catch up on the blocks I am doing for The Village Quilter Building Blocks Block of the Month program.






Here are pictures of all 9 blocks I have completed so far.  There are 12 altogether.  I used Bonnie to piece 6 of them this week.

I had only a so-so week getting to all the things on my list.  With Thanksgiving coming this week, and a full house expected, I probably won't get much done again.


The Week of November 19, 2012

1.  Plan the quilt I will work on in December for Quilts for Kids.

I don't think I can attend Q4K in December because I am scheduled for Ryder Time that day.  But I still want to work on a quilt.

2.  Make the December blocks for PQW Saturday Sampler.

3.  Continue to work on my Christmas Hexie Quilt. 

 I hope to get 35 more hexies done the week.

4.  Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies and Snickerdoodles.

5.  Celebrate Thanksgiving with my wonderful children and my in-laws. 

 My DMIL always cooks a scrumptious meal.  I can't wait!

6.  Attend Strip Club at The Village Quilter.

7.  Do all my Christmas decorating.  

8.  Finish the quilting on my 1930's Farmer's Wife quilt currently on Annie.

I'm doing a Baptist Fan pattern on this quilt.

9.  Start working on the new Bonnie Hunter mystery, Easy Street, which begins on Friday.  

Sooooo excited for the first clue which will be released the day after Thanksgiving.

I think I will stop there.  I don't want to over plan with the holiday later in the week.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!



Until Next Time.....Happy Stitching!!!

Sharyn


Monday, November 12, 2012

Make-A-List Monday


Make-A-List Monday



The Week of November 5, 2012
(in review)

1.  Complete the folded fabric table mat I started at The Village Quilter. 
  

I learned a lot making this folded table mat.  I made a few mistakes as you can probably see when you look at the picture.  I want to make another one soon while the process is still fresh in my mind.  It is supposed to be bigger than this but because of a few mistakes I had to cut it down.  It is not lopsided even though it looks that way in the picture.  (well, maybe a little ;D)

2.  Finish quilting the top that is currently on Annie.  


I made another School of Fish quilt with the leftover fabric from Ryder's quilt.  It is basically the same but with a different inner and outer border.

3.  Continue Working on the Heather Spence Mystery Quilt.

 We received the final clue on Friday.  I was able to finish piecing the top.  I decided to change the pattern a little with Heather's permission.  


This is the original pattern made by Libby Duncan.  Although beautiful, I just wanted to try something a little different.  I hope to make another quilt in the near future with this original pattern.


It is hard to believe that these two quilts were made with the exact same blocks...just turned a different way.

4.  Finish choosing and preparing fabric for my Christmas Hexagon Quilt.

Here are all my 2" squares ready to be English Paper-Pieced into my Hexagon quilt.  There are almost 5000 of them!


As mentioned in an earlier post dated October 22, 2012, my Christmas Hexagon quilt is from a pattern by Bonnie K. Hunter.  Bonnie's Hexagon Medallion quilt was started in 1999 when her grandmother was ill and she needed a "carry-along" project when traveling from Idaho to Arizona.

Bonnie has given the following permission to use her patterns on her website Quiltville.com:

"*Note* You may print the patterns from this website for your own use! Feel free to share them with your friends. I encourage you to use the patterns to teach a class, make quilts to sell, to donate to charity and exhibit in your guild quilt shows! However, just because the patterns here are free for your use, does not mean you can use them with the intent to sell the patterns themselves. Please respect copyright policy and keep the pieceful spirit of quilting alive and well!"

Bonnie is so giving and kind to share so many of her patterns with her fellow quilters.  She has even been helpful to me in answering some of my questions as I attempt to replicate this gorgeous pattern.

I will continue to post my progress as I work through this project.


5.  Continue to work on the pieced border for the 2011 NJ Shop Hop quilt as a Leader/Ender project.

My pieced border will have 48 five-inch finished pinwheels.  Here are a few of them.  They will be made with similar colors in the quilt.



6.  Continue to gather fabric for the new Quiltville mystery quilt called Easy Street by Bonnie K. Hunter.

I have gathered all the fabric I will need for Bonnie's new mystery.  The first clue will be released on Friday, November 23, 2012.  


I had plenty of lime green and purple.  I only had a little turquoise and black on white.  I had to purchase more of each of those colors and some gray.


7.  Make labels for 6 quilts that are in need.

Making labels is not one of my favorite things to do but I am happy to report that these 6 labels are done.

8.  Make some Christmas napkins. 

Unfortunately I ran out of time for this project but I should be able to get to it this week.  The fabric has been pre-washed and it is ready to go.  I just need to cut out the squares and sew them together.

9.  Attend Quilts for Kids at PQW.  

I finished the Christmas quilt but did not turn it in since I still needed to wash it.


I used a Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas fabric for the backing.




10..Attend Saturday Sampler at PQW.  Saturday Sampler class at PQW is offered on Thursday afternoon/evening or all day Friday or Saturday.  I usually attend on Friday morning.  This past Friday we were scheduled for a refrigerator repair.  Because of this, I attended the Thursday 4PM class.  Before class I stumbled upon the The Tomato Factory Antiques in Hopewell, NJ.


As I was browsing the store I stumbled upon a Featherweight sewing machine.  


It was manufactured on February 27, 1956.  I have wanted one for a long time and I couldn't believe my fortune in finding one in such good shape at such a reasonable price.  This is a picture of one made at the same time as the one I purchased.  Mine is in equally good condition.  I brought her home and did a little cleaning but she didn't need much.  Her original case did not even have an odor which is typical of featherweights.

On Saturday I dropped her at the sewing machine spa (AKA - Pennington Quilt Works).  She will be ready for me to pick her up on Wednesday.  She will be freshly oiled and lubricated with a new belt and tension adjusted.  She is definitely well rested as her previous owner, Simone Raymond, said she had not sewn on her in 30 years.  

I can't wait to bring her home.  I will post a picture next week.  Now to think of a name.....

11.  RYDER TIME!!!


12.  Attend my friend's surprise 50th birthday party.


The party was so much fun and I think Bob was truly surprised.  The party had a tailgating theme and the decorations and food were amazing.

Happy Birthday, Bob!


The Week of November 12, 2012

1.  Pick up my "new-to-me" featherweight from the sewing machine spa.

2.  Finish quilting the quilt that is currently on Annie.  I have a quilt that will be a Christmas present on Annie now.  

3.  Prepare the backing for my Heather Spence mystery quilt.

4.  Start working on my Christmas Hexagon quilt.

5.  Make the Christmas napkins that I didn't get to last week.

6.  Ryder Time!  I get to see Ryder two days this week.  Lucky me!

7.  Start baking Christmas cookies.  I always bake my cookies ahead and freeze them.  It makes the week before the holiday a little less hectic.  

8.  Make my November block for the Quilt Square Quilt Along sponsored by Jo Kramer of Jo's Country Junction.  

9.  Plan the quilt I will make for Quilts for Kids in December.

10.  Make the December block for PQW Saturday Sampler. 

11.  Work on a few blocks from the Just Takes 2 quilt project.  I haven't worked on this for a while so it will be great to get a few more blocks done.

12.  Catch up on the blocks I am doing for The Village Quilter Building Blocks Block of the Month program.


Until Next Time.....Happy Stitching!!!

Sharyn