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Monday, December 9, 2019

Wisconsin Cranberry Pie

Well, I'm no food blogger but a few of you asked for this recipe after Thanksgiving so here it is!

I got this recipe from my sister many years ago but have been unable to find the 
original source so if anyone recognizes it please let me know!

Wisconsin Cranberry Pie


  
Ingredients:
1 unbaked 9” pie shell
3 c. halved cranberries
½ c. water
1 ¾ c. sugar
5 Tbsp. flour
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. almond extract
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Topping: 
¹∕3 c. unsalted butter, melted
¾ c. flour
¾ c. sugar


Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan add cranberries and water and bring to a boil.  Mix the dry ingredients and slowly add to the cranberry mixture.  Cook on low heat until thick.  Remove from heat and add extract.

2. Cool completely.  Pour into the unbaked pie shell.  Dot with butter.



3.  Mix topping ingredients together with a fork and sprinkle over the filling.



4. Bake at 425° for 35-40 minutes or until light golden brown.



5. Serve at room temperature or cold with ice cream or whipped cream.  Enjoy!

Click HERE for the printable version of this recipe.
You can also check out some of my other favorite recipes HERE
There's some oldies but goodies there!


Thanks for stopping by today!

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Fresh Fat-Quarter Quilts Book Tour


The day is finally here!  It's my stop on the Fresh Fat-Quarter Quilts book tour and I am so excited!
Mostly, I am just so excited for my friend, Andy Knowlton and her beautiful new book, Fresh Fat-Quarter Quilts which is full of 12 fabulous projects!  Andy and I have been friends for many years now.  We roomed together at the International Quilt Market a few years ago, we've retreated together, lunched together, and cheered each other on over the years.  I'm just so proud of Andy, my talented friend.


Like Andy, one of my favorite cuts of fabric is the fat-quarter.  That's what I usually buy when I'm fabric shopping just for fun.  So I love the concept of Fresh Fat-Quarter Quilts.  Andy gives 12 project ideas that use different amounts of fat-quarters, ranging from 6 to 14 fat-quarters.   


One of the patterns that really caught my eye in Fresh Fat-Quarter Quilts is called Sunny Day.  Mine is quite different than Andy's version which uses sweet pinks, yellows, and greens.  I decided to use some of the Christmas fabrics that I recently inherited after my grandmother (the one who taught me how to quilt) past away.  It was such a sweet experience to be able to work with many of her fabrics.


I purchased the black print by Sweetwater and also threw in a white with green 
polka dot fabric that I had in my stash.


The greens in this quilt were quite different than anything I had in my stash though.  They are more blue-green as opposed to the yellow-greens that I have in my stash and that are more popular today.  So I was surprised to find green Minky that worked with them.  Minky was definitely the way to go; this Christmas quilt is so soft and cuddly and will definitely get used for many years to come.


The fun scalloped border "had me at hello" 
and was one of the main things I loved about this quilt.


Have you ever made a scalloped border?
I've done it one other time on my Friendship Heart Quilt.
I guess I'm a sucker for scallops!


I was going to bind it in the black print but at the last minute, I decided
red would be a better note to end things on since there was so much black 
near the edge of the quilt.  So I ended up using a red grunge fabric I had in my stash and 
I'm happy I went that route.


I love the blocks in this pattern!  
They really showcase my grandma's vintagy Christmas fabrics.


I believe she used many of them to make stockings, but I could be wrong.


The quilting design is a fairly new-to-me designed called Gemma #3 by Karlee Porter.
My quilter, Cathy Barney did a fantastic job, as always!


And finally, I have to tell you about the labels I got!  They're really simple but I love them!
I feel so professional with them, haha!  I got them from Border City Quilts on Etsy.  
You can customize them to whatever you want and the owner from the shop was really great 
to work with!  I got 20 labels for about $20 so I think they were very reasonably priced too!


This is just one of the quilt patterns I would love to make from Fresh Fat-Quarter Quilts!
It's a great book with beautiful patterns, easy to understand instructions, great photography, 
and lots of helpful tips throughout!  I hope you'll get yourself a copy!

Be sure to stop by the other blogs that are helping with the tour!
So much eye candy!!!

Nov 18:   Jen Van Orman - Heritage Threads
Nov 19:   Holly Lesue - Maker Valley
Nov 20:   Amy Chappell - Ameroonie Designs
Nov 21:   Nadra Ridgeway - Ellis and Higgs
Nov 22:   Kristina Brinkerhoff - Center Street Quilts
Nov 23:   Amy Sinibaldi - @AmySinibaldi 
Nov 25:   Jessica Dayon - Jessica Dayon
Nov 26:   Amy Smart - Diary of a Quilter
Nov 27:   Amanda Niederhauser - Jedi Craft Girl
Nov 28:   Andy Knowlton - A Bright Corner
Nov 29:   Sharon Burgess - Lilabelle Lane Creations
Nov 30:   Samantha Dorn - Aqua Paisley Studio
Dec 2:   Lindsey Weight - Primrose Cottage Quilts
Dec 3:   Bev McCullough - Flamingo Toes
Dec 4:   Christopher Thompson - The Tattooed Quilter
Dec 5:   Amber Johnson - Gigi's Thimble
Dec 6:   Melissa Corry - Happy Quilting Melissa
Dec 7:  Amanda Castor - Material Girl Quilts

A big thanks to Andy for asking me to be a part of the tour!
I'm honored and truly enjoyed making Sunny Day!

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Amazon Gift Card Winners + IronEZ Discount Code

Thanks to everyone who made my mouth water by sharing their favorite Thanksgiving dishes on my giveaway post last week!  Seriously, I think I gained 5 pounds just reading your comments!  Speaking of which, a few of you asked for the Wisconsin Cranberry Pie recipe so come back Monday for that!


I also want to thank my friends at Iron EZ who reached out to me offering such a great giveaway to my followers!  I mean, who doesn't love free money to spend at Amazon (my cart is always loaded there!)?  And their generosity with the 15% off Iron EZ discount code was the cherry on top.  The good news is, I just found out the discount code "AJ15" will be good for a few more weeks (plus there is free shipping on all US orders!).  Visit their site to get yourself an Iron EZ.  And just imagine...a lifetime of not having your spray bottle fall off your ironing board!  Ha!  It's pure bliss...


So without further ado, the winners of the two Amazon $25 gift cards are...

Babiesdoc (comment #52) and Teresa S. (comment #75).  
I will get in touch with you and get those gift cards sent right off to you!
Congratulations!

Edit: the first two winners were chosen and contacted twice but did not respond within a week.  I believe their email addresses were not connected to their blogger account and they did not leave their email address in their comments either so I had no way to get in touch with them.  So I picked two new winners today, 12/11/19 (which are reflected above).

Have a great day everyone!
Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, November 29, 2019

Amazon Gift Card Giveaway + IronEZ Discount Code!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

We hosted 15 family members at our house and everything went off without a hitch!  
We ate lots of good food of course and now I'm exhausted!  I plan to do lots of 
relaxing, eating leftovers (mostly pie) and a little online Black Friday shopping today!

[Wisconsin Cranberry Pie]

Speaking of Black Friday shopping, I have a fun giveaway and a discount code for you today!
You know I'm a fan of my IronEZ, right?
I've been a long-time user of the ironing board spray bottle holder.


Without fail, my spray bottle used to fall off my ironing board every time I ironed.
It's no longer a problem though with my IronEZ.  I love it!  It's my favorite spray bottle
and the holder rotates for easy ironing board storage!
Plus, I think it's a great gift for quilters and anyone who just likes to iron 
(sounds weird but trust me, they're out there.  My mom is one of them, ha!)


My friends at IronEZ wanted to giveaway a little something to my followers today
so they've offered to give TWO $25 Amazon gift cards!  
They've also given me a discount code to share with you 
for 15% off + free shipping (US only) on their site!
Click HERE to visit IronEZ and use the code "AJ15" at checkout.



I like food.  I also like to not think too hard so we're going to keep this giveaway really simple.
To enter to win one of the $25 Amazon gift cards
leave a comment below telling me what your favorite Thanksgiving dish is.
 I'm going to start.  My name is Amber and I like stuffing and dessert of all kinds.  Oh, and pretzel jello and homemade rolls.  Okay, I clearly couldn't pick just one dish.  But you get the idea.  This is a safe place; no judgement here..  Just tell me all the foods you love at Thanksgiving and I will be drooling by the end of this, I'm sure.  I'll announce the winners Wednesday, December 4th.  Ready, set, go!

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Poppie Cotton Fabric Giveaway!

Good morning!
First, I just want to thank everyone for the love on my
Gingham Farmhouse projects!  I truly love working with Poppie Cotton fabrics!  
They are so pretty and sweet and I think each line keeps getting better and better if that's even possible!  I can't wait to see what they come up with next!


Now, without further ado, the winners of the Gingham Farmhouse 
monogram panels & coordinating fat quarters are... 


#1 Little Quiltsong who said, "Such a beautiful quilt, Amber - love how it showcases the many pretty prints in the fabric line - and the pretty pillow - so cute! I love our big windows in our home that face to the back and the lovely landscaping from our surrounding neighbors, including ours :)!"

#2 Barbara Woods who said, "right this minute that it's warm! been cold in the South for a few days."

...when asked what they love about their homes.

Little Quiltsong and Barbara, please email me your name and shipping address and I will get your prize shipped right off to you!  My email is gigisthimble@hotmail.com.

I loved reading all of your answers to that question!  Thank you for playing along.
I hope you'll go out and get yourself some Poppie Cotton.  Maybe the Gingham Farmhouse monogramed panel so you can make the HOME pillow using the tutorial I posted HERE.  
It would be a really sweet homemade gift for a friend or family member for the holidays!


You can also find a list of a few shops that carry 
the monogram panel from Gingham Farmhouse in the tutorial.  

Well that's it for today friends!
Come back next week because I actually have another 
Black Friday giveaway for you!  It's gonna be good!
See you then!

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Gingham Farmhouse Fabric Tour + Tutorial and Giveaway!

I've been waiting for this day for weeks now!
It's my stop on the Gingham Farmhouse Fabric Tour and guys, I absolutely LOVE 
this fabric line by Poppie Cotton!


It's full of florals, orange peels, houses (not shown here), gingham and gingham BUNNIES!!!  I mean, can you even!?!  All things I love in soft, beautiful colors!  But I especially love the navy!  


Gingham Farmhouse also includes the sweetest alphabet panel that you ever did see.  
It's available in 3 different colorways!


I couldn't resist making a little something from the panel and a "HOME" pillow seemed to be the perfect thing.  Click HERE for the tutorial! 


I also made a quilt!


The pattern is called Sugar from my book, Vintage Vibe.
(Click HERE to get an autographed copy.  
It's on sale right now for $14.99 for 14 project patterns!)


Sugar calls for 8 fat quarters for the blocks but I used 18 and made it really scrappy!


It finishes at 64" x 80".


I had my quilter, Cathy Barney in Alpine, Utah do an orange peel edge-to-edge design on it.
It's one I hadn't used before and I love the way it turned out!


Look at that texture!


I finished this quilt off with a scrappy binding.  
I think it adds a fun touch and is a great way to use up fabric from the line.  
Do you ever do scrappy bindings?  They're my fave!


I want to share the love of Poppie Cotton with you
so today I am giving away 2 darling Gingham Farmhouse 
panels with coordinating house print fat quarters! 
You can make a pillow (like mine!) using THIS tutorial 
or you can incorporate these letters and numbers into a quilt.  
There are so many possibilities!

Two lucky winners will be chosen.
Just leave a comment below telling me what you love about your home.
I will announce the winners next Wednesday, November 20th here on the blog.


Thank you for stopping by today!
Be sure to visit the other blogs for more Gingham Farmhouse inspiration!


Gingham Farmhouse HOME Pillow Tutorial

As part of the Gingham Farmhouse Fabric Tour, 


and a sweet little pillow using the Rosy Monogram in Navy from Gingham Farmhouse by Poppie Cotton.  Today I would like to share a tutorial for the pillow!  It's a fun project you could easily get done in a day!


Materials you will need:
1 Rosy Monogram panel in Navy from Gingham Farmhouse by Poppie Cotton
2.5" x 10" strip of pink dot fabric (I used a scrap from my stash) - star
2.5" x 10" strip of white fabric (Peony Roses Basic from Gingham Farmhouse by P.C.) - star
2.5" x 18" strip of navy fabric (Wedding Ring Navy from Gingham Farmhouse by P.C.) - star block
1.5" x 40" strip of white fabric (Peony Roses Basic from Gingham Farmhouse by P.C.) - inner border
2.5" x 40" strip of navy fabric (Lattice Navy from Gingham Farmhouse by P.C.) - outer border
9" x 15" piece of navy fabric (Vintage Roses Navy from Gingham Farmhouse by P.C.) - back 
9" x 15" piece of batting
pillow stuffing

To make the star, cut:
4 navy squares, 2"
4 navy squares, 1 3/8"
4 pink dot squares, 2"
4 white squares, 2"


1. Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the 
4 navy 2" squares and 2 of the white 2" squares
2. Pair up a navy 2" square with a pink dot 2" square, right sides together.
3. Sew on both sides of the drawn line using a 1/4" seam allowance.
4. Cut on the drawn line to make 2 half-square triangles. 
5. Press the seam allowances open. 
6. Square up both half-square triangles to 1 3/8" x 1 3/8". 
7. Repeat steps 2 - 6 to make 2 more navy/pink half-square triangles.
8. Repeat steps 2-6 to make 4 navy/white half-square triangles.
9. Repeat steps 2-6 to make 4 pink/white half-square triangles.
10. Sew the half-square triangles and 4 navy 1 3/8" squares together into rows according to the photo above.  
Press the seam allowances open.
11. Sew the rows together and press the seam allowances open.  
The star block should measure 4" x 4".

(Sorry not a lot of pictures through that process! 
See my "How to Square Up Half -Square Triangles Tutorial"
for more tips and photos, if needed.)


To make the "HOME" block:

1. Carefully cut the "H", "M" and "E" letters from the panel.  Use the width of each letter - to the dashed cutting line.  Cut the height of each letter to 4" (which is slightly smaller than the given allowance).

2. Sew the 3 letters and the star block together.  Press the seam allowances away from the star block. 


 

Add the borders:

1. For the inner border, cut 2 white strips, 7/8" x 4".  Sew the strips to the sides of the "HOME" block.  Press the seam allowances toward the border.  Cut 2 white strips, 7/8" x 10 3/4".  Sew the strips to the top and bottom of the "HOME" block.  Press the seam allowances toward the border.

2. For the outer border, cut 2 navy strips, 2" x 4 5/8".  Sew the strips to the sides of the "HOME" block.  Press the seam allowances toward the border.  Cut 2 navy strips, 2" x 13 3/4".  Sew the strips to the top and bottom of the "HOME" block.  Press the seam allowances toward the outer border.   

3. Square up.  I trimmed my outer border to 1 5/8" wide all the way around.


Quilt as desired:

1. Layer the pillow top with batting (pillow top facing up).  Pin in place several times to secure.

2. Quilt as desired.  I just went around the inside of the star with a 1/8" seam allowance, as well as, in the ditch of the seam between the inner border and outer border.  Very simple but I think it was enough.

3. Trim excess batting.



Assemble the Pillow:

1. Cut the navy fabric for the back the same size as the quilted pillow top.  

2. Layer the quilted pillow top and back piece, right sides together.

3. Pin the layers together around the perimeter. 


4. Sew around the perimeter using a 1/4" seam allowance.  Leave a 2" opening at the bottom.


5. Clip the corners off to eliminate bulk.  Be careful not to clip the stitches.


6. Turn the pillow right side out.  Poke the corners out with a blunt object. 


7. Press the opening to ensure the 1/4" seam allowance.


8. Stuff the pillow to your desired liking


9. Hand sew the opening closed with a whip stitch and coordinating navy thread.


I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! 
Let me know if you decide to make the pillow.  
Gingham Farmhouse is in stores now so hurry and get yourself 
a fat quarter of the panel so you too, can make this sweet little pillow. 

Here are a few places I found that carry this panel...


To see my coordinating quilt using Gingham Farmhouse by Poppie Cotton click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today!