Appleton Dance

I got this wonderful holiday message from my friend, Virginia in Iowa:  Thank you for the Gorgeous felt Corsage !  I think it will Rejuvenate my Aura! - Which, by the way, desperately Needed rejuvenation.  I look forward to the opportunity to dress up and wear it.  You are Way too sweet! And the Pepper Streak * sounds Yummy.  I think I have fixed a similar dish - don't remember what we called it, but it was tasty. Thanks for the reminder. Funny thing about crock-pots.  There was a chili cook-off at church toward the end of October. I was not going to take chili  - just corn sticks. But about noon, I decided to make a batch. My chili is nothing to brag about, but I felt obligated to participate. I made it on the stove, but transferred it to the crock-pot to take to church and to keep it hot through the evening. Went early to plug in the pot and get it good and hot again. There were no outlets at the serving table, so a neighbor took it into t...

I saw these cute felt pins in a holiday catalog and wanted to try to make some. The ones in the catalog were all different. Some were layers of felt cut in the shape of petals, some were loops of felt that looked like crysanthemums, some were rolls of felt that looked like rosebuds. Some were a little of each. I made this poinsettia as a trial effort, but it seems to me that you could while away a winter afternoon cutting shapes, embellishing and building flowers to your heart's content. For ideas to spark your creativity, search for "felt flower pins" on Etsy . Equipment: Needle Scissors Materials: Standard copy paper for pattern cutting Heavy felt squares or yardage, as desired (For poinsettia buy dark green, burgundy, and bright red.) Variety of large (1-1/4 inch diameter), fancy buttons or large beads for flower center Beads and sequins (if desired) Large safety pins or stick pin with safety cap (clutch), or jewelry finding pin back available from jewelry fi...

I posted a story on our local LivingstonTALK.com website about a new enthusiasm -- Contract Bridge. Check it out at  Get in the Game: Contract Bridge .

F lannel binding and pocket detail of "manly" quilt From Janet D.: I wanted to make a "manly" quilt of my husband's favorite fabrics -- worn denim and soft, old flannel and I wanted it "sofa" sized because that is where he naps. I thought I had enough old blue jeans and flannel shirts and bathrobes around the house to do it which appealed to my frugal leanings.  No batting needed Virginia had told me not to put in batting as it would be too heavy and I took her advice. I cut 8 x 8-inch squares of denim, using all the parts of blue jeans that were salvagable including the pocket parts, both front and back.  I had various colors of blue including some striped. I backed them with flannel, about five different varieties, all plaid. I sewed flannel and denim squares together differently depending on what the denim was like and according to my whims. Many were with an X, some followed the pattern or seam of a pocket, some with a square and one wit...

A ghost from the past visited me today when I discovered that the Google newspaper archive came up with the directions for a heart-shaped box I wrote about in the  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette March 5, 1981, titled "Fiber box: A versatile artifact" . I no longer have that box -- but those prissy directions and anthropological background are all mine.

I had dinner with my friends Tom and Joy T. last night and Joy had the cutest purse ever. She said it is called a Trixie purse and she bought the pattern from Purse Strings : Unique Patterns for Unique Women . She plans to make the Scottsdale Satchel next. Joy also recommends the online fabric store at Hancock’s of Paducah , where they have (fabric) jelly rolls, layer cakes, charm square, and more, and equally great sales.

Here is another version of the Cato purse, this time with some directions for how to put it together. I saw this charm square trick on Moda’s Bake Shop blog and wanted to try it. I used nine “Fresh Squeezed” charm squares and followed the Moda directions , seaming together three rows of three, then cutting the resulting square into four pieces and rearranging the pieces into a new square and seaming them together to get my exterior bag bottom. For the exterior of the bag top, I seamed nine more charm squares into a nine-patch, cut the square into four equal pieces and seamed the four cut pieces together side by side to make my exterior bag top. Directions for the bag are given below for using a fat quarter or cut yardage. Materials: Fabric for bag exterior -- one fat quarter OR 1/2 yard fabric or pieced goods Fabric for bag lining -- one fat quarter OR 1/2 yard fabric Thread to match fabric 3/4 yard matching or contrasting grosgrain ribbon trim Optional: fabric-covered cardboard ins...