Sunday, June 7, 2009

The "Oldmops" apron

This looks a little contrived--doesn't it?? Since I don't like to take pictures of myself and nobody lives here to model it for me --except my husband:) I try to find interesting ways to photograph what I have made, but I realize photography is not my "gift".
--This is an apron I sort of "made up" using an old vintage apron I had as a pattern--I have made maybe a dozen or more over the past few years--just laying the apron on fabric and cutting around the parts. But I finally made a pattern and wrote directions for some apron kits we are selling at the quilt shop where I work part-time--The Dusty Attic in Fruitland, MD.
Boy--writing directions is HARD and a well-written pattern is worth the money it costs! Those people who write them deserve every penny!

Life is very busy this month so there won't be too many posts, but check back now and again--I may do a give-away of some "stuff" as soon as I decide what would be good to give.


Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Apron Giveaway at "Becoming a Homemaker"

If you haven't clicked on "Becoming a Homemaker" over on the side--you should--a very nice place to visit.
And she is doing an Apron Give-Away--so go check it out!! http://becomingahomemaker.blogspot.com/2009/06/apron-give-away.html
becomingahomemaker

Strawberry Pie Recipe

Here is the pie recipe--from Betty Crocker in the 70's--with a little tweaking by ME!

If you don't buy ready crust:)
PIE CRUST
preheat oven 475 F

for 8 or 9 inch 2 crust pie (or 2 pie shells)
2/3 Cup plus 2 TBS Shortening
2 Cups all purpose Flour
1 tsp. Salt
4 to 5 TBS COLD water

1. Cut shortening into flour and salt until particles are size of small peas. (Never knew what THAT means--but I do cut shortening in thoroughly till no powdery flour left in mix. you "cut" with a pastry cutter)
2. Sprinkle in water and gently toss around with a fork until all flour is moist and dough just about cleans sides of bowl.
3. Gather pastry into a ball--take half and roll out into circle to fit pie plate--Over rolling or too much handling makes crust tough.
4. Lay in pie plate and turn under top edge and crimp. Thoroughly poke holes with fork on bottom and sides (If you have pie weights and know all those tricks--you don't need this recipe anyway--you know what you are doing!) now roll another one--you might as well make two at one time--save it for later:)
5. Bake at 475 about 8-10 minutes until light brown. Cool.

Strawberry Pie filling. FOR 1 PIE 8 or 9 inch
at least 6 cups of rinsed and hulled strawberries( about 1 and 1/2 quarts)
3/4 C. sugar (or 1 cup if berries not too sweet)
3 TBS cornstarch
1/2C. water
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened--optional

1. Mix sugar and cornstarch together in a 2 qt sauce pan. Very gradually add the water--to avoid "lumps"
2. Mash enough strawberries to measure about 1 cup. or a little over that.
3. Stir strawberries into sugar mix in saucepan.
4. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly(I don't and sometimes it turns out and sometimes I get LUMPS) until mixture thickens and boils.(Goes from cloudy red to clear)
Boil and stir for 1 minute.
5. Cool--doesn't have to be COLD--just not piping hot--warm is okay!

6.OPTIONAL Beat Cream Cheese till smooth--I add a couple TBS sugar to it
Spread on bottom of cooled pie crust.

7. pat dry a bit the remaining strawberries and fill the pie shell with them.
8. Pour cooked strawberry mixture over the top.
8. Refrigerate for 3 hours--top with whipped cream if desired.



Monday, June 1, 2009

And the Winner is......

zees5!!!
Thank you Thank you--All of you who entered my first Give-Away.
I hope to have another give-away in the near future and by the end of summer I hope to have a shop organized over at Etsy. I am not too computer savvy so these things take a while and I'm making the cake for my son's July wedding (I have to practice recipes first--they want chocolate and peanut butter --for 300!),
Life just gets full and busy!
I tried to visit anyone who commented. That was a blast. I am in awe of the creativity.

I have to be careful not to spend so much time getting inspired that I have no time to sew! Does anyone else have that problem? I call it Vicarious Creativity!
O--I was asked for the strawberry pie recipe--I'll try to get that posted soon, but it basically came from an old Betty Crocker Cookbook with just a little tweaking! It really is good.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

I need a nap

I just realized I thought yesterday was the 31st and today June 1st--Even my post date said yesterday was the 30th. PAY attention, Cindy!!
Give-away ends tonight!
Sorry!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Hello, Wonderful people!!
Midnight tonight the comments will close on this giveaway. Tomorrow I will text or call my sweet youngest who lives 1000 miles away in North Dakota and ask her to pick a number between 1 and--how many comments. I'll count down the list and there will be the winner! and I will post and contact. Keep checking--Be Patient--Dear Daughter is a TSA Officer at airport and can't answer phone while working.
NOW--I am overwhelmed at the kind and encouraging comments. Until this give-away this was a private blog for my sister in Mexico to see what I've been up to--creative wise.
Thank you all so very much. I am trying to visit the other give-aways and those who commented--
I am so inspired at so many of your clever posts and design of your blogs.
BUT I am working with a handicap with a SLOW internet--Too little RAM? A virus? internet gremlins? Cable overload?
who knows!?
For months this has been slower than molasses in January!

PS If you click on it it WILL show you a larger image this time.

Friday, May 29, 2009

So--I'm thinking 65 quarts is enough--I am NOT going back--the season is about done--harder to pick--my knees and back hurt more now--more rotten ones--eeewww--
Then it hits me--
ALL THOSE STRAWBERRIES that my DH paid for(to support my picking obsession) and all in freezer or given away--and NO strawberry pie for DH! NOT ONE! How could I?!! For the 30 years we've been married--
when I say--
"I made a treat..."
he responds by saying..(EVERY TIME, MIND YOU--even in December)
"Shoney's Strawberry Pie?"
shoney's! whatever! (I have no idea how shoney's made their pie!)
So I went back this morning before the rains were coming. just to pick enough for a pie for dh. Picked 14 more quarts (that would be some pie) Finally pulled myself away cause I was dehydrated, wobbling around, and had to use the ladies' room)

Made 2 pies. Look at that RED!!! not a drop of food coloring--No strawberry jello--just berries, water, cornstarch and sugar.Those berries are something else. WOW. Get the whipped cream and let's have PIE!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Little Girl's Apron Giveaway

Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day

Here it is! Just leave a comment by midnight May 31.
And the winner will be a random pick--
I think I'll keep it simple this first time.

I am feeling so jolly doing my first giveaway--
A sweet little reversible apron--Gingham with a pocket on one side--
Washday Kitties on on the other side. Tie and waistband measure about 40". Apron is 11 " long. The Kittie fabric I thought a little weird at the Quilt Shop yard sale I found it at--BUT I thought it would be a very sweet little apron and the shop had this perfect pale yellow and grey gingham to match.

Click on either picture to get a bigger image.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for coming to visit me!
I will post the winner's name here on June 1 and I will ship internationally if needed.
(Psst..I am not sure how this works, whether I will have an email for you or click and go to a blog and leave you a comment--I will do all I can to let you know you won!!! If you win I will ask you to email me your address.)

SIXTY-FIVE Quarts--(or why I haven't gotten an etsy shop up and running this week!)

4 trips in one week--65 quarts of these beauties!! Yes. tis the season--

SEW MAMA SEW announced a May Giveaway about the time That the strawberries are out--
I thought that If I pushed, Maybe this was a good time to start an etsy shop --and give something away--
No--The berries won--I get obsessed! And the place I picked had a gigantic NEW field--Berries were everywhere--I could get a quart in 5 to 7 minutes!!! But it takes longer than you think to get them in the freezer!
I still hope to go ETSY in the future, but for now I will still give something away--next post--I've tried to get this site up to date this week with a few projects from the past year I never posted.
For a friend's children's boutique...
I was in a time crunch so nothing too fancy--just a little craft apron for crayons--
they are reversible--and I may tweak it before I make more of them.
BUT I did think the fabrics looked very Crayola!