Crockpot Stew

Its still cold and dreary and comfort food warms you up.  I often use my crockpot in the winter to make good old fashioned comfort foods.  I have found there is no easier or better way to make beef stew than in a crockpot.








This recipe is just too easy. All you need is 1-2 lbs cubes of stew meat, quartered potatoes, shortcut carrots and a quartered onion. Throw it all into the crockpot and cover with a can of cream of mushroom soup and a can of tomato soup. Cook on high for 4 hours or medium for 6 hours. Sometimes I add Golden Mushroom soup instead of the tomato. It makes the perfect consistency gravy everytime. If you prefer a lot of gravy add a third can of soup; no added water needed.

Beauty of the Forgotten

Hubby and I went for a bike ride on Tuesday on an unusually warm winter day. The sun was brightly shining and gave a beautiful sheen to all the wintry grays and browns of the landscapes. I took several pictures along the way but this old house made me stop and pause.

Sewing Happiness

My granddaughters gave me a book for Valentines Day, Sewing Happiness by Sanae Ishida. It’s a documentation of her journey from sickness to health through the joy of basic Sewing. It’s an easy enjoyable read and contains basic Sewing projects for beginners to more experienced sewists. The projects are ones I can use to get my two Valentines started in my favorite hobby.

Sewing and Sewing tools are loves of mine. My sewing room is my refuge and favorite place. I dabble in all kinds of Sewing but have always stayed away from hand Sewing because I have no patience for it. But lately I have become fascinated by Kantha quilts, very similar to Japanese Sashiko quilting. Both are running stitches but in Kantha they fill in outlines where as in Sashiko they make up the outline designs. So what a nice surprise to find a chapter in Sewing Happiness on Sashiko quilting. The chapter contains a Mini Sashiko Primer and is just what I needed to start into this technique.

Kantha Quilts

Making Embroidered Quilt Blocks

I have been busy this last week making embroidered quilt blocks from the new Amelie Scott Designs book Build-A-Quilt.  http://www.shop.ameliescott.com/Build-A-Quilt-on-Your-Embroidery-Machine-ASD220.htm.  The book comes with a CD of designs for 6, 7 or 8 inch blocks. Once the blocks are made they are connected with sashing to make quilts, placemats, table runners, tote bag or anything else your creative mind can come up with.

I made a lap quilt first and added a border. The method of joining the squares is easily done as described in the book. I made my squares 7 inches since that is the biggest hoop I have for my embroidery machine.

I liked some of the designs better than others so I chose my favorite design and decided to make a runner for my buffet. I bought a steel blue batik to use without embroidery, just to showcase the fabric. I got an off white batik to embroider on. I think it looks great on my buffet.

Here is a close up view

If you have an embroidery machine this method is a fun way to make quilted projects.

DIY Bicycle Handlebar Bag

Before I took my new bicycle out for a ride I needed a handlebar bag. I figured I could make one but as I was looking through my purse hardware I realized that I have been saving old handbags so I could use bits and pieces of them. Well why reinvent the wheel.  I found a cute New York & Co. bag that was just the right size so I did some modifications and Voila!

So here is how I altered a handbag to make the perfect handlebar bag.

This is my handbag before modifications.

As you can see it has a zippered top and a cell phone pocket on the front. It has some O rings on brown webbing strap.  I left the O rings on, in case I want to clip something to them, and cut the strapping off.

I cut two pieces of strap, each 7 inches long, and melted the ends with a match so they wouldn't fray. The melting method works great with nylon based webbing.

My intent was to sew the webbing to the front of the purse and have Velcro sewn to the back of the other end of the webbing. So I sewed a 3 inch piece of Velcro to the inside of the back side of my strap.

I now sewed my straps to the front of my bag, about 1 inch in from the side and 1 1/8 inch down from the top. Since I melted the ends, I did not have to fold the webbing under, thus eliminating bulk. The free arm on my sewing machine came in handy here.  Remember to check inside the bag before sewing, so as not to sew into a zipper or snap.

I sewed a 2 inch piece of Velcro on each side of the back of the bag and this is what it looks like when the strap is brought over and connected.

So if you need a handlebar bag, look at what used handbags, camera cases or pouches that you have laying around. Why spend $15 or $20 for a run of the mill black handlebar bag when you can have a unique one for pennies. Be creative!

New Year's Resolutions 2018

I haven't posted for quite awhile - well actually years - because I have been too busy enjoying my granddaughters, sewing, cooking and attempting to stay fit. So my New Year's resolutions included getting my blog up to date and to "make me a better me". Well as you can see it is the middle of February and I am just now getting to my blog. In my quest to better myself, my hubby and I got new bicycles and before we set out with them I wanted to make a handlebar bag to hold my cell phone, keys and the few essentials that may be needed while out cycling. So my next post will be a tutorial of the handlebar bag I made.

So it was 52 degrees here today, the warmest it has been in weeks, so we decided to take the bikes to the bike trail. Unfortunately the ice and snow was still on the trails but we rode a few miles anyways. The scenery was beautiful, the air refreshing but it is not all that easy to pedal through the slush. Since we haven't biked in years it was good we could only do a few miles. Tomorrow will tell if I have aching muscles.