Quilting Poem

I read this article the other day in The Country Register of Colorado and thought that many of you quilters(along with me) could relate to it. :)

Quilting

by Marlyn Hasart

About forty years ago

I was bitten by a bug.

I wasn't sick or feverish

Or drinking from a jug.

With paper and pencils, cloth and scissors

My "Artistic Juices" began to flow.

Cut and measure, snip and sew, rip and tear

This pile did grow.

Squares and sashing from fabric so smooth,

My feverish brow, it began to sooth.

Right sides together, seams to meet,

Sit and sew, press seams so neat.

Lay the block on the bed

All these ideas in my head.

Move blocks again till they seam right,

Alleluia, What a pleasing sight.

Back to the machine, I just had to buy,

And sew and sew-My how time flies.

Where's my dinner, my hubby did cry.

What are you doing? Up the stairs I did fly.

I'm making a "quilt" for our bed so warm

It will keep us cozy through the night's storm!

And now the years have so quickly passed,

The piles of quilts have grown so fast.

So now I give them to family and friends

And hope this bug lasts till my stash ends. 

Now I don't know about you quilter's, but I can soooooooooooooooooo relate to this poem. The stash just keeps growing and growing. :)

Have a great week!

Colleen :)

Preserving Your Harvest

Well harvest time is upon us and all of you that have those gardens need to start preserving those veggies and fruits. So get out those canning jars and crank over the freezer. I was reading this article the other day and thought I would share with you some guidelines on what fruits and veggies can be canned, frozen or dried......:)

Canning: Tomatoes and most fruit may all be canned in a water bath. Veggies that should be canned in a pressure canner are: asparagus, beans, beets, carrots, corn, peas, potatoes, pumpkin, squash and spinach. Be sure you have good lids and wash and boil them before using. I have lids sit in a pot of boiled water while I am getting the veggies ready. Follow directions in your canning guide.

Freezing: Asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, corn, herbs, peas, peppers, pumpkins, squash, zucchini and tomatoes can all be frozen. They must be blanched before freezing to eliminate enzyme activity. Fruits are: apples, berries, peaches, pears and rhubarb. I personally prefer to freeze my veggies and fruits over canning. 

Drying: This is the oldest method of preserving food and removes the moisture so bacteria and mold cannot grow and spoil the food. Some veggies should be blanched to eliminate enzyme activity during dehydration. Hang thin slices of fruit, peppers, and herbs on a string and dry at room temperature. If you live in a dry climate you can sun dry these. The faster you dehydrate these foods the more flavor they will retain. Again follow your dehydration guides for best results. 

                                                   Reprinted by permission from The Country Register of Minnesota




So if you are one of the lucky ones that have gardens and orchards, time to get them harvested. Or if you happen to live where there are those wonderful farmers markets where you can buy fruits and veggies by the bushel baskets get them bought and start canning. :)

Have fun!

Colleen :)

New Shop :)

Well is everyone back into the swing of things after the whirlwind summer you had? We certainly had a busy summer as usual. They just seem to go by so fast. :(  Over the summer we opened another Etsy shop that I wanted to tell you about. Actually it is for my husbands woodworking. He makes some wonderful items (if I do say so myself!) and does really well selling locally at the fairs and markets, but after those are done for the year we really don't have a local market for him so I thought.....hey.....open him an Etsy shop. :)

So I did and I must tell you I didn't remember how much work it was to open a shop with all the pictures and details you have to do. Whew....wore me out! LOL! :) As you all remember it takes a while to get off the ground and get some activity going, but the shop isn't doing too bad. We also have listed driftwood from our beach by our house up here in Alaska. We thought maybe some of the people out there that like driftwood, have beach decor's or work with driftwood would like some Alaskan driftwood and that gives us another reason to walk on the beach and look for unusual pieces. :)

So here are a few of the products that he carries. You can find him at The Woodworking Shop. I hope you can stop by and see what we have available. 



These birch burl bowls are made from birch trees in our local forest. We love to hike around and look for the burls. When we get them home he cleans out the middle of the burl and sands them down to make amazing bowls. What is really nice about these is that it is nature at her best and the bowls are the actually shape of the burl. 

He has several different types of candle holders. These are all made from local dead standing aspen. He cuts them to size then sands them and finishes them. He drills the opening for the candle. Some are votives and some are tea light candles. 

He has been making these cutting boards for a few years now. I asked him one day when I was trying to come up with some new items for the local shows if he could make cutting boards and he whipped up these. Everyone is different and most of the woods are hardwoods that are recycled from our local furniture making shop so nothing goes to waste. :)

Then like I was saying about the driftwood this is a single piece that I found. You can use it for a beach decor. We also have lots of several pieces that I put together in groups for the crafters out there. Driftwood is great for aquariums too! :)

So that is our new Etsy shop. I say "our" because he makes the product....I manage the shop...LOL! :) Thanks for letting me show you our new shop and hope you come and visit us soon at The Woodworking Shop :)  

Thanks for visiting!

Colleen :)

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

Wishing everyone a Happy Labor Day! Enjoy the day with friends and family! :)

Colleen :)