Apple Hill Cookbook

This post is dedicated to a blog friend. Kim posted a drawing on her blog (Kim's blog) for an Apple Hill cookbook and a scented mug mat. I won the drawing at the beginning of the month but hadn't had time to blog about it. Well Kim... here it is. I made the Apple Cake recipe on the first page. I have to tell you it was very hard to pick a recipe... they all looked so good... so I just started from the beginning of the book and made that one. When I took it out of the oven it looked a little brown and I thought I overcooked it a little. But then I tasted it and it really was great.

The boys were really excited to come to a fresh dessert (snack) which had come out of the oven about 20 minutes before they came home. It was still a little warm. Two of the boys took their slices outside to eat on the picnic table (it's like 50 degrees outside but they thought they would eat out anyway). They were really cute. They said to tell my friend Kim thank you for sending the book and making Mommy bake something really good.
Not much else was said. They are too preoccupied with Halloween on Friday night. I will post pictures of their costumes later. But I wanted to make that I posted this picture for Kim. Thanks for the recipes.

If you can't sew... then cook

Cleaning the house and getting all the laundry done is a hateful business. I know everyone knows that it is a never-ending process. But really... in this house... it never ends. Laundry piles up in the bathrooms, the bedrooms and the hallways. Every time I empty a hamper it seems to fill again. And the dishes... do I really need to talk about the dishes. I went so far as to purchase paper plates and paper bowls this week because I really need a break from all the dishes.

Since I can't seem to make it to the loft to work on the Amy Butler bag... I guess I will work on this little recipe in the kitchen... (which is closer to the laundry). I have all these wonderful Taste of Home cookbooks that I look at constantly. It seems I never have eactly everything I need to cook each recipe. But today... I lucked out. I decided to make this Casserole for a Crowd. Maybe I can get away with only cooking once this weekend... since we never seem to have leftovers anymore with three boys.

It actually turned out spectacular. You make this recipe with ground beef and chili powder so it takes a lot like chili mac. It was great and did make it in the fridge for about 2 days. Nice little break for me.

It doesn't look like it but that's a huge casserole dish. Don't you just want to take a bite and dig in. I tasted it for you and it's great. You'll have to trust me. If anyone has any great easy recipes to make for a family of boys please let me know. I actually like leftovers.

Getting back into the sewing room...

Sometimes the hardest thing is getting back into the sewing room. I went up to the loft today and looked over the projects in progress.
Look at these awesome pinks and browns that I collected on the Tour de Quilt. These are the best. I am trying to decide what pattern to make out of these for the upcoming Lancaster Quilt Show.

Still working on designing a pattern to use these great Halloween fabrics that I bought. I thought something with Baltimore Album like applique commemorating some sort of significant life event. I think that would be very US. I will keep you posted on the design.








So I have been completely obsessed with making this cute little bag pattern from Amy Butler. I am purchasing some new books (with the ideas I got from the Tour de Quilt) of projects that you can give people as gifts. I thought I would get started on this pattern that I had purchased months ago. The problem is I absolutely stink at reading and following other people's pattern. (why do you think I got started writing and printing my own patterns) I get completely bogged down by patterns (especially complicated patterns) but I decided that I was just gonna have to get over it and try to make something great. I always admire these well made bags at the quilt shops so it was high time I tried it myself.


I thought it best to use some cheap fabric the first time... if I messed up it wouldn't be with $17/ yard decorator fabrics. I am making this bag with camouflage fabric from the decorator area of Walmart that I bought to make costumes for the boys. The weekender bag will work well for sleepovers. Like a little suitcase.
I have been working on it for three days off and on and haven't even cut out all the pieces yet. I will keep you posted on how it's going. Hope all is well with all of you.

My own little VISA ad!

To summarize the weekend. Here are all the shop fabrics that I collected... 11 half yards in all. Who knows when I will get around to using all these great jewel tones... although something has come to mind.

So... what did I think of my trip around Central Virginia? It's an amazing way to spend a birthday. I guess I can only summarize it one way...

Hotel: $100

Meals: $70

More fabric to be buried with: $391

Lucy and Phyllis Bobbin's Excellent Quilting Adventure: Priceless

Hope you enjoyed this trip across Virginia. I know that we did.

Stay tuned for more adventures in quilting!

Finally...Shop #11: A visit with The Quilt Man (and his wife)

Alright... last stop on the Tour... we headed out of town and north on I-95... back towards home and a quick stop off the interstate in Ashland. Here it is... our last stop on this Tour... The Quilt Man. Don't you just love their Tour quilt. The Quilt Man made the center squares out of the stripe fabric. That happened to be the Tour fabric for this store.
Check out the cool jacket they made from the same fabrics. I thought this was the free project on the tour so I photographed all the projects I saw but actually the free project was a small purse project that I didn't see until we were checking out. I think anyone would love to wear this jacket.

Here's a cute little tablerunner project with the Tour fabrics as well.

Here's a photo of Chris "The Quilt Man" in front of the first clue "the quilt with a dragon on it" The woman in the picture is not the Quilt Man's Quilt Queen (his wife Nancy) but a fellow quilter who works at the store. They were very sweet and help us a lot. You won't find nicer people anywhere (although we found lots of great people and wonderfully inviting stores on the whole trip). The Quilt Man has the best selection of Oriental prints anywhere around. He also has lovely batiks. I think we were just plain shopped out.

I thought I would show you his front window. My friend KD lives near here and shops at the Quilt Man a lot.

We did get some sage advice here. I can't help it... Confucious say... 3 yards if you like it... 6 yards if you love it... 10 yards if you absolutely, positively can't love without it. I think I might have to agree.

This was my only purchase at the quilt man besides the Tour store fabric. Would you believe it... after I got home I realized that I already had it. I don't usually do that but... oh well.

We found our last clue by the back of the store a "teddy bear wrapped in a quilt". The Tour is finally over. We turned in our passports and our scavenger hunts and decided to call it a day.

The Grand Total at The Quilt Man: $7.55

We were so tired from the trip that we decided to not even eat dinner. We headed home to unpack the car and get Lucy on her way home. We were exhausted from all the fun and looking forward to resting on Sunday so we could ready for the rest of the week.

Cool stuff at Millstone Quilts

I took some extra photos of some of the cool things I found at the Mill. For all you thrifters and crafters out there this was a great little project that anyone can make. All of us have come across a cutter quilt or two. I have two here in the house. I like the fact that the knobs are all different. There was a bigger one as well that was much more square.

Here was another really cute idea. Little tiny strips in a jar. I thought this was the best little decoration. I have one of these great little jars in my house. Now I have a place to put everything instead of the trash.

I fell in love with this quilt too. Maybe because I have little boys and I think it is perfect for them. It was just perfect.

I also loved these little boats. This is such a traditional pattern. I was loving this one and had to photograph it. I know there were lots of others but I didn't want to bore you with everything.

I guess I should quit playing around and get driving to the next shop so you can get home and get to rest like I did. OK... so here goes.

Shop #10: Around the bend, across the creek... to Millstone Quilts!

Lucy and I were following the Tom Tom along a pretty decent highway... and then all of sudden he took us to the right and I couldn't believe it. We were on another winding road in the middle of nowhere. I was of course concerned... it reminded me of late last night trying to find a hotel in the dark. The Tom Tom said we were here... but I didn't see anything. We drove about a 1/4 mile down the road and ... there she was... the old grist mill, the next clue... "a bridge not over troubled water" and my favorite shop on the Tour... Millstone Quilts.Everything about this shop was quaint and perfect... including this sign. It directs you to the swimming hole and the picnic area and warns you of the attack cat on the premises.
The tone of this shop was set the minute I walked in the door and read all the signs. For instance, there is a warning to customers who lose their temper. The sign says, "Don't get your tinsel in a tangle." And there's another warning to the employees to "Measure twice and cut once". Here is one of the quilt projects they made from the Tour fabrics. Nine Patch Jewels was selling as a kit at the store.

At this shop there is an abundance of friendly conversation and smiling faces. Here is the store's Tour Quilt. I think this is my favorite of all the tour quilts. I don't think the photo does it justice. They added other fabrics into the quilt. I love the scrappy look.

The best part about being at the store was the chance to meet "the Wizard". Clearly the sign says that only employees are allowed behind this counter. The sign above is hard to read but states, "Nobody gets in to see the wizard, not nobody, not no how!" A voice says, "Pay no attention to the woman behind the curtain." Of course, that voice belonged to none other than Regina Simmons, the owner of this adorable place nestled by the creek. What a delight it was meeting Miss Regina.

Meeting this staff was really great. Southern hospitality abounds here at the Mill. There are three floors of delicious cotton delights. They specialize in Civil War Repros, Thimbleberries and 1930's fabrics... and I understand that they host an outdoor customer quilt show every spring. This photo is the middle floor and you can see the third floor loft above. As you can see there are surprises everywhere you turn.

Here is the stairwell between the first and second floors. I just couldn't get enough of this awesome place.

Here is Miss Regina helping a customer in the 1930's floor. All the ladies have these great aprons on that tell their names so you know who you're talking too. We found the 2nd clue "the johnny reb rifle" in the Civil War room.

Here is another great quilt that was made from the Tour fabrics. This one hangs behind the counter on the way to check out. I had so much fun with the ladies at this shop. We laughed and talked and I couldn't wait to come back. As a matter of fact, even though this shop is not the closest to my house, Lucy and I decided to make it our pick up shop for prizes should we win anything.

Miss Vicky made the free pattern from the shop which was a wine and cheese holder. Of course she made it out of the Tour fabrics. Below is the take home from Millstone. I think I was restrained considering I could have completely moved in to this store. It reminded me very much of home... since I live in a log cabin and the shop was almost the same. I found some really great civil war fabrics, a few cream, red and blue fabrics for the pillow shams and a couple fabrics for my Halloween collection.

Here is a nice little fat quarter bundle the girls at the shop gave me as my free Tour gift. Lucy got one too. It's almost like they read my mind and knew I loved homespuns.

I really had trouble containing myself at this shop. I know Lucy needed to be drug away as well. We both made promises that we would be back many times and pledged our allegiance to the cotton flags.

Grand Total at Millstone Quilts: $74.51

Only one more stop on the Tour... a little piece of Oriental heaven... and you'll have to wait and see. Come along north to Ashland and get the last stamp in the passport.

Shop #9: Read on for more... Quilting Adventures!

What better place to have Quilting Adventures than the 9th stop on our Tour. The ad boasts, "The friendly shop for everyone who creates with fabric!" and they are not kidding. Quilting Adventures is a really bright shop with lots of light and embellishments. They have tons of fabric and books and jelly rolls and all kinds of stuff. Here is a fantastic selection of Amy Butler decorator fabrics. The girls set up the back of the shop as a "gift fair". They had dozens of projects made up from some of these great fabrics using patterns around the shop and some new books.

In Stitches by Amy Butler

Sew and Stow by Betty Oppenheimer

They had the most wonderful projects made from these books and patterns. I was so fascinated that I forgot to take a photo of the actual fair tables so you could see them set up. But I did remember to take a photo of the shop for you. We found the two clues rather easily. The rupplequiltskins "pink elephant" and the stuffed chair with the bird fabric was a little more difficult but was definately the "bird on a chair" clue.

Here are the Tour Quilts from the shop. I can't recall which one was the actual quilt but you get the idea. This shop gave away 6 free patterns.

One of the free patterns is sort of pictured here. Under the strings quilts you will find a giant pillowcase for a body pillow. It was done up in the Tour fabrics as well and we loved it.

Here is what I purchased at the store. I can't believe I bought more patterns. But let that be a lesson to you ladies. Samples sell. I bought these because the shop had the projects already made up. The little eyeglass cases in the shape of frog and turtle are for Eeyore. Maybe he will remember where his glasses are now. The middle pattern is for a lunch bag for a teacher that comes complete with cloth napkin. What a great idea.

Here are the other free things that we received from this shop. Nail file, pattern, fabric pack and customer appreciation coupon for 30% off. I will definately be back to this shop.

I think Lucy liked this shop as well. There is so much to see in this shop that it was almost overwhelming during the Tour. I know this sounds bad but actually its a compliment to the store. There is a little something for everyone here. They run great program demos and classes and the ladies are really friendly. The samples are also really well made. But it was about time to move on. Only two more stops to go in the tour... and then next one requires a trip over the river and through the woods.
Grand Total at Quilting Adventures: $32.81
And off we go to the little Civil War grist mill. I can't wait to step into the past. Come along with me...

Shop #8: Take a peek around the Quilter's Corner

Just around the corner on Midlothian Turnpike is a cute little shopping center where all the shops look like little houses. Quilters Corner is no different. They are a Brother Embroidery dealer but look much more quaint than the dealer shops usually look (must be the siding). Lucy and I liked this one too. Lucy found a great purse pattern that was perfect for her (or for the girls) and she couldn't leave without it. Check out the cute little clubhouse next door. The classroom is its own little house. Imagine taking classes over here without the usual customer interruptions. The girls at the shop were very hospitable. They served us flavored coffees, cookies and pumpkin bread.

Here is the Quilter's Corners Tour Quilt and the little quilt on the right of it is the shops free pattern.

Check out the awesome collection of Amy Butler fabric. I couldn't resist picking up one print. There are also purses made up all over the store.

Here are the purchases that I made at the shop. A little Amy Butler and a little pink.

Here is the free stuff that this little shop gave us. Another cute little green bag which I liked very much and a little chocolate which I liked very much.

After finding those little clues of the "purple dinosaur" and the "prince charming" (which by the way was a small frog statue with a crown at the register), we headed back to the car for another Quilting Adventure.
Grand Total at Quilter's Corner: $14.18