Happy New Year!

Tomorrow I will attend my first organized 

Zoom sew day!!

Organization and prep is the key I think , so 

tonight I am putting together supplies for

my projects so I can sew all day!!!

So far I have:

1) a row to resew onto a top

2)" Many strips " parts to sew together

 

3) "Cream and Blue Sqaure"  Needs a  pieced  border 

4) "Cobblestone Alley" to cut and piece  

Should be a great day!!!

Look at all those cookies!

 Of course this time of year there will be cookies!

We usually do a big holiday bake but things

 are different this year so I flew semi solo.

My DH ( Delightfully Handsome?) 

assisted by MANning the oven , ( see what I did there?)

We did two rounds of cookies 3 weeks

 apart with a small final  bake off to do some

 cookies for the neighbors right before the big day!

The first round included our holiday classic,

 Chocolate Crinkles. These always get great reviews. 

Get the recipe  Chocolate Crinkle.

They are very fudgy with a crispy outside. Yum.

We always make a few big batches of Imogene's gingersnap cookies. Get the Imogene's Chewy Gingersnaps recipe.

These are also chewy and soft in the middle and 

made extra tasty by a roll in 

cinnamon sugar before they are baked.

Last but definitely not least are the family favorite 

sugar cookies. This recipe was found

 in " Sesame Street 

Library Vol 1" 

Kid friendly and oh so tasty , these cookies 

not only get rave reviews but always turn out perfectly!

You can decorate and embellish them so many ways! 

These get used for a year round treat for holidays and special occasions.

They are very easy to make 

Get the recipe  sugar cookie .

Chocolate Crinkles

 Chocolate Crinkles

                1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour                1/4 tsp. salt

                1 cup sugar                                           1/4 cup butter, softened 

                1/3 cup packed brown sugar                2 large eggs, lightly beaten

                1/2 cup cocoa                                        2 tsp. vanilla

                1 tsp. baking powder                            icing sugar, for rolling

                                           Preheat oven to 350 F

Makes 2 doz cookies

Combine  flour, sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt In a large bowl,  I quadruple this recipe so I always use my stand mixer. Add the butter, mix until combined, mixture will be crumby.   . Add vanilla and eggs and mix until just combined. 

Place 2-3 tablespoons of icing sugar in a shallow dish.  Form 1-1/2" balls of dough and roll in icing sugar. bake for 12 minutes on a greased or cooking sprayed pan until edges are just set. Transfer to rack or cool surface to cool .

Here are the quadrupled quantities

               5 1/3 cups all-purpose flour                  1 tsp. salt

                4 cup sugar                                           1 cup butter, softened 

                1  1/3 cup packed brown sugar            8 large eggs, lightly beaten

                2 cup cocoa                                           2 tablespoons vanilla

                4 tsp. baking powder                            icing sugar, for rolling

Sugar cookies

 Sugar cookies

2 eggs                                        3/4 cup butter

1tsp vanilla                             1 tsp baking powder

1cup sugar                                2 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 F

Cream butter and sugar in mixing bowl . Add eggs and vanilla, blend.

Mix dry ingredients and mix into bowl until combined. Chill dough 

20 minutes.  Roll , and cut into shapes. 

Bake at 400 for 5-6 minutes until just light brown on edges. Doubles 

easily. 

Imogene's Ginger Snacks

 Imogene's Gingersnaps

    3/4 cup Butter                         3 3/4 cup flour

    1 1/2 cup sugar                       1 1/2 Tbsp  Baking soda

    1/2 cup molasses                    1 tsp ginger

    2 beaten eggs                          1tsp cinnamon

    Cinnamon & sugar               1/2 tsp cloves

    Mixture for rolling       Preheat oven to 325 F                                                

Mix dry ingredients, set aside. Cream butter and sugar, stir in eggs and molasses. Mix in dry ingredients until blended. Form into 1 " balls and roll in cinnamon and sugar . Flatten slightly on cookie sheets and bake

12". 

Sew those strips!! Stars!

 So if you search "Star Strings"

 on Pinterest you will find a 

wealth of scraps sewn up into enchanting stars!

Since I have the prerequisite and

 I am antsy for some machine time, 

here comes another project!

First I grabbed a big bag of scraps that has

 been lurking in my sewing room. 

I add to it when I finish trimming anything

 so it has really been growing lately. 

 I did some rough paperwork to 

get an idea of what the numbers would be , 

and started stitching!

Some graduated sizes of strips got pulled out,

 and it really makes the assembly fly!

I chose to make a 6 1/2" cut strip block. 

That will allow the finished top to have

 nine stars total without getting too large. 

Please notice the white square of paper on my extension table.

This lets me check the length of the strips

 without having to measure.

Of course I have my sewing nest going by 

using my TV tables for a pressing station and 

another for a strips layout station!

I already have a pile of strip blocks ready to trim!

I fasten my completed blocks together with clips.

I buy mine from a local supplier. 

 It really helps eliminate 

recounting and keeps me a bit organized!

Today will be more sewing with 

a movie in the background!

Sail Away!

 

Can you see the village?  I was inspired by a 

Pintrest scrap quilt and added a self-designed boat

to my top.  One observer studied it a bit and 

commented that she really liked the village on

the shore! Scraps quilts can really spark 

imagination!  

This smaller size top (55" x 68") has been patiently waiting 

for a turn under the needle. May give it one more row and a 

a small border to make it generous on a boy's twin bed.