In The Nick Of Time

Saturday and Sunday, December 22 and 23,  the downtown merchants in Marion will be open so that you may finish your last minute holiday shopping.  Most will be having In the Nick of Time Sales.  Here at Sew What, we will be having a sale  that includes 20% off your total purchase.  This includes merchandise storewide. . . books, patterns, fabric, notions, etc. And for those of you that don't sew we have lots of shop samples that are on sale.  Put a bug in Santa's ear that you would like a gift certificate from Sew What for Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, our December Snap Sack of the month is cute as can be. 

Sorry, I cut off the top and bottom borders, but you get the idea. We have a limited number of these kits left, so hurry in and get yours.  The snap sacks include everything but thread, batting and a small bit of fusible for the applique.

 HINT:  Wouldn't this be cute done in novelty prints for a birthday wall hanging? The pattern included in each Sack gives you the cutting dimensions for additional ones done from your stash fabrics.

We also have a limited number of October and November Snap Sacks left for purchase.

World's Best Cookies

For those that have asked, here is the recipe for the World's Best Cookies.  I received this recipe from my cousin, Maxine Blalock of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

1 cup butter (not margarine)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup quick oats
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup crushed corn flakes
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 1/2 cups sifted plain flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and both sugars until fluffy.  Add egg, mix well.  Add vanilla and vegetable oil, mix well.  Add oats, coconut, corn flakes and nuts, mix until well blended.  Sift flour, soda and salt together and add to other mixture a cup at a time.  Blend well after each addition.  Shape into balls.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten with a fork dipped in water.  Bake at 325 for 12 minutes or until just beginning to brown around the edges.  Makes approximately 60 cookies.

Some notes about this recipe:   I use generic brands on everything in this recipe EXCEPT the corn flakes.  As a matter of personal preferrence, I use only Kelloggs Corn Flakes because the flakes themselves are more consistent in thickness and make for a better taste.  And please, don't substitute margarine for the butter.  The consistency of the cookies change if you do and they spread out more.

Mystery Quilt Reveal

Tomorrow, November 3, is the day the Mystery Quilt is revealed and the participants find out who stole the quilt.  The shop will be hopping as we discover whether it was Itsa Riddle, Con Undrum, Ina Fogg or just WHO Dunnit.  The party starts at 2:00 p.m.  So come join us for some fun.

In other shop news, I have had several requests for my World's Best Cookie recipe.  I will be posting it here on the blog in the next day or two.  Not having a computer at home is a problem, and the shop's computer is really slow.  So bear with me and hopefully I will be able to post it soon.

We got a bolt of fabric in this week that the panels when sewn together makes a soft book of the Nativity.  I will try to post pictures just as soon as I get my camera charged.

Till next time, happy sewing.

Gearing up for Halloween

My friend, Andrea, loves Halloween.  She goes all out with decorations in and around her house.  Me?  Not quite so much.  We don't get a lot of trick or treaters in my area of town.

I do like to have at least one new thing for each holiday though.  This year, we got this Halloween panel in at the shop.  It has cute little figures and sayings on it. It was designed by Diane Arthurs for Northcott Fabrics.

When I saw this panel, I immediately thought placemats.  They are simple to do.  I cut the 4 sections apart, sandwiched them with batting and backing, stitched around, turned and topstitched. I did a bit of quilting on the lines and freeformed around the shapes.

In a couple hours time, I had 4 cute Halloween placemats for my table.

Paula, on the other hand, went a bit more elaborate with her panel.  She totally cut it all apart and then pieced it back together with some purple companion fabric and a border print to make a throw.

Now isn't that cute as can be?  Does it make you want to gear up for Halloween too?





Useful Little Pumpkins

It's an off and on dreary day in Kansas.  A little chilly outside, rainy and just one of those days you want to stay indoors and play.  So, I have been playing.

What do these items have in common?

These are bits and pieces of fabric, interfacing and fiberfill left over from other projects.  What can I do with them?  They are destined to become these . . .

LOL, okay you say . . . what is that? Well, that becomes this . . .

I just need to add a piece of twig as a stem and I have a cute little pumpkin pin cushion for Fall. Or, I might make a few more and let them sit around with their friends as Fall decorations.

Why not break out your scraps and make a few for yourself.

Fall is the time for Quilting

I love Fall, it is my favorite time of year.  All the bright warm colors of the leaves, huge pots of colorful Crysanthemums along the sidewalk, the smell of wood burning in a fireplace and the crackle of dried leaves under your feet all add to the knowledge that cooler weather is on the way.  And, at least for me, cooler weather means I need to find projects that will keep me indoors where it's warm.  Quilting is perfect for cooler weather, don't you think?

It's also time to start thinking about Christmas gifts for your loved ones.  Nothing says love like a handmade gift.

YIKES!

Good grief, has it been over a year since I posted on the blog?  It doesn't seem that long. . . where did the time go?

We have had lots of fun and exciting things happening at the shop over the last year.  We moved  to a larger location at 125 E. Main Street, Marion, KS, in February.  It gave us the space to display more than one or two projects at a time.  YAY!

We just finished up a Mystery Block of the Month, Carol's Puzzle.  The reveal party will be November 3, 2012.  The participants will show their completed tops, and they will finally learn who the dastardly villian that stole the quilt was.  If you are in the area that Saturday, please stop in and see who dunnit.

Paula has almost completed the sample top for a new block of the month starting soon.  This one is a Thangles Block of the Month and will be offered in 2 colorways.

Jan has just released the 4th month of the block of the month quilt she is handling.....Women of Courage by Windham Fabrics.  Beautiful quilt! Lovely fabrics.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Friday, October 26, 2012 --
Ghouls ( Girls) Night Out
Progressive Sale beginning at 7:00 p.m. with 20% off fabric purchases and continuing until at least midnight (at which time the discount will be 40% off fabric purchases).  Come in costume and receive a free Halloween fat quarter. There will be hourly giveaways, refreshments and lots of fun.