Texas Forever quilt: A finish!

I'm so excited to finally reveal the mystery quilt I've been working on for the past few months. I passed it on to my mom on Christmas as a late birthday present, so I can now introduce the Texas Forever quilt! (I hope you know the reference. If not, I highly suggest you find out what it is and spend the rest of your holiday break binge watching it.)

This quilt grew out of the idea for my I ♥ Texas pillow. Originally, I dreamed of doing some sort of massive Texas applique quilt, like I used in the pillow, but I quickly realized that was never going to work. Around the same time, I got into a conversation with Corinne of Must Love Quilts, and she showed me her own Texas Forever quilt, which she'd just begun to work on at the time. I also discovered this awesome Texas quilt by Dana Michaelson, which was featured at QuiltCon 2013, and decided to take some inspiration from both.

After much internal debate, I decided to do the quilt in all solids. The top is a combination of several Moda Bella solids in Night Sky, Chartreuse, Pesto, Marine, Turquoise, Prussian Blue, and Blue Raspberry, along with Silver for the gray surrounding the state. I basically just started out cutting a ton of squares and rectangles in the various colors and then began arranging them on my design wall (ahem, basement floor) until I got an arrangement that worked.

For the quilting, I used a light teal in a square spiral shape that's centered over Dallas, my hometown. The spirals are spaced about 3" apart, which makes for a sturdy but really soft quilt. This turned out to be the biggest quilt I've ever made (it finished at about 80"square), but the quilting turned out to be pretty easy on my home machine.

I did a scrappy binding using one of the Moda Bella solids (maybe Prussian Blue?) and a bit of one of the Alison Glass fabrics that I used on the back (Grate in Night from the Lucky Penny collection). As usual, I attached it all by machine. For the back, I used up the rest of the solids, plus the Alison Glass and a big piece of Modern Meadow herringbone.

 

I'm so happy with how this quilt turned out, especially the colors. If I had it to do again, I probably would have chosen a different gray for the neutral on the front (either darker or lighter, so some of the colored solids would have popped a bit more), but other than that, it turned out pretty much how I envisioned it. And most importantly, my mom loves it, so my job is done. Texas Forever, y'all.

UPDATE:  I wrote a follow-up post about the Texas Forever quilt, which includes a "roundup" of similar state quilts, patterns, and designs that I discovered in blog land after finishing my quilt. You can check out the post right here.

Merry Christmas!

We're off celebrating this wonderful day with family, but I'm popping in to wish you all a very merry Christmas! I hope you are warm and surrounded by those you love. And because we can't have a picture-less post, how about a few pics from earlier in the month, including not one but two(!) Santas. Merry Christmas to all!

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!'
-- Luke 2:4-14

Little gifts for a little guy

It's almost Christmas! I didn't actually do a ton of gift sewing this year, which was probably for the best since December was super busy, but I did manage to finish my mystery project (reveal coming soon!) and a few small items for B. The first item was a little apron.

B is super into imaginative play and helping us with anything we'll let him, so I thought it was time he got an apron of his own to use in his little kitchen and ours.

I followed this great tutorial from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom (which I included in the Handmade Holidays post I curated for Sew Mama Sew last year), and it came together in no time. The thing that took the longest was making the bias binding.

The stripe is a mystery fabric that I've had in my stash for years, and the dinosaurs are Ann Kelle, who also made an appearance in the second project, a little wallet.

For the wallet, I used the same fabrics I used for B's travel set, precious Ann Kelle foxes on the outside and AMH sealing wax on the inside, along with a bit of aqua solid. The tutorial was another great one from Noodlehead.

It's stuffed with a few old membership cards (why, yes, that is a Blockbuster card) and fake credit cards from the mail, so let the fake spending begin!

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas! I'll be back with my mystery project reveal after the big day.

Lovelies

This has been a week of very late sewing nights (think 2 a.m. every night since Sunday), but I'm trying desperately to wrap up my current project before this weekend's STLMQG meeting. I mean, it has to be finished by next week anyway (to take with me on our holiday travels), so I figured I'd push to finish a few days early so I could also show it off. But the problem with gift sewing is that I can't show it off here until the person gets it, so instead, let's look at some pretty fabric, shall we? Okay, one poorly lit peak at the quilting (which I finished last night!), but that's it.

I treated myself to a little pre-Christmas gifting in the last few weeks, and I can't wait to start delving into some of these after Christmas. I got the first batch at my fabulous LQS on Small Business Saturday. I didn't really have a specific project in mind for these; they just needed to be in my stash.

I am so in love with these arrows and floral from Wild and Free. Oh, and mustard. Apparently, it's my new color obsession. Weird. I just realized the two other mustard-y fabrics I bought that day didn't make it into this pic because they're already hanging out in a fabric stack for my next project. You can spot them in this post.

I also picked up two new books: Patchwork City by Elizabeth Hartman and Scraps, Inc., which includes projects from 15 different bloggers. I honestly don't own all that many sewing/quilting books (like maybe eight or nine?), but I had to have these two. Any casual reader of this blog knows I'm Elizabeth's biggest fan girl, so I've been waiting for months for her new book. It does not disappoint. She's planning on hosting a quilt along in the new year, and I'm so in. I was lured into buying Scraps, Inc. after reading about it in the blog tour hosted by its authors. There are so many great projects in this one, and I've already pulled fabrics for one.

I got the second batch of fabrics from Hawthorne Threads during their Cyber Monday sale. In theory, I went to the sale to get some backing fabric for the gift quilt (which I did -- the always perfect herringbone from Modern Meadow), but a few other items might have also made their way into my cart. Oops. That sealing wax print from AMH may be my favorite "basic" ever. I can't get enough of it, especially in that perfect shade of teal. I should have bought more...

Now it's back to work. Tonight, binding!

Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins

One of my favorite parts of the Thanksgiving meal is the cranberry sauce. Not the scary jellied kind, but the chunky relish kind with big pieces of whole cranberries. I often make my own (America's Test Kitchen has a great recipe, and there are plenty more out there), but I'll admit to having purchased mine from Trader Joe's the past two years. Theirs is so tasty, and it's one thing I can mark off my cooking list for the busy day. I like it so much that I even bought another tub to enjoy after we returned home from our Thanksgiving travels.

 

And while I'm perfectly happy to eat it on its own, I was curious to see what else I could do with it. When I came across this post on Kitchen Treaty, I was in business. I tweaked two of the muffin recipes to come up with my own version, which we are totally smitten with. I may have to make a batch of homemade sauce just so I can make these muffins again. This makes a pretty small batch, so feel free to double it if you have more sauce to use up.

Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins

Adapted from recipes by Kitchen Treaty and Two Peas and Their Pod

Yield: 7-9 muffins

Ingredients:
    3/4 cup (3 oz.) white whole-wheat flour
    1/2 cup (1.75 oz.) rolled oats
    1/4 cup (1.875 oz.) brown sugar
    1/2 tablespoon baking powder
    1/4 teaspoon baking soda
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
    3/4 cup cranberry sauce (not the jellied kind)
    1/4 cup milk
    1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla
    1 egg (or a flax-seed substitute: Stir together 1 tablespoon ground flax seed + 3 tablespoons water. Let sit for 5 minutes before using.)
    1/4 cup (about 1 oz.) chopped pecans (optional)

Directions: 
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 9 muffin cups or add paper liners and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pecans.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cranberry sauce, milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and egg.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

5. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each three-quarters full.

6. Bake, rotating the muffin tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the muffin centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a wire cooling rack and cool completely. Enjoy!

WIP Wednesday: Progress

Sorry it's been a bit quiet around here, but we had our Thanksgiving travels, and then it took a little while to get back into the swing of things, not to mention my current project has to remain mostly mysterious for now. But I've been plugging away to turn the blues, greens, and grays from this stack into something awesome (I hope).

Sorry I can't show you more (and for the terrible basement lighting)!

I've also pulled a stack for my next quilt. It began with the red and yellow, then I pulled in some green to keep it from getting too ketchup/mustard (though the hubs joked that the green just added some relish).

I can't tell if I'm in love with it (it's totally not my normal palette), but I think it's got a vibe its recipient will like. I'm planning to pair the colors with the low-volume prints, but I can't decide on a pattern -- maybe a plus quilt like this one or a star quilt like this or this?? I want to go a bit traditional with a modern spin.

The neverending to do list (but, hey, it's getting shorter!):

Mystery pieced quilt
New baby quilt
Quilt for guest bed

T-shirt quilt
Aviatrix Medallion quilt 
Superhero cape for B
Sewing circle tote
Re-cover the downstairs chair

Ironing board cover
Reusable snack bags
Washi dress/tunic

I'm linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

A traveling fox

With lots of travel time coming up, we decided to get B a Kindle Fire tablet and headphones for his birthday, and obviously I had a make a case for each of them.

I made a simple drawstring bag for the headphones. I more or less followed the instructions from my lined drawstring wine bag tutorial, except that I used a solid panel of fabric for the exterior. In case you're interested in making something similar, we purchased these headphones, and the cutting dimensions for the interior and exterior pieces of fabric should be 8" x 9". (Note that your bag will be slightly larger than mine. I made mine a bit smaller, and the headphones just barely fit, so I'd scale it up just a tad.) Use a 1/4" seam allowance.

For the tablet sleeve, I followed my Kindle sleeve tutorial with the sizes adjusted for the new, smaller Kindle. For a Kindle Fire HD 6, the dimensions should be as follows:
* Outside fabric
--Two pieces measuring 5.5" x 8"
--One piece measuring 3.25" x 3.25"

* Inside fabric
--Two pieces measuring 5.5" x 8"
--One piece measuring 3.25" x 3.25"

* Fusible fleece
--Two pieces measuring 4.5" x 7"
--One piece measuring 2.75" x 2.75"

In addition to the size changes, as you can see in the cutting directions, I also used fusible fleece instead of batting or flannel (as I recommended in the original tutorial). The fusible fleece really helps to cut down on the bulk in the seam allowances. For the main bag pieces, center the fleece on the wrong side of your outside fabric and fuse in place before assembling the bag. For the closing flap, center the fleece on the wrong side of your inside fabric and fuse in place. Use a 3/8" seam allowance on the body of the bag and a 1/4" seam allowance on the flap. Follow the remaining instructions in the tutorial as written.

For both pouches, I used the Anne Kelle Remix foxes on the outside and Anna Maria Horner's Sealing Wax in saffron on the inside. I think we're ready to hit the road!

Brown Butter Pumpkin Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

In the post about B's birthday party, I mentioned I made pumpkin cupcakes with salted caramel frosting for his cake. You guys, these cupcakes were amazing. Although I bake a lot, I often have trouble with cakes/cupcakes, and I'm almost never super happy with the results, but I would make these again tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after, etc. if I could. Seriously.

I used this recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod, but I made a few changes, so I thought I'd post the adapted version here. First, their recipe says it makes 15 cupcakes, but 24 seemed like a more helpful number for parties (at least for mine), so I multiplied the recipe by one and a half. I also added weights for those of you out there (like me) who weigh your ingredients when baking, and I made a few tweaks to the spices, the order in which she does things, and other bits and pieces. If you have an indulgent cupcake occasion coming up, make these. You won't regret it.

Brown Butter Pumpkin Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting
Cupcakes and frosting adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod; brown butter instructions adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:

    18 tablespoons unsalted butter
    2 1/2 cups (10.625 oz) all-purpose flour
    3 teaspoons baking powder
    1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
    1 1/3 teaspoons pumpkin-pie spice
    1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
    1 1/2 cup (11.25 oz) packed light brown sugar
    3/4 cup (5.25 oz) granulated sugar
    1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    3 large eggs

For the frosting:

    Salted caramel sauce:
    2 cups granulated sugar
    12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
    1 cup heavy cream, room temperature
    1 tablespoon kosher salt

    Frosting:
    12 tablespoons cup butter, room temperature
    2 cups powdered sugar
    1/2 cup salted caramel sauce, room temperature

Directions:

Baker's notes: I suggest making the salted caramel sauce the day before you make the cupcakes, and I have ordered the directions as such below. The sauce must be cooled completely before making the frosting, so if you choose to make it the same day, be sure to allow plenty of time for cooling before you make the frosting. If you make it ahead of time, store it in the fridge and then let it come to room temperature (or thereabouts) before adding it to the frosting. The sauce recipe will make a little more than 2 cups, but the extra will keep for several weeks in the fridge (and when is extra caramel sauce ever a problem?). Feel free to halve the recipe if you want less left over.

Also, while I multiplied the cupcake ingredients by 1.5 from the original recipe, I kept the frosting ingredients the same as in the original, as I prefer a little less frosting on my cupcakes, and I had the perfect amount for 24 cupcakes. (You can see how much I used in the pictures above.) If you like a lot of frosting, you might want to double that part of the recipe as well.

   1. First, make the salted caramel sauce. Make sure you have all of the ingredients ready because once you start the process, you have to pay close attention, or it can quickly burn. To begin, heat the sugar over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. When it starts to melt, begin whisking the sugar. It will clump up, but keep whisking until the sugar is melted. You can swirl the pan to move the sugar around.

   2. Continue cooking the sugar until it reaches a deep amber color. Make sure you watch the pan very closely, as this is where it is easy to burn the caramel. You want the caramel to reach 350 degrees F. As soon as the sugar reaches the dark amber color, carefully add the butter once piece at a time (it will start to pop and hiss at you). Whisk until the butter is melted.

   3. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour in the heavy cream (again, more bubbling and hissing). Whisk until the cream is incorporated, and the caramel is smooth. Whisk in the salt.

   4. Let the caramel sauce cool in the saucepan for about 10 minutes, then pour into a large mason jar or other glass container and cool to room temperature.

   5. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners and set aside.

   6. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden, and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as it seems to take forever (more than 5 minutes) but then turns dark very quickly. Once it is a deeply fragrant and almost nut-brown in color, remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour the butter and all of the browned bits at the bottom into a measuring cup. Let cool.

   7. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin-pie spice. In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugars, eggs, vanilla extract, and cooled brown butter. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined.

   8. Divide the batter evenly among the lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating the muffin tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

   9. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high until it is light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer, add the powdered sugar, and then mix on low until the sugar is completely incorporated. Turn off the mixer and add the salted caramel sauce. Beat the frosting on low to combine, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until airy and thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes.

   10. Frost the cooled cupcakes and drizzle with the extra salted caramel sauce, if desired. Enjoy!

B's Into the Woods birthday

We hosted B's 3rd birthday party last weekend, and because he's our little fox, we (read: I) chose an "Into the Woods" theme. You can check out my Pinterest board for the party over here if you're looking for more ideas, but here's how it all shook out:

For the menu, we made pumpkin cupcakes with salted caramel frosting, "acorns" made from Hersey's kisses and Nutter Butters, pretzel "twigs," s'mores pudding cups (chocolate pudding topped with marshmallow fluff and graham cracker bits), "forest rabbits" (aka, graham bunnies), mini campfire hot dogs, and apple cider.

I realized after taking some shots of the decorations and food that I kind of forgot about my camera until it was time to sing "Happy Birthday!" and blow out the candles. Mom fail. Rest assured there was plenty of fun, children wearing masks and eating too many sweets, and general merriment. Then, came the cake.

That birthday-boy smile makes my day. Party success!