Hopping on the Mini Bandwagon

I am joining the mini-pie craze.

Well... sort of. I'm starting a mini-crisp craze instead. I like pie, but just not as much as I like sugar and fruit and crumbly bits.

There's been a lot of talk lately about mini pies. Jean & Sarah inspired and contributed to most of that talk and I've decided to join them on their mini bandwagon.

Just imagine: Tiny baby pies (or crisps) that you can freeze and cook whenever the craving hits. Now, this kind of thing is so me. I love cooking in bulk. Remember this? I still have oatmeal cookies in the freezer right now and I've added chili and these delicious cheddar puffs, too. There's always room for more dessert, though.

I bought myself some wide mouth 1/2 pint canning jars and used this recipe. I knew I would need to eat one of the crisps right away (and so would Etienne), so I baked two in ramekins.

And you can't leave those two extra jars empty, so I winged it and made a blueberry version. I have no idea how those will turn out, but how bad can it really taste in the end? As you can see, I really poured on the topping. Fingers crossed that that works out, too.

They were delicious. Especially after I topped mine with vanilla ice cream.

The only thing that could have been better was the crisp topping. I wish I had read the directions correctly because I think my crumbly top could have been crispier if I had done so. The pear juices made what Etienne called a "pear toffee" around the edges of the crumble. Mmmm. I can't wait to eat the rest of them. 

P.S. See those cute yellow tins in the first picture? I've been looking for sugar and flour holders for some time and I found this guys at target. Love them!

Housewarming Pot Holders

I have to admit that it hasn't been good these last couple of weeks. I've been feeling very down. Way down. Even during the three day weekend, I found myself unable to do anything, let alone any of the sewing tasks I had planned. Then by the end of it I felt so guilty. A weekend wasted.

Everyone keeps telling me it's the winter depression come early, but I don't remember it being this bad. Do I block it out? Why am I surprised every year when it happens?

One theory I had was that every year I blame it on a failed new years resolution to get fit. This year, though, I am actually doing really well - exercising four times a week. It's a miracle! I certainly can't place the blame there this year.

Thankfully, the feelings have slowly started to lift. I don't know why it started or why it's stopping, but perhaps forcing myself to do things have helped. I baked twice this week for our Charity bake sale at work to benefit Haiti. AND I sewed something. 

I made two matching pot holders as a Housewarming present for my friend, who just bought her first home. I don't know how she decorated her kitchen yet, but hopefully it matches. 

The red striped fabric is the back of each pot holder. I had exactly enough fabric left of this cute kitchen print, which I found by going through my scrap pile. Very lucky. Why did I ever put such a large scrap in there anyway? 

UPDATE: Umm.... Am I psychic now? The pot holders she already had were blue, green, and then a red and white striped one. How lucky is that?

New Year. New Quilt.

I have been feeling so weird lately. I've spent every weekday thinking about sewing and then every weekend not wanting to do any sewing. What is my problem? I guess I just have to jump back in.

It's time to start the Color Wheel Quilt. One of my new year's resolutions is to make a quilt for my bed, so why not start with this one since I have the book and all of the fabric. Sarah bought me the fabric bundle as a wedding present. Perfect.

Just so you know, I have completely nerded out in this endeavor and have photographed each bundle, so that I could put them back in order after washing. That's probably something you should know about me: I'm really into systems.

 So, here we go...

Something for me? Aww, thanks.

Made a little something for myself as well. I lost the scarf I bought in Italy on the honeymoon, so I made myself a new one. This year I have a gray coat and a sneaking suspicion that I would soon own a DrikaB bag this Christmas in yellow and gray. I already had some super soft, black & white houndstooth fabric on hand, so I bought some fabric to match with a hint of yellow.

At first, I just sewed the two pieces together without any other padding, but after the crazy winds began to blow, I added in a layer of thermolam batting. Now it's a soft, cozy, wall of fabric to protect me from these ridiculous winds.

Oh, and I was right. Here is the great bag I got for Christmas. I love it!

See how happy I am now?

Another Zoo Quilt

I made yet another quilt using the Alexander Henry 2D zoo fabric. I'm not obsessed or anything. I can't help it! Everyone loves this fabric and when they see examples of it, they want one too. This is a Christmas present commissioned for a friend's daughter.

This measures about 40 x 40 and is quilted with small six inch star bursts to mimic the little flower shapes on the front. The backing is a cloud patterned fabric specially requested to match the little girl's room.