Some of My Sewing and Jewelry Projects...

I thought it would be fun to share with you all some of my various finished projects. Maybe they will inspire you to do something you never thought of before! 

All of these projects were made between 2012 and 2015. I never realized how many things I've made until I started putting this post together! I'm feeling tired just looking through them! 

Below is a baby quilt made up of baby flannel 5" squares and 2" plain cotton squares. The border was light yellow flannel as well as the backing with a silky green party taffeta ruffled binding.

I got the front and backing finished just before our family road trip to New Mexico. 

And was able to finish off the binding while in our cabin at the NRA Whittington Center in New Mexico! We didn't know if our friends were expecting a boy or a girl for their first so I thought it was best to be safe and just use all the colors. :) They ended up having a boy, but hopefully he didn't mind having a bit of pink in there. 

Then in 2013 my mom and I saved up money to make a trip to PA for the History of America Mega Conference and a week long Revolutionary War tour with Vision Forum. It was a great time. The last night of the History conference was time period costume night. So of course I had to think of something. One day at a thrift shop I found for $4.00 this dress...

This is just a photo off the internet but it is the same company, color, etc. Any way, I got an idea to combine it with a dress that I had at home that need to be altered. With the help of some friends (it is really hard to pin things while you are in the dress.), I took off the bodice from the one I wanted to alter and inserted inside the dress you see above. 
After it was pined in place I cut off the extra and stitched it in place. Then I took the ruffles that were around the neck line of the "to be altered" dress and made them into mock sleeves, hiding the added bodice. It really helped keep it modest yet giving it that added flair. The other thing that had to change was the tucks in the skirt and again with help from friends I made swags with little cream colored rosettes out of chiffon. It turned out so much better then I expected! 

These pictures were taken at the conference with a hoop skirt under it. 


Around the same year I decided I wanted a fun apron that fit me. With my small torso it's always hard to have to fold up the apron so it fits. And also I wanted one that looked cute. So I went digging through my fabric stash and patterns and came up with this 50's styled apron with a sweetheart neckline and black lace. It's thick canvas type material with tight pinstripe pattern so very durable. I used black binding to edge the top of the apron, the top of the pockets and around the apron skirt. 

Then for Christmas I found a very fun table runner kit. Of course that meant I needed to alter the pattern. I never seem able to follow one exactly. I got the kit from Connecting Threads and loved the fabrics! It screamed my mom to me.  

Since it was small I thought it would be interesting to try my hand at free hand machine quilting. It's not easy but lots of fun to make up as you go...

Then I made a little applique and hand embroidery on the back. My first I've done in a long time...

I tried my hand at a fleece quilt. It came pre-cut into squares with fringed edges. I loved the design but found out it was very important to have a long needle on your sewing machine if you wanted two thick layers to stay sowed together. 

I ended up selling it on Craigslist rather fast. I think I might try to do more in the future...

Another project I did last was making some teapot cozies. I think they turned out better then I expected. I altered the original design to fit different size pots.

I used vintage buttons that I got from my grandma's stuff when she died...

And other buttons just seemed to fit the style of the cozy...

More recently I helped do a few things for my brother's wedding. Since I've done a bit of jewelry over the years I offered to do all the bride's maids jewelry. I put together a few photos of styles and had each pick out their favorite. Each unique to only them! The colors of the wedding were ice blue, silver, and crimson. So this is what I came up with...

This was Kendra's...

I asked which Sarah liked more and she picked the one on the left...

This one was Kortney's... 

This one was Katelyn's...

Then we ran into a snag and time crunch with the shrugs so I asked a friend of the family if she could help me get five red shrugs put together over a weekend. I got the pattern and mock ups made and she helped sew them as I was stuck in bed with the flu. (I wasn't much of a help after the first day). But they got done and I learned a lot along the way...

 I also went a bit crazy and offered to help my new sister with altering her wedding dress. It was topless and she didn't like that. How hard could it be? I've altered dresses before... So with much fear, prayers, and lots of fittings I created a top to attach to the existing bodice. Crazy I know but it seemed to work! No one noticed at all! At least no one said anything to me so I live in sweet ignorance of any mishap...

Another of my projects I did last year was burp cloths to fit the shoulder. I don't know about you but I have narrow shoulders and burp cloths always seem to fall off or not cover enough. So This pattern worked out perfectly. I made it a bit longer then the pattern I found online so it would cover more in the back and front... 

I did one side terry cloth and the other a fun cotton fabric...

For fun I did one visible seam with contrasting thread in a straight stitch then another in zig-zag...

These are very easy to make and they make burp cloths more enjoyable to use. At least I think so...

Last year I found out that one of my was going to have twin boys! So I thought it'd be fun to have matching quilts made for the occasion. One with the main color blue and the other green...

The fronts were a mix of cotton and flannel 5" squares (4.5" when finished). For the binding I did the same as my other baby quilt and got silky fabric. Then I fell in love with Minky fabric and had to have it for the backing. But since I had two quilts to sew I thought it would be faster to free style the quilting part, so I did swirls. I always thought it would be fun to do them on a baby quilt.

Then Mom was sweet enough to give me a hand in doing the elephants. I picked out the pattern online, gave mom the embroidery floss, what to put on the quilts and left the rest to her while I quilted...

I think they turned out perfect. There were of course flaws, but since they were shipped to CA I wont have to look at them all the time and thus be forced to fix them.  

Well, I hope this post helped you get your creative juices working! I would love to hear about your projects! Feel free to drop me a line and maybe a photo or two! 

The Effects of Listening to 'In Freedom's Cause'

If you have never listened to this amazing rendition of In Freedom's Cause you really should. They have done an amazing job with their productions so far. Here is a video we made for a contest they put together. Please vote for our video at the link below! The voting ends on August 7th, 2015. I hope you all enjoy it. We had fun putting it together. http://www.ifcvideocontest.com/watch.php?vid=bedef6a69

If you want to check out In Freedom's Cause or other audio dramas that Heirloom audio has put together click HERE to check them out. With Lee in Virginia is the newest one and I hear that they will be doing The Dragon and The Raven next.... I know I can't wait to hear them! Let me know what you think of our little video and maybe if you've listened to some of their dramas you could share what you thought of them!

The Effects of Listening to "In Freedom's Cause" by Leanne Bryan

A Moment In the Life of John Foxe

This is an except from the beginning of the book he wrote on the history of the Christian martyrs through out history. Below you will find the link if you want o read more about his life or read his book. This short story you are about to read is an amazing show of Providence. I hope you enjoy this little story.

"John Foxe traveled to London in the later part of the reign of Henry the VIII. Here, being unknown, he was in much distress, and was even reduced to the danger of being starved to death, had not Providence interfered in his favor, in the following manner:

One day as Mr. Foxe was sitting in St. Paul's church, exhausted with long fasting, a stranger took a seat by his side, and courteously saluting him, thrust a sum of money into his hand, and bade him cheer up his spirits; at the same time informing him, that in a few days new prospects would present themselves for his future substance. Who this stranger was, he could never learn; but at the end of three days, he received an invitation from the duchess of Richmond to undertake the tuition of the children of the earl of Surrey, who, together with his father the duke of Norfolk, was imprisoned in the Tower, by the jealousy and ingratitude of the king. The children thus confided to his care were, Thomas, who succeed to the dukedom; Henry, afterwards earl of Norfolk; and Jane, who became countess of Westmoreland. In the performance of his duties he fully satisfied the expectations of the duchess, their aunt."

John Foxe stayed with the eldest, Thomas until the reign of Queen Mary who was the notorious Bloody Mary.

To read further about John Foxe and his life you can go to this link : Foxe's Book of Martyrs

This is me in 1989 climbing the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral in London...

Crawling in the steps of great men... with my trusted binky of course! :) 

~ Dark Chocolate Mocha Cheesecake ~

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Crust ~ 

1 box of Oreo cookies or chocolate wafers, 

(You can also get gluten free chocolate cookies)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 Tablespoon Coffee, finely ground (optional)

Filling ~

3 Tablespoons Instant coffee granules

2 Tablespoons Coffee, finely ground

1 1/2 Tablespoons Boiling Water

1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground

4 packages Cream Cheese, 8 oz each 

(I use 2 Neufchatel cream cheese and 2 regular)

1 1/4 cup sugar, or if you prefer it sweeter add another 1/4 cup)

1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour, 

(for gluten free use 1/4 cup Tapioca Flour and 1/2 tsp. Xanthan Gum instead)

4 Eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

5 oz Bakers Chocolate

5 Tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Glaze ~

1/2 bag Dark Chocolate chips (bag is 12 oz) or use chocolate that is gluten free

5 Tablespoons Butter

1 Tablespoon Instant coffee plus 1 teaspoon boiling water

To make the crust: 

Remove filling from Oreos. Grind cookies in blender until crumbs. In a bowl combine cookie crumbs, coffee grounds (optional), and melted butter until well blended. Grease a 10 inch spring form pan and evenly press into pan. Make sure to press some up the sides of the pan. About 1/2 inch high.

To make Coffee flavoring:

In a small bowl, combine the coffee grounds, instant coffee, boiling water, and cinnamon. Set aside.

To make the Chocolate flavoring:

Place bakers chocolate, butter, and cinnamon in a double boiler and melt together. Stir until well blended and melted then remove from heat.

To make Filling:

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and flour together until smooth. Add eggs and beat on low until combined. Stir in vanilla. 

Now you have three choices for assembling. 

Layered Mocha Cheesecake: 

First you divide the filling in half. Then stir in coffee flavoring to one half and in the other stir in the chocolate. Then pour the chocolate flavored batter into the pan spreading evenly. Pour the Coffee flavored batter over the chocolate one and gently spread evenly. If you want you can also make this a swirled mocha cheesecake and use a fork or knife to make a beautiful design on top.

 Mocha Cheesecake:

In this one you just blend the coffee flavoring and the chocolate all into the batter and then pour into pan. Make sure to spread evenly.

Mocha Cheesecake with cream:

In this one you remove about 2 cups of filling and set aside. Then add coffee and chocolate flavors to the main batch and stir until blended. Pour the mocha batter into pan and spread evenly. Then take the filling you set aside earlier and spread it evenly over the top of the mocha batter in the pan. Note: you might find it a bit too thick so you will want to drop tablespoon fulls around the the top of the mocha batter then take a rubber spatula or the back of a large spoon and gently spread evenly. 

Bake:

Bake at 325 F. for 40-45 minutes. Make sure to put a pan of water on the rake below the cheesecake. The cheesecake is done when the center is set. (Note: Should not be firm. It should still slightly move in the center when gently jiggled .) Remove and let cool on wire rake for 1 hour. Make sure to run a sharp knife around the edge of the cheesecake and the pan to prevent cracks. Then either put glaze on or cover and put in the refrigerator. 

Glaze:

Melt chocolate, butter, and coffee (optional) in same double boiler you used earlier. Let cool slightly then when cheesecake is ready pour over the top. 

Remove sides of the pan and garnish.  

Carefully cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving (This helps harden the glaze and makes sure the cheesecake is set.

Serves: 16

~ Dark Chocolate Mocha Cheesecake garnished with fresh raspberries and sprigs of chocolate mint ~


Enjoy!

~ Jamaretti Cookies ~

This was made special for my closest friend and sister Samantha for her 23rd birthday!

~ I know several people in our fellowship as well as close friends who have several allergies or dietary concerns so when we have events with them I love to try out new recipes or alter old favorites. Some are complete failures of course but others are a surprising success with even those who don't have any allergies. Those are the ones I love to share since they make life easier for families who have to make two dishes for the same meal. When it comes to baked goods it's even harder to find something tasty and everyone likes! No one could tell that this cookie was gluten and dairy free and I have tried it out on the most pickiest of eaters! 

~ Below you'll find two versions of this recipe. One is my version of the original recipe and the other is my altered gluten, dairy, soy, and sugar free version. Both taste great and those of you who don't like most gluten and dairy free baked goods should be pleasantly surprised by this cookie recipe.

~ I also have a link to a great recipe for homemade almond paste! It is very easy and will take you only 10 minuets or less to make! You can also freeze it or store it in the fridge for about a month. Under the Gluten free cookies I have an altered recipe for those that are dairy and/or sugar free can use. 

~ Simply So Good is the site for the homemade Almond Paste.

~ If you have any ideas or suggestions I'd love to hear them!

~ Jamaretti Cookies - Leanne's way ~

Makes about 3 dozen 

              Cookies:

                  2 1/4 cups (315 g) All-purpose Flour* (See below recipe for more info)

                  1 teaspoon Baking Powder

                  1/4 Salt

                  1/2 cup Almond Paste - Homemade (get recipe from link above)

                  1/4 cup (150 g) Sugar  ** (See below recipe for more info)

                  1/4 cup (150 g) Truvia ( I get it from Fred Meyers)

                  1/2 cup (1 stick - 113 g) Butter - Unsalted room temp.

                  2 Eggs, Large

                  1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
                  3/4 teaspoon Pure Almond Extract (If you're not fond of strong Almond reduce
                                                                                                                                         to 1/2 tsp.)

                  1/2 - 3/4 cup Jam *** (see below recipe for more info) 

             

              Icing:   (This is optional. It tastes great with out as well.)

                 1/2 cup (70 g) Confectioners' sugar

                 1/2 - 1 teaspoon Orange Zest, fresh

                 2-3 teaspoons Orange Juice, fresh

1 ~ In a medium mixing bowl whisk together Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt. 

2 ~ In a food processor pulse together Almond Paste, Sugar, and Truvia.

3 ~ Add Butter, Eggs, Vanilla, and Almond Extract into the food processor and blend until smooth.

4 ~ Add Flour Mixture to food processor and pulse until dough forms. (Note: If dough is too soft add another 1/4 cup (30 g) of flour and pulse until mixed.)

5 ~ Divide dough into 4 equal pieces, wrap in plastic, and chill for 45 minutes to a hour.

6 ~ Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) 

7 ~ Line two large baking sheets with wax paper or parchment paper.

8 ~ On a lightly floured surface roll each piece of dough into a 10 inch (25 cm) long log, then transfer logs to baking sheets. Keep about 3-4 inches (10 cm) space between them. 

9 ~ Flatten each log slightly to about 2 inches (5 cm) across. (Note: I just used my hands to flatten them.)

Note: If you want you can make the trench before you bake them. I did that and it turned out perfect. You can use your fingers if or a round handle of a wooden spoon.)

10 ~ Bake for 9-12 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. They shouldn't be browned.

11 ~ Remove from oven and use the handle of a wooden spoon to make a trench down the middle of each log.

12 ~ Spread about 2 - 4 tablespoons of jam into the trench in each log. Make sure to spread it evenly and don't over fill the trenches as the jam could over flow when baking in the oven. It should be slightly below the top of the trench.

13 ~ Return to oven and bake for another 6-8 minutes. They should look like they are starting to get brown on the edges but no more. 

14 ~ Cool on sheets on wire racks. Note: let the cookies cool to room temperature before you add icing, cut, and move. 
15 ~ To make the icing whisk in a small bowl Confectioners' Sugar, Orange zest, and Orange Juice until smooth. Drizzle it over the cookie logs and let it harden for about 20 minutes
16 ~ Use a sharp serrated knife to cut logs into 1 inch (2.5 cm) diagonally. Note: Cut straight down not a rocking or sawing motion. 

*  You might need 1/4 cup more but mix first and see. I haven't tried using freshly ground soft white wheat flour yet. If you do let me know how it worked! I'd love to know!

** You can also make it completely sugar free by replacing the sugar with 1/8 cup of Truvia

*** I used homemade Raspberry & Plum Jam, but you can use any flavor you think would taste good. I think raspberry is best, but try other flavors and see which is your favorite! Also there are good sugar free Jams that have nothing but fruit in them. We've found some at Azure and I'm sure you could find some at either Fred Meyer or Trader Joe's. 

Enjoy!

 ~  Jamaretti Cookies - The Gluten and Dairy Free Way  ~

Makes about 3 dozen

              Cookies:

                 1 cup Sorghum Flour
                 1 1/4 cups Tapioca Flour * (See below recipe for more info)

                 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

                 1/2 Salt

                 1/2 cup Almond Paste - Homemade (See recipe below for dairy free version)

                 1/4 + 1/8 cup Truvia ( I get it from Fred Meyers)

                 1/2 cup (113 g) Organic Shortening, room temp. (Made from palm oil)

                 2 Eggs, Large ** (See below recipe for more info)

                 1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

                 3/4 teaspoon Pure Almond Extract (If you are not fond of strong Almond reduce
                                                                                                                                   to 1/2 tsp.)

                 1/2 - 3/4 cup Jam *** (see below recipe for more info) 

             

              Icing:   (This is optional. It tastes great with out as well.)
                 1/2 cup (70 g) Confectioners' sugar
                1/2 - 1 teaspoon Orange Zest, fresh

                2-3 teaspoons Orange Juice, fresh

1 ~ In a medium mixing bowl whisk together Flours, Baking Powder, and Salt. 

2 ~ In a food processor pulse together Almond Paste and Truvia.

3 ~ Add Shortening, Eggs, Vanilla, and Almond Extract into the food processor and blend until smooth.

4 ~ Add Flour Mixture to food processor and pulse until dough forms. (Note: If dough is too soft add another 1/4 cup (30 g) of Tapioca Flour and pulse until mixed. It should be about the same constancy as the homemade almond paste when being mixed. Like icebox cookies before you cut them. )

5 ~ Divide dough into 4 equal pieces, wrap in plastic, and chill for 45 minutes to a hour.

6 ~ Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) 

7 ~ Line two large baking sheets with wax paper or parchment paper.

8 ~ Use your hands to form each piece of dough into a 10 inch (25 cm) long log, then transfer logs to baking sheets. Keep about 3-4 inches (10 cm) space between them. Note: Dough will be a bit oily and that is okay.

9 ~ Flatten each log slightly to about 2 inches (5 cm) across. (Note: I just used my hands to flatten them.)

Note: If you want you can make the trench before you bake them. I did that and it turned out perfect. You can use your fingers if or a round handle of a wooden spoon.

10 ~ Bake for 9-11 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. They shouldn't be browned.

11 ~ Remove from oven and use the handle of a wooden spoon to make a trench down the middle of each log.

12 ~ Spread about 2 - 4 tablespoons of jam into the trench in each log. Make sure to spread it evenly and don't over fill the trenches as the jam could over flow when baking in the oven. It should be slightly below the top of the trench.

13 ~ Return to oven and bake for another 6-8 minutes. They should look like they are starting to get brown on the edges but no more. 

14 ~ Cool on sheets on wire racks. Note: let the cookies cool to room temperature before you add icing, cut, and move. 
15 ~ To make the icing whisk in a small bowl Confectioners' Sugar, Orange zest, and Orange Juice until smooth. Drizzle it over the cookie logs and let it harden for about 20 minutes
16 ~ Use a sharp serrated knife to cut logs into 1 inch (2.5 cm) diagonally. Note: Cut straight down not a rocking or sawing motion. 

*  You might need 1/4 cup more but mix first and see.

** You can also use duck eggs or use powder egg substitute whisked with water, but make sure to double whatever the package says to use for 2 large eggs.

*** I used homemade Raspberry & Plum Jam, but you can use any flavor you think would taste good. I think raspberry is best, but try other flavors and see which is your favorite! Also there are good sugar free Jams that have nothing but fruit in them. We've found some at Azure and I'm sure you could find some at either Fred Meyer or Trader Joe's. 

Enjoy!

~ Dairy Free Almond Paste ~

2 cups Blanched Almonds

1/4 cup Truvia

2 Egg whites * (See note below recipe) 

4 tablespoons Organic Shortening, room temp.

2 1/4 teaspoons Pure Almond Extract

1 ~ In a food processor put Almonds and Truvia and blend until powdery, about 1 minute.

2 ~ Add Egg whites, Shortening, and Almond Extract and process until the mixture forms a ball. 

3 ~ Use in a recipe or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Paste will last in the refrigerator for  at least a month and much longer if frozen. (Make sure to put it in a freezer zip-lock bag before freezing it.)

*You can also duck egg whites or powdered egg substitute whisked with water, just make sure to double the amount that they say on the box. 

~ Again feel free to let me know what you think, how you liked them, what you tried in your own version, or other ideas that I can try out! I'd love to hear from you!