My favorite season is here !

The stillness of the water, the blue skies, frosty mornings and crisp air are some of my favorite things!

I hope they are your favorites too.

Autumn Tasting

Cool day with a warm kitchen!!

Preparing for the first day of our new season at sewing club.

Baked fresh pumkin tarts and will dress them with a dollop

of whipped cream and a spritz of cinamon just before I serve them tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing all club members and hearing about their exciting summer events.

MMMMMMmmmmmmmmmarmalade Time

Beautiful September '09 is here and the colors, tastes and fragrances of autumn abound all across Canada!

Still, I have my kitchen on stand-by as I decide what to preserve in the next round of jars. Isn't it fun to squirrel away delights to enjoy on those cold winter days ahead? Truly my favorite season.

Yesterday I prepared 16 half pints of Carrot/Orange Marmalade and beyond the beautiful color in the jar is the yummy flavor it adds to a well toasted piece of favorite bread or a good biscuit - hot from the oven!

Enjoy these lovely autumn days as you save your pretty preserves.

"Cheers to All"

FOR THE LOVE OF THE SEASON

Oh how I love this time of year and the wonderful abundance of fruits and vegetables from the orchards and gardens in the Okanagan Valley.

Like so many of you this time of year, my kitchen becomes a busy space in my home as I prepare goods for the pantry (to enjoy this upcoming winter and to share with friends & family). I adore the different fragrances of spices and sugars wafting through my home as I pickle and jam. Preserving is a household chore I've loved to do for the past 40 + years and learned well from a great teacher....my dear mother who is 86 and still loves to save food in jars :)

Although I no longer have a need for big quantities of the preserves, I cannot imagine a year without certain items being set on the pantry shelves. There is something so wholesome and good about preserving our own food and as long as there is food to preserve....I promise to continue.

Yesterday, I completed some tasty Red Rhubarb Jam (so sweet & so pretty) ... very tasty on toast, fresh bread or home made biscuits w/ cheddar. I love the tart and the sweet flavors.

Last week, I processed a few pints of Beet Pickles (my absolute favorite pickle). I love to serve these pickles with roast beef dinner, they compliment each other so well and somehow there's never a pickle left to put back in the jar. Proud to say my recipe is decades old (in my family) and has been a Grand Prize ribbon winner at many a country fair in generation after generation of our family.

I will visit farmers market again soon and plan to make a few more pints of the beets. My next session will be Antipasto which is another long time favorite with my family & friends (it's my long time tradition to share all these tasty goods).

Will post more later ~

Good canning to you all !

Navy, Lime & Yellow

This morning I created a new pair of bags.

I love how sharp navy looks with other colors.

In fact, it pairs well with many colors and is my very favorite 'base'!

I'm hapyy with the freshness of the lime & yellow in this print and the white topstitch finish.

Hope you like it too! Wishing everyone a sunshine day...enjoy the great outdoors!

SPRING COLORS

So nice to feel the warmth of the sun and see the bright blue sky.

I do hope everyone enjoyed this wonderful Easter weekend. The spring color carnations are a gift from family and add such good energy to my sitting room. I love them!

Hoping to find time to cut and sew soon.

Cheers!

April 1, 2009

No fooling - already April 1st! It came quickly.

Today I completed another pair of Market Bags. This printed cotton is titled "Antiquity" and it lined nicely with the grey. Used black for topstitching to set off the design on the off-white background. I am pleased with the results.

Back to the cutting board !

NEW BAGS ON THIS LAST DAY OF MARCH '09

Another month comes to a close and I haven't posted the last few pair of bags (gave them away too quickly, then realized hadn't taken photos). :*(

I made this pair for a friends mother (who is a minister). Was excited to find the cotton (titled: A Wing and a Prayer) for the outside and used a deep burgundy broadcloth for lining. The print has small crosses, bibles, doves & scrolls and was a nice weight cotton to work with.

I am pleased as they turned out very pretty and I'm certain no other clergy will carry the same bags!

Happy Springtime Everyone and I'll try to keep my memory in check to 'post' before dispersing the next sets of bags.

Marching Into March....More Bags

Springtime is near and the skies are showing more blue. Hooray to feel the warm sunshine and anxiously wait for green leaves & blossoms on the trees.

I was excited to find the bright melon print and paired it with a lettuce green (lining) for a spring-like set of shopping bags. My heart tells me to keep these two for myself. The pretty colors are cheery & they will be fun for shopping at the farmers market which will open soon. Another reason to say 'hooray for spring'!

Today I finished the pretty pink flower/chocolate/white stripe set with burgundy lining and am pleased with this color combo.

Now back to the cutting board.

Enjoy getting back onto daylite saving time and will post again soon.

Cheers!

WASHABLE/REVERSIBLE SHOPPING BAGS

February has come and is almost gone .... still I'm having fun finding colors/prints & plains in cotton to make my shopping bags. Here are 3 pair I recently completed. I still have about 6 pair cut out and ready to sew. Thankyou to Crafty Norete for her guidance and inspiration to continue and post!

The blue & white flower w/ green leaf on the inside of the green check bag is a wonderful weight of sail-cloth (almost like a cotton canvass) - I am very pleased with the turnout of this pair (made them for my brother and his wife for summer travels in their new RV).

The yellow/orange/black w/ yellow lining almost look 'tropical'.... fun summer colors that will bring sunshine to any shopping trip.

The black pair has a small cherry-fruit pattern and the cherry pink lining sets off the print nicely. I have a dear friend in the south who (has never driven a car) walks everywhere and carries her shopping home. She will appreciate the easy handles on these wonderful bags. The fruit pattern is very fitting of the many orchards that surround us.

It's amazing just how much will fit into these bags !

Be back soon :)

ROOSTER SHOPPING BAG

I've created my own pattern (similar to tee-shirt bag) and have had so much fun picking out different prints and plain cotton fabrics to sew reversible/washable bags in 'pairs' to give to family and friends. I only make two the same, then change to another color/print for the next two (that way each person gets their own 'personal' bags and no one else will have the same). It's fun and the reaction from receivers has been overwhelmingly positive (thankyou ladies)!

At Christmas, my sister-in-law told the people at her office she has 'designer' bags (that I made for her). We had a chuckle about that one! I've never thought of myself as a 'designer' .... just an everyday girl who likes to sew and make others happy.

My latest creation is a pair of bags with "Rooster" design for a friend who loves roosters. She is delighted with the bags and will use them for daily market trips. Surprising just how much they hold!

I'm sorry I haven't thought to post photos of each pair before I gave them away and will try to remember to add pics to the blog as I go along.

Happy days heading toward spring!