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Yesterday I tried a new recipe that had caught my interest--these muffins just looked yummy!  They called for an ingredient that I wanted to try out; a while ago, I bought a bag of cashew meal at Trader Joe’s. This recipe was a “paleo” recipe ( Paleo Pumpkin and Carrot Muffins,) so it called for almond flour as its main ingredient. I knew I could substitute the cashew meal. I ran them through the recipe calculator, and they came out to 260 calories each (I made 6 large muffins.) That's a bit higher than I like for my breakfast, but it's not out of range. The weird thing was, they were “paleo” but they only had 7 grams of protein, and 33 grams of carbs! Fats were 13 grams and fiber came in at 3.5 grams.

 

It was a moist, tasty muffin.

Then I thought about my recipe for “Very Light Banana Muffins.” Honestly, I like it better. I knew they were 135 calories each, but I didn’t know the stats, so I ran that recipe through the recipe calculator; they have 7.8 grams of protein and only 18 grams of carbs. Fats are 4 grams, and there are 2.4 grams of fiber.

This kind of thing is just interesting to me. I know other people would prefer the first muffin, probably because of the higher fat content. But over the years, my tastes have changed, at least a little bit. And as I learned so long ago at Weight Watchers, even the little changes make a difference.

 

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The 9th annual Quilt Alliance contest theme is "Animals We Love."  All quilters, regardless of their style (traditional, modern, art) or technique (longarm, hand quilting, applique, pieced) are encouraged to enter a 16" x 16" quilt celebrating the theme.

All concepts are fair game--from unicorns to beetles--let your imagination run wild!

The Grand Prize will be chosen by a panel of professional judges, and Quilt Alliance members will choose their favorites, with prizes donated by Alliance business members. Read guidelines here.

 

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Take your machine quilting from good to outstanding when you follow Master Quilter Sharon Schamber's tips she shares in her video Beginning Stippling You will quickly be able to add texture and depth in your quilts. Featured Stipples include: Serpentine (aka: puzzle, meander); Pebble (aka: circle); Echoed Teardrop; Wavy Grid; Bubble in a Bubble; and Wood Grain.
 
 
This fabulous lesson is available FREE for Star members. Get this DVD online, along with three others that you can use for all of 2015.  
 
 

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If you loved Lynette's techniques for mastering appliqué and hand embroidery in Episode 1601, check out these other great TQS artists to learn how you can improve your handwork skills.

Master a curved stem with Priscilla Knoble in Episode 1505

Learn how to needle turn a leaf with Rebecca Goldsmith in Episode 611

Learn to stitch the "deep v" in a flower bud with Verna Mosquera in Episode 806

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Award-winning quilter Lisa Calle shares some of her favorite features of the BERNINA 750 QE.  She didn't think she needed any new "bells and whistles," but soon learned what she was missing!

 

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The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles is sharing with TQS a number of images, photographed by Dottie Cichon, from the Darwin D. Bearley Antique Ohio Amish Quilts exhibition, currently at the museum.  This exhibit includes over 40 bed, crib and doll quilts, illustrating the breadth of the Ohio Amish quilt making tradition between 1880 and 1940.  Each quilt in the Bearley Collection also contains a story about its maker, recipient, or the dealer/collector who found each one, and brought them out of Amish homes and into the marketplace.
 
These photos are just to whet your appetite, so stay tuned for more detailed images...
 
The exhibit runs through March 15, 2015.
Click to play this Smilebox slideshow
 
 
 

Janneken Smucker  - Sunday, January 11, 2015 2-4pm

Amish Quilts: The Story of America’s “First Abstract Art”

Janneken Smucker provides a fascinating perspective on the making, selling and collecting of Amish quilts in this presentation, which is based on her recent landmark publication, Amish Quilts: Crafting an American Icon. In addition to being a fifth generation Mennonite quilt maker, Smucker is Assistant Professor of History at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. 

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Here's a whimsical quilt from TQS BOM 2015 Designer Lynette Anderson called Scattered Hearts. It was made using Lynette's Time with Friends collection and measures approx. 63" x 81."  The pattern is available on Lynette's website; click here to learn more.

ScatteredHeartsbyLynetteAnderson - 36 pieces non-rotating

ScatteredHeartsbyLynetteAnderson - 100 pieces non-rotating

ScatteredHeartsbyLynetteAnderson - 289 pieces non-rotating

ScatteredHeartsbyLynetteAnderson - 100 pieces rotating

ScatteredHeartsbyLynetteAnderson - 289 pieces rotating

 

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Okan Arts takes you behind the scenes at In The Beginning Fabrics, for a visit with Jason Yenter,  President and Creative Director. Jason has created quite a few collections, with his patterns printed on almost two million yards of cotton, men’s shirts and even paper products for Michael’s.
 
 
 
 

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Learn about the TQS BOM 2015 Quilt Designer, Lynette Anderson in Episode 1601. Lynette shares her appliqué tips and embroidery stitches without a machine. Click here to learn more about Lynette.

Episode 1601 debuts on Monday, January 5, 2015. Star membership is only $42.95 for over 200 shows. Click on "Shop" to become a Premium Star Member. 

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We are kicking off Season 16 with a wonderful episode featuring Lynette Anderson, the designer of the TQS BOM 2015 - My Country House.  We go behind the scenes at our lovely studio in Colorado to watch Ricky share his top quilting tips and to see Lynette demo her appliqué and embroidery techniques, as we prepare for the start of a new year.

Click to play this Smilebox slideshow